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Amazing Grains, How Sweet They Sound
By Lynn Whittaker
Owner, Bow Wow U
The truth about scientifically formulated dog food is that there is more concern for cost and convenience than "scientific formulation". The ingredients may sound healthy enough, and vitamins indeed are added, but are they readily available in a way a dog can use them?
A close look at the ingredients listed on the dog food bag reveals that the majority of calories come from sources like wheat, corn, rice, and oats; none of which are a natural part of a dogs’ diet. One possible outcome of such a diet is Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease is the inability to digest and absorb the gluten found in grains, such as wheat, oats rye, etc. Celiac Disease causes the lining of the intestinal tract to become coated and inflamed.
When we think of these grains, they are often associated with the word "starch" and nutritionists consider starches to be a "sticky food". In an attempt for the body to digest this food, the stomach provides acid to break it down, but if the body has a low tolerance to these starches, it ends up having to add more acid, causing heart burn and other side effects. However, the acids are not enough to remove the "glue", which begins to form on the villi, small finger like projections, of the duodenum, the upper part of the small intestine. It adheres to the intestine wall blocking the absorption of nutrients, thereby reducing what would naturally be absorbed into the bloodstream.
You may ask what nutrients? Unfortunately many of the important ones your dog needs; calcium, iron, iodine, all the b-complex vitamins, vitamin C, most water soluble vitamins and most trace minerals such as zinc and magnesium. In other words, just about everything of importance, other than protein, fats and calories, are blocked by the formation of this coating caused by too many grains.
This coating of the intestine happens to anyone who eats these sorts of foods. However, the process is exacerbated for those who have a sensitivity to gluten. Commercial dog foods are loaded with grains, (or sticky foods), like wheat, soy, and corn. We see these ingredients as a common cause of food allergies in dogs. Lamb and rice was once the diet of choice for a dog experiencing allergic reactions, as the rice is the least "sticky" of grains and the lamb was thought to be less allergy inducing over commercially processed beef or poultry. However, today we are rethinking this type of diet.
One breed ravaged by Celiac disease is the Irish Setter. This disease has nearly depleted the breed today, as commercially processed diets, high in gluten, have become more common. Despite warning signs, the veterinary profession was caught unaware, as the medical profession was earlier, regarding the problems associated with diets high in grains, starches and thus gluten.
Other illnesses can also be traced to these diets. Conditions such as hip dysplasia, cruciate ligament disorders and heart disease now have better explanations as to their cause. All of these issues are caused by cartilage and connective tissue breakdown. Cartilage and connective tissue is made up of collagen. One of the basic building blocks of collagen is vitamin C, one of the nutrients specifically blocked by the accumulation of starch in the small intestine.
Vets found themselves wondering why cats and dogs were having such varied health issues as allergies, immune-mediated diseases, protein wasting enteropathy and the like.
Today it seems to just be common sense; you don’t make a pet food out of the one major ingredient that the animal cannot properly digest.
Thus the moral of the story is: eat too many grains, ingest too much gluten and thereby reduce the ability of the intestine to absorb essential nutrients and undermine the overall health of your pet. Look for pet foods that do not list starches, rice, corn, corn meal, etc, as the first ingredient.
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