Feeding YOUR Dog

The importance of zeroing in on your individual dogs needs is not nearly talked about enough with allopathic/Western medicine veterinarians. There is so much to consider when it comes to extras, toppers, supplements, proteins etc…

When you offer your dog high quality whole foods that are better matched to their energetics, their individual needs and which support their lifestyle, you will see a dramatic decrease in systemic inflammation, allergies/sensitivities will diminish or in less severe cases, disappear! It’s not as simple as browsing a facebook group or scrolling through instagram to see which supplements are being used most or what products have the highest ratings etc. You MUST consider your individual dog and their own specific needs, their current state of health and any past or current medical concerns. These factors will ultimately help you and/or your support team to more effectively pick and choose what goes into each bowl and why. The dogs without allergies or medical concerns can also greatly benefit from individual tweaks to support optimal performance (especially in our athletes and working breeds).

Although allergy testing is not 100% accurate, it is a great place to start from when you’re dealing with both environmental or food sensitivities. The distinction between a true allergy and what most of us experience with our dogs is that an allergy results in an immediate and severe response/reaction within the body. Some examples of a true allergy would include hives, difficulty breathing, violent diarrhea/vomiting immediately after consuming/contacting the trigger, severe rashes and swelling of the face, neck or snout. Sensitivities typically take days, weeks or months to surface. These are your typical signs like itching, paw licking/chewing, head shaking, chronic ear infections, skin irritations, red/hot skin, tear staining, digestive upset, loss of appetite and so much more!

Carrying out a true elimination diet is the only way to effectively determine what works and what doesn’t. During this time you would simply offer one source of protein; for arguments sake we’ll use turkey. EVERYTHING including treats, raw meaty bones/meal replacement bones and all meals would consist of solely turkey meat, bones and organs for a minimum duration of 4 weeks in order to reset the body and ensure that the dog is not experiencing any ill side effects from this choice. Once you are confident that turkey is on the okay list, you can then begin SLOWLY introducing one thing at a time to continue to determine sensitivity. You do not need to be overly concerned about missing components for such a small amount of time, it is far more important and beneficial to narrow down your dog’s individuals needs first. The end goal is to have a solid rotation of proteins, organ meats and a whole food source of healthy fats (omegas) in the diet to ensure a varied source of nutrients is being offered. Please refer to this calculator to understand how a properly “balanced” whole food bowl might look. You do NOT have to feed whole prey (such as the quail chicks below) to ensure a “balanced” meal. This style of feeding is referred to by Feed Real as the 6x Ancestral Diet which includes: meat, bones, organs, seafood and fur/feathers/fiber to most closely mimic the diet your dog would have “in the wild”.

Another thing to note here is that you must investigate the food you’re feeding if you’re using a commercial raw premade food. Some companies do not openly disclose that they only use chicken/beef organs in all of their blends despite being sold as a single protein; for example a rabbit grind that actually has beef organ which could be detrimental to your dog’s progress if they cannot tolerate beef. The above mentioned options for organs are the easiest to source and the cheapest option to include for driving profits. Be sure to ask if you’re not sure or if the labels on the packaging do not explicitly state the contents of the food. This is where DIY raw feeding comes in handy because you know exactly what is going into your dog’s bowl but it’s not for everyone. It’s not as hard as it looks and the calculator linked in this post can help you better understand how you would piece together a DIY bowl.

If you need assistance with this or have any questions, you can always reach out to a nutritionist. Unfortunately, many conventional vets have very little education in regards to nutrition and the cost/wait lists to contact a board certified nutritionist are exponential. Out of all the years they are in school, many veterinarians have now begun to speak publicly about the mere HOURS of nutrition education they received and it is mostly geared towards the “prescription” ultra processed dry foods you see in clinics across the globe (you know the ones). These bags of junk food do not contain any actual medicine, there is nothing prescriptive about them! They contain inflammatory ingredients and low quality meat meals; nevermind the insane amount of unnecessary carbohydrates which your pet (especially cats who are obligate carnivores) do NOT require! Many medical concerns, diseases and other health problems can be safely and more efficiently managed with high quality whole food nutrition.

If you are interested in learning more about canine energetics and how to determine your dog’s individual constitution then you should definitely check out Rita Hogan’s (Canine Herbalist) Canine Energetics course. The first link is to her website and the second is a direct link to view and purchase the course. The information contained within is extremely useful whether you’re an industry professional or a complete beginner. Forget about all the fancy influencer bowls you see with 10 different proteins, powders, pills and extras all piled onto a “barkchuterie” board because the reality of the matter (with sensitive dogs) is that their meals might have to be a little less exciting. For the sake of their balance and vitality, it will be much more worth it to skip a few extras than to constantly be battling any signs of intolerance. The world we live in nowadays; it’s so easy to get overwhelmed by what we see on social media and try to copy it for our own pets. There is nothing inherently wrong with adding a lot of the things you see but it just might not be the right match for your individual dog. Break away from the idea that your bowls need to be ready for the camera and begin focusing on the basics so you’re dog gets everything they need without anything unnecessary or inflammatory.