The presence of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone in industrially produced dog feed

In the field of pet nutrition, the administration of complete feeds has proven to be effective. Dry complete feeds are often used for dogs, which may contain cereals among other ingredients. Cereals can be a risky ingredient due to the potential presence of mycotoxins. This work was aimed at determining the concentrations of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone in 14 samples of dry feeds for young and adult dogs obtained from different vendors. Through ELISA analysis, we found that deoxynivalenol was not found in the examined feeds in concentrations higher than the detection limit of the used kit (˂ 0.2 mg/kg; ppm) and zearalenone was found in 10 samples (2 samples of generic dog food, 2 samples of popular dog food and 6 samples of premium dog food) in concentrations below the detection limit of the test (˂ 5 µm/kg; ppb). In 4 samples of premium dog food, zearalenone was present at concentrations 21.799 ppb, 69.187 ppb, 96.745 ppb, and 163.463 ppb.