26/06/2024
If you’re interested in raw feeding this is a great read, especially if you have Border Collies
BREED SPECIFIC AND RAW FEEDING THE SPORTS DOG
The domestic dog has 0.02% difference from it's ancestor the grey wolf. Yes they are different in most other ways, but not their digestive system. The small difference is the gene AMY2Bgene.
AMY2B gene in dogs and wolves which sits in the pancreas releases the enzyme Amylase into the small intestine which breaks down starch into sugar allowing the digestion of carbohydrates. Us humans produce Amylase in our salivary glands as we consume a lot more carbohydrates being omnivores than our obligate carnivore friends. Now this is where it gets very interesting, wolves, coyotes, jackals and Dingo's (except dingo's found in tropical areas) only have 2 copies of this gene which means they can not digest many carbohydrates at all. The odd berry here and there and the partially digested stomach contents of their prey. A high carb diet (like kibble) would be a death sentence for these carnivores.
Dogs such as the Border Collie, GSD and Springer spaniels have more copies of the AMY2B gene (10-20) which means more Amylase is released allowing for easier carbohydrate digestion. This doesn't mean a ridiculous amount of carbs, but it does mean they can digest starchy vegetables, fruit and yes some healthy grains.
So what is the best diet for these dogs and how do we know what to feed them. As you would/should research the breed before investing in one for temperament, health and whether they will fit into your lifestyle etc. it is also important to know where your breed originated from (this can be a little harder for cross breeds). For example a Siberian Husky originates from Siberia and their diet mainly consisted on fish and proteins such as seal, dear, goat etc. They only have approx. 3 copies of the AMY2B gene which means they can't digest many carbs at all either. So again feeding a high carb diet like kibble is not great for them and would explain why we have so many husky's with zinc deficiencies, thyroid issues, diabetes and other health problems. So to fed the optimal diet for your dog you will need to research and find out where they originate from. Were they from an area that was highly agricultured, a desert/arid area or a cold ice land with no agriculture.
You also need to take in account our dogs energy levels. Do you have a dog that just sits on the couch and goes for a short walk once a day or do you have a dog that you train and compete with regularly or a working farm dog? This also needs to be taken into account. So I'll use two examples a border collie and a husky (mainly because I know the breeds well and feed slightly different). If you have a border collie (with an AMY2B gene of approx. 11 copies) that is active which means agility, flyball and /or long distance walks/hikes then a diet consisting of adding sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots, berries as well as green leafy vegies, protein, offal and seeds would be ideal, the more energy your dog uses then you can add a little more and for those very hard working dogs like farm dogs then adding some brown rice, oats, barley or quinoa can be benificial. If you are feeding a hybrid diet then do not add any of these carbohydrates as they will get enough in the kibble. Just be aware that carbohydrates puts on weight so if you have an inactive Collie then do not add too many carbs.
Siberian Huskies are different as they only have around 3 copies of this gene so can not digest many carbs at all so what do they use for energy? FAT. Fat is essential for all dogs especially huskies. Huskies are a hard one as they are the only breed (and possibly species) to be able to change their metabolism, this has been studied in the huskies racing the Iditarod which makes their metabolism slow down when running long distances. So going back to where the husky originated from there were no farms, just cold snowy lands. These dogs are very high energy and require lots of exercise so a short walk around the block one a day isn't always going to cut it especially as they require a higher fat diet. If you have a husky that you use for sledding/bike jouring, agility, long hikes then adding more fat into the diet is recommended. So this just means fattier meats such as Salmon, duck and lamb (of course along with other proteins) would be ideal and less carbohydrates. This doesn't mean cutting out the vegies and fruits it just means a little less of the starchy and sugar ones. So avoiding pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots and high sugar fruits and sticking with your green leafy vegies and some blueberries (as they are very high in antioxidants). Huskies also require more fish than most dogs. Fish should be included in ALL dogs diets at least 3 days a week, but with huskies I would recommend most days.
Now for dogs like Dingo's this is a different story as they are very much like wolves in the fact they can not digest carbohydrates, just the odd berry and stomach contents of their prey. I would highly recommend following "Canine Ascension" on face book as she is a very highly qualified canine nutritionist who specializes in Dingo's. These particular dogs thrive better on a prey model diet rather than a BARF diet.
Nicola Adderson BCCSDip.Hth.Nut (
Ref. Canine Ascension, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, instituteofcaninebiology.org
