Confessions of a Recovering Kibble-aholic

My name is Greg Martinez, DVM, and I am a recovering kibble-aholic. I assumed like so many of my colleagues that a dog’s health was assured if you fed a “complete and balanced” dog food. I thought that most kibbles were good as long as they contained the right percentages of recommended nutrients. I was proud, too, that I was able to recommend different kibble diets that were developed by a veterinarian (Mark Morris, PhD, DVM) in 1960 to help various medical problems. His inspiration was his father who pioneered canine nutrition when he developed a special diet for a seeing eye dog with kidney problems.

Dogs have taught me a few things about nutrition.

I was happy with my education in canine nutrition until hundreds of patients and my own three-legged Dalmation changed my perspective. These canine “instructors” had not been to school, but their lessons were based on their own first-hand experience with nutrition and wellness, and impossible to ignore.

There are many schools of thought on the perfect dog food. Veterinarians were taught one way; observers of nature and whole-food advocates may favor raw, wolf or holistic diets. Then there are the recommendations of people that have a certain breed or group of dogs that they have found do best on one dog food or another. With so many nutritional philosophies, it’s not surprising that the majority of dog owners are left asking, “Which perspective is best?”

Since I have written a book on the subject (Dr. Greg’s Dog Dish Diet: Sensible Nutrition for Your Dog’s Health), you might conclude that I have an idea of the best dog food for your dog. Right? Well I’m going to let you in on some inside information: I have found in my years of practice that dogs are individuals and, as such, have different needs. Many individuals need to avoid certain glutens, while others can’t tolerate one or more proteins. Some dogs get fat, while others on the same diet get skinny. Lots of dogs have flaky, inflamed, skin and need more omega fatty acids in their diets. In other words, dogs don’t do any better on a one-food-fits-all diet than people do.

So how do you know which diet is best for your dog?

If your dog is active, the right weight, and does not have any skin, ear, stomach, bowel, anal-gland or urinary problems;, diabetes; or seizures, then the type of diet and ingredients may be a good match. At least for now, but always be alert to changes in their health going forward that may be related to diet.

And if your dog suffers from one or more of the above medical conditions (and many dogs do), a change in the type of diet or ingredients or the addition of healthy ingredients can help a lot. Our scientific way of processing and manufacturing commercial dog food may work for some dogs and not others. If your dog is sensitive to any of the most commonly used ingredients, you may need to change to a homemade, holistic or vegetarian diet in order to resolve skin, ear, stomach or bowel issues.

Common sense would reject a vegetarian diet for dogs that have descended from meat eaters, but two or three of my patients actually improved when they ate just such a diet. In Dog Dish Diet, I go into more detail about adding fresh or cooked veggies to the diet. The actual benefit of vegetables could be for any of several reasons: the elimination of allergens or glutens in the meat or grains, no preservatives, increased antioxidants, or higher moisture content.

A variety of healthy ingredients may be needed to compensate for what we have done to dog food and to the 20-40 percent of our canine population that suffer from the school of thought that every dog food is “complete and balanced” for every dog.

While there are many considerations when determining the best diet for your dog, applying the principles is not that difficult when you are equipped with some basic knowledge. Dog Dish Diet will arm you with the common-sense, economical diet tips you need.

Tagged as: california veterinarian, canine nutrition, Dog Dish Diet, dog food, dog health, dog nutrition, Dr. Greg's Dog Dish Diet, healthy dog food, healthy eating for dogs