Dog Nutrition – Vegetables and Your Dog

Most dog owners do not spend a lot of time thinking about their pet’s nutrition.  The fact that food is manufactured specifically for dogs seems to be enough for most to passively buy whichever bag of kibble is reasonably cheap.  But this lack of understanding when it comes to canine nutrition could have a big impact on your pet’s life and learning a bit more could save a pet owner quite a bit of money in veterinary bills down the line.

The ancestors of the domestic dog were all wolves, so it is important that we start there by considering these hunters.  Wolves eat meat, simply put.  They hunt large animals and they eat them.  The domestic dog admittedly does not have an identical digestive system to the wolf but it is quite similar. In short, these animals have bodies that can accommodate meat and quite a bit of it.

Wolves do not eat grains and dogs did not really eat grains either until we began manufacturing dry dog food in the last century.  Grains were not added for their nutritional benefits so much because they were cheap and acted as a filler.  Look at nearly any brand of dog food and you will doubtless find quite a bit of corn in the ingredients.

Now, just because wolves and dogs don’t benefit from grains does not mean that all plants are not good for these canines.  Wolves in the wild eat not only the meat but also the stomach contents of their prey.  Deer and elk eat grass and so wolves also eat grass.  Some wolves, lacking enough of this plant matter in their diet may actually do a bit of grazing themselves.  Not all the nutrients in grass are bioavailable to wolves, but the fiber is also quite beneficial.

You will occasionally see dogs exhibit the same behavior – casually plucking up a mouthful of grass to munch on and this may be a sign to a pet owner that the dog is missing some nutrient in his diet.  If you insist on feeding kibble, try to look for a brand that advertises both good meat and also some vegetable content and preferably very little in the grain department.  Dogs need all the same nutrients as a wolf does but have far fewer chances to get them.  These nutrients will help your dog to live a long and very healthy life.