Food is the fundamental purpose of life.
If that statement seems a bit extreme, think about it. Without food we perish, and most of us spend a great deal of our thought and time and money acquiring it. Whatever else we may do with passion and determination, the need and desire to eat drives our days.
This goes for all living creatures, including and maybe especially canines. Our dogs, too, must eat to live and they are hard-wired to seek out, devour, and focus on food. As their guardians, we are responsible for addressing their primal appetites as well as our own. If only this were a simpler task!
Well, we hope this issue of Bay Woof answers a few nagging questions and motivates you to establish a simple and healthy meal plan for your pooch. One feature story, by Oakland veterinarian extraordinaire Gary Richter, takes a look at the wide array of dietary options for dogs. His detailed discussion of pros and cons can help you grapple with the choices and select a food format that best suits your situation.
One San Francisco dog dad who has embraced his responsibility for proper care and feeding is Ian Murphy. His quest to find the best diet for his canine kid ended when he developed a simple freeze-dried approach. It provides excellent nutrition for Phoenix without straining his budget, his schedule, or the capacity of his apartment refrigerator. Check out the details here, and you may be inspired to follow his lead.
Various challenges can confront us on the road to proper feeding – like uncooperative doggies. Peggy Greenfield discusses the issue of the picky canine. Her list of possible reasons why your pup isn’t interested in meals includes too much treating and too little exercise. Thankfully, she provides solid advice which can help solve this vexing and far-too-common problem.
Rounding out our focus on food this month are a list of ingredients to avoid in commercial pet foods and an update on the FDA’s investigation into tainted jerky treats, which are suspected of contributing to the deaths of a thousand or more dogs over the past seven years. The bottom line: the testing continues but still no final determination has been made and no recalls have ensued. As you might expect, a lot of folks are not happy about the FDA’s progress.
Another ongoing issue that should be front and center for Bay Woof readers is the threat of losing canine access to lands within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Sally Stephens, chair of the San Francisco Dog Owners Group and long-time activist on local dog issues, brings us up to date. Her report is an urgent call to action. Please take this threat seriously and sign a petition calling for a more fair and reasonable GGNRA plan than the one currently proposed, which would severely limit access at Ocean Beach, Fort Funston, and many other beloved locales. Failing to stop the restrictions now could mean zero to limited access forever. Go to saveourrecreation.com and make your voice heard.
Appearing elsewhere in these pages: Dr. Frank Utchen’s wisdom on canine bronchitis, Vicki Ronchette’s approach to instilling greater body awareness in dogs, and Kelly Gorman Dunbar’s ponderings on the less-than-positive outlook she observes in a lot of dog people.
The reward for feeding ourselves and our dogs well is good health. Vibrant energy, looking and feeling great, and freedom from disease are the awesome rewards for our efforts. Next month, in our annual issue dedicated to Canine Health and Medicine, we look deeply into such matters.
Until then, feed yourself and your animal companions well.
– Mindy Toomay, Editor
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