Canine digestive tract sensitivity

Factual Questions
1

Are dogs truly have sensitive digestive tracts or do we make them that way?

This question has been bothering me for some time. In the past decade, I’ve seen a much greater emphasis placed on this issue by vets. You mention to a vet that you switched your dog’s food brand without gradually mixing the old one out and then get a speech on how it isn’t good for your dog, that their stomachs are very sensitive to changes, etc.

The reason I question this is that from personal experience, I have had very different results. I’ve had four dogs till now and all have been fed with variety. Let me explain further. Their staple diet is high quality kibble but was not always necessarily the same brand or flavor and sometimes it was a mix of different kibbles. I also give them my table scraps (I have a small appetite and rarely finish my plate), by this I mean a few bites of meat, veggies, cheese, etc… Very rarely junkie food, they have had a cookie (without chocolate of course) or a chip now and then, but very little and very rarely.

All four our my dogs were/are in perfect health and suffered no digestive problems whatsover. None of them has ever been overweight either.

So I really question this digestive sensitivity in dogs. My theory is that if you feed a dog the same thing every day for a long period of time, it will react to a different food because it hasn’t been used to digesting anything else, basically that we ourselves are creating this sensitivity. Domesticated dogs have been around for thousands of years and certainly weren’t fed the same identical meal daily. Dog food hasn’t been around for that long or at least commonly used for that long until I presume a few decades ago. So one can’t argue that dogs have evolved to be so sensitive in such a short period of time.

So why this insistence on feeding dogs the same brand of kibble and being so careful about switching by vets? Some can get quite animated about the subject! Am I the only one wondering: what’s the big deal about that if the dog is in great health, has regular vet care and is not suffering any digestive problems?

Personal and professional opinions are welcome. Thank you

MC

2

I would just like to add that I am in no way trying to say that the way I choose to feed my dogs is better than what vets recommend.

MC

3

I don’t have experience with dogs, but my cat has the same issue you describe. I feed her the exact same brandt always. If I try to feed her anything else I can count on finding puke in the morning. I agree that ithis sensitivity is probably caused by the domestication process and feeding them the same thing all the time. You can probably get a dog used to eating just about anything.

I think what you’re missing is the affect on your dogs lifespan. Sure wild dogs eat whatever they can find, but whats the lifespan of your average wild dog. I can’t imagine it would be longer than 5-8 years. By consistently feeding your dog the same food it will be happier. I’m sure they don’t enjoy indigestion, as much as they might enjoy table scraps and potato chips. In addition once my cat figured out that people food are offlimits she hasn’t begged for food. I guess I just don’t understand what the downside is of not following your vets advice? you can save an extra couple dollars on a 30 pound bag of food? You feel like you’re giving them a treat with people food? Personally i’d stick with the dry food, and buy real dog treats if you feel the need to spoil.

4

I’m not saying that vets are bought by the Waltham corporation, but there sure are som tinfoil people with dogs who do claim that.

Dogs are scavengers. They’ll eat poop and wont be bothered if you drop atreat on the ground and they get some gravel to spice it up. It’s purely anecdotal, but I’d say that dogs don’t have sensitive stomachs. Things pass faster through them though, and I believe the acid is stronger, to break down food faster.

I feed my dog raw chicken and it’s not like there are pieces of bone in the little presents he make for me to pick up.