You are What you Eat…and this Applies to Dogs too!
The expression comes from the ancient medic, Hippocrates, who famously postulated in 600 BC that: “food should be your medicine and medicine should be your food.”
Achieving Optimum Dog Health
I was lucky to have grown up in the 1970’s feeding our family dogs, as learnt ’back in the day’, on meats, especially lamb’s hearts, leftovers, veggies, and raw bones from the butcher.
When I brought Molly, my first Miniature Bull Terrier home in 2002, I was confused when, at our first vet appointment, we were gifted a bag of kibble – apparently the new way of feeding dogs for maximum health. On the way home I quickly reflected on this and as we lived near an excellent butcher’s shop, I thought I didn’t need this bag, especially as Molly’s breeder had recommended that I fed her on raw green tripe!
My passion to feed Molly for optimum health inspired my study on canine (and feline) nutrition at the College of Integrated Veterinary Therapies.
Nutritional Science
The field of nutrition changes almost daily with science increasingly confirming the health value of fresh and functional whole foods on a human level, but this is the same for dogs.
These foods should be ‘bio-available’, meaning the type of food that can be digested, broken down and absorbed seamlessly into the bloodstream from the small intestine, before being circulated to every cell in the body and fuelling them with ‘micro-nutrients’ and energy.
Thinking of food as impacting positively on cellular expression isn’t new, but what is new is realising that many overly processed options can be classed as an ‘environmental stressor’; sometimes referred to as an ‘anti-nutrient’, which has been defined as: “a toxic contagion in your surroundings that accumulates over time to impact negatively on health and mental wellbeing.”
Food as a Pillar of Health
Appreciating the role of food as a ‘pillar of health’, the new science of Epigenetics investigates the interplay between our environment, not least nutrition, that either impacts positively or negatively to genetic expression.
Determining whether nutrition promotes health or creates disease, each of our trillions of cells is surrounded by a semi-permeable structure called the Epigenome. This is responsible for selecting and transferring nutrients like metabolites into the Genome – this is where DNA is stored in almost every cell.
Ideally only ‘good’, appropriate nutrients should be allowed into the genome; but inevitably in our modern environments, many contaminants like sugars, antibiotics, and chemicals will also enter through its semi-permeable structure and over time, potentially contribute to distorting genetic expression, promoting inflammation and disease.
The Transformative Power of Food
Dogs can’t choose and buy the food they eat; they are dependant on their pet parents to do that for them. Having advised on many dog nutritional consults, I’ve seen how dogs have been transformed by a switch from ultra-processed food to either a raw or cooked balanced and complete species appropriate alternative.
This is in both healthy dogs and those suffering from a condition; be it kidney issues, diabetes, liver problems or pancreatitis, where tailored, natural diets support an integrated wellness strategy.
There is research that proves that puppies weaned to a raw, balanced and complete diet have a greater diversity and a higher proliferation of the good ‘Bifidobacterium’ in their microbiomes, compared to puppies weaned onto an ultra-processed, sterile kibble option.
Adding Superfoods to Your Dog’s Diet
If we really are what we eat, simply being aware of some simple superfoods to add to any diet, like the age-old remedy bone broth, could enhance a meal’s functional nutritional element, arguably most notably when added to ultra-processed choices. This broth is packed with functional nutrients, including an abundance of proteins, especially collagen, glucosamine, chondroitin, electrolytes and sodium.
Science has investigated its impact on the microbiome (where the immune system resides); the results suggest that bone broth not only strengthens the gut lining, but promotes ‘good’ bacteria whilst reducing ‘bad’ bacteria in the microbiome, and increases the diversity of bacteria species.
It’s as if bone broth naturally creates balance or homeostasis, which is a key element in maintaining optimum health.
It suggests that perhaps we really are ‘what we eat’.
About the Author – Anna Webb
As a Canine Nutrition and Behaviour expert, Anna combines her psychology degree, with study at the College of Integrated Veterinary Therapies (CIVT) and over 20 years of experience. Host of the award-nominated A DOG’S LIFE podcast, she lives in London and is owned by Prudence, a Miniature Bull Terrier and Mr. Binks, a re-homed English Toy Terrier. www.annawebb.co.uk
Pet Abduction Act
The nation rejoices the very welcome news, that finally, Government has passed Legislation to make pet abduction a criminal offence.
Under the new Pet Abduction Act 2024 – which was a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Anna Firth MP and Lord Black of Brentwood and supported by the Government – anyone found guilty of stealing a pet in England or Northern Ireland will face up to five years in prison, a fine, or both.
Recognition of Sentient Beings
In my podcast, I’ve chatted with SAMPA (The Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance) several times, not least with Sir Duncan Smith and Dr Daniel Allen.
The new law, whilst brilliant news, has been campaigned for years and falling on deaf ears for decades, so it’s testament to the hard work of the Pet Theft Taskforce for not giving up!
The new law recognises that cats and dogs are not inanimate objects, but sentient beings capable of experiencing distress and other emotional trauma when they are stolen from their owners or keepers.
Pandemic Pet Thefts
Evidence from the Pet Theft Taskforce suggests around 2,000 dog and over 400 cat theft crimes were reported to police in 2020, causing considerable distress for owners and their pets alike.
It was late last summer, still in the wake of Government shelving of what was called the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, when I chatted to Dr Daniel Allen, Animal Geographer at Keele University and champion of Pet Theft Reform/Taskforce.
Dr Dan, along with SAMPA and Vets Get Scanning, continued to lobby Government for a separate law with appropriate penalties for stealing all pets as the victims of organised crime for decades.
Brought to a head in the pandemic when the demand for puppies outstretched supply, along with prices for puppies soaring to ridiculous levels, canny criminal activity reached preposterous levels with scamming, stealing dogs in daylight, breaking into private gardens and more.
A Leap Forwards for Animal Welfare
As a crime defined under the antiquated Theft Act 1968, dogs were classed in law as chattel. This meant that stealing dogs was a low-risk, high-gain business for criminals. The penalty was the same for stealing a laptop, a phone or a car.
During the pandemic there was much talk of creating a specific law that factored in the enormous emotional attachment between dogs and their owners and the trauma to individuals suffering from this ‘abduction’.
Just nine months after the airing of my podcast with Dr Dan Allen, it is in part due to his persistence to see justice for our pets as family members, that this new legislation has been passed.
The Pet Abduction Act 2024 is arguably the biggest step forwards in animal welfare since the Animal Welfare Act was introduced in 2006.
About the Author – Anna Webb
As a Canine Nutrition and Behaviour expert, Anna combines her psychology degree, with study at the College of Integrated Veterinary Therapies (CIVT) and over 20 years of experience. Host of the award-nominated A DOG’S LIFE podcast, she lives in London and is owned by Prudence, a Miniature Bull Terrier and Mr. Binks, a re-homed English Toy Terrier. www.annawebb.co.uk
World Rabies Day
Shockingly, Rabies is currently responsible for an estimated 59,000 agonising human deaths per year, of which 40% are children – mainly those living in poor rural communities in Africa and Asia that are farthest from medical and veterinary services.
Supporting World Rabies Day
In up to 99% of human rabies cases, dogs are responsible for the virus transmission. Thousands of dogs (and other animals) suffer and die due to both the disease and the indiscriminate culling prompted by fear of the disease.
This is why Wild at Heart Foundation supports World Rabies Day, which is an awareness and fundraising initiative to help prevent human deaths from dog-mediated rabies, whilst relieving the burden of rabies in other animal populations, especially in dogs.
The Elimination of Rabies
The global aim is to eliminate human deaths from dog rabies by 2030, by working with governments, veterinary, public health and educational experts; and communities to facilitate policy change and build capacity to eliminate rabies in areas hardest hit by the disease.
In the hope that with sustained vaccination over multiple years, the disease can be eliminated, Wild at Heart Foundation is continually raising funds to work with its global animal welfare partners.
Helping fund and facilitate sterilisation and vaccination programs to immunise dogs and protect their communities from the threat of rabies whilst educating local populations is the multi-layered approach that can succeed.
A Vaccine-Preventable Disease
Nevertheless, Rabies remains a killer disease to all mammals. It is Zoonotic (spread between animals, and from animals to humans), as a viral disease that attacks the central nervous system. Once clinical symptoms appear, including a fever, hydrophobia or fear of water and a fear of fresh air and drafts, rabies is virtually 100% fatal.
Yet Rabies is vaccine-preventable. With prompt post-rabies exposure, the administration of prophylaxis (PEP) can prevent the virus from reaching the central nervous system. PEP consists of thorough wound washing, administration of a course of human rabies vaccine and, when indicated, rabies immunoglobulins (RIG).
In richer countries like Canada and America where wildlife including wolves, bears, racoons, bats and skunks have been a ‘Rabies’ threat to pet dogs and cats, a mandatory rabies vaccination is required no later than eight months of age. The duration of immunity will vary according to the vaccine brand ranging from a year to five years.
Keeping the British Isles Rabies Free
In the UK we’re lucky in that ‘the British Isles’ is a Rabies free zone. The last outbreak was recorded in 1902. Any animal cases since then have been from dogs or cats having contracted the disease abroad and have shown symptoms.
When the Pet Passport Scheme was introduced back in 2000, it truly was a landmark moment not just for dog ownership, but it opened up a travel market for pets, especially dogs. Prior to this, it was impossible to holiday in mainland Europe with your dog unless, on your return, you were prepared to leave your dog in quarantine for six months.
The mandatory requirements of the PETS Passport were being microchipped, the Rabies vaccine, and a wormer to be given no less than 48 hours before returning to the UK. Before 2012, serological immunity to the Rabies vaccine was confirmed with a blood test, and owners had to wait six months before travelling. This provided a six-month ‘quarantine’ period, ensuring the dog was immune to Rabies. Back then Vets recommended that puppies were at least six months old to receive a Rabies vaccine. So, the process needed planning in advance, and prevented puppies from being brought into UK ‘under-age’.
In 2012 the rules were made more flexible, reducing the waiting / quarantine period to three weeks, and the age for a puppy to receive a Rabies vaccine to 12 weeks. Making travelling with your dog or cat to mainland Europe even more accessible. This opened up a new market known as #DogFriendly, which encouraged pet owners to be more adventurous as thousands of pets would travel under the PETS Scheme.
However, after Brexit in January 2020, the Pet Passport Scheme was dissolved, and replaced by The Animal Health Certificate (AHC). Similar to the original PETS passport, the dog must be microchipped, and have proof of a current ‘Rabies’ inoculation. The new certificate scheme similarly is allowed from 12 weeks, and travel is permitted after a 21 day ‘incubation’ period after the first rabies shot.
About the Author – Anna Webb
As a Canine Nutrition and Behaviour expert, Anna combines her psychology degree, with study at the College of Integrated Veterinary Therapies (CIVT) and over 20 years of experience. Host of the award-nominated A DOG’S LIFE podcast, she lives in London and is owned by Prudence, a Miniature Bull Terrier and Mr. Binks, a re-homed English Toy Terrier. www.annawebb.co.uk