Best Natural Proteins in Dog Food

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The best protein comes from actual food instead of powders 

Despite Consumer Reports claims that all dog food is alike, dog owners and veterinarians bed to differ.  There is even a medical condition in dogs called generic dog food dermatosis, where dogs fed only the cheapest dog food possible developed skin problems.  Healthier ingredients make for healthier dogs. 

With dog food, you pay for what you get.  So what do you get in the best dog food?  Check the ingredients label and look for recognizable foods, including natural proteins such as chicken, chicken meal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes or soybeans.  The first ten ingredients are the most important to pay attention to as these take up most of the food content.

Meat Proteins: What they Aren’t

The best natural proteins in dog food will specifically list out what animal the meat is from.  It will not read meat, animal fat, animal digest or animal protein.  Those could be a blend of just about anything, including hair, beaks, horns and feces.  Not only do these ingredients not contain the nutrients dogs need to maintain healthy bodies, but these ingredients could be harvested in less than sanitary conditions, such as the sweepings off of an abattoir floor.

Good dog food protiens also will not have the word “flavor” added to it.  For example, one popular grocery store soft dog treat’s first ingredient is beef and cheese flavor.   That’s just a powder that may make the food taste like beef and cheese, but does not contain the nutrients or protein that beef or cheese does. 

Plant Proteins

Dogs, like people, are omnivores.  Pet dogs have successfully transferred to vegetarian, but not vegan, diets.  As any dog owner that has watched her pet eagerly scarf down cat poop can tell you, dogs are not too finicky about their food and whether it contains meat or kitty litter.  Dogs just want their bellies filled.  But they are best off eating 30 to 60% protein in their daily diets.

So, if you do choose to buy vegetarian foods for your dog (or if you see these ingredients listed in your meaty dog food) then you know that there is nutritious protein in the food.  These include eggs, yogurt, soybeans, sweet potatoes, pea protein, oatmeal, pearl barley and other whole grains (not flour).  Although vegan foods are sold for dogs, they tend to be weak in protein, notes Eco Dog: Healthy Living For Your Pet. (Chronicle Books; 2008.)

A few teaspoons of cottage cheese, fresh plain yogurt or cooked eggs (never raw) can help give your vegetarian dog the protein she needs.

References

“Skin Diseases of the Dog and Cat: Clinical and Histopathologic diagnosis.”  Thelma Lee Gross.  Wiley-Blackwell; 2005.

“Eco Dog: Healthy Living For Your Pet.” Corbett Marshall, et al.  Chronicle Books; 2008.

“Don’t pay a premium for ‘premium’ pet food.”  Consumer Reports.  August, 2011.

“The Whole Dog Journal’s Guide to Feeding Your Dog.” Nancy Kerns, et al.  Belvoir Media Group; 2009.

Benefits of Beta-Carotene for Dogs

Helps bolster a dog’s immune system

Choosing a dog food from the mountain of available brands and varieties at a pet store is difficult at the best of times.  But what about foods that proclaims that they contain “beta-carotene?”  What is the big deal about beta-carotene?  Plenty – especially for owners of puppies or senior dogs.  Beta-carotene can help strengthen a puppy or older dog’s immune system.  It also can help support eye health.

These two stages of life – puppy and old age – are when the canine immune system is most vulnerable.  Feedings foods with beta-carotene will not completely protect a dog or puppy from developing illnesses.  All dogs and puppies still need daily exercise, regular vet check-ups and parasite control medication, no matter how much beta-carotene they eat. 

What is Beta-Carotene?

Beta-carotene is a nutrient classified as a carotenoid.  If carotenoid sounds closely like carrot, there’s a good reason why.  Carrots are a prime source of carotenoids, including beta-carotene.  Carotenoids helps cause plants to turn orange, yellow or red.  Because carotenoids only come from plants, you may see them being called “phytonutrients”, which only means “nutrients that come from plants.”

Natural sources for beta-carotene include carrots, sweet potatoes, yams, some peppers, yellow fruits, pumpkins, squash and some dark green vegetables like broccoli or chard.  However, commercially made dog food tends to only use carrots or sweet potatoes.  But many dogs like to munch on fresh or cooked broccoli as a treat.  My dogs, Pony and Hugo, enjoy fresh mango and cooked squash.  They can only have pieces about the size of my thumb or they may get diarrhea.

What It Does

Like Vitamin A and Selenium, beta-carotene is an antioxidant.  There is still much we do not know about antioxidants, but they appear to help the body stave off disease and cancer.  But one 2000 study on female beagles suggested that dogs fed beta-carotene had heightened immune responses.  Dogs eating diets completely lacking in antioxidants will develop immunodeficiency diseases, notes Randy Kidd, DVM, PhD.

Beta-carotene is thought to help canine eye health in the way it can sometimes help human eye health.  Mammal bodies easily convert beta-carotene into Vitamin A, needed to maintain eyes.  But just how beta-carotene works on dog eyes are not known because there haven’t been a lot of studies done.  Most “evidence” of beta-carotene helping dog vision are anecdotal. 

In Conclusion

Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that appears to help the immune system in dogs and may also help maintain their eye health.  If a dog’s diet is completely lacking in vegetables, then the dog may need supplements to keep from developing an immunodeficiency disease.  RM Clemmons, DVM, PhD suggests a daily dose for dogs be between 10,000 to 25,000 IU, depending on how large the dog is.  But before giving any nutritional supplement, please consult your veterinarian.

References

“Dietary beta-carotene stimulates cell-mediated and humoral immune response in dogs.”  BP Chew, eta l. The Journal of Nutrition.  August, 2000.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10917901

“Supporting your dog’s immune system.”  Randy Kidd, DVM, PhD.  The Whole Dog Journal.  May 2006.  http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/9_5/features/Canine_Immunology_15808-1.html

University of Florida. “Integrative Therapy in Dogs with Nervous System & Other Disorders.” RM Clemmons, DVM, PhD. 1997.  http://neuro.vetmed.ufl.edu/neuro/AltMed/Alt_Med_Neuro.htm

Author’s personal experience.

A Shared Pain: About Arthritis In Dogs

I share my food, my bed and my life with my dog, Pony.  It is also heartwarming to know that we will most likely share the experience of arthritis together.  When she is in her advanced years, I will be in my forties – the time my parents started getting arthritis pains.  

Although Pony and I share mostly everything, this is one thing I would rather keep to myself and not let her have any part of.  But arthritis in dogs is getting more and more common as dogs are living longer.

Prevention For Pony

Pony is a mixed breed, but arthritis in dogs does not check for a pedigree or lack thereof.  It happens for the same reasons it happens in humans – the joints of the body (such as the ankles, neck and hips) are inflamed.  Arthritis is actually an umbrella term for over 100 conditions that make the joints inflamed.  Most are preventable by keeping Pony eating quality food and not too much of it.  Overweight people and overweight dogs are more prone to arthritis than fit ones.

Pony also gets exercised at least six days a week, including walks, tug and fetch.  This not only keeps the weight off, but helps give strength to her overall body functions, such as her skeletal structure and autoimmune system.  When she was a puppy, I fed her a wide variety of good food and tried not to over exercise her.  Some puppies (especially in large or giant breeds) can get weak bones as a result of too much exercise and too little nutrition.

But some causes of canine arthritis are hard to prevent.  An accident or other kind of trauma may bring it on.  This also happens in people.  People and dogs also share a type of arthritis called idiopathic arthritis, where no one yet knows why the joints get inflamed.

Treatment Options

But perhaps, as the years go by, both Pony and I do get arthritis.  We both will need to see medical professionals in order to find out what kind of arthritis we have.  Each kind needs different medicines.  We both will need to stay active even if our bodies are stiff and sore.  We will both need to cut back even more on fatty foods. 

As Pony gets older, she will need less protein and fat in her diet than she does now.  We both can benefit from gentle massage and keeping our bones warm.  Arthritis in dogs has shown to lessen with acupuncture sessions.  Pony takes needles a lot better than I do, so I don’t think I’ll try it for my arthritis.