Canine Diet

Abstract

Canine diet refers to the food intake by members of the Canidae family. Dietary intake and choices of canids are closely aligned to their behavioral, dental, anatomical, and physiological characteristics associated with ingestion, digestion, absorption, and elimination. In addition, the spatial and temporal availability of feedstuffs will impact on dietary intake and preferences. The diversity of members of the Canidae family results in a variety of potential diets, most notably observed in the domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris, where human intervention and management typically regulates dietary choices and intake, occasionally in conflict with the nutritional needs of the species. For wild and free-living canids, diet is more closely impacted by typical ecological pressures such as seasonality, prey density, predator population density, intra-and interspecies relationships, and, increasingly, anthropogenic effects.