CANINE NUTRITION
Literally hundreds of commercial dry dog foods are
marketed by a host of manufacturers, each of whom describes the benefits
of feeding their product(s) in glowing terms. The published analysis and
ingredients content of these foods are often bewildering to owners.
Information at www.dogfoodproject.com is helpful when seeking an
understanding of which ingredients are desirable, and which are best
avoided.
An informed dog owner can better select – or disqualify – an appropriate
food for their canine companions. Your selection should, ultimately, be
validated by your own feeding trials. If your dog(s) eat
enthusiastically, maintain good flesh and muscle tone, produce a
relatively low volume of formed stool, sustain a good coat without
supplementation, and exhibit appropriate stamina, you have likely chosen
a good product. Note that regionally available dog foods with high
quality ingredients can be an excellent value, as these companies are
not supporting expensive national advertising campaigns.
Most knowledgeable canine nutritionists recommend a high quality ration
with 30-33 percent protein, and 18-20 percent fat, be fed to active
sporting dogs, year round, with the volume adjusted to reflect activity
level and/or ambient temperature. Transitioning between high and low
calorie formulations according to activity level and/or temperature is
not recommended, as doing so often causes digestive difficulties
manifested by loose stools. Changing brands can also cause digestive
problems. Dogs prefer consistency, not variety, in their diet. It is
best to identify one premium feed on which your dog(s) thrive, stick
with it year-round, and adjust the volume appropriately to maintain
optimum condition.
Dog food label ingredients are listed by weight, starting with the
ingredient with the greatest content. Although canids – both wild and
domestic – are opportunistic omnivores, the first ingredient(s) on the
label should be a specified meat, and/or specified meat meal. Specific
callouts such as chicken, beef, lamb, salmon, and menhaden are
preferable to generic references to “meat”, “poultry” or “fish”. Since
up to 75 percent of the weight of such specified meats can be comprised
of water, a specified meat meal is actually more desirable as a primary
source of protein. The inclusion of lower cost “byproducts” is not
favored, even if named (as in chicken byproducts), and is even less
desirable if generic (as in poultry byproducts). Byproducts are never
the primary source of protein in a high-quality food.
Carbohydrates may be derived from grains, such as oats, rye, rice,
wheat, barley, corn, millet, sorghum, amaranth, or quinoa, or from
alternative sources such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, lentils, and
tapioca. Whole, unprocessed grains listed as “ground” or “meal” retain
all of the nutrients in the bran layer, the original fat content, and
the endosperm. Properly cooked, they are highly digestible and valuable
sources of energy. Grain fragments, such as brewer’s rice and flours,
are incomplete, and may have lost much of their nutritional value in
processing. Such ingredients should, therefore, appear well down on the
ingredients list, if at all. Fragments such as potato middlings, and
unspecified grain sources like cereal food fines and distiller’s grain
fermentation solubles, are best avoided.
Some dog food manufacturers, in an apparent attempt to differentiate
their product/brand for commercial advantage, produce, advocate, and
promote “grain free” formulations. It is important to note that studies
conducted by canine nutritionists and cardiologists at multiple colleges
of veterinary medicine, including U.C. Davis and Tufts University, have
established that there is a definite link between “grain free” foods and
canine heart disease – specifically, dilated cardiomyopathy, or enlarged
heart. It is suspected that either some portion of the domestic canine
population cannot assimilate taurine - an animal protein derivative
vital to heart health - in the absence of whole grains, or that the
legumes routinely substituted for whole grains by some manufacturers
prevent the efficient assimilation of this critical amino acid. As would
be expected, manufacturers who have built their brand on exclusively
“grain free” formulations have challenged these findings and, in some
instances, even attacked the credibility of the canine nutritionists and
cardiologists who conducted this research. The evidence of this
connection is, nevertheless, compelling, and anecdotally supported.
As Dr. Anna Gelzer , a veterinary cardiologist at the University of
Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine observes, “There is no
scientifically proven benefit to grain free foods, so why take a
chance”? Dr. Gelzer also correctly notes that wild canids “ingest the
gut content of ruminant animals on which they prey, so they are
certainly capable of eating grain”, and reiterates, “There is no
scientific reason for going without grains”. Anecdotally, hunters
baiting deer in northern Wisconsin, where the practice is legal,
regularly observe wild canids consuming grain.
In response to these alarming findings, some manufacturers of “grain
free” dog food formulations have begun adding supplemental taurine.
Others have added what they describe as “ancient grains”, such as
sorghum, millet, quinoa, and chia, in an apparent effort to address this
identified problem while maintaining brand differentiation. The efficacy
of both of these initiatives remains unproven. It seems logical that if
an individual dog is a part of that domestic canine population which
cannot assimilate taurine in the absence of whole grains and/or the
presence of legumes, adding additional taurine to a “grain free” dog
food formulation would not appear to be effective.
Pointers are an active, “medium” size breed, with corresponding
nutritional requirements. “Large breed” puppy and/or dog foods are
formulated for retrievers, shepherds, Rottweilers, Newfoundlands, and
other large, fast-growing breeds with a relatively high incidence of hip
and elbow dysplasia. The comparatively low protein and fat content of
“large breed” foods is intended to constrain growth rates, and guard
against the obesity for which these large breeds are prone. While the
susceptibility to dysplasia among these breeds is genetic, the risk is
considerably heightened for overweight, growing, puppies. Similarly, the
nutritional value of large breed adult dog food formulations is marginal
to inadequate for medium size working breeds, like pointers. They will
require more of it to maintain a healthy body weight and, subsequently,
produce a greater volume of stool – and the development of a growing
puppy may be negatively affected.
“Puppy” food formulations from reputable manufacturers can be assumed to
contain all of the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients required by growing
pups. So, however, can high quality “all life stages” rations. In fact,
some manufacturers’ “puppy food” is, simply, their all life stages
formula extruded to a smaller kibble size. A high quality, all life
stages, ration contains all of the nutrients required by
pregnant/lactating females and growing puppies, as well as hard working
adult dogs.
The Red Paw 32K all life stages food, on which our dogs thrive
year-round at Superior Pointers – “from cradle to grave” - contains high
quality ingredients, and an analysis of 32% protein and 20% fat. Red Paw
32K enjoys a devoted following among active sled dog racers. We feed a
mature dog approximately 12 oz. by volume daily in the off season.
During cold weather, or when being hunted hard, this daily ration is
increased to as much as 16 oz. to maintain optimum body weight and
condition. The daily rations of individual dogs are “fine-tuned”, as
required. Other high quality, all life stages, rations currently being
fed to Elhew pointers by friends and hunting partners include
NutriSource Performance 30/20, Exclusive Performance 30/20, Eukanuba
Premium Performance 30/20, Strive Endurance 30/20, Diamond Performance
30/20, Inukshuk 30/25, and Purina Pro Plan All Ages Sport Performance
30/20. With regard to high quality, all life stages foods appropriate
for active sporting dogs like pointers, this list should not be
considered all inclusive.
It is important to emphasize that a good dog food formulation is no more
reliable than is the plant in which it is produced. If a manufacturing
plant’s quality assurance protocols and procedures are inadequate, the
products produced will be of inconsistent quality – and, possibly, even
hazardous to your dog’s health. Equally important is for the
manufacturer to use only good quality raw material sources, and to not
continually “shop” globally for low-cost spot buys of ingredients of
unverified quality from questionable sources. Additionally, the products
of manufacturers suspected of regularly modifying their formulations to
maximize short term profits should be avoided. Dog foods are relatively
poorly regulated, and manufacturers have ninety days after changing key
ingredients to change their packaging label. This allows less
responsible manufacturers myopically focused on short term profit to
change formulations, and change back within ninety days, without
disclosure. When evaluating a dog food, the manufacturer’s recall
history, and the consequences thereof, should be considered. When
feeding your ration of choice, it is recommended that dog owners
continually monitor the enthusiasm with which the dog(s) consume their
daily rations, as well as coat condition, muscle tone, and stools. A
change in any or all of these indicators may be symptomatic of a
modification in formula, or ingredient quality. The long term track
record of the manufacturer is, therefore, as important as their
published product formulation.