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New Years Resolutions Part II

01/27/2012

Many of us resolve to eat better/lose weight for the New Year. Making this resolution for your dog is another simple step to improving the life of your canine companion.

And while it takes some work on your part to make this happen, your dog will enjoy the changes to his diet. And remember, unlike the human members of our family, our dogs ignore the food commercials on television, and usually don't accompany us in the aisles of grocery stores. No whining Whippets or bellowing Bull dogs to influence your food choices.

There are three major players or factors in deciding what to feed your dog. You, the owner and thinker in this troika, are the key. You want to do the best you can for your dog to keep him healthy. You are continually bombarded with the dog food commercials, you politely listen to the “advice” of other “experienced” dog owners, and you try to ignore the bombastic dog food police who KNOW what is right for YOUR dog.

You are the key, and your dogs well being is totally your responsibility.

The second major player in this is your dog, the recipient of your dog food choices. He is a carnivore, a descendant of wolves, and a meat eater. His teeth are designed to tear food, not to grind it. His digestive tract is proportionately shorter than ours to accommodate his mostly meat diet. But he is also an opportunistic omnivore, eating non-meat foods as well (including some foods long past their prime to put it nicely). He is not above scavenging.

The third player is the new man on the block having only been around for about 75 years – the Dog Food Manufacturers (DFM). Originally affiliated with large human commercial food factories, the dog food part of this enterprise was designed to utilize the scraps, the waste, and other by-products of those foods that are unfit for human consumption (like 4 D meat).

The dog food industry has been using our dogs to recycle their waste and doing so at a profit. And, unfortunately, the nature of the dog as the occasional scavenger and digester of almost anything plays into this.

We the thinkers have been too concerned with other things in our life to pay a great deal of attention to this. Once you start to see how these puzzle pieces fit together, you will be as compelled as I was years ago to change the way your dogs eat.

Now for a few dirty little secrets that will help you make that change.

The phrase “100 percent complete and balanced nutrition” is a phrase coined by the DFM. To be totally accurate it should be followed by the phrase “we hope,” or preceded by the phrase “we believe”. They try, as they should. If the manufactured stuff is all your dog eats, it better supply everything your dog needs. And the warning not to add ANYTHING to their formula because it will upset the “balance” is simply horse pucky. Any good quality natural food you add will only improve the diet of your dog by providing necessary variety, and additional nutrients.
Of the scientists who work in the DFM labs, not one of them has a Doctorate or even a Masters Degree in Canine Nutrition. How could that be possible? Because there is not a school in this country that offers any advanced degrees in canine nutrition. The scientists can cobble together enough courses to give them credibility, but their advanced degree cannot be in canine nutrition. And there are no independent labs working on canine nutrition. All of the research is conducted in the labs affiliated with the DFM.
The standards that the DFM have to meet are daily MINIMUM standards. The dog food must provide enough nutrition to keep a laboratory dog alive for 24 hours. That is predicated on the dog eating the “recommended amount of food” -e.g., xx cups of food per xx pounds of the dog. If the dog does not eat that amount, he will not get the minimum daily requirements.

These are just a few of the things you should be aware of as you consider changing the way your feed your dog.

The next step should be a review of what is in the dog food you are currently feeding. You can't know where you are going until you understand where you are.

Next, deciphering the dog food labels.