DOG FOOD And NUTRITION

Its not just cats. Some dogs turn up their noses at food, too, worrying their parents that theyre not taking in enough calories - or wont unless theyre fed more enticing fare. Are these picky eaters born that way, or molded that way by their owners?

Tufts veterinary nutritionist Deborah Linder, DVM, DACVN, doesnt just counsel people who have to make sure their household pets dont eat each others food. She has to contend with plate-sharing issues among the animals in her own home. I have a dog and two cats, she says, and everybody wants to eat everybody elses food, but they all have different medical diseases and have to be on separate diets. Yet they all have to be fed at the same time or they get very upset and go around howling.

Just a few months ago we printed a front-page article assuring you, our readers, that despite rumors of unwholesome ingredients in commercial dog food, including remnants of dead dogs and cats, the store-bought pet food we feed our canine loved ones is wholesome, safe, and nutritionally balanced. We explained that dogs and cats who have died or been euthanized are rendered separately from animals used for food at plants inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and therefore are not present in food produced by pet food companies who do in fact use meat from government-inspected facilities.

Does your pets food contain dead pets? Thats how one sub-title read for an article on slate.com, which went on to say in the first paragraph that dead dogs might very well be what you are scanning at the grocery store checkout and scooping into your dogs bowl. The article also says that the stuff that ends up in dog food is material that cant be sold as food for humans, making the point that what cant even go into hotdogs gets consolidated and shipped to rendering plants, where it is pulverized into one big blend of dead stuff, heated for hours, and then put into pet food as meat and bone meal.

Many of the nutrition questions that come to the board-certified veterinary nutritionists on the Tufts staff come in clusters. That is, the same concerns and misconceptions have a way of recycling themselves. Herewith, some of the more common nutrition concerns people have about their dogs - and the right way to address them. More calories in winter? …

We have a two-year-old German shepherd who refuses to drink water when we are out on walks. She is obviously thirsty but won't drink from spigots, a cupped hand, or a water bottle. Often, she will refuse the water until we return home. We have started carrying a bowl made of fabric, and this is the only thing that gets her to take a little water. She is very focused, and when she knows she is potentially going for a walk, she will even refuse water at home. Is there something we can do to help hydrate her?

Q You said a couple of issues ago that you once gave a chart listing the amount of chocolate thats toxic for your dog depending on his weight. I cant find it. Can you re-print the chart?
Olivia Diaz
Leadville, Colorado

For years, the Statement of Nutritional Adequacy in small print on bags and cans of dog food has had the same wording about complete and balanced nutrition, with additional wording to indicate whether the food was for puppies, adult dogs, or pregnant or lactating bitches. In the case of puppies, the wording had to say for growth or for all life stages."

Myths Persist When It Comes to Feeding Large-Breed Pups A myth still perpetuated in some circles says that large dogs need more calcium than other dogs when they are very young, not less. The thinking is that if more calcium is good for humans, it must be good for canines. You can even find calcium supplements marketed for dogs that are pushed by supposedly knowledgeable people.

Some websites have offered food recipes for dogs of different breeds, based on where the breed originated. For instance, since Yorkshire terriers started out in England, you might have found a breed-specific recipe for Yorkies that includes the beets and potatoes grown in northern climes. The thinking is that as the breed developed, it would have been fed the staple foods of the region in which it evolved and that those foods are now good for the dogs systems.

For the most part, theres no scientific proof that breed-specific diets are better for the health of a particular breed of dog than a food marketed for dogs in general. Granted, not all of these diets are just marketing, says Tufts veterinary nutritionist Cailin Heinze, VMD. There is some science behind some of the formulations. The companies just dont have the proof that those formulations actually translate to a dogs better health.

Emma the beagle exhibited the classic signs of separation anxiety. She would start howling as soon as her owner headed off down the front walk and destroy things or have accidents in the house when alone. Animal behaviorist Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, treated the condition with a training program that fostered independence; with environmental enrichment that would give the dog things to do when her owner wasnt home; and with a low dose of an anti-depressant to help stabilize her mood. Often, that combination works wonders.