17/06/2026
See a canine nutritionist for information on your dogs diet not pet stores or kibble companies (& often also not your regular vet either) ๐คทโโ๏ธ
๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด๐ ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ต ๐ณ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐'๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐น๐๐ฒ๐.....๐ป๐ผ ๐๐ต$๐...
Dogs are domesticated, flexible scavenging facultative carnivores* who adapted to live alongside humans, including developing an improved ability to digest starch. However, they still retain many digestive features that make fresh, meat-based diets biologically appropriate.
๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป - ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐
๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐
Dogs adapted to starch, but that does not mean they became cereal-based animals.
Dogs have more copies of the AMY2B gene than wolves, which improves pancreatic starch digestion. This shows adaptation to human food scraps and agriculture, ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต-๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ธ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ.๐คโฌ๏ธ
๐๐ผ๐ด๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฒ๐
๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น.๐ช
A New Zealand AgResearch/Massey University-linked study found that dogs fed a meat-based diet had higher apparent digestibility of protein and energy, lower faecal weight and different gut bacteria linked with protein and fat digestion.
The bacterial families Clostridiaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae and Bacteroidaceae were associated with protein and fat digestibility.
Fresh/raw-style diets change the microbiome differently to extruded diets.
Sandri et al. compared raw meat-based food with extruded food and found the raw meat-based diet significantly changed faecal microbiota and fermentation end products in healthy dogs.
This matters because it shows that fresh, meat-based diets interact with the canine gut differently to extruded diets.
๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐น๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ.
Algya et al. found raw and lightly cooked diets were highly palatable and highly digestible, maintained faecal quality and influenced blood triglycerides and microbiota compared with extruded diets.
๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด๐ ๐ถ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ.
Dogs have a relatively short digestive tract compared with herbivores, which suits more digestible, nutrient-dense animal-based foods rather than heavy cellulose fermentation.
They also have a highly acidic stomach, which supports the breakdown of animal tissue and provides some protection against foodborne bacteria.
๐๐ผ๐ด๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐น๐๐ฒ๐, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ผ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ป.
They are flexible scavenging facultative carnivores* with genetic adaptation to starch, strong capacity to digest animal protein and fat, a relatively short digestive tract, acidic stomach, and a gut microbiome that responds strongly to fresh meat-based diets.
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*๐ช๐ต๐ โ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒโ?
A facultative carnivore is an animal that can utilise both animal and plant foods but still retains many anatomical and physiological traits associated with carnivorous species.
Dogs are not obligate carnivores like cats, and they are not wolves. They can digest starch and use plant foods as part of a balanced diet.
However, their teeth, jaw structure, stomach acidity, relatively short digestive tract and strong ability to digest animal protein and fat mean they are still biologically well suited to fresh, meat-based foods.
What the modern dog is, is very debatable even within the scientific community.
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References
Algya, K.M. et al. (2018) โApparent total-tract macronutrient digestibility, serum chemistry, urinalysis and faecal characteristics, metabolites and microbiota of adult dogs fed extruded, mildly cooked and raw dietsโ, Journal of Animal Science, 96(9), pp. 3670โ3683.
Axelsson, E. et al. (2013) โThe genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich dietโ, Nature, 495, pp. 360โ364.
Bermingham, E.N. et al. (2017) โKey bacterial families (Clostridiaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae and Bacteroidaceae) are related to the digestion of protein and energy in dogsโ, PeerJ, 5, e3019.
Sandri, M. et al. (2017) โRaw meat based diet influences faecal microbiome and end products of fermentation in healthy dogsโ, BMC Veterinary Research, 13, 65.
