Food compositions and methods for preventing copper-associated hepatopathies

Abstract

A pet food containing naturally occurring copper that can be used as a prophylactic diet to prevent and/or reduce copper storage disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, adverse gastrointestinal food reactions, and/or food allergies in pets is provided. A method for forming this pet food containing naturally occurring copper includes: providing a formula selected from the group consisting of chicken meal, corn gluten, duck, rabbit, venison, fish, peas, potato, barley, rice, corn, and any combinations thereof; and adding one or more ingredients having a naturally occurring copper source to provide a naturally occurring copper concentration in the pet food composition from about 7.3 ppm to about 25.0 ppm, adjusted for a dry matter basis.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of making a pet food, comprising:
 providing a meal base;   adding at least one ingredient to provide a copper source derived from a non-chelated copper oxide to form a total copper concentration for said pet food composition from about 7.3 ppm to about 25.0 ppm;   adding an omega-6 fatty acid and an omega-3 fatty acid to form a ratio between the omega-6 fatty acid and the omega-3 fatty acid from about 1:1 to about 10:1;   adding a mineral; and   adding a vitamin.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing a protein ingredient selected from a group consisting of beef, chicken, lamb, goat, duck, venison, pig, bison, salmon, trout, kangaroo, horse, and tuna.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing a carbohydrate ingredient selected from a group consisting of wheat, corn, potato, lentils, various types of flour, chick peas, couscous, and garbanzo beans.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing a fat ingredient selected from a group consisting of animal fat, beef tallow, chicken tallow, lamb tallow, goat tallow, duck tallow, venison tallow, pig tallow, bison tallow, salmon tallow, trout tallow, kangaroo tallow, and horse tallow.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the total copper concentration in the pet food composition is derived from a combination of an animal by-product and at least one of a plant and a yeast. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 adding DL-methionine; and   adding taurine.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the total concentration is derived from a non-bioavailable copper. 
     
     
         8 . A method of forming a pet food to reduce copper accumulation in a pet, the method comprising:
 providing a formula selected from the group consisting of chicken, corn gluten, fish, venison, ostrich, rabbit, pea, potato, barley, rice, and corn;   adding at least one ingredient having a copper source derived from a non-chelated copper oxide, and wherein the at least one ingredient forms a total copper concentration in said pet food from about 7.3 ppm to about 25.0 ppm; and   adding at least one of an omega-6 fatty acid and an omega-3 fatty acid; and   adding at least one mineral.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the step of adding at least one of an omega-6 fatty acid and an omega-3 fatty acid includes:
 adding each of the omega-6 fatty acid and the omega-3 fatty acid, wherein a ratio between the omega-6 fatty acid and omega-3 fatty acid ratio is from about 1:1 to about 10:1.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the step of adding at least one mineral includes:
 adding zinc oxide to form a zinc oxide concentration from about 150 mg/kg to about 1000 mg/kg.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 adding a vitamin, wherein the vitamin is vitamin E; and   forming a vitamin E concentration from about 300 iu/kg to about 1000 iu/kg.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 adding a vitamin, wherein the vitamin is vitamin B6; and   forming a vitamin B6 concentration from about 2 mg/kg to about 50 mg/kg.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one ingredient having the copper source is selected from the group consisting of at least one of tomato pumice, flaxseed, linseed, pumpkin, carrot, field peas, chickpeas, potatoes, and beets. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the total copper concentration is free of copper sulfate and free of copper proteinate. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein said pet food is free of at least one of a beef by-product and a pork by-product. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 feeding a pet said pet food.   
     
     
         17 . A method of forming a pet food to help prevent copper storage disease in a pet, the method comprising:
 providing a formula having at least one formula ingredient, the at least one formula ingredient selected from the group consisting of poultry meal, corn gluten, fish, peas, potato, barley, rice, and corn;   adding zinc oxide to form a zinc oxide concentration from about 150 mg/kg to about 1000 mg/kg;   adding vitamin E to form a vitamin E concentration from about 300 iu/kg to about 1000 iu/kg;   adding vitamin B6 to form a vitamin B6 concentration from about 2 mg/kg to about 50 mg/kg;   adding at least one ingredient having a copper source derived from a non-chelated copper oxide, wherein the at least one ingredient forms a total copper concentration within said pet food from about 7.3 ppm to about 25.0 ppm.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the at least one ingredient having the copper source is selected from a group consisting of tomato pumice, flaxseed, linseed, pumpkin, carrot, field peas, chickpeas, potatoes, and beets. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 adding an omega-6 fatty acid and an omega-3 fatty acid to reduce adverse gastrointestinal food reactions, wherein a ratio the omega-6 fatty acid to omega-3 fatty acid ratio is from about 5:1 to about 10:1.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein said pet food is free of each of beef, dairy, and wheat ingredients to reduce food allergies.