Feeding Our Canine Friends | Warren County Post

Through Leslie R. Dye, MD, treasurer, NGWPR This is taken from the National German Wirehaired Pointer rescue Blog published quarterly on Medium:

My rescue dog, Neko, was diagnosed with pancreatitis at age 10 after starting a new bag of dog food. It is a well respected brand, usually very expensive, but bought at a cut rate price. We were told it was probably unrelated to the food, however, after she recovered, we referred the same food and the problem recurred. I took a closer look at the bag, and realized that even though it hadn’t expired, the expiration date was in a few months. At that point, we started making our dogs’ food to reduce the fat content. I later learned that commercial food can be left in shipping containers at very high temperatures for long periods of time, affecting the fat, which could be the problem. No one needs to hear the following legend, but we continue to make their food and mix it with kibble.

Since then, she has had no recurrence of pancreatitis and she turned 11-years-old last November. Are we doing the right thing? After researching this topic, I have no idea!

Some general diet resources:

Why do dog owners choose to prepare their dog’s food?

• Distrust of pet food companies-recalls occur, concerns about food safety, quality, and nutritional value
• Desire to feed a more natural diet
• Perception is to make the food taste better
• Perception is the food to be healthier
• Concern that complex medical needs may not be met by a commercial diet

How often to feed homemade dog food?

According to a 2020 publication (1) examining feeding practices in feeding practices in Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Australia, and the USA, the feeding of non-commercial and unconventional foods, either as the sole source of nutrition or in conjunction with a conventional diet, is higher today than in the past. Although most dogs still receive conventional pet food, more receive additional home-cooked meals and raw animal products, with a smaller proportion offering vegetarian and vegan diet. All countries were similar, with the exception of Australia, where Australian respondents reported a decline in consumption of traditional diets, particularly in favor of raw animal products.

Dog Food Recipes from Dr. Google:

Finding the perfect homemade dog food recipe or advice is like finding a unicorn and then learning how to feed it! First, there are some companies that sell “home-made style dog food,” which is obviously different than making it yourself. It is also sometimes difficult to determine if the recommended diet is a “maintenance diet” to be the only source of food or if the diet should be supplemented with dry foods.

I started by looking at sites for the public online. One source recommends using ingredients that others suggest avoiding. For example, I looked at one site that was very critical of consuming any carbohydrates from rice, pasta and potatoes and another that was “veterinarian-tested, and pet-approved” stated that up to 50% of a dog’s food should come from its own source. to those resources.

Then I turn to the scientific literature:

One study (2) compared eleven “homemade-style foods” for adult dogs purchased online. Nutrients were analyzed for crude protein, amino acids, fatty acids, and minerals. There were 11 raw and cooked diets purchased and tested (eight locally produced and three imported).

The findings

• Water content is 67–87%
• Crude protein, amino acids, and crude fat met the recommended nutrient profiles for adult dog maintenance in all 11, although 2 of the recommended fats were not detected in 7 of the 11 and one product exceeded at the highest level recommended for the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of fatty acids
• None of the 11 requirements for minerals were met, with selenium being the most frequently below guidelines

Ultimately, six of the 11 products did not meet the recommended nutrient requirements for adult dog maintenance.

What is the evidence?

There are no peer-reviewed clinical trials to support claims that home-prepared foods are healthier than commercial ones. An improperly prepared diet can be harmful, especially for puppies. It is suggested that all owners who wish to prepare dog food at home should consult a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and be prepared to follow a strict recipe every day. A general guideline for recipes is that two people making identical recipes should make identical diets every time.

A very interesting review in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association from 2013 (3) evaluated recipes for meals prepared at home for adult dogs via computer-based software versus recommendations for essential nutrient intake in adult dogs as provided by the National Research Council (NRC) and Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). They also compared what was written by veterinarians and non-veterinarians. They searched veterinary textbooks, pet care books for owners and websites for recipes.

200 recipes have been reviewed

Sources

• 133 from veterinary textbooks
• 9 pet care books for owners
• 67 from websites

The writers

• 129 veterinarians (64.5%)
• 71 non-veterinarians (35.5%)

Instructions:

• 92% contain unclear or incomplete instructions, requiring 1 or more assumptions for ingredients, method of preparation, or supplement product type
• 29% do not include supplement-type products
• 84.5% did not give specific feeding instructions
• 85.5% did not provide calorie information or target body weight for a pet
• 6.5% includes garlic or onion, which is associated with hemolytic anemia in dogs

Drum Roll-How did they do it?

• Only 3 provided all essential nutrients in concentrations meeting or exceeding the NRC recommended allowance and 2 provided all essential nutrients in concentrations meeting or exceeding the NRC minimum requirement. They are written by veterinarians.
• 9 provided all essential nutrients in concentrations exceeding AAFCO’s minimum nutrient profiles for dogs and 4 of these met or exceeded the NRC’s recommended allowance or minimal requirement. Of these 9, 8 were written by veterinarians. These are the requirements for commercial pet foods.
• 95% resulted in at least one essential nutrient in concentrations that did not meet NRC or AAFCO guidelines
• 83.5% had multiple deficiencies
• Some deficiencies do not meet 50% of the NRC recommended allowance
• 9 exceeded the safe upper limit of Vitamin D and 6 exceeded the upper limit for the combination of the two fats

It is suggested that all owners who wish to prepare dog food at home should consult a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and be prepared to follow a strict recipe every day.

Even if one has the perfect recipe…….

This happens:

• “Diet Drift”
  • One must follow the recipe exactly every time
  • A Tufts study found that only 13% of owners still feed the original balanced diet recipe given to them and almost all changes are made without consultation
  • 62% did not acknowledge that they had made changes
  • Substitutions, even switching brands can significantly alter the nutritional profile

• Cost
  • In most cases, it is significantly more expensive to prepare a nutritionally complete diet at home than to purchase a good quality commercial diet, especially for large breeds.
  • Some costs related to the ingredients but also due to more frequent veterinary visits and laboratory tests are recommended

• Quality Control
  • Home-cooked meals are not subjected to any testing for safety or nutritional adequacy
  • Requires more frequent veterinary visits and laboratory tests are recommended

How to check if the diet is working?

There is no perfect way to determine if a diet is adequate, but some indicators that may help are:

• Body weight, condition, activity level
• Skin and hair color and texture
• Eye examination
• Stool sample
• Blood taurine levels on a vegetarian diet
• Other laboratory studies can provide an overall estimate of nutritional status

And here’s the scary part: pets eating deficient diets can go months and years without clinical signs or obvious problems.

Common myths:

Ingredients

• · The dog needs nutrients and not substances
• It is important to focus on how the ingredients come together rather than on each one separately