Page 48 - Demo

or injected with carbolic acid or similar chemicals to break down the proteins. This is followed by grinding and cooking. Fat is separated out, and the remaining material is dried to produce meal.
The premium quality food lists chicken meal as the first ingredient. While it is a more specific type of meal, and likely of higher quality, it is still a rendered prod- uct. Also, two varieties of wheat are listed, a technique known as “splitting” in labeling jargon. It cannot be determined from the label whether the food contains more chicken meal or wheat. A big advantage the pre- mium food offers is the use of tocopherols for preserva- tion, rather than the suspected carcinogen BHA.
The super-premium food protein source is whole, unrendered meat, meaning muscle with or without organ meat and associated structures. This product con- tains fish meal as the fifth ingredient, which is “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and/ or fish cuttings, with or without the extraction of part of the oil.” The super-premium food also contains three types of grains, of types not commonly found in most dog foods.
After learning what is really in commercial dog foods, you may be wondering what you have been putting in your best friend’s bowl! You thought you were getting the best food possible when you paid for an expen- sive brand, only to find out it is mostly grains. You are probably wondering if you have used a food that contains rendered euthanized animals, including dogs and cats. Two studies performed by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration demonstrated the presence of the euthanasia drug sodium pentobarbital in many com- mercial dog foods, including premium brands. You may be considering the possibility that some of your dog’s health issues could be food related. Most of all, you are probably wondering what commercial foods can meet your dog’s nutritional needs in a wholesome way.
Fortunately, as more people learn about commercial foods, the demand for super-premium quality dog foods has increased, and more options are available today than ever before. It is now possible to find non-meal protein sources, grain-free foods, and foods that use all human grade ingredients. With some research and careful label reading, you can find foods you can be comfortable feeding. With some companies offering delivery to your home, getting the highest quality food available has become easier, regardless of your location.
Home Prepared Diets
In response to learning what may be contained in dog food, many owners have turned to home-prepared diets. Feeding so-called “natural” diets is becoming common- place in the world of the competitive dog. Advocates of natural diets are often very enthusiastic about the mer- its of feeding real food to their dogs. Commonly cited benefits of a natural diet include reduction of allergies, better coats, stronger immune systems, and fewer gas- trointestinal problems.
There are many feeding plans that fall under the general description of a “natural” diet. Perhaps the best
known is the “Bones And Raw Food” diet designed by Dr. Ian Billinghurst. The core of this plan is the raw meaty bone, most commonly poultry necks, backs, and wings. Other pioneers of natural feeding such as Wendy Volhard and Dr. Kerry Brown advocate use of raw meats and vegetables as well as a grain/cereal meal. Their feed- ing plan is one of the few that has been shown to meet or exceed the minimum daily requirement of all known nutrients, and was tested on dogs in all life stages for 12 years before being published. Many other feeding plans exist that incorporate concepts from the Volhard and Billinghurst diets. Several companies are produc- ing premixes and meats designed for inclusion in these plans, eliminating some of the work involved in feed- ing a natural diet. Finding recipes for feeding plans has never been easier, as there are many books, seminars, and Internet resources available.
Although it is becoming easier to feed a natural diet, it can still be time consuming and require extra work. It requires an investment of time to become educated about your dog’s nutritional needs. You must find a source for clean and fresh meats and other ingredients, and have the freezer space to store them. Depending on the diet plan you choose, you may need to grind or blanch vegetables or prepare cereal meals. You will also need to monitor your dog’s health with regular veteri- nary check-ups and blood testing.
Many veterinarians and owners object to a natural diet. They are concerned that the raw meat may be contaminated with bacteria and cause infection, and that raw bones may perforate the digestive tract. They are worried that the diet is not completely balanced, as a kibble meal would be. Since the advent of commercial dog foods, we have been lectured about the evils of giv- ing our dogs “human” food, as that would unbalance the diet. How can we possibly consider feeding a dog a completely “human” food diet?
Raw meats inevitably contain a large bacterial load. These bacteria can be dangerous to humans, so practic- ing good food hygiene is important, whether preparing your dinner or your dog’s. However, a dog’s digestive system is designed to handle bacteria that would be life threatening to a person. Bacteria are everywhere. If he couldn’t handle large bacterial loads, your dog would surely die from chewing on sticks, licking his feet after walking in dirty areas, or scavenging discarded foods from the trashcan.
The risk that raw bones may perforate the digestive tract is small, but theoretically possible. Cooked bones are far more likely to splinter and do pose a real risk. Appropriately sized raw bones, especially non-weight bearing bones, can be thoroughly chewed by most dogs and tend to be crushed by chewing. Of course any dog that is an enthusiastic chewer should be supervised while chewing meaty bones.
The dog food industry has fostered the belief that each meal we feed our dogs must be completely bal- anced. Meeting your dog’s nutritional needs for the basic nutrients—protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals—is the very definition of a complete diet.
46 The Australian Shepherd Journal May/June 2005