can anyone tell me if dogs have a similar metabolic system to ours? I am wondering if adapting their diet along the lines of the Zone would benefit them too. Also, what about giving them the Omega 3 supplement? cheers Top

Hi Top, In reply to your concern on the Protein question (is is ok to give dogs egg yolks if they are too full of bad fat for us) - You know, I never checked. I don't give my many (I rarely eat eggs at home, but when I do, they love the yolks). I certainly wouldn't feed them multiple yolks every day... I do feed my German Shepherd dogs a raw diet and add in the occasional eggs and oil for extra fat. I have some books on dog nutrition and will be looking for this answer. The raw diet they eat is very Zone-like, very few grains, occasionally oatmeal. I'm not sure of the exact proportions, a bit more protein % than I eat. One suffers from allergies and is doing MUCH better on the raw diet without grains. The other is 13 and still going strong! Robbin

I've read several places that dogs are fairly close to humans in terms of food needs, but I would question how close, myself. Generally the teeth tell you what they NEED to eat. Large canines mean you need flesh. Grinding teeth means more vegetarian. (BTW, I assume you know that vegetarian is an old old Indian word meaning "lousy hunter!) But besides the normal dog food, I've added about a teaspoon of olive oil to my dogs diet. I didn't notice much difference when I did that. Then, and don't crucify me, I added a teaspoon of cod liver oil to his diet(mine too!). The effect was startling! His fur is now just gorgeous!(golden retriever) And he's a lot more frisky again. I was hoping to get rid of the white face from aging, but no luck there. Unfortunately, the effect on me was lost :( Noone's called me gorgeous! Yet! :twisted:

Thanks for that! But what if they havent any teeth left? NO just joking :) [quote:7717ff3e1a="Fatboyslim"].... Then, and don't crucify me, I added a teaspoon of cod liver oil to his diet(mine too!). The effect was startling! His fur is now just gorgeous!(golden retriever) And he's a lot more frisky again. I was hoping to get rid of the white face from aging, but no luck there. Unfortunately, the effect on me was lost :( Noone's called me gorgeous! Yet! :twisted:[/quote:7717ff3e1a] No I wont crucify you because I now give the fish oil to my dogs. I just throw in a capsule the same as I take. I wish i could say the same for their coats, which are very dry to touch. Perhaps its something else that they are missing. I certainly have noticed an increase in their energy. A vet told me years ago that if I wanted to improve the coat i was to give them equal quatities of (animal) fat and oil. but it is so hard to buy fat these days that they get it pretty irrigularly and then probably too much in one go. Is there any fat in your dogs diet? I've also got them off the rice (which I used to feed daily) and now give them the oats instead. In fact you could say that I now base their food on Zone ingredients, but I give more protein ( fresh pets mince which I cook), as they always seem hungry now.

Mine are on a raw diet. I was doing BARF (bones and raw food), but after one had a stomach torsion (not due to diet), I got nervous giving her whole food. Now I feed them mostly Omas Pride, with eggs, peanut butter, olive oil and/or yogurt when I have extra and remember to add them, and occasionally oatmeal when I overcook mine. The older one has more grains as she is on half BillJac frozen. She gets tremors and weakness on the full Omas - strange but I gotta go with what works! It's a bit different ratio than human, more protein, but mostly favorable veg and fruit. I'd forgotten that I used to give them cod liver oil. I had to order it from the pharmacy at the local grocery store. Might be time to do that again as it's spring and they are both German Shedders! :-) Robbin

Well, when I first started giving him cod liver oil, I gave him a tablespoon a day, occasionally 2 when he reeeaaaalllly begged. He just loved it! After about 3 weeks I cut it back to a teaspoon. On a teaspoon there is not near the effect as on a tablespoon. But I worry about the vitamin A. This new one I got is much less vit A so I may give him more again. How much is cod liver oil where you are? Mine is $10US for 45 teaspoons. Liquid, straight up, no making in taste good. That triples the price.

Fatboyslim, Hey! No need to "make it taste good" You will probably find that they LOVE the taste of cod liver oil. I bought some very expensive stuff from a vets shop when I was in San Deigo last year and brought it home with me ( kinda like pressies for the dogs) . i think it was salmon oil in a pump container....well....it took 15minutes to persuade the customs officer that i could bring it in to the country and for my troubles i had to throw out my jeans and jumper cause it leaked all over them...Whew!!! did that smell of cod liver oil.. even after three washes, but the dogs licked and licked till I thought there would be no bowl left. Now i just buy the Omega 3 capsules (I get what ever is on special at the time) and throw a capsule each into their food ( daily) . if they bite on it they lick their lips!!! The price here that I go for is 200 capsules for around $20 ( if I'm lucky) but its only health food? grade. there are often specials and I wont buy until I can get it on special. But...one question If he really loves it why cut him back? that would indicate to me that he feels the need for the oil. My dog, the one with the heart failure, licks the olive oil ( I sometimes toss a bit of that in too) from the bowl for 10 minutes after it is empty. I sometimes give her two capsules. Please explain why you are worried about the vit A. is this added? The label on my jar doesnt say anything about vit A angelrob, I try to give mine some raw food but the raw mince goes straight through them so I partially cook it. I often add raw capsicum ( they love it) and celery as well as the cooked vegs ( carrots and pumpkin - the staple -celery, and what ever chinese greens are on special for that week) they cant handle the raw beef bones as well now that they are very old so I dont give them often ( too dehydrating). but try to give the raw chicken wings regularly. The other thing that they LOVE is tinned cat sardines or fish platter. That is their Sunday treat, once a week Many people stop me in the street and ask what i am feeding them on cause they look so good, and are amazed when they ask their age (16) . I have never fed them tinned food. Interestingly, last night on our TV there was a segment saying that the tinned food was not good for the dogs ( often gives them the runs) BUT ... they were pushing the dried food...another NO NO in my opinion, too dehydrating. Well that my twopenneth worth! thanks for the discussion folks It's all very interesting finding out what others are doing. cheers Top

Hey Top! Well, It's good I didn't get crucified. Tis the season, so worrisome! You ask why cut my dog back on cod liver oil cuz of Vit A. I'm just using the fact that too much is toxic for people, so maybe it is for dogs too. I don't know, so I'm being a bit cautious. He does love the taste, and did just like your dog. Went back several times and licked the bowl dry again. The first time I gave it to him was just electric! He begged and begged for more!! My bottle said 12,000 IU vit a per teaspoon. RDA for people is around 4,000. So a tablespoon is 9 times people normal, and he's smaller. That's why I worried a bit. My new one is only 4000/tsp, which is way better. I also give him a tsp. of olive oil every day. The clo he gets about 3-4 times a week. Really ticks one off, doesn't it, when you buy that expensive stuff, and then it leaks all over your clothes, and you lose that, plus the clothes! And like you said, clo smells really bad!! Bob

HI Folks! have just found these archived in Ask Dr Sears. Which gives a slight indication of what we should be feeding our dogs [i:3aa89f1f0a]Dear Brucev: The physiology of a dog is actually close to humans. As a consequence, the Zone Diet is ideal for dogs especially those with inflammatory conditions such as gout. In addition, I would recommend supplementing your dog's diet with extra fish oil. Dr Sears[/i:3aa89f1f0a] Today's question (1999-19-16) "Cats" Is the Zone appropriate for cats? I would love to know how to feed my cats, if so. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [i:3aa89f1f0a]The Zone is very appropriate for cats with the following modifications. First, cats will need a higher protein-to-carbohydrate ratio than humans will. A good starting points will be 2 grams of protein for every gram of carbohydrate. [b:3aa89f1f0a]This is significantly higher than the 3 grams of protein for every 4 grams of carbohydrate recommended or humans (or dogs). [/b:3aa89f1f0a]Second, they will need supplementation with both GLA and EPA because of the absence of the enzyme delta-6-desaturase. More details will be forth coming in special reports on pets to be published on drsears.com[/i:3aa89f1f0a] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Does anyone know where the special report on pets can be found? cheers Top

A few years ago, my dog snatched a zone bar that was precariously positioned on my kitchen table. He was more alert and only slept 18 hours that day!

[quote:374f06364e="Shirazz"]A few years ago, my dog snatched a zone bar that was precariously positioned on my kitchen table. He was more alert and only slept 18 hours that day![/quote:374f06364e] Vintage Shiraz! (glad to see you back) Sue

shirazz that gave me a good laugh! Might try it on my old girls they may be awake for more than thier usual 1/2hr per day ( usually around feeding time). :lol:

When I have noticed that my dog's coat is a little dry, or her skin a little flaky, I'll just give her some peanut butter (I usually dip a biscuit in it, or a rawhide. We buy a cheap bottle of PB for her so we can do this easily without contaminating ours or dirtying a knife! :lol: ) A tablespoon or two will usually clear it up in no time. r

[quote:adc4ef847c]A tablespoon or two will usually clear it up in no time. [/quote:adc4ef847c] thats interesting. I'd like to try that. How much do you give her at once? thanks Top

A dollop. Yeah, call me the queen of imprecision. But it's only maybe a tablespoon or a bit more. She weighs 60 lbs. Rarely will she need it more than 2 days. Plus, it's very entertaining to watch her eat it! :lol: Who needs TV? And, it being delicious, she thinks we are the best Mom and Dad in the world for a few hours. We get lots of kisses and snuggles. Another thing I do is to put a few broken buscuit bits and some peanut butter into her Kong toy (a hollow rubber thing with a hole--she loves to lick it out) and stick it in the freezer. If we have to leave her unexpectedly, I give it go her as we go. She only gets it when we are not home. This helped her seperation anxiety after we first got her out of the Humane Society. She's not mad at us when we leave, and she gets a treat that takes hours to finish. Works great! Ronica

i dont think dogs have the same metabolic system.

Hello
Greetings to all members of this community.I am jainny from India.I am new member here..
i think for dog food pedigree is best..........
nice to meet you all…….
Thanks
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I read long ago that dogs are omnivores, not exactly carnivores...though my dogs tell me "No, mommy...I'm loving this deer leg!!!".