The question of "What should I feed my dogs?" comes up so often on the ACME Dog House Bulletin Board that I decided I would refer posters to my website for my answer. Unfortunately, when I looked, I found that I, who prides myself on being a holistic behaviorist/trainer, had failed to write such an article about this most basic need, this most basic remedy for wellness.
Whoops.
Let me take care of that right now.
Like humans, dogs are touched by everything that touches them. Home environment, weather, education, and food all play a part in forming your canine companion. Many behavioral problems are simply the result of, or exacerbated by, poor nutrition.
But what makes up good nutrition? The answer to that question is like noses. Everyone has one. What to feed? How much to feed? Do I add supplements? What supplements do I add? What follows is my viewpoint, based on 11 years of personal research and personal experience. As always, take what you want and leave the rest.
The dog is a predator. It is a carnivore, who only obtains plant matter in a predigested state from the stomach of its prey. It's jaws and digestive tract are designed to tear and gulp its food. The dog was meant to obtain enzymes, amino acids and other macronutrients from its raw meat meal. It crunched on raw bones for added nutrients. Dogs that had access to healthy prey lived long, disease free lives, and they were virtually unbothered by parasites.
And then man stepped in and from the moment that the first hunk of leftover cooked meat was thrown to or stolen by a dog, the dog was deprived of the diet on which he was designed to thrive.
The age of Technology hit the dog food industry close to the time that it hit the human food industry. It almost seems that there was a contest to see how many nutrients could be removed from a food and still be able to label it as such. Then, when it was understood that the body (human or canine) needed some of those nutrients, there was a contest to add them back.
Only, the resulting "food" product never quite matched what they had started with. You can add vitamins and minerals, for example, to a kibble, but as soon as you bake the kibble you kill the vitamins and minerals.
Our dogs today are subject to all types of health problems, from allergies, skin diseases, digestive disorders, autoimmune diseases, hip dysplasia, and panosteitis, for some. Disease sets in when there is a chemical imbalance in the body that impairs the immune system. The invading chemicals enter the body through ingestion (food and water), inhalation (breathing in pollens), absorption (insecticides) and penetration (vaccines and antibiotics). The most continuous assault on the immune system comes through the act of ingestion, through the foods we feed our dogs. Over time, the chemicals accumulate and eventually compromise cells, tissues, and body systems. When under constant attack from chemicals, a body will produce its own antigens, leading to metabolic imbalances and illness.
The best "medicine" we can give our dogs is a pure source of food. The purer the food, the less chemical assault, leading to better digestion and greater nutrient absorption. The greater the absorption, the healthier the animal. The healthier the animal, the more disease resistant he becomes.
Does feeding your dog a healthy diet guarantee that he will not become ill? No. But if he does become ill his recovery time will be faster and he will not be as incapacitated as an animal with a compromised immune system.
I look at canine nutrition as a ladder. At the very top is the diet as nature intended it. However, in all practicality and reality, that just isn't going to happen in today's world, and I'm not entirely sure I'd like it if it did. So on the next rung down I will put the BARF diet (bones and raw foods) consisting of meat uncontaminated by steroids or pesticides, with the appropriate fruits, grains and vegetables, with additional supplements as needed. (Determined on an individual basis) (I cannot afford this for my family, so my dogs don't get it, either.)
Next rung down: A BARF diet using store bought meats, fruits and veggies, with supplements as appropriate for the individual.
Below that: A homecooked diet from storebought meats, fruits and veggies, with appropriate supplements, a la Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide To Natural Health for Dogs and Cats
Next down: PHD non-commercially prepared diet with 35% added raw meat and vegetables with added supplements as needed. (And yes, I am a distributor for PHD but only because I get a discount by being one. )
Next down: 100% PHD with supplements as needed.
Next down: All natural commercially prepared dog foods, such as ABADY or Flint River (if your dog can tolerate the wheat) I used to include Natural Life and Nature's Recipe here, but they have changed their formulas. And yes, with supplements as needed.
Next down: High Quality foods not available in supermarkets, such as IAMs and Science Diet. These contain chemicals and artificial stool reducers It is from this point down that I find the most problems with the quality of food affecting a dog's behavior. Most often, I've found the overly thin or overly fat dogs with nervous habits or even aggression problems, are fed from this rung or below.
Next down: Supermarket brands of dog food, with the best of the worst being the Purina Special Formulas.
Bottom rung: Gaines Burgers, Gravey Train, Old Roy and leftover pizza crusts (actually, there may be more nutrition in the pizza crusts than in Old Roy. LOL!)
Wherever you are on the ladder, your dog will benefit from the addition of raw meats, fruits, and veggies.
One common objection to feeding a high quality diet is the perceived high cost. PHD will run about $25 for an 18 pound bag, for example. Old Roy runs, what? $10 for 25 pounds? How much Old Roy do you feed a 70 pound dog? 8-10 cups a day? With Purina 1 you feed a 70 pound dog maybe 6-8 cups a day. How much of that is actually getting into the dog's system? Take a look at the volume of stool for an idea. With a 100% PHD diet or 100% Abady diet a 70 lb dog gets 2 cups a day. Most of that gets into the dog and very little comes out the other end. (less with PHD than Abady, from my experience). So an 18 lb bag of PHD will last a 70 lb dog a little over a month. If my math is right, that's about $.85 cents a day. If your bag of Old Roy lasts 2 weeks, then you're paying about $ .75 per day.
How much are you paying in vet bills?
A couple of caveats:
First, don't make any changes too quickly. Do your research first and know what you're doing. Perhaps you would be most comfortable climbing the ladder one rung at a time. Also know that many of the raw diets popular today are very rigid and specific -- which, to my mind, is not what nature intended. I think common sense and reality need to play a part in determining what you feed your dog.
Also, be aware that after you have upgraded your dog's diet the body will probably go through a healing crisis as the organs begin to rid themselves of the chemicals. The largest filter in the body is the skin. The first sign of change is that the dog will blow its coat in preparation for a brand new, healthier coat. The second thing you may see is that the dog starts to scratch and may even scratch himself into hot spots. This is because the chemicals are toxic and irritate the skin. If you can stand not to do anything for a few days, this will usually heal on its own. If you can't stand it, try bathing your dog in a mild soap to keep the skin free of the toxin. Or you might try putting on a little lavender oil, diluted in olive oil, which acts as an antibacterial agent. Another thing you might try is Calendula M.T. diluted 40 drops to 2 oz of warm water. This is soothing and also acts as an antibacterial agent. If you're dog is still going nuts from the scratching, you might try srubbing the area with diluted Betadine soap, followed by an application of Ivy Dry. But honestly, the less you do to intervene, the stronger the body becomes in its ability to resist disease.
Feeding quality food is the basis for good health, but upgrading your dog's diet will not give you an overnight cure. To be fair to the new diet, you need to try it for at least 90 days, at which point you may begin to see changes. But it takes at least 365 days to make a significant change.
This article is not intended to make you feel badly about what you are feeding your dogs. It is imerely intended to voice my opinion. But you should know that I started on Gaines Bergers and worked my way up through CHD, Panno, allergies, and losing a dog to bloat.
You can combine the PHD rung with the natural and homecooked diet. I got into the PHD because I was looking for a backup for the days when I just couldn't do raw or cook for my dogs, or I was travelling, or they were boarding. Right now I am doing about 25% PHD plus raw, 10% cooked, and 65% Vollhard. My dogs are doing great!!!