Grain Free Diet?

[Guest Swifthounds]

The condition of the dog tells the story. If the dog is lean muscle, with good coat and no accumulation of ear gunk, firm stools, and good energy there's no reason to switch to a more expensive diet.

Just to play the devil's advocate Let me say you can't really judge a good diet by how the dog looks. Let me use myself as an example.

 

As well as I feed my cats & dogs, I do the opposite for myself. Often I only stop and eat when I am so hungry and shaky I HAVE to eat. I usually go thru McDonalds because it is easy and I can do it while out running errands. I do not like fruits and veggies and rarely eat them. I buy synthetic vitamins, but rarely take them because I don't think of it.

 

I look like the picture of health. I am 52 and I still get carded (if the bar is dark enough ) Most people think I am in my early thirties. My Dr said I am the picture of health. My blood work is perfect, my cholesterol is low (it should be thru the roof on a diet of Mickey-D's) my blood pressure is low. But I am aware that my deficient diet is going to catch up to me some day. I am the dog who looks like they are doing well on Science Diet, Iams or an unbalanced raw diet!

 

I don't disagree with this, either. Some of us, humans and dogs alike, have won the genetic lottery. Heck, my uncle looked like the picture of health despite eating worse than the above and was fine until a massive heart attack made him permanently disabled at 42. Others I know have eaten like crap and not taken care of themselves and lived long, long lives (into their 90s). I don't think anyone would dispute that the lottery of genetics determines more about lives and health than we might like. It's also the one part that's never in our control.

 

While it would be wonderful if everyone put as much thought and study into canine diet as Julie does, I also don't harbor any illusions that if folks had to put that much effort in or had to feed a homemade diet cooked or raw, that that nearly as many people would have dogs, let alone adopted greyhounds. The goal of "not morbidly obese" is a huge challenge for a large number of adopters. Imagine if more were required. You can absolutely have a dog who looks wonderful because he has good genes and who would be healthier on a better diet, however, if you're not interested in feeding that diet, then going beyond what you can observe will really serve no useful purpose.

[Guest mcsheltie]

As always, I thoroughly enjoy your posts, Julie. The time and care you put in really shows.

 

Without getting too far off the original train of this thread, I have two questions (and you can PM or post elsewhere if it would sidetrack the thread too much): What do you use as your basis for nutritional requirements? Re; the studies on phyto nutrients and dogs, do you know what else the dogs were fed (ie other than those items they were assessing in the study)?

 

I wholeheartedly agree that where your options are grains and starches or certain death, the former is really the only option. Nature may not value IBD dogs, but we humans tend to grow attached.

Hijack cause I am too lazy to post a new thread

 

I base my diets on the NRC numbers. AAFCO numbers are far in excess of the needed amounts. AAFCO has to make sure there is sufficient nutrients in each food so that a Chihuahua and a Great Dane eating the same food get adequate nutrition. NRC numbers are based on a dog's individual weight. Because a dog's nutritional requirements do not increase on a linear basis (i.e. a 100 lb dog does not need 10 times the amount of a nutrient as a 10 lb dog)

 

Studies involving phyto nutrients have been emerging for twenty years in all species of animals. And I am using the term rather loosely. For instance ellagitannins found in red raspberry seed may not technically be a phyto nutrient. In my pee brain I classify it as such. It is a chemical substance found in a plant that has huge benefits. I think the benefits of these are just common sense. There is so much more to food than the handful of vitamins and minerals "we" have identified.

 

End of hijack... sorry chaucersmom

[Guest Giselle]

Thank you the very well-researched and thought-out posts! I appreciate them greatly; it reiterated much of the literature I've read, too, and adds a lot to the conversation

[Guest IrskasMom]

I have been feeding ProPlan for Years and every Time I ask my Vet what other good Food I should feed. His answer : If he does well on it,stay with it !" Now I get ProPlan and a bag of Grain Free Natural Choice "Chicken, sweet Potatoes and Pumpkin and mix it up .My Morty absolutly loves it and his Poop is firm. NO

Gas.