Learn about the pet food business

• food and nutritional needs of pets
• dogs, cats, birds, fish and other pets
• making, manufacturing and marketing of pet food products.

Course Content

This course has nine lessons as follows:

Lesson 1. Scope and Nature of Animal Food 

• Introduction to Pet Food Industry
• Industry origins from 19th century
• Principles of Taste
• Principles of Nutrition
• Ingredients and feed components
• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Fats
• Minerals and Vitamins
• Minerals & Vitamins for Cats, Dogs, Birds, Fish, Reptiles, Rodents and Rabbits
• Food Categories - dry, semi moist, retorted, pasteurised, chilled, pellets, flakes, etc

Lesson 2. Processing and Manufacturing 

• Processing technology and equipment
• Chillers and Freezers
• Documented Production Practices and Controlling Risks
• Potential Risks
• Personal Hygiene
• Contamination Risk
• Ingredient Controls - purchasing, receipting, storage, pest control, cleaning, premises and equipment
• Processing Techniques and Quality
• Heat Treatment and Process Control
• Air Exchange Heat Gains
• Occupancy Heat Gains
• Heavy Work
• Lighting Heat Gains
• Sampling, Testing Calibration
• Record Keeping
• Product Tracing and Recall
• What Triggers a Recall
• Using Batch Numbers and production Dates
• Issuing a Recall
• Voluntary vs Involuntary Recalls
• Identifying new ingredients - Techniques
• Insects as a pet food source
• Insect Meal and Dry Food
• Insects and Domesticated Fowl
• Insects as Feed for Dogs and Cats
• Insects for Fish and other Aquatic Life
• Insects for Reptiles and Amphibians
• Insects and Nutrition
• Gut Lading
• How to Raise Insects
• Mealworms
• Black Soldier Fly Farming

Lesson 3. Preservation and Storage

• Introduction
• Freezing
• Why Freeze Pet Food
• Problems with Freezing
• Vacuum Packaging
• Refrigeration
• Chilling Meat
• Chilling Fish
• Chilling Milk
• Drying or Dehydration
• Storing Produce
• Vegetables - curing, cooling
• Storing Root Crops
• Grain -silos, storage bags, bunkers, underground pits
• Seeds 
• Cold Storage with or without Humidity Control
• Cold and Cool Room for Seed Banks
• Preserving
• Artificial Preservatives
• Nitrates and Nitrites
• Sorbates
• Antioxidant Preservatives
• Sulphites
• Chelating Agents
• Natural Preservatives

Lesson 4. Canine Nutrition and Feeding 

• Introduction - Unique Canine Factors
• Caloric Need Calculations
• Protein Sources
• Carbohydrate Sources
• Fat Sources
• Raw Diet Controversy, Risks and Benefits
• Problems with Raw Feeding
• Canine Digestive System
• Canine Dietary Requirements
• Nutrition Depending on Age - puppies, senior dogs, aged dogs
• Nutrition Depending on Health Status - pregnancy, lactation, underweight
• Protein Sources - eggs, different meat types
• Fat Sources - peanut butter, olive oil, flax oil, coconut oil
• Carbohydrate Sources - rice, sweet potato, pumpkin, etc
• Probiotics
• Obese Dog Diets
• Protein
• Water
• Nutrition Depending on Activity
• Working and High Performance Diet

Lesson 5. Feline Nutrition and Feeding

• Introduction - Unique Feline considerations
• Wet Food versus Dry Food
• Resting Metabolic Rate Calculation
• Protein Sources
• Raw Food Diets Controversy, Risks and Benefits
• Feline Digestive System
• Feline Dietary Requirements
• Nutrition Depending on Age - birth to 12 months, senior and aged
• Nutrition Depending on Health Status
• Pregnant or Lactating Diet
• Underweight Diet
• Overweight Diet

Lesson 6. Feeding Birds, Fish, Rodents, Rabbits, and Reptiles 

• Bird Feeding
• Parrots
• Pellets for birds
• Mash/Chop for parrots
• Seeds, Beans, Nuts - for birds
• Treats for Birds
• Bird Feeding Fowl
• Stages of Growth
• Feed Components for Fowl
• Poultry - pellets, grain, mash
• Chickens
• Egg layers diet - growers laing feed, layer feed
• Feed for Broilers - starter feed, finisher feed
• Duck Diet
• Turkey Diet
• Fish Feeding
• Pelleted Fish Feed
• Live Fish Feed - Daphnia, Shrimp, Worms
• Night lights for fish
• Fishmeal and Oil meals
• Fish Food Production - beef heart, legumes, seafood & vegetable mix
• Rodent feeding
• Mice diet & what to avoid
• Rat diet and what to avoid
• Hamster Diet and what to avoid
• Guinea Pig diet and what to avoid
• Chinchilla diet and what to avoid
• Common rodent provisions
• Rabbit Feeding
• Rabbit Digestion
• Rabbit Diet - blended diet, pellets, fresh foods, grasses/ hay, leafy greens, vegetables, calcium
• Reptile Feeding - snakes, lizards, chelonians
• Food for reptiles
• Snakes
• Chelonians - turtles, tortoises -aquatic, terrestrial
• Lizards - review of various species

Lesson 7. Toxins in Animal Foods

• Toxic Components to Avoid
• Allium Family plants
• Responses to Poisoning
• Responses to Allergies
• Emergency Response
• Types of Additives in Pet Foods
• Antifungals
• Antioxidants
• Pellet Binders
• Feed Flavours
• Digestion Modifiers
• Metabolism Modifiers
• Health Modifiers
• Consumer Acceptance

Lesson 8. Regulatory Controls for the Pet Food Industry

• Introduction
• HACCP Plan
• Labelling
• Ingredient Lists
• Disposing of Animal By Products

Lesson 9. Feed Selection, Diet Formulation and End-Product Sales 

• Introduction
• Ultimate Goals of Pet Food Marketing in store or online
• Understanding the Purchaser
• Taking a New Product to Market
• Wholesaling
• Retail, Online or Mail Order
• Online Sales
• B2B
• Farmers Markets