Good nutrition for your four-legged friend
This week, we will address dog nutrition by reader request. In a near-future column, we will look at cat nutrition, and perhaps bird nutrition as well, since these are all popular pets.
Let me start by saying that on many levels, similar rules apply to your dog as to you. Unprocessed, and as nature intended are best: avoid fillers, unnecessary chemicals, low-quality products, and anything not naturally digestible. We will discuss these things in detail below.
Over-eating is just as harmful to your dog as for you. A fat dog is not normal or okay. If the dog is fat, and does not have a diagnosed disorder, it is most likely poor food, and lack of exercise, just as it is with us. Just because your dog will eat something, doesn鈥檛 make it food; just like children, most will eat all the chocolate they can get, but this in no way makes it a good idea.
How much food your dog needs depends largely on three factors: Age, activity level and ideal weight range.
Mutts are tougher to judge because there is no standard, but it蘑菇视频 not usually too hard to tell a fat dog. Not feeling any rib definition is commonly one standard. Just like us, dogs will eat less when old, more when growing, and proportionate to activity level. I have a 12 pound pure-breed Pomeranian who gets less than 录 cup of dry food twice a day, with about a tablespoon of some 鈥渞eal鈥� food, such as wild-caught salmon, free-range egg, sardines, grass-fed beef or turkey. He gets a dental chew after every meal, so that is counted as part of his calories. In four years since he reached adulthood, he has not gained any weight. I feed him grain-free dry food with no fillers.
Dogs (and cats) cannot digest grain. They have short digestive tracks that cannot handle carbohydates like omnivores. They cannot absorb the nutrients from the grains, and instead get indigestion and bloating; this is no more pleasant for them than it is for us. Additionally, their smaller livers and kidneys get overloaded quicker than ours, so they cannot eliminate these 鈥渢oxins鈥� like we can.
Now, to be fair, dogs are not the wild wolf ancestors they resemble. Wolves are pure carnivores. Dogs have adapted over many generations to be able to tolerate a limited omnivore diet. This does not mean that is necessarily the ideal diet for them. Although dogs have evolved as omnivores, they possess a notable and 鈥渦ndeniable carnivorous bias,鈥� according to many current authorities in dog care. It is interesting to compare the historical diet of dog ancestors to the typical commercial dry food mix.
According to the website, www.dogfoodadvisor.com, the ancestral diet蘑菇视频 percentage of protein is 56 percent, compared to 18 to 32 percent in dry dog food; the ancestral diet蘑菇视频 percentage of fat is 25 to 30 percent, compared to eight to 22 percent in dry dog food; and for carbohydrates, the ancestral diet蘑菇视频 percentage is 14 percent, compared to 46 to 74 percent in dry dog food.
Clearly, commercial dog food has strayed a bit from what nature intended. Why? Same reason as why human processed food is often devoid of nutrition: profit margin. It costs more to provide better quality. I currently use NutriSource grain-free dry food, which on average has 29 percent protein and 19 percent fat, which is way above average, but not nearly ideal, so that is why I supplement with real meats, eggs, and coconut oil (a fantastic source of good fat). With the grain-free mix, the carbohydrate is going to be quite low. Any real fish, meat, or poultry I add will have zero carbs.
To summarize, a closer to ideal dog food will have the following qualities:
n Higher in quality meat-based protein;
n Higher in natural fats and oils;
n Lower in carbohydrates;
n Formulated from a named (non-generic) animal source;
n Free of animal or vegetable by-products;
n Free of artificial flavoring, coloring or preservatives; and
n Complete in all essential vitamins and minerals.
Just like for us, wild-caught fish, grass fed, hormone free meats, and eggs from free-ranging chickens, and all ingredients should be non-GMO and organic whenever possible.
There is a significant community of make-your-own-dog food people out there, and an Internet search on the topic will yield hours of reading for those motivated to do so. My version is to supplement the quality dry stuff with real meats. This way, he gets the vitamins from the dry food, and the extra proteins and fat.
One other thing to note if its not obvious: give your dog clean water. This means NOT tap water 鈥� filtered, de-chlorinated water free of heavy metals. My dog gets water filtered through my five stage zero-water filter, after its been purified with reverse osmosis. What蘑菇视频 not good enough for me, is not good enough for him. You can look up 鈥渞aw food dog diet鈥� if you want to see how 鈥渉ard-core鈥� dog caretakers recreate whatever perfect nutrient ratio they choose. It is this writer蘑菇视频 belief that our dogs deserve every bit as much consideration in their care as our children.
Until next time, be well and be kind to yourself and others. Life is too short for anything less.