...Nutrition...

What should a poodle eat?

Feeding one's animals has become an increasingly complicated and even volatile subject of discussion. You will find a variety of factions that push the superiority of one feeding strategy vs. another, often with great passion. There are those who only feed raw food, others who only cook natural foods, and then others who have a certain brand or selection of brands that they have faith in, while condemning all of the others. It seems that we know a great deal about what dogs need nutritionally, but we have yet to come to a concensus on how best to deliver these nutrients without causing harm.
The reality is that we in the animal health professions see very little disease that we directly relate to nutritional deficits. I have seen one case of gall bladder stones in over 10 years, and that was in a dog who was fed primarily hot dogs. The feeling is that nutritionally caused heart disease, cataracts, etc... have for the most part been eliminated because of the advances in understanding of animal nutrition. Not only that, but even animals fed on "lesser" brands or "suspect" quality of dog foods still seem to have an excellent chance of good health from a nutritional standpoint. To take this one degree further, it is without doubt that the most common nutritionally related disease we see is OBESITY!!! Just like the rest of us, our dogs seem to be affluent enough that even pets living with lower income families more often than not are fat or at least chubby. It is extremely uncommon for us to tell a family to increase their dog's caloric intake. Everyone is riding the wave of pleantiful nutrition.
Now this is not meant to suggest that all dogs thrive on any food. We absolutely see kidney and bladder stones, which are not caused by bad food, but yet require dietary restrictions to minimize their recurrence once treated. We also use special diets for animals with heart disease, kidney disease, digestive sensitivities, inflammatory bowel disease and in the treatment of diabetes and cancer. The use of special diets as part of therapy does NOT equate to these being nutritional diseases. These are failures within a patient which can be assisted through the manipulation of certain dietary components, almost always reducing the abundances of certain nutrients that are harmless in the healthy pet, but are not regulated or eliminated well in an animal with certain health problems.
One noteable exception to foods being a problem would be food allergies. Many people are allergic to foods, including shellfish, strawberries, peanuts, etc.... I don't think any of us would jump to the conclusion that lobster, berries, or nuts are "BAD," yet there are people who get extremely ill and even die from exposure to these simple pleasures. Is it that surprising then that some animals have sensitivities to food components as well? The real blessing is that I've never seen nor heard of a dog having acute reactions resulting in death from food. Instead we regularly see hives, which are uncomfortable and require treatment, and the more common skin manifestations including severe inflammation, itching, secondary infections, and misery. To complicate the problem, there are other much more common causes of skin allergies and some dogs might be plagued with some of both. I think it's important to note that allergies do not necessarily reflect poor quality or cheap diets. Again, Lobster is not cheap food, and neither are some of the diets that allergic dogs eat. Other reactions can include GI distress, diarrhea, vomiting, and weight loss. In these cases, there is some evidence that dogs fed more simplified diets, such as home cooked diets or limited antigen diets may help. Does this mean the more complicated diets or those with chemicals/preservatives/colors caused the problem? Do these components simply aggrivate a condition that would have arisen anyway? The reality is, we don't know. We do know, however, that there must be at least some component to Inflammatory Bowel Disease and related GI sensitivities that are genetic and "dog" specific else these "horrible" foods would cause illness in all who ingested them.
Diets can be used in skin allergies in two main ways. The most common is through the addition or supplementation of fatty acids and antioxidants in the diet which help reduce itching and strengthen the skin and hair. The second is to eliminate from the diet something in particular that an animal may be sensitive to so that the allergy is cut off at the root. This can be challenging since it is not obvious what particular part or parts of a diet may be causing the problem, if any are (remember, it is more common for allergies to be allergens an animal comes in contact with rather than ingesting). Using elimination diets or special hydrolized protein diets to help prevent the triggering of allergies can be helpful, but even these results are not always clear cut. The success also does not mean that the food "caused" the allergy. Yes, allergies can only occur to allergens a dog has been exposed to, but that isn't the allergen's fault! It is a faulty immune response, not a faulty diet that results in the problem. Again, if it were the food alone, why don't all animals suffer from the problem when fed?
So, if diets are not typically causing nutritional problems, and are uncommonly causing allergies, why all the fuss? I honestly wish I knew. I would whole heartely admit that a natural diet, whether raw or cooked is a good idea. I think it is also risky as great care must be taken to ensure a healthy balance of nutrients. We often don't do a good job with our own diets, let alone feeding our pets. If we won't cook and prepare balanced nutrition for our dogs, the next step is using one of many "Premium" foods. Everyone seems to have their own lists of those that are acceptible and those that are henious listing their own reasons. Again, I agree that the healthier and higher quality the starting ingredients and the fewer preservatives, colours, and artificial flavors the better. The problem is, I can't prove that. Our foods are full of chemicals that have been accepted as safe. While I'm not for just blindly trusting the government regulators, I must have some faith in years of experience and study. I feel in my heart, that if dogs were routinely victimized by pet foods, we would see some sort of pattern. We would expect to see sickly, short lived dogs on bargain foods and long lived perfect dogs on "premium" foods. The truth is that just doesn't always hold true. There are horror stories of the sources of nutrition put into certain pet foods, and while none of us like to think of eating food from sick or unusual sources, there seems to be little hard evidence that such sources are actually bad. Gross maybe, but bad??? I think there is a great deal of fear mongoring going on, trying to convince people that they have some wisdom and knowledge about animal nutrition that just doesn't bear out in real life.
So I'm not going to publish some specific list of "do" foods or "don't" foods. I think we all love our dogs and want them to do well. If you are interested in all natural diets and raw veggies, you will find resources to allow you to prepare a balanced diet for your dog in the same fashion. If you supplement your diet with vitamins etc..., you will find many sources of pet supplements that may or may not be helpful to your dog's health (please don't just assume that all dogs "Need" more than a well balanced diet provides. Just like people, some animals seem to benefit from supplementation and others just excrete the excess supplements without showing any improvement in health...because they were already healthy! I think coat conditioners are something that we can often visually decide if they benefit our pet, whether supplied through a supplement or throught the purchase of a food fortified with these nutrients. I think joint supplements have proven their benefits, and are more and more commonly found in prepared foods or as supplements. Their use, especially in animals with a history of joint disease or injury, or in large dogs who may be predisposed, has become more common, and we are not going to hurt animals through the addition of this dietary tool. Of greatest importance, however, is finding a food that the family can afford, that your pet likes, and then feeding it in a manner which keeps your dog thin and athletic. This will probably go further in producing longevity in your pet than any specific diet you may chose. So don't head to the bargain rack thinking I'm saying all foods are the same... but neither should you be decieved by the food gurus who all have some snake oil to sell you about their particular brand of food or manner of feeding. We should all be sage enough to realize diet in animals is not anywhere near that simple, and anyone who tries to make it so, may be trying to profit from their advice or their self appointed expert status. We all are interested in new fads in dietary management in ourselves and our beloved pets, but more often than not, today's fad turns out to be tomorrows fiction.