Nuggets

Part Three: The Ingredient Hierarchy and the ‘Mixing Bowl’ Principle We all want the best for our dogs, and part of that means knowing what they’re eating, understanding what ingredients are in their food. To that end, we need to [...]

Safety net Even as I consider taking the leap to a fully home-cooked diet for my dogs, a backup bag of commercial dog food lurks in the cupboard. It creates a sort of safety net: a feeling of security rooted [...]

Part Two: The language of flavour We all want the best for our dogs, and that means knowing what they’re eating, understanding the ingredients in their food. To that end, it's wise to learn what marketing tactics are permitted – [...]

The language of labelling Part One We all want the best for our dogs, and part of that means knowing what they’re eating, understanding the ingredients in their food and how they're prepared. And, perhaps just as importantly, being aware [...]

Blending flours: how it works Combining to create better functional treats In my search for the holy grail of training treats, I’ve tried many different flavours, even different shapes. Always with the same underlying aim: to achieve a palatable,  functional [...]

Friendly foods Some nutrients perform better with the right partners. Choosing when they meet can enhance nutritional value. Nutrition centres on the question of food compared with nutrients. Generally, a healthy diet is one that provides the right nutrients, in [...]

AGEs: a very apposite acronym If the UPF conversation is about the degree of processing, then the AGE conversation is about its biochemical cost. AGEs, a type of gerontotoxin (from the Greek geros, meaning “old age”), are recognised as significant [...]

Digestibility or bioavailability? Digestibility is the body’s ability to break food down into smaller molecules whereas bioavailability is the fraction of those molecules that are absorbed and utilised by the body. In other words, digestibility indicates the quantity of material [...]

Seed potential: unlocked Seeds are frequently recommended for their health benefits in human nutrition - and they have a role in canine nutrition too. But whole seeds mixed in toppings or sprinkled over our dog’s food (or even our own) [...]

Ultra Processed Foods We have known for some time that UPFs are bad for our health[1]. The Lancet has now published a major series of 104 studies examining the effects of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) on human health. Taken together, these [...]

Antibiotics and gut health Recent veterinary studies have found that even short courses of antibiotics can have a lasting disruptive effect on the balance of the gut microbiome. Antibiotics save lives: no responsible dog owner would question their importance when [...]

The blood-brain barrier The gut-brain axis is a bidirectional communication system that profoundly influences overall health. A critical component of this axis is the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the integrity of which determines neurological health and cognitive function in dogs, affecting [...]

Chicken livers  Chicken liver has been valued for centuries as a highly nutritious food and is still considered a delicacy in some cultures. In canine nutrition,  liver remains one of the most nutrient-dense animal ingredients, providing concentrated amounts of protein, [...]

Nutrient Synergies and Antagonisms When a meal is greater than a sum of its parts As I've been studying nutrition and creating my own recipes, I've become increasingly interested in the concept of food synergy. Understanding how nutrients work together [...]

The Nose has it Gaining the edge: nutrition to sharpen sense of smell? Those who work with their dogs already appreciate their extraordinary power of smell: it’s a foundational pillar of their partnership. The ultimate tool of the quietly confident [...]

What are osmolytes? Osmolytes are small organic molecules that help a dog's body manage water at a cellular level, especially under stress. The primary role of osmolytes, or chemical chaperones, is to help stabilize proteins and enzymes. When a dog's cells [...]

The Canine Athlete: Nutrition Mindset Using food to fuel stamina, resilience and performance We don’t always think of our dogs as athletes. Yet many of them are. In all shapes and sizes, be they gundogs traversing different terrains, sheepdogs following [...]

Chattering bacteria: quorum sensing The more I study nutrition and gut health, the more I marvel at how cleverly we are designed, and how much we depend on the living world within us – or should I say the world [...]

The Canine Gut-Brain Axis and why nutrition helps. The canine gut-brain axis is a complex communication network that connects the digestive system to the brain and influences most aspects of health and wellbeing. Essentially, this axis is an intricate bi-directional [...]

What’s in a Mushroom? The lesser-known compounds (and their effects) Many cultures, from traditional Chinese medicine to Japanese culinary heritage, have long recognised mushrooms for their medicinal qualities -  modern science is now revealing why those traditions were so effective. [...]

“The owner of a sporting dog should realize that proper nutrition is one of the most important factors influencing a dog's athletic performance.” Dog owners feed treats for different reasons. A 2023 study of treat motivations and behaviours[1] found that [...]

The puppy gut microbiome When we bring a new puppy home, our aim is to help them become confident, happy dogs. But there’s a hidden community inside every puppy that quietly shapes how they feel and learn to cope with [...]

Grooming Although my focus is primarily on diet and nutrition, grooming is also important in canine wellness - so consider this a bit of a sidebar! The wire-haired coat Wire-haired dogs essentially have a double coat, consisting of a soft [...]

The gut microbiome Understanding and supporting the gut microbiome isn’t a fringe interest: it’s fast becoming a core part of modern canine care.   Once regarded as the body’s digestive assistant, the gut microbiome is now recognised as one of [...]

The shifting nutrition landscape Have you been bitten by the nutrition bug? There’s a good chance that you have, to one degree or another. After all, nutrition is a hot topic: the whole nutrition landscape is changing and as we [...]

Joint health is critical for maintaining mobility, comfort, and quality of life in our dogs. That’s not limited to ageing dogs with conditions like osteoarthritis (OA). Liigament injuries, joint instability, cartilage issues and inflammation can also impact younger and otherwise [...]

Food and mood We know that diet affects mood and behaviour in humans and animals – and it may reduce unwanted behaviour in dogs. Foods demonstrated to influence behaviour include beet pulp as a source of fibre, or salmon oil [...]

Carbs in the canine diet Why am I looking at carbs for dogs? Dogs don’t have a biological requirement for carbohydrates in the way they do for protein and fats. However, carbohydrates offer a supply of glucose, which dogs do [...]

The importance of hydration "Water is the driving force of all nature." Leonardo Da Vinci   Hydration is a critical aspect of canine health, particularly for active and working dogs with high physical demands. Many existing studies have shown the [...]

Functional Foods In my “Functional Foods” post, I promised a list of studies showing how food has been used to a dog health. Studies I will keep updating this list as I discover more studies or as new studies emerge. [...]

What is functional food? For hundreds of years, herbs have been used as a medicinal remedy. Many of our medicines today originate from natural remedies, with the best-known example probably being aspirin, derived from the white willow tree[1]. Functional food [...]

Lutein for eyes and brains Lutein is thought of as the eye vitamin. And the brain vitamin. It is a xanthophyll carotenoid, renowned for its role in eye health, especially in filtering blue light and supporting macular pigment. Lutein is [...]

Yeast: nutritional or brewer's? Nutritional yeast (alongside brewer's yeast) is sometimes touted as a natural flea repellent for dogs. This is due to its high content of B vitamins, particularly thiamine (B1). The theory behind this claim is that when [...]

In a healthy body, free radicals and antioxidants are in balance. Free radicals are unstable molecules containing oxygen and an odd number of electrons. They "steal" electrons in a process known as oxidation, which is a normal process in [...]

Cheesecloth Cheesecloth is a versatile and durable tool in the kitchen. This simple fabric, made from loosely woven cotton, comes in various grades, from open weave (lower grade) to fine weave (higher grade). Your purpose will determine which is best [...]

Collagen In recent years, the role of collagen has garnered increasing attention due to its potential health benefits. Whilst much of the research on collagen has focused on human health, there is growing evidence suggesting similar benefits for our canine [...]

Although the FEDIAF[1] doesn’t (yet) recognise fibre as an essential nutrient for dogs, studies have shown that the use of fibre in the canine diet can provide benefits[2]. Dietary fibre has been established as nutritionally important in humans and is [...]

Mucilage: what is it? Working on the Doggy Delly sprouting experiments soon made it evident that chia seeds can’t be sprouted in water in the same way as legumes, for example. This is because of the gelatinous layer created when [...]

Sprouting: what is it? “Sprouts” (Regulation (EC) No 208/2013) are “the product obtained from the germination of seeds and their development in water or another medium, harvested before the development of true leaves and which is intended to be eaten [...]

Sous vide cooking method In our growing awareness of healthy food and the desire for functional food, we’ve learned how cooking processes cause changes in the chemical composition of food and how they can adversely affect its physical structures. Studies [...]