By: Jon Frey

Formulating The Natural Food Diet
Now that we know what all this stuff is, we can formulate a simple diet for a dog without concerning ourselves with supplements, preservatives and distribution. We are after all, using natural and very definable ingredients and making one meal rather than hundreds of thousands. We also have a base comparison to work from displayed in the chart below. All we have to do now is understand where we get all these nutrients and put them together to meet the base requirements of the dog. We know that in general terms we will be formulating on the basis of 50% complex carbohydrates, 25% proteins, and 25% beta-carotenes. We will add some fatty acids and some phosphorus to this and we will have our balanced diet. However we will ignore those generalities for the purpose of the formulation, but you will see that those approximations end up being very close to the specific formula.
Age, daily energy use, proper weight, and allergies play a role in the total calorie intake, so we should select ingredients with those factors in mind, just as we would in selecting our own diet (ahem). The chart below has been converted to pounds rather than kilograms since most of us here don’t deal in kilograms. Why we are asked to use that measurement when we measure things (our dogs and ourselves) in terms of pounds, is beyond me. Many of the nutrients are expressed in milligrams, however requirements for larger dogs may roll into grams (1 gram equals 1,000 milligrams), however nutrient databases are expressed in milligrams, grams, IU, and UG. For purposes of general use, we will formulate a balanced meal for mature dogs that have reached their full growth potential (growing puppies require three reformulations during their growth). We will further assume that the dog receives regular exercise on a daily basis and is not under or overweight and is otherwise healthy. We will discuss allergies and obesity later.
The base chart is from the BOA Nutrient Requirements Of Dogs. I have converted kilograms to pounds and then extended the chart for weight classes. I have also grouped the applicable proteins to express protein as the total gram amount, since we are using actual food rather than synthetic supplements for the protein ingredient.

Baseline Maintenance Diet:
For this example, I am using a 75 pound fully grown Labrador we will call Rocco as the prototype, since more folks have 75 pound lab’s than have 150 pound polar bear x pickup trucks like my BerBer. A gross generalization would be to assume that if Rocco has been eating four cups of dry manufactured food, that we could assume four cups of mass when creating his natural food diet. This theory may get pretty close, however natural moist food may actually create more mass in the bowl than dry food, yet not be over feeding.
So we look at our chart of required daily nutrients under 75 pound dogs and we can now start to formulate a meal that will match the requirements. Since we are dealing with real food, we only need to select groups and then the specific foods in each group that will meet or exceed the group nutrient requirements. This is where the USDA Nutritional Database comes in handy for specific analysis of our meal. It allows us to be specific in the ingredient and how it is prepared (cooked or raw…baked or boiled) before analyzing the nutrients it provides.
To determine the needs of weight categories, I have expanded the chart so meals can be formulated to each weight group, Rocco being right in the middle.

Nutrient Unit Adult Maintenancec 20 Lbs 50 Lbs 75 Lbs 100 Lbs
Fat g .45 9 22.5 33.75 45
Linoleic acid mg 90.9 1818 4545 6817.5 9090
Proteind
Arginine mg 9.5 190 475 712.5 950
Histidine mg 10 200 500 750 1000
Isoleucine mg 21.8 436 1090 1635 2180
Leucine mg 38 760 1900 2850 3800
Lysine mg 22.7 454 1135 1702.5 2270
Methionine-cystine mg 13.6 272 680 1020 1360
Phenylalanine-tyrosine mg 39 780 1950 2925 3900
Threonine mg 20 780 1950 2925 3900
Tryptophan mg 6 120 300 450 600
Valine mg 27 540 1350 2025 2700
Dispensable amino acids mg 575 11500 28750 43125 57500
Minerals
Calcium mg 54 1080 2700 4050 5400
Phosphorus mg 40 800 2000 3000 4000
Potassium mg 40 800 2000 3000 4000
Sodium mg 5 100 250 375 500
Chloride mg 8 160 400 600 800
Magnesium mg 4 80 200 300 400
Iron mg .3 6 15 22.5 30
Copper mg .03 0.6 1.5 2.25 3
Manganese mg .0045 0.09 0.225 0.3375 0.45
Zinc mg .33 6.6 16.5 24.75 33
Iodine mg .0054 0.108 0.27 0.405 0.54
Selenium µg 1 20 50 75 100
Vitamins
A IU 34 680 1700 2550 3400
D IU 3.6 72 180 270 360
Ee IU .23 4.6 11.5 17.25 360
Kf
Thiamin µg 9 180 540 675 900
Riboflavin µg 22.7 454 1135 1702.5 2270
Pantothenic acid µg 91 1820 4550 6825 9100
Niacin µg 102.27 2045.4 5113.5 7670.25 10227
Pyridoxine µg 10 200 500 750 1000
Folic acid µg 1.8 36 90 135 180
Biotinf
B12 µg .227 4.54 11.35 17.025 22.7
Choline mg 11.36 227.2 568 852 1136





Basic Maintenance Diet For Rocco
In simple terms of mass our main meal diet below ends up quite close to the 50% carbohydrate, 25% protein, 25% beta-carotenes. The measurements below end up being 8 ounces of chicken breast, 2 cups of cooked rice and one cup of chopped carrots and celery, with a little bread and lettuce thrown in and two tablespoons of Safflower oil sprinkled over. This meal becomes our base diet which approximates the daily nutrient requirements expressed in the BOA’s chart. All ingredients were analyzed after cooking them. Source, USDA Nutrient Database.
The morning meal in this example consists of a boiled egg, an English muffin and a banana, and provides about 300 calories and some important nutrients.
The Morning Meal
Morning Meal
Rqmt 1 Egg 1 Muffin 1 Banana Total
Nutrient Unit 75 Lbs Boiled Toasted Raw
Calorie 1200 77.5 131.5 92.92 301.92
Fat g 33.75 5.3 0.885 0.485 6.67
Linoleic acid mg 6817.5 0.594 1.186 0.009 1.789
Proteind g 60 6.29 4.96 1.04 12.29
Arginine mg 712.5 60 84 47 191
Histidine mg 750 25 48 82 155
Isoleucine mg 1635 58 89 33 180
Leucine mg 2850 91 15.7 72 178.7
Lysine mg 1702.5 77 68 48 193
Methionine-cystine mg 1020 33 39 11 83
Phenylalanine-tyrosine mg 2925 57 107 38 202
Threonine mg 2925 51 69 34 154
Tryptophan mg 450 13 26 12 51
Valine mg 2025 65 100 47 212
Minerals
Calcium mg 4050 25 76.38 6.06 107.44
Phosphorus mg 3000 86 0 20.2 106.2
Potassium mg 3000 63 0 399.96 462.96
Sodium mg 375 62 210 1.01 273.01
Chloride mg 600 0
Magnesium mg 300 5 0 29.29 34.29
Iron mg 22.5 0.599 1.704 0.313 2.616
Copper mg 2.25 0.007 0 0.105 0.112
Manganese mg 0.3375 0.013 0 0.154 0.167
Zinc mg 24.75 0.525 0 0.162 0.687
Selenium µg 75 15.4 0 1.111 16.511
Vitamins
A IU 2550 280 0 89.8 369.8
D IU 270 0 0 0
Ee IU 17.25 0.525 0.994 0.273 1.792
Thiamin µg 675 33 0 45 78
Riboflavin µg 1702.5 257 0 101 358
Pantothenic acid µg 6825 699 0 263 962
Niacin µg 7670.25 32 0 545 577
Folic acid µg 135 22 19.291 41.291
B12 µg 17.025 0.555 0.205 0 0.76

The Main Meal
Morning Main Meal
Total Chick Brst Rice Carrot Celery Lettuce Safflower Total Gross
8 oz Bld 2 C Ckd One Two One Leaf 2 Tbsp
301.92 202.4 410 20.7 13.5 2 240 888.6 1190.52
6.67 8.162 0.666 0.083 0.12 0.033 27 36.064 42.734
1.789 0.009 3 0.237 0.078 0.017 20200 20200 20201.789
12.29 30.129 7 0.501 0.622 0.194 0 38.446 50.736
191 99.6 58.4 21 18 11 208 399
155 51.3 164 8 11 3 237.3 392.3
180 87.2 302 20 19 12 440.2 620.2
178.7 1240 582 21 29 12 1884 2062.7
193 1403 254 20 24 13 1714 1907
83 45.7 164 3 5 2 219.7 302.7
202 65.5 376 16 18 8 483.5 685.5
154 69.8 250 18 18 9 364.8 518.8
51 19.3 428 6 8 1 462.3 513.3
212 81.9 214 21 25 10 351.9 563.9

107.44 14.3 7 14.26 31.5 4.8 71.86 179.3
106.2 171.6 28 13.8 18.75 3.45 235.6 341.8
462.96 195.8 34 104.42 213 38.55 585.77 1048.73
273.01 68.2 17.5 30.36 68.25 0.75 185.06 458.07
0 0 0
34.29 24.2 17.4 5.98 9 1.95 58.53 92.82
2.616 1.012 0.488 0.285 0.315 0.045 2.145 4.761
0.112 0.048 1.5 0.062 0.027 0 1.637 1.749
0.167 0.02 1 0.346 0.08 0.003 1.449 1.616
0.687 1.067 1.4 0.138 0.105 0.026 2.736 3.423
16.511 23.98 19.4 0.36 0.75 0.03 44.52 61.031

369.8 116.6 0 12423 108 159 12806.6 13176.4
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1.792 0.292 1.04 1.93 0.27 0.066 12 15.598 17.39
78 45 70 16 32 9 172 250
358 127 46 26 35 9 243 601
962 602 74 14 14.6 27 731.6 1693.6
577 8588 1100 23.3 23.9 45 9780.2 10357.2
41.291 3.3 3.4 6.394 16.5 10.9 40.494 81.785
0.76 0.231 0 0 0 0 0.231 0.991


Growing Pups and Seniors:
During the growth period puppies require about 2 times the nutrients up to 40% of their full weight potential and about 1.6 times the nutrients up to 80% of their full weight potential. Because this is such an important period, I suggest waiting to start the natural food program until about one year old, and feeding one of the three top tier manufactured puppy formulations until then.
Senior dogs are more sedentary and require less protein and more beta-carotenes. Reduce the proteins by 25% and increase the beta-carotenes by 25% and feed very little red meat protein.

Allergies
Almost fifty-percent of my client dogs have some food allergies when I start with them. There are two methods to determine specific food allergies. One method is to have the dog tested by your veterinarian for each food which can be quite expensive, but it will tell you not only the specific food, but will also rank it as high, medium and low. A common practice by DVM’s is what is called the “Elimination Diet.” The diet will be a DVM diet consisting of foods that the dog would not likely get in the food he has been eating, as an instance, venison as the protein. They eliminate a food group from the diet until the dog doesn’t show a reaction, which isolates the culprit. This takes some time to complete and keep in mind that the diet will be deficient in some nutrients during that period. Feeding a natural food diet, we can very easily replace known allergenic foods with alternative foods providing the same nutrients.
I’ve found that most of the food related allergies weren’t from a food type at all, but the food source itself and the other supplements incorporated into the food. Dye is used to color the food to make it more attractive and many dogs have allergic reactions to the dye.

Obese Dogs
Obviously, sedentary dogs which also eat a great deal are going to get obese. The dog is taking in more energy than he is expending. Over feeding even active dogs can cause obesity, particularly if we are feeding high saturated fat and high protein diets. Taking weight off of a dog can be a difficult task, and should be accomplished slowly. During a winter when ice storms prevailed, BerBer’s activity level was far less than previous winters and he blew to 158 pounds, ten pounds over his optimum weight. On March 1st I reduced his calories (protein and carbohydrates) by 25%. By May I had reduced them by 50%, and increased his daily exercise. By June 15th, he was back to 148 pounds. He was getting all the required nutrients, just less fat. Manufactured low fat diets use corn and fiber because the dog does not utilize either, thus they are simply passing much of it through. Select ingredients that are very low fat, so that the mass doesn’t need to be reduced too much. Increase the formal exercise levels daily to assure the dog is using more energy than he is taking in and he will drop the weight.

Foods Not To Feed
Chocolate: Everyone understands not to feed dogs chocolate, however it is actually the cocoa bean that is toxic to dogs and in sufficient amounts can be fatal. Since white chocolate is not made from the cocoa bean it is not toxic to dogs, however why feed any high sugar content food to dogs anyway?
Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, both methylxanthines that can cause stimulation of the central nervous system, an increase in heart rate and tremors. Clinical signs--vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, hyperactivity, and increased thirst, urination and heart rate--can be seen with the ingestion of as little as 1/4 ounce of baking chocolate by a 10-pound dog. Although chocolate toxicosis is more common in dogs, who have been known to eat candy and trays of brownies and fudge accidentally left out, it is a potential problem with any species. Take care this holiday season to keep all candy out of your pets' reach--and don't let them in the kitchen unsupervised when you're baking. If you suspect your pet has eaten chocolate, call your veterinarian or the APCC's emergency hotline--1-888-4-ANI-HELP--for round-the-clock telephone assistance. For more information on poison prevention, visit the APCC online

Onions: A very important food not to feed is onions. What exactly does happen when onions are consumed? Simply put, onions cause red blood cells to become unable to function properly, then causing them to rupture.
What clinical signs will occur with onion toxicosis? The signs that you see will depend on the amount of onions consumed, the length of time they have been fed, and the size of the animal. Gums (mucous membranes) may appear pale if there is moderate or severe anemia/ If lots of RBCs have ruptured, there may be hemoglobin in the urine, causing it to appear reddish or brown, or the tissues may become jaundiced. Weakness, depression, rapid heart rate and rapid respiratory rate may be observed as a result of there not being enough oxygen reaching the tissues (hypoxia). Vomiting, decreased appetite and diarrhea may also occur. Visually, the dog may appear panicked and appear to be having a hard time breathing and be salivating heavily. It is obviously cause to get the dog to your vet on an emergency basis.

Grapes and Raisins: While there is no clinical research as to why, dogs have died from ingesting large amounts of grapes and raisins.

Overfeeding Salt: Sodium dehydrates the system causing the blood to thin, subsequently causing the dog to take in large amounts of water, which in turn causes the heart to work harder.

Bones that can splinter: Any bone that can splinter will splinter, and sooner or later will end up stuck in the esophagus, stomach, or intestine. They may also cut small blood vessels in the dogs anus. Obvious bones are chicken and fish, however any rib bone will splinter also. The best bone for teeth cleaning and marrow is the chuck arm roast bone.

Whole Corn: Dogs do not digest whole corn, thus get no nutrients from it. Corn will simply pass through whole.

Canned foods: Canned foods are generally very sodium heavy and preserved.

Bottled salad dressing.

Supplements:
In our health conscious world of worrying about health, but eating unhealthy foods, people have turned to the dietary supplement industry to make up what they aren’t getting in their food. Feeding a dog a natural food balanced diet provides all the necessary nutrient requirements and overfeeding some nutrients with supplements can be as harmful as a deficiency of the nutrient. Supplements can also cause an imbalance of nutrients negating other nutrients altogether.

Recommended Supplements:
As dogs grow older they are more susceptible to joint problems and arthritis. Some breeds, particularly the massive breeds simply because of their mass are more so than smaller breeds. While not regulated by the FDA, there has been considerable research conducted on three supplements to safely feed them and expect positive results both in humans and dogs. All are over-the-counter and may be found in drug stores.
Glucosamine Chondroiton Complex
Has been shown to stimulate production of cartilage destroying enzymes and fight inflammation . It has been effective in reducing pain from arthritis and hip and joint problems. Frequency and amounts should be limited to the manufacturers recommendations. Glucosamine is derived from sea shells and Chondroiten from cow cartilage.
Beta Carotene
Beta carotene fights cancer causing free radicals and as the dog matures, I feel it is a good idea to supplement as a preventative measure.

Excess Supplement Results
I discussed effects of deficiencies earlier, and here are the effects of (known) excesses.
Vitamin A: Bone malformation, Anorexia
Vitamin D: Imbalance can prevent storage of vitamin A. Calcification of soft tissues.
Calcium: Excesses can cause bone deformities.
Sodium: Causes blood to thin…heart to work harder.
Magnesium: Diarrhea
Iron: Weight loss.
Copper Anemia
Zinc: Diarrhea
Selenium: Toxic