Why Dogs need to eat Animal Protein, not just vegetable protein.

Your dog is descended from a long line of wolves and is  the same species as a wolf. Mother Nature made wolves and dogs carnivores, through their DNA, and designed them to eat a diet that is predominantly animal sourced protein and fat.

There are two kinds of DNA. Mitochondrial DNA (MDNA) and Nuclear DNA (NDNA). Mitochondrial DNA determines what an animal is designed to eat and controls the system that transforms that food into energy.

Mitochondrial DNA is only passed on by the female so it remains very stable over thousands of generations as nature intended. Nature does not just flip a switch and turn a carnivore into an omnivore. Mitochondrial DNA is not susceptible to being altered the way Nuclear DNA is, which combines a strand of DNA from each sex and is how wolves can be bred to look like a Beagle, or another breed, within a relatively short period of time (60 to 100 generations).

 

Your dogs MDNA is 99.9% identical to a 10,000 year old wolf. In other words, the diet of dogs and wolves according to MDNA and Mother Nature has not changed and should be the same as it has been for thousands of years..

 

 

Nuclear DNA on the other hand is what is manipulated to change the look and behavior of a dog but it does not affect what a dog should eat.

Large dog food manufacturers are claiming that dogs are now omnivores, like humans, so they can load the dog food up with grain, potatoes, and cheap carbs. They base this on a study that dogs have developed an increased ability to produce Amylase, the enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates. Based on this one adaptation they claim that dogs are now omnivores, which is an exaggeration they use to recommend adding a lot of grain, potato, and non-meat to dog food.. 

 

Being able to create more of the digestive enzyme is not the only criteria for whether or not a carnivore is reclassified as an omnivore. There are anatomical differences, like teeth, the length of intestines, etc. and functional differences between digestive systems, energy transformation, and blood sugar management; not to mention the massive colony of bacteria called the Gut Microbiota that was designed to function on the diet of a carnivore, and these systems do not change based on one small adaptation.

While tests show dogs have developed the ability to produce more of the digestive enzyme Amylase, and are able to digest more carbohydrates than their wolf ancestors it does not mean that carbohydrates, in any amount, are healthy for the dogs system; as the large numbers of dogs suffering from overweight, allergies, and health problems attests to.

Recent research into the Gut Microbiota has revealed how eating an excess of carbohydrates changes the makeup of the Gut Microbiota and affects the health of the entire organism. The problem is that high glycemic carbohydrates, even when they are metabolized, feed the harmful bacteria in the gut microbiota causing them to dominate the good bacteria, which creates an imbalance known as Dysbiosis.

Dysbiosis is a condition where the harmful bacteria overpowers the beneficial bacteria, that normally keeps it in check, and eats away the mucus lining that protects the gut wall, triggering the production of Zonulin. both of which lead to gaps developing between the cells of the gut lining. This is a condition called Leaky Gut which allows fecal matter and toxins to leak into the blood stream, causing allergies, immune system dysfunction, and the Candida fungus to spread through the blood stream, which causes no end of skin problems and itching.

 

 

The body is a complicated interaction between multiple systems and, while a carnivore may adapt enough to make more Amylase to help it digest carbohydrates it does not mean that the Gut Microbiota and all the other systems that were set up for a diet that is predominantly animal based protein and fat will adjust to that minor adaptation.

It is one thing to add a small amount of carbohydrates to a dogs diet but the general pattern of creating dog food with up to 75% carbohydrates is having a negative impact on the majority of dogs in this country.

Humans, as omnivores, are designed to break down carbohydrates but it is clearly not healthy for people to eat a diet that is 75% white bread and pancakes, and the same goes for dogs, even more so.

Carbohydrates are not created equal. Carbohydrates as a group include everything from chocolate bars to vegetables and the body reacts very differently to highly processed carbs than it does to vegetables.

There are high-glycemic and highly processed carbohydrates like potatoes and grain that feed the harmful bacteria in the Gut Microbiota causing them to overgrow and create an imbalance that leads to Dysbiosis and eventually a Leaky Gut condition.The body reacts very differently to those carbohydrates than it does to carbohydrates from vegetables like peas, carrots, etc. The first type raises blood sugar, triggers an insulin response, and feeds the harmful bacteria in the Gut Microbiota, which leads to Leaky Gut.

Healthy carbohydrates like peas have fiber that probiotics use to create Short Chain Fatty Acids that help restore and rebuild the gut lining.

A final reason that animal protein is so important for dogs is because it is a natural and abundant source of Taurine, which is necessary for heart health. Vegetable protein does not provide Taurine.

It has been five years since the great DCM debacle that has now been discredited by over 150 scientific studies. It seriously damaged the reputation of the FDA who appear to have been misled by some teaching veterinarians who are now the object of a two billion dollar law suit claiming they misrepresented the facts and misled the FDA and the public in their reporting of DCM and a possible connection to grain-free dog food, and by further implication to potatoes and legumes like peas.

The reality is this: when you replace animal protein (that is a natural source of Taurine) with vegetable protein (which does not contain taurine) you must add Taurine. The problem connected to DCM was not that peas cause heart disease, which your mother knows is total nonsense, but by replacing animal protein with vegetable protein they were reducing the amount of available Taurine and a lack of Taurine is widely known to cause DCM.

Unfortunately the way it was handled was a disaster, and the misunderstanding continues with irresponsible, uneducated sources repeating what is nonsense. Peas do not cause Heart Disease. Peas are a great source of fiber that the probiotics in the gut turn into postbiotics, short chain fatty acids that rebuild the gut lining, vitamins, and amino acids. All of which are beneficial. Just another sad episode of misinformation in the dog food industry that consumers are all too familiar with. Healthy dog food has a lot of animal protein and fat - you cannot argue with Mother Nature.