04 Jul Myths of Dog Food – By Canine Nutritionist Ishmit Chandiok
Dog food is the matter of discussion for most of the Pet Parents. In this guest post, Ishmeetsingh Chandiok, Mumbai Based Canine Nutritionist has debunked some myths of dog food.
The patter of little feet, the fuzzy hairball, the razor sharp teeth and the droopy, loving eyes….. all the traits of a loving puppy…. running around the house…. full of joy and fun!
Along with the joy of having a new life running around the house, comes the tremendous burden of being responsible, caring and loving Pet Parent. There is nothing more that we wish for our four-legged children than a healthy and fun filled life. The most important thing we need to give our dogs is TLC – Tender Loving Care…. And that, if followed by a healthy, nutritious and well-balanced diet.
There have always been opposing theories about how one should feed their dog. Some swear by the easily available dry kibbles while others swear by home cooked food. This is a debate that will, in all probability, be far from being comprehensively resolved in the near future.
I, personally, have been an advocate for home cooked food. This conclusion has been reached through a few years of research, trials on my very own “Bombay Settler” – Harley; and endless picking of vets’ brains to get a clearer picture.
While most of the vets will advocate home-cooked food to be the way forward, we, pet parents, make simple mistakes which, unknown to us, cause slow and long-term problems for our babies.
Table of Contents
Common Myths:
Rice prepared for us is good for our dogs – WRONG
the rice we use, which is mainly some form of Basmati, has higher quantities of carbohydrates than brown rice. This difference makes the dog put on more weight, with reduced fibers than if they were on a brown rice diet. Besides this, we salt our rice and most of us add a spoonful of ghee or oil to the rice prior to cooking. Both salt and oil/ghee are harmful to dogs in the long run.
Un-tempered daals (lentils) are ok for our dogs – WRONG
the daals (lentils) prepared by us at home are boiled with basic ginger & garlic pastes along with salt. The quantities of ginger, garlic, and salt which is added to our normal food is too high for our dog’s digestive systems to digest.
Chicken removed from a curry and washed can be fed to our dogs – WRONG
the spices, salt, and oils used during the cooking process seep into the chicken pieces and are retained within the meat in high quantities. Thus, even superficially washing the chicken, does not extract all the harmful ingredients and they are eventually ingested by the dogs.
Then what is the right thing to do?
The use of brown rice (unpolished rice), vegetables such as carrots, beans, pumpkin, cabbage, etc and boneless chicken is the safest combination of ingredients to use for preparing meals for your doggies. A conservative use of chicken liver is also advisable. Try and avoid mutton liver as it has a higher concentration of fats.
Advantages of Home Cooked Dog Food
Our dogs will live longer
With the absence of chemicals and preservatives in homemade dog food, our dogs will be healthier, happier and free from diseases, thus resulting in a longer lifespan.
Our dogs will be slim and have a perfect weight structure
Commercial dog food is usually higher in fats and sugars leading to obesity. We can prevent obesity and take control of the caloric intake of our dogs by feeding them homemade food.
Our dogs’ systems will be cleaner and smell better
Providing homemade dog food will keep their systems free of infections, keep their teeth cleaner and their breath fresher.
@robertz
Posted at 16:14h, 04 JulyWe have seen a deterioration of the quality of ingredients in much dog food sold in the UK, so we cook home meals for our spaniel with brown rice, lots of carrots, cabbage and vegetables, meat from the butcher or fish. I agree that it is good to be able to control what dogs eat, i.e. no chemicals and preservatives. Our dog is energetic, has a healthy coat and clean teeth, and a very robust digestive system.
admin
Posted at 12:27h, 05 JulyHello Robert. So happy to hear that you already have developed a sustainable lifestyle for your dog. Thanks for dropping by.
Ramona Mead
Posted at 18:38h, 04 JulyI was a veterinary technician for 20 years and I agree this is a debate that will likely never end. You give great advice here.
admin
Posted at 12:27h, 05 JulyThank you Ramona. This article is written by a canine nutritionist. 🙂
Paul Taubman
Posted at 19:41h, 04 JulyI do not have any pets now, but growing up we always had dogs as pets. We (my brother, sister, and I) would get yelled at if we fed the dogs our table scraps during dinner. I think this was more because we were NOT eating our own food, and giving it to the dogs!
I don’t think I gave it much thought of what they were eating back then.
Thanks for sharing!
admin
Posted at 12:25h, 05 JulyThanks Paul for the comment. Means a Lot.
Martha
Posted at 00:57h, 05 JulyGreat tips on what to feed them. I am guilty of handing down food from my plate. Our pup is 16 years old and would be hard to break him now, or would it be hard to break me. LOL
admin
Posted at 12:25h, 05 JulyHahaha. We had a very old pup, when i was a kid, he used to eat milk and bread days long…So, that worked for him. 🙂 Thanks Martha .
Jyll Hoyrup
Posted at 02:06h, 05 JulyI am sure this is the way to go for a healthy pet. It makes so much sense as preservatives are not good for humans either!
admin
Posted at 12:24h, 05 JulySo true! Thanks Jyll.
Alexandria Ingham
Posted at 03:41h, 05 JulyGreat tips! I have a six-month-old Siberian Husky and we’ve opted for a mix of kibble and homecooked food (we chatted to the vet a lot about this because the poor thing had stomach issues from the food he was fed before we got him). Trying to stop my daughters from giving him scraps has been hard. We now have a rule that it stays on the table until the end of the meal and then I can double check if he can or can’t have something. Now I have to try to stop him from literally stealing food out of the youngest’s hands! Oh dear!
admin
Posted at 12:23h, 05 JulyOh! It is such a struggle Alexandria I can understand. I have a furry friend Caramel, she was eating all the house furniture..slowly her she got a severe digestive issues. Now she is better though with home cooked food. Thanks for dropping by.
Samee Azmi
Posted at 07:14h, 05 JulyMention of Milk , chapatis is missing, which is a regular meal that is feeded to these canines. I have heard even milk is not good for dogs !
Kindly let me know.
admin
Posted at 12:15h, 05 JulyWill ask Ishmeet and Let you know Samee.