What Do I Feed My Dog?
In today’s society, pet owners are inundated with information regarding the best way to feed family pets. Much as in political discussions, each group seems to possess “studies” which prove their point of view. In general, pet own- ers must choose between commercially pre- pared foods — dry kibble, canned, freeze dried or raw; and home prepared foods — either cooked or raw. How does one know what options are
–by Gregory Todd, D.V. M. Illustration by Duncan Walker
right for their dog or cat? To answer this question, one needs to set goals for the feeding plan. It is logical that these goals should include the following:
1.The diet should meet all the nutritional requirements of the pet.
2.The diet should enhance the health of the pet.
3.The diet should be readily available to the pet owner or parent.
4.The diet should not put the pet or the parent at undue risk either through consumption or preparation.
In truth, the reality of what constitutes a safe diet and what
constitutes an ideal diet are not identical questions. Even now, there is ongoing debate about what constitutes healthy eating for pets and humans. Most humans in the western world enjoy a safe diet, in that it is free of significant deficiency. However, the ever- increasing statistics regarding obesity and diabetes would argue that it is often far from ideal for the average American. This can also be said of dogs. Much of the grain free fervor that is present today, would imply that grain free diets are devoid of carbohy- drate. This, however, is simply not true. A process of extrusion is used to make dry kibble foods, and that process is not possible without the presence of some starch such as potato or tapioca. Some say grains are bad for people and pets, or that glutens
and grains may lead to chronic disease. The gluten debate is much more prevalent for people than for pets. There is actually very little data available regarding the effects of glutens on pets, but with pet food recalls and increasing food allergies, much blame has been laid on grains. From my perspective, not all grains are bad. Additionally, there is the question of how much protein is
enough and how much is too much? Many of the proteins needed by the body are actually synthesized in the body from building blocks. So, the real requirement for dogs and cats regarding pro- teins is essential amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and certain amino acids must be present in the diet in specified quantities for an animal to synthesize all the proteins it will need. Too little protein can be problematic. In general, excess- es of protein are problematic when diseases are present in certain organ systems such as the kidney and liver. Pet foods stamped with the AAFCO sticker (Association of
American Feed Control Officials) — which states the food is 100% nutritionally complete — have been supplemented or created in
74 THE NEW BARKER
such a way as to meet all known nutritional requirements of dogs and cats. A sound argu- ment against home-prepared foods is that some of these home-prepared diets may lack all the necessary nutrients for the pet and will create deficiency. There is no doubt that this happens on a daily basis. It seems obvious as well, that feeding dogs and cats should not be inherently more complicated than feeding human adults and children. Pets do have different requirements.
However, with some dedicated research, these values can be
readily identified and logically met. The key to avoiding deficiency is diversity, whether the animal in question has two legs or four. The question “Which diet enhances the health of our pets?”
is inherently subjective. One can look at the shine on the coat or the pads of the feet. Perhaps one could look at the stool and the volume of the stool. At its core, the answer to this is quite frankly, which form of diet has been shown to have the least health problems and the greatest longevity with quality of life. To my knowledge, there are no studies performed that provides a reliable answer to that question. It seems logical that fresh foods would be associated with
better health. It is a commonly held belief that too much processed food in people may be associated with some health issues. It is also true that improper feeding of home prepared diets contributes to disease. So the answer may lie in what each indi- vidual’s level of interest and responsibility is in regards to pet nutrition. The question of availability also comes into the equation
when feeding pets. Many people will not go to great lengths to prepare foods for themselves, therefore, it may be in the interest of those pet parents to buy high quality prepared foods. In my opinion, that should include something besides just dry kibble, but some amount of quality kibble in the diet may not create issues. Historically, there have been many pets who have had kib- ble included in their diets and lived long and happy lives. When feeding healthy pets, the home cooked or raw diets
should be balanced with the inclusion of readily available foods and supplements if possible. There are many recipes available that contain foods found at local supermarkets or health food stores, and they can be made with minimal prep times with the proper research. The last goal of the diet is that it should not put the pet or
the parent at undue risk in the eating or preparation. Without a doubt, this is one of the leading arguments used by the commercial pet food industry to invalidate feeding raw foods. There are numerous studies supporting the fact that raw foods are frequently contaminated with coliform bacteria, which may create disease. One may counter these reports with the simple question of “So?”
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