In Part I, we looked at the history of pet food recalls that led to illness and death in our dogs since the 1960's.  In Part II, we examined the high carbohydrate content of commercial foods that leads to a diet that is not only high in what dogs don't need, but can lead to health problems that can shorten the life span and adversely affect the immune system of dogs.

 

The veterinarian business has been booming. Scheduled appointments, rather than walk in visits are the norm today. Higher prices are charged for office visits and more sophisticated medical equipment and techniques are being used more frequently. Check any veterinarian's waiting room and the majority of the problems being addressed include skin and coat problems, gastric symptoms, kidney issues, urinary tract infections or problems with weight management. These problems generally get addressed by veterinarians prescribing antibiotics, flagyl and steroids and the dog's owner leaving with one of these along with a bag of or several cans of prescription dog food meant to address these common problems. These issues have become so common place that specialists are now available on a referral basis to address these health problems on a more advanced level.

 

Each of the 'special' diets prescribed often further reduce the protein and protein quality in the food, add more fiber, and leave dogs in worse nutritional shape. Our dogs become hungrier as their bodies crave fat for energy and satiation and the lack of high quality animal based proteins result in a loss of organ health and a further compromised immune system. While the owners of these dogs may either become more frustrated or achieve some small satisfaction with the fact that their dog has 'firmer' stools, the unfortunate truth is the, health problems continue to persist with a diet that offers poor nutritional value and is irritating to the digestive tract.

 

I hesitate to blame our veterinarians. They are practicing what they were taught in veterinary school. The nutrition textbooks and prescription diets have been developed by the dog food industry. While veterinarians may be skilled practitioners with a good ability to diagnose illness, they continue to dispense and give advice on nutrition as it was recommended and taught to them by the pet food industry.

 

Although many pet food companies may perform research on what diets are needed for our dogs in health and in illness, the real crime is, they know those types of diets can't be duplicated in dry food based diets and the production costs are often too high to provide it in canned foods.

 

For example, a dog with chronic renal failure may require a low phosphorus diet but it still needs a high quality protein diet for the kidneys to function well. This is interpreted as 'low protein' by the dog food companies and even at that; they use poor quality proteins such as soy or other plant based sources. Poor quality fat is often added to some of these diets to help maintain weight for the dog, but often can result in pancreatitis in dogs with poor kidney function.

 

The same prescription diets are also offered for calcium oxalate and struvite crystals. These two problems couldn't be more different. Dogs with calcium oxalate crystals need foods low in oxalates, however, not surprisingly, oxalates are contained mostly in grains and vegetables. Struvite crystal formation is NOT a diet related issue. Struvite crystals develop when bacteria is present in the urinary tract. Bacteria cause a high pH in the urine, which is a perfect environment for struvite crystals to form and multiply and create a urinary tract infection. The most effective and assured way to cure the infection is to have a sterile urine culture done, which determines what bacteria are present and what antibiotic is needed to treat the urinary tract infection. A UTI can be difficult to treat, so often a full 4 week course of antibiotics is needed. A follow-up urine culture is necessary after the antibiotic protocol is completed to ensure the infection is completely gone.

 

Prescription diets are dispensed for dogs with 'food' allergies on the concept that introducing a 'novel' protein will resolve this issue. However; upon examination of any commercial dry dog food there is such a large array of ingredients that it is hard to decipher what foods or ingredients might be the offender. Additionally, putting a dog on a novel protein for a long period of time will only result in an allergy to that protein. Finally, these diets are made up of processed foods and are of poor nutritional quality that they are difficult for even a healthy dog to digest and absorb. Imagine how this might affect a dog that is already having difficulties with digestion.

 

Dogs with gastric problems such as IBD, IBS and colitis are often given prescription foods that reduce fat and increase fiber. The high fiber helps remove moisture from the stool in the colon which helps produce a firm stool, but also provides less nutrition and creates irritation to the intestinal lining, creating a permanent problem. Owners think the dog is 'fixed' because its stools are firmer, however; over time, further problems can develop.  Continued inflammation of the intestinal lining results in poor absorption of nutrients and creates discomfort and pain in the dog.

 

Weight management is addressed by prescription diets with lower fat and more fiber. This, in turn, creates a dog that is constantly hungry. Dogs need fat to feel full and satisfied. Additionally, a higher carbohydrate diet is more fattening and the dog receives less of the amino acids it needs from an animal based protein diet.

 

Prescription liver diets also have problems. It is a common misconception that dogs with liver problems need less protein. Nothing could be further from the truth. Depending on the liver issue the dog may need reduced fat in the diet, as fats are processed through the liver, but the liver requires a good amount of high quality proteins to help the liver regenerate. Shunt issues or end stage liver issues that cause ammonia build up in the blood stream simply need to avoid red meat and organ meats, which contribute to this. Poultry, eggs, fish and dairy such as yogurt and cottage cheese offer a good protein source and are fine for these issues.

 

The very diets created to help with these health problems actually make the problems worse and regular commercial diets are often the impetus of these health problems in the first place, yet the public remains naïve to this fact.

 

There isn't one commercial dog food on the market today that I can recommend to any dog owner for any reason. The pet food industry, with all their own clever ways of creating marketing schemes to sell commercial dog food, has boxed themselves into a corner. There are ways they could correct this, but it would mean back stepping on everything they have preached over the last 60 years. I think many dog owners would be willing to pay more for a dog food that is healthier for their dogs. The amount spent at the veterinarian clinics reflects that.  With a growing awareness of canine nutrition by the public, it is time the pet food industry becomes more innovative. Some solutions they could use might be to develop a pet food and encourage dog owners to add some fresh animal protein to the food. The could also offer pet foods that contain fewer ingredients. Additionally, they could perhaps offer nutrition classes to veterinarians that reveal the latest research in spite of what processed dog food can offer would be helpful.

 

Unfortunately, until the time comes when large corporations truly care about the populations they claim to 'care about', dog owners need to understand their animals need to have the same quality nutrition they need for themselves. For dogs, this includes a diet that consists of fresh foods, which are animal protein and fat based. It means taking the time to do a little research to understand that a healthy diet means less illness, more longevity, and a better quality of life. This means understanding nutrition for dogs in calcium/phosphorus ratios, amount to feed and the importance of variety in the diet. These aren't difficult concepts and can be achieved in a raw or home cooked diets.

 

Usefulness of Low Glycemic Diets

For Epilepsy, Hypothyroidism, Diabetes,

Allergies, Arthritis, Yeast Infections and Cancer

October 2006

By

Lew Olson,

PhD Natural Health, LMSW-ACP

Low Glycemic Diets

While the ailments Epilepsy,
Hypothyroidism, Diabetes, Allergies, Arthritis, Yeast Infections and Cancer are
very different, they do share something in common. Diets high in sugars and/or
starches can affect these illnesses in a negative manner. As I wrote in my
online series on Canine Nutrition (from the B-Naturals newsletter from August
2005 to June 2006) dogs are carnivores and are designed to best utilize and
digest animal protein and fat. The advent of commercial diets in the last 60
years has introduced large amounts of grains and starches. These foods are
carbohydrates, which are sugars. Besides adding sugars to the diet, these foods
add more fiber and bulk to the dogs system.

Sugar in turn, directly
affects the blood sugar in the body. Canines are designed to make glucose from
amino acids (proteins) which keep the blood sugar level in a canine’s body.
This in turn, helps to keep blood sugar levels even. Feeding diets high in
grains (wheat, corn, oatmeal, barley, amaranth and rice to name a few) along
with starches (potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets and carrots) cause blood sugar
to rise and then fall. This type of action directly affects diabetes, can
trigger epileptic seizures, create aggravation in joints in dogs with
arthritis, affect thyroid conditions and lastly, offer energy to cancer cells.

As stated in all canine
nutrition textbooks, no nutritional requirement is given for these types of
foods for dogs.

The Waltham Book of
Companion Animal Nutrition states, “There is no known minimum dietary
requirement for carbohydrates”

For more information on Carbohydrates
in the Dog’s Diet:

http://b-naturals.com/Dec2005.php

With each condition listed
below, be sure to get full treatment, diagnosis and advice from your
veterinarian. The correct diagnosis under proper veterinarian care is the best
defense to treat any ailment.

Epilepsy

While research has been done
on a low carbohydrate diet for dogs with epilepsy, the results showed that
these diets didn’t help. However, the research does not indicate the type of
protein that was used or the nature of the diet (dry, fresh, cooked) and it
contained an extreme amount of fat. http://www.cvm.umn.edu/cic/completedstudies/Neuro/home.html

Also the diet was
inconclusive, due loss of some participants (owners not complying) and a
subsequent low number of dogs that completed the study.

Other factors that may
precipitate seizure activity by feeding carbohydrates may be related to food
allergies, gluten intolerance (found in grains) and lack of certain amino acids
such as taurine lost by processed or heavily cooked diets. For more information
on this, read:

http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/healthydiet.html
on the section titled “The Possible Connection between Grains and Seizures”.

While the connection is
uncertain, a fresh food diet which is medium to low fat, high in animal protein
and low in carbohydrates is worth a try and may well help in some instances.
Removing grains reduces the chance of gluten intolerance and also some
allergies. The animal protein will help provide all the amino acids a dog needs
and a fresh food diet would offer more nutrients.

Diabetes

This is a complex issue in
small animals, and the type of diabetes found between cats and dogs is
different. Cats often have type II diabetes, while type I is more common in
dogs. New research has indicated that higher protein diets are more effective
for cats, but new research is showing this may be true for dogs as well:

http://www.vetcontact.com/en/art.php?a=1268&t

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=15023591&dopt=Abstract
(same article as above, but in abstract form)

“Diet in the prevention of
diabetes and obesity in companion animals”

“Conclusion – Consumption of
diets with low carbohydrate, high protein, and moderate fat content may be
advantageous for prevention and management of obesity, impaired glucose
tolerance, and diabetes in cats and dogs. Use of low glycaemic index
carbohydrates and supplementation with carnitine, chromium, and vitamin A may
also be advantageous.”

While studies on cats
discuss that cats are carnivores and need protein, it is also true dogs are
carnivores. It is thought the higher animal protein diets create more even
sugar levels in the blood stream. And certainly a fresh food diet would provide
optimum nutrition, offering a more easily digestible food with more
bioavailable nutrients than processed foods.

Hypothyroidism

Dogs with low thyroid
(hypothyroidism) can have issues with pancreatitis, until treatment with proper
medications help bring thyroid levels back to normal ranges. These dogs also
tend to do better on homemade diets that are low glycemic, medium fat and do
well on higher protein levels. For dogs with hypothyroidism, avoid goitrogenic foods. Cooking these foods thoroughly will
negate this effect, but do not feed these as the majority of the diet: cabbage,
broccoli, turnips, rutabaga, mustard greens, kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts,
peaches, pears, strawberries, cauliflower, potatoes or corn. Remember, fully
cooking them renders them safe to consume for hypothyroid conditions.

http://www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/18912/2313/3

This article also warns to
avoid soy:

“Some
experts contend that as little as 30 mg of soy isoflavones will cause trouble
by competing with hormones for the same receptor sites on cells. Because of
that, they can cause endocrine disruptions. The endocrine system may mistake
the isoflavones for a hormone and not send out signals that the hormone needs
to be produced, which could be problematic if you already have lower than
normal levels of thyroid hormone production.”

For more information on
pancreatitis: http://b-naturals.com/Jul2004.php

For epilepsy, diabetes and
hypothyroidism, a similar diet would be used. This would include low fat, as
these conditions are prone to pancreatitis (in epilepsy due to medications),
high protein and low carbohydrate (and thus fiber). Both groups could benefit
from fish oil, for the omega 3 fatty acids, B complex vitamins, vitamin E and
digestive enzymes (for aid with fat digestion). Carnitine, chromium and vitamin
A may help with diabetes.

Here are some web sites that
list glycemic values of food:

http://www.lowglycemicdiet.com/gifoodlist.html

http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/glycemicfoodchart.htm

http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_food_diet/glycemic_index.php

These recipes listed below
are low glycemic and reduced fat for dogs with Epilepsy (if on Phenobarbital or
Potassium Bromide), hypothyroidism and diabetes.

The amount to
feed is approximately 2% to 3% of the dog’s body weight. Basically this breaks
down into this:

(one pound equals approximately two cups)

100 lb dog = 2 lb to 3 lb daily, or two meals of 1 to 1-1/2 lbs each
75 lb dog = 1-1/2 lb to 2=3/4 lb daily or two meals of 12 oz to 18 oz each
50 lb dog = 1 lb to 1-1/2 lb daily, or two meals of 8 oz to 12 oz each
25 lb dog = 8 oz to 12 oz daily, or two meals of 4 oz to 6 oz each

Smaller dogs
often have higher metabolisms, and *may* (not always) need more than the 2% to
3% of their body weight, and often do better with three smaller meals a day,
especially toy breeds.

** Puppies under
the age of six months require more frequent meals (three to four a day) and
need a bit more calcium, at about 1500 mg per pound of food served while they
are growing. Puppies will eat about 10% of their body weight at 8 weeks of age
or 2% to 3% of their anticipated adult weight

For supplements,
calcium is needed at 900 mg per pound of food served. I would also recommend
the EPA fish oil capsules at one capsule (180 EPA/120 DHA) per twenty to thirty pounds
of body weight daily. Do not add minerals, as the variety in the diet will
provide this. Do add vitamins, such as vitamin E, vitamin C and a B complex. For diet changes, probiotics and
digestive enzymes may be helpful. Berte’s Immune Blend contains vitamin C,
vitamin E, B complex, enzymes and probiotics. For a daily vitamin blend without
enzymes and probiotics, there is also Berte’s Daily Blend that contains kelp and
alfalfa which can provide trace minerals.

Sample Diet One

(one meal for a 100 lb dog, or two meals for a 50 lb dog, or four meals for a
25 pound dog)

- One lb low fat
hamburger, 4 oz beef liver or kidney
- 1 or 2 egg whites, no yolks, scrambled or soft boiled
- 1/2 cup steamed or boiled broccoli
- 1/2 cup cooked yellow crookneck squash
- 4 oz nonfat milk yogurt

Cook meat, eggs
and vegetables and mix. When cooled, add yogurt.

To this, add:
- 1600 mg of calcium , or one teaspoon of dried, ground eggshell
- One teaspoon Berte’s Green Blend (for trace minerals)
- One teaspoon of Berte’s Immune Blend per 35 lbs of body weight
daily
- Add 1,000 mg of EPA fish or salmon oil per ten pounds of body weight daily

Sample Diet Two

- One lb white meat chicken with no skin, four oz of chicken liver
- 1 or 2 egg whites, no yolk, scrambled or soft boiled
- 1/2 cup steamed or boiled Spinach
- 1/2 cup cooked cabbage
- 4 oz nonfat Cottage Cheese

Cook meat, eggs
and vegetables and mix. When cooled, add cottage cheese.

To this, add:
- 1600 mg of calcium, or one teaspoon of dried, ground eggshell
- One teaspoon Berte’s Green Blend (for trace minerals)
- One teaspoon of Berte’s Immune Blend per 35 lbs of body weight
daily
- Add 1,000 mg of EPA fish or salmon oil per ten pounds of body weight daily

Sample Diet Three

- One lb beef heart, cut into small pieces, 4 oz of pork or beef liver
- 1 or 2 egg whites, scrambled or soft boiled
- 1/2 cup steamed or boiled Bok Choy or Chinese cabbage
- 1/2 cup zucchini
- 4 oz non fat Yogurt

Cook meat, eggs
and vegetables and mix. When cooled, add yogurt.

To this, add:
- 1600 mg of calcium, or one teaspoon of dried, ground eggshell
- One teaspoon Berte’s Green Blend (for trace minerals)
- One teaspoon of Berte’s Immune Blend per 35 lbs of body weight
daily
- Add 1,000 mg of EPA fish or salmon oil per ten pounds of body weight daily

Sample Diet Four

- One can 16 oz Mackerel or Salmon, drained and rinsed
- 1 or 2 egg whites, scrambled or soft boiled
- 1/2 cup broccoli
- 1/2 cup Kale or other dark leafy green
- 4 oz nonfat Cottage Cheese

Cook vegetables
and eggs (no need to cook the canned fish, it is already cooked) and mix
together. No calcium is needed as mackerel, salmon or sardines already contain
soft, steamed bones for calcium content.

To this, add:
- One teaspoon Berte’s Green Blend (for trace minerals)
- One teaspoon of Berte’s Immune Blend per 35 lbs of body weight
daily
- Add 1,000 mg of EPA fish or salmon oil per ten pounds of body weight daily

The last health conditions
of cancer, arthritis and allergies would use similar diets, but can use higher
fats.

Cancer



Cancer cells use sugar found
in the body for energy. So elimination of high glycemic foods is important,
along with high quality animal protein sources. Higher fat is also recommended,
to maintain weight and help with energy. More information on this can be found
here:

Nutrition for Dogs with
Cancer

http://www.b-naturals.com/Sum1998.php

Diets for Dogs with Cancer

http://b-naturals.com/Jun2004.php

Arthritis

The biggest concern for
management of pain in arthritis is to try and reduce inflammation. Along with
this is the need to keep a dog with sore joints lean. One way to achieve this
is by avoiding grains and starches, which can be fattening. Vegetables from the
nightshade family, such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and peppers are also to
be avoided, as these are thought to aggravate inflammation from arthritis. EPA
fish oil will also help as the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil help to
control inflammation. Formulas with Glucosamine, Chondroitin and manganese can
help helpful to lubricate the joints, and help reduce inflammation. The Berte’s
Flexile Plus is a good choice, and is made from human grade materials. The
Yucca Intensive is an herbal tincture, and given at one drop per ten lbs of
body weight WITH meals can help fight inflammation.

Allergies

These can be difficult to
pinpoint, and often the biggest questions are:

-Is this an allergy?

-And if so, it is
environmental or food related?

Frequent bathing and
inspection of anything new in the home (carpeting, bedding, household cleaners,
yard sprays, etc) will often help in determining an environmental allergy. But
food allergies are more difficult, as most commercial dog foods contain
numerous ingredients. Food elimination diets are best, with a goal to reach a
variety of foods, as sticking to a one diet will only lead to more food
intolerance.

Home cooking provides a way
to offer better nutrition, fewer ingredients that commercial foods contain and
a way to control what your dog eats. With the recipe suggestions offered here,
you have a basis for a balanced diet (calcium to phosphorus, amounts of animal
protein and fat) but can pick and choose the ingredients that best suit your
dog. Never forget about variety, as dogs require this to obtain a good
selection and balance of amino acids and nutrients. Feeding the same things
over and over can result in allergies or lacking nutrients. Omega 3 fatty acids
found in fish can help with the coat and skin and reduce inflammation from
itching and red skin.

Yeast

Yeast infections can often
come with allergies, due to constant scratching and itching. Certain
medications used to treat skin problems can encourage yeast growth. Yeast
thrives when steroids are given. Antibiotic use tends to kill the beneficial
bacteria, which in turn can cause yeast to grow without these present which
naturally help fight them off. Some of these symptoms imitate allergies, and
often these two problems can ‘ping pong’ back and forth. A skin culture can
often determine which problem is present. For more reading on yeast problems,
go here: http://b-naturals.com/Apr2002.php

Yeast grows and thrives on
sugar, so eliminating high glycemic foods from the diet can help. Probiotic
Powder is also helpful in fighting a yeast overgrowth, as well as frequent
bathings with an oatmeal based shampoo, and rinsing with a solution of half
white vinegar and water. Olive leaf Extract and Yeast and Fungal Tincture are
also helpful to combat yeast. But a visit to your Veterinarian is the best way
to determine if your dog has a yeast problem.

Here are four recipes that
are helpful for all these conditions.

Cooked diets
also need to offer variety, and large batches can be packaged into meal sized
portions and frozen for later use. Feeding amounts are the same, approximately
2% to 3% of the dog’s body weight
daily. For instance, a 100 pound dog would eat two to three pounds of food a
day, a fifty pound dog would eat one to one and a half pounds of food daily,
and a 25 pound dog would eat 1/2 pound to 3/4 pound daily. A cup is
approximately 8 ounces or 1/2 pound, some dogs will do well on two meals a day,
others may need three or four smaller meals a day.

Do not overcook
the meat, but rather cook lightly which will retain more of the nutrients.
Butter can be used for cooking (unsalted butter for those dogs with kidney or
heart problems), for flavor and palatability.

Sample Diet One

(one meal for a 100 lb dog, or two meals for a 50 lb dog, or four meals for a
25 pound dog)

- One lb regular
hamburger, 4 oz beef liver or kidney, cook with small amount of butter
- 1 or 2 eggs, scrambled or soft boiled
- 1/2 cup steamed or boiled broccoli
- 1/2 cup cooked yellow crookneck squash
- 4 oz whole milk yogurt

Cook meat, eggs
and vegetables and mix. When cooled, add yogurt.

To this, add:
- 1600 mg of calcium , or one teaspoon of dried, ground eggshell
- One teaspoon Berte’s Green Blend (for trace minerals)
- One teaspoon of Berte’s Immune Blend per 35 lbs of body weight
daily
- Add 1,000 mg of EPA fish or salmon oil per ten pounds of body weight daily

Sample Diet Two

- One lb ground chicken, four oz of chicken liver, cook with small amount of
butter
- 1 or 2 eggs, scrambled or soft boiled
- 1/2 cup steamed or boiled Spinach
- 1/2 cup cooked cabbage
- 4 oz Cottage Cheese

Cook meat, eggs
and vegetables and mix. When cooled, add cottage cheese.

To this, add:
- 1600 mg of calcium, or one teaspoon of dried, ground eggshell
- One teaspoon Berte’s Green Blend (for trace minerals)
- One teaspoon of Berte’s Immune Blend per 35 lbs of body weight
daily
- Add 1,000 mg of EPA fish or salmon oil per ten pounds of body weight daily

Sample Diet Three

- One lb ground pork, 4 oz of pork or beef liver, cook with small amount of
butter
- 1 or 2 eggs, scrambled or soft boiled
- 1/2 cup steamed or boiled Bok Choy or Chinese cabbage
- 1/2 cup zucchini
- 4 oz Whole Milk Yogurt

Cook meat, eggs
and vegetables and mix. When cooled, add yogurt.

To this, add:
- 1600 mg of calcium, or one teaspoon of dried, ground eggshell
- One teaspoon Berte’s Green Blend (for trace minerals)
- One teaspoon of Berte’s Immune Blend per 35 lbs of body weight
daily
- Add 1,000 mg of EPA fish or salmon oil per ten pounds of body weight daily

Sample Diet Four

- One can 16 oz Mackerel or Salmon
- 1 or 2 eggs, scrambled or soft boiled
- 1/2 cup broccoli
- 1/2 cup Kale or other dark leafy green
- 4 oz Cottage Cheese

Cook vegetables
and eggs (no need to cook the canned fish, it is already cooked) and mix
together. No calcium is needed as mackerel, salmon or sardines already contain
soft, steamed bones for calcium content.

To this, add:
- One teaspoon Berte’s Green Blend (for trace minerals)
- One teaspoon of Berte’s Immune Blend per 35 lbs of body weight
daily
- Add 1,000 mg of EPA fish or salmon oil per ten pounds of body weight daily