A week or so ago I provided a link to Wendy Volhards cancer diet for dogs. A few people questioned her use of grains, so I had a chat with her and asked if she could say anything about the grain issue (some say grains cause cancer in dogs). This is her reply: I am sending you something from one of the books describing carbohydrates. (Dog Training for Dummies). Interesting, a veterinary friend of mine said that she has seen more cases of diabetes in dogs since the grain free movement gained popularity. That is something, I can honestly say, we have never seen on our diets - and the cases of cancer, you could count on one hand since 1984 when I first published the recipes. Going easy on the carbohydrates Your dog needs the carbohydrates found in grains and most root vegetables for proper digestion. The digestive process first breaks down carbohydrates into starch and then into simple sugars and glucose, which are necessary for energy and proper functioning of the brain. Buddy also needs carbohydrates for stool formation and correct functioning of the thyroid gland. Dogs don’t need many carbohydrates to be healthy, however. A diet low in carbohydrates and high in protein is ideal. Oats, barley, wheat, and brown rice are carbohydrates that contain a lot of vitamins and minerals. They also contain protein and fat. Corn is a popular ingredient because of its low price; it’s often used in lower-quality foods. Many grain-free foods are on the market, and it’s difficult to know if they’re in fact good for your dog or not. If you want to feed Buddy a grain-free food, make sure the protein is balanced out with enough root vegetables to keep the balance correct. Soy is another carbohydrate found in some of the cheaper foods. Soy is high in protein, but it binds other nutrients and makes them unavailable for absorption. We recommend that you stay away from dog foods containing soy. Carbohydrates have to be broken down for the dog to be able to digest them. Dog food companies use a heat process to do this, and therein lies a problem. The heat process destroys many of the vitamins and minerals contained in the carbohydrates. The question that immediately comes to mind is, “Where do dogs in the wild get the grains and vegetables they need?” The answer is from the intestines of their prey, all neatly pre-digested. If you feed raw vegetables to a dog that has only been fed dry kibble, chances are he won’t be able to break them down and you’ll see them in his stool. His stomach acid and digestive juices are too weak to digest them. If you want to introduce your dog to a healthier diet by adding fresh vegetables and meat, our suggestion is to first lightly cook them, and then over a week, cook them less and less until the fresh foods are eaten raw. Doing so allows his stomach acid to come back to the proper pH for digestion
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 10:36:54 +0000
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