As a child, when my mother would defend the healthy meals she served us by reciting “you are what you eat,” I pictured myself as a jug of milk with curly broccoli for hair. Thank goodness the images conjured up by the mind of a child weren’t real! Otherwise, during my college years, my poor mother would have fainted to see me morph into a can of soda with Cheetos and French fries for arms and legs.
What is really meant by the adage “you are what you eat?”
As an adult, I know I feel better and have more energy when I am eating a healthy diet; as a trained nutritionist for animals, your pet’s level of health is directly related to the foods they eat as well. Much like a car requires good quality fuel in order to achieve maximum performance, animals and humans react the same way. What happens when we feed our pets lower quality food? The list is long: allergies, illness, dull coats and low energy, just to name a few.
What kind of foods should we be feeding our pets?
We all want the best for our faithful friends, including a long and healthy life. Does the food we give them really make a difference in achieving that goal? I certainly believe it does. And when it comes to diet, there are as many opinions about which one is best as there are foods to choose from. If you’re feeling confused, you’re not alone!
To discover what foods are most appropriate for our dogs, let’s think scientifically for a moment. Our dogs are carnivores, despite the pet food industry’s attempt to convince us otherwise. Classification of a species is not based solely on what it chooses or is forced to eat, but also on anatomical and physiological factors that determine what foods it is designed to eat and digest properly. These factors take millions of years to change via evolution. This means that even though your dog may enjoy eating fruits, veggies, candy and pizza crust, by scientific definition he’s still a carnivore.
The diets of wolves and lions, both wild carnivores, are centered around meat, organs and bones, along with fur, hide, and feathers, none of which is cooked, cut up, or otherwise prepared for them in any way. Their strong jaws easily crush bones while their sharp teeth shear off large chunks of meat that are swallowed whole, and quickly. This practice is known as “wolfing it down.” Mother wolves use their stomachs as a suitcase to transport food; they later regurgitate these meat chunks for their pups to eat in the safety of the den. Dogs are descended from wolves and share most of their DNA. Examine your dog’s mouth and notice the tooth structure; there are no flat molars in there. Try (gently!) to move the jaws side-to-side and notice that they only go up and down. Yep, he’s a carnivore!
Given these physical attributes, what type of food is most suitable for our carnivorous companions? Should we turn Fido loose in the woods and expect him to go catch his own supper, like his wolf ancestors? Well, no, not exactly. Domestic dogs are dependent on us for their daily meals. Dogs learned, thousands of years ago, that teaming up with humans was a good way to ensure a daily source of food. Albeit leftovers, it lessened the load in terms of daily hunting and foraging for survival. In exchange, humans gained companionship and protection. They formed a win-win partnership that still exists today.
From the days of the caveman and up to about 50 or 60 years ago, there were no bags of kibble to open up for our dogs; they ate what we ate, and/or what they could scrounge up on their own. If they lived on farms, they would probably get milk and eggs, while city dogs got mostly table scraps. Early dog foods were inspired by the stale, leftover hardtack sailors would toss to dogs when they returned to shore. The first official dog food was a biscuit, much like today’s Milk-Bone treats, and it represented convenience for dog owners. What it did not represent was complete and balanced nutrition, because at that time little was known about the nutritional requirements of dogs. It was expensive to use meat, and everything was in short supply during The Depression, so less expensive ingredients were pressed into service, and these new pet foods became based largely upon grains and cereals that were plentiful and cheap.
The nutrition and health connection
Over the next few decades, the pet food industry evolved around the concept of converting waste from the production of human food into something usable; “cash for trash.” Leftovers from cereal production for humans—things like hulls and screenings—were literally swept up off the floor and used as pet food ingredients. Similarly, the quality of other ingredients destined to be converted into pet food has steadily deteriorated over the years.
Coincidentally, something else evolved during the same time span; our pets began developing more and more of the same diseases that affect us. Now, health issues such as arthritis, diabetes, and allergies are so commonplace that they are actually accepted as normal and we treat them with pills, shots, and other mainstream methods. Sometimes the treatments are responsible for further sickness, such as the prolonged use of steroids leading to autoimmune problems. There surely must be a connection between the poor quality food forced upon the majority of our pets, and the rising numbers of sick pets. Dogs “are what they eat” every bit as much as we are. The more prepared and processed foods we eat, the more obese and ill our nation’s population becomes. Likewise, as we move further away from what is natural for our pets, the sicker they become. We may spend $7.99 for 40 pounds of the cheapest available kibble, but as a result spend $799 at the vet, trying to cure whatever ails Fido.
What should we do?
We have established that many of our pets are failing on commercial dry foods that include the wrong ingredients, poor quality ingredients, and may consist of large amounts of grains, chemical preservatives, food dyes, sugar and salt. Why not learn more about a suitable style of feeding for our carnivorous companions, how to make better food choices for them, and enjoy our pets as they live longer, healthier lives?
Are all commercial foods “bad?” There are companies that take to heart the well being of the animals for which they are producing food. But however good their intentions, they are still producing a type of food that is generally indigestible for your dog; one that is grain-based, dry and processed. Furthermore, even when the beginning ingredients are of a higher caliber, the processing necessary to convert them into kibble literally kills the enzymes, vitamins, and minerals that lend their “living” qualities to fresh foods. These highly processed foods take longer to pass through your dog’s system than a more natural diet would. Extra time means extra stress on the digestive tract and organs, which can lead to the formation of gas, the development of “allergies,” and the onset of all those previously mentioned ailments such as diabetes, obesity, various cancers, and organ failure.
What would be a more natural diet than the commercial cans and bags we are so accustomed to? Something that goes back to basics: feed your dogs what you feed yourself. No, not pizza and beer, but sharing the same fresh meats and veggies that you prepare for your family is a great idea. Your dog doesn’t really want to eat kibble at every meal anymore than you would enjoy eating a bowl of cereal for every meal. Just as you feel better eating fresh foods, so does your dog. With a few exceptions, anything you eat, your dog can eat, too.* Of course a diet of TV dinners or one consisting of only meat won’t provide your dog with all that he needs. Wild carnivores eat the bones and hide of their prey animals, which provide minerals and fiber. They also eat the internal organs, including the intestines, which provide vegetable matter that has been pre-digested by the prey animal’s system. This means that our dogs need more than just meat; they also require a source of fiber, minerals, and other micro-nutrients such as the vitamins found in fresh fruits and vegetables.
Take charge If it sounds over--whelm-ing, it needn’t be. Another adage, “variety is the spice of life,” says it all! And it’s fun to experiment to find out what your dog likes best. There are cookbooks devoted to recipes for our four-legged friends, and the Internet is also a wonderful resource for learning more. Taking charge of exactly what goes into your dog’s body is a big responsibility, part of which includes doing your homework to learn how to do it properly so that you do not inadvertently create problems with nutrient deficiencies or toxicities. Your reward will be the joy your dog takes in eating good, healthy food, and of course his improved health and vitality, as he “becomes what he eats.” Look closely, and your dog might start to look a lot like mine: he’s got a turkey neck, carrot sticks for legs, chicken wings for arms.
*Foods that can be toxic to dogs: chocolate, onions, grapes/raisins, macadamia nuts, anything with artificial sweetener
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Coincidentally, something else evolved during the same time span; our pets began developing more and more of the same diseases that affect us. Now, health issues such as arthritis, diabetes, and allergies are so commonplace that they are actually accepted as normal and we treat them with pills, shots, and other mainstream methods. Sometimes the treatments are responsible for further sickness, such as the prolonged use of steroids leading to autoimmune problems. There surely must be a connection between the poor quality food forced upon the majority of our pets, and the rising numbers of sick pets. Dogs “are what they eat” every bit as much as we are. The more prepared and processed foods we eat, the more obese and ill our nation’s population becomes. Likewise, as we move further away from what is natural for our pets, the sicker they become. We may spend $7.99 for 40 pounds of the cheapest available kibble, but as a result spend $799 at the vet, trying to cure whatever ails Fido.
There are companies that take to heart the well being of the animals for which they are producing food. But however good their intentions, they are still producing a type of food that is generally indigestible for your dog; one that is grain-based, dry and processed. Furthermore, even when the beginning ingredients are of a higher caliber, the processing necessary to convert them into kibble literally kills the enzymes, vitamins, and minerals that lend their “living” qualities to fresh foods. These highly processed foods take longer to pass through your dog’s system than a more natural diet would. Extra time means extra stress on the digestive tract and organs, which can lead to the formation of gas, the development of “allergies,” and the onset of all those previously mentioned ailments such as diabetes, obesity, various cancers, and organ failure.
If it sounds over--whelm-ing, it needn’t be. Another adage, “variety is the spice of life,” says it all! And it’s fun to experiment to find out what your dog likes best. There are cookbooks devoted to recipes for our four-legged friends, and the Internet is also a wonderful resource for learning more. Taking charge of exactly what goes into your dog’s body is a big responsibility, part of which includes doing your homework to learn how to do it properly so that you do not inadvertently create problems with nutrient deficiencies or toxicities. Your reward will be the joy your dog takes in eating good, healthy food, and of course his improved health and vitality, as he “becomes what he eats.” Look closely, and your dog might start to look a lot like mine: he’s got a turkey neck, carrot sticks for legs, chicken wings for arms. 
