Raw Diets, Weight Loss, All About Protein, New Kitchen Exclusive and Weekly Recipes
If you’ve been following this newsletter you probably know that I think very high protein diets are not optimal for pups. I’ve shared the research that helped to form my opinion before, but it’s worth repeating. See below.
There is an exception, however, and it’s for overweight dogs. There is a pretty substantial body of evidence to suggest that the most effective diet for weight loss is high protein and high fiber. This week we’ve included a Kitchen Exclusive recipe that uses beef and salmon (no oysters needed). Keep in mind that once your dog returns to a normal weight it’s best to switch back to a maintenance diet. And portion control! They need less food than you think, though they always act hungry.
Kitchen Exclusive-Beef & Salmon Casserole for Weight Management
Soup Dogplings
So why is a high protein diet not optimal for normal weight dogs?
Dog protein requirements have been a subject of study for decades. A 1966 study estimated the protein requirements of dogs to be between 0.4-0.6 g/kg of body weight. A 2020 study showed that high protein diets (46% dry matter) increased metabolites associated with kidney disease and increased proteolytic bacteria (those that break down protein) in stools.
The increase of metabolites doesn’t necessarily suggest that its causing kidney disease, but it does indicate increased strain. Also, the presence of bacteria that live off protein in stools means that this protein is not being digested by the dog and instead passes through to be consumed by the bacteria.
But because dogs have a higher requirement of some amino acids than people, a low protein diet is also not optimal. Maintenance recipes on this blog shoot for between 30-35% protein.
Can protein be used for energy?
Yes, but like most things in biology, it’s complicated. Dogs, humans and most mammals prefer to use protein to do things in cells. (Cats appear to be a rare exception and readily use protein as an energy source.) Hemoglobin, for example, is the protein that transports oxygen from our lungs to our cells. Because protein is more energy intensive to get, animals tend to conserve it. The reason is pretty simple. Plants, the main source of biological energy on the planet, make carbohydrates from the sun (photosynthesis).
Animals, like cows can create protein from eating plants. (Technically it’s the bacteria that live in their guts that make protein.) Humans and dogs need to consume essential amino acids from their foods (building blocks of proteins). Protein is protected from being broken down by the body because it has biological functions, whereas carbs and fat are mostly used as fuel.
Protein is kind of like wood in the human world, we can use wood to make fire but we prefer to use it to make furniture or build houses. Wood is pretty expensive to harvest and transport. Trees also take a long time to grow AND when we burn wood, the smoke is toxic (burning protein is much less toxic).
Raw meat-based diets are better than kibble but are probably suboptimal
Going back to our wood analogy, if you have tons of wood, you would still burn it for heat when you’re cold, even if it’s not super efficient or preferred. Similarly, raw meat-based diets (RMBDs) are reported to produce healthier dogs and shinier coats. Compared to kibble-based diets this is undoubtedly true. Any whole food diet is better than super processed foods laden with preservatives and supplemented with synthetic vitamins.
However, there is no evidence that these diets are better than a balanced home-cooked diet. In fact it’s just the opposite. In addition to most meat-based diets being too high in protein, modern farming practices and pathogens create added danger that did not exist when humans and dogs first came together thousands of years ago.
Fans of raw diets claim that we should be feeding dogs food similar to what they would eat in the wild. This is naive for several reasons. First, archaeological evidence dates domesticated dogs back to at least 30,000 years ago. Since dogs have much shorter life spans, this is equivalent to over 200,000 human years. Second, dogs have adapted to digest carbohydrates as evidenced by enzymes in their digestive tracts. Real wild dogs like wolves, coyotes and dingos lack these enzymes.
What is the optimal dog diet?
I wish we knew for sure. We barely know what’s optimal for humans, let alone dogs. So if any person tells you they definitively know what is best for dogs...run! Given that uncertainty, there are general guidelines that vary based on context. If we use people as an example, professional athletes, sedentary office workers, and active folks all would benefit from different diets. Similarly, working dogs, lazy pups and active dogs benefit from different diets. Here are some general guidelines base on CURRENT research:
Fat: Dogs appear to prefer fats as a fuel source. According to Waltham (owned by Mars) dogs prefer a diet with 63% fat. But does this mean we should give it to them? It depends on activity level.
Protein: Maintenance recipes range between 30-35% calories from protein.
Carbohydrate: Maintenance recipes range from 10-20% carbohydrate. I find a slightly higher carb content helps with the consistency of their poops.
Working dogs: Studies on working dogs show that very low carbohydrate diets (<1% carbohydrate) increased activity levels. See post here.
Weight loss: As mentioned above this is the exception for protein ranges. Research indicates that high protein, high fiber diets help dogs feel fuller and lose weight faster. So our weight loss formulations are 40% calories from protein or more.
That’s it for this week!
All the best,
Joelle, Cedric and Edith