Anatomy of a Carnivore...Outstandin' Article Aye! - Page 1

http://www.b-naturals.com/spr99.htm

Me can remember over 45yrs ago, as a sprog, goin' t' Safeway and in t' frozen foods thar were square shaped packs o' frozen horse meat with t' Hills brand on them. I don't recall seein' frozen horse meat offered since then. Can it be that a diet o' commercial food made up o' grains, be really t' culprit o' all these maladies our breeds suffer from today? Do we have bloodlines that now produce dogs with these maladies just from decades o' improper nutrition? Me realizes overbreedin' and other variables come into play, but perhaps we haven't looked at diet close enough. Commercial dog foods did not become available until t' late 50's and early 60's. T' draw o' processed dog foods for t' public be mainly convenience, and good marketin'. Dog food companies began t' convince t' public that dog foods were complete in nutrition, and balanced. They also used marketin' and advertisin' t' convince t' public that canine nutrition was complex, and only a dry, scientifically formulated diet could give their dog complete nutrition. Prior to that time, people gave their dogs scraps,  raw meat, eggs and bones. T' digestive enzymes and bacteria found in fresh food helped dogs digest food better, and built stronger immune systems. These necessary nutrients be not found in processed foods, as t' processin' and cookin' destroys them. Dogs began t' develop coat, skin and allergy conditions. They also begin t' show dental problems, as their teeth be not designed for chewin', but for tearin' and swallowin'. Raw meat and bones contain enzymes and acids that help keep teeth clean, and also help t' develop good musculature in t' jaw and head. T' Anatomy article also states,,,Dogs, as carnivores, have difficulty digestin' grains and other complex carbohydrates. With t' lack o' digestive enzymes in t' mouth, complex carbohydrates be not predigested, and take a long time t' break down in t' stomach, and small intestine, if they break down at all. Years ago, me was conditionin' a dog for a Weight Pulling Event. T' dog had to make the weight of a certain class. Me felt me was doin' a fantastic job. Me remember mixin' some steamed brown rice into t' dog's main meal. aye About 18hrs later, me  worked me dog and he threw up. Me was very surprised t' see t'  rice thrown up, and it looked t' be t' exact same way and shape as when me fed it. When me read t' article, me thought aft t' that incident, and me understood.

I remember not having dog food and feeding scraps, we all ate better back then and there was more to go around.

People still butchered they're own animals then.

I be too friggin old I say  

An interesting article as always Cap'n.

Many years ago, at least in the UK, local small abattoirs were not that uncommon where it would be quite easy to cheaply source meats, bones & offal that was ideal for the hound. Even up until 10 yrs ago there was one in our town. Health & safety and countless EU livestock laws have now put paid to that.

Know where you're coming from Two Moons...

One point in the article not related to diet was that all dogs from a Chihuahua to a St. Bernard share the same DNA. I believe dogs are unusual, if not unique, in this respect as their DNA is highly malleable and in relatively few generations can be breed to produce the above two extremes.

AandA

that's a great article.  thanks for sharing.

pjp

Yeah same here Capt.       I need to find something else that I can afford to feed me bucko's.

Later.

Very good article.  My father-in-law was Senior VP for Carnation International through much of the 60s and 70s.  They were one of the largest manufacturers of dog food and had research kennels, etc.. He told me way back when how  R & D was all about how to sell it to the owners, and nothing to do with formulating good nutrition.  The big break through was when they discovered dogs love rancid fat so much they would wolf down anything covered in the crap, so that's what they covered the food in.  All about selling it to the people and when people saw how much the dogs liked the food, it was all over but the shouting!

Hi Capt

When i was a wee lad  some 65 years ago we owned  a English bull terrier+

He was a Lovely Dog Weighed 35 kg and was called 'Tiny' that lad used to pull us around the village green on  our home made 'Go Carts' An Axle with two Pram wheels at the back nailed onto a wide plank, a small piece of wood with another set of smaller wheels made up the from held togetherwitha Bolt put through the Centre Steering was by two pieces of rope nailed near the front wheels and on theback we flew a Flag, But not the 'Jolly Roger'  We put that Flag on our Home Made Rafts, Tree Trunks lashed to gether with String and Rope, with a thin piece of batton nailedacross to keep it from falling apart to float on the River, great times we had amusing ourselves

Tiny used to pull us along it was great a smashing Dog and i still have a photo of him as a Baby held in my second oldest sisters arms this was about 65 years ago

He was reared and fed on the same as we ate from the dinners He kept in great condition

Capt is right its since the start of Poor brands of Kibble where a lot of problems have come about in our Dogs of all breeds The amount of rubbish and fillers in them is terrible, Beet Pulp makes up a big portion of many kibble feeds plus the huge amount of grains in the food,

I would feed Raw in a hearbeat if i could get it over here at a reasonable cost but after tryng for many months still have to feed Kibble but at least its one of the very best

Steve

Aye!! Oh me Beauty Sue, Lassy ye have touched on somethin' o' great interest t' me aye. Me would love t' converse with ye Father in Law Aye. me had an $$$ interest in t' new Carnation feed comin' out with "mibolerone" Cheque Drops, as t' active ingredient. Me was ready t' make me fortune when disaster struck in t' form o' President Reagan's feelin's towards Roe vs Wade and RU-486 aye.... Can ye just imagine t' popularity o' a dog food that would prevent a bitch from comin' into season? AYE!" As well as havin' contraceptive properties, mifepristone was in 1982 discovered t' be an abortificant. That projected t' entire mibolerone chemical family into t' middle o' t' international controversy over human abortion. Aye Politically, it was a bad time t' try t' market anythin' with potential for causin' human abortion--even if a pregnant beauty would have to eat enough of the new dog food in one meal t' feed a Great Dane for a week in order t' achieve abortion. aye Abortion opponents swiftly linked RU-486 and mibolerone, usin' the images o' humans eatin' dog food t' squelch t' Upjohn/Carnation contraceptive product.

http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/ru4861100.html

Aye Steve!, Me would love t' have seen "TINY". aye He sounds like a magnificent dog Aye. Me bets he was a Pullin' Machine AYE!

This I did not know.   I will be sure and ask him about it this weekend when I see him.  I'll report back Captain!