It's no different for dogs than it is for us humans. A healthy diet is the be-all and end-all for the well-being of our darlings. And even if our dogs are not well and are sick, we can help their health get back on track with the right nutrients and vitamins. But how?
We are often asked this question at napani. That is why we have decided to create this blog. Here we will address certain, even hotly debated, topics and share our experiences with you. Of course, a healthy, high-quality diet plays a major role in all of the dog's recovery processes. A balanced diet can also prevent dog diseases.
But why less meat? Vegan dog food – really?
Doesn't the dog actually descend from the wolf and should therefore be fed as much meat as possible?
Yes, dogs are descended from wolves, but they have long since ceased to be pure carnivores like their ancestors. This is because over the last few millennia, dogs have been fed mostly what was left over from people's meals. This means bread, cereal porridge and whatever the vegetable garden produced. This change has led to a genetic change in dogs over the millennia compared to wolves, which enables dogs to digest more carbohydrates.
If you want to read more about it, you can find the research on the gene changes and their effects in dogs here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23354050
Studies also show that dogs can eat a purely plant-based diet without suffering any health problems or sacrificing performance. This theory was proven, for example, on twelve huskies that were used for sled racing. It was shown that the six huskies that were fed a vegan diet were just as powerful as the other six that were fed a meat-based diet.
You can read the study at the following link : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5035952/pdf/animals-06-00057.pdf
When it comes to diet-related dog diseases , reducing the amount of meat in the food is a proven method of prevention. Older dogs often suffer from the widespread diathesis , better known as gout, which is caused by overfeeding animal proteins . Thus, reducing the amount of meat at an early stage can prevent this dog disease.
Source : Dr. med. vet. Peter Berger sen. & veterinarian Peter Berger jun., “Vital blood diagnostics in animals” (1st edition, Semmelweis Institute)
You see – meat is not everything. It is just one component of a healthy dog meal. As with humans, a balanced and varied diet is the solution.
It's all about the right mix!
According to specialist literature, an adult dog only needs about 35-45 percent of protein-rich food such as meat. The rest should consist of grains or pseudo-grain products such as rice or quinoa (45 to 55 percent), crude fiber-rich supplements such as vegetables (5-10 percent), oil (5 percent) and a vitamin and mineral-rich supplementary feed .
Based on these expert-supported criteria and our many years of experience, we put together our feed mixtures and individual recommendations for your pets together with our vet.
Source : Prof. Jürgen Zentek "Nutrition of the Dog" (8th edition, Enke Verlag)
Information from napani