Raw fiber is mainly fibrous plant components, which are often also referred to as "dietary fiber" in human nutrition. Although the relatively hard-to-digest plant components are excreted almost unchanged, they fulfill very important regulatory functions in the diet of your four-legged friend.
The crude fiber content in the feed indicates the amount of soluble and insoluble fiber.
Soluble fibers serve mainly as prebiotics. They feed important and desirable bacteria in the intestines of dogs and cats and thus support the stability of the intestinal flora.
Insoluble fiber is necessary for the natural function of the intestines. The intestine is filled and its movement is stimulated. Constipation and intestinal sluggishness are thus avoided.
A food with increased crude fiber content provides a longer lasting feeling of satiety and is therefore particularly suitable for dogs and cats that tend to be overweight. The fiber components fill the stomach, while at the same time reducing the energy content of the food - the classic light principle. The best known fiber carriers are some cereal products, vegetables, dried beet pulp, pea fiber, etc.
So, crude fiber is not a "filler", but a combination of high-quality, useful and specially selected raw materials.
What is meant by the term "crude ash"?
If dog food were heated at several hundred degrees, all organic components would burn. All other, non-combustible substances would remain as ash.
The term crude ash covers all these inorganic substances - i.e. minerals and trace elements - that are contained in the food.
Minerals are divided nutritionally into bulk elements such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium and chlorine, and trace elements such as iron, copper, zinc, manganese, cobalt, selenium and iodine, etc. Minerals have numerous functions, such as skeletal development via nerve and muscle functions, water balance and blood formation. Minerals are involved in all major body functions.
In the case of minerals, both a deficiency and an oversupply can have serious consequences for our four-legged friends. So it's not a case of "the more the merrier". Therefore, a practical tip: The supplementary feeding of mineral mixtures should always be calculated exactly and coordinated with the veterinarian. If a complete feed is fed, the addition of extra minerals is not necessary and can have very serious consequences such as bone malformations or poisoning symptoms.
What is meant by the term "fat content"?
The term fat content covers animal and vegetable fats and oils. Fat provides our furry noses and house pets with the necessary energy for every adventure.
Individual fat components, the so-called essential fatty acids, have important functions in the development of skin and hair. They also fulfill various roles in cell metabolism and support the body's own defenses. Omega-6 fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids are particularly important in this context. These essential fatty acids are very sensitive, which is why we take special care to protect them in the production of our feed.
What is meant by the term "protein"?
The term protein includes all animal and plant proteins.
Protein is present in every body cell of dogs and cats and plays an important role in all life processes. It consists of individual building blocks called amino acids. They are the building blocks for the development of muscles, but also enzymes. It is always crucial that the right amino acids are present in the right quantities.
When calculating our formulas, we not only check the quantity, but also the composition of the proteins used to ensure optimal supply to the animal. The more exactly the amino acid composition of the feed protein corresponds to the needs of the dog or cat, the better the feed protein can be utilized. However, the better the feed protein can be utilized, the lower the required protein content.
An oversupply of protein or amino acids leads to a strain on the metabolism and on the liver and kidneys. Therefore, a supply in line with requirements is decisive and not the principle of "the more, the better".
What is meant by "vegetables"?
We use dried carrots, peas, leeks and spinach and others in our feed.
In our feeds, the composition is always openly declared, so that with one look at the packaging you can see which vegetables are included in each feed.
What is meant by "yeasts"?
This is gently dried brewer's yeast from German breweries.
In addition, we use a mixture of pure mannanoligosaccharides and beta-glucans in our immune complex. These two special yeast ingredients can effectively support your pet's immune system.
In our feeds, the composition is always openly declared, so that with one look at the packaging you can see whether yeast has been added or not.
What is meant by "grain"?
We use whole grains that come mainly from southern Germany.
The grains used are: Corn, wheat, barley. The rice comes mainly from southern European growing areas (northern Italy). In addition, some products contain cereal flours (e.g. baking wheat flour from southern Germany).
In our feeds, the composition is always openly declared, so that with one look at the packaging you can see which cereals are contained in the feed.
What is meant by "eggs and egg products"?
For this we use gently dried whole egg powder (from Germany and France).
In our feeds, the composition is always openly declared, so that with one look at the packaging you can see whether we contain eggs.
What is meant by "vegetable by-products"?
This includes fiber carriers that play an important role in optimal digestion (further information under the term "crude fiber"). Beet pulp, wheat semolina bran, corn gluten, linseed, as well as some special fibers (e.g. fructo-oligosaccharides, inulin) count as vegetable by-products.
In our feeds, the composition is always openly declared, so that with one look at the packaging you can see which raw materials are included.
What is meant by "oils and fats"?
This includes animal and vegetable fats, such as poultry fat, lard or sunflower oil.
What is meant by "fish and fish by-products"?
We only use high-quality, gently dried fish meal from deep-sea fish (because of the high content of omega fatty acids) and, of course, fresh fish such as salmon or trout.
In our feeds, the composition is always openly declared, so that with one look at the packaging you can see which raw materials are included.
Are animal meals (so-called "carcass meals") used in the manufacture of the products?
No. Since the BSE crisis in 2001, it has been strictly forbidden to use animal meal or other products from rendering plants for feed purposes. This also applies to pet food. Since 2002, only products from animals fit for human consumption, i.e. animals that have been examined by a veterinarian and approved for slaughter for human consumption, may be used for production. This law is valid throughout the EU.
Is soy used in the manufacture of the products?
No, we do not use soy proteins or soy oils.
Although soy proteins are very inexpensive, they contain a number of carbohydrates that are difficult to digest and can lead to soft feces and flatulence. In addition, the vast majority of soybean cultivation worldwide is now done with genetically engineered seeds.
What are antioxidants and why are they added?
Food for dogs and cats contains certain fats, essential fatty acids and vitamins. During storage, these food components are exposed to oxygen in the air, which degrades them over time. Heat and light increase this oxidizing effect. If a dog or cat food contains too few essential fatty acids, this can lead to serious health problems such as growth disorders, rough and dry coat, skin thickening, hair loss and increased susceptibility of the skin to infection. If the vitamins are also destroyed, typical vitamin deficiency symptoms may also occur. If the fat becomes rancid, harmful degradation products are formed.
As the name suggests, antioxidants counteract this process and the oxidation of nutrients is decisively delayed.
The antioxidants are therefore an important and absolutely necessary group of active ingredients, especially if longer shelf lives of vitamins and essential fatty acids are to be guaranteed.
Which antioxidants are approved?
Various antioxidants are currently approved for use in animal feed.
Widely used are BHA (E 320), BHT (E 321), propyl gallate (E 310), tocopherol extracts from vegetable oils (E 306) and various synthetic tocopherols.
We use a combination of tocopherol extracts from vegetable oils and propyl gallate. For feed regulatory approval, all approved antioxidants had to be put through their paces, with not only the mode of action but also possible adverse effects being tested. Depending on the product, the antioxidants would have to be overdosed by a factor of up to 100 for harmful effects to occur in animals at all. The legislator has therefore built in an enormously large safety margin here, precisely in order to protect animals from harmful side effects. In contrast to the frequently expressed opinions that antioxidants would promote the occurrence of cancer, many antioxidants have actually been found to have exactly the opposite effect. For example, propyl gallate clearly showed inhibitory properties towards the occurrence of tumors caused by certain turmor triggers (e.g. nitrosamines).
We stabilize the sensitive fats used exclusively with a combination of natural tocopherols and propyl gallate. The main stabilization is done with the highly tocopherol-containing extracts of natural origin, which are obtained from vegetable fats. The protective effect of these natural tocopherols is significantly improved by an additional small addition (in the trace range) of propyl gallate, a compound from the group of gallates, which also occurs widely in nature. Compared to the "purely chemical" antioxidants (such as ethoxiquin, BHA, BHT), this antioxidant is therefore easily broken down and utilized in the metabolism due to its organic structure. The tocopherols and propyl gallate are not only approved for our animals, but also for certain foods. The natural tocopherols present in the extracts containing tocopherols belong to the same group of substances as vitamin E, but have a considerably lower vitamin effect than the actual vitamin E (vitamin E acetate), which in turn has a considerably lower antioxidant effect in the feed (on fats and vitamins). Conversely, vitamin E acts in the metabolism of animals, where in turn the other tocopherols, which act as antioxidants, have practically no effect.
So, to sum up, antioxidants are very important additives that ensure the quality and health of animals. They have been scientifically tested and are safe and harmless in the approved dosages. In any case, the negative effects of destroyed vitamins and essential fatty acids are incomparably more harmful to the health and well-being of dogs and cats.
Are synthetic, artificial colorants added in the manufacture of the products?
No. The color differences in the products are caused by the different coloring of the contained raw materials, vitamins and trace elements. Therefore, the color differences are only slightly pronounced compared to feeds enriched with synthetic colorants.
By the way, artificial colorants must be indicated on the packaging.
What is the meat content of the products?
The meat content of a food is ultimately not a criterion for assessing the quality of a food, even if this is repeatedly claimed.
The feed should have a higher protein content and the protein in dog and cat food comes mainly from meat. However, there are significant differences between the meat of different animal species. Other animal protein sources (e.g. whole egg, milk powder, fish and fish meal, etc.) also make excellent contributions to the amino acid supply of animals. The meat content depends on the overall recipe and the protein content of the remaining components.
For all our products, we indicate the animal origin of our meat used and the percentage of animal protein in the total protein content.
What meat products are used in bosch petfood?
This includes many different fresh meat products such as water buffalo, chicken, quail goat or guinea fowl.
AWe also use dried meat products from all commonly consumed animal species in Germany: poultry, lamb, beef and pork.
The raw materials come exclusively from animals fit for human consumption, which have been approved and slaughtered for human consumption. Therefore, we do not process any products from animal carcass disposal plants (so-called carcass meals or slaughterhouse waste that is not suitable for consumption, such as horns, claws, claws).
We process the fresh meat directly in our plant either cooled or frozen. The dried meat meals are already gently heated and dried in the manufacturing plants in accordance with the strict German and European regulations. We also process organic meat and meat with the seal of the Initiative Tierwohl.
Nutrition
Tips for the species-appropriate diet of your fur friend
Which food suits my four-legged friend best?
Every animal is unique. We want to provide your pelt nose with a diet that is perfectly tailored to its individual needs and preferences.
With our interactive food advisor, you can enter the most important data of your four-legged friend step by step and then receive an individual food recommendation.
The whole thing is free of charge, of course.
How can I get a food consultation?
Our nutrition experts are available by mail and phone to advise you on the choice of the right food and other questions about the diet of your four-legged friend.
Contact us and together we will find the right food for your furry friend!
Basically, your dog or cat does not need variety in the diet. They tolerate the same food for years. However, it is important that it is a complete food that contains all the important nutrients, vitamins and minerals and is composed of high-quality raw materials.
How do I carry out a change of feed?
A change of food always means a strain on the gastrointestinal tract of your pet, no matter if it is a change from junior to adult food or a change of varieties within our assortment. To avoid digestive problems, you should definitely avoid an abrupt change.
When changing the food for your pelt nose, a period of at least 4 - 7 days is recommended, during which you change the food types step by step. First, a small part of the previous food is replaced by the new food. The proportion of the new food is increased daily until it is given exclusively.
In case of a sensitive animal, you should pay special attention to the phase of food change. Especially in case of a sensitive gastrointestinal tract, it should be done slowly to avoid stress and further irritation of the digestive tract.
Should I feed my furry nose wet food or dry food?
Basically, both types of food can serve as a complete food. This means that in the specified daily portion (to be read in the feeding recommendation) all essential nutrients that your pet needs are included. Only water should be provided additionally.
Is a mixed feeding of wet food and dry food useful?
Wet food ensures a higher fluid intake and dry food supports the removal of dental plaque. A mixed feeding is a balanced mix for your pet.
For fussy eaters, but also for sick and old animals with less appetite, it has proven to combine dry food with a small amount of wet food, which is often better accepted than exclusively dry food.
If you want to spoil your pet additionally with wet food, you should please consider this in the total daily ration of your four-legged friend.
Does it make sense to soak dry food before feeding?
In principle, all our feeds can be offered dry if sufficient fresh water is provided at the same time.
Soaking or using semi-moist food is especially recommended for puppies, dogs with dental problems, and older dogs that can no longer chew well. Generally, a soaking time of 10 to 15 minutes is sufficient.
What is a semi-moist or soft food?
Semi-moist dry food is a special taste experience for your furry nose. The soft kibbles have a more intense smell due to their slightly increased moisture content (about 18%) and can convince especially demanding dogs.
Since the soft croquettes hardly swell up in the dog's stomach, they are also optimally suited for sensitive fur noses.
How much food does my pet need?
The required amount of food depends on various factors. In addition to the age, size and weight of your furry friend, the type of feed is the most important. Feed has very different specific weights and volumes depending on its composition and the manufacturing process used. Dry food, for example, has much of its moisture removed during the manufacturing process, so it has a very small volume with high nutrient density and the meals look very small in comparison.
With the help of our feeding recommendations, you can see at a glance how much food your pet needs. You can find them either on the back of our packaging or on our website with the respective products.
The amounts of food given in the feeding tables are guideline values that should be under- or exceeded in individual cases, depending on the husbandry conditions and disposition of your pet.
Feel your pet once in a while with your fingertips at the ribs. You should have the feeling that there is still a thin layer between the skin and the ribs, then the constitution of your animal is correct.
If you have the feeling that the skin of your pet is almost directly on the ribs, and it looks very thin and bony, you should definitely adjust the amount of food.
How do I read the feeding recommendation for junior food correctly?
Especially for young pelt noses, an optimal supply of all important nutrients is important, because only then can you develop optimally. For young dogs, an oversupply is often a bigger problem than an undersupply. Many pet parents forget, for example, to include treats and rewards in the daily food ration.
In order to prevent overweight already in the young dog age our feeding recommendations always orient themselves at the expected final weight of the full-grown dog. With pedigree dogs this is often easy. But also for mixed breeds or dogs from foreign animal protection the expected final weight can be calculated. There are various growth curves for this. The veterinarian can often give a good estimate here very easily.
How often should my dog or cat be fed?
For adult dogs it is enough to be fed once a day, because a dog's stomach has a very large food absorption capacity.
For sensitive dogs, dogs prone to digestive disorders or dogs with a heavier workload, the daily amount of food should be divided into two or three meals.
After the meal, your dog should be allowed to rest for two to three hours to digest the food optimally.
For performance dogs, the last feeding should preferably be at least 6 hours before the mission to ensure optimal performance. The first meal after a mission should be 2 - 3 hours afterwards.
The daily ration of your cat should be divided into at least three portions, which you offer your velvet paw throughout the day. However, many cats also divide their food themselves, so that the food can also be provided constantly. For velvet paws that tend to be overweight, the food should be offered in several meals.
How many treats can I feed my furry nose?
Treats should always be seen as a supplement to the daily food, because even healthy snacks do not replace a balanced diet in the long term. Your four-legged friend gets all the important nutrients, such as proteins, fats, but also vitamins and trace elements, through his main food. The main meal should always be adapted to the age, breed and activity of the animal.
If you would like to spoil your fur friend with additional snacks, you should please take these into account in the total daily ration. We recommend not giving more than 10% of the daily food quantity in the form of treats and rewards. This guideline ensures that your pet gets all the important nutrients from the main food and does not gain too much weight from the additional rewards.
The type and amount of snacks should always be adjusted to the size, weight, age and activity of your pet.
Which food is suitable for animals with an intolerance or allergy?
If the allergen is known to your pet, you should offer him a food that does not contain this component. In our online store, we offer numerous filter options so that you can filter the multitude of our products according to the intolerances and other diet-specific peculiarities of your furry friend.
With our interactive food advisor, you can specify the individual needs and preferences of your four-legged friend step by step and thus receive an individual food recommendation.
Our nutrition experts are available by email and phone to help you choose the right food for your nutritionally sensitive furry friend.
How should I store food to keep it fresh for as long as possible?
Dog food should always be stored in a cool and dry place. Heat, light, air and moisture can cause the food to spoil. This applies to dry food and snacks in bags as well as to wet food in cans.
Dry food has a longer shelf life due to its low water content. After opening your dry food bag, you should always close it carefully, and this also applies to dog snacks. Our large containers have a practical ZIP closure for this purpose. Alternatively, you can decant the dry food into an opaque food container or seal it with a fresh food clip.
Especially semi-moist food should always be stored in a tightly closing bag or container, so that the kibble does not dry out too much and lose its flavor.
Opened wet food should be used up as quickly as possible, because it does not keep too long after opening the can. We recommend storing opened wet food with a fresh lid in the refrigerator and using it up within two days. You should take the can out of the refrigerator before feeding and give it to your fur friend only when it has reached room temperature.
Can I feed pet food even after the best-before date has passed?
Proper storage increases the likelihood that dry food will not spoil immediately after the expiration date.
In case of doubt, we do not recommend feeding our food after the best-before date has passed. After the best-before date has been reached, certain nutritional additives may no longer be present in the full amount in the feed.
The best before date of our feed refers to the closed product.
Health
Everything about the well-being of your pet
Is African swine fever dangerous for my dog or cat?
African swine fever is a viral disease of domestic and wild pigs. Our pets, however, cannot be infected with it. It is a zoonosis. The disease is therefore not transmissible from animals to humans. Pork and wild boar meat, which is traded in Germany is ASP-free and can be consumed completely safe. This is guaranteed by a ban on movement from risk areas and strict slaughter controls. Pigs or wild boars that have contracted ASF may not be slaughtered, but must be killed and then incinerated under the control of the authorities. Only meat that comes from healthy animals and has been inspected by veterinarians may be sold or processed as food and feed. The ASF virus can also be reliably inactivated by a temperature above 72°C. The temperatures in our production process therefore ensure that pathogens are reliably killed.
Consequently, it remains to be stated that the ASF virus is not infectious for dogs and cats and that there are strict slaughter controls. Only healthy slaughtered animals approved by the veterinarian for human consumption are used in our products. The manufacturing process guarantees safe germicide.
How do I remove a tick from my furry friend?
If you discover a tick in the fur of your four-legged friend, it is important to stay calm and follow the steps below:
Sweep the fur to the side to get a good look at the tick.
Place the tick forceps or tick hook as close as possible to the skin of your furry friend and surround the tick completely with the tool.
Gently pull the parasite straight out of the skin without squashing it.
Wash your hands, disinfect the tick bite, as well as the tool Dispose of the tick and make it harmless (e.g. with alcohol).
It is important to observe your four-legged friend closely after the tick infestation. If the feeding behavior changes, other behavioral changes occur or redness forms, you should consult a veterinarian.
Company
Feed information about our family business
Are animal experiments carried out in the development of bosch petfood?
No. Our company's attitude toward animal testing is very clearly defined in our quality management manual:
At bosch Tiernahrung, the development of new products only considers projects that are based on principles that have already been sufficiently scientifically researched and recognized. We strictly reject the performance of animal experiments that would lead to serious interventions on the animals or that would be associated with any pain or suffering. We therefore also condemn the animal experiments that have become known in recent times and that are associated with agony and pain, which unfortunately, according to press releases, have also been carried out by some pet food companies. We are of the opinion that many animal experiments and the accompanying suffering and pain for the animals are in very many cases not at all justifiable in relation to the knowledge and consequences, for the purpose of which such experiments are often carried out. Sometimes one even gets the impression that such experiments are merely misused as a cover for later marketing statements in brochures, etc.
Of course, we also have to subject our products to an "evaluation" by the animals again and again, in order to be able to better assess, for example, the influence of new raw materials, new manufacturing processes, etc. on the quality of our products. Dogs and cats are living creatures whose reactions cannot simply be calculated in advance, as is the case with machines. The acceptance tests, which may be part of the product development, only serve to check the acceptance and digestibility of the food. In addition to the feeding behavior, the faeces consistency, the coat quality and, if necessary, the general development and condition of the animals are visually assessed by the animal owners. The acceptance tests are carried out either in private households or in suitable kennel facilities and - as already mentioned - basically by the owners of the animals themselves. Since the animal owner himself has a great interest in sparing his animal any "inconvenience", the acceptance tests carried out by us certainly have nothing in common with the "animal experiments" mentioned.