Introduction
All the discussion and controversy
centring on what is the most appropriate diet to feed your dog should make one
appreciate how adaptable and diverse a dog's nutrient requirements are. To
understand this let us follow the dietary evolution of the dog for over the
fourteen or more thousands of years that they have associated with humans,
"a relationship for mutual benefit". We found a loyal and eager
companion and worker; they found a welcome and safe home where survival did not
depend on hunting. Prior to this the dog (aka wolf) feasted and flourished when
prey was abundant; starved, and suffered from diseases and parasites when it was
not. Only the strongest and the most adaptable survived. The first processing
of food occurred when ancient man discovered fire; this process may have
introduced a host of potentially nutritious vegetables and roots which were not
well digested in the raw state. Thus man and his dog evolved from a hunter and
gather to an agrarian life style, domesticating animals and growing crops. Highly
processed and dissected and reconstituted (convenience) foods have only been
part of our diet and that of our pets for a little over 200 years. Less than one percent of the time, that dogs
have been associated with man.
