Primal Puppy

Have you ever looked at a cow’s teeth? They’re boring, as flat and featureless as the land on which they graze. That is not to say that those teeth are bad…in fact I think they suit those huge heads of theirs rather well. And those teeth are perfect for cows, because what do cows eat? Grass. More conventionally raised beef is fed a lot of grain because it’s easier and cheaper, but cows are meant to eat grass. Adding grain to their diets doesn’t really do a lot of harm to cows (especially compared to all the antibiotics and hormones they are filled with) because what is corn but really tall, knobby grass? Their teeth and their stomachs can handle it.

Those aren't made for eating grains. This picture wasn't easy to take.

Now look at a dog’s teeth, or a cat’s for that matter. You’ll see no flat expanses perfect for chewing leaves. Instead, you’ll see a shiny set of pointed enamel from front to back. They are pointed for a reason: what do dogs and cats eat? Other animals. So it’s a little strange to see grains like corn listed as the first ingredient on most popular or big name pet foods. Most people are feeding their cats and dogs food that just isn’t right for them. When we adopted Miles, we got a bag of Science Diet puppy food to give him. This a brand often lauded by veterinarians. Well, this is one area where we will always disagree with the vets.

Let’s take a quick glance at nature for a second. What is the first and only ingredient on a lion’s food? Zebra. How about a wolf or wild dog; any corn in their natural diet? Nope—try Bambi. The majority of household pets aren’t designed to eat what the majority of pet foods have to offer. Rather than eating 9 Lives and Kibbles N’ Bits, cats and dogs should be chasing down and eating whatever scurries by outside in the middle of the night. They have survived for millions of years (like humans) eating other beasts, while the use of agriculture to grow grains as food has only been going on for 10,000 years. Don’t misunderstand, we love farms (especially local, grass fed farms that anyone can find at eatwild.com), but reliance on agriculture and adding unnatural foods to diets has led to an extreme decline in health for both humans and domesticated animals alike. Many of the common foods fed to animals aren’t really edible in their natural state; they have to be processed. It’s better to just give an animal what it’s meant to eat.

This makes Rob excited because he lives his life according to the Primal Blueprint, which at its simplest explanation means eating, moving, and mimicking our Paleolithic ancestors while living in a modern world. By honoring both the past and the present, we can achieve optimal health. Puppies, as it turns out (all animals, really), live mostly primal without even thinking about it. They chase things, sniff, dig, sleep, investigate, sleep some more, kill things, sleep again, walk, trot, run, sleep. They don’t have to be told how to live; they just follow their instinct (which is why play time and a little freedom is just as important as any training…but more on that another time). The only way in which a puppy is not primal is in the food he/she eats. Well, don’t fret; there is a solution.

We feed Miles a food brand called Taste of the Wild for both his wet and dry food. It’s amazing. It hasn’t been chemically balanced for optimum puppy health in some lab or anything…it’s just food that comes from nature, food that he was meant to eat. The main ingredient in Miles’ food is bison, though there are other meat options as well. In fact, the first three ingredients are all meat. Sure, there are few things in there to help form it into a dry food, but nothing that would be unnatural for a dog.

Essentially, what we are after is grain-free, low-ingredient food (we are transitioning the cats to this kind of food, and currently feeding them Iams Naturals until we find something that we and they like). There is plenty of science to back up this feeding philosophy, but it shouldn’t really be necessary. From an evolutionary perspective, and just plain old common sense, feed your animals food made with fewer kinds of food…and check to make sure it’s all food. We got Miles’ food at Sandy’s Pet Food, and he recommending that the first three listed ingredients were all some kind of meat or meat meal…after all, those teeth weren’t meant to tear into a bag of barley. Don’t feed your furry friends anything that is filled with chemicals or food-like ingredients.

Mmmmm....bits of large animals

Miles’ training treats aren’t 100% ideal, but they are more natural than most options for puppies and dogs, and we get real food treats whenever we can. He’ll take his time gnawing on a dried slice of sweet potato, but he much prefers bananas wrapped in chicken and the classic (and perhaps best) doggie treat, marrow bones. Does all this cost a little extra? Yeah, but we have a saying in the primal community: pay the farmer now, or pay the doctor later…his long-term health will lead to long term savings.

How is all this working out? Mile’s has boundless energy when he’s awake, he sleeps twice as long through the night than when he was eating Science Diet, and, because of the omega ratios in the bison meat, his dandruff is gone and his coat is one of the healthiest we’ve seen on a dog. Those are the changes in just one week of being a primal puppy. He’ll just keep on getting healthier. And, of course, he’ll always be a good boy.