Diet from day one

Dogs have evolved as scavengers, hunters and opportunistic eaters. Their digestive systems are more robust than ours, in part because canine stomachs contain far more aggressive acids to effectively deal with tough foods and harmful pathogens. It has been found that as long ago as 7000 years dogs had begun adapting to our newly-changing diet of starchy foods following our agricultural advancements. DNA changes have been found in European dog remains that point to progressive genetic mutations, enabling dogs to digest starches ever more easily with time (click here to see the research). This has led dogs’ diets to become more varied and to diverge from that of wolves, which remains almost completely carnivorous.

Nutrition is important for ALL dogs, so it’s always best to try and avoid really cheap dog-foods; keep your dog from scavenging in rubbish whenever possible in order to avoid tummy upsets.   There are reviews readily available for all sorts of dog foods; the website  allaboutdogfood.com (click here) is particularly usable and comprehensive (allow some time to digest it!); go for the foods that are 75%-rated or above if possible – 50 pence a day for dog food isn’t too much, surely? (NOT for instance the popular and super-cheap Tesco Complete Dry Dog Food, 2% quality-rated, which incredibly still qualifies for Certification as a ‘nutritionally complete’ food!). Best of all is a raw food diet – see below.

Puppies and Seniors

Dietary needs change with the passing years; puppies consume food at an amazing rate, as they need to! They are growing fast, are active and so they are hungry for correct foodstuffs. They need ample protein, plus lots of calories and nutrients to support their growth. For these reasons, puppies should be fed special puppy food until about a year old. They are at risk of being nutritionally deficient if fed food meant for adult dogs. Puppies also need more frequent feeding than adults, as below. When weaning a puppy (from 3 to about 7 weeks old) and to help the puppy become accustomed to dry food, wet the kibble with warm water to make a gruel. This also helps whet the appetite of all dogs if they are reluctant to eat or can’t smell their food so easily anymore.

A puppy that is: 2 to 3 months old needs 4 meals a day; 3 to 6 months: 3 meals a day, 6 to 12 months (up to 24 months for the largest breeds): 2 meals a day. Thereafter, probably 2 meals a day as well.

Senior dogs – and hence their food – need a lower-calorie diet but with more protein, calcium and phosphorous; they also need more beet pulp, flaxseed, Vitamin E and an addition of L-carnitine.  These help to maintain bone structure, digestive health and cognitive efficiency, without them becoming overweight too easily. The protein helps to keep muscle mass without loading the kidneys too much. Special foods for senior dogs are available – again, see:  allaboutdogfood.com (click here) and set the age range to that required.

Special-needs foods

Some foods are selected or designed for particular canine needs. Functional foods or designer foods are “a food that has a component incorporated into it to give it a specific medical or physiological benefit, other than purely nutritional benefit” (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, UK). They are also defined as conventional food products with health-promoting ingredients or components that go beyond their traditional nutritive value. Medical foods are similar to Functional or Designer foods but are specified and overseen by a doctor or vet. The food is chosen for a specific beneficial effect for the person or animal who has an ailment requiring treatment; it is the dietary management of a disease or condition by a physician.

Nutritional supplements are a key ingredient for many dogs; they include oils, pills, capsules and powders derived from natural sources. See my article: Nutraceuticals: arthritis and cancer, (click here) for further information on supplements and special foods.

Food and health

Diet can have a great influence over arthritis and minor ‘allergies’ in dogs; a change of food can produce surprising results because of the changing ingredients your dog absorbs. Commercial dog food (and treats) usually contains large amounts of additives, cereals, rubbish indigestible ‘meat’ and chemicals; these can create inflammation problems in joints, gut, skin and ears. Most (both cheap and expensive) dry dog-foods contain all the allowable ‘meat’ that you would never consider feeding to your dog; there will be restaurant fat, hooves, beaks, road-kill, feathers, blood, warts-and-all. It’s all called ‘meal’ or ‘animal by-products’; it’s cooked several times which kills any goodness dead and then coloured to make it look lovely.

Foods to avoid at all costs

• Alcohol
• Avocados
• Bread dough
• Caffeinated drinks
• Chocolate
• Garlic and onions
• Grapes or raisins
• Xylitol (a sweetener)

All the above can be dangerous to your dog, and in sufficient amounts, will be lethal. If your dog eats any of the above, take them to the vet immediately as an emergency case.

Raw feeding of dogs

RAW FOOD CAN BE DANGEROUS TO PEOPLE, because of the commonly-found pathogens which are on many raw meats purchased. Personal and work-space hygiene is essential when – and after – handling and storing raw meats in order to avoid illness, as when we are handling any raw meats. Dogs rarely become ill because of the pathogens on meat, as they are well-adapted to digesting this food.

Raw food comprises raw meat, tripe, fat and organs plus a small proportion of vegetables; the vegetables are either mashed up or lightly cooked to enable good digestion. Dogs hardly chew, so what goes in their mouths reaches their stomachs almost unchanged. Vegetables are great for vitamins and roughage, in the absence of feathers/fur/claws etc that they may otherwise eat in the wild! Raw meat is more easily digested than cooked meat for dogs and is safe; their digestive system is designed to do this! Raw meat is packed full of dog goodness – the ultimate nutrition for canines; cooking meat changes the meat’s texture and nutritional value, so cooked meat is less nutritious and harder to digest for a dog.

How to raw-feed a dog

Try switching to a raw/natural food dog diet; there are (at least) two schools of thought on how best to achieve this:

1. Some people reckon that you shouldn’t mix dry dog food with raw in the same meal; this is suggested because of possible speed-differences in the digestion of kibble and of meat. I can’t really see this being a big problem, though, and some research has failed to find speed differences. I know canine digestion is slightly different to ours, but people at least seem to cope well with a meal of sushi and vegetables. However, if you feel this speed difference may exist and be important, one can alternate a raw food meal (morning) with a dry kibble meal (evening) to ease the transition to a raw diet.

2. Another school of thought from folks who also seem to know what they are talking about says that gradually introducing raw food mixed with kibble in the same meal is perfectly good. Do this for a few weeks with the raw food proportion gradually increasing with time; your dog’s stomach acidity needs time to adapt to the new food mixture. See https://paleoridgeraw.uk/switching-to-raw-food-diet for further help.

Making raw food

Raw food for dogs can be mixed in a large batch and split into meal-sized portions; store these portions in bags or boxes in the freezer until the day before use. Thaw the day’s food out in the fridge ready for eating. Dogs are mostly carnivorous, and will handle an almost entirely meat diet perfectly. Dogs’ digestion has, however, evolved slowly since their adoption into the human world; digestion of cereals and raw vegetables is better in dogs than wolves, albeit still quite limited. Vegetables do provide a rich source of nutrients otherwise in short supply so they are well worth adding to the meals.

DO NOT feed cooked bones – they are brittle and hard to digest; raw bones are far easier for your dog to digest – but do not feed bones with their meals at all until they are fully adapted to the raw diet, because their digestion may not cope well in the earlier stages.

Do not forget about ‘super-foods’ such as blueberries, turmeric and seaweed for dogs – do your research and fill your pet with these powerful anti-oxidants and health-boosters. Again, my Nutraceuticals article goes into this area in much greater detail. Such extras can be mixed in small quantities with each day’s food and may well reduce your dog’s chances of developing cancer, inflammations and sensitivities (itchy skin or ears).

What goes in will come out!

Dog diet changes will create temporary dog-poo texture changes; however, a raw diet will eventually result in smaller and less voluminous output, since more of the food eaten is actually being usefully absorbed! Portion sizes may end up being smaller, since the nutritional density of the raw diet is higher – make sure your dog doesn’t get fat! Raw food should contain protein from raw (ideally white) meats, organs and fish (e.g. oily sardines); the meal can comprise about one-fifth in volume of cooked vegetables BUT NO WHEAT. Wheat gluten is strongly suspected to provoke arthritis (and epilepsy); it’s not completely digested, plus it provokes an immune-response which leads to skin, ear and gut problems.

Feeding a dog with home-made dog food is popular for those with some time and passion; books like this one: (Raw And Natural Nutrition For Dogs) was written by dog owners for their own dog’s welfare, because they wanted to share these powerful ideas with others.

Food hygiene

You can make dog raw food from butcher’s and supermarket meats, but there are also many companies manufacturing raw dog food in sealed frozen packets for purchase through the post or in person. While dog raw food manufacturers are inevitably under considerable pressure to produce a healthy and affordable product free of pathogens, some seem to have had more than their fair share of product recalls due to contamination. This, however, may be compared to the contamination of vegetables (which we eat as well) with the same bacteria; vegetables are not subject to as stringent hygiene controls as meats are. Dry dog foods (kibble) can also be contaminated, so personal hygiene is still wise!

It is worth saying that dogs have a FAR, FAR better ability to cope with contaminated foods than we do; dogs have, after all, evolved a scavenger’s digestive system. This is able to process raw meat from wherever is available – long-dead, rotten and stinky or fresh, and not usually become ill.

It should be common sense to practice good hygiene when feeding a dog and handling their raw meat – like any raw meat that we prepare. All raw meats are susceptible to contamination and putrefaction if kept in the wrong environment – which is partly why we cook, dry or smoke meat before we eat it; we can suffer food poisoning quite easily when eating under-cooked or raw meats. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons stated that “The RMBD [raw meat-based diet] should be kept frozen until used, thawing should take place at a maximum of 10°C [in your fridge, in practice] and the thawed product should be separated from human food and handled with separate kitchen equipment, or with the equipment properly washed after use.” . Some dogs are not recommended to eat a raw diet: Click here to read the full article.

Tummy upsets

If your dog has diarrhoea, then as well as suspecting their food also consider whether stress or a sudden change of diet has occurred; these changes probably cause tummy upsets more easily and more frequently than eating contaminated food.

Dog healthy weights

As for your dog’s weight – you should easily be able feel their ribs with your flat-stroking hand; you could even see the ribs very slightly in short-haired dogs; otherwise they are overweight. Dogs do have a waist, and no dog should look like a barrel! Lots of lean muscle is one thing, but joints over-burdened with useless, heavy and unhealthy fat is quite another! Most dogs are born runners, not fatty couch-potatoes; being carnivores more than omnivores, they need raw meat, protein, more raw meat and some cooked veggies (BUT NO WHEAT).

Appetite loss can occur and digestive efficiency usually decreases simply because of the aging process; this may cause gradual weight loss if not compensated for by dietary changes.  You may need to feed your dog more often, but in smaller portions if they can no longer stomach large meals; don’t mistake refusing to eat the whole bowl of food as not needing to eat all of it! Also try adding warm water or gravy to the meal so as to enhance the appetite-stimulating smells for your dog. Weight-gain could also be a problem if your dog’s diet is not adapted to suit their lowered activity levels.

Conclusion: feeding your dog

Food is a basic requirement, but sometimes the type of food we give our dogs can be dictated by circumstances or funds. Raw food can be as cheap as kibble, and far more nutritious for your pet, though not quite as easy to prepare. Just because your dog still looks vaguely dog-shaped doesn’t necessarily mean that they are happy, healthy or comfortable with the food they can eat. If their poo is uncommonly voluminous for the size of your dog, then their food may be travelling straight through without being used. Try a better food!

Ill-health can be caused by the food we use, in quite unexpected ways. Joint-pain and itchiness are common reactions to unsuitable food, when we might unthinkingly expect any complaints to come from the tummy! Conversely, many ailments can often be successfully treated or reduced by the use of a better or more suitable food for your dog. A fat dog is an unhealthy dog, it’s up to you to treat your dog with responsibility. We have choices, but we must remember that we make decisions for our dogs, whereas they have little choice about it.