Primal or not?

[Nga Phan]

Eva is 5 months old and she has been on Primal (chicken and beef) from when we got her from the breeder. The breeder also fed her Primal.

Recently, she's been to the vet twice for what was diagnosed as Colitis. We are not sure yet if parasites/bacteria are the causes. She's currently on antibiotics and a high fiber diet as prescribed by the vet.

He also said that he would not suggest a raw diet as it has all kinds of bacteria and no proven benefits. I don't believe it but would like to hear others' experiences. Have you had trouble with Primal with your doodle? Have you had to switch to non-raw diet before and did it help? Please share.

Thank you!!!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

In general, it's because we (and dogs) can't digest cellulose, which is the main ingredient in the covering that surrounds plant cells (the cell wall).  The cooking process damages the cell walls in the plant, making it possible for our digestive systems to get at the "goodies" inside the cell, the nutrients :)

Animals like cows (and other grazers) have special bacteria in their digestive systems that "pre-digest" the cellulose for them a bit so they get more nutrients out of the grass etc.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, my source for this is my textbooks from my college nutrition and science classes, and my educational background in nutrition,  but it's fairly easy to find the info on-line. Plants have cell walls composed of cellulose, which neither dogs nor humans can break down during the digestive process. But cooking breaks them down enough to make more of the nutrients available, especially calcium and beta carotene, a precursor to vitamin A. And recently, some British researchers found that cooking vegetables also made certain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants like lycopene more biologically available. 

Some nutrients are lost during cooking, but in the case of vitamin C, dogs make their own and don't need to get vitamin C from their diets as people do. And either way, the vitamins and minerals don;t do any good if they aren't biologically available. 

Here are a couple of articles: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=raw-veggies-are-he...

http://www.shape.com/latest-news-trends/raw-veggies-healthier-cooke...

[Nga Phan]

Interesting view on raw vs. cooked. I wouldn't know that. And thanks for the tips on treats (I'll have to get myself some online - the pet store I go to don't carry these).

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, it's not really a view, lol, it's scientific fact. It's very easy to measure the nutrient content of foods. I know that some people believe that raw foods contain some kinds of health benefits that are absent from properly cooked food, but that's rarely true. There is some loss of nutrients in heating the food, but depending on how you do the cooking, often the loss is minimal and there are some benefits, as explained in the two links I provided. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here's one more very good article on the nutrients in raw plant foods versus cooked plant foods: 

http://www.realfooduniversity.com/raw-vegetables-healthier-cooked-v...

[Nga Phan]

Thanks Karen. Very helpful. I should apply this to myself as well...LOL

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna HATES green beans... but loves other veggies like red bell peppers and cucumbers.  She also enjoys fruit (fresh and dried) in moderation.  She usually gets a piece of two of whatever I'm chopping up for dinner (assuming it's dog-friendly!)

PureBites are really easy to find, but we give Luna soft Wellness treats (not grain-free).  Her grain intolerance is very mild and they're soft and easy to break into small pieces.

[Nga Phan]

Eva won't touch cucumber (I haven't tried red bell peppers yet) but she loves blueberries and strawberries (especially frozen). I give her just a few pieces couple times a week.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Go easy with bell peppers, especially if she is having digestive issues; they can be very hard on the stomach. Also the cruciferous veggies like broccoli. I'd limit vegetables to carrots, lima beans (my guy loves them), green beans, any kind of squash, peas, asparagus and yams or sweet potatoes. 

And really, until you get the digestive issues diagnosed and resolved, I wouldn't introduce any new foods right now, it will only complicate things. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Lima beans, eh?  Frozen or canned?  I haven't tried those with Luna.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I use the frozen baby lima beans, because my whole family loves them, too. JD goes crazy for them, that's the only plant food he would eat until just recently. 

But they're relatively high in calories compared to green beans and many of the other vegetables that have a higher water content, so give them sparingly.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Fromm also makes some grain-free treats, although they do contain potatoes, pea flour, and similar carbohydrates. Very low in fat, which can be important for dogs with digestive issues. JD gets the Fromm Chicken with Pea and Carrots Treats and loves them.