Probiotics, Prebiotics and Canine Digestion

Canine digestion is one thing most pet parents don’t give much if any thought to until something goes awry.  However, it plays an important role every day in the health of your furry friend.  My most recent canine nutrition lesson was on digestion.  Dogs have a shorter digestive tract than us humans….their food can transit anywhere from 24-48 hours.  If we were to eat a large meal, such as a steak, potatoes and bread, it could be as long as 7 days before it’s out of our system.  Doggie stomach acid is also much stronger than ours; which helps them to fight off the bad bacteria that enter their system when they eat things they really shouldn’t. (I’m sure many of us have experienced that!)

First, let me explain what probiotics are.  These are microorganisms, bacteria or yeast like you find in yogurt and cheese and they contain live cultures.  Prebiotics require a little more explanation.  This is basically non-digestible foods that wind their way through the digestive system and along the route help good bacteria grow and flourish….this is a good thing.  The source of this is usually non-absorbable carbohydrates like fructooligosaccharides (FOS).  These naturally occur in whole grains, fruits and legumes.  A couple of benefits about these are they do not produce a peak in blood sugar and there’s no contribution to caloric uptake.  Foods you can include in your dog’s diet that have prebiotics in them are: garlic, tomatoes (don’t feed too often), asparagus and bananas.  I always like to obtain nutrients first from food sources, and if that is not enough, then a supplement may be necessary.

There are some good supplements out there and some ‘not-so-complete’.  I reviewed a few of them, and following are my findings.  Note: You can purchase any of these from Only Natural Pet from their website.  (www.onlynaturalpet.com).  Ark Naturals has a product that is a Pro/Prebiotic capsule, 60 count (also available in a soft chew, 120 count).  It contains Bacillus Coagulans (formerly known by Lactobacillus Sporogenes), these bind cholesterol in the gut.  Integrative Therapeutics Spectra Probiotic is a multi-probiotic (comes in ultra-capsule form) that contains a proprietary blend of 8 strains of highly concentrated, viable microflora.  One of the benefits of this product is, there are no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.  No corn, gluten, soy, wheat or yeast (good for dogs with allergies), and no salt or sugar.  It contains Lactobacillus in four forms: acidophilus, helveticus, casei and salivarius.  It contains Bifidobacterium in three forms: bifidum, infantis and longum.  The last strain is Streptococcus thermophilus. Ultra-Pet Total Biotics is available in a 2.2 oz. powder.  It contains 11 stabilized strains of probiotics.  It is suggested to use with Total-Zymes digestive enzyme formula to give a one, two punch to digestive issues.  This product has human grade ingredients and no side effects.  The beneficial bacteria in the product are: Acidophilus DDS, B. bifidum, B. infantis, B. longum, L. casei, L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus, L. salivarius, S. thermophilus, L. lactis and L. helveticus.  On the prebiotic side, Inulin IQ FOS (fructooligosaccharides), MGG chelate, the only patented stabilized glutamine, and Live Enzyme Activated Delivery System (L.E.A.D.S.).

Pro/Prebiotics contain beneficial bacteria that helps to digest foods, absorb nutrients, and eliminate toxic substances.  They help alleviate occasional gas, diarrhea and intestinal upset.   If your dog suffers from yeast infections, ear infections or is on antibiotics, using these products before and after antibiotics can help replace the gut with good bacteria.  Introducing these into the diet also can promote proper elimination and help manufacture the B-vitamins.  These are definitely supplements worth looking into, however, you don’t want to ‘over supplement’, i.e., adding numerous supplements at one time.  If your dog is experiencing a lot of digestive issues, I strongly suggest getting a fur analysis so you can truly see where your dog needs help, so you get the right kind of supplements started.  You can find out more about fur analysis at: www.animalpainvet.com.  Becoming familiar with your pet when all is well can greatly be of benefit with something isn’t right.  Be pro-active in your approach.  Catching problems early can not only save money when a trip to the vet is warranted, it can also help your pooch recover earlier.  There are times with prescription drugs cannot be avoided, I understand.  Keeping these to a minimum is in the best interest of your dog’s health, as their systems consider these to be ‘foreign intruders’, as handle them as such, making it more difficult to deal with the issue.  I believe that already having herbal and natural supplementation in place is ‘insurance’ that should something arise, it won’t be as bad and won’t last as long.  Believe me, you’ll be glad you planned ahead! As always, I will be researching and learning more about probiotics, prebiotics and digestion, as it is so large, one article will not suffice.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me at: ChiLadyInIndy@att.net.  Also, feel free to leave comments or suggestions as to what you’d like to see discussed in future blogs.  To your dog’s health!

Freshpet – A Dog Food Review

I enjoy researching dog foods for my blog.  I not only acquire valuable information, but I am also anxious to pass on the information to my readers so they can become educated, informed pet parents.  I have certainly learned a lot in recent months regarding canines and over the past several years, and it causes me to realize how much more there is out there to know, find out, research and post about.

I recently noticed in the grocery store I frequent (Meijer), they were revamping their pet area, that they were going to start carrying ‘Freshpet’ foods.  The refrigerator for it was in place, and an information pamphlet available, but they hadn’t stocked any of the food yet.  I thought I’d see something similar many months ago at Kroger, so I took one of the pamphlets to check it out.

This morning I sat down and researched the  Freshpet website (www.freshpet.com), pouring over the information, and researching and reading further, as many of my blogs lead me to ‘check out’ and verify certain facts.  On top of my extensive background in human nutrition and my current studies in canine nutrition, I am able to sort through all this and present reliable conclusions to my findings.

To my regular blog readers, you know how I feel about the mainstream dog food manufacturers.  There are few I am impressed with.  I love it when I come across a dog food I can give a ‘thumbs up’ to, because sadly it doesn’t happen too often! The past decade has given consumers much information on health and nutrition.  There is a newer awareness of the need to take care of ourselves as responsible humans.  I am thrilled to see this is finally catching on in the animal world, especially with our domesticated companions, that they too need to be cared for properly when it comes to health and nutrition.  Pouring a bowl of dry dog food isn’t enough to ‘cut it’ in the 21^st Century for these furry little creatures we consider to be part of our family.

Freshpet products are made in small batches with human-grade meats and vegetables.  They claim ‘fresh, good food that’s cooked, not processed’.  There are no preservatives, by-products or fillers, and are for the most part grain free; not containing wheat, soy or corn, (which are common allergens for dogs), instead including wholesome grains such as brown rice, oats and barley.  They offer meat meals in rolls that can be cut into pieces, treats, chews and bones.  They also have ready to bake cookies! Yum!  The fat and calorie content in these are a tad high at 25% crude fat and 82 calories/cookie, however this does not pose a problem with me, as these cookies would be a ‘treat’….not something you feed your dog every day or use as a meal replacement.  Remember, treats are treats when given on special occasion, not on a regular basis. 

It is important to keep your dog’s weight under control, as overweight or obesity can pose several health risks.  I have added a dog food calculator to my ‘Websites and Dog Resources’ on my blog so you can check how many calories your dog needs.

Freshpet offers as one of their treats a ‘Dog Joy Turkey Bacon’, which I think is great! I like turkey bacon.  The website is very informative and has a ‘Freshpet Near You’ search tool so you can find out where you can purchase their products in your area.  97% of the ingredients for their foods are U.S. and Canadian derived, with local sources used when possible.  None come from China (double thumbs up!) Their foods are not organic, but are natural, meaning no chemical preservatives like BHA or propylene glycol are used.  It is fresh, not raw and undergoes a pasteurization process similar to milk and cold cuts.

Meijer has finally stocked these products, and I took a look at them.  They appear very similar to the home cooked meals I feed my dogs, and I felt they were reasonably priced.  For someone who doesn’t have the time or ability to cook home-made for their dogs, I believe adding this weekly (or daily if you can afford to) to your dry dog food would be of great benefit to your canine companion.  Learning, knowing and applying better choices to your dog’s diet can go a long way in the quality and length of years for your furry friend.

Adding variety to obtain balance is an important part of canine nutrition.  Dogs do not require nor need high carbohydrate diets, as in the wild, nature would provide around 14% carbs.  Quality fats such as organic extra virgin olive oil and even organic butter (occasionally), and those derived as whole fats from organic milk, yogurt and cheese are all ingredients that canines thrive on.  To determine the amount of carbohydrate content in your dog’s dry food, you can utilize the information found on the packaging.  Look for the Minimum % protein, Minimum % fat, Maximum % fiber, and Maximum % moisture.  These percentages tell the number of grams per 100 grams of food.  So you start with 100(%), subtract the protein, subtract the fat, and subtract the moisture and this gives you your percentage of carbohydrate.  You do not subtract the fiber as this is part of the carbohydrate.  Example: if the food contains 30% protein, 15% fat, 5% fiber and 10% moisture, you would take 100 minus 30 minus 15 minus 10 and your total carbs would be 45%.  You will most likely find as I did that most dry dog foods are high in carbs, even in the quality brand kibbles.  This is why I feed about 25% dry food in my dog’s diet and utilize real meat protein for the main part of their diet.

Adding Freshpet to your dog’s diet would assist in keeping carbohydrate content under control.  Please let me know if you have used or are using this product and what your thoughts are on it.  To your dog’s continued good health!

 

The Attention Issue

There would be some who would feel I am over-protective or even on the verge of paranoid when it comes to my dogs.  Perhaps some of that stems from my sheltered childhood, living most of my life by myself or the fact that I have very small dogs (Chihuahua's and Maltese) and I know how vulnerable they are to everything around them....they are so tiny, and everything else is so big!

Making the decision to working toward devoting my life energies to the well-being of these precious creatures has been a rather easy, if not natural choice.  I have loved animals as far back as I can remember, even though at times my mom's personal viewpoints caused me to fear them.  Anyway, I have overcome that, but.I won't be sharing space with a lion or bear, out of respect for their wild nature...but as far as domesticated animals, I tend toward the furry ones, especially dogs, as you might have noticed!

I have commented to friends and family over the past many years, that the Chaplin household is 'dog friendly'.  I have had numerous fosters come and go, so I have adapted the surroundings to meet their needs and make my life easier....especially when it comes to clean up!  I cater to the necessities of my dogs and those that are temporary guests, as to me it is important to their overall health.

That being said, one aspect of their life in our home that is not overlooked is that of physical attention.  Now you might think that's not a big deal.  However, when you have a multi-dog household, even small ones, this can get time consuming.  Personal time and space are at a minimum, and most times a luxury.  Granted, I could push them away, but I wouldn't want someone I love and care about doing me that way.  It's consideration of their feelings, at all times, even if it cuts into 'my time'.

I know people who have large dogs who claim they have 90 pound lap dogs, and how inconvenient that can be! Well, I cannot relate to that, but I can relate to the fact that if I sit down or lay down, there is going to be at least one dog, if not 4 or 5 who want to be right there with me! It's a given.  I have one dog in particular, Little Scrap, (a.k.a. Doodles) my long-haired Chi, who is my shadow.  I'm not out of his sight much, in fact, he's on my lap as I write this.  I lavish love on my dogs because...well...I love dogs.  I've made that quite clear in my blogs, I hope!

I guess it comes down to a personal preference, you can agree with me or not, and what you do with your dogs is up to you.  Dogs are very demanding of attention, it doesn't take long to realize that. Some days they can seem very 'needy', and at times that aren't the most convenient. Considering 99% of my dogs are rescue dogs and the majority I know nothing of their background because they were strays.  With this in mind, it seems so appropriate of them to seek out attention...and it seems to me the least I can do is to accomidate them.  They may have had a neglected life before they rescued me, and the reason I take them in is so they can have a better life than they did before, even if I don't know what that life was.

Most times I'm not giving them direct attention when they're on my lap or beside me, they just lay there and fall asleep, and I continue with what I am doing.  In a way, it is very flattering to have these little ones worshiping the ground I walk on.  (Oh, how I wish I could be the person my dog thinks I am!) I look at those adorable little faces and I smile and get a warm feeling inside knowing how much I love them and how important they are to me, how they have changed my life and even my priorities.

I recall following my mom and dad around when I was a kid, helping to 'oversee' their daily tasks.  Never once did they push me away or act as if they didn't want me around.  I mostly watched and sometimes even assisted in what they were doing.  I knew I was loved by how they treated me when I was around...not as a pest, but as their child whom they loved.  These little furbabies are my children now...why shouldn't I treat them like my parents did me?

So anyway, that's my opinion for what it's worth.  I believe all animals should be treated with respect and kindness.  I'm almost constantly excusing myself and apologizing when I accidently step on a paw that's underfoot, or bonk a little head or body when I'm doing something.  Yup, at times they get in the way...but hey, this is their home too....even if they're a foster and it's just a temporary layover for them, it should be a place of love, kindness and peace. My hope is that every dog could have a wonderful life free of abuse and neglect, and know that all humans aren't mean. It's very much a compliment when someone says to me, 'If I'd ever be reincarnated, I'd want to come back as one of your dogs!'  

Canine Liver Disease - Part 1

Again, this blog is coming from the Canine Nutrition lessons I am undertaking.  My most recent lesson was on liver disease in dogs.  My assignment was to research different canine liver diets on the market, list the ones I assessed and then rate them on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best.  Below are my findings.  Again, this blog will be 'Part 1' of my blogs on canine liver disease, as there is much more I want to check and pass along to you my readers.  This is extremely important information for doggie parents dealing with diseases in their furry companions. 

I checked two sources for canine liver disease, one that is based on a homemade diet, and one that is a prescription commercial diet.

For the homemade diet, I found on Ehow.com, it discussed that commercial diets can be harmful for dogs with liver disease because of chemicals in the food.  Fats and proteins are beneficial, and thus a homemade diet is better for a dog suffering from liver disease.  It is necessary to prevent the accumulation of copper and free radicals to assist in liver healing when considering a proper diet.   A homemade diet should consist of 18-22% quality protein, unless advanced liver disease has affected the brain.  Lean animal meat, plant proteins (soy based and wheat gluten) and dairy.  The article stated that cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and yogurt may be better tolerated by the dog.  Eggs and white fish were also listed for this diet.  As far as fats, it stated that 55-60% of the diet should come from fats in the form of Omega 3 or salmon oil (not cod liver oil).  Fiber should be between 3-13%, carbohydrates both soluble and insoluble, grains, oats, rice, and pasta lower the absorption of ammonia and helps the growth of beneficial bacteria.  Fiber helps rid bile acids, helps normalize transmit time, prevents constipation while binding toxins.  Avoid foods and supplements with copper, use anti-oxidants and include Vitamins, B, C, E and K.  The addition of zinc, SAMe, milk thistle, potassium and minimum amounts of sodium was also suggested.  It listed two recipes to use: 1) Chicken breast with skin, boiled rice, boiled carrots, wheat bran and rapeseed oil; 2) minced beef with 15% fat, tofu, boiled rice, boiled carrots, wheat bran and rapeseed oil.

I would rate this Ehow.com canine liver diet at a 4 because I’m not really convinced that I would want to add soy based products to my dog’s diet.  I really would be rather reluctant to add too much wheat in either, since both can be allergens for dogs.  I think perhaps the fat content of the diet is rather high, since in this lesson(my canine lesson) it mentioned 15-30% DM. (digestible matter) As far as grains, I’m okay with oats and brown rice (organic), pasta….??  The carb content of 3-13% I think however is a good percentage, but high quality carbs need to be stressed, certainly not refined ones.

Added note: The reason for watching foods that are allergens is because when you have a dog dealing with a disease, they already have a compromised immune system, a possible allergen is just another 'foreign invader' for your dog's system to have to deal with.  There are many other food choices to fed your ailing pet that will be much more 'freindly'.

The commercial diet for canine liver disease is from Hillspet.com.  It had an information section that discussed the important functions of the liver, one being that it filters toxins.  It also gave a list of some causes of liver disease, like viral and bacterial infections, poisonousness substances a pet might ingest, and specifically breeds such as the Bedlingtons and West Highland terriers who have difficulty excreting copper.  It also listed signs of liver disease.  That part was a nice outline, I thought.  However, they had two foods available, the first being a prescription dry diet, ‘Canine Hepatic Health l/d’.  These are the first 10 ingredients: brewer’s rice, pork fat with mixed tocopherols and citric acid, dried egg product, soybean meal, powdered cellulose, flaxseed, pork protein isolate, chicken liver flavor, dicalcium phosphate, lactic acid. 

I am not impressed with this kibble at all.  It seems like there’s a lot of made made ingredients.  Where are the whole foods to help the body heal and repair?  I’d be quite concerned that if this was all I fed my dog who had liver disease, that the dog food alone would bring about the dog’s demise. 

There was also a canned variety for the Hepatic Health diet.  The first 10 ingredients listed are: Water, rice, egg product, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), soybean meal, soybean oil, cornstarch, chicken liver flavor, corn gluten meal and powdered cellulose. 

This to me seems like the canned has even more allergens than the dry…with the soybean and corn.  I’d like to rate this dry and canned commercial diet a zero, but (the lesson instruction) said a 1-5 scale, so I’ll say ‘1’.  I would not feed my dog this diet if he/she had liver disease.  It is unfortunate that many people probably would chose this in the belief #1 that it is a ‘prescription diet’ and therefore must be good, and #2 because it is ‘formulated’ for liver disease.  These commercial diets do nothing to educate pet parents as to what their dogs nutritional needs really are, especially when the dog is not healthy and battling a disease.
 

In comparison to the 4 Phase Support listed in this lesson, the commercial diet does not include any of the necessary supports to help, like real meat….liver, kidney, and herbs, and no supplementation such as the hepatrophin PMG for the liver, or the renatrophin PMG for the kidneys, let alone any key vitamins or minerals.  Added note: I will blog more about these in upcoming articles.

As far as what I would do to help a dog with liver disease, I would definitely recommend a homemade diet focused on organ meats, lean red meat, quality fats like extra virgin olive oil and some organic butter.  I’d add some good veggies like broccoli, squash, and some good dairy like organic eggs, organic whole milk (good fat source too), cottage cheese, organic yogurt, some pro and pre-biotics.  And I would definitely add some of the PMG supplementation for the kidneys and liver, along with a quality vitamin/mineral supplement.  I would continue with filtered water, and providing a healthy, clean environment and as quiet an environment as possible, as reducing external and internal stresses would help.  I would need to do more personal study on the soy products before I’d be comfortable adding that to the homemade diet.