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There is so much controversy around canine and human nutrition, it makes my head spin. What is the best diet? Protein good? Bad? What's up with carbs? Should dogs have fats of any kind? Is kibble really acceptable? What is food, even? Is it just sustenance? Is it what fills this void we call 'hunger'? Are we truly aware of anything in the universe, really...
Ahem.
So. I've decided to do an in-depth search into what makes an actual good, balanced diet for my dogs. An experiment of sorts. In this experiment, I will first find all the information necessary to make a general conclusion on what makes a good diet, and then try to figure out some diets based off of that. Obviously, I'm not a scientist or a nutrition expert, and therefore encourage various levels of input from others. But there are rules I would like to uphold in this research. Namely, the type of resources used.
What IS a Good Resource
Studies by universities
Blogs/Youtube videos by a nutritionist
Non-biased articles
Breaking news announcing the conclusive evidence of a multitude of studies
Experiences that can be tied to a specific type of food (i.e., my dog eats a carrot every morning and now has laser vision)
Experiences that brought about an obvious change in the dog or has kept the dog much healthier/much less healthier than other, similar dogs (my dog was eating my shoes for breakfast, and was generally unhealthy, but as soon as I switched him to diet X that is high in nutrient Y, he does much better! His cousin, on the other hand, eats the same food my dog used to, and has the same problems my dog did.)
What will NOT be considered a Good Resource
Blogs/Youtube videos not written by a nutritionist
Articles pointing fingers and cherry-picking information, especially for the purpose of fear-mongering
Studies that are too small to be effective or have been obviously influenced by a particular party
Breaking news articles announcing a single new study (too soon to declare effects of research, also not yet repeated by peers)
Studies on humans that assume the exact same for dogs (we are completely different animals requiring different volumes of different types of nutrition)
Second-hand experiences (i.e., a friend's friend's dog ate a piece of lettuce and began to dance ballet)
General conclusions based off of diet (does my terrier run circles around my house in the morning because I feed him my lost hopes and dreams, or is it because he's just a hyper guy in general?)
My hypothesis, based on research seen thus far:
A diet high in protein and 'healthy fats', and also has 'healthy carbs', are going to be the best for dogs. Raw, nutritionist-balanced diets are likely the best overall, but needs more research to determine/support if it is. Home-cooked, nutritionist-balanced are likely second-best, and also needs research. Third would be whole food, prepared diets like Freshpet's steamed stuff, and fourth would be breed-specific diets based on the dog's activity levels. I also assume that natural, whole ingredients are the best, and that the more animal protein in a specific food, the better.
This hypothesis will change and be added to over time as I gather more information.
Ahem.
So. I've decided to do an in-depth search into what makes an actual good, balanced diet for my dogs. An experiment of sorts. In this experiment, I will first find all the information necessary to make a general conclusion on what makes a good diet, and then try to figure out some diets based off of that. Obviously, I'm not a scientist or a nutrition expert, and therefore encourage various levels of input from others. But there are rules I would like to uphold in this research. Namely, the type of resources used.
What IS a Good Resource
Studies by universities
Blogs/Youtube videos by a nutritionist
Non-biased articles
Breaking news announcing the conclusive evidence of a multitude of studies
Experiences that can be tied to a specific type of food (i.e., my dog eats a carrot every morning and now has laser vision)
Experiences that brought about an obvious change in the dog or has kept the dog much healthier/much less healthier than other, similar dogs (my dog was eating my shoes for breakfast, and was generally unhealthy, but as soon as I switched him to diet X that is high in nutrient Y, he does much better! His cousin, on the other hand, eats the same food my dog used to, and has the same problems my dog did.)
What will NOT be considered a Good Resource
Blogs/Youtube videos not written by a nutritionist
Articles pointing fingers and cherry-picking information, especially for the purpose of fear-mongering
Studies that are too small to be effective or have been obviously influenced by a particular party
Breaking news articles announcing a single new study (too soon to declare effects of research, also not yet repeated by peers)
Studies on humans that assume the exact same for dogs (we are completely different animals requiring different volumes of different types of nutrition)
Second-hand experiences (i.e., a friend's friend's dog ate a piece of lettuce and began to dance ballet)
General conclusions based off of diet (does my terrier run circles around my house in the morning because I feed him my lost hopes and dreams, or is it because he's just a hyper guy in general?)
My hypothesis, based on research seen thus far:
A diet high in protein and 'healthy fats', and also has 'healthy carbs', are going to be the best for dogs. Raw, nutritionist-balanced diets are likely the best overall, but needs more research to determine/support if it is. Home-cooked, nutritionist-balanced are likely second-best, and also needs research. Third would be whole food, prepared diets like Freshpet's steamed stuff, and fourth would be breed-specific diets based on the dog's activity levels. I also assume that natural, whole ingredients are the best, and that the more animal protein in a specific food, the better.
This hypothesis will change and be added to over time as I gather more information.