Why
The Food You Give Your Dog
Matters!
If
you're like most dog owners, you
probably assume that commerical
dog foods with brand names that
are easily identifiable - Purina,
Iams, Pedigree, etc. - must be
good for your pets, right? After
all, millions of pet owners buy
them and feed them to their
beloved pets, and surely they
wouldn't all give their dogs
something harmful. Unfortunately,
this may just be the case.
Now,
before I get any further along,
let me make it clear that I am
not a veterinarian. I do,
however, have a science
background and education, and
I've had more dogs in my care in
one year than most people will
have in a lifetime. As an
observant and naturally curious
person, I've paid close
attention in the past 20 years
to the general health of my pets
and those I've had in my care
through a rescue shelter I was
involved with for several of
those years. I've also picked
the brains of several top vets
in my state in my quest to get
to the heart of the matter
concerning the best dog diet.
What
has become abundantly clear is
that one type of diet stands
well above all others in terms
of fostering good health and
long life. More on that later...
I've
seen dogs fed commercial foods,
both wet and dry, from the
cheapest brands to the so-called
"premium" brands. I've also seen
dogs who were fed vegan or
vegetarian diets, as well as
those fed raw meat and bones (known
popularly as the BARF Diet).
While individual dogs will do
just fine on any of these widely
divergent diets, what I've
looked for are general trends in
population subsets. How do these
10 dogs fare in their lifetimes
when they eat cheap kibble every
day? How about those 12 dogs who
are getting a vegetarian diet
all the time? And what happens
to those 25 dogs who are being
given a raw meat and bones diet?
These are the types of questions
I've asked as I've dealt with
large numbers of dogs and their
owners or keepers over the
years.
These have in no way been
controlled experiments, and I
would never attempt to pass them
off as authoritative or as
adhering to any strict
interpretation of the scientific
method. In other words, take my
conclusions with a large grain
of salt. I'm really just out to
get the wheels turning in the
minds of all dog lovers who read
these words.
After all of this careful
observation and tracking, clear
patterns have emerged time and
time again...
Dogs
that eat commercial kibble or
wet food have lots of health
problems later in life and tend
to die youngest. This is even
true when they've been fed "premium"
dog foods, sadly.
Dogs
that are fed vegetarian diets do
better, but must be given large
amounts of alternative protein
sources to make up for the lack
of it in standard vegetarian
fare. A purely vegetarian diet
is difficult to provide that
will satisfy a canine's basic
nutritional needs, but it is
healthier and leads to slightly
longer lifespans than any
commercial brand diet.
Without any doubt (based on what
I've seen over many years and
hundreds of dogs), the best
possible diet to feed your dogs
is raw meat and bones with an
occasional slop made up of
vegetables, fruits, and organ
meat. I've seen clear and
compelling evidence that this
diet leads to three amazing
results: much better overall
health, excellent dental health,
and longer lifespans.
Countless times, I've seen dogs
with repeating, nagging health
issues (obesity, allergies, etc.)
turn completely around on a raw
meat and bones diet. And it
doesn't take long to see how
much whiter and cleaner their
teeth become. This is actually
very important (dental health),
because a growing number of vets
suspect a link between the
bacteria produced by poor dental
hygiene and internal
complications as dogs age.
Because dogs have to crunch
through raw chicken, beef, or
pork bones daily, they get and
keep very clean teeth in short
order.
It
still amazes me to hear the
feedback from a dog owner who
has converted to the raw meat
and bones diet. Virtually
without fail, they all become
true believers. In some cases,
the improvement in their dogs is
nothing short of startling.
A
common fear voiced by many
owners is the worry over the
bones getting caught in their
dog's throat or splintering and
cutting them internally. This is
a common misconception that
actually does apply to COOKED
bones. Never give your dog a
cooked bone (especially chicken
bones)! Raw bones, however, are
no more of a threat than any
other mouthful of food your dog
chews. I have yet to deal with
even one case of a dog on this
diet having any kind of serious
problem with the bones (out of
hundreds).
Yes,
handling raw meat and bones
requires a commitment many are
uncomfortable with. You have to
get over the 'yuckiness' and
embrace the benefits to your
dogs! Another issue is finding a
good source of affordable
products. It's a good idea to
locate a chicken processing
plant nearby. They will often
sell chicken cages (breast bones
and related parts). Chicken
cages are ideal because they
provide a good balance of meat
and bone - not too much of
either in proportion to the
other.
However, you should not always
feed chicken. Mix things up to
vary their protein sources a
bit. Get some pork and some beef
now and then to keep things
lively and to provide your dogs
with important nutrional
elements that the chicken alone
probably isn't providing. And
don't forget to mix up a slop of
green veggies, carrots, apples,
bananas, and some raw livers or
hearts at least twice a month.
[*Note: have your pet checked
for allergic reactions to any of
those ingredients before trying
this for the first time. Adjust
accordingly.]
This
is the main idea behind the
success of the raw meat and
bones diet: it comes closest to
simulating the exact types of
foods dogs ate all during their
evolution. Think about it. Did
dogs eat processed commercial
food from bags or cans? Did they
grow and harvest vegetables,
fruits, and grains? Did they
dine on cooked meats? Of course
not! They evolved eating prey
the pack took down and
scavenging the carcasses of
former kills. All raw!
You
might be wondering, given this
evolutionary perspective, why
I'm suggesting that you prepare
and feed a veggie-fruit slop
every now and then. Good
question! It's a bit unsettling
to ponder, but consider the
state of the prey (or dead
bodies) that dogs ate all those
years they were evolving. The
animals they ate also ate, and
more often than not, that meant
their stomachs contained
undigested vegetables, fruits,
and other plant matter. The dogs
dining on them didn't ignore
that stuff - it got eaten along
with everything else that could
be stripped from the body.
So
you see, this diet works because
it mimics what dogs naturally
fed on for tens of thousands of
years. It really is that simple.
There's nothing deep or esoteric
about it at all.
Just
try it. Take this challenge:
give your dogs a raw meat and
bones diet for 60 days. Try to
find a meat and bones source
that is close to a 50/50 meat-bone
ratio (chicken breast cages from
a processing plant are great,
but you can also try pork necks
or beef ribs from any grocery
store). If you go the pork or
beef route, give your pet plenty
of time to wear down the raw
bones. Chicken bones are soft
and easily chewed up, but pork
and beef bones take much longer.
If you don't see any noticeable
improvements - healthier coat,
more energy, better teeth,
excellent blood work-ups - go
back to his former diet.
If
you do take the challenge, I'm
betting you'll be fairly amazed
and continue. About 90% of those
I know who've tried it stick
with it. Give it 60 days. Isn't
a healthier, happier dog who
lives longer worth it?
John Schwartz has
written extensively about
dog health
issues, safe
dog
products, and humane
dog training practices. He is a
passionate advocate for ethical
dog adoptions and promotes spay
and neuter education. His
website can be found at
http://www.puppies-dogs-supplies.com
