Canine Nutrition
Getting your dog the right food is essential to a long and happy life. But how do you mesh the contradictory information out there? This page is here to help. Remember that no two dogs are the same, so what works for one may not work for you.
Background Dog Food Data
First, things first, dogs are not wolves!
Dogs have been domesticated for probably 100,000s of years with us. As a result, they stopped functioning as merely hunters and began eating similar food to us. They ate our table scraps, and leavings. Indeed, domestic dogs have 2 copies of the AMY2B gene which specifically aids in digestion of grain. That's twice as many copies as wolves. See here for a nice journal article on point.
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See also our Facebook Page for a nice video article on this topic.
Stuff we should avoid in Dog Food
There are a lot of ingredients in dog foods which are probably not good for dogs. Corn is one - it is high in sugars and not particularly digestible for many dogs. The cooking process also creates problems. How many? We don't know. Remember that if you opt away from a commercial food, you are stuck with trying to balance your dogs complete dietary needs alone. Personally, I recommend adding fresh items to a balanced commercial food while you consider if other options fit your needs financially, and your time resources.
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Here is an article on two potentially dangerous by-products of the high heat and pressures of most commercial dog foods.
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Commercial dog foods are cooked at incredibly high temperatures, leaving advanced glycation end products and malliard reaction products. Research indicates these may have toxic consequences. But one should not "throw the baby out with the bathwater." Commercial foods are often well researched for complete nutrition and to provide a tasty product which is easy to feed. Consider researching your proposed diet and finding a smaller producer that uses less heat.
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One of the keys on this site is to remember there are always other options!
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