To kick off the What are You Feeding Your Wolf series, this post paves the way for upcoming posts in this series by highlighting the genetic similarity between the gray wolf and all domesticated dogs, and the bearing this fact has on the types of foods we should feed our dogs.
In 1993, the domestic dog, our beloved and faithful companion was re-classified from Canus familiaris to Canus lupus familiaris, a subspecies of the gray wolf. Through the Dog Genome Project it was learned that dogs and gray wolves are so closely related, that genetically they vary at the most by just 0.2%. Because of their genetic closeness, dogs and gray wolves can mate and produce offspring, but wolves and coyotes (not as closely related genetically), cannot.
“…extensive genetic analyses of the dog and other wolf-like canids clearly show that the dog is derived from gray wolves.” The Canine Genome – Elaine A. Ostrander and Robert K. Wayne
“Dogs are gray wolves, despite their diversity in size and proportion” (Wayne, 1993).
So, dogs are wolves, wolves are carnivores, therefore dogs are carnivores.
What is a carnivore?
Carnivore – any animal with a diet consisting wholly or mainly of animal matter, whether it comes from animals living (predation) or dead (scavenging).
Some Characteristics of Canine Carnivores
- Canine carnivores have sharp teeth designed for cutting, ripping and tearing meat, with molars designed to break and crush bone – not kibble!
- A canine carnivore’s jaws can only move straight up and down, and are designed to open widely enabling them to swallow large pieces of flesh. The jaws of a herbivore move side to side, working in concert with their strong flat molars, grinding and breaking down the grasses they eat.
- Canine carnivores have short digestive systems (26-80 cm), with very strong digestive enzymes for digesting meat protein. In contrast, herbivores have long complex digestive systems, which may include multiple stomachs designed to ferment and process vegetation.
Now that we’ve determined that a dog is a wolf, that both are carnivores and carnivores eat meat – a protein , in tomorrow’s post we’ll take a look at commercial pet “food” and how it is anything but natural, wholesome or healthy for your dog.
Leave a comment below and share your raw feeding experiences with others. Or, post a link to a good website that talks about raw feeding? Let’s help others learn how to feed their pets a healthy raw meaty bones diet.
DID YOU KNOW? - Paul McCartney and Alicia Sivlerstone feed their carnivores a vegetarian and vegan diet respectively. Does that make sense to you?
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