Dog Supplementing

Supplementing is a two edged sword; there is good supplementing and there is bad supplementing. All dog food manufacturers add various ingredients to their foods during the manufacturing process so that the end product contains levels that meet industry standards. For example, to make protein that dogs can use the manufacturer may add various protein sources that have one or more of the essential amino acids. They do this until they have a protein blend that contains all ten essential amino acids. Thus, by the process defined as supplementing, the dog food company manufactures a food that will have nutritional value. The same supplementing is done to achieve nutritional levels of vitamins, minerals and other ingredients in all commercially manufactured dog food.

Most foods are brought to levels that have been established by the government National Research Council (NRC) as the Minimum Nutrient Requirements of Dogs. When dog food companies have added ingredients to reach NRC recommended levels, they have also reached the industry standards to advertise the food as "complete and balanced."

These NRC or "complete and balanced" levels are also established to provide safe levels for all dogs. For example, the NRC subcommittee recommends that dog foods supply 8 IU of vitamin D per kilogram of
a dog's body weight. This is 8 IU/kg. for any breed of dog's body weight, even though tests cited in a NRC publication show that some breeds require higher amounts of vitamin D (up to 270 IU/kg.). Since vitamin
D is a "fat soluble" vitamin, overdoses of this vitamin are dangerous. If manufacturers added enough vitamin D to meet the higher requirements of the few breeds that require 270 IU/kg., the food would actually be toxic to the many breeds who only require 8 IU/kg.

The dog food companies take care to not exceed the safe all-breed levels of any nutrient that could be harmful to a breed. They have no control over which breed of dog will consume their food.

Many studies show that any supplementing of a single nutrient to safe "complete and balanced" dog food levels can be dangerous. Some examples are:
 

A) Excess supplemental calcium can block the assimilation of the copper, iron, phosphorus and zinc in the dietary intake.

B) Excess supplemental vitamin A (a fat soluble vitamin) can decalcify the teeth and bones and cause liver damage.

C) Any supplemental vitamin C can cause a detrimental pH change in the kidney and cause a healthy liver to lose its ability to function properly.

D) Excess supplemental vitamin D (a fat soluble vitamin) can block calcium assimilation or collect in the glands to levels that can be toxic.

E) Any supplemental fluoride or fluorine can mottle tooth enamel during the period of calcification of permanent teeth in dogs. It also can block the assimilation of dietary trace minerals and alter the dog's natural ability to produce vitamin K.

F) Any supplemental thyroid can cause a healthy thyroid gland to lose its ability to function properly.

Supplementing can be dangerous when any one nutrient is added in quantities that negatively affect how the dog's body reacts to the other nutrients in the same nutritional complex, or when by supplementing we
change or take over the function of a vital organ. To avoid potential dangers, most dog food companies make a blanket recommendation that you do not supplement their foods. When dog food companies recommend that you do not supplement their food, they are correct about 50% correct!

What they haven't told you is that there is another side to the issue. The side that shows that the safe all-breed levels they have in their all-breed foods are not sufficient nutritional amounts for all dogs. The safe allbreed
amounts may be enough to keep any dog alive. But the safe allbreed amounts will not provide the correct amounts or balance to sustain optimum health for some breeds of dogs. All-breed foods, even though they contain nutritional levels that allow them to be classified by industry standards as "complete and balanced", also must be supplemented above these levels to provide proper nutrition for most dogs.

Dog owners may recognize their animals are not in the optimum of health because the all-breed foods they are using are lacking the proper nutrient amounts for their dogs. Then with the best intentions, they may choose to ignore the dog food companies' recommendations about supplementing and experiment with their dogs dietary intake. Experimenting with supplements usually produces negative, or at best, limited results.

Supplementing dog food is a complicated process. It is possible to do it correctly at the time of manufacturing, if the manufacturer is making a breed specific food. There is only one way that dog foods should be supplemented during the manufacturing process:

Step one is to calculate the nutritional requirements of the specific breed of dog that will be eating that food.
Step two is to determine which sources of each nutrient have the proper molecular formation for that breed of dog to assimilate.
Step three is to find food bases with these sources.
Step four is to acquire quantities of the nutrients from the proper sources.
Step five is to blend the proper amount of each of these nutrients to bring the levels and balances in the finished food to the proper levels and balances for that specific breed of dog's requirements.

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Dog Grooming FAT CARBOHYDRATES AND FATTY ACIDS

There are differences between the dog and human in their use of carbohydrates. This includes the use of different forms of carbohydrates from starch or sugar. For example; we know sugar forms of lactose, dextrose or glucose are all different as dietary sources of carbohydrates. These can be stored or used as an instant energy supply by a human. Also, we know how a human stores carbohydrates from some starch sources better than sugar sources for future energy requirements. Only the human can store dietary carbohydrates for later conversion into energy. Canines turn all dietary carbohydrates, from any source, into instant energy, and none is stored for energy requirements that develop later.

Also, for all types of dogs, all forms of sugar carbohydrates have been found to be detrimental, except for lactose found in the milk of a lactating bitch for her puppy. Please Note; this form of lactose is not the same as a synthetic lactose from sugar beet or sugar cane or even the lactose found in the milk of other species of mammals.

Like the sugar carbohydrates of lactose, glucose and dextrose being different, carbohydrates found in animal fat, vegetable and grain sources (soy bean, beet pulp, wheat, rice, potatoes or corn) are all different. These differences are important. One study cited in the NRC publication Nutrient Requirements of Dogs shows that the digestible fat from one source provides 2.25 times the metabolizable energy concentration of digestible carbohydrate than from a second source. Another study cited showed different breeds of dog need different amounts of carbohydrates or different carbohydrate to protein ratios in their food. Therefore, if your dog is requiring a high carbohydrate diet due to breed requirements or life-style, you need to provide those carbohydrates in the proper amount and from the proper source.

When you are considering which food source of carbohydrates contains the proper form for your dog, you should consider the type of food sources that were in the native environment for your breed. Then also
remember to eliminate those sources that would have been foreign to that breed's native environment. A dog breed from Ireland, where potatoes or flax were common dietary sources of carbohydrates, would not have been exposed to rice.

Yet a dog breed from China could have been exposed to several different types of rice that were grown as common sources of dietary carbohydrates in its environment. A dog breed from a mountain environment, where both vegetable and grain crops are scarce, could have a different need for its carbohydrate source as well. Some mountain breeds of dog may not utilize potato or rice carbohydrate any better than a sugar, but best use an animal fat form of carbohydrate.

Animal fat is one of the most common carbohydrate sources found in commercial dog food and because a food contains animal fat, it is often assumed it is providing dietary fatty acids. Normally this is not so since
animal fat in dog food is exposed to extremely high temperatures during processing procedures. The high temperature can eliminate the polyunsaturated fatty acid content of the rendered fat. In many cases manufacturers use separate food sources to provide fat carbohydrates and polyunsaturated fatty acids in their foods. The better commercial dog food manufacturers use grain or vegetable oils that have been cold pressed or processed to retain the needed polyunsaturated fatty acids.

These cold pressed grain and vegetable oils still contain the fatty acids known as the alpha-Linolenate family. There are three fatty acids that make up the entire alpha-Linolenate family; oleic acid, linolenic acid, and linoleic acid. With breeds that produce skin oil, the requirement for the oleic acid part of the alpha-Linolenate family is higher than with the breeds that do not produce skin oils. However, it is essential for all dogs to receive all three of these fatty acids to produce the arachidonic acids they all require. Since these fatty acids are a complete nutritional team, they should be listed on labels in the same way that manufacturers of premium foods list the amino acid content of their food's protein.

Manufacturers who list all three on the label provide you with a more accurate statement of the package contents. This labeling practice enables you to choose more intelligently the proper food for your specific breed of dog.

In processed dog foods animal fat should be considered as only a source of dietary carbohydrates. After the rendering process, it contains very little of the alpha-Linolenate fatty acids. A complete diet for most breeds of dog should contain both animal fat and a source containing the alpha-Linolenate family of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Do not assume fatty acids are present just because the dog food label has fat listed. The finished product may or may not have any fatty acids. Commercial food manufacturers may add animal fat just for its carbohydrate content or to make it more palatable for most canines.

Also do not assume that the product contains all three of the fatty acids of the alpha-Linolenate family if the label only lists Linoleic acid. This one fatty acid can be purchased separately as a raw material for dog food. Both carbohydrates and fatty acids are important and both must be provided in dog foods. However, you must use a source of carbohydrates or fatty acids that can be assimilated by the breed of dog you are feeding.

An indicator that your dog is rejecting food carbohydrates from sugar, grains, vegetables or animal fat in the food is persistent diarrhea. The indicator that your dog is not assimilating the fatty acids is a loss of coat shine or a loss in the skin's elasticity. Therefore, it is easy for the dog owner to see a dietary carbohydrate or fatty acid nutritional problem. Conversely, it is also easy to see when foods are supplying the proper sources and amounts of these important nutrients.

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DOG Food Problem and Selecting Protein

The problem of selecting the proper protein blend for a specific dog can be very confusing but can be simplified by applying this single rule: When choosing the protein blend that is best for a specific breed of dog look for the protein sources that were in that specific breed's native environment and then match them as closely as possible. When considering an environment's protein sources you should take many factors into consideration. First, with the environment's meat protein sources you should remember to look beyond labels such as cattle before assuming that they are describing beef. In some parts of the world the term cattle can be referring to a herd of goats, water buffalos, or reindeer. Cattle may not always mean beef from the state of Texas.

Also with each protein source the amino acid balance can be different depending upon the environment from which we take our sample. When testing food sources, we find that herring from the Pacific Ocean has a different amino acid profile than herring from the Atlantic Ocean. Also, Texas longhorn cattle produces beef with a different amino acid profile than Pennsylvania dairy cattle beef.

Second, consider all the protein sources of the area to establish if that environment's meat protein is the type of protein that is best for a specific breed. For example; The Chow Chow developed in an area of China
where meat is available as a dietary source of protein. However, the meat source of protein was the Chow Chow and it was available to the humans. The Chow was fed grains to produce a tender and nicely marbled meat for the human's table. This breed's development as a vegetarian also explains why today's Chow Chow has the jaw and flat tooth structure of a grain eater. Also, why today's Chow Chow has a body with a high fat to low muscle fiber ratio. Therefore, after considering all the factors for a Chow Chow's dietary protein, it may be best to use only the vegetable sources of protein found in its native environment.

Third, the amount of each protein source used in a single dog food becomes important since the amount of each source found in a specific environment can be quite different. A breed that developed in an environment that had few grain crops would need less grain in their food than a breed that developed in an area where grain protein comprised the bulk of their dietary protein intake.

Fourth, the blend of protein sources is important since different sources of dietary protein contain different amounts of both the essential and non-essential amino acids. For example, equal amounts of lamb meat,
beef, fish, chicken, or horse meat from the same environment will contain different amounts of essential amino acids. Sources such as soy, corn, rice, beet, wheat, and alfalfa also contain very specific amounts of essential and non-essential amino acids in their protein.

The following two tables show how different protein food sources can provide different amounts or types of protein. : The differences in protein and fat ratios of different meat sources from different areas of the world.

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DOG CARE AND MAINTENANCE WITH PROTEIN AMINO ACIDS

Protein is one of the most important parts of dog food, as well as one of the least understood by the average dog owner. Most people have the misconception that the amount of protein the food contains is the important factor. However, the important factor is: How much of the food's protein can be used by the animal consuming it? To determine the amount of usable protein, we must first break protein down into its component parts. These parts are called amino acids. There are two classifications for amino acids of dietary protein; 
(1) essential - those that the dog's own body cannot manufacture in sufficient quantities and
(2) non essential - those that the dog's own body can manufacture in sufficient quantities. It is the presence, balance and quality of the essential amino acids that determines the bio-nutritive value (% of usable protein) of the protein in a dog's feeding program.

All the amino acids, both essential and non-essential, have very specific nutritional jobs within the dog's body; such as the building of the muscle tissue, the regulation of antibodies within the immune system, and the
transfer of nerve impulses etc. The essential amino acids and some of their functions for a dog are:

DOG ARGININE

This essential amino acid stimulates immune system response by enhancing the production of T-cells, has a protective effect of toxicity of hydrocarbons and intravenous diuretics, is related to the elevated ammonia levels and cirrhosis of the liver by detoxifying ammonia, and induces growth hormone release from the pituitary gland.

HISTIDINE

This essential amino acid releases histamines from body stores, is associated with pain control, is associated with arthritis, and widens small blood vessels; thus aiding early digestion by stimulating stomach acid secretion.

ISOLEUCINE and LEUCINE: see VALINE

DOG LYSINE: 

This essential amino acid promotes bone growth in puppies, stimulates secretion of gastric juices, and is found in abundance within muscle tissue, connective tissue, and collagen.

METHIONINE: 

This essential amino acid assists gall bladder functions by participating in the synthesis of blue salts, helps to prevent deposits and cohesion of fats in the liver due to lipotropic function, is related to the synthesis of choline, balances the urinary tract pH (in its dl form), and gives rise to Taurine (an important neuroregulator in the brain).

PHENYLALANINE:
This essential amino acid stimulates chaleceptokinin enzymes and thus is related to appetite control, increases
blood pressure in hypotension, works with minerals in skin and hair pigmentation, gives rise to Tyrosine, and produces adrenaline and noradrenalin.

THREONINE: 

This essential amino acid regulates energy draw requirements, works with Phenylalanine in mood elevation or depression and skin pigmentation, manufactures adrenaline, and precurses Thyroid hormone.

TRYPTOPHAN:
This essential amino acid produces Serotonin that induces sleep, precurses the vitamin Niacin in treating and preventing pellagra, and is a vasoconstrictor that appears to aid in blood clotting mechanisms. Studies indicate a lack of tryptophan and methionine together can cause hair loss.

VALINE, (ISOLEUCINE AND LEUCINE): 

These essential amino acids work together and are classified as "branched-chain" amino acids. The three combine to regulate the protein turnover and energy metabolism, are stored in muscle tissue, and are released to be converted into energy during times of fasting or between meals.

Listed above are the ten amino acids that are essential for a dog's dietary requirements. Note humans only require eight essential amino acids in our dietary intake, and for this reason a dog could starve if given the
same protein sufficient to sustain human life. Other factors to consider concerning a specific dog's protein requirements are:

(1) The age of a dog can change its protein requirements. Both puppies and geriatric dogs require lower amounts of protein and higher carbohydrate %'s in their food.

(2) The dog's activity level or stress level (due to environment or working conditions) can change its protein requirements.

(3) A bitch during the gestation and lactation period has her own very specific requirements.

(4)The other ingredients within the food can affect the amount of each amino acid required. For example, a food that is highly acidic (due to a preservative) can increase the requirement of the amino acid Methionine.

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Dog Breeders Grooming Carbohydrate Bacteria and Food

The Dogs Carbohydrate Team:
Carbohydrate requirements change at very specific times in a dog's life cycle and in times of stress or work. Canines cannot "carbohydrate stack" (store carbohydrates for energy) as humans can, but they turn carbohydrates from the dietary intake into instant energy. Puppies and geriatric dogs should receive much of their energy from high carbohydrate food rather than from high protein food. Dogs convert high carbohydrate food into energy in a short time after ingesting it. They will need to be fed more often during the day to maintain proper energy levels.

Also, in the time of lactation, the bitch will turn some carbohydrates into a very special form of milk sugars for her puppies' energy requirements. Producing energy from dietary carbohydrates can be much easier on the dog's body than the process of producing energy from protein. Protein must be stored in muscle tissue and then withdrawn for conversion into energy.

The Dogs Bacteria Team:
Like fiber, bacteria is a part of canine nutrition too often taken for granted. A wild carnivore will often bury its kill, after eating the guts (high in bacteria content), to let the carcass rot prior to eating it. This rotting is nothing more than allowing bacteria to break down the muscle tissue to make it more digestible. The bacteria team also works very closely with the fiber team within the digestive system to develop and grow cultures. These cultures in turn produce vitamin K in the dog's gut. New research is now being done with bacteria to study its role in canine nutrition, and its importance is becoming more defined.

Note: Bacteria is found throughout the dog's digestive system. Bacteria in the mouth should not be removed by chemicals so that the dog will have sweet smelling breath. This is a human's cultural hang-up, and one that can cause dietary distress in canines by removing a very essential nutritional part from a dog's digestive process.

The Dogs Water Team:
Water is the most important nutrient team. Water comprises over 60% of a dog's body weight. Deprivation of water causes death faster than deprivation of any other nutrient. Water also works with ALL the other nutrient teams in the performance of their individual or collective functions. Water intake is normally in balance with water loss through the dog's urine, lungs, skin and feces. The loss of water through each method depends on factors such as activity levels, stress levels and the environmental temperatures. Water must be replaced continuously because the loss of water is continuous.

This means that the dog must always have access to water. However, not all water is the same. Well water from an area high in soil minerals also will be high in those minerals unless treated. Many cities treat their
water supply with chemicals. Each city will use different chemicals and treatment processes depending upon the sources of their water. The end product called "water" may only be similar to "water" from another city
for the mere fact it is a liquid. Dogs can develop diarrhea from a sudden change in the sources of any nutrient and water is no exception.

Therefore, I recommend you try to provide water from the home source when traveling with a dog. This can be done by taking along water from home or you can acclimate your dog to a specific type of bottled water
before the trip. Then all you need to do is buy the same type of bottled water as needed during the trip.

There are dangers in breaking down nutritional teams of solid food and liquids into their component parts and in turn further breaking down each of these components. One danger is that a person doing research in the field of nutrition can become too focused on a specific nutrient and disregard how that one nutrient interacts with other nutrients. For example; we all know that it takes calcium to build heathy bones. Knowing this one fact and taking it out of context can lead to problems. Adding lots of calcium to a puppy's food, without the other nutrients calcium interacts with for building bones, can be counter productive.

Another danger occurs when the researcher is looking for a specific result. When the researcher achieves his goal, he does not carry on to see what other areas have been effected. The best example of this would be the research on a product to change the elasticity of the muscles holding the hip joint together, thus changing the occurrence of hip dysplasia. Such a product has been researched and is available. However, that product also damages an otherwise healthy dog's liver and kidney.

When considering the field of canine nutrition and formulating a proper diet for your dog, I feel that a holistic view must be taken. Therefore, again I will emphasize that I feel the balancing of all the parts of each nutritional team is the most important factor.

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Dog Care and Maintenance Vitamin, Nutrition and Mineral

When inspecting each essential nutrient in a dog's diet, it is very important to look at the other nutrients they affect or that affect them. The nutrients that work together are the NUTRITIONAL TEAMS. We all recognize the teamwork between water and solid foods in the dog's diet. If either one is not present, we know the result will be death due to a lack of an essential part of the dog's diet. On the other hand, if we present any one part of the team in quantities that are too far out of proportion to the other parts, we can have the same disastrous results. Balancing all the parts of a nutritional team is the most important factor for formulating a proper diet for any dog. The complete nutritional team for canine nutrition consists of solids and liquids. These can be broken down to include: protein, vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, enzymes, fiber, fatty acids, carbohydrates, bacteria, and water. Then each part of the complete nutritional team can be broken down into a team of its own.

The Dogs Protein Team:
Protein consists of building blocks called amino acids. It is the balance of ten specific amino acids that give dietary protein its bionutritive value. The ten essential amino acids are; Valine, Leucine, Isoleucine, Threonine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Tryptophan, Histidine, Argine, and Lysine. All ten of these must be present within
the protein for a dog to receive any use of the protein at all. Other amino acids that are considered non essential amino acids are; Alanine, Asparagine, Aspartic Acid, Cystine, Glutamic Acid, Glutamine, Glysine,
Proline, Serine and Tyrosine. The non-essential amino acids can be produced by the dog (in vivo) and therefore are not required in the dog's bulk food intake. The essential amino acids are the ones that must be
in their food.

The Dogs Mineral Team:
The minerals essential for canine nutrition consist of Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, Magnesium, Manganese, Iron, Copper, Iodine, Selenium, and Zinc. The common practice of adding one team member (Calcium) to a dog's diet by pet owners often produces the best example of the danger of imbalancing a nutritional team. This practice provides quantities of calcium that are too far out of proportion to the other team members. There have been many studies done that show adding calcium without the proper balance of the rest of its team mates can deform the skeletal structure in puppies. These studies are those most often used by nutritionists working for dog food companies to show the dangers of supplementing their "balanced" allbreed dog food. This team is also directly linked to the vitamins that are fat soluble and the balance between these two teams is extremely important.

The Trace Dogs Mineral Team:
This team is directly related to both the mineral and vitamin teams. The trace mineral team consists of; Cobalt, Molybdenum, Copper, Fluorine, Iron, Arsenic, Magnesium, Zinc, Chromium, and Manganese. As you can see, many trace minerals appear to be the same as those listed as minerals. The main difference between those with the same name but found in a different category is their molecular configuration. Due to the unique molecular configuration of trace minerals they are very fragile. For example; the simple stone grinding process of wheat flour can cause from 70% to 90% of the natural trace mineral Iron to be destroyed. However, the same process would have little effect on the mineral form of Iron.

The Dogs enzyme team:
The enzyme team consists of Lypase, Amylase, and Trypsin. The dog's Pancreas secretes these enzymes into the intestines where they perform their team functions. Enzymes, like the nonessential amino acids of proteins that are produced by the dog in vivo, are not required in a healthy dog's bulk food intake. However, when supplemental enzymes are required, it is very important that they are manufactured in such a manner as to be released in the proper place within the dog's digestive system. The pancreas secretes its digestive enzymes into the digestive system when the food has already been exposed to several other digestive processes. By the time the food is exposed to the enzymes, the teeth have torn the food into smaller size, the acids and bacteria of the digestive system have started their work on the food, and so forth.

The Dogs Fiber Team:
The fiber team is one of those teams that is often overlooked. However, the work it performs plays a major function in canine nutrition. Fiber is responsible for slowing the food's movement throughout the digestive system, thus allowing each part of that system the time to perform its function properly. Also fiber and bacteria join in the dogs gut to produce vitamin K.

One important thing to consider with fiber is how it differs by source. A wild carnivore may add fiber to its diet by eating the bark of a tree or grasses such as wheat or oats. The major differences here would be that
tree bark will not swell in the gut like oats. Oats can swell up to ten times in size when they come into contact with a canine's gastric juices. Note: swelling of fiber can cause a problem if there are large quantities of this
fiber from the wrong source in the dog's dietary intake. The swelling can produce a bulk within the intestine, which can impact the system. On the other hand, some sources of fiber that do not swell, like that from tree
bark, may not allow the proper growth of bacteria in a dog's gut for that dog's in vivo production of vitamin K. It is very important to match the fiber source in the dietary intake of a dog with sources found in the
breed's native environment.

The Dogs Fatty Acid Team:
There are three fatty acids a dog must have to be able to produce the arachidonic acids that its body requires. The three fatty acids are: Oleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, and Linoleic Acid. All three are found together in any natural source containing what is called the Alpha Linolenate family. The classic symptom of a fatty acid deficiency is a dry and brittle coat. The breeds that produce skin oils also will require a different balance of this team than those breeds that do not produce skin oils. The fatty acid team should not be confused with "fat", which is more a source of nutritional carbohydrates. However, some types of animal fats do contain both carbohydrates and small amounts of the fatty acids. Vegetables and grains such as wheat bran, corn, linseed, or soy beans normally contain the highest concentrations of the Alpha Linolenate family.

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DOG BREED GOVERNMENT RESEARCH HEALTH AND HISTORY

In the early 1970's the government’s National Research Council formed a subcommittee to study the nutritional requirements of dogs. The President at that time was L. B. Johnson. It was at his specific request that this subcommittee was formed and research documentation compiled. Also noteworthy is the fact that the President and his wife Ladybird Johnson owned and raised Beagles. That is why most of the research for the first report by this newly formed subcommittee was related to nutritional requirements of the Beagle.

The subcommittee published their report Minimum Nutrient Requirements of Dogs for Growth and Maintenance in 1974. Later in 1980 and again in 1985 their expanded revisions showed tests on more nutrients and used different breeds. In the 1985 revision many multi-breed research studies cited led the committee to state “requirement of the dog can also vary depending on the methods and criteria used in their derivation.” Or lay terms, different breeds of dogs can have different nutrition requirements due to where and how a specific breed developed.

In the National Research Council's 1985 report there are many hundred of research studies cited from schools of veterinary medicine, dog food companies, and independent laboratories. Each of these studies pertain to a single nutrient, i.e. vitamin A, calcium, copper, etc. With each research study, when two or more breeds were used, it also showed their nutritional differences. Very noteworthy is the fact that in the entire
1985 report not one research study cited showed two breeds to have the same nutritional requirements for any one nutrient.

Samples of specific research confirming breed specific nutritional differences are found throughout the NRC's 1985 revised Nutrient Requirements of Dogs:

Specific test that show different breeds of dogs all have different nutritional needs can be seen in tests cited on the following pages: Page 3: “These data illustrate the marked effect on energy requirements imposed by the environment and the additional influence of differences in breed and behavior.” : Estimates of the protein requirement of the dog can also vary depending on the methods and criteria used in their derivation. Blazaet al. (1982) studied the sulfur amino acid requirements of growing Labrador and Beagle dogs in three experiments... These studies indicated that the dogs breed may influence methionine requirements. since Labradors but not Beagles responded to increasing the methionine content from O.36 to 0.71 percent by increased weight gains and food intakes.  In the section on Calcium.

Dogs of some types and breeds may perform satisfactorily on lower intakes of these minerals.’... ‘It is recognized that there are many breeds of dogs, that they are maintained under a wide range of environments, and are being. Tinedt et al. (1979) reported a copper toxicosis in Bedlington Terriers fed commercial dog diets containing 5 to 10 mg. copper per kilogram of diet. Ludwig et al. (1980) studied this disease in considerable detail and concluded that it is unique to this breed of dog and is caused by a genetic abnormality. The copper requirements for the majority of dog breeds appears to be quite low.’ Sanecki et al.

Dog In 1982 fed English Pointer pups a corn-soy based zinc deficient diet and reported observing within 5 weeks lesions of... These lesions were reversible by adding 200 mg. zinc carbonate per kilogram to the diet, with complete remission of the external lesions in 6 weeks’.... ‘Fisher (1977) fed more than 800 Beagles 32 mg./kg zinc of diet (calcium concentration not noted) and did not report any clinical signs of zinc deficiency.  Kozelka et a]. (1933) found that Collie puppies were protected from rickets by a ratio 1.3 IU vitamin D (irradiated ergosterol) per kilogram of body weight per day. Amoldand Elvehiem (1939) found calcification to be normal in a growing Airedale puppy receiving a 1.39 percent calcium and a 1.05 percent phosphorus (Ca/P= 1.32:1) diet and l32 lU or less of vitamin D per kilogram of body weight per day showed that growth and bone mineralization were normal.’ ... “Fleischnrnnn Laboratories (1944) reported that 28 IU vitamin D per kilogram of body weight daily was sufficient for Fox Terriers when using a dietary calcium:phosphorus ratio of 2.1:1. However, even with 270 IU per kilogram of body weight per day, Collies and Great Danes showed X-ray evidence of rickets.”

Every few years the Board Members of the National Research Council compiled the research data. They then reviewed all the specific tests. After this review, they recommended the minimum amounts of each nutrient for commercial dog food within the United States. The recommended nutrient amounts are the quantities determined by the committee to sustain life at a safe level and balance for any or all breeds of dog. These recommended amounts are called the “Minimum Nutrient Requirements of Dogs for Growth and Maintenance (amounts per Kilogram of body weight per day)’ or ‘Required Minimum Concentrations of Available Nutrients in Dog Food Formulated for Growth.

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Dog Evolution Sprcies Breeders Guide and Tips

It is truly fascinating to see a 235-pound Irish Wolfhound standing beside a 5-pound Pekingese, an Alaskan Malamute, and a Dachshund. When different breeds are standing side by side, it is sometimes hard to comprehend that they all belong to one single species of animal. There are over 250 different breeds within that one single species called canine. Each breed is unique; each differs in its appearance, its temperament, and its nutritional needs. How did these many breeds become so differentiated?

To understand the development of the variations found in modern day dogs, we must go back before the time man first became involved with these animals, just a short 10,000 years ago. The actual evolution of modern day dogs began over 40 million years ago! It is by going back and researching dogs' evolution over these last 40 million years that we gain insight into how the modern breeds of today became so differentiated. None of us questions the difference in coats between an arctic breed and a breed from the desert. Most of us also accept the theory of how different breeds developed different coats to survive within a specific environment. In the arctic the extremely low temperatures created a requirement for a thick double coat to protect the dog in its cold climate. In the desert the hot arid temperatures created a requirement for a lighter single coat. Thus, the dog's survival in these different climates dictated the development of a suitable coat.

Alaskan Malmute

We also should not be surprised to find different nutritional requirements among breeds from different environments. Like the way an environment's climate effected the development of a dog's coat, that same environment effected the development of a dog's nutritional requirements. The native nutrients found in Nordic tundra and ice are different from the nutrients found in the sand of the desert. Therefore, as each type of dog developed within a specific environment, its survival also depended upon the dog's ability to process that environment's food. Thus exposure to different environments produced breeds of dogs with as many variations in nutritional requirements as they have variations in appearance.

When comparing two breeds, often the differences can be more easily identified if each breed has remained within a specific type of environment for a prolonged time. For example, comparing exterior differences
between any one of the Nordic breeds and the Pharaoh Hound is obvious. The Nordic breeds all developed in cold climates. The Pharaoh Hound developed in the arid regions south of the Mediterranean and was even isolated on a single Mediterranean island for thousands of years. Since we know of this isolation we also can identify the Pharaoh Hound's specific developmental native nutrients. Knowing both the Pharaoh Hound's present nutritional requirements and their native island's specific nutrients, we can see the association between these two known facts. We also can show how this isolation, by limiting the breed to specific nutrients, produced very pronounced breed specific nutritional requirements.

With breeds that are new genetic hybrids, it is also possible to identify the environments and the native nutrients that played a role in the creation of their nutritional requirements. However, to accomplish this we must be able to trace their family tree. An example of this would be our tracing the development of the Sealyham Terrier, which was created by Captain John Edwards in the late 1800's. Since Captain Edwards kept very accurate records of his breeding efforts in the development of the Sealyham Terrier, the process of tracing its family tree is easy. With other genetic hybrids this process can be much more difficult, and with
some breeds all that can be done is offer an educated guess.

When considering the history of nutritional development for the members of the dog family, another lesson we can learn from close inspection of each breed is; be careful not to assume that all dogs from a specific country, as we know it today, have the same nutritional heritage. A dog from China could be from the Mandarin, Hunan, or Szechuan province. A dog from a smaller country, such as Germany, could have come from a mountain environment, middle elevation plateaus, or a lowland area next to the Baltic Sea. A dog from Italy could have come from the Sicilian or the Castilian Province. Within each country there may be different environments. These in turn have their own unique foods. Thus, breeds developing in the different environments of a single country would have developed different nutritional requirements.

Also, to believe that all desert breeds or all mountain breeds have the same nutritional needs is wrong. We would have to be more specific: Are the nutrients found in a high desert or a low desert environment?

Or if you are referring to the Alps of Germany, Switzerland or France as The Mountains, consider this: The tallest mountain in the French Alps is Mont. Blanc reaching 15,771 feet above sea level. The top of this
mountain is lower than the average elevations (16,000 feet above sea level) for the Plateau Area of Tibet. The mountains of Tibet go up from this country's "lower" plateau's to an elevation of over 29,000 feet high. The nutrients found on the mountains of Tibet are very different from the nutrients found on Mont. Blanc. Therefore, when considering the environment where a specific breed of dog developed, we must look beyond the geographic label of mountain, plateau or desert to identify the nutrients from that specific breed's area of origin.

Now let us consider the length of time that it would take to make a genetic change, due to an environmental change for any of today's breeds of dog. Man has written about specific breeds of dog for the last 8000 years, but not one word can be found showing that a single breed of dog has changed its genetic make-up due to a change in its environment in all this time. On the other hand many written accounts of breeds show
they remain the same, even after prolonged exposure to a new and different environment. One example of non-change after prolonged exposure to a new environment is in the written records of the Whippet. These records indicate the Whippet, which was transported from a hot and dry homeland to England's cold and damp climate in 49 A.D., was very much the same then as today's Whippet.

This breed has retained a short sleek coat developed for a hot and dry climate, even after 2,100 years of being bred true in a cold and damp climate. Thus, the Whippet by retaining its short sleek coat, is evidence to us that the length of time it can take to make an evolutionary change due to environmental effect can be over 2,100 years.

The length of time needed to make a nutritional requirement change due to exposure to a new environment's food supply also can take thousands of years. This is why today's Alaskan Malamute (a Nordic breed) still
thrives on fish, the German Shepherd Dog (a low plains farmland breed) still thrives on beef and grain, and the Greyhound (a desert breed) still thrives on rabbit. These breeds, like all the different breeds removed from their native environment and exposed to a single food supply (i.e.. one processed dog food formula), cannot have their nutritional needs satisfactorily fulfilled. Each breed has retained the genetic differences that it developed in its distinctly different native environments and for this reason, each should be treated NUTRITIONALLY as the individual that it is.

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