Attention, dog owners: We are launching a Nutritarian communities thread (membership required), as a new member benefit, that will give you the opportunity to learn techniques, and share advice, on the best ways to train, nurture and ensure the nutritional excellence of your pets. The aim is to help those who follow a Nutritarian lifestyle to extend this health and longevity-promoting eating style to their furry friends.

We also want to initiate data collection for a study on the lifespan and health of Nutritarian dogs, and encourage you and your dog to participate. Please keep track of what you feed your pet, and all health and lifespan parameters. Each year, send us a detailed description of your dog’s diet and his health.

A Nutritarian human eats 0 – 10 percent of calories from animal products, and strives for over 90 percent whole natural plant food.

A Nutritarain canine eats 15 – 30 percent of calories from animal products, and strives for over 70 percent of calories from whole natural plant foods.

In this Nutritarian eating style for canines, animal products are more restricted, compared to most popular and mainstream dog feeding advisors. That is because moderately restricting IGF-1, which comes from animal protein, slows the aging process in all species, including predatory animals. In addition, increasing phytochemical and antioxidant exposure in dogs, while simultaneously and moderately restricting calories to maintain favorable lean body weight, is critical to disease resistance and lifespan enhancement. As with commercially-produced human food, commercial dog food lacks sufficient phytochemicals and antioxidants, and therefore, is lifespan shortening.

However, a few companies produce natural, raw dog food that is primarily made from raw animal products and some plant foods. These are recommended, as they are convenient – and can be used as the source of meat or animal protein, to be mixed with the recommended vegetables, grains and legumes. These recommended frozen, meat-based dog foods typically contain 70 to 90 percent of calories from animal products. If using those foods, mix 1/3 with double the amount of plant food mix that you can make following the guidelines below.

Acceptable Commercial Meat-Based Raw Dog Foods Include:

Answers Detailed
Aunt Jeni’s Homemade
Bravo HomeStyle Complete
Northwest Naturals
Fresh is Best
Wysong Archetype
Primal Patties
Darwin
Bravo Balance
Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Bites

Make sure if using raw frozen dog food, that the food is removed from the freezer the same day as it is served, to reduce risk of salmonella or other harmful bacteria. Chop and mash, mixing in with the other plant foods.

Do not feed your dog onions, garlic, grapes or raisins. He cannot eat your food if it is made with onions or garlic.

Animal products should be mostly raw, and include soft bones and cartilage; they should not be limited to muscle meats. Any wild or organic animal products are acceptable; chicken is favorable, since it is inexpensive, and even small dogs can safely eat raw wings and necks without splintering. Since chicken is high in omega-6 and deficient in omega-3, omega-3 supplementation for dogs is recommended, too.

DO NOT FEED YOUR DOG COOKED BONES, WHICH CAN SPINTER INTO SHARP PIECES. RAW BONES DO NOT SPLINTER.

Foods to Use:

Avoid pits and seeds found in fruits, as most are toxic to dogs. Wash fruits thoroughly, and remove rinds and inedible skins before serving. I no longer recommended brown rice for dogs due to arsenic contamination.
Steel cut oats and quinoa are acceptable grains; however, also use starchy vegetables, such as butternut squash, carrots, peas, parsnips, rutabaga and green vegetables so the meals are not predominantly grains. Frozen wild blueberries are highly recommended, due to their high antioxidant content.
Think about steaming or microwaving your cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, as they are more difficult to digest when not cooked. Foods in the Nightshade family, such as tomatoes and eggplant, should be avoided or be peeled and seeded before being given to dogs. Cooked tomato products are okay in small amounts. Remove the seeds of red peppers; never use hot peppers.
Leafy greens: blended into a puree or finely chopped and mixed with food, such as: lettuces, dandelion, parsley, arugula, cilantro, beet tops, carrot tops, kale, cabbage, sprouted seeds etc.
Consider the purchase of a baby mill grinder to prepare the vegetables for a small dog.

Plant Foods For Moderate Use:

Do not feed a dog a diet predominantly of only one plant food, but mix some others in there.

Apples, no core or seeds
Almonds or almond butter
Apricots
Asparagus
Avocado (no pit or skin)
Bananas
Beans (cooked or canned)
Beets
Broccoli Stalks
Cabbage
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Cashews
Coconut
Corn (no cob)
Dates
Eggplant (cooked)
Figs

Honeydew
Kiwi
Orange
Pear (no seeds)
Pineapple
Mango
Melon
Mushrooms
Nectarines
Nuts* (except macadamia and walnuts)
Radishes
Raspberries
Seeds (flax, chia, sunflower)
Spinach
Strawberries
Tangerines
Tomatoes (acceptable, in small amounts)
Watermelon

*It is best to grind nuts, or use nut butters and mix with the veggies, grains and animal products. Too many nuts may cause indigestion.

Suggested Nutritarian/Fuhrman veggie mix for dogs — to mix with their raw meat mix

Use some or many of these items below in your plant mix, or vary and rotate them.

Take one of the following cooked root vegetables or squashes:
Sweet potato, carrots, beets, rutabaga, turnips, parsnips, butternut, acorn or winter squash
Mix with a cooked green vegetable:
Broccoli, string beans, zucchini, cabbage, snow peas, okra, frozen peas
Mix with a small amount of raw vegetable (finely chopped or blended):
Kale, lettuce, cabbage, arugula
Add: Some beans or tempeh, mash in well.
Add: Some nuts and seeds, ground or as nut butters (smaller amounts)
Add: Some frozen or fresh fruit (smaller amounts)
Use a food processor or blend the above into coarse slurry and mash or mix in with raw meat mix.
Add: A small amount of ground flax seeds or chia seeds and a full dropper of Dr. Fuhrman’s DHA-EPA Purity.

These are foods one should NEVER feed to your dog:

Alcohol
Cat food
Chives
Chocolate
Coffee, Tea and other caffeine
Dairy products
Garlic
Grapes
Grapefruit
Macadamia Nuts
Milk and other dairy products
Onions
Peaches
Persimmons
Plums
Raisins
Rhubarb
Salt
Walnuts
Xylitol (artificial sweetener)

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: 888-426-4435