Food for Thought

- Can you tell fact from fiction when it comes to feeding? -

How many people have offered you advice on feeding your new dog? Everywhere you turn, it seems someone has something to say. Advice may come from breeders, pet store personnel, trainers, or veterinarians. Or it may come from neighbors, friends, family, or even the Internet!

With so much information flowing through our lives, opportunities for misinformation abound. Let's look at the truth behind some statements I've overheard recently.

Fact or Fiction?

"My dog eats grass, so he must want to be a vegetarian."

Dogs evolved as carnivores. Their diet of small prey consisted of protein, fat, water, minerals, and very little carbohydrate. In contrast, plants contain mostly carbohydrate and fiber, which are not digested well by dogs.

Unlike many carnivores, domestic dogs are adaptable in their feeding preferences and gastrointestinal function. They often tolerate substantial amounts of carbohydrate in their diet, but that's not to say they thrive on it. Although plant-source ingredients are found in most commercial dog foods (they lower the cost of production), young dogs must eat high quality protein. This is usually found in meat, meat byproducts, chicken, poultry byproducts, fish meal, eggs, and dairy products.

Eating grass is probably a behavior held over from the dog's wild days. It may have served as a purgative, or perhaps as a means of settling an upset stomach. Occasional grass consumption should not be assumed to signal a dietary preference on the part of your dog. If excessive vomiting occurs, however, contact your veterinarian.

Fact or Fiction?

"A low-protein diet promotes growth and protects the kidneys of your dogs."

Restricting the dietary protein of puppies is completely unjustified. The protein requirement for growth is two to three times that for maintenance of adult dogs. Several studies have indicated a minimum protein requirement of about 25 percent (dry matter or metabolizable energy) for growth; two studies have indicated an optimal protein range from about 35 to 43 percent.

Dietary protein is necessary for the physiological processes of growth - it helps pups grow into healthy adults. Protein functions in cell renewal, production of enzymes and hormones, and optimal functioning of organs. In sick puppies, protein aids the production of antibodies and the healing of wounds.

There are many high protein foods suitable for puppies, including meat, eggs, milk, and cottage cheese. These can be given to your puppy either on their own or in combination with a quality commercial puppy food.

Fact or Fiction?

"Large-breed pups need extra calcium in their diet."

Calcium supplementation may have been useful before the advent of complete and balanced dog foods about 40 years ago, but research now shows that extra calcium can actually be harmful to growing dogs.

Scientists in the Netherlands found that feeding large-breed puppies either too much or too little calcium leads to the development of certain skeletal problems. In fact, they found that the level of excessive dietary calcium necessary to cause these skeletal problems could be easily achieved, or even surpassed, by adding ordinary calcium supplements to the dog food.

In the United States, researchers examined naturally occurring cases of a skeletal disorder known as osteochondritis disease in large-breed puppies. They found that high levels of dietary calcium - levels achieved by adding calcium supplements to dog food - significantly increased the puppies' risk of developing the disease.

Most young dogs need to eat a well-balanced commercial dog food without further supplementation. Adding calcium to the food puts your puppy's skeletal health at risk.

Fact or Fiction?

"If your dog has an upset tummy, try feeding him lamb and rice."

There is some truth to this statement, although chicken may actually work better than lamb.

Puppies eat many things we'd consider inedible. They also tend to overeat when given the opportunity. Both activities can lead to gastrointestinal upset, resulting in vomiting and diarrhea.

Gastrointestinal problems can also be caused by sudden changes in the diet. For example, switching to a food with higher fat content may lead to diarrhea and greasy-appearing stools, while switching to one with more fiber may tend to cause gas and foamy diarrhea.

When your dog suffers from vomiting or diarrhea, you must first assess the seriousness of the situation. These symptoms may be indicative of a mild disease, but they can also indicate serious condition. Generally, any bout of vomiting or diarrhea that is prolonged, violent, or contains blood should be assessed by a veterinarian. If in doubt for any reason, consult your vet.

If your pup's vomiting or diarrhea is diagnosed as a mild gastritis or enteritis, you may be advised to feed a bland diet. Cooked rice is digested well by dogs and, when mixed with a source of high-quality protein, it makes an ideal bland diet.

Traditionally, lamb was selected as a protein source because it was rarely consumed by dog, and thus was unlikely to cause an allergic upset. However, many dog foods now contain lamb, and the meat is relatively high in saturated fat, which may be hard to digest and could cause prolonged gastritis. Leaner protein sources that mix well with rice include skinless poultry and cottage cheese.

Fact or Fiction?

"Fiber plays an important role in the well-being of all dogs."

Fiber is clearly beneficial to humans, who as omnivores evolved on a diet rich in plants. Yet even for humans, the role of dietary fiber in childhood nutrition remains in question because high fiber limits the caloric intake needed for a child's growth.

Like children, puppies need calories for growth, and therefore food fiber has little place in the diet, especially until the puppy becomes an adult dog.

All in all, there are few medical indications for recommending high-fiber diets for puppies.

For adult dogs, however, a high-fiber diet can be useful in helping manage such health problems as hyperlipidemia, large-bowel diarrhea, obesity, and diabetes mellitus. Some middle-aged dogs living sedentary lives may benefit from high-fiber diets primarily to help in weight control. But for pups, increased fiber intake may mean low-calorie intake, which may stunt growth.

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FEEDING FUNDAMENTALS

There are no magic formulas to determine the perfect type and amount of food for your dog, but here are some basic principles:

Growing dogs consume more food, but their caloric need per pound of body weight steadily decreases over time. Gradually reduce the number of meals you provide from four to three to two.

Begin by following label instructions for amounts, keeping in mind that volume is often overestimated. Be prepared to decrease meal size in accordance with weight gain.

Meat-based dog foods contain more protein than plant-based foods. When choosing a food, examine the first six ingredients on the label; those with at least three meat-based ingredients will be most palatable and digestible.

For an adolescent dog, use a food that is labeled appropriate for growth or for all stages of the life cycle.

When changing food, switch gradually over three to five days to avoid causing an intestinal upset.

Keep a daily watch on your dog's condition and run your hands over its spine and ribs at least once weekly. You should develop a feel for your dog's optimum weight; adjust food volume accordingly.

- Written by Dr. Susan Donoghue, DVM -