What Do I Feed My Dog?

• Does your dog have a food allergy or sensitivity? Assuming that they don’t, I recommend trying to stick with common proteins only, like chicken, beef, fish, or turkey. The reason for this is fairly simple: one of our best tools in determining if a dog has a food allergy, and treating it, is something called a “novel protein” diet. This means finding a diet that contains proteins that your dog has not eaten before. By feeding common proteins, and avoiding foods that contain things like venison, bison, duck, quail, pork, or rabbit, you give us and your dog a wider variety of proteins to try should they develop an allergy down the line. Some of the popular boutique types of foods contain multiples of these proteins, and can make finding an option for a food trial difficult to impossible. Reading the label, not just the name, l can help to determine what proteins are in the food.
• Does your dog have any medical conditions that may impact what they need? Aside from allergies, this can include being overweight, having sensitive digestion, bladder stones, or diabetes. Some of these conditions may benefit from a prescription diet; others can be aided by picking the right over-the-counter option. 
• Does your dog like the food? Yes, that matters. Some dogs will eat literally anything in front of them; others can be picky about textures or flavors. If you have one of the latter, it may take some trial and error to find something they approve of.
• What is your budget? You need to be able to afford the food long-term. Dog food prices can vary dramatically; don’t get guilt-tripped into buying something that will make it hard to pay your bills. There are quality foods that are reasonable in cost, and in pet food, as in life, more expensive does not automatically equal better.
• Realize that pet store employees generally mean well, but the majority of them have little to no education in pet nutrition and are given talking points by their employers and by sales reps that are designed to sell certain (often more expensive) types of pet food.

There are a lot of opinions on the internet about pet food brands and manufacturers, both from “influencers” and from actual professionals in the field, on all sides—many of who have been paid well for their platforms. These opinions often include dramatic (unproven) negative stories about big companies, completely false accusations that all vets are in the pocket of “big food,” or some belief that by feeding the purest food, with the right ingredients, we can stop all allergies and cancer in our pets. I wish this were true, but unfortunately, there is no magic wand here. There’s this idea that 50 years ago all dogs and cats lived into their late teens and 20s—a myth fueled by nostalgia and a short memory—and modern diets absolutely can help dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives.

This debate has been fueled by the dramatic uptick in a heart disease called Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) over the past 10 years, which appears to be linked to the feeding of certain diets. As research has been done on it, new information and recommendations have come out. A detailed discussion of this belongs in a future blog post, but for now, I will say that the safest way to avoid increasing the risk of DCM is to stay away from foods that are high in “pulse” legumes and stick with foods produced by major manufacturers. It is possible that as more research comes out we will alter that recommendation, but at this time, we will stick with it.

What are major manufacturers? They are companies that have the following:

• A research facility where they develop and test foods, both with machine analysis and by feeding it to animals and ensuring they remain healthy.
• The diets are formulated by veterinary nutritionists who are on staff. 
• The company has a manufacturing plant or plants that allows visitors.
• The companies have a long track record of producing foods that animals stay healthy on for a lifetime. This means being cautious with new companies that are not backed by an established company with a research history. (Note: there are some newer companies that are doing quality research as well.)
• The majority of their diets have undergone AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) animal feeding trials to ensure the pets eating it are getting what they need.
• The companies do not routinely utilize negative or sensationalist advertising targeting other companies, or using buzzwords with no real definition like “human-grade,” or “natural”.

In general, I recommend feeding diets that are based in animal protein, not plant protein, when possible. This means that at least the first ingredient is a meat, poultry, or fish. Do not be scared away by meat or poultry “meals” —that simply means that the meat has been dehydrated, so that there is actually more of the animal protein in the food than if a meat is listed as fresh or deboned. However, some dogs (not cats!) will actually do very well on vegetarian or more plant-heavy diets, especially if they have allergies, so this is not a hard and fast rule.

Now, you may be wondering about raw or fresh-cooked frozen diets. These have become more and more prevalent over the years, and they vary tremendously in quality and safety. I am not opposed to raw feeding, and have done it myself, but it is important to be aware of a few things.

• Do not feed diets that are labeled “for supplemental or intermittent feeding only.”
• Do not feed diets that do not have an AAFCO statement at all. These diets should not be sold commercially, but can be sometimes found on farms or at boutiques or butchers.
• Be aware that raw diets have an increased risk of causing foodborne illness like E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Listeria not just in your dog, but also in you. Use designated equipment to feed it, ensure it has been stored properly, and wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling food. Reconsider use if a member of the household is immunocompromised, even if they don’t handle the food itself—saliva and fecal material can also spread the pathogens.
• Trying to formulate your own raw diet is difficult to say the least, and can lead to serious nutritional deficiencies. I do not recommend trying to do this without direct supervision by a veterinary nutritionist.