The Way of the Wolf – The Ideal Diet for Dogs

The Way of the Wolf – The Ideal Diet for Dogs

I could list many vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients here that are necessary for the proper development and maintenance of a healthy dog. However I am not. Most people know that there are nutritional requirements for humans and that this information can be easily obtained from many sources. Am I right? Knowing this, do most people actually obtain this information and use it to buy foods in order to meet the recommended nutritional intake? I am sure you would agree that they do not. Most people seem to function well and maintain overall good health from selecting and consuming food using good old common sense. We usually obtain all the vital nutrients from eating a diverse assortment of food and by not overindulging in any one food product. As a general rule, moderation is the surest way to prevent over consumption of any one food ingredient and in turn avoiding any ill side effects thereof.

So why do we think it has to be more complicated than that for dogs? The only answer I have for that question is that we are influenced by advertisements from dog food manufacturers. We truly believe that the nutritional requirements for dogs are so complicated that it is a science and that we must rely upon the recommendations of these expert dog food scientists. Well, I’m here to tell you that it is not complicated at all. Just as we use our common sense to choose a healthy diet for own bodies, we can also use common sense to choose the right diet for our dogs. If this sounds too simple for you, than I suggest you stop reading this page and go to a pet food manufacturer’s website so you can read a whole bunch of scientific lingo to help justify buying their overpriced, flavored balls of sawdust. Otherwise, stay with me and read on.

Rule #1

It is a fact that any domestic dog is a close descendant of the wolf canine species. Although the modern dog has been bred to the extent that most of its wild predatory behaviors have faded away, its actual anatomy and physiology is practically identical to that of a wolf. With this in mind, think of how the wolf might have nourished itself for thousands of years without the interference of man. Do you think the wolves started off with a Caesar salad followed by french onion soup, stuffed mushrooms, seafood linguini, and finished it off with cherry cheesecake and a glass of brandy? Of course not. They survived with what their natural environment offered them. Things like deer, moose, rabbits, birds, rodents, fish, plants, herbs, insects, worms, vegetables, fruit, and of course water. These are simple foods that combined together in the right quantities served as the nutritional requirement for a healthy wolf. If this assumption was not correct, then logically the wolf species would never have propagated for thousands of years and we would not be discussing the diet of dogs because the dog as we know it would never have come to exist. Are you following me? The components of a healthy dog diet must be simple foods that would most likely be available to a wild wolf living in its natural habitat. First and foremost, Keep it Natural.

Rule #2

We must think of a healthy dog diet from a fresh food perspective. We don’t go to the supermarket and shop for our own food in the vitamin bottle department or the frozen prepared dinner section, do we? We usually buy fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, milk, bread, juice and cereal, don’t we? So why would we buy commercially packaged dry and canned dog food for our dog? These products may have ingredients that by themselves have nutritional value, but by the time they end up on the shelves, and on your dog’s plate, they certainly aren’t fresh. Fresh is best.

Rule #3

Do you think that when the wolf kills its prey that he skewers it and roasts it over an open fire? I don’t think so either. So why should we cook meat, vegetables, or any other food for our dog? We shouldn’t. The only reason that commercial dog food is cooked is so that it won’t spoil while it is in transit or while it is sitting on the shelf. Fresh food should be only be heated up to the temperature equal to the internal body temperature of dead prey (approx. 37°C). It is common knowledge that a wolf or any other predator will normally eat out the guts of the dead prey first, either because it is the tastiest part due to the internal organs or because it is the warmest part. The contents of the stomach of a recently killed rabbit for instance, might contain partially digested plants, fruits, seeds, and vegetables that are fairly warm but certainly not heated or cooked to the point of commercial dog food. It is also well known that raw meat contains valuable enzymes that aid in digestion while cooking meat kills these

enzymes. You can mix hot water into the fresh, raw food if you wish but do not cook it. Keep it Raw.

Rule #4

I am sure you would agree that a dog would prefer to eat meat over any other type of food. This is because this is the way the wolf has eaten in the wild for thousands of years. The wolf chases down its prey with such determination and ferocity that this in itself shows that the wolf desperately wants to eat the meat. If not, the wolf would simply eat grass, plants, insects and whatever else was easily obtained from the environment. Why would the wolf spend so much energy on something if it wasn’t worth it? The fact is that the wild deer, rabbit, bird, fish, or any other meat offers much more nutritional value than other types of food. The wolf is a carnivore. Although the stomach of the dead herbivore animal might offer a small amount of vegetarian food, the main portion of the diet is flesh. Make it Mostly Meat.

Rule #5

Applying Rules #1 thru 4, we would conclude that feeding a fresh, raw, wild rabbit would be an ideal choice for the main portion of a dog’s daily diet and that feeding your dog commercially packaged, dry kibble would not. This is a correct assumption. However, we both know that fresh rabbit isn’t easy to come by in the world that we live. Therefore rabbit is not a practical choice. Neither would wild duck, squirrel, or deer be a very practical alternative for most of us. It is reasonable to substitute certain foods that would only be found in the wild with foods that are readily available to us. For instance, it is certainly fine to substitute wild rabbit with lamb, chicken, or beef. Although it is uncommon for a wolf to take down a cow, serving beef to your dog is a reasonable substitute for wild rabbit meat. Fish is also a good choice for meat due to its high protein, mineral, and Omega-3 fatty acid content. Although a wolf has difficulty snatching a fish out of a river, he will jump at the chance to feed on the leftover catch of a bear. Pork, on the other hand, is not a good meat to feed your dog. Although it is true that there are wild boars in certain parts of the world, wolves do not usually live in the same geographical area as boars and therefore pork has never been part of their diet. Pork is a very unique type of meat and should not be equated with other types of meat. In fact, to make it completely clear, do not feed your dog any type of pork or pig product. Any Meat but Pork.

Rule #6

Have you ever eaten the same meal every single day of the week? Probably not, and even if you have, you would most likely admit that it is not enjoyable and that it doesn’t even feel healthy to do such a thing. Usually, we prefer not to have the same meal two days in a row, even if it is our favorite meal. We like to eat a variety of foods, especially when it comes to our main meal of the day. Sure, we can snack on fruit, vegetables, and bread each day of the week, but how many of us could eat steak or spaghetti every single night? Our body is telling us to eat something else because we are not obtaining all the nutrients we need. Although wild animals such as the wolf do not have the choices that we have for our diet, they too do not eat the same thing every day. What do you think the odds are for a wolf to catch a wild rabbit or deer every single day of the year? Not very likely is it, and the fact is that they do not. I am sure that if you were to feed him a rabbit every single day that he would not refuse it. However, this is not the way it has been and we must acknowledge the fact that the wolf has survived by eating a diet that is not the same every day. In fact, it is normal for a wolf to not eat any meat for days if he cannot catch his prey. Our dogs therefore, ideally should not eat the same food every day either and you also should not be concerned about feeding your dog the same amount every day. Change it Up.

Rule #7

Always make sure your dog has easy access to fresh water. Ideally, natural spring water or purified water is best but regular tap water will do just fine. The main thing is that your dog has as much fresh water to drink as they need. Change the water at least once daily. If you can’t remember when you last changed it, change it again anyway. Water is cheap. Always Provide Fresh Water.

Rule #8

Clean your dog’s dish, bowl, plate, container, or whatever it is that your dog eats and drinks water from daily. You don’t want to encourage unnecessary buildup of harmful bacteria. A Wolf does not eat or drink from a bowl in nature and therefore is not exposed to this type of bacteria problem that a dog may be exposed to in a home. Clean Your Dog’s Dish.

Rule #9

Apply Rules #1 to #8 as best you can. Don’t get too concerned if you do not strictly adhere to these rules for every meal that you serve your dog. Do you get worried when you don’t eat a balanced diet one day, or if you don’t even eat much of anything at all one day? No, you probably don’t. As long as the majority of the meals follow these rules and your dog does not exhibit any signs of sickness, there is nothing to worry about.

Do the Best You Can.

Summary

Listing the above rules in order we have:

1)Keep it Natural

2)Fresh is Best

3)Keep it Raw

4)Make it Mostly Meat

5)Any Meat but Pork

6)Change it Up

7)Always Provide Fresh Water

8)Clean Your Dog’s Dish

9)Do the Best You Can

Or to paraphrase,

Feed your dog natural, fresh, raw food, mostly meat (except pork), and change it up, always providing fresh water and keeping your dog’s dish clean, doing the best you can.

Sounds pretty Simple doesn’t it? That’s because it is. Once you approach the subject of a dog’s diet logically using common sense, it really doesn’t require any elaborate scientific experiments or research to arrive at an ideal diet for dogs.

Below I have included a list of appropriate foods for dogs, followed by a list of possible dinners that adhere to the aforementioned rules. These are just suggestions. There is no limit to the possible combinations of food items that follow these simple rules. Have fun with it!

Meat

Beef

Chicken

Lamb

Mature Hen

Turkey

Moose

Rabbit

Venison

Buffalo

Vegetables

Potato

Carrot

Yam

Sweet Potato

Turnip

Parsnip

Radish

Beet

Squash

Eggplant

Peas

Tomato

Corn

Fruit

Apple

Berries

Orange

Plums

Cherries

Tomato

Banana

Grains, Herbs, and Seeds

Wheat

Bran

Rye

Oregano

Thyme

Parsley

Rosemary

Dill Weed

Flax Seed

Sesame Seed

Sunflower Seed

Mixed Bird Seed

Various Vegetable Seeds

Other Ingredients

Flaxseed Oil

Soda Crackers

Bread

Whole Grain Cereal

Natural Chicken or Beef Stock

Fruit Juice

Potential Dinners

1. Cubed raw beef

Grated Carrot

Whole grain bread

Oregano

Flaxseed oil

Warm water

2. Chicken meat

Diced Potato

Diced Apple

Dill Weed

Mixed bird seed

Soda crackers

Warm chicken stock

3. Cubed lamb

Grated Yam

Berries

Rosemary

Wheat Flour

Flaxseed oil

Orange juice

Warm water

4. Turkey meat

Grated carrot

Grated potato

Corn flakes

Parsley

Sesame seed

Warm water

5. Grated parsnip

Grated carrot

Grated potato

Diced eggplant

Flax seed

Thyme

Bread

Flax oil

Warm beef stock