Building a Balanced Diet

[DogGoneGood]

Note: The research for this article is still incomplete. Until it is completed the threads from this topic will be locked. Please check back for more information as it is added...

Introduction:

Finding the facts on dog nutrition can be tough. There’s an overwhelming amount of contradicting information. The reason for this is that dog nutrition is not yet fully understood and because every dog is different with different requirements. When starting my research I would look into specific diets and eventually come to a brick wall where I repeatedly bashed my head against it out of frustration.

Some sources will tell you to never ever feed your dog table scraps, but rather to only feed a bag of kibble or can of wet food. Even many vets will tell you this! The pet food industry can be so corrupt that the further you dig into it for the truth, the more shocked and angry you become. Quite often it’s the pet food companies that pay for text books and other important tools (as well as non essential tools) for vets while they’re going to school so they are basically being taught by the pet food companies about nutrition. Pet nutritionists or any vet specializing in pet nutrition in any way need to come across this information on their own. When it comes to feeding your pet human quality food, I give you this one piece of advice; use your common sense. All animals need food to survive and if it’s quality food that’s good enough for you, why wouldn’t it be good enough for your dog?

Other sources will tell you never ever feed your dog raw food. Others will say only feed raw food! Some say to never feed bones while others say bones are perfectly acceptable as long as their uncooked.

There are many theories regarding dog nutrition that is based on observing wolves. Lets face it; our domesticated dogs are far removed from the wolf. However, this doesn’t mean these theories are completely untrue, they just need to be shaped to fit our canine companions a little better.

I decided to start my research based on the science, rather than theories or personal opinions. The information I’ve gathered for your benefit are based on the science of dog nutrition. I’ve broken it up into categories to try and make it easier and have tried to simplify it as much as possible.

Chapter Index:
How Much to Feed
Raw vs. Cooked
Protein
Fats & Fatty Acids
Sources

[DogGoneGood]

Chapter One

How Much To Feed:

Because every dog is different based on age, activity level, and metabolic rate I can’t tell you exactly how much to feed your dog. Growing puppies will require more nutrients that aid in growth and development. Puppies and seniors require less protein. Lazy, fat dogs will require less food intake than an active lean dog. How much you feed needs to be adjusted based on these factors.

As a general rule, a normal active dog requires about 2% of its body weight per day. A highly active dog may require 3% of its body weight per day. No two dogs are alike in their metabolic rates, age or activity level. Puppies can use up to 10 % of their growing body weight! 1

Shirley’s Wellness Café is a website chalked full of nutritional information for pets. It also has a calculator to determine a rough guess of how much food your dog will require. You can use this calculator to determine this estimate and then shape it to fit your dogs individual needs. The calculator can be found at this address: www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/sampleraw.htm#calculator

[DogGoneGood]

Chapter Two:

Raw vs. Cooked:

The reason there is much controversy over feeding a raw diet vs. feeding a cooked diet is because raw food contains more nutrients than cooked food. Cooking or freezing depletes nutrients (cooking depleting more than freezing does), however cooking guarantees that harmful bacteria such as salmonella will be killed. Where you get your food from will play a role in whether or not you decided to cook or feed raw. If you are buying meat from a grocery store, I personally advice cooking it because the source of where it came from and how it was handled is unknown. If you are buying your meat straight from a butcher you can ask questions and have a better knowledge of how the meat is handled and whether or not it is likely to carry harmful bacteria. The same principal can be applied to fruits and vegetables.

The debate on whether or not to feed bones at all is also somewhat related to the raw vs. cooked debate. Some people will tell you that chewing on a raw bone is good for your dog based on both the nutrients he will receive directly from the bone and from the act of chewing itself. Chewing bones can strengthen jaw and neck muscles as well as help clean teeth (in theory). However the rebuttal to this is the risk that large pieces of bone can break off and become caught in the esophagus, stomach or intestines which can harm your dog or even kill him! Cooking bones not only depletes nutrients but also makes the bones more brittle and more likely to break apart and become lodged in a dogs throat. It has also been recorded that some dogs have broken teeth when chewing on a bone! Different types of bones can be softer than others as well (chicken bones being the softest but most likely to splinter when cooked - which is why you should never feed your dog cooked chicken bones!).

Dogs can receive the same nutrients they get from bones through other sources. Calcium, for example, can be found in bone meal and egg shells. So if you choose not to feed bones you will have to supplement bones with another source of calcium.

Whether or not you feed your dogs bones is entirely up to you. If you do decided to feed bones, I highly suggest supervising while your dog is eating them.

[DogGoneGood]

Sources:

[1] Shirley’s Wellness Café Raw Feeding Calculator - www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/sampleraw.htm#calculator

[2] William D. Cusick: Protein and its Amino Acids - home.att.net/~wdcusick/protein.html

[3] Nutrient Requirements for Dogs, Revised 1985 - books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=15&page=10

[4] DogFlu.ca: Dog Health - www.dogflu.ca/taurine

[5] Nutrient Requirements for Dogs, Revised 1985 - books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=15&page=9

[6] Your Dog’s Nutritional Needs: A Science-Based Guide for Pet Owners by the National Research Council of the National Academies

[7] Emax Health - Dogs, Cats Need Omega-3 Fatty Acids Just as Humans Do: www.emaxhealth.com/116/21420.html

[8] University of Maryland Medical Center - Omega-3 Fatty Acids: www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm

[9] The Whole Dog - Essential Fatty Acids For Your Dog: www.thewholedog.org/id23.html

[10] University of Maryland Medical Center - Omega-6 Fatty Acids: www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-6-000317.htm

[11] PROVET - Evidence-Based Nutrition For Pets - PRO-EPO - Evening Primrose Supplement: www.provet.co.uk/Nutrition/proepo.htm

[12] The Dog Food Project - Essential Fatty Acids: www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=fattyacids

[DogGoneGood]

The following posts are all Term Definitions...

[DogGoneGood]

T - Cells belong to a group of white blood cells known as lymphocytes, and play a central role in cell-mediated
immunity. The “T” in T-Cells stands for Thymus, since this is the principal organ responsible for the T-Cells maturation.

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Hydrocarbons are an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon, in organic chemistry.

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A Diuretic is any drug that elevates the rate of urination and thus provides a means of “forced diuresis”. All diuretics increase the excretion of water from bodies.

[DogGoneGood]

Intravenous, or “IV”, therapy is the giving of liquid substances directly into a vein.

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Ammonia is a compound with the formulation NH3. It is normally encountered as a gas with a characteristic pungent odor. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to foodstuffs and fertilizers.

[DogGoneGood]

Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrosis scar tissue as well as regenerative nodules (lumps that occur as a result of a process in which damaged tissue is regenerated).

[DogGoneGood]

Histamines are a biogenic amine involved in local immune responses as well as regulating physiological function in the gut and acting as a neurotransmitter.

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Collagen is the main protein of connective tissue in animals and the most abundant in mammals making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content.

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Synthesis is the term used in many fields, usually means a process which combines together two or more pre-existing elements resulting in the formation of something new.

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Choline is an organic compound classified as a water-soluble essential nutrient and usually grouped within the Vitamin B complex. This natural amine is found in the lipids that make up cell membranes and in neurotransmitter acetylcholine.