raw food – The Greyhounds' Yarn

March 2, 2017March 6, 2017

Yes, I own a racing Greyhound and no she isn’t a rescue

Am I the only Greyhound owner who gets annoyed when asked if my Greyhound was rescued? It really gets under my skin and it seems to happen far too often. The other day we were buying dog food and I was asked if my Greyhound was “rescued.” I was in a particularly rotten mood and my husband elbowed me as to say “please do not unleash your bad mood on this poor kid.” I put my bad mood aside and replied, “No, they were not rescued and yes they are racing Greyhounds.” The kid looked perplexed but continued to bag our goods and not ask for more clarification.

I feel continually frustrated about the misinformation that makes its way into the mainstream. It seems like the anti-racing (AR) propaganda penetrates so deeply that it has affected many people, even people who own Greyhounds.

This past week I read two articles in two different papers in North America stating complete inaccuracies about Greyhound racing and the lives of racing Greyhounds. By no means am I saying there are no failings in the Greyhound racing industry and that it is perfect. However, I feel that the vast majority of people working in the Greyhound racing industry love Greyhounds and respect the breed for what it is: a functional, fast, exceptional hound.

If you are into Greyhound adoption and have not visited a track, you’re missing out. I am lucky to be a part of a Greyhound Adoption group that arranges yearly visits to racing kennels and tracks encouraging adopters to see what life was like for their Greyhound before adoption.

It is important to be thoughtful about our opinions, and knowing the details of both sides is important to understand the entirety of a subject. Unfortunately, it seems that most of the AR supporters cannot see past outdated reports of abuse and neglect to see the positive changes in Greyhound racing today. It oftentimes seems overwhelming to educate the general public and some Greyhound enthusiasts that racing Greyhounds are loved, well exercised, well fed and happy in their professional careers.

There are certain ideas created and propagated by the AR machine about retired racing Greyhounds that have invaded mainstream Greyhound adoption. One idea is that skittish dogs were abused throughout their professional careers. This idea is complete rubbish. First off, by now we all know that negative training is not successful. Why would someone spend thousands of dollars on a dog that could create revenue and abuse it, thus diminishing their chances of success? Complete insanity. Furthermore, dogs have different personalities just like us. I have raised a fair number of terrier pups and for the most part they are fearless dogs, but I have seen dogs be gun shy or timid with no external cause for them to demonstrate that behavior. Skittish Greyhounds are most likely that way do to nature not nurture.

Another idea that makes me nuts is the raw meat myth. Feeding raw meat is not a bad thing! Dogs are predators and they are made to eat raw meat. Now, let’s talk about non-human grade meat. The labeling of meat is not just based on the quality of the product but also the facility it is made it. Lots meat packing facilities have quality products but have not obtained certification from the USDA to mark their product as “human grade.” Most pet foods are not made for human consumption, as the regulations and certification for this labeling would be very expensive, increasing the cost of pet food. It’s just not a logical business move. Thus, the non-human grade meat myth should be a moot point from now on.

Opinions and facts are not the same; however, opinions create gut responses and bias. When dredging through the misinformation about Greyhound racing it is important to push our bias aside and get at the truth. I support Greyhound racing for many reasons and as I have seen and learned more about the industry my support grows. I hope that this article encourages you to reinvestigate your feelings about Greyhound racing immersing yourself in facts and not opinions.

November 22, 2016March 6, 2017

Greyhound Teeth and Gums

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!

November 1, 2016March 6, 2017

Dog digestion and feeding

Dog GI system

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.

January 2, 2015March 6, 2017

Raw Diet

The original reason that I started this blog was to document the hounds’ transition to a raw diet. I had some failures in doing that… Blogging is not for the faint of heart.

We are now 100% raw, save for the training treats. Darla’s seizures are controlled with the diet and a herbal supplement. Most of my friends think I have gone off the deep end. I am a medical person and I love pharmacology; however, I feel that D’s seizures were directly correlated with her food. Since beginning raw diet, she has had less than five events all but one could be attributed to a treat or bone that had been smoked. Thus I am being open-minded and continuing with her treatment plan as it is. My human specialty is neurology, so girlfriend is analyzed and then reanalyzed.

I have read a lot about dog nutrition and have came up with a nice well-balanced diet for them. Depending on their weight, they get about 1-1.5lbs of meat a day. On top of that they are supplemented with 1-2 cups of green veggies and fruit. I am also a huge believer in carbohydrates, my hounds will get ½ cup of rice or sweet potatoes daily. They also get supplemented with eggs, sardines, and kefir/coconut milk. I will increase/decrease the diet if someone looks too thin or I start to lose hip points. I constantly evaluate how they look and how they act. Dogs tell you so much with so few words!

An interesting point in this was transitioning the puppy to raw food. While he was living with his breeder and litter he was getting a very high-quality kibble. When I first offered him raw, he was not interested. I ended up having to add some tripe to really stimulate his taste buds. Now he is a pro and will eat whatever is in his bowl. I have fed him based on his predicted adult weight. However, as soon as he begins to get too skinny I increase, usually with carbs. I find that the additional carbs have been very helpful without adding to his growing pains.

Officially, we are a raw food only family. I would encourage anyone to try this diet. It is easy and the dogs really do thrive on it!

May 23, 2014March 6, 2017

So far so good

It has been quite the week. I have continued to feed the hounds a raw diet and they are doing very well. I have noticed quite the difference in Jethro’s coat. His eczema is much improved and hardly noticeable. He also looks better. He is sleek and his muscle definition is improving. We will begin conditioning next week to prepare for coursing this fall.

On another note, Darla has started having seizures. This began in April with a severe tonic-clonic seizure. She has had three over the last three weeks. This has been devastating to me. She is a performance dog and the thought of putting her on medications that would prevent her from being her is heartbreaking.

I spoke with my vet and animal nutritionist. We linked these seizures back to a dog food change. After much thought, I have completely stopped giving my hounds kibble. They are 100% raw now. I continue to be very concerned about her relapsing but since the switch to all raw we have been seizure free. I am hopeful that her dietary changes will stop her seizures. However, I do have phenobarbital on hand in case this doesn’t work. I know it is a long shot.

On to sight hound stool… I am amazed at how little poo they produce now. No one has a belly ache and diarrhea has stopped. I am very pleased so far and I hope that we continue on this path. I aim for healthy happy dogs and so far so good.

May 15, 2014March 6, 2017

Taking the plunge

Day 1 of raw feeding—so far so good. The hounds ate their food like champs. They enjoyed the veggies as well as the raw meat. While on our walk, I was impressed with Jethro’s stool. He is currently on Metronidazole for his bacterial bloom; he has been having issues with this for the past six weeks, after taking antibiotic post surgery. Today, his stool was solid, I am not noticing hyperactive bowel sounds and he seems more comfortable. Darla is a once a day girl so I am looking forward to how she does this afternoon.

I am trying to feed Darla 1.5lbs of food a day and Jethro 2lbs per day. I know that there will be a learning curve for this and I will continue to monitor their weight. A few greyhound and whippet friends have been extremely helpful in giving advice about feeding. I have also read several books as well. Currently they are getting .5-.75lbs of Blue Ridge beef in the AM and ½ cup of veggies, 1 cup of grain free kibble, and 1 tablespoon of yogurt in the evening. Sometimes, I will give them ½ cup of kibble and ½ cup of oats instead of 1 cup of kibble.

Regarding supplements, I have done extensive research regarding the most needed additive to a raw diet. I am adding vitamin C, vitamin E, Omega 3-6-9, and green lipped mussel.

I have made a promise that I will do raw food for the next three months; I will then reevaluate the hounds and see how they are doing. During this time we will be training hard for field trials in the fall. I feel that this will be a great time to evaluate their health.