Understanding what proper nutrition means is crucial. It's time to break free from the hypnosis that the pet food industry has put us in; nutrition should not come from cans or bags. Nutrition is found in food - in real food!
Three important factors affect a dog's ability to absorb nutrients. An enzyme-rich diet is necessary to extract and absorb nutrients in the small intestine. The body produces endogenous enzymes, such as protease, lipase, and amylase, to break down proteins, fats, and starch. Exogenous enzymes from raw, unprocessed foods are also essential, as they decrease with cooking temperatures.
The absence of live enzymes in processed pet food is a serious problem and can lead to degenerative diseases. Waiting for symptoms and then relying on expensive enzyme supplements in pill or powder form is an unsustainable strategy.
Exogenous enzymes are a crucial factor in metabolism, but it is concerning that they are seldom discussed. It can be assumed that the lack of discussion is due to misinformation from the pet food industry and ignorance from experts.
Processed food comes with many problems, but one of the most serious and underestimated issues is the complete absence of live enzymes. This is one of the main reasons for nutritional deficiencies and imbalances in dogs that predominantly consume dry and canned foods.
A healthy diet should also include natural and organically bound nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, trace elements, amino acids, and fatty acids. Relying on blends to guarantee measurable nutrient content can be misleading, and long ingredient lists in commercial pet foods can mask the lack of real nutrients.
Avoiding an excessive amount of gluten- and starch-rich ingredients is important, as dogs lack the salivary enzyme amylase. These substances can damage the villi in the small intestine and lead to inflammation, reducing the absorption surface in the gut.
Leaky Gut Syndrome
A result of villous atrophy caused by sticky substances in food, can lead to severe nutritional deficiencies and imbalances. However, this condition often goes unnoticed for a long time without any immediate, acute symptoms in dogs. The initial symptoms, typically digestive and/or skin issues, are unfortunately often misdiagnosed or not thoroughly investigated. Instead, a generic diagnosis of allergies is applied, leading to symptomatic treatment and starch-rich veterinary diets that only exacerbate the situation.
When a dog consumes sticky substances, its digestive system goes into overdrive. However, this is a futile effort because dogs are not herbivores; they simply aren't equipped to break down gluten and complex carbohydrates like starch.
As the villi in the small intestine become covered with sticky substances, malnutrition and imbalances occur. Vital nutrients, including calcium, iron, iodine, zinc, manganese, magnesium, vitamins D, K, and all B vitamins, and vitamin C, have significantly reduced absorption.
Does Gluten Intolerance Play a Role?
The "sticky phenomenon" affects all dogs to some extent, depending on individual factors. When discussing gluten intolerance, we are referring to a "worst-case scenario." The journey can be marked by vague symptoms and artificial respiration in the form of symptom management, while the root cause remains undiscovered and continuously aggravated in an endless cycle of stickiness.
The question is not IF but WHEN...
Suddenly, conditions like hip dysplasia, elbow and muscle problems, herniated discs, and even heart valve defects find their explanation.
All these issues stem from poor growth of cartilage and connective tissue, both structurally similar and composed of calcium and collagen. Collagen is a building block for the skeleton, with vitamin C being crucial for its formation. Understanding that the absorption of calcium, along with vitamin C and other vital vitamins and minerals, mainly occurs in the small intestine, it's easy to see how insufficient amounts or inhibited absorption can affect these structures.
Take a large-breed dog, that starts consuming a diet rich in sticky substances right after weaning: Knowing that calcium and vitamin C absorption is hindered by the stickiness on the villi, what chances does the dog have to develop healthy hips, elbows, spine, and other musculoskeletal structures? It's even worse for poor puppies that, for some reason, must consume milk substitutes, which typically contain various sticky substances alongside milk products.
Musculoskeletal issues are just one example. Search for celiac disease and read about all the symptoms involved.
It's like unleashing the devil himself: a wave of unpleasant, debilitating, and, in some cases, deadly symptoms overwhelms these poor animals, all originating from the same mechanism—nutritional imbalances due to inhibited nutrient absorption in the small intestine.
Different breeds are predisposed to various diseases, but predisposed doesn't have to mean predestined. Now that we understand that allergies originate from a malfunctioning gut, we suddenly comprehend all breed-typical symptoms, such as ear infections, eye diseases, skin problems, tumors, digestive issues, hypothyroidism, and so forth.
Dogs cannot speak; they cannot tell us if they are feeling depressed, have stomachaches, or headaches.
The dog has no issues until we have problems, meaning only when the symptoms become so severe that we feel compelled to take the dog to the vet do we realize that something is wrong. By then, the dog may have silently suffered for a long time.
Processed food:
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Lacks active enzymes
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Contains synthetic nutrients that are unnatural and inorganic
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Contains large amounts of gluten- and starch-rich ingredients that can hinder nutrient absorption.
But, you might be thinking, what about fresh dog food? Isn't fresh dog food a good alternative to processed feed?
My answer is NO. Commercial fresh dog food is not a better alternative, except in exceptional cases. This is because fresh dog food often contains excessive fat—except, as mentioned, in exceptional cases. Consuming high-fat content daily places an enormous strain on internal organs. Additionally, the high-fat content diminishes all other nutrients in the food, leading to serious consequences in the long run. Read more.
When deciding to make homemade dog food, one also needs to decide to trust that natural food with diverse ingredients contains all the nutrients the dog needs.
You won't find tables for daily nutrient requirements on this page, but what would I base those tables on? AAFCO in the USA or FEDIAF in Europe? These organizations are private industry groups that establish nutritional standards based on their own research, specifying which ingredients can be used and how much of the various nutrients dogs need. This is not about impartial regulatory authorities, as many believe. These organizations determine nutritional standards, but what they haven't decided is the sources from which the various nutrients are allowed to come. Nutrients can have a natural origin, but they can also be entirely synthetic – meaning they can be produced in a laboratory. The quality and origin of a nutrient have a crucial impact on bioavailability (how well it is absorbed by the body), which is completely disregarded. Apart from disqualifying iron from carbonate or oxide sources and copper from oxide sources, AAFCO believes that other nutrients can have any origin and form.
Another interesting aspect is that the tests conducted by organizations like AAFCO on dogs last for about 6 months. It is impossible to see the long-term results of processed food in just 6 months.
These scientifically formulated pet foods are claimed to be effective – but since the industry realized they could profit by lumping together a bunch of by-products for dog food, health problems have increased instead of decreased. If the bag assures "completeness and balance," thus ensuring the presence of all essential nutrients in the diet, shouldn't all dogs be thriving? There's a feed for every dog; they've even come up with different breed-specific feeds.
Considering the extensive research and expertise supporting these products, and the significant investment we make in them, shouldn't veterinary clinics be largely unoccupied – aside from sporadic cases where pets accidentally ingest inappropriate substances or encounter accidents? In Sweden, we often say, "You are what you eat," and I think that encourages some reflection.
Are you still uncertain?
Take a moment to contemplate the peculiar claim that sterile and processed food-like substances would be better for dogs than real food based on nature's infinite wisdom. Consider the kind of food you would prefer to eat yourself: dried pellets packed with added laboratory-made nutrients, or fresh natural, nutrient-rich ingredients? If you want a book to learn more, check out this blog post!
