nutrition

“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use.  When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.”  –Ayurvedic Proverb

The Art of Dogs approaches canine nutrition with this proverb in mind.  We advocate an organic, simple and species appropriate diet–the raw diet.  A diet composed of raw meat, bones, and organs.  Behaviorally, our loyal friends are much different than their wolf ancestors.  Physiologically, however, they are much the same.

 

Basics

• Dental structures of the canine mouth indicate they are carnivores.  Their teeth are shaped and structured to rip, tear, and gnaw.  Conversely, human teeth are shaped and structured to chew.
• Canine stomach acid is 2-4x as powerful as human stomach acid, giving them the ability to digest raw meat, skin and bones.
• Canine digestive tracts are around 5ft long, whereas human colons are nearly 30ft long.
• A dog’s stomach is where most of their digestion occurs, opposite of us humans whose food digests much slower and spends most of it’s time breaking down in the colon.

Benefits of Raw

• Improved dental health.  Raw fed dogs’ teeth are white and tartar free throughout their life due to the constant gnawing motion their mouth makes at each meal.  They are literally scraping the tartar from their teeth when gnawing on bones and crunching through meat.
• Balanced digestion.  Raw fed dogs absorb and assimilate most of the food they eat, resulting in small and perfectly formed eliminations.  This is also where they gain most of their hydration.
• Healthy skin and coat.  Raw fed dogs gain all the necessary nutrients, moisture, and oils from their raw meaty bones resulting in beautifully soft and plush coats.  Feeding raw can also reduce shedding, common skin irritations, early graying, and “stinky hand” syndrome – referring to how your hand smells and has a dirty film on it after petting kibble fed dogs.
• Healthy and strong bones.  The raw diet provides a constant source of vitamins and minerals at each meal, the building blocks necessary for bone and total body strength.
• Natural resistance to fleas, ticks and worms.  Feeding raw will change the pH level of a dog’s blood, making them less attractive to common canine pests.
• Balanced and optimal immunity.  Raw food is simple, organic, rich with moisture and includes minimal ingredients–raw meat, bones and organs.  Kibble typically is full of grains, fillers, chemicals, preservatives, and lots of ingredients that we don’t recognize nor can we pronounce.  All these unnecessary ingredients must be detoxed through their GI tract and skin, resulting in inflammation (the root of all disease).   Raw food is full of vitamins, minerals, moisture; providing your dog with the building blocks to create a strong natural defense system against disease.  Raw food works with a dog’s body while kibble creates a constant need for detoxification.  If a dog’s immune system is constantly detoxing its food, then it has less time and no nutrients to devote to maintaining optimal health and fighting off bacteria, virus, and fungi.
• Calm, grounded behavior.  Food affects behavior.  Most kibbles contain carbohydrates which break down into sugars.  Sugars cause inflammation, the root of all diseases, and cause the body to be more hyper and at times will cause your dog’s system to be in a constant state of “fight or flight.”  Raw fed dogs are calmer and more balanced.  Their bodies are in a state of ease, full of all necessary nutrients, minerals and moisture.  Species appropriate food equals a calmer, more grounded pup.
• Longevity.  Feeding raw is a holistic approach to diet that does not just satisfy hunger but serves as lifelong preventative medicine.  A natural approach to canine health combined with feeding raw increases immunity, prevents joint deterioration, many cancers, diabetes, dehydration, digestive issues, and much much more.  The goal is total wellness of mind, body and spirit.

Helpful Links

• Dogsnaturallymagazine.com
• Primalpooch.com
• Thebonesandco.com
• Perfectlyrawsome.com
• Rawdogfoodandco.com
• Rawfeedingmiami.com
• Adoredbeast.com
• Wildlyblended.com

Feeding a raw diet allows for optimum canine health and is the most effective way to keep your best friend out of the vet’s office and by your side for many, many years.

“The art of healing comes from nature and not from the physician.  Therefore, the physician must start from nature with an open mind.”  –Paracelsus