What to Feed your Dog?
Key Points (Spolier Alert):
Feed your dog raw via Kongs, licki mats etc.
This should be a raw whole prey diet meaning bones, offal etc included.
It must be from various protein sources i.e Rabbit, venison, duck (not just one of them)
Kibble is junk food like fast food chains and will lead to a host of behaviour and health problems.
I use Prodog Raw.
Why?
Does diet make a difference?
The short answer is YES!
Does it make a significant difference?
Absolutely it can. Certainly, if your dog is on an absolutely terrible diet they are exhibiting behaviour problems, like high arousal (fear, anxiety, hyper-reactive behaviour and reactivity) and you change it to a much better diet then I would hope you would see a massive improvement. Also if your diet is causing your dog discomfort in the gut then you bet it will make a difference. Moroever, when dogs are fed low amounts of animal based protein, they use carbohydrates for energy. When they use this type of energy it is not consistent and thus blood sugars fluctuate, up and down. This, in turn, creates mood swings. Where as creating glucose from animal based proteins and fats creates a stable blood sugar level, which keeps a dog calm and focused.
Feeding a dog a diet high in carbohydrates, especially starches and grains, will simply create less focus and blood sugar spikes so a diet of 50% carbohydrate ie Kibble is not going to be good for your dog.
Carbohydrate (Kibble)
In fact there is no evidence dogs need carbohydrate. Dogs make what carbohydrate they for themselves via gluconeogenesis from eating animal protein. Carbohydrate diets like kibble can further create dysbiosis which can upset the level of serotonin leading to a more frantic less responsive pet.
If you want to keep anxiety and arousal levels down you want to avoid dysbiosis.
Dysbiosis
Dysbiosis is defined by an imbalance in bacterial composition, changes in bacterial metabolic activities, or changes in bacterial distribution within the gut. The three types of dysbiosis are: 1) Loss of beneficial bacteria, 2) Overgrowth of potentially pathogenic bacteria, and 3) Loss of overall bacterial diversity.
According to Dr Connor Brady; The high carb nature of kibbles and unnatural preservatives used with them, are likely to cause dysbiosis in dogs and lead to behaviours problems.
Serotonin
To relieve stress and help the dog be in the calmest most receptive state for training and in general, diet’s should have a focus on maximising serotonin production and its ability to cross through the brain barrier.
Dysbiosis would not help serotonin production and so dry foods are likely to not help.
Generally speaking, diets rich in L Trytophan which is often found is fish oil will help. Lindsay, (2005) recommends 15-18% protein for reactive dogs as says diets too high in protein prevent serotonin crossing the brain barrier. Dr Brady would dispute this arguing that conclusion has been made by kibble companies choosing to interpret the data so suit their means to sell kibble. However before you think raw is way too high in protein, if you look at the packet it might say 60% chicken but that is the recipe not the nutritional intake. To find the nutritional intake you want to look at the ‘crude analytical constituents’ part of the label, where the overall protein percentage will be lower, probably around 15%.
I’m currently looking at a packet of Raw and it is 14.6% protein so even if you agree with the studies cited by Lindsay (2005) the raw diet is still not too high in protein even if whats going in there is all meat, bone and offal and a few veggies.
By default diets lower in protein will be a higher in fat which some studies have suggested can lower reactivity.
Likewise diets lower in fat will be higher in carbohydrate by percentage and some studies have suggested higher carbohydrate diets increase the available tryptophan for serotonin synthesis. So there are more information needed on this but bear in mind that the argument for more carbohydrate in diets came from research on some pregnant bitches who on a high fat diet had a less successful birth and survival rate. Therefore as adding carbohydrate would reduce the fat content it was concluded by the kibble companies carbohydrate was required for pregnant bitches. However more protein would also lower fat in take which seems like a more realistic conclusion if you’re not trying to sell kibble…?
Protein Source:
What comes first on the packet is what there is the most of in the recipe. When it says Chicken Meal or Animal and meat derivatives as the main contents steer well clear. In fact in the USA that can contain roadkill of any animal. Of course if you are on raw you will not have to look at that.
Also note, chicken is almost always corn fed if its cheap enough for dogs to eat so other protein sources such as venison are likely to be better if trying to avoid corn etc.
Its also very important to vary the protein source instead of just always feeding chicken and lean meats like rabbit and venison are good to have in there.
Calories & Nutritional Content
Your dog’s diet should be careful not to exceed or fall short of caloric need for the age, activity level and breed of your dog. Consult your vet if you need but typically it is 2-3% of ideal body weight.
It’s worth noting that when a food says complete food they may well be saying they have the minimum daily requirements not ‘ideal’ daily requirements. Complementary foods will certainly need supplementing to meet your dog’s nutritional needs.
Also according to Dr Connor Brady there is also little evidence to suggest a premium kibble is any better than a cheap one, so don’t be fooling yourself that if your spending a lot on kibble you are doing any better for your dog.
Cereals & Grains
Okay so at some point in the past there was a scandal where grain got contaminated and caused many deaths in dogs thus making foods with grain in them out of fashion. It is believed this has had a lasting effect on consumers perception and so now people are really anti grain for that reason. However you really you want to be anti-grain and cereals because of the carbohydrate content mentioned above and how it can lead do dysbiosis. Moreover in order to preserve these they either need chemicals added or to be cooked at high temperature’s thus negatively affecting the nutritional content and reported to cause many health problems such as allergies.
Calming Supplements:
You should find on a raw diet you are not having to excessively supplement. However please by all means try some calming supplements. These might include; Passionflower, Valerian, Chamomile, Brewers Yeast (vitamin B). Vitamin C & E, alpha lipoic acid, CBD and a spectrum of polyunsaturated fatty acids especially Omega 3 may also be added as they may provide additional benefit with respect to normalising serotonin activity and reversing neuronal damage resulting from oxidative stress.
Note: their is no evidence alpha-casozepine (zylkene works with dogs) so don’t waste your money.
I have recently been trying the following:
THATDOGGUY50 will give all you 50% off your first box.
Gut Supplements:
These might include; Prebiotics and Probiotics, pro fibre, tree barks powder, slippery elm, marshmallow root and Milk thistle. B
Joint Supplements
These might include; Omega-3 fatty acid from fish oil, glucosamine, Alfalfa
Intolerance Test’s
According to these test’s one of my dogs is intolerant to hundreds of things including blackberry bushes. Note intolerant is not allergic so by all means use these tests as a guide but in my opinion they are far from being a complete red flag to your dog having any of whats listed there. Of course consult your vet as this is just my humble observations.… but my experience was moving my dog to raw he went from a dog with extremely loose stools (Clinical IBD) to perfect.
Individual Difference
We should note individual difference plays an important part, so you need to see what works for you and your dog especially when it comes to the quantities on the packet.
Second Opinion: Veterinary Nutritionist
If you want a second opinion, typically, you want a veterinary nutritionist as opposed to a vet. Of course some vets will have taken an interest in nutrition and be great but many will prescribe a kibble or can food which is essentially just the same regular rubbish kibble with some supplements added. Supplements I might add, that we don’t actually have any evidence are accessible to the dog once synthesised and preserved at high heats or with chemicals.
WHAT AM I FEEDING MY DOG?
Main Food
Raw with a drop of CBD for my anxious one (the research on CBD is good, whether it really works is so hard to tell….)
Raw for my husky who had serious IBD until the switch. In fact it was actually when he ate a whole pigeon and his gut was much better I started to wonder. Apparently the feathers etc work as a natural pro biotic….
Training Treats
Main thing I use is sprats and dried liver. Dr Connor Bardy says Liver for Liver, brains for brains etc so whole foods with eyes and head etc are great.
I do also use all sorts of ‘tasty rubbish’ for such as hot dog, cheese, wafer thin chicken (whatever has least rubbish added i.e nothing with skimmed milk powder and lots of salt), Irish rover treats .Yes they are full of rubbish but they do work and bear in mind that when training I am using tiny tiny tiny amounts of the treat for each repetition so they are not getting a meal out of this stuff…. I wonder how long I’ll keep doing this though the more I research….
Home Treats
My anxious one loves carrots so these are great, though bear in mind they are carbohydrate so thats not her full diet.
I have some dried beef lung as a bed time treat.
Pigs ears are a definite winner. There’s also chicken feet, cows ears and rabbits ears but they definitely prefer the pigs ears. The cow hoofs and antlers work well for a chew that lasts a long time but the pigs ears are an instant 5 minutes of peace. Though the preservatives on the pigs ears etc are likely to be far from perfect. So bones are a healthier natural choice.
Bones etc
Bones are an important part of your dogs diet. However they can cause obstructions and I from what I observe I am pretty confident they get sore stomachs from them but the raw I feed them already has bone in it. However you want the abrasion from chewing to look after your dogs teeth and avoid periodontitis so if your dog can eat them safely make friends with your butcher and get the free off cuts. They can even eat raw chicken bones and pork. Though leg bones aren’t the best choice as can be tough and too high in zinc. Bones should be fresh though!
Devils advocate….
… Hennessey and Colleagues (2002) found that changing a dog’s diet to a High Quality One from a basic one without an enhanced Social Enrichment plan, actually made the fear and anxiety in the dogs they tested, worse. In contrast, putting the dog on the poor diet without social enrichment actually improved behavior. In their study it was only when an improved diet coincided with a Social Enrichment plan, that changing the diet helped the dog’s behaviour and ability to cope.
That being said, what was that High quality diet? A premium kibble? Well as above they are generally not so different from a cheap one.
Conclusion
Raw and natural. Supplements if you wish. Of course I am yet to see that this alone is the whole answer unless there is something very specific going on causing your dog significant discomfort. However getting the diet right definitely should be the starting point!
FAQ’s
What can’t my dog Eat?
Chocolate, cooked bones, corn on the cob, dental sticks, fresh fish, Grapes, Raisins, Macademia nuts, milk from cows, onions, peaches, plums with stones, raw hide, xylitol (sweets and in some peanut butter).
Puppies
Puppies can move to raw from weaning around 3-4 weeks. but start with plain, boneless white minces such as chicken fish, turkey. From 4-8 weeks they can have fresh meaty bones to help cut their teeth. Perhaps big bones so they don’t try to swallow too quick. They will eat 10% of their body weight at 8 weeks, when they reach 50% of their adult weight this drops to 5% then 2-3% when adult.
Fish
Fish should be frozen first. Frozen mussels are great for manganese. Some fish is too high in thiaminase which breaks down important thiamine so shoud not be eatendregualry. These are…herring, chub mackerel, whitefish, scaled sardines, skip jack tuna.
Cooked fresh food.
It’s certainly better than kibble and some dogs don’t do so well on raw but cooking will kill nutrients and change the proteins so raw is best for most dogs.