Post by DogGoneGood on Sept 2, 2009 17:47:26 GMT -5
Vegan, Organic, Wheat-Free, Kosher
SHOULD YOUR LIFESTYLE CHOICES EXTEND TO YOUR DOG?
SHOULD YOUR LIFESTYLE CHOICES EXTEND TO YOUR DOG?
DOGS IN CANADA MAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER 2009 ISSUE
People make a lot of choices about their food-consumption habits. Whether you have chosen to become a locavore or a vegan, health issues demand that you go wheat-or gluten-free, safety concerns lead you to look for natural or organic, or your religion dictates that you keep kosher or avoid beef, should you extend these choices to your dog?
If you are making decisions based on health reasons, then the same considerations do not apply to canines. Dogs don’t react to a diet of red meat and salt by developing hypertension, and their arteries don’t tend to clog with fat. If you are making an ethical decision and applying it to all those in your care, that is your choice, though the result may be less-than-optimal nutrition for your dog. Here are some specific diet choices and the impacts they may have on your furry companion.
VEGAN
We discussed vegetarianism for dogs in a previous column (September 2007). Since then, Mars International, manufactures of Pedigree, has introduced a vegetarian dog food and will add vegetarian treats. They are targeting markets in India, where 30 per cent of pet owners prefer vegetarian food for their animals, but the product may well make its way to North America if demand is sufficient.
But “vegetarian” means different things to different people. One common variant is “lacto-ovo vegetarianism,” indicating that the practitioner will consume – or allow their dog to consume – dairy products and egg. As eggs provide all the amino acids needed in the canine diet, this greatly simplifies matters. The Pedigree vegetarian food contains milk powder. Considerably more difficulties arise when owners are vegan.
Veganism does not permit use of any animal-derived products, so milk and eggs are out. This leaves only grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables as potential sources of protein and, thereby, amino acids. Any of these options are deficient in at least one amino acid essential for canines, so they must be carefully combined to provide adequate nutrition. Some dogs have notable problems digesting grains, so a vegan diet will result in less-than-optimal nutrition, and potential health issues.
LOCAVORE/SUSTAINABLE
Another choice based on ethical considerations is to become a locavore, attempting to eat only those foods grown or raised within a certain radius – most often 100 miles – of your home. This may also be referred to as “sustainable food” – relying on family farms, farmers markets, food cooperatives and farm-share programs rather than agribusiness and supermarkets.
Two benefits of such a choice spring immediately to mind: reduced environmental impact of transporting food ingredients and products thousands of miles, and not having to worry about tainted ingredients coming in from foreign markets. If you choose to home-cook for your dog, you can certainly choose to use local products as your ingredients, except perhaps the necessary mineral supplement.
Pet Promise is an American company based on an ethic of sustainability. Though not exactly a locavore, they work with small suppliers in the United States, using only hormone – and antibiotic-free protein sources raised in a humane manner. Their slogan is “let byproducts be bygones,” and they proudly compute the millions of doses of antibiotics and artificial growth hormone they have eliminated by their practices. Though their ingredients and finished product may be trucked long distances, they are on the track to sustainability.
Evanger’s is another American manufacturer trying to support the sustainability principal. They offer a line of organic products with ingredients raised only within the United States, and as much as possible within 40 miles of the company’s Illinois manufacturing plant.
WHEAT-FREE AND GLUTEN-FREE
People are generally forced to follow this option for themselves due to medical conditions, but some people make the choice for their dogs based on a theory of how dogs should eat. This is sometimes referred to as a “wild” diet or a pre-agricultural diet, based on the idea that dogs’ ancestors hunted and consumed meat. But dogs are thousands of years removed from wolves, and more than their appearance has changed. Ray Coppinger, author of Dogs: A Startling New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior & Evolution, consistently reports on village or feral dogs consuming pasta and pastry in dumps, or human feces in open latrines. They may hunt as well, but they don’t make their living at it. So the scientific basis for an “ancestral” diet is shaky at best. Meat is actually a poor source of calcium, and dogs fed a diet based solely on meat may develop skeletal problems.
However, if you choose to feed this way, you have plenty of commercial choices available, as grain-free diets have risen rapidly in popularity. Although these products eliminate grains, they do include fruits and vegetables along with the meat. Be aware that protein levels may be considerably higher than those of more conventional commercial diets, and excess protein may be metabolized to fat or cause elevated liver enzymes. Of course, dogs with any degree of kidney failure will be badly impacted by too much protein in their diet.
NATURAL, HUMAN-GRADE AND ORGANIC
“Organic,” which this column has talked about previously (July 2007), is the only one of the above designations that caries any sort of official regulations. Organic products are certified by various government-approved organizations as being grown or raised without synthetic fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones, genetically modified organisms or by-products, in a natural manner. Canada’s Organic Products Regulations, passed in 2006, requires products to be at least 95-per-cent organic to use the designation “Canada Organic.”
“Human-grade” has no official meaning of any sort when applied to pet food. It may sound warm and fuzzy, but it cannot actually guarantee anything.
“Natural” is also completely undefined in relation to pet food, or even human food. Poisonous mushrooms are “natural,” so it’s unclear what this is even intended to convey.
KOSHER
A designation you may not have thought of in relation to dog food is kosher. But depending on how strictly Jews view keeping kosher, feeding Fido raises some thorny issues. For example, combining meat and dairy is prohibited by Jewish law, but many dog foods contain both. During the week-long Passover observance, the home is supposed to be free of grains. But once again, many dog foods include grains.
Some choose to ignore the restrictions when it comes to their pets. Others compromise by feeding their dog in the garage or outdoors during Passover. Some even send their pets away to be boarded for the duration of the observance.
But there is another option. Evanger’s manufactures a line of canned dog foods certified “acceptable for use by those who observe Jewish law” by the Chicago Rabbinical Council. It does not receive a straight designation of “kosher” because it is not made with prohibitively expensive kosher meat. So although the dog dish shouldn’t be washed with the human kosher dinner service, the dog can continue to be fed in his usual place in the home without violating Jewish law.
Cheryl S. Smith is an award-winning writer and certified pet nutrition consultant who has attended and addressed many nutrition conferences. She and ‘Nestle,’ a Border Collie mix, are enjoying their hobby, finding letterboxes while out on wonderful hikes.
