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Nutrition and the Performance Dog by Laurie Coger, DVM, Obedience Editor
More than ever before, owners are paying more attention to what goes in their dogs’ food bowls. The question of how and what a dog should be fed is often heatedly debated— premium kibble versus “look-alike” brands from wholesale clubs versus grocery store brands, raw, home-cooked, and fresh frozen.
Should supplements be used, or is the food “complete and balanced,” as the labels state? Should grains be fed? Should bones be whole or ground? What about herbal supplements, joint supplements, vitamins, and probiot- ics? What about the special needs of the performance dog, older dog, or growing puppy?
The answers to these questions are obviously com- plex. There are many ways to meet a dog’s nutritional needs. For the competitive dog, we are especially con- cerned with a diet that supports peak physical and mental condition as well as overall health. The herding or agility dog needs a blend of endurance and sprinting speed. The obedience or tracking dog needs overall strength, stamina, and soundness. A good nutritional program will enable dogs to keep competing at their best for many years.
Whatever feeding plan is used, it must fit in the daily routine of the owner. The food chosen must be readily available, and in the case of the competing dog, be able to be easily fed on the road. The food must meet the nutritional needs of the individual dog and be fed in a way to not provide excessive or deficient amounts of key nutrients. All foods should be clean and fresh, espe- cially kibble that is naturally preserved with tocopherols and or citric acid. Naturally preserved food that is stored too long may become rancid or moldy, as well as losing its nutritional value.
The vast majority of dogs in this country, whether family companions or competitive/working dogs, are fed some type of commercial food. For the purposes of this article, commercial food will be divided into three categories: standard or grocery store foods, premium or pet store foods, and super-premium foods. The best
way to understand the differences in these foods is to review the ingredients of a representative of each food category. (Food examples were chosen based on nation- wide advertising and availability.)
Figure 1. Top 5 ingredients of common dog foods
Standard Food Kibbles ‘n Bits®
Corn
Soybean meal Ground wheat
Beef & bone meal Animal fat*
Premium Food Nutro Max Adult®
Chicken Meal Wheat Flour Ground Whole Wheat
Rice Bran Poultry Fat**
Super-Premium Food Wellness Super5 Chicken®
Deboned Chicken Ground Barley Oatmeal
Rye Flour Menhaden Fish Meal
*BHA and citric acid used as preservatives
**Preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E
As you can see from these examples, the proportion of meat in the top five ingredients (listed in order of amount, i.e. the first ingredient is present in the larg- est amount) is small in the standard grocery store food. The meat source, beef and bone meal, is defined as a rendered product made from beef parts that are not suit- able for human consumption. Rendering is the process by which waste products are broken down to be used in, among other things, dog food. Rendering companies typically collect waste from slaughterhouses, dead live- stock, restaurant and grocery store wastes, and in some areas, euthanized animals (livestock and in some areas, pets). The collected animals and waste are then sprayed
May/June 2005 The Australian Shepherd Journal 45