It’s unnerving enough…just finding out that your dog or cat is swollen somewhere that it shouldn’t be, shaking and scratching at its painful ears, sneezing blood, holding up a sore leg, yelping in pain when you pick it up or move its head, acting listless, puking, scratching itchy skin until it’s raw, straining, suffering from runny diarrhea with spots of blood in it…and, well, bleeding from anywhere. The only thing worse is when you realize it is after clinic hours and you may have to seek emergency care. You may think it’s time to panic. Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. 

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There are lots of myths out there about feeding our dogs. I’ve had many conversations with clients, breeders, trainers, and veterinarians about the best way to feed our domesticated predators. You probably are reading this, hoping that I can shed light on the many confusing perspectives in canine nutrition. Besides, I’m a veterinarian that has been in practice for over thirty years and considers nutrition to be one of the best tools we have to treat or prevent medical problems. The truth is that there are more questions than answers, but I’ll go over the most important things that I have learned.

What I have learned over the past ten years is that some individual dogs need different ingredients for better health and food allergies are far more common than I used to think.  Itchy skin, ear infections, nausea (eating grass and vomiting), diarrhea, and even seizures can be a sign that something in the food does not agree with your pet. Every dog can have the occasional itch, nausea, vomiting, or the runs from eating something they are not used to or allergic to. However, when the symptoms occur too frequently, or just don’t go away after treatment, then I always question if the ingredients may play a part. Many dogs are allergic to wheat, barley, or corn. Others may not tolerate beef or chicken in commercial dog food. Some dogs may be sensitive to additives or preservatives.

If your dog is suspected of having a food allergy, then you can try a limited ingredient diet. Taste of the Wild or its Kirkland alternative, salmon and potato diet has helped many dogs in my practice. Natural Balance limited ingredients also has duck/potato or fish potato that help others. Remember if you feed a healthier dog food; don’t forget to avoid treats containing the most common allergen wheat gluten. I have used baby carrots, sliced chicken or turkey hotdogs , or cooked and diced chicken as treats for training.

Don’t worry too much about adding healthy “human food” to a dog’s diet. If you want your dog to have a better coat, then you can add ingredients that contain healthy oils. For example, you may add olive oil(1 tbsp), fish oil capsules(1-2), an egg, raw or cooked chicken(4-8oz), canned herring(6-12 oz), or sardines(1 tin)to the diet. (Always try a small amount for a day or two to make sure that your pet can tolerate the ingredient!)The healthiest ingredients for dogs are meat, organ meat, fish, and eggs. Surprised grain or rice isn’t on the list? The ancestor of the dog rarely ate a helping of wheat, rice, barley, or corn. That is why those ingredients may be the most troublesome! (Beware: Many biscuits, dental chews, and pill pockets are wheat gluten based)

If you want your dog to lose a few pounds then you have to limit the amount of dry food. You can feed half as much dry food as usual and soak the remainder with warm water or combine with the same amount of green beans. You’ve just cut the calories in half! Canned food also has less calories then dry food and is just as nutritious. By the way, dry food probably does little for tartar. Dogs usually eat it way too fast! I recommend raw meaty bones or frozen chicken wings or thighs for dental health and joint nutrition. Baked and barbecued bones can be dangerous and dogs need to chew, not swallow larger bones. For dogs that like to gnaw on things, it’s a perfect way to keep teeth clean. I feed my dogs  raw chicken wings or thighs every week. Yes…a vet said that!

If you want more information about feeding your dog, home cooking for your dog, or figuring out what your dog is allergic to, check out my website and books. http://dogdishdiet.com/order-now

While you’re on  the website, be sure to download my free PDF, “ Dr Greg’s 11 Practical Home Remedies” .In the download, I talk about common problems and over-the-counter medications that you can use!

Remember, health starts in the bowl!

Greg Martinez DVM

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     National Geographic had a short blurb in the latest issue about the increasing incidence of celiac disease in humans. This disease has increased by 400% in the last few years. If case you’re not familiar with the medical term, Celiac disease is the collection of the many medical symptoms of allergies to the glutens present in grains. Celiac disease occurs when a sensitive person eats food made with wheat, barley, or rye. These three grains contain the highest amount of the troublesome indigestible protein. This protein is not broken down into amino acids, so it looks like more like a bacterial or viral invader. As the bigger gluten molecules float down and are absorbed through the bowel wall, the sensitive person’s immune system may attack and cause inflammation, diarrhea, and pain. The gluten allergy may also cause other medical issues as well as painful muscles and joints. Sometimes these medical problems may look like there is another cause when the inflammation is due to the gluten allergy.

When gluten is attacked, the immune army of cells and chemicals inflame the bowel walls, organs, and other tissues. Filtering organs like the liver or the membranes of the joints are commonly affected as they trap the toxic products of the chemical battle. Inflamed tissues hurt and don’t work as well as healthy tissues.  Inflammation and swelling of those tissues cause discomfort and pain. That is how a food ingredient causes medical symptoms.

 What does this have to do with dogs?

Gluten is cheap filler you will find on the label of many commercial foods, prescription diets, biscuits, dental chews, and treats.  Gluten sensitive dogs will react to the gluten by itching, shaking their head, scooting, having diarrhea or blood in the stool( , and having red gooey ears that never seem to clear up. Seizures may even be caused by gluten containing treats or chews. Avoiding these “toxic treats” may help clear up itchy skin, ear infections, anal gland problems, bowel problems, and even seizures.

Purebreds prone to urinary tract issues like infections, crystals, and stones are often sensitive to glutens. If the prescription diet, geared for urinary issues, inflames the skin, ears, bowels, or causes seizures, that isn’t much help!

You have to read the labels of everything that your pet chews on or eats to help with medical issues due to food allergies. Make sure you are not “treating” your pet with gluten filled treats or chews. Gluten filled pill pockets are even sold. Beware of giving your pet a dose of the food ingredient that is making them sick!

  Learn to feed like I do. Slow cooked meat and veggies, hypoallergenic commercial canned food, raw food, and healthy human food.Better ingredients and less allergens may make your dog and cat look and feel better!!

Check out Dog Dish Diet to learn more about better ingredients, obesity, and allergies. Check out Feed Your Pet to Avoid the Vet to learn how to slow-cook food for your dog and cat. Click on the title you are interested in and read more about them. Email me if you have questions drgreg@dogdishdiet.com

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When a bag, can, or other container of pet food says complete and balanced, what does that mean?

It simply means that the mix of ingredients in he pet food has enough of the nutrients needed in the diet to prevent most diseases due to deficiencies of proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins. Diets are tested to ensure they won’t make your pets sick.

Most dogs and cats seem to thrive on commercial pet food. However, individual dogs and cats may need a different type of diet to stay healthy, prevent disease, or treat medical issues. Dry food is the most common food purchased for pets, but not all pets can tolerate dry food and some need to eat a different type of diet. Some dogs or cats may need more oils for a dry coat, less carbohydrates to lose weight, a different meat or gluten-free diet for allergies (skin, ear, or bowel issues), more moisture (canned, homemade or raw) for the prevention or treatment of urinary crystals or stones, or holistic, homemade, or raw pet food for severe allergies, bowel issues or seizures. Most commercial dry food is geared for the average pet without health issues. These mixes of ingredients may not be healthy for a pet with allergies to wheat, obese pets, or those with urinary problems. Even raw food aficionados forget that not all dogs do well on a raw diet if they are fed a raw diet with beef or chicken, and they are allergic to a certain meat. The type of meat, the presence of grain or glutens, the amount of oils, and the percentage of moisture all can affect the health of your pet.

Where do you turn for advice? Can you ask your vet? Most veterinarians are trained to advise a different prescription diet for each medical issue. These diets may work, but may not be readily eaten by some pets. Some of the dry medical diets aren’t really much better for the pet’s health than most commercial foods. One urinary diet may help with crystals, but has wheat in it, that may cause skin problems. Prescription diets may be too expensive for some people and the pet suffers because they are offered no alternatives.

What are you supposed to do? Can you ask your vet about other types of diets that may work? How about homemade or a raw diet? Feeding canned food versus a kibble diet for weight loss? Feeding raw, meaty, bones to keep teeth clean? Most vets won’t know practical nutritional advice, because most were not trained to give it. Millions of pets are thriving on different diets, but most veterinarians are only trained to give advice on commercially “complete and balanced” diets and their prescription diets. Don’t blame your vet for not giving you alternatives like a homemade or raw diet or even simply supplementing your pet’s diet with healthy “human food”. We just weren’t trained to do that.

10 years ago, I started questioning the way we feed our pets. I had to reeducate myself and learn nutritional principles. I read books on the diet of the wolf and 100’s of labels on commercial food and raw food. I read books on feeding raw food and home cooking, as well as many books on human nutrition. As a result, I started advising my clients to feed different ingredients depending on their pets needs. For example, many purebred dogs and some cats need to avoid wheat-filled treats and food. Avoiding glutens in sensitive pets may cure ear problems, skin problems, bowel issues, and even seizures. With the success of nutritional counseling, I saw that different types of ingredients and moister food (canned, homemade, or raw), helped with weight problems or helped control medical problems like preventing urinary crystals from forming in both dogs and cats. I came to realize that our pets are individuals, and that each may need more than the common commercial kibble for optimum health. Some pets may need different ingredients in the dry food. Other pets may need to eat moister canned food, raw food, or home cooked food to be healthier, leaner, or to help with medical problems.

After my research and success, I wrote “Dog Dish Diet: Sensible Nutrition for Your Dog’s Health” in 2009. I updated a couple sections and published the second edition in 2011. Many clients wanted more slow cooking recipes that were in the book, so I published an eBook. “Feed Your Pet to Avoid the Vet” with slow cooking recipes and nutritional advice for both dogs and cats. There isn’t a day that goes by when a client or reader tells or emails me that they changed the type of food or the ingredients in the diet to help with a medical problem. I am so happy to know that I have truly helped pet owners become part of the health care team to treat or prevent chronic medical problems. I’m convinced that the right mix of ingredients may often prevent those problems or the need for medication.

If you want to treat or prevent medical problems in your pet, check out my blogs, you tube videos (http://youtube.com/drgregdvm), and my books, Dog Dish Diet and Feed Your Pet to Avoid the Vet .

Here’s a you tube video on “ingredients” in pet food.

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      Some dogs that eat dry food can suffer from a flaky, dry, dull, coat. That skin is not the healthiest it could be. Skin that is dry and flaky or greasy can be prone to yeast infections, mite infections, and bacterial infections like staph. It is also important to find out which “bug” or parasite is causing skin problems. After years and thousands of cases passed through my hospital,I started asking,”Why does the skin of some pets allow these continual infections?”

I have found that many skin and ear problems respond to a better diet free of allergens, a bit more healthy fat, and more omega oils.Allergies cause inflamed skin which can’t fight off invaders like healthy skin can. Vets will use ketoconazole for yeast and cephalexin or clavamox type drugs for continual infections by yeast or bacteria. If a better diet is fed, in most cases, the need for continual treatment may be less or not needed at all. Dietary changes may be as simple as avoiding wheat filled treats, changing to a better dry or canned food, or feeding a raw food, or a homemade food.

    With any of those diet choices,  ingredients have to be considered. I just talked with some pet owners yesterday that thought that a beef based “raw diet” caused blood in the stool, and that is was something in the “rawness” that was bad. Remember, dogs that are fed kibble their whole life may need to transition to a different diet slowly. If you ate “cheerios” your whole life and were fed beef and beef fat all of a sudden, I guarantee that there would be some indigestion, and possibly diarrhea.Perhaps, since the raw food was a beef mix, their dog may have been allergic or sensitive to the beef, causing blood in the stool.

By the way, small purebred dogs often come into the clinic with blood in the stool after eating commercial, wheat filled treats or chews. Colitis, or Blood in the stool can be caused by allergies( Of course, parasites,worms, and parvo virus can also cause bloody stools. Don’t hesitate to get a checkup if your pet has the symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, or a bloody stool)

So I have found that the ingredients are the most important thing to consider with an allergic dog. I usually recommend going to your local pet store and asking which brands in your area help dogs with allergies. My local pet store sells “Taste of the Wild” salmon and sweet potato, “Natural Balance” limited diets, Merricks canned foods, and orijen for allergic dogs or for people that want to feed a better diet. Less allergens and more healthy oils will help your dog feel it’s best…whether you feed a better commercial food, add healthy ingredients, or home cook using my recipes in “Feed Your Vet to Avoid the Vet”, or those of Karen Becker DVM, Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats or Nutritionist Lew Olson,Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs. I read them both! The main difference is my recipes are easier due to slow cooking and I talk more about allergies. Both the other books talk more about rotating and feeding raw ingredients.

An allergic dog,needs few ingredients in commercial food or homemade food so that you can find out what works for your pet! In “Feed Your Pet to Avoid the Vet” I teach pet owners to slow cook for their dogs and cats.In Dog Dish Diet I explain how to change commercial food, add human food, or slow cook food to help with medical issues.

An easy way to add healthy oils is to give canned sardines twice weekly,eggs twice weekly, olive or canola oil on the food twice weekly, and a piece of cooked or raw chicken a couple times a week(That’s what I do!)  Fish and eggs are two  of the healthiest ingredients you can give your pet!

Many people write to say that their vet really didn’t know what other nutritional options there were. Why don’t most vets talk about this stuff? That’s because we weren’t taught nutrition…just kibble-ology.Many nutritional books tell you to visit your vet for advice about the diet. Many vets admit to not knowing much about nutrition other than advising which prescription diet to feed. Don’t blame your vet! It’s how we were educated! I had to relearn nutrition from the animals point of view. What do we feed our domesticated predators with their allergies to help them feel their best!

A reader of “Feed Your Pet” recently wrote,”

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In Dog Dish Diet, I help pet owners understand that it is the allergens, carbohydrates, and the nature of dry food and especially treats that causes dry itchy skin, infected ears, obesity, urinary problems, and even seizures. Changing to hypoallergenic food (salmon/potato, rabbit/potato, chicken rice) and stopping treats and chews loaded with wheat gluten may really help some dogs. Adding eggs, sardines, raw meat, meaty bones, olive, and canola oils to a commercial diet may really increase the quality of proteins and healthy oils. These changes may be enough to help cure some ear, skin, and bowel problems. Feeding a moister hypoallergenic food with more oils (canned food, home cooked, and raw food) may help pets with more severe issues and urinary problems. I think that the better ingredients in raw and home cooked food may be best for organ health and preventing chronic medical problems and cancer.Instead of biscuits, feed turkey or chicken hotdogs, carrots, sardines, boiled eggs, or pieces of meat as “treats”.

Try a better commercial food, add some healthy food, feed some raw meat, or home cook a bit. Mixing hypoallergenic healthier commercial food with better proteins and oils will definitely prevent some medical issues. Raw food, home cooked, and canned  food are better choices for others. I think that home cooked and/or raw food are the best choices.

I have been receiving more and more letters like this.

Hi Dr. Greg.

I have switched over my dogs cooking for several years now and she is very healthy. People are surprised she is already 8 yrs old. My recipe is also using a crock pot and very similar to yours. Adding veggies, meats, gizzards, etc and sometimes oats and quinoa.

I have had numerous people in my apartment complex asking me to make it and have gladly given me money. I have researched the AAFCO guidelines which is a requirement for selling dog food. Crude protein content -a minimum of 12 percent, Crude fat content -a minimum of 5 percent, Crude fiber content -a maximum of 5 percent, Moisture content -a maximum of 65 percent. The food I make has enough protein and fat content to reach the minimums. The problem is the moisture content can not exceed 65 percent and fiber content cannot exceed maximum 5 percent. This is difficult considering how moist the food I make is and also has a lot of fiber content from the oats. Does that mean that I need to make it more “dry”, does it mean that I need to remove the “oats”?
It has been a frustrating road because I know that the meals that I make for my neighbors and my dogs are very healthy and much more nutritious than the kibbles and wet food that AAFCO considers complete and nutritious!
Anyway sorry for the long comment here but I was curious if you looked into this since you have a cookbook for dogs! Thanks again and I love your dogs so much! Take care!

My Reply:

Great job in cooking for your dogs! NRC and AAFCO guidelines are based on keeping animals from getting sick from deficiencies and help commercial companies sell food. If we consider what their ancestors ate, then carbohydrates may actually not be needed at all. Protein, fat, and moisture would be the diet! An all meat diet would contain much more protein and fat and a bit less moisture. Dogs are carnivores with an omnivore slant to help in times that prey are scarce.

I personally think that they can stay perfectly happy and healthy in a wide range of moisture, protein, and fat percentages above the minimum.Nutritionists argue about the right mix of ingredients in human nutrition and the NRC and AAFCO are certainly not the last word on animal nutrition. Commercial foods following their guidelines have created diets that cause allergies, seizures, bladder stones, urinary crystals, bowel problems, obesity, and diabetes in pets(30% of pets may have medical problems related to diet!) . Genetics and inbreeding share some of the blame.

My mixtures mirror prey, just as yours do. I use more eggs and sardines these days and feed raw meat several times weekly. I use veggies, even though some authors promote only raw food and think that dogs do not digest the complex carbohydrates in veggies well. I think veggies provide important nutrients like antioxidants and vitamins that may not be present in the processed, high grain, animal feed. (chicken,turkey,cow,pig,and sheep). If you vary meat and veggie ingredients and use 50%-80% meat and organs in the mix, your pets will be healthy!

I’ve seen quite a few urinary problems this winter!

Urinary crystals and stones are a common problem. They are found in dogs and cats that are peeing small amounts more often and straining to do so. Some dry commercial diets in some breeds can lead to urinary problems. Dogs and cats prone to urinary issues should be fed a moister, lower carbohydrate diet. In fact that same diet is healthier for all pets!

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Many people are afraid of feeding different foods or ingredients due to generalized marketing from pet food companies and advice from veterinarians that have been trained with nutritional data generated by the same companies. Vets and pet owners are led to believe that brands are more important than ingredients.

I have found that some pets improve from skin and ear issues when they are changed to hypoallergenic kibble. (Duck, fish, rabbit, potato). Some with more severe medical problems (bowel issues, urinary crystals and stones, seizures) need moister, hypoallergenic, holistic canned food or home cooked food. Each animal may need a different mix of ingredients depending on their immune system and their medical problems.

Some recent cases have made me suspect that a higher fat content can initially causes skin problems to worsen.( Staph infections, yeast infections, hotspots, sores, and itching) Anti-yeast and antibacterial shampoos, 1:10 vinegar rinse (2x weekly)

http://www.douxo.us/dermatology/douxo-dermatology-dogs-seborrhea-mousse.html   

Antibiotics or anti yeast medication may also be needed if this occurs.

If itching gets initially better then worse on homemade diets, then a lower fat diet may be needed for a few months as the skin gets used to the new diet. I used to think that all pets needed and tolerated fat in the diet, but some may need a lower fat diet to start with. Just imagine getting used to eating larger quantities of protein and fat after eating kibble for years! If this is the case, leaner meat and less fat should be fed for several months if you are home cooking dog food.

In general, as long as you gradually introduce healthy human ingredients and make sure to feed different meats and veggies, dogs will thrive. Homemade dog food that rotates ingredients like chicken, pork, beef, fish, eggs, liver, heart, green beans, peas, carrots and slow cooked bones must be  nutritionally complete…hundreds of dogs thrive on it! I feed my dogs raw chicken wings to ensure that they get all the minerals they need. One or two chicken wings a week or a pig’s foot in the slow cooker along with other meats supplies calcium, phosphorus, and needed cartilage and joint nutrition. Nutritional supplements like Platinum Performance Canine will ensure that all vitamins and trace minerals are covered for those that feel better when adding supplements.

http://www.platinumperformance.com/pets/

Remember…dogs can be allergic and intolerant to many meats, grains, and veggies and fat content. That’s why I wrote Dog Dish Diet and Feed Your Pet to Avoid the Vet, to help pet owners learn how and what they can feed their dogs and cats. Whether it be better commercial food, raw food, or homemade food…each dog or cat may thrive on a different diet! Not all dogs or cats  will respond to a better diet, but it is much cheaper then vet bills. Give it a try!

Read about “Dog Dish Diet” and “Feed your Pet to Avoid the Vet” at

htpp://dogdishdiet.com/order-now

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You all know that dogs and cats can get into trouble on the Holidays, and some may need a trip to the animal ER. Animal emergency clinics are fully staffed and ready to handle all types of sickness and trauma. With that 24 hour ability, comes a bigger bill than most daytime practices. When your pet needs that level of support, the emergency clinics are invaluable. Just be prepared to pay quite a bit more by cash, check, or credit card.

You can prevent trips to the ER by keeping a watchful eye out for common problems.  I’ll outline a few for you!

1. Dogs or cats running out open doors or gates. Guests, friends, and family may not notice escapees. Let everyone know or post a sign! Keep nervous dogs or cats in comfortable bedrooms, studies, garages, or laundry rooms with warm areas and water. Warn guests that nervous dogs or cats don’t really want attention!
2. Make sure human medication and over the counter anti-inflammatory medicine like Tylenol, Ibuprofen are kept off counters and night stands.  Keep bedroom doors closed because dogs and cats love to explore and lend their odor to a stranger’s room. They may pee, poop, chew, or puke on a family members things. Of course that may be a good way to shorten a visit. Just kidding…we all love our family!
3. Keep known toxins out of reach.(chocolate, grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts , bread dough, and plants  like poinsettias, mistletoe, and Easter lilies)
4. Puppies and Kittens will hunt and destroy stuff! The world is for smelling, chewing, attacking, and destroying when you are a young pet. Power cords are to be chewed on. Ornaments, tinsel, plants, Christmas trees, and treated tree water are all fair game. Puppies and kittens may become nauseous from eating plants, flocking, and trees or drinking tree water. That may pass after a puking session or two. However, tinsel and ornaments can cause intestinal blockage in dogs or cats. Kittens and cats love to jump and attack light moving tinsel, but it can knot their intestines up and require surgery to fix. Tinsel may not be a good idea with pets. Keep those younger pets away from the pretty, yet dangerous tree!
5. You can use hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting in dogs(not cats) by giving them several tablespoons. Vomiting will get rid of medications or chocolate. If your dog is down or real sick do not give peroxide. Just head for help at the nearest vet ER.
6. If a dog or cat is used to dry kibble or cat food, a different food or fatty food may cause stomach upset, vomiting, or diarrhea. Pieces of chicken, turkey, fish, pork, or beef may be fine for those used to meat and not sensitive to the meat in question. Vegetables like green beans , carrots, potatoes, peas, or fruit are also healthy human food you can feed to dogs . Rice is also a good treat. However, a dog not used to other food beside kibble may become ill when fed too much fat, or a meat they don’t tolerate well. Some people are allergic or sensitive to ingredients. We wouldn’t advise a sensitive human to eat peanuts, glutens, shrimp, beef, or other ingredients they are sensitive to. Dogs are no different.  Fasting for 12 hours , then feeding white rice with a tsp of chicken baby food  and tsp of plain cultured yogurt may help with mild cases of diarrhea. Take your dog or cat to the ER if they are acting really sick (lots of vomiting and diarrhea).
7. You can use pepcid AC for mild stomach upset in dogs. 10mg tablet (1/2 for a small dog, one for a medium or large dog daily for a couple days)
8. Cooked bones can be brittle and sharp. Big pieces, or too many bones can cause intestinal obstruction or severe constipation. In Dog Dish Diet and Feed Your Pet to Avoid the Vet I advise feeding slow cooked or raw bones for the minerals and joint nutrition. Dogs that wolf down bones may be at risk for intestinal problems. However feeding the right bones and letting dogs chew on them can clean teeth and provide great nutrition.

Greg Martinez DVM has advised his clients to feed better diets for years.  He wrote Dog Dish Diet and Feed Your Pet to Avoid the Vet to help pet owners learn how to cure medical problems  or prevent new ones with a better mix of ingredients. He has found many medical problems (skin problems, ear infections, bladder problems, bowel problems , and seizures ) respond when allergens are avoided, carbohydrates are decreased, omega oils are added, and moisture in the diet is increased. He feeds his pets home cooked food , raw food, and hypoallergenic  canned food .

Video on Holiday Dangers in Pets

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Dogs know two things: our love and the love you can’t eat. For many dog lovers, it can sometimes be difficult to separate the two, especially when berated with a pleading look from those soulful, manipulative eyes. However, just as it is not good for humans to eat certain ingredients ourselves, it is the same  for dogs, which can have sensitive stomachs, and physical reactions to their food. (itchy skin, ear infections, anal gland problems, bladder infections, bladder stones, diarrhea, and seizures) Whether after meals your pet’s rear becomes a noxious weapon of doom, he exhibits diarrhea or vomiting, or appears to have no adverse reactions at all, one thing is certain; a healthy, balanced diet will allow your pet to live a longer, healthier  life and allow for a less toxic living space. Win-win. 

            But where do you start? Well, the phrase “holistic food” gets thrown around a lot, but what does that mean? And how can you be sure it is what you’re getting?

First, a holistic diet for dogs is simply one in which all nutrition requirements are met, in quantities which the body can absorb and utilize. Essentially, holistic foods don’t mess around with extra stuff like dies, animal by-products, or chemical preservatives.  Feeding dogs processed “people food”or allergenic ingredients is not a good choice, because it tends to have items that inflame the body or don’t break down very easily. They either wreak havoc with the digestive system (most notably the pancreas) or get stored as extra weight. Dogs, like people, need six basic nutrient types for energy, proper growth, and overall well-being (no sluggish, depressed mutant puppies for us!). These nutrient classes are proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water.

 Proteins

This will be the Schwarzenegger portion of your dog’s diet, sans the impressive biceps. As the basic building blocks for cells, tissues, organs, enzymes, hormones and antibodies, proteins are essential for growth, maintenance, reproduction, repair and energy. Proteins can be obtained from a number of sources. Animal-based proteins such as chicken, lamb, turkey, beef, fish and egg have complete amino acid profiles, meaning they contain all of the amino acids (the building blocks for proteins) that your dog needs.

Fats

The most concentrated form of food energy, fats provide your pet with more than twice the energy of proteins or carbohydrates. Fats are essential in the structure of cells and are needed for the production of some hormones. They are also required for absorption and utilization of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, and E. They are also essential for healthy skin and coat. Essential fatty acids are divided into two groups—Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. Ingredients like chicken fat and sunflower oil are great sources of Omega-6 fatty acids while flax seed, herring oil and salmon oil are key sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. The correct balance of fats can be found in top rated healthy dog food. Because while people come in all shapes and sizes, dogs really should stay dog-shaped, not stumpy and round.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a key source of energy for dogs. Whole grains, like whole ground brown rice, and whole ground barley and oats, are all low-fat sources of highly-digestible complex carbohydrates. Whole grains are also a rich source of dietary fiber—both soluble and insoluble—which is crucial for healthy intestinal function (limiting deadly fume emissions). Whole grains are also helpful with the common problem of constipation in dogs, which can be caused by a diet that is lacking in fiber. So basically, the perfect amount of poop.

Vitamins and Chelated Minerals

Vitamins and minerals work together, in conjunction with your pet’s natural enzymes, to help with digestion, reproduction and muscle and bone growth. They are also essential for healthy skin and coat and support immune system health, too.

 Here are some of the key vitamins your pet needs on a daily basis: vitamins A, B12, C, D, and E. A higher-quality dog food contains nutritious fruit and vegetables which provide many key vitamins. For example, peas, potatoes and carrots are great sources of Vitamin A, while blueberries are an excellent source of Vitamin C. Pretty much all the stuff you can’t get your kids to eat, except that they’re mixed with chicken or beef, so your dog is all about it.

Also, the better the food, the more likely it is to contain these minerals: manganese, iron, potassium, copper, and calcium and phosphorus. But, because these minerals are hard for dogs to absorb, it’s important their food be supplemented with “chelated” minerals (which sounds made up, but bear with me…).  A chelated mineral is one that is “attached” to easily absorbable amino acids, which means they will get into your pet’s bloodstream more readily.

Water (Duh)

A vital nutrient, water accounts for between 60 to 70 percent of an adult pet’s body weight. While food may help meet some of your pet’s water needs (dry food has up to 10 percent moisture, while canned food has up to 78 percent moisture), dogs need to have fresh clean water available to them at all times. Water is the medium for all chemical reactions in the body that produce energy. Plus, how else would they manage to pee all over your garden/house/yard?

So how do you know all this is in your dog’s food? Well, it’s a long-held secret: you read the label. Magic, I know.

Conversely, if the label lists any of these products, try and avoid them: chicken or poultry by-product meals, corn, wheat or soy proteins (glutens), and artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. There is a lot of science as to why these items aren’t good for your dog, but the bottom line is they are non-essential and difficult to break down. And they are yucky (mmm, ground, processed chicken feet…).

So, there it is, a quick-and-dirty guide for a happier, healthier pup. Don’t forget though, that like humans, dogs can be born with digestive abnormalities, and can develop allergies. The best way to establish a nutrition plan is to run your research by your local vet.

This article comes from NerdWallet.com, a consumer-focused, data-driven website.

A reader asked me yesterday if I were anti-grain, because in my eBook, “Feed Your Pet to Avoid the Vet” and in my book, “Dog Dish Diet”, I start with meat and veggies. Many dogs seem to have sensitivities to wheat gluten and that is a known allergen. So I usually avoid wheat and barley until we are sure that they are  comfortable with meat and veggies. Another reason is that many dogs are overweight and don’t need the additional carbohydrate calories in grains.

In the article, the writer comments about “human food” not being as easily digested. Most people assume quality dog food is better for dogs. Raw food and home cooked food are whole food ingredients that are healthy for dogs. I agree with the writer, it is all about ingredients. For example, overweight dogs may not be able to handle the high percentage of carbohydrate in dry commercial foods.

That’s why I wrote Dog Dish Diet and Feed Your Pet to Avoid the Vet. I want to help you make the right choices in how to feed your pet. No marketing or hype, just common sense.

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