Animals – The right diet

The right diet for all dogs does not exist. Just like all of us are individuals, so are our companion animals and as our needs differ at different times, so do theirs. An opinion on the question of, “What is the right diet for my dog?” is usually as varied as the number of people you ask. But here are a few rough pointers.

First principles include looking at the natural behaviour of the animals. Wolves feed on meat and the wild dogs of Africa eat intestines whenever they catch prey, which is not on a daily basis. Our modern day companion dogs are generally fed once or twice daily, and most get nowhere near as much exercise as their wild counterparts with the exception of working farm dogs. Even though our pets may be high energy bundles on a walk, once we are off to work they are off to rest. Also, they tend to live much more sheltered lives, not exposed to the extremes of temperatures of ice and snow that require more energy to stay warm.

There are many good commercial diets available – both raw and processed kibble. However, these two foods should not be fed in the same meal, as raw food requires a much higher stomach pH to digest.

Kibble has already gone through some processing and requires a much lover pH for digestion, so feeding them together results in excess stomach acid and often a gastritis. Feed them at least eight to 12 hours apart. Many raw food diets contain bone shards, which can cause stomach inflammation unless fed with tripe. Old dogs have less vital energy and tend to do better on cooked or processed diets, which do not require as much energy to digest.

Traditional medicines approach diet selection by recognising different constitutions and body types. For example, happy playful, hyperactive and fiery small dogs such as poodles are more prone to pancreatitis and benefit from a diet based on fish or low allergy diets, while earth constitutions such as labrador retrievers love food and benefit from diets lower in grain and fat, but higher in fibre. Beef and chicken flavours are generally good for them.

Wood temperament animals such as Jack Russell terriers are busy workaholics, which like to dominate other animals and may do well with cooling foods such as celery, cucumber, lettuce and watercress added to their diet on a regular basis. Timid and fearful animals with a water constitution may benefit from kidneys and liver.

Whenever making or supplementing a diet it is important to consider not only ingredients but also quantity. Kibble has been dried and swells with moisture in the stomach, so a tablespoon of dry kibble may swell to three tablespoons, so it may seem like you are not feeding much, but it is very concentrated. A 28g block of cheddar cheese for a dog is the equivalent to two-and-a-half hamburgers for a human.