Real Food Is Too Rich for Dogs?
Myth busting and how to change your dog's food
When we first brought Cedric home his tummy was in rough shape. His entire litter had contracted a stomach bug and the vet put them all on antibiotics—at just 8 weeks old. His poo was a tar-like goo, and when we fed him the kibble that the breeder gave us, he couldn’t keep it down. We were worried that he wasn’t getting enough nutrition and wouldn’t grow well, so we had to do something.
Out of desperation, we tried feeding him some egg. Joelle was so scared because everything on the internet as well as vets warns about overfeeding foods like eggs because they are too rich. But in that moment, the eggs were a life saver. Not only did Cedric keep it down, he LOVED IT! From there on we never looked back and started feeding him real foods. When we checked in with his breeder she told us that those foods were too rich for him, and we should purchase a digestive support kibble. If we didn’t know better we might actually believe that we were harming him. Today we want to cover what rich food actually means and how this mistaken belief got into the dialogue. Before that, here are some rich dessert recipes:
What exactly is rich food?
Calling a food rich originated in old English around the 1600s and it didn’t just mean “wealthy”. In Middle English riche could be used to describe flavors, colors, or even textures that were luxurious or plentiful. By the 17th century it came to mean foods that were made with lots of butter, cream, eggs, sugar or spices. These ingredients were expensive, so they were associated with the wealthy.
Over time, however, rich food has come to mean dishes that are too hard on the stomach. But this is not necessarily because the food is too high in fat or protein. Typically the issues for people come when large amounts are consumed and mixed with refined carbohydrates in addition to fats and protein. Furthermore, since many rich foods are heavy on dairy products, they can irritate the digestive systems of the lactose intolerant. (Think heavily frosted cake or Crème Brûlée, for example.)
For dogs, specifically those fed a thoughtful diet like we advocate, this is a non-issue. First, we avoid refined carbohydrates. (We often use minimally processed oat flour or coconut flour.) Second we avoid traditional dairy because most dogs are lactose intolerant. (Kefir, yogurt and aged cheeses are low in lactose.) Third, we closely monitor portions to ensure they don’t eat too much in one sitting.
Why do people believe real food is too rich for dogs?
We’ve gone on about kibble ad nauseam. It’s not an ideal food for dogs, but it’s easy to make, stays shelf stable for years, and it’s cost effective. For some functions, like shelters, kibble is the only way to feed lots of dogs efficiently. But because the mix of macronutrients aren’t ideal, dogs’ stomachs adapt to digest the high carbohydrate load. (Unfortunately, some dogs can’t digest carbs well and suffer, which is possibly why breeds like the Doberman and the Golden Retriever are living shorter lives than ever.)
Many changes occur when dogs adapt to a high-carbohydrate diet.
Digestive enzymes: High carbohydrate diets require more amylase, the enzyme that breaks down starches. Thus, the pancreas of animals that are adapted to high-carbohydrate diets reduce production of enzymes required to digest fats (lipase) and protein (protease).
Gut microbiome: Refined carbohydrates are associated with lower microbiome diversity, which is linked with poorer health outcomes. Conversely, whole grains and soluble fiber are associated with lower inflammation markers and higher microbiome diversity (associated with better health).
Metabolism and hormones: Because carbohydrates all break down into glucose, high-carbohydrate diets cause more glucose spikes which require more insulin. In overfed dogs this can lead to insulin resistance. Also, high-carb diets can affect hunger signals increasing weight gain, creating a negative feedback loop.
For these reasons, when a carbohydrate adapted dog is suddenly switched to a high-fat diet, their digestive system is likely to get irritated. In other words, when switching foods, any stomach issues your dog may have are not due to a diet being “too rich.” Rather, digestive issues probably occur just because the food is too different.
What do dogs really need?
According to the NRC and AAFCO there are no upper limits for fats or proteins in dog food, only minimum requirements. The minimum requirement for carbohydrates in dog food is zero. So, most dogs are fed diets highest in something that they don’t actually require. (Though for most dogs including some complex carbs is good.)
According to Waltham (a subsidiary of Mars, one of the world’s largest pet food manufacturers) dogs prefer a diet of 63% fat, 30% protein, and only 7% carbohydrate. The researchers conclude that this mix is similar to their ancestral diet.
Proteins are needed because they are the building blocks of everything inside cells that do things. The muscles that help animals move, the hemoglobin that shuttles oxygen around the body, even the insulin that helps digest carbs are all made up of proteins. It’s for this reason that proteins are not an ideal fuel source for dogs. Fats are their preferred energy source. So, in other words, dogs can live just fine on fats and proteins alone. Working dogs (those with low aerobic output for long periods of time) actually appear to perform better on ultra-low carb diets.
How to change your dog’s food
Changing your pup’s food can be painful, but it’s worth it. This process usually takes between one to three weeks. For full disclosure, we switched Edith to a whole food diet on day one, and she did just fine without the transition period. Puppies are more adaptable than older dogs. For an adult dog fed kibble for a long time, a typical transition might look something like this:
Days 1-3: 25% new food, 75% old food
Days 4-6: 50% new food, 50% old food
Days 7-10: 75% new food, 25% old food
Day 10+: 100% new food
These numbers aren’t an exact science, rather they are more of a rough guideline to help your dog’s microbiome, digestive enzymes and stool consistency adjust to the new food. If your pup has a sensitive tummy, is older, or has a chronic condition, you will want to go much more slowly. For example starting with 5-10% of the new food while adjusting up every 4-5 days will be easier on their digestive system.
Even older dogs are capable of making this transition. We’ve covered the story of our family dog Rocky who made the switch to whole foods at the ripe age of 13. Before that our family was under the impression that he was a super sensitive eater who would have bloody, loose stools if he ate anything other than dog food. Fast forward two years, and Rocky can now eat anything, hasn’t had loose stools since, and also has far more energy than before.
Dogs were meant to eat real foods. After all, before the invention of dog food they lived and ate whole foods with us for over 10,000 years. Anyone who tells you different is either misinformed or has ulterior motives.
Food that really should be avoided
Friendly reminder that desserts and junk foods, like sugar-laden cakes, greasy fried foods full of oxidized seed oils, and other processed foods are definitely not good for your dog. They’re not good for us either, though we can’t resist them from time to time. However, it pains us to see people “spoiling” their dogs on social media with fast food burgers, fries, and the endless cups of sugary whipped cream. Why? Because there are simple, whole foods that your dog will find absolutely delicious AND can positively impact their health. Skip the drive-thru and make them a homemade treat instead (like an egg)!
That’s all for this week.
All the best,
Joelle and R.A.