The Healthy Hound: Raising a Nutritarian Dog

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.

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.

Plant Foods For Moderate Use:

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

*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.

1. Take one of the following cooked root vegetables or squashes:
   Sweet potato, carrots, beets, rutabaga, turnips, parsnips, butternut, acorn or winter squash
    
2. Mix with a cooked green vegetable:
   Broccoli, string beans, zucchini, cabbage, snow peas, okra, frozen peas
    
3. Mix with a small amount of raw vegetable (finely chopped or blended):
   Kale, lettuce, cabbage, arugula
    
4. Add: Some beans or tempeh, mash in well.
    
5. Add: Some nuts and seeds, ground or as nut butters  (smaller amounts)
    
6. 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.
    
7. Add: A small amount of ground flax seeds or chia seeds and a full dropper of Dr. Fuhrman’s DHA-EPA Purity.