The Best Healthy Dog Diet 2017
The Best Healthy Dog DietMany people ask me, "What is the very best dog food that I can buy to give my dog the healthiest diet?
Before that question can be answered it is important for every dog owner to first understand what dog nutrition is all about.
In order to provide your pet with a healthy dog food diet it is important to understand your dogs health and dietary needs.
Your dogs body, just like your own, is made up of cells, and like all living creatures, these cells need nutrients to function properly and to give it energy.
These nutrients include a combination of proteins, consisting of essential amino acids, carbohydrates, fiber, fats, vitamins, minerals and lots of water.
A healthy dog food diet needs a combination of these nutrients, in balanced proportions, to provide the calories that are needed to fuel their daily energy needs for growth and the individualized activity of the dog.
Age, breed and size are all factors to take into consideration when looking for the right balance of food for your dog. For example, a tiny teacup dog will have different needs than a working dog such as this husky.
PROTEIN
Protein is the most essential ingredient in a dogs diet.
Protein is the most essential ingredient in a dogs diet.
Renowned research scientist Dr. Barry Sears believes that dog food should consists of 40% protein, 30% fiber and 30% starch. What is the best source of protein for dogs?
Your dog is a carnivore and carnivores need meat. What is a carnivore? A carnivore is an animal with a diet consisting mainly of meat, whether it comes from animals living or dead (scavenging is part of being a carnivore).
There are those that will claim that a dog is an omnivore because of the way man has domesticated him, but dont be fooled. Dogs are not vegetarians.
Open their mouths and you will see that their teeth are not like human teeth. Their teeth are sharp and pointed and are meant for ripping and tearing meat. They do not have flat molars, like humans, for grinding grains and vegetables.
Granted, dogs can survive quite well, for the short term, on a vegetarian diet. However, this is not how they were created, and a vegetarian diet is not the best for optimum long term health. Also keep in mind that some human foods such as chocolate, onions, apple seeds, macadamia nuts and grapes can be highly toxic to their systems.
A Dogs Digestive System
Dogs Digestive System | Source
Humans and Dogs Do Not Share the Same Type Of Digestive System
Human digestion begins in the mouth. A dogs digestion begins in his stomach. All the enzymes in his system are geared toward breaking down raw meat in the stomach. By scientific definition, your dog was created a carnivore.
It takes between 4 to 5 hours for a dog to digest raw meat and receive the energy from that food into the system. It takes almost 9 hours for a dog to digest semi-moist processed food.
This is the kind that is found in boxes and are shaped like hamburgers, or found in rolls and look like sausages. Semi-moist food is also high in sugar and salt which should be eliminated for a healthy dog food diet. The sugar only leads to obesity and the salt can lead to high blood pressure among other ailments.
Dry dog food takes up to 16 hours to digest. If you choose to feed your dog any type of dry, processed dog food, it will be in his stomach from morning until night. Because of this, it is best not to feed dried dog food late in the evening.
Enzymes are needed in the healthy dog food diet to enable the body to function properly. Dogs produce enzymes naturally in their stomachs to digest raw food.
Both the semi-moist and dry dog food sits in the dogs stomach so long, because there are not enough enzymes being produced in the stomach to break it down. Remember, a dogs stomach is designed to deal with raw foods.
Enzyme robbing occurs at such times when the dogs body must pull enzymes from other parts of the body, such as the heart, liver, and kidneys, to be transported to the stomach.
Robbing the other parts of the body of these enzymes can have a detrimental effect on those organs. While the body is working overtime to gather these enzymes for digestion, the food just sits in the stomach until the body has gathered enough enzymes to digest it.
In the diagram above, the kidneys arent showing. They are up behind the liver, close to the spine.
OTHER FORMS OF PROTEIN
Eggs are a natural.
Eggs are a natural and healthy food product. Other than meat, eggs are a natural, economical and convenient food source for protein.
There are those who will say, "never give your dog a raw egg as raw egg whites react with the vitamin, biotin, causing deficiencies". Raw egg yolks contain enough biotin to prevent the deficiency, so this is not a problem with raw whole eggs.
Others will arguing that raw eggs cause salmonella. Dogs cannot get salmonella, so throw that myth out with he dirty dishwater.
I like to occasionally mix a raw egg in with the rest of the dogs food and have had no ill effects. The pros are that raw eggs promote healthy, shiny fur because of the biotin in the egg yolks. In the wild dogs eat them raw when they find them. After all, you wont see anyone hanging around out there with a frying pan waiting to scramble up a batch for them.
Proceed with caution when feeding canines dairy products. Dogs are missing the digestive enzyme, that most humans have, which properly break down the milk sugar, or lactose. When the proper enzymes are not present, the lactose remains undigested and tends to ferment in the intestine and cause diarrhea.
Some dogs will tolerate small amounts of milk, while others, none at all. Often it will depend on the breed of the dog. Some dogs love cheese as a snack and will show no distress signs at all from ingesting it. If your pet enjoys and appears to tolerate dairy products, then by all means, feel free to feed in small amounts. For the most part, dairy products will do more good than harm.
When looking at the ingredients on a package or can of dog food, meat should be the first 2 - 3 ingredients, with a minimum of the first ingredient. By law, the heaviest and largest amount of whatever ingredient contained in the food has to be listed first. If the first four ingredients contain grains, move on to something else.
Spaniel Dog Sitting at Dinner Table with Plate of Raw Steak
AMINO ACIDS
Dogs need this important ingredient found in protein are amino acids.
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.
All dry and canned commercial dog food are heated in the manufacturing process and through this heating process, amino acids are partially destroyed along with vitamins are depleted.
To compensate for this loss, your dog must have raw meat mixed with the processed commercial food.
Without the raw meat, the only way for him to get the amino acids he needs are by you mixing amino acid complex supplement tablets in to his food.
CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates include starches, sugars, cereals, and plant fibers.
They are nutrients that are derived from plant material. Rice, wheat, corn and soy contain protein that is often used in dog food.
Dogs needs carbohydrates (or grains) and some vegetables (or fiber) for energy, proper digestion, stool formation and the correct functioning of the thyroid gland, however, they dont need an overabundance of carbohydrates to be healthy.
The correct healthy dog food diet should never contain more than 40% of cereal grain for the dry food portion of the diet or 30% in a mixed diet.
Dogs that eat a lot of carbohydrates, or commercial dry dog food (which is high in carbs) take a long time digesting their food. The high carbs in dry food will produce large quantities of gas and smelly stools.
The cause of tartar build-up on your dogs teeth come from carbohydrates. Tarter build up will cause the gums to become soft and sore. It also produces bad doggie breath. A well balanced, healthy dog food diet is one that is low in carbohydrates and high in protein.
Brown rice, whole wheat, oats, and barley are whole grains that are higher in vitamins and minerals than corn, wheat gluten, and soybeans. They are also more easily digestible.
The function of grains in the diet is to increase both the bulk and water in the dogs intestines. Fiber regulates the transition time of food in the dogs intestines. They also contain some protein and fat.
Corn is used by most commercial dog food companies because it is in great supply and is cheap to produce, however, the nutritional value is low and it is difficult for a dog to digest.
If corn is the first, second or third ingredient on the packaged or processed dog food, dont buy it. Move on to another brand.
Soy is another carbohydrate that is found in some dog foods. Soy admittedly is high in protein, and is very beneficial in a human diet, but should be omitted in a dogs diet.
Soy binds up other nutrients and makes them unavailable for absorption. Stay away from dog foods that contain soy. Soy and corn are best fed to those species of animals that have 4 stomachs or birds with gizzards that can digest them.
Except for the fact that potatoes have more water in them, the amount of carbohydrates in potatoes is almost the same as in the cereal grains. Potatoes can be used interchangeably with other cooked grains and like grains, they should never constitute more than 40% of the dry portion of the dog food diet.
As a source of carbohydrates in a diet, whole wheat bread ranks among one of the better "natural" foods available to feed your dog. Bread has usually been fortified with vitamins and minerals, is always available, dogs like it and its inexpensive.
Some dog owners who feed their pets natural ingredients insist that bread should be toasted before being fed to a dog. While such a practice makes the slices easier to crumble and mix with the rest of the diet, the starches in bread have already been subjected to cooking and about all toasting does is to enhance the texture of the bread.
Pasta as a Carbohydrate Food Source for Dogs
Because most carbohydrates need to be broken down before they become digestible for a dog, processing plants use a heating process (cooking essentially) to do this and heating destroys most vitamins and minerals.
In the wild, dogs received their carbohydrates already digested for them by eating the intestines and stomachs of their kill.
Be aware that many dog food manufacturers use low-quality fillers like wood fiber, corn cobs, peanut hulls, cottonseed, straw, rice hulls, and soybean hulls in their dog foods. I can not stress enough how important it is to read your labels.
Remember that foods based solely on grains for a source of protein and carbohydrates must be processed in a manner that allows the dogs digestive system to extract these nutrients.
Either putting them through a food processor or par-boiling will make them easier for your dog to digest, but may not give your pet the right amount of protein that he needs.
Dogs have a much easier time processing pasta through their systems because it has already been cooked not once, but several times, so the grain fibers have been broken down to a manageable level for a dog.
Remember to keep in mind that in dogs, as in humans, whole wheat products are more nutritious than the bleached out, nutrient-bare, white flour products.
Avocado Cut in Half
FAT
There are two different types of fat.
There are two different types of fat. Animal fat, which is called saturated fat and vegetable fat, which is called polyunsaturated fat.
Both saturated and polyunsaturated fat are necessary ingredients in a healthy dog diet. Together they supply the essential fatty acids or EFA, necessary to maintain good health.
In the manufacturing of the majority of dog foods, fat is sprayed on the kibble as the last ingredient. This is that greasy smell that you often notice when first opening a package of dried dog food. Fat makes the dog food palatable, like potato chips and French fries.
Saturated fat comes from animal sources and is used for energy.
For dogs that exercised a lot, or if they participate in competitive events, the food has to be high in animal fat.
Sled dogs in Alaska who are trained to run the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race eat huge quantities of fat to build up a protective layer of fat under their skin which protects them from the cold. It is also for the high level of energy they will need to run the race.
Animals that are pretty much couch potatoes and lead a sedentary life do not need as much fat. Too much fat in the diet not only leads to obesity but can also cause cancer of the colon and tumors in the mammary glands.
Polyunsaturated fat comes from vegetable sources.
Good sources of vegetable fats such as flax seed oil, safflower oil, wheat germ oil, olive oil, avocado oil and corn oil. It is needed by your dog for healthy skin and coat. Too little of this fat can produce skin lesions on the belly, thighs and between the shoulder blades. If your dog has a dry coat you may need to add some oil to his food.
Linoleic acid is one of the three essential fatty acids that have to be provided daily in your dogs food. Cold-pressed safflower and flax seed oil are supposed to provide the best source of linoleic acid and are the least allergenic.
In Hawaii, all of my dogs ate avocados on a regular basis and they all had gorgeous coats and never suffered from any skin diseases. I know, I know avos are supposed to be toxic but my dogs never had a problem and lived well past their expect life span. I wonder if it is because they were organic and the dogs only ate the flesh?
I use quite a bit of olive oil here in the mainland and it seems to work very well. These oils are better for your dog than corn oil which contains only a tiny amount of linoleic acid. Flax seed oil can be difficult to digest for some of your smaller, pedigree dogs that seem to have more sensitive stomachs.
Source
VITAMINS & MINERALS
The irony about vitamins & minerals.
The irony about vitamins & minerals is that they are added to the processed dog food by the manufacturer and at the same time they are also destroyed by the heating process. It doesnt matter how many are added, heat destroys them. Testing is not required by the FDA so no one really knows how much or how little is actually there.
There are two types of vitamins water soluble and fat soluble.
Water-soluble vitamins are the B and C vitamins. Any excess is filtered through the kidneys and urinated out between 4 to 8 hours after ingestion. For this reason, they have to be present in each meal.
Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble and stored in the fatty tissues of the body and the liver. Both types are needed by your dog.
Vitamins are not only lost in the manufacturing process but begin to deteriorate as soon as you open up your dog food bag and expose the food to light and air. Particularly sensitive are vitamins C and B. For this reason, it will help some to keep the food in an airtight container, away from direct sunlight.
Vitamin C is needed for healthy teeth and gums. In the ancient times, while at sea, sailors often suffered from scurvy which is a vitamin C deficiency caused by the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. Its symptoms are lethargy, anemia, spongy and inflamed gums, and dirty teeth. The same thing happens to the vitamin C deficient dog.
Unlike humans, dogs can produce minute amounts of Vitamin C, however, it is not enough for optimum health, especially in a polluted environment. Vitamin C strengthens the immune system, speeds wound healing, helps the function of the musculoskeletal system and is needed whenever the dog gets wormed, is given drugs of any kind, or put under any kind of stress.
Vitamin C is the bodys primary water-soluble antioxidant, which makes it an important weapon in the immune systems arsenal against bacteria and viruses.
It also helps protect unsaturated fatty acids, and the fat-soluble vitamins A and E from being oxidized, therefore protecting their potency. Si
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