Does anyone ever feel like ever changing science makes it
hard to do the right thing?
Due to ongoing scientific inquiry things are always
changing.
Believe it or not there is a lot of science that goes into dog kibble. Love it or hate it the government and private corporations study dog food and negative/positive outcomes associated with what we feed our pets. Recently the FDA was alerted to 524 cases of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) occurring between January 2014 and April 2019.
So you might be wondering why the FDA is monitoring this. The FDA depends of reports from consumers to investigate concerns and felt that this trend was concerning. While DCM is not considered to be a rare disease it affects certain breeds disproportionately. And the new cases were unsettling.
The animals affected, while a small number, were not animals (breed or sex) that typically get DCM.
When my vet brought this to my attention in April and I was floored. The kibble I was feeding was on the list and I didn’t even purchase it because it was grain-free. I selected it based on “quality.”
Currently, there is not a 100% link between grain-free diets and DCM, however, the takeaway for pet owners is that there may be a link and we need more data. Sure, there are all types of confounders that were not considered within this report but nevertheless trends are important. Another important consideration is that reporting oftentimes is low and does not represent the entire landscape that has been affected. Reporting is not required by law and takes time.
I switched my Greyhounds to a new kibble and things are going well. I trust my vet and her recommendations. If you have concerns about what kibble is best for your pup discuss diet with your vet. Vets understand animal nutrition and have your pet’s best interest in mind.
A few weeks ago I wrote an article on greyhound digestion.We learned that greyhounds rely on the crushing power of their molars to break down food, as they lack the enzymes needed to begin carbohydrate break down in their mouths.
Due to this, dogs’ teeth are important to their overall health.Greyhounds are known for their bad teeth.Today, I want to discuss the greyhound’s teeth and gums, how gingivitis occurs, and then how to get your greyhounds mouth into tip-top-shape!
If you have even been around a greyhound puppy, you know why they are called “land-sharks.”They have super fine sharp teeth that will cut through skin and bring you to your knees.Thankfully at about six months these 28 extremely sharp weapons fall out and replaced by 42 permanent adult teeth.Dogs have four types of teeth: canines, incisors, premolars, and molars.The canines are responsible for ripping or tearing flesh and the molars are responsible for crushing.These adult teeth lack in sharpness but are efficient at bringing down quarry and enable the greyhound to tear through bone and muscle.
Just as the adult teeth need to be strong to function, they also depend on strong gums for support.Gums are tissues in the mouth that are covered with oral mucosa.Gums help keep the teeth aligned and supported.If the gums are not healthy the teeth cannot be healthy either.
So why do greyhounds have such “bad” teeth?There are several hypotheses but no clear answer at this time.The national greyhound adoption program (NGAP) blames this on a raw diet fed at the kennels; however, I disagree.A raw diet with meaty bones should promote good dental care.Some feel that there is a lack of concern about teeth in the greyhound industry and point out that there is only a half page on tooth care in the greyhound bible AKA Care of the Racing Greyhound: A Guide for Trainers, Breeders, and Veterinarians. I am not sure that this is that accurate either, as tooth brushing is not difficult and could be covered quickly. The cause of bad teeth could be debated all day and a clear answer may not surface. Let move on to how tooth decay and gingivitis occur and how to prevent this.
Dogs have bacteria in their mouths, and certain bacteria are part of their normal flora (friendly bacteria).They also get bacteria in their mouths from eating, licking, chewing, and doing dog things.These bacteria stick to the teeth.If these bacteria are not removed from the teeth they cause irritation to the gums.This is called gingivitis.Most likely your hounds have gingivitis if their gums bleed with brushing.This is commonly seen early in an oral care program.Regular teeth brushing and chewing can reverse this.If these bacteria are not removed they will continue to build up on the teeth.This build-up of bacteria (tarter) will weaken the enamel of the teeth causing decay.This build-up of tarter can also affect the bone under the gum supporting the tooth if not removed.Once the bones supporting the teeth are affected the dog has periodontitis.This is not reversible and can cause tooth loss if not stopped.
The importance of the teeth and gums are paramount.Teeth not only support our nutritional needs, but if they are diseased, they create an entryway for bacterial to enter into the blood stream and potentially cause life-threatening infections.
How do we prevent this from happening to our best friends?Number one most important thing is brush their teeth.I admit that I am not the best at daily brushing, but after writing about the horrors of periodontitis I can promise you there will be daily brushing in our house!The second thing is to feed raw bones.Raw bones are irritants to built-up tarter on the teeth.The grinding of the bone helps to remove the tarter on the molars as you can see in the photo above.Please, do not feed cooked bones, as they can be extremely harmful to dogs.The cooking of bone denatures the proteins and causes splintering of the bone when chewing.Finally, encourage chewing!I love planet dog toys.The Orbee-Tuff line holds up to my aggressive chewers and the toys have a nice peppermint scent to help with bad breath.
I hope that this article is helpful to you and your hound. Below is a video of how we brush teeth. Promoting clean teeth and gums is one of the best things you can do for your greyhound!
After writing my myths BUSTED post, I began thinking about how often I am asked about what I feed my greys. I felt that this topic is worth spending more time discussing.
First let’s discuss the gut of a dog. All mammal digestion begins in the mouth. This is where we begin to break down the particles in our food to extract the important elements needed for sustained life. Most mammals produce amylase, an enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates, in their saliva. Amylase is not produced in a dog’s saliva.
We must remember that our sweet cuddly greyhounds are natural born predators that are more than able to crush through bone and muscle meat with ease. Carbs were not often on the menu. Open up her mouth and check out those huge teeth!
After reading this about amylase I was confused as to how dogs break down kibble. Let’s dive into the dog’s GI tract to learn how this happens.
After your hound ravenously devours her food, she swallows it. The esophagus allows the passage of food from the mouth to the stomach. The esophagus is just a connection, nothing exciting happens here.
Then the food enters the stomach. Dogs have single chamber stomachs like humans. The stomach pH of a dog is about 2, which is the same acidity as lemon juice. The strong gastric acid combined with the muscle strength of the stomach begins to break down food into absorbable molecules- but minimal absorption actually occurs in the stomach.
Once the food has been broken down by the gastric acid, the food enters the small intestine. Mammals have three parts that make up their small intestine: the duodenum, jejunum, and the ileum. The small intestine is a large organ and can be about two and half times the dogs total body length!
The duodenum is the smallest part of the small intestine but the most important. The duodenum connects the small intestine to the stomach. While food is in this section it is combined with enzymes from the gallbladder, pancreas, and liver. The duodenum is where amylase, lipase, and proteinase begin to break down carbohydrates, fats, and protein, creating the building block for life. In the duodenum, kibble is broken down.
After the food is further broken down, it enters the jejunum. The jejunum is the longest section of the small intestine. The jejunum has a large surface area to allow for absorption of nutrients.
After the jejunum successfully absorbs all important nutrients from the food, the remaining intestinal contents are released into the ileum. The ileum connects the small intestine to the large intestine.
Once the intestinal contents reach the large intestine most nutrients have been absorbed and broken down. The job of the large intestine is to absorb water and create feces. The large intestine is critically important in the hydration status of the dog. Once most water is absorbed, the feces enters the anus and then rectum. Once in the rectum the dog will be able to expel its waste.
Dogs have quick digestive systems and depending on your fed, digestion can take them 6-12 hours per meal.
Feeding
Now we have a basic understanding of how a dog’s gut works. Let’s talk about what to feed your greyhound.
When I first read that dogs do not have amylase in their mouth I felt that raw food was the only way to feed a dog. Since learning more about dog digestion and monitoring my dogs on raw my opinion has somewhat changed.
I have three greyhounds. They were fed raw for about three years. I have followed both the BARF (bones and raw food) method and whole prey. I feel that whole prey worked better for my dogs and aligned with my concerns regarding no amylase in dog saliva. I used multiple protein sources and felt very good about the diet they were receiving.
However, Jethro never thrived on raw. His coat was dull, thinning, and he was very skinny (even for a greyhound). I tried to increase his rations but he began to refuse to eat. After about 10-14 days of him barely touching his food I knew something had to change.
I started him back on a very high quality kibble. Seriously, his eyes about popped out of his head when he saw a bowl full of kibble. I realized that raw was not for him. He did not do well on it.
I do still give him raw bones to help with tarter build up.
After my experience with Jethro I wanted to learn why greyhound trainers would feed kibble and raw together. After all, this goes completely against everything I had learned about the horrors of feeding raw and kibble at the same time.
I researched this more, reading accounts on what Henry VIII fed his hunting greyhounds, what open field coursing greyhounds are fed, and what top US racing greyhounds eat. A theory for feeding carbohydrates continued to surface throughout my research; it stated that greyhounds need a lot of ready-to-use energy for sprinting. The carbohydrates in kibble, pasta, and rice that trainers often feed help with this. The balance between the raw protein source and the kibble create a balanced diet for quick acceleration from an energy standpoint.
I encourage greyhound owners to try different diets and see what their hound thrives on. There are easy options for raw and kibble. The most important thing to remember when choosing a food it how you dog looks, feels, and preforms on that diet. After all a dog’s diet is not a bragging point between humans but an elemental point of existence for your hound.
The illustrations in this post are reprinted with permission by the copyright owner, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, from the Atlas of Veterinary Clinical Anatomy. These illustrations should not be downloaded, printed or copied except for personal, non-commercial use.
