Specific Breed Dog Diets– How Do You Choose the Best Protein for Your Dog?
Maggie on her couch.
An article in Animal Wellness magazine (www.AnimalWellnessMagazine.com ) by Kate Solisti (Feb./Mar. 2006) suggested that dogs are much like human beings in eating for their blood type.
In Dr. Peter D’Adamo’s work he looked at genetic heritage in human beings in helping determine what foods were appropriate to eat for their blood type. Kate began looking into what foods specific breeds would encounter in various climates and in varmints all over the globe, and wondered if diets should be developed with these breeds in mind.
Her research revealed that dog breeds developed and thrived by eating a local pray and human leftovers. The prey varied from area to area, but the human leftovers’ varied considerably more depending on their nationality and what they ate.
“For example, herding dogs were bred to herd sheep, goats and cattle. Coastal breeds assisted fisherman. Other dogs helped hunt deer, elk, wild pigs, rabbits, birds and so on.” says Kate.
She believes that when you match the foods to the areas where your breed originated from that magical health changes occur and vibrant health results.
Northern breeds including Samoyeds, Huskies, Malamutes and American Eskimo dogs do better with high-fat diet of fish, seals, whales and caribou. Sweet potatoes are included for carbs. Grains were nonexistent. Root vegetables some berries were available during the very short growing season. These breeds consistently do poorly on poultry and green based dry foods. So commercial dry foods contain too many grains for these breeds.
German breeds include: Boxer, Great Danes, German shepherds, Doberman, Schnauzer, Dachshund, Yorkshire Terriers, Staffordshire terrier, English Bull, Mastiff, Pits, Airedale, Old English Sheepdog and the Borzoi. They do best with beef, lamb, steamed cabbage, steamed collards, steamed kale, oats and whole barley. Boxers, Danes and Shepherds have shorter colons and need the right meats and fibrous vegetables with a few use specific grains in order to prevent gas and life-threatening bloat.
Coastal breeds include: Labradors, Retrievers, Newfoundlands, Spaniels, Portuguese Water Dogs and Standard Poodles. They do best with duck, chicken, fish (trout or salmon) and goose. Vegetables and fruits should include potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans and apple with occasional oats or whole barley as the grain. , bird -retrieving dogs need do well on duck and fish oils for health the joints, skin and coats. Greens should include barley and oats.
Sight hounds include: Greyhounds, Afghans, Whippets, Irish wolfhounds, Scottish Deerhound, Salukis, Sloughis and Lurchers. They do best with the things they were used to hunt for like rabbit, chicken, turkey, and venison. Also add figs, apples, potatoes, brown rice, whole barley, bulgur and oats.
Asian breeds include: Pekinese, Japanese Chin, Shih Tzu, Chinese Crested, Shiba Inu, Akita, Kyi Leo and the Japanese Spitz. They have a genetic memory of fish, poultry, lamb and occasionally tofu with vegetables such as beets, green beans, steamed beans and bean sprouts mixed with brown or white rice. One would think these breeds do well with soy, but they don’t.
English Breeds include: Shelties, Collies, Border Collies, Sky Terriers, Norwich Terriers, Welsh Terriers, Schipperkes, Miniature Poodles and Pembroke Welsh Corgis do best with fish, lamb and chicken as protein sources with carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, and potatoes as the fiber. Oatmeal and whole barley are the best grains.
Northern Breeds such as Huskies, Malamutes, Samoyed and the American Eskimo (Spitz) do best with fish and venison, elk or buffalo, sweet potatoes and no grains (it gives them digestive upset and gas.)
Chihuahua, Bichon fries and Maltese breeds do best with chicken and fish, avocado and figs and brown rice.
Beagles, English and American Foxhound, Basset Hound, Bernese Mountain Dog, Greater Swiss Mountain dog, Great Pyrenees, Cocker Spaniel, Irish Setter, Papillon, Rottweiler, Scottish Terriers and West Highland Terriers do best with lamb alternated with rabbit and chicken. Also, potatoes, parsley, carrots, oats and whole barley for the vegetable and grains.
Soy, included as a protein supplement in many of today’s feeds can be a cause of some health dysfunction. Not a lot of testing has been done on individual breeds and soy-based food. Other things to keep in mind are age, specific diseases your dog may be compromised with, and individual lifestyle. Of course it gets trickier with mixed breed dogs.
Kate also has some breed-specific homemade recipes in past issues of Animal Wellness (see Volume 5, Issues 4 and 5, and Volume 6, Issues 1 and 2).
Dr. Moffat’s notes: My border collie indeed does best on chicken and barley and get diarrhea with lots of other foods. She also prefers cooked vegetables over raw and won’t eat fruit. I noted that lots of breeds test they need parsley as a mineral and detox food and the breeds Kate Solisti listed seem to be right on with my muscle testing. I do believe Kate is onto something here.
I read a couple of blogs pooh-poohing her article, but I’ve noticed over the years that most people who are naysayers of the Blood Type Diet 1) Have never read the book and 2) have never tried the diet for three months. So, really I believe their opinions can be invalidated. The Blood Type Diet seems to be a great diet for a majority (not all) of my client-base. I think I’ll compare this chart to my canine cases and see if I can add anything to it.