This last week we saw a troubling post by a prominent vet, author, and social media influencer, and we wanted to respond to that. Since this erroneous post was about supplements, we did a refresher on supplements as well and wanted to share that with you all.
Before that here are some recipes you may have missed.
Also some behind the scenes footage from Cedric and Edith’s birthday party.
Misinterpreting studies
TLDR: A well known vet, author and social media influencer claimed that supplements can cause mineral deficiencies and thus stress and aggression whilst citing a study that did not even examine supplements. Even worse the method the study used to determine mineral levels CANNOT accurately determine mineral levels in animals at all.
We all miss the mark sometimes, and when we do our audience is quick to point it out. Science is built upon challenging other scientists’ work. So even though we aren’t actively working on studies at this time, we hope we can help to push the scientific dialogue. This is our effort to address something we find important.
The above post missed the mark badly. First, it makes dog diets and supplements sound scary. We don’t like scare tactics. We find them to be harmful for dialogue. Dog diets aren’t scary. After all, how much effort do you put into planning your diet? Also, we are unclear if this person is suggesting that we should not feed supplements to dogs, or saying that we should only use their supplements or listen to their expertise? None of these are warranted based on this post.
However, the biggest problem with this post is the study itself. You can read the study and deeper analysis here. In summary the paper makes the following claims:
94% of dogs in the study had tissue samples (fur clippings) consistent with mineral imbalances in their bodies. Importantly they did not analyze blood, only fur.
According to the researchers, dogs also showed physical signs of stress, but these were not published nor statistically analyzed.
So why was the (use of this) study bad?
The authors used TMA (Tissue Mineral Analysis of fur) to make conclusions about mineral deficiencies, but this technology is NOT suited for this purpose. For example, a randomized controlled trial on children, showed that zinc concentration in hair had no correlation with blood plasma levels after 9-months of treatment. Also it’s confirmed by multiple studies in dogs that darker fur has significantly higher levels of calcium and magnesium, irrespective of diet or blood serum levels.
There was no data collected on supplements or diets of the dogs in this study. We even reached out to the author to confirm. In response to asking if nutrition data of these dogs was taken, she responded: “That was not the purpose of the paper.”
The study did not wash the fur samples for fear of washing out minerals. Unfortunately, contaminants were also not washed out, which can significantly skew results. (Think how much dust is on a dog after a week.) Most of the other studies we reviewed washed samples with ethanol.
Choose your information sources carefully and always do your own additional research. Many influencers post studies without actually reading them, let alone analyzing if they are high quality. This is even true of researchers, as we covered previously on the myth of avocado toxicity.
Our current stance on supplements and diet
Science is constantly evolving. This perspective is our best effort based on current research. Note: This newsletter is for informational purposes only. We are not vets or healthcare providers and this is not medical advice.
Thoughtful / home cooked diet
As we always say, most balance and deficiency issues are the result of dogs eating the same thing every day. This is not what nature intended for scavengers like humans and dogs. When fed the same thing day after day, (especially synthetic vitamins and inorganic minerals) nutrient imbalances can amplify over time.
Many issues with balance and deficiencies can be resolved simply with a varied diet. Some natural mineral and vitamin sources are significantly easier for the body to use. For example natural forms of copper, zinc, selenium, vitamin E and vitamin A are all more easily utilized by the body. Also, humans and dogs evolved to survive through famines, so nutrients are stored in tissues. Of course we want to provide the best nutrition possible so we do our best to give the dogs (and ourselves) the best diets possible.
Here are the supplements that we use for our recipes and products:
Fish or krill oil - modern agriculture and farming practices have skewed the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in our foods. This causes inflammation and metabolic issues. Researchers link high omega-6 to omega-3 ratios to cancer, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders. See this post for more information. Feeding high-quality fish or krill oil reduces this ratio.
Sea kelp - More of a whole food than a pure supplement, sea kelp is Cedric and Edith’s main source of iodine. Iodine is low in most terrestrial foods, which is why our salt is iodized.
Egg shell - Our main source of calcium for pups. We have some questions about whether AAFCO’s requirements for calcium are appropriate, but since it is a legal requirement, we meet AAFCO requirements in our products.
Oyster powder - A nutrient powerhouse, oysters are rich in zinc, copper, selenium and many other essential micronutrients.
Roasted unsalted sunflower seeds - Mainly used for vitamin E, roasting breaks down the cell wall so that the oils are accessible when cooked.
Functional supplements - Psyllium husk fiber, adaptogenic mushrooms, fermented foods like yogurt and kefir, hemp hearts are non-essential, but helpful for general well-being.
Collagen chews - There are modest benefits to supplementing collagen; giving them to dogs in chew form also allows them to stimulate their teeth, gums, and jaws. More on collagen below.
Commercial (Kibble, “fresh” diets, air dried, etc.)
As all dog food sold in the US is required to meet AAFCO requirements, we do not recommend supplementing vitamins and minerals if your dog eats commercially prepared food. Not only are manufacturers legally required to meet these requirements, many add additional amounts (called overages) to ensure the food stays within specifications over the exceptionally long shelf life. The best thing you can do for your dog is to pick better food.
“Fresh” foods like The Farmer’s Dog and Fresh Pet are also made complete with synthetic vitamins and inorganic forms of minerals so supplements are unnecessary and could cause toxicity if given in large amounts.
Here are the supplements that we believe are compatible with commercially prepared food. As always, consult with a reputable healthcare professional before beginning any supplements.
Fish oil / krill oil - because AAFCO does not require omega-3 fatty acids, many formulations lack these essential nutrients. Furthermore, some foods are fortified with seed oils which are high in omega-6 fatty acids, raising the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in your dog diet. Large doses of fish oil are well tolerated, but we typically give about 1 g of high quality fish oil or krill oil every few days for both Cedric and Edith.
Functional foods - Psyllium husk fiber, adaptogenic mushrooms, and probiotics from fermented foods and supplements can be helpful for gut bacteria and metabolism. One study showed, 90% of police dogs resolved their idiopathic diarrhea (loose stools without identifiable cause) with the addition of psyllium husk fiber. Keep in mind that psyllium husk requires lots of water. Adaptogenic mushrooms are associated with a number of health benefits from anti-cancer properties, to supporting immune function, while fermented foods and probiotics are associated with better health outcomes.
Collagen - There is a growing body of evidence that suggests collagen supplementation can provide modest improve to skin elasticity, skin hydration, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in people. Studies in dogs have shown improvement in osteoarthritis symptoms in older dogs. Because AAFCO requirements are now lower in protein, collagen supplementation is potentially beneficial, with few downside when given in small quantities. (Collagen is not a complete protein, as it misses some essential amino acids.)
As with most things, supplements are neither panacea nor extremely dangerous. Feeding your dog is not that hard. People have been doing it for over 10,000 years without much issue. Anyone who makes feeding seem overly complicated is likely trying to sell you something.
That’s it for this week.
All the best,
Joelle and R.A.