Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the differences in canine preferences for pet food terrine according to the processing method. As companion dogs, three male Spitz canines (average age 12 years, average weight 7 kg) and three male Spitz mix canines (average age 12 years, average weight 5 kg) were used in Experiment 1, whereas five male (average age 10 years, average weight 9 kg) and five female Shetland Sheepdogs (Sheltie, average age 10 years, average weight 8 kg) were used in Experiment 2, to evaluate their preferences and intake types. In both experiments, all dog categories mostly preferred 'meat' when it came to their first choice of food consumed, followed by 'vegetables', 'mixed eating', and 'vegetable leftover' last. This confirms means that canines are carnivores, and over time, choosing 'vegetables' or 'vegetable leftovers' as a secondary or alternate food source can be considered a natural process. When provided various terrines, canines in both experiments first ingested 'cooked' rather than 'freeze-dried' duck, chicken, beef, and pork terrines when selecting food at the start of feeding. For both experiments, most of the intake types using duck, chicken, beef, and pork terrine showed a preference for 'after consuming cooked terrine first and then intake freeze-dried' item. In conclusion, the reason for preferring cooked terrine can be attributed to the difference in the preparation cooking method of freeze-dried cooked terrine.