Although dogs are considered to be omnivores their bodies require a great deal of protein in order to stay healthy. They are not the obligate carnivores that cats are (an animal that must eat a regular meat diet in order to survive), but even as scavengers dogs have a preference for meat. Ethologists never get tired of telling us that dogs are descended from wolves. As such they are predators and they hunted animals for food. They were able to get by on eating other things, but they preferred to eat meat when they could kill it.
For the most part, dog foods which contain a great deal of corn or other grains are considered inferior products. Corn is usually a cheaper source of protein than meat sources, such as lamb and chicken. For this reason some dog food manufacturers use it as a filler ingredient in one of its forms, such as whole yellow corn, ground corn or corn gluten. It does provide protein but dogs can only digest 54 percent of the nutrients in corn. The rest passes through the dog and is deposited in your backyard or when you walk your dog. Dogs fed diets high in cereal and grains typically have large, soft stools because they do not digest all of the food. On the other hand, dogs fed food that is higher in meat protein can digest much more of the food. Stools are smaller and firmer because the dog is able to digest much more of the food.
There is currently a popular move toward feeding grain-free dog foods. The thinking is that all grains are bad for dogs and that dogs should eat food that has as much meat protein content as possible. This is probably an over-reaction. It’s not necessary for a pet dog to eat dog food that is 40 percent protein. The government’s nutritional guidelines for feeding dogs recommends that an adult dog eat food that is 18 percent protein. A performance dog should have food that is 25 percent protein. Even a racing sled dog is only recommended to have food that is 35 percent protein. It’s a mystery why any dog would need 40 percent (or more!) protein in his diet. As others have pointed out, meat is the most expensive ingredient in dog food so when you buy dog food that has all of this extra meat protein, without a good reason, you are simply paying for the meat. Why buy it when your dog doesn’t need it? You can buy a steak for your dog cheaper than you can buy some of these grain-free dog foods.
Vegetarian foods are not recommended for dogs. They do require meat content in order to be healthy. Make sure that you are buying dog food that has named meat sources, such as chicken meal, lamb meal, beef and so on. Be careful about buying the “exotic” protein sources, such as kangaroo meat, duck, venison, etc. These novel protein sources are really intended for dogs that have allergies to the common sources of protein for dogs. If you feed your dog a regular diet of duck, kangaroo and other unusual meat sources, what will you do if he develops an allergy to them? You will have no more exotic meat sources left to try.
If you are a vegetarian and you have a dog it’s recommended that you do what is best for your dog, regardless of your own beliefs. Take into account his health and welfare and feed him a good dog food. If it makes you feel better there are many good foods that feature holistic sources of meat. Some foods are even made from free range chicken or come from meat sources grown by small producers. You may not find a food you like in the large pet superstores but if you look online or visit a small boutique dog food seller they may be able to special order a high quality dog food for your dog.
Should I Feed My Dog A Vegetarian Dog Food courtesy of Dog Articles.
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