Protein for dogs is essential for optimal health…

Protein is a major building block to health and is needed for growth, maintenance and repair of the entire body, so without good quality sources, a dogs body will deteriorate over time.

Certain, ‘essential’ amino acids can only be gotten from ‘complete’ proteins such as meat, dairy, eggs and poultry.  These amino acids are broken down, absorbed and reformed to create new proteins that are used in the body.

It is also necessary for the production of antibodies, which fight against infection and illness, and is the main nutrient that keeps your dogs coat shiny and bones strong. Protein is a major component of all muscles, tissues and organs and is vital for practically every process such as metabolism, digestion and the transportation of nutrients and oxygen in the blood. 

Why Is Protein For Dogs Particularly Essential?

Our domestic dogs are carnivores and are most similar to wolves - they only differ by a mere 2% genetically from their wild ancestors; their digestive systems are just the same.

In the wild a wolf will mainly live off the prey they have caught.  From this, they will eat various parts including certain bones, muscle meat, organ meat (kidney, heart, liver etc) and the stomach contents.

So, with that in mind, would it not make sense that to thrive, a domesticated dog’s food should simulate, as much as possible, the natural diet?  And be fed food that the stomach can easily draw nutrition from?

The answer is… yes, of course!

What if the commercial food says it meets the minimum required amount of protein for dogs?

The majority of commercial foods today fall way short of providing your dog with the essential healthy foundation of protein that he or she will need in order to thrive.  And I mean ‘thrive’ not just ‘survive’…

You must be aware that the minimum amount of protein that must legally be in commercial dog food, for an normal adult dog, is ONLY 18% !  As long as the food meets this standard, then they can claim it is ‘balanced’ and meets all protein requirements.

This is not enough – as I have mentioned above, it is essential, and in LARGE amounts. This should equate to at least 70-80% of their diet.  Check the labels and make sure protein is high on the list – check out my blog on dog food reviews for more info on this.

As well as low levels of protein for dogs, a lot of commercial dog food has low quality protein which comes from undesirable sources such as soy, wheat and corn.  These are all extremely hard for your dog to digest – if at all – and provide no nutritional value whatsoever.

Why do they use these forms of protein?

Quite simply… because it’s cheaper.

Did you know that most breeds of dogs should genetically, live longer, sometimes even up to double what is normally accepted as a ‘good’ age, when fed a species appropriate diet (i.e. a fully balanced raw diet) as opposed to a commercially processed one?

Make sure your pet is getting a good quality food as without it, he could be facing the future with a multitude of health problems such as cancer, diabetes, digestive problems, allergies, heart failure and even death at an early age, as the body wears out from lack of proper protein for dogs.

Keep your dog safe and healthy and make an informed choice.

To your dogs health!
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‘Meat by-products‘ or ‘meat meal’ or ‘animal derivatives’ are all, catch-all phrases, for essentially the same thing – ground up animals.

When you read a dog food label we want to see a protein source at the top, but more often than not we see a list that doesn’t even contain a specific type of meat (ie. chicken), just one of those insidious phrases mentioned above.  

Until a few years ago, I didn’t know exactly what any of that meant, and when I found out I was disgusted…

The phrase is actually a misnomer as it contains little, if anything, that you or I would consider as ‘meat’… if you’re thinking something like chicken breast, or pork loin, then forget it.  The truth is very, very different.

So why is a by-product not a good protein for dogs?

By-products are all the parts of an animal AFTER all the meat has been stripped away for human consumption.  According to Henry Pasternak in Healing Animal with Nature’s Cures “chicken by-products include head, feet, entrails, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, liver, stomach, bones, blood, intestines and any other part of the carcass not fit for human consumption”.

Yes, things like liver and kidneys are good sources of enriched protein, but when the by-products are kept in large vats for weeks on end as the pile builds up before it’s shipped off to a rendering plant, all the virtues are long gone…

When the term ‘meat’ or ‘animal’ is used then it is an amalgamation of many types of animals from many sources, which can contain the boiled down flesh of animals we would find unacceptable for consumption.  Alarmingly, these meat by-products can include zoo animals, road kill and what the industry term ‘the 4-D’s’ (dead, diseased, disabled, dying livestock).

And in some cases (more evidenced in the US, but a large quantity of food is produced in the US) euthanised cats and dogs.  Yes, your pet could be a cannibal…  sobering isn’t it?

Although many manufacturers claim not to use euthanised cats and dogs, it is still actually LEGAL to do so, so until the legislation changes can you be totally sure if there is no reproach for doing this?

Given the crisis of ‘mad cow’ disease that exploded here in the UK, which stemmed from cattle being given infected food made from other cattle, it astounds me that we have learnt nothing from this awful tragedy.

I encourage you to take note of the type of protein for dogs you are being sold.  Be vigilant, be aware, and make a well informed, conscious choice about what food to serve to your beloved pets.  Don’t just help them to survive – help them to thrive!
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Please share below any thoughts or questions you may have on other ingredients in commercial dog food…
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The short answer is…yes, it’s a great part of raw feeding dogs! 

Obviously, if your dog has particular dietary requirements, then it’s best to check with your vet, but on the whole, fresh fruit and veg is great.
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However, there is one caveat to that... 

For your dog to get the nutrition from the fruit by being able to digest the produce, it ideally needs to be broken down… i.e. bashed, mashed, smooshed or grated and ground, to release the goodness.  A dog’s digestive system is a lot shorter than ours, so there isn't that much time to break things down.

In the wild, a wolf (our domestic friends differ by only 2%) eats the fruit and veg mostly from the contents of their preys stomach, where it is already semi-digested; so we need to replicate this as much as we can to benefit our pets digestion.

Can dogs eat fruit with the skin on?

Absolutely.  You may want to remove things like the skin from bananas, the peel from oranges and grapefruits, or the hairy outside of a kiwi – I don’t think anyone, let alone a dog, would like to eat those.  But keeping the skin on things like apples and peaches adds to the nutrition. 

However…

Again, I have one caveat – that you use organic produce where possible.  If you don’t, then yes, it may prove more beneficial to remove the skin, as this is where most of the chemicals and pesticides will be held and could outweigh the goodness that it may contain.

Be aware that grapes and raisins can cause problems in some dogs, so best to avoid those.

If you’ve got any ideas on fruit and veg recipes for your dog, or any questions on why you should give raw feeding dogs a go, comment below.

Stay fruity!
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If you want to make your own treats and need a good dog treats recipe, there aren’t many places you can look on the Internet that give you sound, knowledgeable advice about how to make them.  Believe me, I know…

Oh, there are quite a few recipes out there, but certainly not ones that will enhance your dogs’ health.  In fact, the majority are recipes for hard biscuits that are made from indigestible white flour and peanut butter, amongst other inappropriate things.  I don’t know where the idea came from that peanut butter is a great source of nutrition for dogs, but believe me, it isn’t!!

And with all the pet food and treat recalls that seem to be on the increase, I think it’s even more important we take control of our pet’s nutrition.

Whats in Each Dog Treats Recipe?

For those who need some ideas on recipes I have compiled an e-Book with 7 of the top Oscar’s Organics recipes.  

Each recipe has a full, step-by-step guide on how to make it.  I have also listed each ingredient, with a full explanation of what the health benefits are which shows why I chose to include it in the treats.  Most of the ingredients are there because I was looking for ways to help Oscar and to improve his health:

For example, I started using certain spices like cinnamon in the first dog treats recipe I devised. I incorporated it into the treats as it can stimulate the digestive system and helps with gastrointestinal spasms and nausea.  Oscar suffers from a form of IBS, where occasionally, the intestines spasm in the opposite direction, so for him it’s perfect and helps soothe and regulate his system.

This e-Book is a result of years of research and trial and error in creating these treats and gives you all the reasoning behind every ingredient I use and I would like to share it with you.  I encourage the use of fresh, species-appropriate ingredients that will enhance your dogs’ health, not destroy it.  As I’ve mentioned on other occasions, just because it’s a ‘treat’, doesn’t mean it has to be bad for your dog.

This eBook gives you not one dog treats recipe, but 7.  You may find other offers such as ‘101 recipes’ or some other such high number – but don’t let the number fool you – these are 7, fully researched and tested treats that I guarantee your dog will love and (providing they don’t have any underlying health issues) will definitely benefit from.
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Happy Baking!