HK1110747A - Food for short-headed dogs - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a dry food product for feeding dogs which contains at least one animal or vegetable protein source and/or at least one slow or rapid carbohydrate source and/or at least one animal or vegetable fat source and is generally embodied in the form of a parallelepiped (1) provided with at least one cavity (2, 2') and at least one boss (3, 3'), wherein said cavity (2) and boss (3) of a first surface extend on the right of the boss (3') and the cavity (2') of the opposite surface of the parallelepiped (1), respectively. The use of the inventive food for feeding short-headed dogs is also disclosed.

Description

Food for dog with short head

Technical Field

The present invention relates to dry food for dogs, generally corrugated, to reduce the time spent eating and to increase the time spent chewing. Such food products according to the invention are particularly intended for short-headed dogs (brachycephalic) such as Boxers (Boxers) and bulldog dogs in the united kingdom (british bulldogs).

Background

It is generally accepted that domesticated dogs are inherited from one and the same common ancestor known as the gray wolf (Savolainen et al, 2002) and, as such, they have the morphological characteristics of the carnivore's jaw, which has evolved to capture a live or dead game by biting, then tearing its flesh and chewing it.

Human domestication of dogs has been accomplished for centuries by crossing to develop certain morphological characteristics of the dog, such as size or coat (coat). Thus, there are currently a number of breeds of dogs, some of which are prone to buccal-dental (bucco-dental) disease and/or have difficulty eating and chewing, which is directly related to the morphology of their mandible.

It is well known that dogs are classified according to their size, and also according to three different head varieties. Thus, on the one hand, there are differences in the three large size categories, small (1 to 10kg), medium (11 to 25kg) and large (26 to 80kg and above); on the other hand, three categories of cranial morphology: there are also differences in long head, medium head and short head types. To classify canines into the aforementioned skull types, a skull index is established: which corresponds to the cranial width multiplied by 100 divided by the cranial length. The long head version has a narrow cranial base (base) and a very prolonged oronasal portion with a cranial index below 50. The medium head model has a generally equal length of the cranium base and oronasal portion, with a head index higher or lower than 50. Short-headed dogs, on the other hand, have a short, wide, round skull with a skull index below 50. Depending on the breed, short-headed dogs have more or less pronounced mandibular protrusion. The mandibular protrusion is considered to be the forward protrusion of one of the two jawbone bones. In the short-headed dog species, boxer dogs (Boxers) and bullbris in the uk have a hypoocclusal condition, i.e. their mandible projects forward and their maxilla shortens.

The morphological characteristics of these short-headed dogs, in addition to causing buccal-dental problems such as gingival hyperplasia and staggering of deciduous and permanent teeth, respiratory problems and inadequate nibbling, also cause problems with food intake and chewing, which can cause gastric and/or buccal-dental problems.

The problem is that these short-headed dogs have an upper jaw shorter than the lower jaw, and therefore their upper and lower incisors cannot bite together, resulting in difficulty in taking food. In addition, short-headed dogs have a wider upper jaw in the premolar and molar areas than other dogs, also causing them to swallow food directly without chewing.

The difficulties that these dogs have in taking food lead to stress, while the lack of chewing of the food leads to too fast a feed intake, which can cause asphyxiation and lead to digestive difficulties and buccal-dental problems.

It is well known to veterinary surgeons that too rapid ingestion of food can cause tartar and plaque, which is the cause of all periodontal diseases (a. grimberg, and ph. beltramo, "Recueil de madecine V urtriaire", 1991, 167(10/11), 997-. A number of solutions have been proposed to combat the formation of tartar and plaque. Examples of these can be found in patents EP 0575021 and US 5,431,927, filed by Colgate-Palmolive, which describe a nutritionally balanced extruded food product in the form of a cylinder or disc containing fibre striations. Also known are patents EP 0552897 and US 5,296,209 filed by Colgate-Palmolive corporation which describe a chew comprised of an edible flexible fibrous matrix containing cellulosic material and an additive.

Although these solutions can limit the formation of tartar and plaque, they do not solve the problem of digestion caused by too fast food intake.

It is well known to veterinary surgeons that too rapid ingestion of food causes gas swallowing, rapid accumulation of gas expands the stomach, and can lead to gastric vovulus (w.g. guilford, "strong Small Animal Gastroenterology", 3 rd edition, w.b. saunders, published 1996, page 303, 317). Furthermore, in those cases where there is no problem in any way, whether it be the nature or the quality of the food, too rapid ingestion of the food may lead to gastric bloating (gastric differentiation) or von vulus syndrome in dogs (Veronique Viewu, "Recueil de M decene V te rienaire", 1993, 169(11/12), 985- & 997; C.F Burrows and L.A.Ignaszewski, "Journal of Small animal Practice", 1990, 31, 495- & 501).

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to solve all these problems by proposing a dry food product whose shape and size make it possible to reduce the time taken to eat the product and to increase the time taken to chew it.

In this regard, it should be noted that commercially prepared dog foods can be divided into two broad categories: wet foods known as loafs (loafs) and dry foods such as biscuits, granules, crumbs, flakes and the like. Dry food is currently undergoing the greatest expansion in the pet food market.

This is because dry food offers many advantages over wet food. It is convenient for use and easy for storage. Moreover, it is more economical than wet food, containing less than 14% moisture, and 1kg of dry food provides a nutritional benefit equivalent to that provided by 4kg of wet food.

There are two broad categories of dry food for dogs: single component food products and multi-component food products. A single component food product is a food product in which the individual components are the same and a multi-component food product is a food product comprising at least two different components.

The applicant company has surprisingly found that it is possible to slow the intake of food by reducing the time taken for dogs to take food and increasing the time taken for dogs to chew on food, particularly in the case of short-headed dogs such as boxer dogs or bulldog dogs in the uk, for example by providing them with a single component of dry food having a clearly defined shape.

The invention therefore proposes a dry food product for feeding dogs, characterized in that it comprises at least one animal or vegetable protein source and/or at least one sustained-release or immediate-release sugar source and/or at least one animal or vegetable fat source, whether a mono-component food product or a multi-component food product, which is parallelepiped-shaped in its entirety (parallelepipedal), it being important that at least two opposite faces of said parallelepipedal body comprise at least one cavity (hole) and at least one protuberance (Iump), the cavities and protuberances of said first face respectively facing the protuberances and cavities of the opposite faces of said parallelepipedal body, so as to impart to said food product an overall corrugated shape.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each cavity is composed of a concave region (convergence), each protrusion is composed of a convex region (covex region), and a radius of curvature of each concave region is different from a radius of curvature of each convex region.

Furthermore, the size of the food product has an effect on how easily it can be taken and how long it takes to chew it.

The parallelepiped preferably therefore has a diameter of from 5000 to 8000mm³In a size of 25 to 35mm x 15 to 25mm x 5 to 11 mm.

Further advantages and characteristics will become apparent from the content of the description which includes a number of embodiment variants of the crimping/non-crimping device according to the invention, given by way of non-limiting implementation, and with reference to the attached drawings, said device comprising the termination mechanism of the invention.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dry food product according to the invention

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the dried food product according to the invention depicted in figure 1;

figure 3 is a top view of a dried food product according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a table of prior art biscuits versus biscuits for a boxer dog according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a bar chart diagram showing the average time spent eating the various different types of biscuits listed in the table of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a bar chart diagram showing the average time spent chewing various different types of biscuits listed in the table of FIG. 4;

figure 7 is a graph showing a graph of the distribution of biscuit shapes as a function of the time taken to eat and chew them;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of biscuit models classified according to the time spent reducing eating and the time spent increasing chewing;

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the surface area of biscuits and the time it takes to eat them;

FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between biscuit volume and time taken to chew;

figure 11 is a control table of biscuits of the prior art and biscuits for feeding british bulls according to the invention;

FIG. 12 is a bar chart diagram showing the average time taken to consume the various types of biscuits in the table of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a bar chart diagram showing the average time taken to chew various types of biscuits in the table of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a graph showing the correlation of biscuit shape distribution with the time taken for eating and chewing;

FIG. 15 is a table of biscuit types sorted according to the time spent eating the biscuit decreasing and the time spent chewing it increasing;

FIG. 16 is a graph showing the surface area of the biscuit and the time it takes to eat it;

FIG. 17 is a graph showing the relationship between the volume of biscuits and the time it takes to chew them.

Detailed Description

Referring to figures 1 to 3, the dry food for feeding dogs according to the invention comprises, in a conventional manner, at least one animal or vegetable protein source and/or at least one slow-or fast-release sugar source and/or at least one animal or vegetable fat source. Which is globally parallelepiped-1-shaped, characterized in that at least two opposite faces of said parallelepiped 1 comprise at least one cavity 2 and 2 'and at least one projection 3 and 3', said cavity 2 and projection 3 of the first face respectively facing said projection 3 'and cavity 2' of the opposite face of said parallelepiped 1. Thus, the food product has a longitudinal cross-section in the shape of a corrugation (fig. 2). Each cavity 2, 2 'consists of a concave region, each protrusion 3, 3' consists of a convex region, and the radius of curvature of each concave region 2, 2 'is different from the radius of curvature of each convex region 3, 3'.

It is clear that the radius of curvature of each concave region 2, 2 'may be more or less equal to the radius of curvature of each convex region 3, 3' without departing in any way from the scope of the present invention.

Moreover, the corners between two adjacent surfaces of the parallelepiped 1 are rounded, so as to avoid any form of injury to the dog when it eats or chews them. The food product is obtained by extruding the food product through a corrugated extrusion die.

The particular shape of such food products makes it possible to reduce the time taken to take the food. In particular, the overall corrugated shape of the food product is meant to mean that at least one of its edges is detached (separation) regardless of where it is placed on a plane. This separation at least at one edge of the food product allows the dog to grip, thereby reducing the time taken to eat. Moreover, the particular shape of such a food product according to the invention also makes it possible to increase the time taken for subsequent chewing. This food is particularly intended for feeding short-headed dogs which, due to their morphological characteristics, have difficulties in taking and chewing, which causes them to take long periods of time on the cylindrical food of the prior art, while chewing takes a short period of time, as explained later.

Moreover, the applicant company has noted that, in addition to the shape of the food, the size of the food also has an effect on how long it takes to take and how long it takes to chew. Therefore, in order to obtain optimal feeding and chewing times for short-head dogs, the parallelepiped food product preferably needs to have a volume of 5000 to 8000mm³And/or a projected surface area on a plane of 500 to 700mm²And/or a size of 25 to 35mm x 15 to 25mm x 5 to 11 mm.

Example 1

A group of 18 boxer dogs was tested and fed for several days with prior art biscuits (types A, B, C, D, G and J) and different sizes of wave-shaped biscuits according to the invention (types E, F, H and I), as shown in the table of figure 4.

During the dog's meal, the time taken to eat and the time taken to chew were recorded with a 50g amount of food. These measurements of the time spent eating and the time spent chewing are obtained by analyzing the video recorded at the time of eating. These videos are taken with a parallelepiped box with a window on the upper face, on which a transparent, for example glass, biscuit-filled tray is placed. Digital cameras and lighting devices refer to lights such as neon, which are placed under a window in the case to photograph meals from below. Placing a second digital camera outside the box facilitates taking a picture of the food from the side.

The average time taken to consume each type of biscuit was recorded in the graph of the bar chart shown in figure 5.

Boxer dogs use their tongue, their lips and their teeth to pick up biscuits; however, the tongue and lips are most commonly used. The boxer dogs feed the biscuits in bunches in groups, without regard to the shape of the biscuits.

The time taken to consume 50g of type B was 26 seconds, with type B being the most common commercially available, making it one of the most difficult types to consume.

Type C, overall oval, type G, very flat triangular in shape, with feeding times of 30 seconds and 31 seconds, respectively. The time spent eating these types C and G biscuits is significantly longer than eating type B.

Cylindrical type a and cube type J take 5 to 6 seconds less to eat than type B.

Type D is a cross-shaped cookie, providing stability and multiple gripping points in the tray. The time taken for diet type D was 7 seconds shorter than the time taken for diet type B.

The wave-shaped versions E, F and I produced approximately 11 seconds less feeding time than the time taken to feed version B. It can be observed that these corrugated E, F and type I patterns are less prone to shifting in the disc than other patterns.

Type H, which is also corrugated in shape, has the shortest feeding time. The time taken to eat type H (14 seconds) is half of the time taken to eat type B (26 seconds).

Therefore, types E, F, H and I shaped into a corrugated shape according to the present invention are relevant to the best effect in terms of eating.

Thus, the food product of a specific shape according to the invention makes it easier to eat.

A comparison of the time spent chewing the food between the various types of biscuits was made in a manner that the time spent eating the food was analyzed.

The average time taken to chew various types of cookies is recorded in the graph of the bar chart shown in fig. 6.

It is known that the time taken for a biscuit of type B, as a standard type, to chew is very short, 4 seconds.

Triangle style biscuits G and cylinder style a are associated with the shortest chewing time (associate with), less than 1 second.

Oval type C took 3 seconds longer to chew than types G and a, and still took less to chew than the cookies of type B.

Chewing cross type D takes 9 seconds longer than standard type biscuit B.

Corrugated biscuit E increased the chewing time by only one second more than standard type biscuit B spent.

Cube type biscuit J took up to 13 seconds of chewing time, 9 seconds longer than standard type biscuit B. However, the cookies J of this type recorded took a particularly long feeding time, up to 20 seconds.

The corrugated-shaped type of biscuit F, which is the longest of all types, has the most pronounced curvature, taking 8 seconds to chew, 4 seconds longer than the standard type of biscuit B.

The length, width and thickness of the corrugated-shaped biscuit H, in its cross-section, are smaller than those of the corrugated-shaped biscuit type F, the time taken for chewing is 10 seconds, 6 seconds longer than that of the standard type biscuit B.

Finally, biscuit type I, also corrugated, has a cross-section with a length which is the longest of the corrugated biscuit types E, F, H and I according to the invention, from 28mm to 29mm, taking 13 seconds of the longest chewing time, equal to that of cube type J, i.e. 9 seconds longer than that of standard type biscuit B.

Thus, it can be seen that the particular shape of biscuits E, F, H and I according to the invention has an effect on the time it takes to chew them.

In order to effectively ingest food, the biscuit type requires a short intake time and a long chewing time.

From the table of fig. 7, which shows the distribution of biscuit shapes in relation to the time taken to eat and chew them, and the table of fig. 8 classifies biscuit types on the one hand according to the time taken to eat them reduced and on the other hand according to the time taken to chew them increased, it can be seen that the corrugated biscuit types H and I according to the invention give the best results because they take a short time to eat and take a long time to chew. Nonetheless, biscuit type I is somewhat difficult to manufacture due to its size, and thus, unlike it, type H is a preferred acceptable one.

Next, type H biscuits were measured over a long period with a group of 18 boxer dogs, and no fatigue and onset of choking were observed.

We have found that the shape of the biscuits has an effect on the time to eat and chew the biscuits, however, in the case of corrugated shaped biscuits according to the invention, the size of these biscuits also has an effect on the time to eat and chew them.

Thus, as can be seen in the graphs of fig. 9 and 10, which show the relationship between the surface area of the biscuit and the time it takes to eat them, and the relationship between the volume of the biscuit and the time it takes to chew them, respectively, the volume being 5000 to 8000mm³The best results were obtained with biscuits, more particularly with dimensions of 25 to 35mm x 15 to 25mm x 5 to 11 mm. This is comparable to 500 to 700mm on a disc²Corresponds to the projected surface area of (a).

Example 2

A group of 27 great britain bulldogs were tested and fed for several days with prior art biscuits (types D, E, G and H) and different sized, corrugated shaped biscuits according to the invention (types A, B, C, F and I) as shown in the table of figure 11.

As in example 1, when an amount of 50g of food was provided to the dog, the time taken to eat and the time taken to chew during the meal was recorded.

The average time taken to consume each type of biscuit was recorded in the graph of the bar chart shown in fig. 12.

The biscuit type G, as a standard type, takes a relatively long time to eat, 24 seconds.

Biscuit types H and B took 3 seconds longer to eat than standard type biscuit G. Biscuit type H is a very flat triangular biscuit and biscuit B is corrugated in shape according to the invention, small in size and with a curvature that is not very pronounced.

Biscuit type C is also a wave shape according to the invention, wider than biscuit type B. The time taken to eat biscuit type C was 4 seconds shorter than the time taken to eat standard type biscuit G.

The time taken to eat biscuit type a was 2 seconds faster than the time taken to eat standard type biscuit G.

Eating cross-shaped type of biscuit D took a similar amount of time to eating biscuit type a, and more particularly, 3 seconds less than eating standard type of biscuit G.

Biscuit type I is also corrugated in shape, having a greater thickness and a more pronounced curvature than other types of biscuits A, B, C and F. The time taken to consume this type of biscuit I is 5 seconds shorter than the time taken to consume the standard type of biscuit G.

Biscuit type E is cylindrical in shape and takes 7 seconds faster than the standard type of biscuit G. However, it can be observed that when the dog attempts to pick up these biscuits, biscuits of this type E roll in the tray, and many of them leak out of the tray.

Biscuit type F, also corrugated in shape, takes the shortest time to eat. In particular, unlike the case of biscuit E of cylindrical type, which does not leak from the plate, the time taken to eat biscuit type F takes 7 seconds shorter than the time taken to eat biscuit type G of standard type.

It can therefore be seen that the feeding time of the biscuit F of corrugated type according to the invention is the shortest among all the tested types.

A comparison of the time spent chewing the food between the various types of biscuits is made, for example, in a manner that analyzes the time spent eating the food.

The average time taken to chew various types of cookies is recorded in the graph of the bar chart shown in fig. 13.

It can be seen that the chewing of standard type of biscuit G is not very much. In fact, for these standard biscuits G, the time taken to chew 50G of biscuit is only 1 second.

Biscuit types E and H, corresponding to cylindrical and triangular biscuits, respectively, were not chewed at all. This type of biscuit is ingested once it is eaten.

The chewing time spent by the wave-shaped type of biscuits a and B is 3 seconds, i.e. three times longer than that of the standard type of biscuit G.

The cross-shaped type of biscuit D spent a chewing time 4 seconds longer than that spent for the standard type of biscuit G.

The chew biscuits are also of the corrugated C type and take 5 seconds longer than the chewing time taken for the standard type biscuit G.

The chewing time taken for the wave-shaped type biscuit F was 8 seconds.

Finally, the type I biscuit takes about 18 seconds to chew, i.e. 18 times longer than the standard type biscuit G. The volume of this type of biscuit I is the largest of the tested types, and the tortuosity of the corrugations is also the most pronounced.

Thus, in a bulldog in the uk, it can be seen that the particular shape of biscuits A, B, C, F and I according to the invention has an effect on the time it takes to chew them.

In order to effectively ingest food, the biscuit type requires a short intake time and a long chewing time.

From the table of fig. 14, fig. 14 shows the distribution of biscuit shapes in relation to the time taken to eat and chew them, the table of fig. 15 classifying the biscuit types on the one hand according to the time taken to eat them reduced and on the other hand according to the time taken to chew them increased, it can be seen that the corrugated biscuit types F and I according to the invention are most effective because they take a short time to eat and a long time to chew.

Furthermore, a group of 27 great british bulldogs were used to determine the type of biscuits F and I over a long period of time.

Biscuit type I shows some degree of fatigue over long periods of consumption due to the size of this type of biscuit resulting in difficulty chewing.

Biscuit type F appears to be optimum at the completion of long-term testing, although 4 dogs showed some degree of fatigue and did not finish eating their biscuit ration.

We have found that the shape of the biscuits has an effect on the time to eat and chew the biscuits, however, in the case of the corrugated shaped biscuits according to the invention, the size of these biscuits also has an effect on the time to eat and chew them.

Thus, as can be seen in fig. 16 and 17, respectivelyShowing the relationship between the surface area of the biscuit and the time taken to eat it, and the relationship between the volume of the biscuit and the time taken to chew it, with a volume of 5000 to 8000mm³The best results are obtained with biscuits having more particularly dimensions of 25 to 35mm x 15 to 25mm x 5 to 11 mm. This is comparable to 500 to 700mm on a disc²Corresponds to the projected surface area of (a).

Claims (9)

1. A dry food for feeding dogs, the type comprising

At least one animal or vegetable protein source, and/or

At least one sustained or immediate release sugar source, and/or

At least one source of animal or vegetable fat,

which overall has the shape of a parallelepiped (1) or the like, characterized in that at least two opposite faces of said parallelepiped (1) comprise at least one cavity (2, 2 ') and at least one projection (3, 3'), said cavity (2) and said projection (3) on a first face being respectively opposite to the projection (3 ') and cavity (2') on the opposite face of said parallelepiped (1).

2. The food product according to the preceding claim, characterized in that each cavity (2, 2') consists of a concave area.

3. The food product according to any of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that each protuberance (3, 3') consists of a convex area.

4. A food product according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the radius of curvature of each concave area (2, 2 ') is different from the radius of curvature of each convex area (3, 3').

5. Food product according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the corners between two adjacent faces of the parallelepiped (1) are rounded.

6. Food product according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a projected surface area in the range 500 to 700mm²In the meantime.

7. Food product according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the parallelepiped (1) has a volume in the range 5000 to 8000mm³In the meantime.

8. Food product according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the parallelepiped (1) has dimensions of 25 to 35mm x 15 to 25mm x 5 to 11 mm.

9. Food product according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it is intended for feeding puppies.