News flash! Dogs are descendants of the Grey Wolf.
by Dr. John Hallett
photo by Thomas Calvy |
Apparently dogs have genes that allow them to digest carbohydrates, wolves don't have those genes so they eat almost exclusively meat. It seems that this was important in the domestication process because the dogs that survived best around people were those that could digest carbs in human food scraps.
So, what do animal nutritionists tell us about dog
nutrition? First, dogs are omnivores, meaning that they need a variety
including both meat and grains and fiber. Second, corn (one of the most common
grains in dog food) rarely causes food allergy or skin problems in dogs. A grain-free diet is not the answer to all your dog's health problems.
What should you feed your dog? Before you pay extra for a grain-free diet, ask your veterinarian for suggestions. Our
hospital staff are very knowledgeable on nutrition topics. Kelly Neu, one of our
certified veterinary technicians, has a special interest in nutrition and has
put together a notebook with nutritional information on many brands of pet
food. Dr. Heidi Hallett has also done a tremendous amount of reading on
nutrition topics and is available to answer questions.
The big news today is that dogs are different from wolves.
Thank goodness!
Here are links to the NPR story to the original research article in Nature.
Here are links to the NPR story to the original research article in Nature.