Canine Nutrition

Question 1

Are Dogs Carnivores or Omnivores?

Answer 1

Anatomy:
* Teeth - sharp, no flat molars
* Intestinal tract - length and complexity can tell

Nutrient requirements
Genetic changes - dogs have more genes involved with starch digestion that wolves don’t have

Question 2

Fat

Answer 2

• At least 9-15% suggested for adults
• Free choice 15-20% (by dry weight)
• Fat affects palatability (sweet may, als)
• Deficiency symptoms: poor hair, flaky skin

Question 3

Carbs

Answer 3

No real requirement but feed a lot
Inexpensive energy source
Many adult dogs are lactose intolerant

Question 4

Protein - 18-26%

Answer 4

• In general, should not be used as the prime energy source (maybe)
• Metabolic by-products (nitrogen) can damage kidneys
• Protein composition and quality
• Young animals require higher levels
• Taurine - may run into some taurine requirements

Excess meat can interfere with mineral balance:
* Interference with Ca: P ratios
* Dog must balance this. From where does the Ca come?
* They store calcium in their bones and pull calcium from their bones to try to balance Ca: P ratio
* High-meat diets can cause bone problems
* Fiber need

Question 5

Dog hearts getting bigger

Answer 5

• Grain-free diets linked to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) - maybe
• May be related to taurine
• May be related to use of plant proteins
• Many unknowns at this time

Question 6

Most Important Nutrient

Answer 6

• Need water
• Do dogs sweat? - not to cool off, maybe on pads of feet

Question 7

Food allergies

Answer 7

• Not uncommon
• Consistent search for new, novel ingredients as allergies develop to commonly used ingredients
• Ex. salmon, sweet potatoes; rabbit & blueberry
• Nutritional Quality: some of these ingredients may not have been studied as well

Question 8

Avidin

Answer 8

• Found in raw egg whites - feeding too much causes biotin deficiency and hair will fall out
• Binds with biotin, making it unavailable
• Not a common problem

Question 9

Non-nutritional Factors

Answer 9

Feces volume
Feces consistency
Fecal odor
Flatulence
Appeal of feed to owner (color, odor, texture)
Appeal of feed to animal (smell)

Question 10

Another Marketing Factor

Answer 10

“Human” factors
* Ingredients that sound like we would like them, dogs don’t need these human tastes

Question 11

Byproduct Meals

Answer 11

are equally nutritious and digestible

Question 12

Sustainability & Pet Foods

Answer 12

Use of byproducts vs. “human-grade” ingredients
* Dogs can eat byproducts

Sustainability issue if dogs only eat “human-grade” ingredients: what happens to byproducts? Are dogs raised only to eat “human-grade” foods?

Question 13

Dry dog food

Answer 13

• Good for teeth
• Often contain grains, soybean meal, animal product, milk products, fats and oils, vitamins and mineral
• May be pelleted, expanded, or extruded

Question 14

Canned dog food

Answer 14

• May include more meat products
• Expense of shipping water

Question 15

Raw food &
Specialty diets (based on age or condition)

Answer 15

raw food: fresh or frozen

Question 16

Labeling Regulations

Answer 16

Info that must be on the label
* Brand name
* Product name
* Ingredients
* List “most - to least”
* Designator (ie treat, snack, complete diet, etc)
* * “Complete” diet is different from “treat” or “snack”
* Net weight

“Snacks” are not required to have nutritional adequacy labels

Question 17

If specific ingredient is the product name

Answer 17

must contain at least 95% of that ingredient
Ex. “Cooked Chicken”

Question 18

If specific ingredient is in product name

Answer 18

must contain at least 25% of that ingredient
Ex. “Beef dinner”

Question 19

If product name says “with___”

Answer 19

must contain 3% of that ingredient
Ex. “Gourmet Cuts in Gravy With Beef”

Question 20

“Ingredient flavor”

Answer 20

doesn’t have to have ingredient in it, must have something that will make it that ingredient flavor
Ex. “Beef flavor”

Question 21

Body Condition Scoring

Answer 21

1.Very skinny, ribs showing
3.Ribs still showing
5.Can still feel ribs but don’t see them
7.More difficult to feel ribs
9.Obese

Question 22

Research on Feed

Answer 22

• 2 groups of pups
• Fed 25% less feed from 8 weeks on to one group
• Other group was free choice eating
• Restricted group - Increased median lifespan almost 2 years

Question 23

Food Toys

Answer 23

Wild canids spend up to 60% of their awake time hunting for feed
Dog food in a bowl isn’t very challenging

Marketed for several benefits
* Slows consumption
* Alleviates boredom
* Stimulates interest
* cleans teeth
* May cut down on destructive behaviors, obesity, etc

Question 24

When to Feed - Other Considerations

Answer 24

Dominance hierarchy - may exist around food dish. Provide each dog with own dish apart from each other
Adult dogs - at least 2/day on a schedule allow 20 or so minutes then remove dish. You are the alpha dog!
Puppies 2 smaller meals/day - avoid bloat

Question 25

Home Mixed Diets

Answer 25

• Commercial diets are formulated to be fed as the sole ration
• Can be difficult to create a balanced diet

Study published in JAVMA:
* 200 dog food recipes analyzed (from books, internet, etc)
* 9 met all nutrient requirements from AAFCO

Question 26

Treats/Scraps

Answer 26

Table scraps/leftovers not balanced - limit

Question 27

BARF Diet

Answer 27

Biologically Active Raw Foods diet
Currently being promoted by some

Argument is that this is more natural, some enzymes are destroyed in cooking
* Dogs generally produce their own digestive enzymes

Be careful - disease-causing organisms are also destroyed by cooking
More difficult to balance diet
Some commercially available
* Bacterial contamination is still a concern

Question 28

Chocolate

Answer 28

Can be a problem with dogs - avoid it

Question 29

Sugar Free Gum

Answer 29

Artificial sweetener xylitol
Very toxic to dogs

Question 30

Raisins

Answer 30

Raisins or grapes can be toxic
Cause acute kidney failure
Mechanism is unknown

Question 31

Onions, Garlic

Answer 31

Can damage red blood cells and cause anemia
Takes quite of bit of these

Question 32

Food Variety is not necessarily the spice of life for a a dog!