A Dog's Diet

Some people think that dogs are omnivores because they eat both vegetables and meat. This is not true, dogs actually belong to a category of meat eaters called “facultative carnivores”. Facultative” means not required, contingent or optional. In other words, the primary food of dogs is prey or meat but they can survive without eating meat for long periods, but not indefinitely. Just because dogs can survive on an omnivorous diet doesn't mean that is their best diet. Dogs are classified as members of the family Canidae and the order Carnivora.

 

Anatomical Features Of Carnivores

1. They have short, simple and acidic digestive tracts.

2. They have sharp and elongated teeth for killing and tearing prey. They also have triangular molars with jagged edges whose main function is to provide a smooth cutting motion when eating meat.

3. Their jaws move vertically.

4. They do not have amylase enzyme in their saliva.

Reasons Why Dogs Are Classified As Carnivores

1. Dogs have a short and simple gastro-intestinal tract. Because meat can be digested easily dogs have short small intestines. They also have a highly acidic stomach that enables them to quickly break down proteins and kill the bacteria found in decaying meat. (Dogs have a stomach acidity of around pH 1 while humans who are considered to be omnivores have a stomach acidity pH of 4-5).

2. Dogs do not have the amylase enzyme in their saliva. As a result feeding a dog a carbohydrate-filled diet puts a burden on their pancreas. Since their pancreas will produce the normal levels of the enzymes that are required to digest fats and proteins and have to work harder to produce more amylase to digest the extra carbohydrates in their diet.

3. Dogs have sharp elongated teeth that are designed for ripping, tearing, grabbing and shredding meat. They do not have the large molars that are found in herbivores and omnivores that are used grinding plant material.

4. Dogs’ skulls are heavy, and are also shaped to prevent any lateral movement of their lower jaw when a captured prey tries to remove themselves from the grip of their teeth.

5. Dogs have powerful neck muscles and jaw muscles that they use in pulling down their prey and chewing bone, meat and hide.

6. The mandibular fossa in a dog’s skull is C-shaped and deep); this shape permits only an up and down crushing movement of their jaws.

CANINE NUTRITION

Protein Sources

Dogs use protein in their bodily functions, these includes the provision of energy, tissue maintenance, cellular regeneration and enzyme and hormone production. Although protein is an essential component in a dog’s diet not all proteins will function equally, the quality of protein varies widely among the various sources. The factors that affect protein quality include:

i. Protein source: Animal proteins are considered to be “complete proteins” for dogs, while plant proteins are considered to be “incomplete proteins”.

ii. Amino acid composition: Animal proteins contain all of the amino acids that are essential in a dog’s diet in amounts that match the requirements that are needed for their growth and overall health.

Plant protein such as plant protein isolates, soybean meal and corn gluten don’t contain all of the amino acids that dogs need in their diet. The amino acids that are essential to dogs that are often missing in plant proteins include taurine, arginine, tryptophan, methionine and lysine.

iii. Digestibility: Plant proteins digested less easily than meat proteins. As a result animal proteins is the best choice.

Fat Sources

Although fat are viewed negatively by the health conscious individuals, it’s an essential requirement in a dog’s diet. Unlike us, dogs do not suffer from heart disease or cholesterol problems as a result of eating a diet that contains high levels of animal fat. 

Just like protein, fats differ greatly in their quality and structure.

Two key roles of dietary fat are:

i. Provide a concentrated source of energy. The optimum content of fat in a dog’s diet is 15% to18%.

ii. Supply the essential fatty acids the bodies of dogs cannot produce. These amino acids include are linoleic, arachidonic (Omega-6), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (Omega-3). Dogs can get these essential fatty acids by eating fish such as salmon and herring. 

Fats are an essential component of a dog’s diet, but carbohydrates are not.

Carbohydrates

Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrates and their bodies have evolved t use fat and proteins as their energy sources. Their natural diet contains almost no carbohydrate, only a small amount of carbohydrate from the content of the stomach of their prey. The dog nutrition profile of the Association of American Feed Control Officials’ (AAFCO), shows that carbohydrates are not an essential component of a dog’s diet. 

The high carbohydrate content in today’s pet foods often leads our dogs suffering from insulin resistance, blood sugar fluctuations, and it’s also widely considered to be the major cause of diabetes and obesity in dogs.