By Sarah Hoggan, from the October 1999 Newsletter

"Emaciated" was too mild a word to describe the condition of the young terrier mix. This sad animal had no known medical history other than obvious hardship. Her pathetic body condition was not the only testimony to her previous existence, a wide scar encircled her muzzle indicating at some point her mouth had been bound shut; whether by accident or intention was immaterial, the end result was the same. A dog that should ideally weigh forty-five pounds tipped the scales at only thirteen, and as WSU veterinary students it was our charge to help get her back to a healthy weight.

Feeding her a high quality, well-balanced dog food was the first step toward her recovery. That meant a dog food that contained protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, of sufficient quantity and quality, to meet her metabolic needs.

Federal law requires that a dog food be labeled as either nutritionally complete or "complementary". Complementary labeled food must be fed in association with additional food, or nutritional supplements, to make a ration that would meet a dog's total nutritional needs. A "nutritionally complete" dog food requires no supplementation; it is a complete and balanced ration.

Comparing nutritionally complete dog foods, national brands sold by many local veterinary clinics, and Natural Life Dog Food sold at the Moscow Food Co-op, revealed their nutritional values were comparable. The guaranteed analysis is the guaranteed percentage of a particular nutrient in the food. National brands and Natural Life showed their percentages of protein and moisture are identical and the percentages of fat and fiber differed by only 3 percent and 0.5 percent respectively. Consequently, Natural Life Dog Food would have been an acceptable diet option for treating this dog.

Simply feeding her dog food felt insufficient though, given the degree of her starvation. Americans are of the mind set that if some is good, more has got to be better. Not so in many nutrition cases, according to the literature.

Surprisingly, veterinary texts indicated the key was to simply feed her more dog food, not additional nutrients. Despite her starvation, she was an otherwise healthy dog. Consequently, supplementation of nutrients above and beyond what her food already contained could actually be harmful, not helpful. Excessive vitamin D could lead to calcium deposits in her kidneys and excessive carbohydrate could cause digestive problems such as lactose intolerance. Lactose is the carbohydrate naturally found in milk and milk products. Best intentions aside, this pup received nothing but dog food and clean water.

Within a week, her pelvic bones began to disappear under a layer of new muscle. After two weeks, her ribs began to melt into a smooth side. After a month, the fur that had been shaved for a spay operation began to grow, diminishing her look of a patchwork quilt. An animal that once bit the bars of her cage trying to get the food faster than it could be set down, now left a portion uneaten. Her muzzle scar was all that remained as evidence to her former mistreatment: a thick white line sewn down a dark face. It was akin to her life experiences–the sharp contrast between human cruelty and human kindness.

Copyright: Copyright on articles and recipes are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective authors, except where otherwise noted.

For additions or corrections to this page, please contact the Webmaster.