Are grains okay for my dog?

Posted on 25. Jan, 2010 by Annvi in Barkin' Doggie Bloggie, Dog Nutrition, Interesting Dog Tidbits

I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being.~ Abraham Lincoln

When we decided that the dog biscuit business was the business we wanted to get into, we did a lot of research on ingredients.  A LOT.  We looked into grain-free, soy-free, etc…all sorts of dog diets that people believe are good for dogs.  We all want our dogs to be as healthy as possible and the best way to contribute to health is through the mouth- in other words, through food.  Yes, we know we aren’t baking dog food- just a treat that should be used to supplement a dog’s diet, but we still  wanted to create something that was whole-some, all-natural and DELICIOUS.  We wanted to bake something that was not only fun and an enjoyable experience for your dog, but something that also contributes to the healthy, well-being of your precious best friend.  Now, we aren’t food experts or dog nutritional experts.  However, we are law school graduates and what are lawyers good at?  Research. Research. Research.

Here is how we concluded that  our 100% pure whole wheat used in our dog cookies (with nothing added to it) is digestible by most dogs.

1. Where do dogs come from?  Short Answer: Descendant of wolves.

Long Answer: According to historians and fossil records, dogs first appeared 40 million years ago.  During this time, three main types of dogs existed:

1. A hybrid weasel and fox: became extinct 15 million years ago.

2. Larger hyena-like animal: big jaw muscles and strong teeth, became extinct 2.5 million years ago.

3. Wolf: Canis Lupus, located only in North America, until 7 million years ago, some of them crossed a land bridge to Asia.

No one is certain how and when domestication happened to our friendly creatures.  It was believed that the first dogs were domesticated about 12,000 years ago; however, recent scientific studies point to an earlier transformation of wolves to dogs- 130,000 years ago.

This indicates that wolves were adapting to human society way before humans began forming communities and practicing agriculture.  This seems to negate beliefs that humans domesticated dogs to assist us and provides support that  perhaps, dogs exploited us- somehow, recognized our need for this sort of companionship and convinced us to feed them and take them in from the cold.

2. Are wolves carnivores?  Although wolves are primarily meat-eaters, they do also consume berries, twigs, etc.

3. Are dogs carnivores?  No.

A cat is a true carnivore, but a dog is not.  Dogs are “opportunistic eaters.”  There is a lot of debate whether a dog is a carnivore because of their physical attributes- they have shorter intestinal tracts than us, sharp teeth, etc.  This all indicates that they are meat-eaters.  However, this does not imply that they can survive on only meat or protein (a dog can survive on a vegetarian diet if fed the proper amounts of non-meat protein) alone.

Most commercial dry dog foods contain between 30% and 70% carbohydrates.  Wolves do eat some carbs through the consumption of the intestinal content of their prey- not sure if you want to read all the gory details.  Essentially, the natural source of prey for dogs is a herbivore, a plant eater.  When a dog catches its prey, it first goes for the gut.  The gut of the prey is full of semi-digested plant and grain material.   A dog’s protein requirement can be met through meat; their energy and fiber requirements are met through the consumption of carbs.

It is important to remember that compared to our digestive tract, a dog’s is unable to digest a grains that are unprocessed and uncooked.  You will never see a dog grazing on wheat in the wheat’s natural state because dogs have short intestinal tracts.  Carbs take a much longer time to digest and since dogs have short tracts, uncooked grains can sit in their stomachs leading to health problems.  Also, we humans have enzymes in our mouths that start the digestion process, as opposed to dogs that do not have these enzymes.  Their digestion process begins in the stomach.

Furthermore, carbs aid in the proper functioning of your dog’s liver, heart, brain, and nerve tissues.  It seems that ingesting carbohydrates has always been an important part of wolves’ and dogs’ diets.

4. What about all that information on grains are bad for my dog?

Dogs cannot digest whole grains that are uncooked.  You will probably never see a dog hanging out with some horses or cows and grazing on grains.  Like I mentioned earlier, dogs ingest grains from the gut of the prey animal.  The grain has already been chewed, partially digested, and has been fermenting in the animal’s gut at 38.5′C.  Okay, I am sorry for the vivid picture, but I have done so much research on this.  I wanted to make sure I explain the whole picture.  This is also true for plants and fruits.  Dogs will typically eat ripened fruit off the ground, not fruit on a tree that hasn’t ripened yet.

But what about when my dog eats grass?  I am sure you have all seen your cute lil’ pup chewing on a blade of grass.  Dog can digest fresh plant material when they eat very young shoots.  If you watch your dog eating grass, s/he can be very selective.  You probably won’t see him/her eating big green leaves.  New shoots of grass have a thin cell wall that can be digested as compared to older plant cells that develop a tougher cell wall.

5.  So, what grains can my dog digest?

Grains are bad when they are not ground whole, not human grade, or when they are the main component of a dog food.  The grain must be a high quality and a low gluten level.  Dogs can digest cooked whole grains because when cooked, these grains are easily digestible by our furry friends and can be used completely by their bodies.

Cooked good grains include whole wheat, rice, millet, oatmeal, and barley.

6. I thought dogs are allergic to wheat?

Most dogs are not allergic to wheat- at least 90% of dogs are not allergic to wheat.  Even dogs that consume a lot of wheat or corn from commercial dog foods seem to do fine, living healthy long lives.  However, we do recommend that your dog’s diet primarily should consist of a high protein diet supplemented by fruit, grains, and veggies.   Every pup is different, but for the most part a small portion of cooked whole grains are good for your dog.  The best way to figure out a good balance is see how your dog reacts to different foods.  When we first got Rocky, we gave him a very high protein diet.  It did not work for him, he was lethargic and constipated.  Zeus likes spinach, but Rocky spits it out.  Your dog will give you clues as to what s/he requires.  I always catch Zeus chomping on grass, but I rarely see Rocky doing that.

Our conclusion is that grains are good for your dog as long as they are not the dominate source of energy.  All dogs need a balance of protein, fats, fiber, and carbs.

We are very interested on your thoughts on this subject.  Please shoot us an email: info@barkindoggiebiscuits.com or comment below.

Cheers and Happy Barkin’!

Annvi and Tobiah

Tags: Baking, carbohydrates, Cats, cooked grains, Cooking, Dog Food, Dog Treats, Dogs, grain-free diets, intestines, protein, Wheat, wolves