dogs are a close relative of the wolf and are carnivores. i don't see how they would be allergic to any type of meat. it's the grains in the food that cause problems. like i said earlier, my lab used to scratch himself crazy until i switched to raw (i know this may just seem like an isolated incident but having read a lot about raw, anyone who has switched has seen improvement). dogs do not need fruits and vegetables. they get their balanced diet from raw meaty bones, raw liver, kidney, and heart.
Yeah I'm bout to jump on this Raw food stuff.. Lately, my beagle is smelling like **** lately.. I mean the boy smells like an open ass homeless person sleeping under the freeway on 59 South, I'm talkin stinky ass dog!!! I wash that boy every month...
stop feeding your dogs foods with filler, they'll stop smelling and a lot of their health issue will disappear. they'll just look plain healthier too. I feed my dog Taste of the Wild
they do not need GRAIN. fruits and vegetables certainly aren't necessary, but they are nutritious and will make help keep your dog healthy. they're non-obligate carnivores
did they rule out some bacteria in her intestines? my dog had some and was getting suuuper runny stools, its because she's 5 months old and likes to put EVERYTHING in her mouth haha. We got her on some antiobiotics and probiotics and now she is fine <img src=http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs310.ash2/59048_433070337116_732797116_5683313_414003_n.jpg>
Because dogs are related to a carnivore that makes them carnivores? Dogs eat non-meat at their own choosing and can usually do so with no problems. To me that seems like they are omnivores. Can dogs be allergic to types of meat? Absolutely. Just like humans can be allergic to anything.
sure they can eat it, but they don't need it. dogs were made to eat and digest meat. they don't have the same genetic make up as humans. why do you think they can eat their own crap and not get sick? they feed on raw meat and don't get bacterial infections like e coli and salmonella. you try eating raw chicken and tell me how it makes you feel.
You are correct. I had this same debate with my doc cancer clinic specialist. Dogs may eat more grains since they have been domesticated and with the invention of dog food...but they are still omnivores even when they were wild.
Although wolves, foxes, coyotes, etc. are primarily carnivores, they can and do eat fruit and vegetable matter.
I can eat meat, but I don't need it. Am I now an herbivore? And dogs are designed to be able to digest fruits and vegetables.
forget the carnivore/omnivore label for a second. i said they can eat fruits and vegetables but they were designed for being meat eaters. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/canine-nutrition/dogs-carnivores-omnivores/ And the debate just goes on. Are dogs carnivores… or omnivores? You know, when it comes to choosing a top dog food, you simply have to know the answer to that question. And you need to know the truth. Yet if you’ve already been told dogs are omnivores… creatures that eat both meat and plants… then what you’re about to hear may be hard to accept. That’s because scientific evidence clearly points to the fact that… Dogs Have a Genuine Carnivorous Bias From DNA studies, we know that dogs evolved directly from the timber wolf somewhere around 15,000 years ago1. And, of course, it should come as no surprise… wolves were… and still are… carnivores. So, by their very genetic pedigree, dogs (too) are carnivores… not herbivores (plant-eaters). Their teeth, their digestive systems and their behavior clearly confirm this fact. Now, to be fair… and more accurate… dogs must also be recognized for their significant omnivorous ability. After all, it’s true. They do have the ability to eat a remarkably diverse diet. But it’s wrong to ignore the fact that their bodies are optimized for eating meat. Dogs Don’t Grind… They Chop For comparison, think about a typical herbivore… a dairy cow. Now, picture the way they “chew their cud”. Cows chew widely from side-to-side. And they have broad, flat back teeth… ideal for grinding grains and plant material into finer particles. Even omnivores share this same combination of boxy back teeth and sideways grinding motion common to herbivores. Think of your own mouth and how you chew. Dogs, on the other hand, don’t have flat teeth. Like most carnivores, they have narrow pointy back teeth. Plus dogs can’t chew from side-to-side. Their jaws can only move in an up-and-down, chop-chop motion. It’s the perfect combination for cutting meat into smaller chunks. Why Dogs Don’t “Do” Carbohydrates Very Well Now, herbivores (and omnivores) have one powerful weapon carnivores usually lack… Salivary amylase. Amylase is a special enzyme plant-eating animals produce in their saliva. It’s needed to initiate the break down of starchy carbohydrates… before they enter the stomach. Now, meat-eating animals also produce amylase… but the enzyme is produced further down the digestive tract… in the small intestine. The fact that a carnivore’s saliva is basically amylase-free makes carbohydrate digestion decidedly more difficult for a dog. Meat-Eater… or Plant Eater? Digestive Anatomy Reveals the Truth Since they eat fewer but larger meals, carnivores have bigger stomachs than their “grazing”, plant-eating counterparts. What’s more, meat-eating animals maintain a much higher stomach acid concentration. This allows faster, easier digestion of animal protein… and kills the disease-causing bacteria abundant in decaying meat. The small intestine also highlights the significant difference in digestive designs. Herbivores have an intestinal system that’s unusually long… sometimes greater than ten times the length of the animal’s body. Longer tracts like this are a requirement for consuming a plant-based diet. Dogs Are Optimized for Eating Meat As you can see, the evidence clearly supports it. Dogs are designed to be carnivores. Yet the facts clearly confirm their unusually flexible diet. Dogs have evolved over thousands of years in the constant shadow of Man… mostly surviving on the very food scraps and leftovers of human existence. Simply put… Dogs can eat a variety of foods. But they’re naturally designed for eating meat Today, the dog food market is literally overflowing with different product designs. Some feature meat. Some, vegetables. And yet others are made almost entirely of cereal grains… and nearly meat-free. So, how do you choose the right one for your pet? The Bottom Line Well, just knowing that dogs are naturally built for consuming meat can make it a lot easier to identify the better dog food products out there. Even though properly designed vegetarian dog foods have been proven to work, it’s important to give preference to meat-based products. All in all, meat-based dog foods are simply closer to a dog’s natural diet… more like “the real thing”. That’s why meat ingredients should always be the first thing you should look for at the top of any dog food’s ingredients list. 1. Lindblad-Toh K, Wade CM, Mikkelsen TS, et al, “Genome sequence, comparative analysis and haplotype structure of the domestic dog”, December 2005, Nature 438 (7069): 803–19 ↩
Yes. Dogs are omnivores. I'm not saying they don't want or need meat. A dog would probably be best off eating real food all the time instead of highly processed dog food. I term carnivore just isn't correct IMO, and dogs can be allergic to types of meat.
That's it! Debate settled. Buy the protein-based dry dog food with no grains then. If your vet says your dog is not getting enough grains, then tell him to piss off and check ClutchFans. :grin:
for someone who's lost a dog and about to lose another one to cancer, i would think you'd be the first to be open about this. all i know is my dog had the same health problems as others in this thread. after several visits to the vet, they did nothing but give him tests and shots, and told me the PUrina One kibble was fine. when i finally switched him to raw completely, those health issues disappeared. and you do know that vets get kickbacks from the dog food company right? so why shouldn't they recommend it.
