Our dogs offer us trust, blind devotion, loyalty and unconditional love and will continue to do so the whole of their lives. It is surely up to us as owners to provide in return the best care that we can. Mostly, we do this pretty well, but there is one area where we have been falling down, without realizing it. I’m talking about dog nutrition. 

During the last two decades of the 20^th century and on into the 21^st, our lives have become ever more busy, our time has become ever more precious and we have come to rely more and more on convenience to feed both ourselves and our dogs. For ourselves, there is take-out food, dining out, pre-packaged “heat and eat” meals, and many other ways to minimize food preparation. For our dogs, it has become even easier for us – we can simply open a can, or pour kibble into a bowl. There’s no mess, it takes no time and we know we are giving  them “complete and balanced nutrition”.

Well, that’s what I used to think, anyway. We all did. We’ve been constantly educated via clever advertising, marketing campaigns, and deceptive food packaging until we believe that commercially processed dog food offers the best dog nutrition. Even most Vets believed this and would advise dog owners to feed their dogs this way.  

Since the major pet food recall of March 2007, we can no longer be deceived. We now know that processed dog food is not always safe, we know it does not necessarily contain the best of ingredients (even that some of the ingredients are not really food!) and that it can contain toxic ingredients to preserve it, to enhance its appearance and to raise its crude protein measurement. Can we knowingly continue to feed such stuff to our dogs, who trust us and depend on us for their care? 

We can do better – and it’s not difficult. We can feed our dogs nutritious, delicious, healthy and safe food by changing to a homemade dog food plan. It’s much easier than you might think. I have done it myself for my old dog and the improvement in her health and energy levels is nothing short of a miracle.

There is an overwhelming amount of dog food and dog health information online, although you have to sift through a lot that is biased one way or another, and a lot that offers conflicting advice. To save you the time and trouble, I have brought most of the more sensible information together into a free, 7-part course outlining the steps you can take to create better dog nutrition. You can click here to get started now.

Don’t we owe it to our devoted canine friends to educate ourselves so that we can make informed choices about dog nutrition and dog health care? A little effort now could repay us with a longer, healthier life for our dogs.

Digestion is the process by which food materials are broken down into their simplest forms so that nutrients can be absorbed into, and utilized by, the body. Understanding how the dog digestive system operates is key to understanding the best choice of dog food for your dog. One way to achieve this understanding is to compare the dog digestive system with our own.

Dogs are primarily meat eaters (carnivores), although like us, they can eat other types of food. It’s the teeth that tell the difference: while our teeth are those of a true omnivore, with flat molars designed to grind and chew nuts, grains and other plant matter, dogs’ teeth have the sharp blade-like edges that are meant for cutting and tearing raw meat. They don’t chew their food the way we do, but rather swallow it in whole chunks. This is because no digestion of the food happens until it reaches the dog’s stomach. We humans have to chew our food in order to break it down and mix it with saliva, because our saliva contains the digestive enzyme ptyalin, which starts the digestion of carbohydrates.

The stomach is a reservoir with strong muscular walls, which churn the food around in order to mix it with the hydrochloric acid, digestive enzymes and mucus secreted by the stomach lining. The mucus serves to protect the stomach tissue from itself being digested. The food is held and mixed in the stomach until the initial stage of digestion is complete and the food has gained a liquid consistency like thick soup. This liquid is known as “chyme.”

The chyme leaves the stomach through a strong, circular muscle called the “pyloric sphincter” and enters the duodenum, which is the first part of the small intestine. Here, further digestion takes place, with more enzymes added from the pancreas and liver. From this point on, the dog digestive system and its human counterpart do not differ much. Most digestion is completed in the duodenum, and absorption of nutrients takes place in the remainder of the small intestine.

In the large intestine there is some bacterial activity that serves to break down any remaining fibrous material, which can sometimes lead to flatulence. Dogs don’t deal with fibre very well and undigested plant matter can sometimes be observed in their faeces. The function of the large intestine is mainly to absorb moisture so that the stool becomes formed, and to act as a storage place for the stools until they can be voided via the anal sphincter. 

Relax: it’s not necessarily your cooking that’s at fault! If your dog has only ever had kibble, then it may take him a while to get used to homemade dog food. Here are five tips to help him learn to enjoy real food.

Be sneaky: Introduce the new dog food gradually by mixing a little into his normal food, increasing the new food slowly over a period of days. Homemade dog food is a new experience for him in texture as well as flavour, so it’s hardly surprising if he takes some time to adjust.

Too hot? Remember to let recently cooked food cool to room temperature before offering it to your dog. Check that there are no “hot spots” in the middle of the meal, especially if you have used the microwave.

Let him get hungry: Remove uneaten food after about ten minutes. Your dog does not need to snack or “graze”: he is not a sheep. If you are trying to encourage him to eat something new, he will be much more interested if he has had the chance to actually get hungry. A dog’s natural eating pattern is to eat a big meal when the opportunity presents itself, then to rest. Regular meals only became part of canine life after mankind domesticated the first wolf. It is OK to feed your adult dog only once or twice a day.
 

Boost the flavour: try a sprinkle of grated parmesan, or a drizzle of tasty stock. If it smells delicious, you have the game half won. If you are introducing raw meat and your dog isn’t keen, try quickly browning the outside of the meat before you offer it to him, until he gets the idea.
 

Competition: If you have another dog, or even a cat, try feeding the two of them together: psychology can work wonders. If all else fails, try pretending you are eating some of the dog food yourself. This always works for me. Most dogs seem convinced that if the food is on the human plate it must be something special!  The last resort might be to actually share something with him that you really are eating: I never knew a dog that could resist a piece of sausage.

Whatever you do, don’t give up. When your dog has been eating homemade dog food for a few weeks and you can see the improvement in his well being, you’ll be glad you persisted.

Homemade dog food in itself should not give your dog diarrhea as long as you follow a few simple rules.
 

Make changes gradually: a sudden change in diet may upset a dog with a sensitive stomach, so introduce new foods only one at a time: that way, you can easily identify anything that is going to cause a problem. Start by feeding about one part of the new food to about three parts of the old food, increasing slightly over a few days. When you are sure that the first new food is not causing any upset, start to introduce a second new food in the same way.
If your dog has only ever been fed with kibble, it may take a while for his stomach to adjust. I would start with a small portion of cooked lamb or chicken, mixed with the kibble. When the dog is comfortably tolerating about half in half of that, I would add a little well cooked rice (so now your dog’s meal is ½ cooked meat, ¼ rice, ¼ kibble). If no upsets occur, your dog will be having cooked meat and rice with no kibble after a few days. Now, keeping the meat portion of the meal at about half, you can gradually introduce cooked vegetables (still keeping to only one new food at a time), by replacing a small portion of the rice.
If you want to introduce a different source of animal protein, such as beef or egg, follow the same steps, but replace a part of the cooked meat with the new food.
If your dog has an upset with a new food, stop feeding that food for now. You can try introducing it again later, when the dog has settled into the new eating plan.
Once you have the dog comfortably adapted to eating your homemade dog food all cooked, you can try giving some or all of the meat raw. As before, the trick is to introduce any change gradually.
 

Practice good hygiene in your kitchen: there is a view sometimes promoted that raw food can carry infectious organisms. Pathogens are all around us: appropriate hygiene is necessary in everything we do, be it minding the neighbour’s children, riding an escalotor or preparing homemade dog food (or people food for that matter!). The key to preventing illness by contamination of food is handwashing. Wash your hands before and after handling raw meat, dry them well using a clean hand towel or paper towel; keep kitchen utensils clean. You should have a separate chopping board that is used only for meat and that you wash thoroughly straight after use. All meat should be stored covered or wrapped in the refrigerator, with raw meat on a lower shelf (so that it cannot accidentally drip onto other food).
 

Raw versus cooked: My personal preference is to feed meat and bones raw (never feed cooked bones) and to feed vegetables cooked. I have observed that raw veggies, even grated, seem to pass through unchanged! Eggs and fish should be fed cooked, cereals (grains) must be fed cooked, small tidbits of fruit can be offered raw.

No eating plan will suit all dogs or all owners. There’s a lot of conflicting advice around, often promoted by someone who has something to sell. It’s your dog and your lifestyle: read as much as you can, visit dog forums and blogs, educate yourself; with some patient experimenting you will be able to work out what suits both you and your dog best.

1. Only commercially prepared dog food offers a “complete and balanced” diet: Surely we have been brainwashed here? The pet food industry is so lucrative for the big-name manufacturers, that they devote a huge budget to marketing, advertising and seductive packaging. If anyone tried to tell a mother that the only way she could feed her children “complete and balanced” nutrition was with a processed, packaged (or canned) food and nothing else, she would be horrified! How did dogs survive before commercial dog food was available? 

2. Dry dog food benefits teeth and gums: Are biscuits good for our kids’ teeth? We are supposed to believe that chewing hard biscuits mimics the effect of chewing raw meat. In reality, stale material lodges around the dog’s teeth, causing plaque buildup. 

3. Eating the same food every day is better for my dog’s digestion: While it is true that you should make radical changes to your dog’s diet gradually, a variety of meal ingredients given as part of the regular diet is no more disturbing to our dogs than it is to us.  

4. Changing my dog’s diet will cause diarrhea: Commercial dog foods can include a lot of “filler” ingredients, causing production of large stools. Artificial “stool hardeners” in the foods prevent these large stools from also being objectionably loose. If you decide to change your dog to “real” food, make the change slowly, gradually weaning the dog off the “artificial” food over several days. Introduce new foods one at a time. Your dog’s stools will become smaller and less offensive. They might seem soft initially, but will eventually settle to being soft but formed. 

5. Too much fat is bad for dogs: Obesity is now a major human health concern. As humans, we are constantly encouraged to eat less fat. Dogs, however, do not have the same issues with animal fat. In fact, unless your dog is overweight, he actually needs fat in his diet, especially if he is a working dog, or very active. We humans use carbohydrate food (grains, cereals, fruit and vegetables) for energy. The canine digestive system is designed to process meat, bones and fats; dogs need fat for energy. 

6. Bones are bad for dogs: Wrong! Cooked bones are bad for dogs. They can splinter and damage the gut. However, managed sensibly, raw bones are beneficial to teeth and gums and provide a relaxing treat. If you are worried about feeding raw bones, use mutton flap or brisket, which contain quite soft bones.  

7. Milk products are bad for dogs: Some adult dogs can lack the digestive enzyme needed to process lactose. Try your dog with a small volume of milk to see what happens. Milk products such as yoghurt (natural, unsweetened), cottage cheese, and buttermilk are excellent foods for dogs, and good sources of bioavailable calcium. 

8. Raw food is dangerous for dogs because of bacterial contamination: When handling raw meat for dogs, we need to practice the same standards of hygiene that we use for our own food. This is more to protect ourselves than to protect our dogs. Dog saliva has an enzyme that destroys pathogenic organisms; canine stomach acid is strong enough to destroy harmful bacteria. Keep a separate chopping board for meat; wash your hands and utensils after preparing your dog’s food; keep leftovers covered and refrigerated; keep raw meat wrapped in the fridge. 

9. Raw eggs are bad for dogs: Raw eggs contain a substance that interferes with the absorption of biotin. However, eggs are such a valuable nutrient source that their benefits far outweigh this small disadvantage. 

10. Older dogs need less protein: Actually, older dogs need more protein, and better quality protein because as they age, their digestive systems become less efficient. Good quality (animal) protein is more easily utilized and more nutritious for them.

Nothing will ever be as easy as pouring the kibble into a bowl, but with a little planning and organization, feeding real food, homemade from wholesome ingredients, need not be complicated. The joy with which your dog eats, the security that comes from knowing his food is safe, the improved health of your dog, and the saving in veterinary costs can make this small effort very rewarding.

For anyone who is still trying to decide whether or not to try “real food” for their dog, here are ten benefits that you can expect when you stop feeding your dog on processed junk food.

You save money: Sourcing economical ingredients such as cheap cuts of meat and fresh vegetables in season and grown locally, can work out cheaper than paying for so-called premium brand, processed dog foods. Not only that, because your dog is healthier, you have reduced veterinary costs.

Your dog’s energy levels will improve: If your dog has been lethargic, you will notice his energy level increase as his general health improves.

Calmer behaviour from excitable dogs: It’s true: nervous or excitable dogs are likely to become more relaxed when food colouring and other chemicals are removed from their diets.

Improved body condition: As their vitality improves and they expend more energy, overweight dogs lose weight when the carbohydrate portion of their diet is reduced. Thin dogs gain muscle with the benefits from high quality protein and fat.

Naturally clean teeth and fresh smelling breath: Artificial food that sticks around their teeth is the main cause of poor gum and dental health in dogs. When your dog is given whole chunks of raw meat to chew, there is a beneficial, mechanical massaging effect on the teeth and gums, which prevents plaque build up. No more “dogsbreath.”

Improvement in skin and coat: Once your dog’s system no longer has to struggle with an overload of carbohydrates, indigestible filler ingredients, and poor quality fats, itchy “hotspots” in the skin disappear. Better quality fats and oils promote a soft, lustrous coat.

Reduction in stiffness, painful joints and inflammatory bowel disease: Many grains in processed dog foods are the cause of painful inflammatory reactions. It is common for these problems to disappear when you are feeding real food and easy to identify the culprit if they continue.

Elimination of doggy BO: Yes, your dog’s health will improve dramatically. Healthy dogs don’t smell!

Smaller, less offensive stools: Dogs are more easily able to properly digest real food, so there’s not so much waste product (less for you to pick up!). Because the food has been properly digested, the stools are not nearly so smelly.

You know what your dog is getting to eat: With all the bad publicity there has been over pet food recently, it’s great to be 100% certain that what your dog is eating is safe. You know, because you sourced the original ingredients.

In my view, that peace of mind is a pearl beyond price.

The first difficulty lies in knowing what to feed. The short answer is: animal protein (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products), vegetables, whole grains and fruit. 

Secondly, we assume that it must be very expensive to feed a dog on such ingredients. In my experience, this is not so. Our dogs do not need the best cuts of meat; chicken necks, mutton flaps, stewing chops, brisket or shin of beef will do them fine. If you have a deep freezer and can buy meat in bulk lots it can work out to be very cheap. Fruit and vegetables in season and locally grown are economical and healthy, as are plain yoghurt and whole grains. On the plus side, I have found that feeding real, wholesome food has brought such an improvement in my dog’s health that I have had a huge saving in Vet bills. 

The next argument usually raised against home made dog food concerns that rather over used phrase “complete and balanced nutrition.” Years of exposure to clever advertising, marketing campaigns and expensive packaging have brainwashed most of us into believing that only processed “artificial food” will provide our dogs with an adequate diet. By implication, canine nutrition is so complex that the average person could not possibly be intelligent enough to do it well. Try telling that to any mother who has raised a healthy family! With blind faith we have put the key to our dogs’ well being into the hands of a few, profit-driven, multi national companies. Now, you decide who is going to be more concerned about a dog’s wellbeing – you, as the owner, or the dog food manufacturerwith an eye on the bottom line of the balance sheet! It’s time to put ourselves in control and take back responsibility for our dogs’ health. 

Finally, let’s return to the issue of practicality or, if you prefer, convenience. Obviously, nothing is going to be as quick and easy, or as non-messy, as pouring the kibble into a bowl. However, shopping for the ingredients and preparation of home made dog food does not have to be difficult. We can find all the ingredients we need while we are doing the routine grocery shopping. I keep an eye out for items like cottage cheese or canned tuna when they are offered at a discount; I buy seasonal vegetables and fruit for the family – the dog’s share of those is minimal. I buy bulk lots of human grade meat from a discount butcher. Some of the meat I will cook in a large batch, then freeze in meal sized portions. Some of it I just package raw. It hardly takes me any time, slotted into my other food preparation activities. Once it’s all packed and frozen, it’s almost as quick and convenient as packet food (as long as I remember to get it out of the freezer in time). 

Since I changed her diet to home made food, my dog has exhibited improvements in her health and energy which are nothing short of miraculous. On top of this, I have the peace of mind that comes from knowing exactly what she is eating. That, in my view, is priceless.

“Real” food saved me from having my dog, Sky, put down. It’s true. In late 2006, she was visibly old, stiff, lame in one shoulder and reluctant to move, showed no interest in life and spent 23 hours a day sleeping. She had even started wetting her bed in preference to making the effort to go outdoors. Counting on my fingers, I realised she was 14 years old! The time every dog owner fears was upon me. It was time to say good-bye. I couldn’t bear it! She had been a part of the family for so long. She had been my comfort in so many difficult times.

That night, as if she read my thoughts, Sky refused her premium brand dog biscuits, specially formulated for senior dogs. I served her a portion of the family meal, which was beef casserole and vegetables and she ate it all up. I decided that if her days were numbered, it didn’t matter what she ate, so I continued sharing family meals with her, while I procrastinated about her final visit to the Vet.

Six weeks later, it was Christmas time and family members who had been overseas came home to visit. My daughter remarked straight away that Sky was looking good.

“What have you been doing with her?” she asked. “Have you found a miracle drug?”

Without thinking, I responded “No, I’ve been feeding her with real food.”

And so, the phrase “real food” in our household was born. We still have Sky after eighteen months. She is 16 years old, but she is as lively and energetic as she was ten years ago, although she’s not quite fast enough any more to catch rabbits. I am still feeding her real food; indeed, I would never again subject a dog or cat to food from a packet or can – what I call artificial or junk food for pets. I make all Sky’s food myself, using human grade ingredients suitable for dogs. I find it no more expensive than feeding her the so-called premium dog food I used to give her, and no more trouble than preparing food for the rest of the family. 

Sky’s final visit to the Vet looks to be a long way into the future.

Sky is a regular visitor to my local Vet. clinic. She is contiually developing small, pre-cancerous skin lesions on her abdomen due to the fact that she has pink skin with very sparse, fine hair there, and she loves to sunbathe. I have several measures in place to thwart her sun-seeking bent, but it is amazing how clever she is at finding ways to defeat me.

So, every few months, Sky has to have new little spots frozen off. My Vet. does this with the help of a gentle sedation for Sky. Occasionally, we miss one and it grows rapidly into an ugly, purplish cancer, which then requires surgery under general anaesthetic. This had happened again and Sky was booked in for her operation a couple of weeks ago. Sky is 16 years old now, which means that my Vet. wanted to be particularly careful with her anaesthetic and with the choice of drugs Sky was given.

Everything went well, and I collected a rather groggy Sky from the Vet’s  according to plan. Only, this time, it was soon apparent to me that something was wrong with Sky. Instead of settling down to sleep off the aftermath of her anaesthetic in the warm quiet place I had prepared for her, Sky was restless, prowling around and seeming disorientated. I thought she might be in pain, but I remembered the nurse had told me they had  given her an injection for pain relief just before I collected her.

I thought she might settle down later in the evening, but far from it. In fact, she kept me up most of the night, prowling around, howling (very uncharactistic behaviour for her),  generally behaving as if she could see ghosts, and as if she was unaware of my presence.

Towards morning, she finally relaxed and we both got a couple of hours’ sleep.

A phone call to my Vet. later in the day confirmed my suspicions: in their efforts to be super safe with the drugs they used on such an old dog, they had given her a different pain killer from the one they routinely used. As a human health care professional, I knew that the particular drug they had given her can cause some patients to have hallucinations. Poor Sky had been having a “bad trip”. I asked the Vet. to make a note of her reaction so that they would not use this drug for Sky again.

If this happens to your dog, don’t panic. There is not much that can be done; you will just have to ride it out until the medication wears off. All you can do is make sure the dog is in a safe environment where it can come to no harm. Do not let the dog go outside except on a lead. The medication will wear off in a few hours.

As a precaution for the future, make sure you let your Vet know what happened. If your Vet. confirms an adverse drug reaction, make sure you record the name of the drug for future reference.  

Sky is now 16 years old, so a general anaesthetic for her is a major worry for me, even though she is pretty healthy. Even if your dog is not old, a general anaesthetic is not to be taken lightly. So, nothing to eat or drink before the surgery means exactly that, and it also means more than just witholding food and removing the water bowl. It means making sure you know that your dog has not eaten or drunk anything. The only way to be sure about this is to keep the dog under your supervision until you hand him over to the vet nurse. 

When you get your dog home again, carefully follow any post operative instructions you have been given. Have a warm, clean, comfy place prepared for the dog, preferably in a quiet location. If your dog is allowed to eat, give him a small, light meal.

It’s amazing how quickly they recover. They are much more stoic than we are.