Recently, low fat eating has become all the rage… one of today’s more popular human diet styles.

So, it should come as no surprise that some dog food companies now offer low fat dog food to consumers.

But are these products designed to enhance your dog’s health… or are they simply here to profit from the latest fad?

For that answer, we need to keep in mind dogs aren’t human. So, of course, neither is their biology.  What may be right for you may not be right for your dog.

Why Dietary Fats Might Not Be
a Problem for Your Dog

In humans, saturated fats have been long been associated with clogged arteries and heart attacks.

But not so for dogs.

Dogs consuming a relatively high fat diet rarely suffer from circulatory conditions. The species appears to be rather resistant to coronary artery disease and stroke¹

Cholesterol… It’s Not All Bad

Although high fat diets can produce high blood cholesterol levels in dogs, that cholesterol isn’t the artery-blocking bad stuff humans are prone to suffer from.

No, this is the good cholesterol. The HDL cholesterol. The kind that helps actually prevent the build-up of dangerous, life-choking plaque commonly found on the artery walls in humans.²

And that high level of good cholesterol is what’s thought to make dogs so resistant to developing clogged arteries… atherosclerosis, the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.^{3 4}

So, you see…

Most dogs can easily handle a significant amount of animal fat in their food… especially when it’s the natural kind of fat associated with a quality meat ingredient.

Dietary fat can be an excellent source of energy… and the only way for your dog to get the essential fatty acids needed to sustain life.

When Dietary Fats Can Be a Problem

Although fats can be a regular part of your dog’s diet, there are two critical exceptions…

First, certain medical conditions may call for feeding a low fat diet. Two of the most common problems include…

• Pancreatitis
• Chronic obesity

High fat dog food can aggravate these conditions.

Second, when we mention healthy fats, we’re talking about normal dietary fats. Not fatty by-products like…

• Restaurant grease
• Industrial waste
• Beef tallow

The Pet Food Industry
Choosing Profits Over Quality

It’s no secret, the pet food industry is notorious for using some of the cheapest raw materials it can find.

To those profit-first dog food manufacturers (you know who you are) who continue to choose profits over the health and welfare of our pets, we say…

Hey, you’re not using these low-grade fats to make soap, here. No, we’re talking about feeding innocent, trusting beings… beings most of us consider members of our own families.

And to dog food consumers (the rest of us)…

Together, we must hold the pet food industry accountable to the same standard we set for the products we feed to our own children.

So, what can we do?

We can reward those more responsible manufacturers with our dog food dollars… and reject those who selfishly make profit the central goal of their operations.

Our dogs trust us. And for this reason, they deserve nothing less than safe and healthy food.

But it’s true.

You see, according to the National Research Council and compared to the other two major nutrients — protein and fat — no carbs are considered essential for a healthy canine diet.¹

Dogs don’t need corn. And they don’t need wheat, barley rice or potatoes. 

Dogs simply don’t need any carb-based ingredients — at all.

Yet surprisingly, carbohydrates represent the most common raw materials used for making dry dog food.

How can this be?

Why Dog Food Manufacturers
Love Carbohydrates

Since the early 1950s, dog food manufacturers everywhere have fallen head-over-heels in love with carbohydrates because they’re:

• Cheap (much cheaper than protein or fat)
• Abundant (simple to acquire)
• Durable (long shelf life)
• Essential to the kibble-making process

Please notice that not one of these reasons has anything to do with nutrition — not one.

Are They Safe for Dogs?

Carbohydrates aren’t bad for dogs. In reasonable amounts, they can actually provide a practical source of energy.

The problem lies in their quantity.

Using a dog’s ancestral diet as a model, the total amount of carbs consumed by a dog’s evolutionary predecessor is dramatically less than what has become “the norm” for products created by the pet food industry.

One sensible source estimates natural carbohydrate consumption for a dog’s ancestors at around 14 percent of total diet.²

Yet on average, today’s dry dog foods contain somewhere between 46 and 74 percent carbohydrates.³

The Numbers Aren’t Even Close

Today’s kibbles contain as much as four times the carbohydrate content historically found in the canine ancestral diet.

It looks like the pet food industry may have taken advantage of the dog’s remarkable ability to adapt to just about anything.

OK, maybe the ancestral diet represents an unreasonable extreme. 

But considering the dog’s evolutionary background, it just seems that manufacturers may have gone too far in the opposite direction.

Doesn’t it make sense for a dog’s diet to be more more “natural” — more like the canine ancestral diet?  With more protein and fat — and fewer carbohydrates?

The Bottom Line

When choosing dog food, it makes good sense to favor products lower in carbohydrates. That’s because as the carbohydrate share of the overall “pie” falls, its protein and fat (meat) content must by necessity also rise.

And even though most dog food companies fail to disclose the percentage of carbohydrates contained in their products, the Dog Food Advisor reports an estimate of this all-important figure inside every review.

So, look for dog foods rich in meat-based protein. You’ll be providing your pet with a diet closer to the one she was naturally designed to eat.

What’s more, you may even be adding years of good health to your best friend’s life.

Footnotes

And you need to know the truth.

So, if you’ve already been told dogs are indifferent omnivores with no natural preferences…

Or that they’re strict carnivores with a built-in aversion to eating fruits and vegetables…

All scientific evidence clearly points to the fact that…

Dogs Have a Natural
and Undeniable Carnivorous Bias

From DNA studies, we know dogs evolved directly from the timber wolf somewhere around 15,000 years ago¹.

And, of course, it should come as no surprise… wolves are clearly carnivores.

So, by their very genetic pedigree, dogs also demonstrate similar and noticeable carnivorous traits. Their teeth, their digestive systems and their behavior clearly confirm this fact.

Yet dogs must also be recognized for their significant omnivorous ability.

After all, they do have the ability to eat a remarkably diverse diet.  But it’s inappropriate to ignore the fact their bodies are optimized for eating meat.

Dogs Don’t Grind… They Chop

For comparison, think about a typical herbivore. A dairy cow. Now, picture the way they “chew their cud”.

Cows chew widely from side-to-side. And they have broad, flat back teeth. And flat teeth are ideal for grinding grains and plant material into finer particles.

True omnivores (like humans) share this same combination of boxy back teeth and sideways grinding motion common to herbivores. Think of your own mouth and how you chew.

Dogs, on the other hand, don’t have flat teeth. Like all carnivores, they have narrow pointy back teeth.

Plus dogs can’t chew from side-to-side. Their jaws can only move in an up-and-down, chop-chop motion. It’s the perfect combination for cutting meat into smaller chunks.

Why Dogs Don’t Do Carbohydrates Very Well

Now, herbivores and omnivores usually have one powerful digestive weapon carnivores usually lack…

Salivary amylase.

Amylase is a special enzyme plant-eating animals produce in their saliva. It’s a critical enzyme needed to initiate the break down of starchy carbohydrates.

Before they enter the stomach.

Now, meat-eating animals also produce amylase. But the enzyme is produced further down the digestive tract (in the small intestine).

Without amylase, a carnivore’s carbohydrate digestion is decidedly more difficult.

Digestive Anatomy Reveals the Truth

Since they consume fewer but larger meals, carnivores have bigger stomachs than their grazing, plant-eating counterparts.

What’s more, meat-eating animals exhibit a higher concentration of stomach acid. This allows faster digestion of animal protein.

And the stronger acid kills the disease-causing bacteria abundant in decaying meat.

Plus…

Herbivores have a gastrointestinal tract that’s unusually long… sometimes exceeding ten times the animal’s body length. Longer systems like this are needed for consuming a plant-based diet.

Today’s Confusing Dog Food Marketplace
Welcome to the Age of Choice

Yet in spite of this natural carnivorous design, dogs have still managed to evolve over thousands of years… even surviving on the meat and non-meat scraps and leftovers of human existence.

So, over time, dogs have proven to be fully capable of thriving on a variety of foods.

Today, the dog food marketplace has become a living, breathing witness to the animal’s adaptive ability… and is abounding with an astonishing array of product designs.

Some favor meat. Some feature vegetables. And others are made almost entirely of cereal grains and beans.

So, how do you choose the right one for your pet?

The Bottom Line

Just knowing dogs are naturally optimized for eating meat can make it much easier to spot better dog foods.

Even though vegetarian dog foods have been proven to work, it’s important to always give preference to meat-based products. That’s because…

Whether you believe they’re carnivores or omnivores, dog’s possess an undeniable carnivorous bias

Meat-based dog foods are closer to a dog’s natural ancestral diet. They’re more like the real thing.

That’s why meat ingredients should always be the first thing you should look for on any dog food’s ingredients list.

What’s the one nutrient a dog simply cannot live long without?

A nutrient so important… so vital… no dog could survive deprived of it for more than a few days… before ultimately dying a painful death.

Think about it.

Is it protein?  Fat?  Or maybe some vitamin… or mineral?

Well, surprising enough… it’s none of these.

I’m talking about water.

Water… The Forgotten Nutrient

You see, water is probably the most overlooked… taken-for-granted canine nutrient your dog counts on you to provide.

I know, I know… it’s difficult to think of water as a nutrient.

But it is.  And compared to the other five nutrient “families”… proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals… it’s unquestionably the most important.

Dogs need constant access to water.  It’s the one (and only) nutrient that must be served “ad libitum”.  That is, “on demand”… instantly available whenever a dog’s natural urge to drink calls for it.

That’s because water is forever being lost through the urine and feces.

Plus… since dogs can’t sweat to stay cool, they lose a lot of moisture through the “cooling effect of evaporation”… as they breathe… and pant… to control body temperature.

And that brings me to my number one dog feeding pet peeve…

Canine Water Negligence

Water negligence is the dangerous practice of failing to provide adequate, fresh (uncontaminated) drinking water for every dog.

Unfortunately, this problem is far too common.  That’s because most people are simply unaware they’re doing anything wrong.

For example, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken my family to the beach on a hot day… only to watch (in disbelief) as a dog pants in thirst… while her owner sits under an umbrella… sipping a cold drink!

Or that far more common habit of supplying water that’s been allowed to become dangerously polluted with germs from the dog’s own mouth.

This hazardous situation is caused by using too small a water bowl… or allowing the water volume in any container to become perilously low… thus “concentrating” the germ population to a recklessly high level.

By the way… this problem can be aggravated by forgetting to wipe away that slimy, germ-laden “biofilm” from inside the water bowl… at least once each day.

And tainted water can increase the risk of intestinal disease.

How to Avoid Dehydration and Disease

So, follow these recommendations to ensure your dog stays adequately (and safely) hydrated at all times…

1.  Use an oversize bowl and fill it with fresh drinking water

2.  Change all water at least twice each day

3.  Wipe away any biofilm from inside the bowl

4.  Keep dog bowls as clean as you keep your own dishware

5.  Never separate your dog from her drinking water at any time

6.  Carry fresh water and serving bowls with you when traveling

By the way, Patti and I regularly place Bailey’s food and water bowls in the dishwasher for a thorough scrubbing.  They come out sparkling clean… and ready to serve up a nutritious diet.

Give it a try.

Especially since protein isn’t even considered an “essential” nutrient.

Surprised?

Well, it’s the stuff protein is actually made of that’s considered essential… not the protein itself.

I’m talking about amino acids.

You see, amino acids are the basic building blocks of all protein.

Think of protein as a freight train… with each “car” of that train being an amino acid.  It’s the kind of cars… as well as the order in which they are arranged… that makes each protein unique.

Ten Critical ‘Life-or-Death’ Nutrients

Every dog has the natural ability to make her own amino acids… except for ten very special ones… ten “essential” amino acids that absolutely must come from the diet.

Otherwise, a dog could suffer serious health consequences… or maybe even death.

These ten essential amino acids are…

• Arginine
• Histidine
• Isoleucine
• Leucine
• Lysine
• Methionine
• Phenylalanine
• Threonine
• Tryptophane
• Valine

So, What Happens When One Is Missing?

Proteins are manufactured by a dog’s cells in a step-by-step, assembly line fashion.  If just one amino acid is lacking, the entire process shuts down.

This missing nutrient is known as the “limiting amino acid”.  That’s because its absence “limits” the process from using any of the other available amino acids altogether.

So, every dog food must contain all ten.

Don’t Count Protein… Count Amino Acids

Now, trying to judge a dog food strictly by the amount of protein it contains can be very misleading.

You see, just because a dog food boasts a high protein percentage doesn’t mean it contains the right amino acids.

So, how can you improve the odds a product will meet a dog’s amino acid needs?

Well, remember… proteins are made completely from amino acids.

So, all you need to do is find a protein source rich in all ten essential nutrients… and you’ve got a quality ingredient.

The Best Sources of Essential Amino Acids

Now, generally speaking… animal-based protein sources contain a more favorable essential amino acid content… than non-animal sources.

But the right combination of vegetable proteins can also satisfy a dog’s amino acid needs.

The main thing to remember?  Don’t fall in love with any dog food just because it reports a lot of protein in its Guaranteed Analysis.

Sure… a higher protein content usually indicates you’ve probably come across a better dog food… but only if you take the time to confirm the protein comes from a quality ingredient.