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Let me start by saying that as far as I am
concerned there is no one right way to feed our Beardies, any
more than there is a single right way to feed ourselves or our
children. What follows are my own observations. I feed a raw
diet because it works for me and my dogs (and cat); I think a
lot of what is written about raw diets and commercial diets is
questionable at best. Each of us needs to decide for ourselves,
based on our life style and beliefs.
There have been several important
“aha” moments that have led me to raw feeding.
- In veterinary school, as all the raw feeders will tell
you, courses on nutrition are taught by animal food company
representatives. The feed companies give veterinary students
free food for their animals, give them lots of books and
other neat stuff if you take a kindergarten age appropriate
test on “nutrition” – just remember who is sponsoring it
kiddies. However, in my second year of veterinary school in
our gastroenteric pathology class, we had some classes from
Herbert van Kruningen DVM, PhD. He talked to us first about
acute gastric dilatation and volvulus (aka bloat) the number
1 killer of giant and many large breeds of dogs – by his
conservative estimation it affects at least 80,000 dogs a
year. There is an identical disease in several other species
including humans and monkeys. Dr. van Kruningen (Van
Kruningen, et al. The influence of diet and feeding
frequency on gastric function in the dog. J Am Anim Hosp
Assoc 10:294-324, 1974) had linked the disease to bacterial
fermentation of high carbohydrate commercial dog foods. The
incidence was particularly high in dogs fed once vs. twice a
day. The stomachs of dogs fed a commercial diet were
substantially larger than those fed on a raw meat and bones
diet, and bigger in dogs fed once a day vs. 2 or 3 times a
day on commercial diets but not on raw diets. It takes a dog
15 hours to digest a kibble meal, but only 4 to 6 hours to
digest one of meat and bones. He then studied the contents
of the gastrointestinal tracts of wild canids that had died
of natural causes in the national parks. As he said (please
imagine German accent here), “not one of them had Purina dog
chow.” Nor did they have any grains or soybeans. Similarly,
monkeys and marmosets fed commercial pelleted diets were the
ones that developed gastric dilatation (in humans beer,
certain vegetables and soup have been incriminated). These
diets also encourage over-growth of the bacterium
Clostridia perfringens and this is thought to be a
contributing factor. The worst diets are those that derive
the majority of their protein from soybean meal and are high
in fermentable carbohydrate – but basically to be formed
into kibbles a diet must contain ~ 60% carbohydrate.
Question: Why are we advised not to feed ourselves
and our children on highly processed diets and yet we are
bad people killing our dogs if we feed them anything else?
I’ll feed my dogs a commercial diet when the dog
food company nutritionists feed themselves Eukanuba
Maintenance Diet, and their offspring Hill’s Kiddie Chow. If
I am capable of formulating a relatively balanced, healthy
diet for myself and my human children, why am I suddenly
incapable of doing the same for my dogs?
- Why is it if every dog food is complete and balanced,
that every month a new food is released which contains some
essential new ingredient that every dog, or some significant
number of dogs, absolutely has to have for tip top health?
Doesn’t this imply that the earlier “complete” diet wasn’t
as complete as we were led to believe? This reminds me of
when I was a lot younger, and a friend introduced me to a
natural brand of vitamins, that had been in production since
before “vitamins” were known to exist. It has been made from
natural ingredients, to supplement diets that might be
lacking in fresh foods. With each new “vitamin” discovered,
the manufacturer of the product would check, and it was in
his supplement. The manufacturers of the chemically-derived
multi-vitamins had to scurry around to add it into the mix.
That’s how I feel about raw feeding, it’s already in there.
I don’t need to add it.
- Many of the diseases we see in modern veterinary
practice are either new or increasing in frequency. One of
the rare instances where I push owners towards raw feeding
is when their dog has inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This
is a modern disease. In humans a link has been found to
improved hygiene. Over millennia humans evolved to coexist
with an intestinal population of worms. Dr. Joel Weinstock’s
group at the University of Iowa has brought human IBD into
complete remission by giving patients non pathogenic worm
eggs. Worms grow in the intestines for a while, but long
after they have cleared their system remission continues
(Summers, R.W, et al.: Trichuris Suis Appears Safe and
Effective in the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A
Possible Example of Th2 Conditioning of the Mucosal Immune
Response. Am. J. Gastro., 98:2034-2041, 2003). In dogs, many
on the verge of euthanasia for intractable IBD, switching to
a raw diet has proven curative, giving these dogs’ g/i
tracts food they can handle. Other modern diseases that seem
to be strongly linked to diet include: diabetes – type 2
diabetes and metabolic disorder have been reported in all
species fed diets high in processed carbohydrates; allergies
– not just food allergies, although grain allergy is
prevalent, but allergies to other environmental allergens
have been linked to grains; ear infections; kidney disease,
and stones in the urinary system; deficiencies of important
amino acids and their derivatives – lack of carnitine and
taurine especially can lead to heart disease; periodontal
disease and gingivitis – at one time dogs did not get
cavities, now they do, and diseases of the teeth and gums
can lead to systemic bacteremia and consequent heart and
kidney disease; obesity. (That isn’t to say raw fed dogs
can’t get too fat, but in making diets palatable dogs are
encouraged to overeat, and the bags generally recommend you
feed more than the dog needs.)
Debunking some myths and the Twinkie
generation.
Unfortunately, there will be people who become
evangelical in promoting diets of whatever type, and this seems
to be particularly the case with raw feeding – both pro and
anti. Dogs have not been wolves for millennia - even though
their gene sequences differ by only 1-2% that is more than the
difference between humans and chimpanzees. It is probably true
that there has been no change in the gastrointestinal tract and
physiology of the dog in the past 150 years since commercial
diets began to appear, but dogs have lived on table scraps and
hand-outs a lot longer than that. As long as dogs have tied
their lot in with humans, they probably weren’t getting the best
of the available food, they got the leftovers. There have not
been a lot of studies, but one of feral dogs in Italy and
another of stray dogs in Maryland, found that these dogs were
not hunting in the traditional sense, but raiding garbage dumps.
Even dogs that team up and kill domestic livestock rarely eat
the animals they kill. They have gone into a frenzy of killing,
perhaps as a memory of times past, but have forgotten the
purpose of the kill, to eat the prey. There may be exceptions,
but dogs are no longer the hunters that wolves are and have
adapted to eating whatever bones we throw them. On the other
hand, there seems to be little difference between the digestive
system of the modern dog and that of his wolf ancestors, so he
can adapt very well to eating the same kind of diet. His
intestines just aren’t designed to extract optimal nutrition
from a carbohydrate/grain based diet, which is why so much of
the commercial diet passes through unchanged.
Commercial dog foods did indeed develop from a
desire to use grain tailings rather than throwing them away, and
to add animal fat, previously used in detergents when that role
was usurped by phosphates. Then again, dogs have always eaten
what we don’t want. Human food at the time was not protected
from adulteration, sand in the sugar and lead in the flour. It
was a bad time all round, industrialization was hard on the diet
of man and animals. Fresh meat carried a premium price and
wasn’t to be fed to animals. Now, realizing the willingness of
the consumer to pay handsomely to feed his dog, canine nutrition
is heavily researched, and new requirements are being found and
addressed. Dead, drugged, diseased and down (4D) meat isn’t
going into premium commercial dog food, although it may still be
fed raw to racing greyhounds, nor are dead dog and cat carcasses
being used. There has been a radical change in the industry in
recent years. I arrived in this country in 1975, and
unquestioningly fed my dog kibble. In England our dogs had eaten
canned dog food and leftovers from family meals. The first
family dog I knew died when a cooked lamb chop bone perforated
her intestine. I was not about to feed bones – I still wasn’t
aware of the difference between raw and cooked bones – usually
only brittle cooked bones splinter into sharp points, and while
I can’t believe I never questioned why wild dogs seemed to be
able to eat bones with impunity, either I didn’t, or else I
figured it culled quite a lot of them. Back around 1980 all
canine illness suddenly was laid at the feet of the
preservatives used to prevent fat in commercial food from going
rancid. Ethoxyquin became a dirty word among dog owners. When my
dog developed mammary cancer, I found the only preservative free
food (Cornucopia) and fed her that. Low and behold, she has been
given 6 weeks or less to live and lived three and a half more
years. Increasingly sophisticated niche diets became available.
I recently went into an upscale pet store with a friend about to
open her own grooming, feed and supply store for a little
research. I was amazed, appalled and fascinated by what I found.
What I wasn’t convinced of was that this was better for my dogs
than what they were eating. Every effort was made to reproduce a
raw diet, but the products were all cooked, kibbled or otherwise
processed, and I was left wondering why we were trying to
reinvent the wheel. Tapioca may be a root, but it’s still
carbohydrate – 29% - and fiber, with 1% or less of the
recommended daily allowance of any other usable nutrient. I’m
also wondering why we are feeding canned pheasant, kangaroo and
buffalo, but I suppose if you can afford it, why not?
Feeding a balanced diet
We hear this phrase all the time, but what
exactly does it mean? To me it means not feeding the same thing
day in and day out. No one food can meet all a dog’s nutritional
needs so mix them up. I don’t intend to write a detailed
treatise on how to feed raw, I would recommend reading as much
as you can on the subject from as many different authors as
possible. I would advocate rotating different meats, fish
(except raw Pacific salmon) and whole eggs – but they don’t have
to be exotic, whatever is available. While they may gross us
out, fish heads and guts, and less desirable parts of carcass
and anatomy are relished by dogs. Some organ meat (liver, tripe,
kidney, heart – I’d avoid brain) is good, but be careful of
feeding too much as it can be too rich and produce diarrhea,
somewhere between 5 and 10% of the average meal is about right.
Trachea is a good source of chondroitin which helps lubricate
arthritic joints. Glucosamine levels are high in crab and shrimp
shells. ( Sulfur is lost from food when it is processed, dried,
cooked or preserved. MSM – the third ingredient in the healthy
joint triumvirate - serves as an important source of
bio-available sulfur, but is rarely needed in raw fed dogs.)
Finding products that have been organically
raised, free of antibiotics, pesticide treated fodder, etc. is a
good idea as these substances accumulate in the body.
Concentrate on meaty bones as opposed to muscle meat. Some
people strongly oppose feeding fruit and vegetables to dogs.
However, if you remember Dr. van Kruningen he did find berries,
grass and other non animal based foodstuff in the intestinal
tracts of wild canids – he also found insects, dung and some
other stuff you might prefer not to contemplate – or add to your
dog’s diet. If you grow your own fruit and/or vegetables you’ve
probably seen your dog harvest whatever takes his fancy. Do
avoid grapes and raisins as well as green tomatoes and potatoes,
and limit avocado. Otherwise a little is often appreciated by
the dog, and can be used as a fiber filler to leave an obese dog
feeling satiated while consuming fewer calories. Dogs past
weaning usually do not tolerate dairy products well. They lose
lactase the enzyme that breaks down milk sugar, and dairy may
lead to diarrhea and colicky signs. You can give yogurt or kefir
with live cultures if the dog is on antibiotics to restore
healthy bacteria to the g/i tract, however, probiotics may be
better tolerated.
Supplementing the diet – whether raw or
kibbled – is much debated, and is and of itself a major
industry. I do believe a good source of Essential Fatty Acids
(EFAs) especially omega 3 is very important. Beyond that I tend
not to add anything unless a particular dog has a particular
need. Remember too much can be as bad as too little. Some people
do advocate adding kelp and alfalfa, and I can see benefits in
doing so.
Concern about bacteria – especially
Salmonella spp., E.coli and Campylobacter
jejuni – keeps a lot of people from raw feeding their dogs.
However, these organisms exist on the meat we prepare for our
families, these and other pathogenic bacteria are present in
commercial kibbles, on fruits and vegetables, and provided we
take appropriate precautions – washing hands, surfaces and
utensils carefully – they do not pose a particular risk to
owners – special care must be exercised if immune compromised
people are present in the home. Because bacteria multiply
rapidly between 40 °F and 140 °F, freezing and refrigerating raw
meat helps to reduce the bacterial content of the food. The
rapid transit of the food through the dog’s digestive system,
and highly acid stomach secretions protect dogs from these
illnesses, although again, if you have an immune compromised dog
home prepared, cooked diets may be more appropriate.
How much to feed can also be a concern. Some
beardies only eat what they need while others gorge, some can
maintain their optimum weight apparently living on air, whereas
others burn food off so fast they can require three or four
times the amount to just stay at a good weight. In general,
start with 1-2% of the dog’s weight – usually about half the
volume of kibble. Dogs generally drink less on raw diets as
there is a high fluid content to the food. Kibble has to be
hydrated, preferably before it is fed, but if not it will absorb
fluids inside the dog. Poops tend to be small, white and crumble
– much less offensive to clean up or step in.
It takes a while for some kibble fed dogs to
adapt to a raw diet, and they may need to be coaxed at first to
this strange new stuff. (Puppies take to it happily from the
get-go.) There is a concern that bones can crack molars and this
is legitimate. Dogs’ teeth have become softer and more brittle
on kibbled diets, and it can take three generations of raw
feeding to restore their “wild” strength. Even then, bones can
break teeth, nothing comes without a price. Dogs also choke to
death on kibbles, greenies and rawhides. If you prefer to feed
ground raw food – despite those who feel raw, whole carcasses
are the only proper way to feed – you will remove that risk, and
yet the teeth will become stronger and the tooth cleaning power
of the diet is the same as with the whole bones. You do lose jaw
exercise, however. Softer bones – poultry, neck bones – may also
be safer for dogs that are new to the raw diet. If your dog is a
gulper, hold onto the other end of the bone so he doesn’t try to
swallow it whole. (Removing competition from other dogs may go a
long way to reduce these tendencies.)
So that is why I feed my dogs raw. It costs
about the same as feeding a top quality kibble, but feeding dogs
well is an expensive proposition, and few people reading this
are buying their dog’s food at the supermarket. It is messier
than feeding dry food, but cleaning up after dogs on a kibbled
diet is messier. One downside I have experienced a couple of
times is dreaming that I too was eating raw, and waking up
having been downing a raw hamburger or chewing on a raw chicken
wing, can leave a less than pleasant taste in your mouth!
Whatever you feed your dog you should feel
good about it, and your dog should be healthy and a good weight.
That is success; however, you go about it. Diets should be
tailored to the needs of the individual dog, and there will be
considerable variation, something the pet food industry is just
beginning to wake up to. No diet can protect your dog against
every illness that may come his way, and some dogs could live
exclusively on shoe leather and probably have long and disease
free lives. We do the best we can with current knowledge. The
more we can learn though, the better we will be able to feed our
dogs.
Here are some books where you will find more
information (and divergent ideas) about feeding raw diets. It is
by no means a complete list, just a place to start.
"Give Your Dog a Bone"; "Grow Your Pup With
Bones" and "The BARF Diet"
by Dr. Ian Billinghurst
"The Ultimate Diet: Natural Nutrition for Dogs
and Cats."
by Kymythy Schultze
“Raw Dog Food: Make It Easy For You And Your
Dog.”
By Carina Beth MacDonald
"Raw Meaty Bones" and “Work Wonders. Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty
Bones.”
By Tom Lonsdale |
