1 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:05,840 Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, Welcome to The Houndation's podcast. I'm your host, 2 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson, and this episode is all about understanding dog 3 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 1: food choices a little better. All right. I don't really 4 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: want to do this podcast because dog food is like 5 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: a weirdly touchy subject. We often feed something for a 6 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: reason we deem good enough, and then only vary that 7 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 1: program if the prices get too high. That's a bad 8 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:33,240 Speaker 1: way to look at it. Though it's very common and 9 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 1: I'm not faulting anyone for it. I do think it 10 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: is a good idea to learn about what dogs need 11 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:40,480 Speaker 1: for protein and fat and what ingredients are actually beneficial 12 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 1: to dogs versus not, which is what this episode is 13 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: all about. So buckle up, my little pup loving buttercups. 14 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: When I was growing up in a little town in 15 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:59,520 Speaker 1: southeastern Minnesota, one of the things I hated most in 16 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: life was that my mom forced my sister and I 17 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: had to drink milk with dinner. I hated milk with 18 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:09,479 Speaker 1: a passion. I don't know why, other than maybe when 19 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: you force a kid to do something, it makes that 20 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: kid hate that something. It doesn't matter because she said 21 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:16,679 Speaker 1: it was full of the good stuff and we didn't 22 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: have a choice. Oh, I hated it so much, but 23 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: now I love milk. If I could get away with it, 24 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:26,040 Speaker 1: I'd drink milk and chocolate milk all the time. Do 25 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: you know who else loves milk? Babies? That's who. I 26 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: bet you didn't see that coming. Babies have an enzyme 27 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 1: in their stomach called lactase. Several thousand years ago, that 28 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: enzyme turned off in all babies once those babies started 29 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,959 Speaker 1: turning into adults. The need for milk to that point 30 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: had been a youngster's game. Everyone then was lactose intolerant. 31 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: But evolution isn't anything more than the constant testing of 32 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: genetic mutations to see if something sticks and becomes beneficial. 33 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: In fact, it's not even that. It's just that the 34 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:05,360 Speaker 1: mutations happen all the time and are mostly inconsequential when 35 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: they aren't, and they jive with whatever happens in our 36 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: environments at the time. Bloodlines change. Just as we artificially 37 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 1: select for traits and bird dogs, the world naturally selects 38 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: bloodlines in the wild. Some of those long dead babies 39 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:23,959 Speaker 1: who became adults didn't have their lactasee production and zymes 40 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:27,919 Speaker 1: shut off. That's it. They could keep drinking milk into 41 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 1: adulthood without getting sick. And Mama Peterson was right about 42 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:36,799 Speaker 1: milk having some good stuff in it. Calcium, carbs, micronutrients, 43 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: and a boatload of protein can do a body good, 44 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: especially when food is hard to come by and survival 45 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 1: is a real challenge. Milk is so beneficial to us 46 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: on certain levels, and that's the reason ancient people figured 47 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: out how to make cheese. Processing milk into cheese removes 48 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,800 Speaker 1: some of the lactose, which made it easier to digest. 49 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: Our history is consistent with ancestors significant foods like honey, 50 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: but cheese is up there too, even though it definitely 51 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: doesn't serve everyone well to this day. The thing is 52 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 1: that selective pressure to be able to consume milk through 53 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 1: adulthood had a huge survival advantage. And if you think 54 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 1: it wouldn't, go sit outside for the next seven days 55 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 1: and try to scrounge up your own food from nature. 56 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,080 Speaker 1: Then have someone offer you a glass of milk and 57 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 1: tell me if you would like to drink it or not. 58 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 1: But it's not so simple, and it's where the story 59 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: of our relationship to milk really takes a turn throughout history. 60 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 1: In times of famine, especially of which there were many 61 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: in Europe, people were probably very likely to drink raw 62 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: milk as soon as it came out of the old spigot. 63 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: To a lot of people, that would be a recipe 64 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 1: for pants busting, shoot clean through a screen door diarrhea 65 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: that was very likely to be deadly. But for the 66 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: folks who still produce lac taste, they got the good 67 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: of milk without urge to blow mud across the landscape. 68 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:06,400 Speaker 1: This is when the lactose intolerance thing diverged, and the 69 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 1: people who could process milk made more babies than those 70 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 1: who couldn't, at least in certain regions. Today, about thirty 71 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:16,960 Speaker 1: five percent of the world's population is lactose tolerant. They 72 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:20,040 Speaker 1: can drink milk, and they are primarily of European descent. 73 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 1: Is there the advantage of drinking milk that there once was? 74 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:26,800 Speaker 1: Probably not in advanced countries, but in a lot of places. 75 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: I bet you that there is still a strong selective 76 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:32,279 Speaker 1: pressure at play. We generally need to pasteurize our milk, 77 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 1: at least most of us do. But that's a different story. 78 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: In fact, it's a different story I could tell about 79 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: that that involves a buddy of mine who is a 80 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:43,960 Speaker 1: former heroin addict who on a bet drinks some milk 81 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 1: out of a recently deceased white tilt dough and let 82 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 1: me tell you something, he went right back to the 83 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 1: dark ages, diarrhea wise. And if you do something that dumb, 84 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 1: you should ruin your boxers. I think enough about us 85 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: silly humans slurping on cow and deer utters. What about 86 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 1: our dogs. Well, there's a lot of misinformation out there 87 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:08,280 Speaker 1: about what dogs should eat and what they shouldn't. I'll 88 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: say this before I get into it. I don't care 89 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 1: what you feed your dog. That's on you. I think 90 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 1: it's just a good idea to know what might be 91 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 1: a better choice or not, or why we're making our choices. 92 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 1: So I feed my labs Purina pro planed Sport because 93 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,920 Speaker 1: I always have. Well, actually that's not entirely true. They've 94 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,359 Speaker 1: eaten plenty of different dog foods over the years. But 95 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,279 Speaker 1: that's my standby because when I got my first real dog, 96 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:35,719 Speaker 1: I asked Tom doc and what to feed, and that's 97 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: what he said. I know it's not exactly a research 98 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:41,279 Speaker 1: based decision, but over the years I've had plenty of 99 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:45,320 Speaker 1: time to interview veterinarians and canine nutrition specialists and generally 100 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:47,839 Speaker 1: it's just some of the smartest people in the dog world, 101 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 1: and it has only reinforced my choice again, though, you 102 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 1: do you. But let's start with something that people might 103 00:05:54,839 --> 00:05:58,480 Speaker 1: point out about a dog food choice. Maybe it contains 104 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 1: corn and rice. So let's start with corn. We know 105 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:05,839 Speaker 1: dogs come from wolves, right. Wolves aren't out there browsing 106 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:08,279 Speaker 1: their way through corn fields. They're out there eating the 107 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: stuff that browses their way through cornfields. A wolf probably 108 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:16,200 Speaker 1: wouldn't do very well on a corn heavy diet. Domesticated 109 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 1: dogs are a different story, because, well they are domesticated. 110 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:24,680 Speaker 1: Twenty some thousand years of coevolution with mostly hairless apes 111 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:27,000 Speaker 1: who figured out how to make certain plants grow their 112 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: food in abundance has spilled over into our four legged cohorts. 113 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: They've been munching on corn a long time. And it's 114 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:37,800 Speaker 1: not just a filler. Corn is a cheap cereal grain 115 00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 1: that provides fat, carbs, fiber, vitamins, and other stuff. Not 116 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:45,840 Speaker 1: only can dogs eat corn and be just fine with it, 117 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 1: you know, provided they aren't allergic, but they also glean 118 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: beneficial nutrients from it. Their digestive systems can handle it, 119 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:55,240 Speaker 1: and that's really all there is to say. Now, are 120 00:06:55,279 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 1: there better options for individual dogs, Probably maybe, But for 121 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:02,920 Speaker 1: feeding the world's pet population, it is a very good 122 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 1: option to add to kibble. Now, what about rice. Humans 123 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:09,560 Speaker 1: have been cultivating and eating rice for a long time, 124 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 1: especially in some of the places where our domestic dogs 125 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:17,200 Speaker 1: really started humming along the bloodlines we see today dogs 126 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: can eat rice, and we often give our dogs white 127 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:22,120 Speaker 1: rice mixed with a little chicken or maybe some tuna 128 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 1: when they are not doing very well. White rice is 129 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 1: a bland process version of rice that is very easy 130 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: to digest. Brown rice is a different story because it's 131 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 1: not processed, but a can function like corn, complete with 132 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: the carbohydrate boost. But carbs, as you probably know if 133 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 1: you're a human who eats human type meals, you know 134 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:44,840 Speaker 1: they're a double edged sword. You can look at the 135 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 1: ingredients breakdown of most commercially sold kibble and see that 136 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:52,280 Speaker 1: there will be two listed prominently. One is fat, which 137 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:55,640 Speaker 1: I'll get to, and the other is carbs. Overloading a 138 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:57,360 Speaker 1: dog with carbs is a good way to get the 139 00:07:57,440 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 1: kind of dog that makes your veterinarian sigh when you 140 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:03,640 Speaker 1: walk in for some yearly vaccinations because they know they're 141 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:06,559 Speaker 1: going to have to have the overweight dog talk again 142 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:09,679 Speaker 1: and that once again it might not stick, and also 143 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:13,160 Speaker 1: might be taken as a personal insult, as if they suggested, 144 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:15,880 Speaker 1: I don't know, perhaps your mother was the kind of 145 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 1: woman who would do shady, weird and probably illegal in 146 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: Utah type of things beneath a bridge for a few 147 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 1: dollars of spending cash. Strictly speaking, dogs probably don't need 148 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:41,680 Speaker 1: carbs in their diet. They could probably do without, but 149 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:44,760 Speaker 1: that's just not a great option for most people. Sugar, 150 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 1: starches and fibers provide energy, help with gut health, and 151 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:53,359 Speaker 1: at least with complex carbs help regulate blood sugar levels. 152 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:57,520 Speaker 1: Growing dogs or dogs with a high energy output often 153 00:08:57,600 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 1: do well with a diet that is at least twenty 154 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:03,240 Speaker 1: percent carbs. But what about fat? A lot of us 155 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:06,079 Speaker 1: have a weird relationship with fat in our food. If 156 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,600 Speaker 1: you're old enough, you probably remember the low fat crazin 157 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:13,040 Speaker 1: food human food. By the way, producers of food took 158 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: out fat and sold that as a wonderful healthy option 159 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:20,280 Speaker 1: that tasted probably about like what I imagine moose poop 160 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 1: tastes like, not good, So they put a bunch of 161 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:26,160 Speaker 1: sugar in it, so we'd eat it. And boy, was 162 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: that a bad idea that we are still dealing with today. 163 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: Fat is good for us. I had an editor at 164 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:34,439 Speaker 1: one of the magazines I used to work for who 165 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:37,320 Speaker 1: went on a caribou hunt one time, somewhere very far 166 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:40,720 Speaker 1: north in Canada. He said the local Inuit children would 167 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:43,160 Speaker 1: ask him about the bull he killed, and their first 168 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,120 Speaker 1: question wasn't how big were the antlers, but how fat 169 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:48,840 Speaker 1: was it. When you live at the top of the world, 170 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:51,000 Speaker 1: where the sun has a hard time doing much good 171 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 1: for most of the year, you want a lot of 172 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:55,199 Speaker 1: fat in your diet because it's more fun to stay 173 00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:57,920 Speaker 1: warm than freeze to death, and it's more fun to 174 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:01,880 Speaker 1: have energy than feel lethargic. Fat is a good thing 175 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: for us, and it's good for our dogs. In dogs, 176 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:08,520 Speaker 1: it's a great source of energy. It makes food taste better, 177 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:11,880 Speaker 1: although I have labs so that's probably a non issue. 178 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:15,400 Speaker 1: It also does help the body absorb fat soluble vitamins better. 179 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 1: That's a big one. Fat can reduce heat loss, store 180 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:23,520 Speaker 1: energy for later, and even help conduct nerve impulses. Then 181 00:10:23,559 --> 00:10:25,880 Speaker 1: you have the fatty acids we hear so much about 182 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 1: Omega sixes, Omega threes, and DHA. They all fit into 183 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:34,280 Speaker 1: this category. Dogs don't need a ton of fatty acids, 184 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:36,720 Speaker 1: but a small amount goes a long way toward overall 185 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 1: health and brain development. They can help with coat and 186 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:44,680 Speaker 1: skin issues, reduce inflammation, and even promote proper development in 187 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:48,000 Speaker 1: the nervous system in the eyes. Fat and fatty acids 188 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,800 Speaker 1: are good for your dog, and, depending on energy level, 189 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:55,599 Speaker 1: output should, according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials, 190 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:59,160 Speaker 1: contain at least five percent crude fat for adult dogs 191 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:01,760 Speaker 1: and eight percent for puppies. Now keep in mind that 192 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:04,719 Speaker 1: is a bare minimum, though, and in working dogs is 193 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:07,440 Speaker 1: going to be much higher. The food I give my 194 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:11,040 Speaker 1: dogs contains twenty percent fat. That might seem like a lot, 195 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 1: but we train pretty hard and we hunt pretty hard. 196 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:18,000 Speaker 1: If you monitor body condition and adjust feeding accordingly, it's 197 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:20,320 Speaker 1: not a matter of quibbling over the fat content, at 198 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:23,320 Speaker 1: least in my opinion. Fat and protein matter, of course. 199 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:25,080 Speaker 1: But what about some of the foods that are out 200 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:28,319 Speaker 1: there now that are organic or full of blueberries and 201 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:31,000 Speaker 1: spinach or whatever. Now I'm not going to say one 202 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:33,280 Speaker 1: way or another, but I promise you the pet food 203 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 1: market is very interested in appealing to what we like 204 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 1: about feeding dogs, sometimes to the detriment of what dogs 205 00:11:40,679 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 1: actually need. If you eat a lot of steel cuts, oats, 206 00:11:44,559 --> 00:11:48,880 Speaker 1: and blueberries and are very into organic food, you might 207 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:51,679 Speaker 1: very well lean in that direction for your dogs. And 208 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 1: that's fine. Maybe there are a lot of companies that 209 00:11:55,679 --> 00:11:58,280 Speaker 1: promote that type of food for dogs, But there is 210 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 1: the issue of bioavailability and what dogs really need. Main 211 00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:06,120 Speaker 1: ingredients that consist of something that used to walk around 212 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 1: or swim around makes a lot of sense. Main ingredients 213 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:11,920 Speaker 1: that are something we would like to have for a 214 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:15,800 Speaker 1: healthy breakfast might not. So let me explain two things. 215 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:18,960 Speaker 1: The first is that I've worked in marketing in some 216 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:24,320 Speaker 1: capacities for a long time, oftentimes in the fishing market. Now, 217 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:26,680 Speaker 1: if you want to sell lures, you don't just sell 218 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:29,280 Speaker 1: something that looks like a frog or a minnow, you 219 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:32,200 Speaker 1: know the things that fish like to eat. You sell 220 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:35,040 Speaker 1: things in wild colors with all kinds of extra components 221 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 1: that make it look cool as hell. Now, I have 222 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:40,280 Speaker 1: bought almost a million dollars of fishing tackle in the 223 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:43,359 Speaker 1: last six months, so I'm not immune to this issue. 224 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 1: I just know that a lot of stuff on the 225 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:47,760 Speaker 1: racks at your local shield store is designed to catch 226 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:50,800 Speaker 1: your eye and not necessarily the eye of a five 227 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:54,400 Speaker 1: pound small mouth. This exists in the dog food world too, 228 00:12:54,440 --> 00:13:00,960 Speaker 1: and it can be powerful marketing strategy. Think about this one. Byproducts? 229 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:04,680 Speaker 1: What are they? They don't sound appealing to us. But 230 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:06,960 Speaker 1: even though I eat wild game like it's my job, 231 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:09,480 Speaker 1: which I guess it kind of is, I don't eat 232 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:11,280 Speaker 1: the heart and liver of the deer that I shoot. 233 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 1: I save them for the psychos who do. Organ meat 234 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: just does not jive with me. I hate the texture 235 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 1: and I just can't stand it. It's like the adult 236 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:24,040 Speaker 1: version of that fricking glass of milk on the table 237 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 1: every night when I was seven. Canine's, on the other hand, 238 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:31,440 Speaker 1: love themselves some organ meat. There's a reason wolves go 239 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:33,960 Speaker 1: to the guts first, and the biggest, baddest alpha in 240 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:37,200 Speaker 1: the pack tends to get the liver to himself because 241 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:40,800 Speaker 1: it's beneficial as hell. Animal by products is a tricky 242 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: term though, because does it mean chicken livers or chicken beaks? 243 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:47,520 Speaker 1: One is good for your dog, the other probably isn't. 244 00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:51,199 Speaker 1: It just keeps getting confusing about what ingredients are good 245 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:53,680 Speaker 1: for our dogs or not. One thing I think about 246 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:57,080 Speaker 1: a lot on this topic is bioavailability, because a food 247 00:13:57,160 --> 00:13:59,280 Speaker 1: can be chalk full of something that is good for 248 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:03,120 Speaker 1: us our dogs, but we're not really able to absorb them, 249 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 1: or they aren't. It just passes on through and doesn't 250 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:10,079 Speaker 1: give the benefit of whatever it's supposed to do for humans. 251 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:14,160 Speaker 1: A great example is spinach. Spinach is a super food 252 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:17,160 Speaker 1: in a lot of ways. You might notice that it 253 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:20,440 Speaker 1: is full of iron, which was made in the stars 254 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:23,160 Speaker 1: at one point and is now in our bodies and 255 00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:26,600 Speaker 1: actually does us good unless it gets into our bodies 256 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:29,200 Speaker 1: via an iron sword or maybe a fence post. That 257 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:33,360 Speaker 1: is bad. But tiny quantities are essential, and boy does 258 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: spinach have a lot of iron. Unfortunately, almost all of 259 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:40,400 Speaker 1: that iron is unavailable to us. We aren't built to 260 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:42,960 Speaker 1: extract it from those dark green leaves, and so while 261 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:47,560 Speaker 1: it's prominent on the micronutrients list, it doesn't matter. You 262 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:49,560 Speaker 1: can eat a truckload of spinach or a steak and 263 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:53,880 Speaker 1: you're about to get the same amount of iron. Are 264 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:56,840 Speaker 1: you getting confused? Me too? A lot of people do 265 00:14:56,880 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 1: when it comes to properly feeding our dogs. Some go 266 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:03,040 Speaker 1: the wraw, which is gained in popularity lately, because it 267 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 1: makes a lot of sense when you consider that while 268 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:08,280 Speaker 1: dogs are omnivores, there isn't a husky out there who 269 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:10,200 Speaker 1: is going to eat a Caesar salad over a piece 270 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 1: of chicken. But my kids would also eat ice cream 271 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:15,040 Speaker 1: for every meal if I would let them, and that 272 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:18,200 Speaker 1: would not be good long term. A raw diet seems 273 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:20,680 Speaker 1: like the right choice since dogs were wolves and wolves 274 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: eat a pretty consistent raw diet of animals, but wolves 275 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:26,200 Speaker 1: didn't ride or die with us for thousands of years 276 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:30,160 Speaker 1: eating animals and eventually parts of plants. The raw diet 277 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:32,880 Speaker 1: can overlook that reality, although some people view a raw 278 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:36,080 Speaker 1: diet as one that allows for raw meat, vegetables, fruit, 279 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:38,680 Speaker 1: and even bones. So again, it's not so cut and 280 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 1: dry and can be a way better choice if you 281 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:44,600 Speaker 1: expand it a little bit. Now, what can happen on 282 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 1: a raw diet depends on whether you're buying frozen food 283 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:50,760 Speaker 1: from someone or trying to create it yourself. The frozen 284 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:53,040 Speaker 1: options tend to be safer because they cut down in 285 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:56,320 Speaker 1: the likelihood of bad pathogens and parasites getting into pups. 286 00:15:56,960 --> 00:16:00,840 Speaker 1: Home options aren't so safe. Sometimes can also lead to 287 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:04,960 Speaker 1: imbalances and nutrition and sometimes tape worms, round worms, salmonella, 288 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:08,080 Speaker 1: and other bad actors. This is not to say a 289 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:12,600 Speaker 1: raw diet can't be the right choice. Dogs are individuals 290 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 1: just like us. I can intermit and fast no problem 291 00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 1: after years of doing it. But if my wife doesn't 292 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,600 Speaker 1: eat breakfast, she's not that fun to be around. Some 293 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:25,640 Speaker 1: people thrive on a vegan diet, where someone like me 294 00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:29,760 Speaker 1: would probably not survive a week. Whatever you feed your dog, 295 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:33,440 Speaker 1: think about your choices. Are they high energy or not? 296 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:35,960 Speaker 1: Does your dog get a lot of exercise and mental 297 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:38,200 Speaker 1: stimulation or is it more like a potato that just 298 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:41,120 Speaker 1: rolls around your house looking for belly scratches and any 299 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:43,160 Speaker 1: food molecules that might have made it to the floor. 300 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: What is their body condition like? How about their energy level? 301 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:50,880 Speaker 1: What about their stool? Health is a moving target in dogs, 302 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:53,560 Speaker 1: and a huge component of that is matching our individual 303 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:55,560 Speaker 1: dogs with the right food that gives them what they 304 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:59,360 Speaker 1: need to be good to go. The marketing speak, you know, 305 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 1: it appear to our good nature, but it's just just 306 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:05,320 Speaker 1: a part of the game. It really boils down to 307 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 1: you observing your dog and understanding what is happening to 308 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,760 Speaker 1: them physically, while also listening to your vet who while 309 00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:14,400 Speaker 1: you might get offended by what they say, you can 310 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:17,120 Speaker 1: bet your ass they know better about dog health than 311 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:20,800 Speaker 1: you and they have your dog's best interest in mind. 312 00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 1: Think about that and think about coming back next week, 313 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:27,760 Speaker 1: because I'm going to talk about dog pause and not 314 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:30,480 Speaker 1: only how they're cool as hell, but they are also 315 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:35,520 Speaker 1: something we should understand as dog owners. That's it for 316 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:39,800 Speaker 1: this week. I'm Tony Peterson. This has been The Houndation's podcast. 317 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:44,480 Speaker 1: If you haven't got your fix on good content, which, 318 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:47,800 Speaker 1: let's face it, we're all just consuming content all the 319 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:51,719 Speaker 1: freaking time. Now, Mediator has a lot of options for you. 320 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:53,920 Speaker 1: I know you're aware of this feed because you're listening here, 321 00:17:54,359 --> 00:17:58,080 Speaker 1: but have you ever given this Country Life, the really 322 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:01,439 Speaker 1: cool podcasts full of intro resting stories from Brent Reeves? 323 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:03,480 Speaker 1: Have you given that a listen? How about Clay's Bear 324 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:06,360 Speaker 1: Grease podcast. How about some of the new mediat podcasts 325 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:09,080 Speaker 1: that are dropping. Maybe you need a recipe, maybe you 326 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:13,240 Speaker 1: want to read some articles about upland hunting. Whatever the 327 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:16,399 Speaker 1: mediator dot com has you covered. And as always, I 328 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:19,000 Speaker 1: just want to say thank you so much for listening 329 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,359 Speaker 1: and for all your support. I mean this from the 330 00:18:21,359 --> 00:18:23,400 Speaker 1: bottom of my heart. Every one of us here at 331 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:27,040 Speaker 1: Meat Eatter truly appreciates that, so thank you.