PET DIETS

Our Stance

At Doggie Style Pets, we believe there is no “one size fits all diet” that is appropriate for all pets and pet owners. There is also no “perfect” pet food. Feeding a pet the exact same diet day after day, year after year may magnify the flaws in any pet food brand, causing health issues. For this reason, we advocate a rotational diet featuring a variety of different protein sources, grains, fruits, and vegetables, where appropriate. This section is meant to give you an overview of the different views regarding pet diets.

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Rotational Diet

 

Rotation diets generally refer to changing the primary protein source in an animal’s diet on a regular schedule to minimize the likelihood of food sensitivities and allergic reactions. Like advocates of raw food and grain-free diets, proponents of rotation diets point to food eaten in the wild by the ancestors of today’s dogs and cats.

 

Changing diets too quickly or too frequently can cause digestive health problems. Most nutritionists recommend a one to two week transition period, during which increasing amounts of the new food are mixed with the old

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How to properly transition to a new food:

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Raw Diet

Raw diets include uncooked meat. These foods may be purchased frozen or refrigerated. Advocates of raw diets argue:

 

• Ancestors of today’s domesticated dogs and cats ate (and still eat) raw food in the wild.
• Dogs and cats are natural carnivores and should eat only meat or animal products.
• Owners can use fresh meat, bones and vegetables to create a more natural, better balanced diet.
• Cooked and ground foods are less digestible than whole, raw foods.
• Cooking destroys enzymes in the food and reduces digestibility.
• Processed foods are full of animal byproducts, fillers and have low nutrient levels.
• These diets can be an effective way to address food sensitivities or allergies.
• Cooking destroys vitamins.

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Grain Free Diet

Like raw diets, proponents of grain-free diets point to food eaten in the wild by the ancestors of today’s dogs and cats. Advocates of grain-free diets argue:

 

• Dogs and cats are carnivores that cannot digest and metabolize grains.
• Grains are cheap fillers with little nutritional value.
• Grains are indigestible or include fiber that is indigestible.
• Grains can be contaminated with chemicals or molds.
• Grains lead to higher blood sugar levels, causing obesity and diabetes.
• These diets are more palatable for finicky dogs and cats.

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Grain Inclusive Diet

Arguments for the use of grains in dog and cat foods include:

 

• Domesticated dogs and cats live much longer lives than their wild counterparts due to better nutrition.
• Domesticated dogs are omnivores—they have neither been bred for nor are used to eating only meat.
• Domesticated cats are carnivores, but can properly digest and use vitamins and minerals from grain.
• When seeds or roots are ground and cooked wet, their starch becomes an economical energy source.
• Wheat, barley and oats are used for both starch and fiber in pet foods.
• Excess calories and overfeeding are the major causes of obesity—not the grains themselves.
• In appropriate amounts, grains are a natural source of energy, several vitamins and minerals, and fiber.

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Vegetarian/Vegan Diet

As more humans have adopted vegetarian or vegan diets for themselves, interest in feeding vegetarian diets to companion animals has also increased. You should never recommend feeding a cat this type of diet because it is unlikely to meet their nutritional requirements. Cats are obligate carnivores that require taurine, which they cannot produce themselves and is only present in animal source protein.

Unlike cats, dogs are omnivores and are able digest, absorb and utilize the nutrients in a vegan diet. The amount of protein, carbohydrate and fat in a complete and balanced vegan diet would be similar to many commercial diets that contain meat. The primary ingredients in a vegan diet, grains and pulses (peas and lentils), provide a mixture of protein, carbohydrate and fat. The grinding and cooking of these ingredients during kibble production makes these ingredients highly digestible.

Go to Section 11 ▸
(Dog vs. Cat Diets)