  MYTHS OF RAW FEEDINGpictures borrowed from rawfed.com http://www.rawfed.com |
For those of you that missed Ian Hetzel's recent comment on why he felt that Wild Dogs Are Not a Good Role Model for the Domestic Dog's Diet , here is his comment and my response: |
Ian stated: It sounds like a good idea to give your dog fresh, raw meat because "that's what the wild dogs eat". This is an understandable misconception, but here are a couple of facts to consider
Why Wild Dogs Are Not a Good Role Model for the Domestic Dog's Diet
(1) Domestic dogs do not have the same digestive enzymes as a wild dog. Our domestic dogs are removed from wolf relations by thousands of years. Dogs have been in captivity (of Man) for at least 2000 years, and surviving healthfully on cooked foods for as long as humans have. Until commercial dog food came about approximately 100 years ago, dogs in captivity ate the common food of the people. Those fed raw meat scraps often became ill back then also. This is why experienced veterinarians do not recommend it. Most breeds we have today are really of no relation to wolves since they were created by man's intervention through breeding over thousands of years. You just don't see packs of poodles, great Danes or golden retrievers in the wild. The average lifespan of a domestic dog is much longer than that of a dog in the wild. (see "can a dog overcome illness from a raw meat diet", below)
WDN Reply: This is so false! The assumption that dogs are omnivores remains to be proven, whereas the truth about dogs being carnivores is very well-supported by the evidence available to us.
Dogs being Carnivores is a biological given. Look into your dog's mouth. Those huge impressive teeth (or tiny needle sharp teeth) are designed for grabbing, ripping, tearing, shredding, and shearing meat (Feldhamer, G.A. 1999. Mammology: Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology. McGraw-Hill. pg 258.). They are not equipped with large flat molars for grinding up plant matter. Their molars are pointed and situated in a scissors bite (along with the rest of their teeth) that powerfully disposes of meat, bone, and hide. Carnivores are equipped with a peculiar set of teeth that includes the presence of carnassial teeth: the fourth upper premolar and first lower molar. Contrast this with your own teeth or the teeth of a black bear. A black bear is a true omnivore, as are we. We have nice, large, flat molars that can grind up veggies. Black bears, while having impressive canine teeth, also have large flat molars in the back of their mouth to assist in grinding up plant matter. Dogs and most canids lack these kinds of molars. Why? Because they don't eat plant matter. Teeth are highly specialized and are structured specifically for the diet the animal eats, and the difference between a bear's teeth and a dog's teeth (both species are in Order Carnivora) demonstrates how this can be (Feldhamer, G.A. 1999. Mammology: Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology. McGraw-Hill. pgs 260.).
Dogs (and cats) are equipped with powerful jaw muscles and neck muscles that assist in pulling down prey and chewing meat, bone, and hide. Their jaws hinge open widely, allowing them to gulp large chunks of meat and bone. Their skulls are heavy, and are shaped to prevent lateral movement of the lower jaw when captured prey struggles (the mandibular fossa is deep and C-shaped); this shape permits only an up-and-down crushing motion, whereas herbivores and omnivores have flatter mandibular fossa that allows for the lateral motion necessary to grind plant matter (Feldhamer, G.A. 1999. Mammology: Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology. McGraw-Hill. pgs 258-259.). Consider this quote from the previously-cited Mammology text:
"Canids, felids, and mustelids subsist mainly on freshly killed prey. These families show correspondingly greater development in 'tooth and claw'; they also have greater carnassial development and cursorial locomotion." (pg 260, emphasis added)
Dogs have a highly elastic stomach designed to hold large quantities of meat, bone, organs, and hide. Their stomachs are simple, with an undeveloped caecum (Feldhamer, G.A. 1999. Mammology: Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology. McGraw-Hill. pg 260.). They have a relatively short foregut and a short, smooth, unsacculated colon. This means food passes through quickly. Vegetable and plant matter, however, needs time to sit and ferment. This equates to longer, sacculated colons, larger and longer small intestines, and occasionally the presence of a caecum. Dogs have none of these, but have the shorter foregut and hindgut consistent with carnivorous animals. This explains why plant matter comes out the same way it came in; there was no time for it to be broken down and digested (among other things). People know this; this is why they tell you that vegetables and grains have to be preprocessed for your dog to get anything out of them. But even then, feeding vegetables and grains to a carnivorous animal is a questionable practice.
Dogs do not produce the necessary enzymes (amylase, for example) to deal with the starch, cellulose, and carbohydrates in plant matter since they are carnivorous animals designed to eat meat and bone. Feeding dogs as though they were omnivores taxes the pancreas and places extra strain on it, as it must work harder for the dog to digest the starchy, carbohydrate-filled food.
Nor do dogs have the friendly bacteria that break down cellulose and starch for them. As a result, most of the nutrients contained in plant matter--even preprocessed plant matter--are unavailable to dogs. This is why dog food manufacturers have to add such high amounts of synthetic vitamins and minerals (the fact that cooking destroys all the vitamins and minerals and thus creates the need for supplementation aside) to their dog foods. If a dog can only digest 30% or less of its grain-based food, then it will only be receiving 30% or less of the vitamins and minerals it needs. To compensate for this, the manufacturer must add a higher concentration of vitamins and minerals than the dog actually needs.
So, now we KNOW dogs are carnivores and all dietary decisions must conform to this if they are to result in proper, appropriate, nutrition. This is not something we can change to suit our own likes, needs and beliefs.
Ian's Statement: (2) The theory is to feed our dogs like wild dogs/wolves. However, the BARF and raw meat diets being proposed have little in common with what a wild dog/wolf eats. If you want to feed your dog like a wolf, then start shopping for worms, roots, swamp grass, rodents and fowl. Or garbage of neighboring humans. Sure, they eat vegetation including fruit and graze on grasses, but you're not likely to see them sitting down to a bowl of oatmeal and yogurt in the morning or a serving of fresh broccoli with their just killed mole. Some retail frozen raw meat products are really nothing but byproducts, and others include a menu of dairy products or are heavily supplemented with items that are believed to be healthful for humans, but not researched to determine the benefit to a dog.
WDN Reply: I agree tottaly here! In the wild, dogs eat rodents, deer, etc as well as berries and some grasses when prey is scarce. We should feed as fresh as possible, organic when possible and with the skin and bones in tact.
Ian's Statement: One consistent ingredient in the many varied BARF or raw meat diets is the supplementation of dairy products. Dogs are lactose intolerant and do not produce lactase after 6-8 weeks of age. Furthermore, bovine and goat milk is nothing like canine milk. Wolves don’t eat dairy (bear in mind that eggs are not dairy, they are meat) although they would if it were available. Which brings up another point - wolves are scavengers. They are not the best judge of what's good for them and neither is your dog. They'll eat cat poop and antifreeze if you let them.
WDN Reply: I agree here as well and have written articles about just these topics you have brought up. I personally am NOT an advocate of a BARF diet but rather a SARF diet (Species Appropriate Raw Food) A species appropriate raw diet models the prey killed by wolves in the wild, recreating this complete and sufficient diet for our dogs (why feed our dogs as domesticated wolves?). So take the money spent on supplements and veggies and buy some whole rabbits or chicken for your dog and if you have small dogs, cut into appropriate meal sized portions. You'll save a lot of time, too
Please stay informed, please study for yoursleves, don't just take my word for it, don't just take Ian's word for it either. We owe it to the cherished companions that trust us with THEIR lives to KNOW what is best for them and do right by them!
please do a word seach on NUTRITION here at Whole Dog News for more information and links to sites about nutrition for carnivores.
Jeannie Thomason
Whole Dog News Blog
**********************************
If you find this article or our Blog /rss channel interesting and informative, please share our address with all your pet-loving friends, family, co-workers, and veterinarian.
If you have any questions please email me or leave a private message here on the QMTP private Messenger.
The Whole Dog News Blog is brought to you by:
Jeannie Thomason and The Whole Dog Store
The Whole Dog News is dedicated to providing you with the latest holistic/natural news for your dogs health. We also are proud to provide you with all natural, healthy products to help your best friend achieve and maintain optimum health.
We will continue to provide with important information as well as only safe and effective products that we use ourselves. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about any information or product, please don't hesitate to ask. We will always be here to help.
The information contained in The Whole Dog News is educational in nature and not to be used as specific veterinary advice for your pets. Neither the authors nor the publishers can be held responsible for any unfavorable reactions to recommendations contained herein. Readers should seek professional advice, preferably from a holistic veterinarian, before initiating any of the advice contained within The Whole Dog News Blog.
For unbiased scientific information see the article:
http://achinook.squarespace...