Short Guide to Healthy Food for Dogs - Mud Bay's
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Mud Bay’s
Short Guide to
Healthy Food for Dogs
Written by Katy Patterson-Miller, DVM, Mud Bay’s Director of Dog and Cat Health and Nutrition, and Lars Wulff, Mud Bay’s Co-CEO
I n the 1970’s, many
Americans believed
that astronauts’ powdered
largest pet retailer headquartered in
the Pacific NW and one of the
largest in the world focused on
orange drink was as good natural food for dogs and cats.
for them as orange juice We hope you find our brief
and that dog food was just… introduction to natural diets
dog food. Fifty years later, for dogs useful. And we
most Americans know fresh hope you stop by one
orange juice is healthier than of our stores. We’d
sugar water and some dog love to hear about your
foods are better for their dog and help you identify
dogs than others. the natural foods that make the
most sense for him or her.
What many US dog owners don’t
know is that canine nutritionists have What’s a Mud Bay?
recently begun creating foods that
emulate the natural diets dogs ate In the 1990’s, Mud Bay was one
before commercial dog food was of the first retailers to embrace
invented. These nutritionists have natural cat and dog food. Today,
ushered in a golden age of natural Mud Bay is the largest pet retailer
dog food: today’s dog owners have headquartered in the Pacific NW
more and healthier choices than and one of the largest in the
they had even 10 years ago—many world focused on natural food for
offering great value for their money. cats and dogs.
In the 1990’s, Mud Bay was one of the
first retailers to embrace natural dog
and cat food. Today, Mud Bay is theThe myth of The Best
Dog Food
N o two dogs are exactly the
same—even those that come
from the same litter. And when you
consider the differences between
dog breeds, you discover that dogs
are one of the most heterogeneous1
species on earth. (If the physiological
differences between people were as
great as those between Chihuahuas
and Great Danes, then professional
football players might weigh up to
5,000 lbs, consume 100,000 calories
per day and live only to age forty!) Every dog is a unique individual
with unique nutritional needs. When
Find what works best we’re helping owners choose foods,
for your dog it sometimes takes us a couple of
tries, but we can almost always find
So when dog owners ask Mud Bay
a healthy diet that’s a great
staff, “What’s the best dog food?”,
fit. And our veterinarian
we have to tell them it’s a question
has trained Mud Bay’s staff
we can’t answer—because it’s
on specific dietary approaches to
the wrong question. The
improve a wide range of conditions
question we can help them
from itchy skin to diarrhea.
answer is, “What’s the
best food to feed 1
Heterogeneous means composed of highly varied
my particular dog?” parts—the opposite of homogenous.
2Re-evaluate a dog’s diet
every few years
D og owners often seem
inclined to find one diet
for their dog and
up to us to make it for them—and to
continue making adjustments as their
bodies continue to age.
keep feeding it for
rest of their dog’s Dogs’ food
life. This approach choices
sounds simple, but it
improve
doesn’t make a lot of
nutritional sense, and it doesn’t
every year
work well for many dogs. We live in a golden
age of natural dog food. Each year,
Dog’s dietary needs change dozens of new dog formulas are
created, and many offer significant
7 times faster than ours
nutritional advances over foods
Most owners know that during a year developed earlier. Re-evaluating
of their own life, their dog ages about your dog’s diet every few years gives
7 years. But owners often don’t think you the chance to find a food that’s a
about the nutritional implications better fit for his nutritional needs or
of dogs’ rapid aging. Sometime that provides a better value
between the age of 4 and 7, (or both).
dogs reach the human equivalent
of ages 30 to 50—when most of us
discover that the diet we were happy
with in our teens and twenties now
leaves us feeling less than our best.
Since dogs can’t make a mid-life
dietary adjustment on their own, it’s
3Dogs are what they eat...
E very cell in a dog’s body is
made up of the nutrients that
came from his diet.
The strongest reasons to
feed the right diet may
be invisible
Thriving vs. surviving Owners quickly notice the immediate
When one or more of the nutrients a consequences of a diet that isn’t
particular dog needs are missing from a perfect fit for their unique dog:
its diet (or in insufficient quantity vomiting, diarrhea, bad breath, dirty
or in an unusable form), some of teeth, itchy skin or poor coat —
its cells can’t function as nature issues that can often be improved by
intended. And when a dog eats a diet a switch to a diet that’s a better fit.
that contains chemicals or unusable
nutrients, its organs work overtime to Harder for anyone to see—and
eliminate them. harder to reverse—are the long-term
effects of a diet that isn’t a good fit.
By contrast, when a dog is fed a
minimally processed, biologically Obesity, cancer and damage to joints,
appropriate diet that contains all of the kidneys, liver, heart or digestive
the nutrients it needs, its cells are system can be exacerbated, or even
more likely to function well, spend caused, by a sub-optimal diet.2
less energy expelling toxins, and
experience optimal health. 2
Steiff EL, Bauer JE. Nutritional adequacy of diets
formulated for companion animals. JAVMA September
2001; 219(5):601-604.
Bontempo V. Nutrition and Health of Dogs and Cats:
Evolution of Petffod. Veterinary Research Communications
August 2005;29(2):45-50.
Patton R. Ruined by Excess, Perfected by Lack: The paradox
of pet nutrition. Nottingham University Press, Nottingham,
UK 2011.
4...and they behave accordingly
P arents often say that feeding
young children a lot
of sugar affects the way
and fat, with few if any carbohydrates.
Diets that are difficult to
digest and diets with
they behave. There inappropriate levels
appears to be a similar of protein, fat, or
connection between carbs appear to cause,
diet and behavior for dogs. or contribute to, a
variety of challenging behaviors:
What do you feed him? unresponsiveness to training, pooping
or peeing in the house, hyperactivity,
For years, “what do you feed
anxiousness or aggression.
him?” has been one of the first
questions many dog trainers ask
Nutrition may lie behind
their clients. Much of the evidence
for connections between canine diet
the behavior we experience
and behavior remains anecdotal, Diets that are low in a particular
but recent studies have begun to nutrient can lead dogs to look for
identify and validate some of these it someplace else—in garbage,
interrelationships.3 plants, poop, furniture, clothes etc.
We experience this as a behavior
Unlike humans, dogs’ digestive
problem, but nutrition may play a
systems are built to obtain energy
primary role.
from diets that are high in protein
3
DeNapoli JS, Dodman NH, Shuster L, Rand WM, Gross
KL. Effect of dietary protein content and tryptophan
supplementation on dominance aggression, territorial
aggression, and hyperactivity in dogs. JAVMA August 2000;
217(4): 504-508.
5Variety makes
nutritional sense...
D ogs are made to be
scavengers. There’s nothing
biologically appropriate for a dog
we don’t know today. And even
today, canine nutritionists disagree on
how best to feed dogs. A varied diet
about eating the same kibble reduces your dog’s dependence on
day after day, a potentially incomplete nutritional
year after approach.
year. Here
are three 3. Different manufacturers
other
reasons to
do things differently
offer dogs a The foods produced by each dog and
varied diet. cat food manufacturer are unique.
Spreading your dog’s diet among dif-
1. Different dogs need ferent manufacturing plants reduces the
different nutrition risk that your dog’s unique needs and
Dogs are an extraordinarily heterogeneous a particular manufacturer’s unique
species: the nutritional needs of a 5lb foods are a poor fit for one another.
Maltese and a 200lb Mastiff differ in
more than amount. By increasing va- Dogs dig variety
riety, you reduce the chance that your Eating the same thing every day is
dog with his unique needs will suffer boring. Dogs are smart enough to
from a dietary mismatch. appreciate variety.
2. Nutritional science is
incomplete
We’ll know things about canine
nutrition ten years from now that
6...and so does combining kibble,
raw and canned dog foods
B y combining different forms of
natural dog food, owners can
give their dog a diet that’s healthy,
convenient and economical.
1. Natural kibble. Kibble is
the most familiar, convenient and
economical kind of dog food. It’s also
the most highly processed and
the poorest in high quality meat,
naturally occurring vitamins and
other nutrients. We believe most
dogs can healthfully eat a well-chosen Substituting raw food for as little as
natural kibble, but we also believe a quarter of a dog’s kibble seems to
most dogs benefit from diets that also provide some of the benefits of an
include raw, cans or both. all-raw diet. Frozen foods are the
2. Raw (freeze-dried, least processed and most economical
dehydrated & raw frozen). kind of raw. Dehydrated and freeze-
Raw dog foods have dried foods are the most convenient.
precisely the advantages 3. Natural canned foods.
kibbles lack. They’re Natural canned (and pouch) foods
minimally processed are rich in high quality meat, with
and rich in high nutrients that have been less oxidized
quality meat, naturally than those in kibble. Canned foods
occurring vitamins lack the naturally occurring enzymes
and other valuable found in raw.
nutrients.
7A Brief History of Dog Food
B efore the last 150 years, dogs
ate table scraps or what
they could scavenge. Then, about
1860, an American electrician
named James Spratt launched the
commercial dog food industry when
he hired a British company to bake
biscuits for dogs.
Tasked with selling kibble to Ameri-
cans who believed canned foods were
better, advertising agencies claimed
that crunchy kibble was better for
dogs’ teeth. There was little science
to back up the claim, but the ads
put kibble on the path to commercial
In the 1920’s, success, and increasing numbers of
canned and dry food were US dog owners began feeding their
introduced, with canned food carnivores grain-based kibble instead
dominating the dog food business of meat-rich table scraps.
before WWII. When the war-time
government categorized dog food as Then, in the 1990s, the
non-essential, dog food companies carnivorousness of dogs inspired the
couldn’t buy steel for cans, and their first commercial dog foods designed
focus switched to dry food. to emulate the meat-rich diets dogs
had been eating for thousands of
In the 1950’s, the first extruded years—and commercially-produced,
kibble was brought to market. natural dog food was born.
10Things to look for on a
dog food label
P rotein from meat. Protein
matters a lot to dogs. They use
it not only to build muscle, but also
Specific ingredients. Ingredients
that don’t specify a species (e.g.
meat and bone meal) are
as a primary energy source. For generally of lower quality
most dogs, the more protein than those that do
that comes from meat (e.g. chicken meal).
(instead of from vegetable
ingredients), the better. What you won’t find.
Much of what a dog owner
Healthy fats. needs to know about
Look for healthy,
her dog’s food can’t
specifically-
be found on the label. That’s why
named fats: chicken fat, sunflower
Mud Bay visits manufacturing plants,
oil, canola oil, for example. Avoid
analyzes formulas and quizzes
generically named fats (such as
company owners, diet formulators
animal fat) and fats that are solid
and plant operators.
at room temperature (like tallow).
Canned and raw foods get most or all
of their fat from their meats—perfect.
What comes before the fat.
On the ingredient list, ingredients
are listed in order of weight before
processing. With kibble, ingredients
listed before the fat source generally
have much more impact on the food
than those listed after the fat source.
11Mud Bay carefully evaluates 23
A mong pet food manufacturers
headquarted in North America,
Mud Bay has earned a unique
QUALITY CONTROL: How
do they control the quality of their
foods? SUPPLY: How well do
reputation for the care it takes in they keep their foods in stock?
investigating companies and products. EXPERTISE: What is their level
Here are the 23 criteria we use to
of mastery? INNOVATION:
evaluate foods before beginning to
How innovative is the company?
offer them to cat owners.
SUSTAINABILITY:
DOG HEALTH: How will the Are they focused on
foods contribute to canine health? sustainability?
VISION: Does their vision for their
company support Mud Bay’s mission?
PEOPLE: How committed are
the people running the company
to their vision? INTEGRITY:
Does the company act with
integrity? VALUE: How much value LOCAL: Is it a Pacific NW
do the foods offer to dog owners? company? PARTNERSHIP: Will
STABILITY: How stable is the the company be a good partner for
company? PRODUCTION: Mud Bay? EFFICIENCY: How
Do they make their own foods or efficiently can we deliver the food to
outsource them? our stores? ALIGNMENT: Will
8characteristics of every dog food
adding this food help us improve Why we carry so many
our overall selection of dog food? dog foods
RETAILERS: Where is the brand
Mud Bay carries more than 400
sold? PACKAGING: Is the
carefully selected dry, canned, pouch,
packaging effective, attractive and
freeze-dried, dehydrated and raw
sustainable? CHARACTER: Does
frozen foods for dogs. This enables
the brand fit Mud Bay’s character? Mud Bay’s staff to find the right
UNIQUENESS: How unique nutritional solution at the right price
are its nutritional characteristics? for almost every dog.
SALES: How well do we expect this
food to sell? CONTRIBUTION:
Instead of treating sick dogs,
Can Mud Bay make a fair profit Mud Bay’s staff veterinarian
selling this food? helps keep them healthy
FULFILLS REAL After years of treating sick dogs,
NEED: How well Katy Patterson-Miller, DVM, now
does this food fulfill a spends much of her time analyzing
dogs’ diets, visiting pet food plants
real need for dogs and owners? and quizzing canine nutritionists. Her
focus is helping select the dog foods
Mud Bay will carry and enabling Mud
Bay’s staff to help each dog owner who
visits our stores identify the specific
diets that are most likely to keep their
unique dog healthy.
9What does it cost to feed a
dog a healthy natural diet?
I t costs between sixty eight cents
and $6.75 per day to feed a
forty pound dog a healthy diet from
Mud Bay.
Most of Mud Bay’s natural kibbles It’s cost per day (or over
cost between seventy cents and
a lifetime) that counts
$1.25 per day for an average forty
pound dog. Replacing 100% of the When comparing dog food prices,
kibble with less processed, more focus on cost-per-day, not cost-per-
meat-rich foods could bring the cost pound. Foods that offer a low price
per day up to as much as $6.75, but per pound usually provide little
owners of medium and large dogs real savings because they’re less
frequently choose a more economical nutritionally dense, so dogs have to
combination of 50%-75% kibble with eat more of them. For most dogs,
25%-50% freeze-dried, dehydrated, these less dense foods also mean both
raw frozen or canned food. bigger poops and reduced long-term
health—because these aren’t the
kinds of diets dogs are made to eat.
If we could put a price on longer,
healthier lives—or just calculate the
potential for fewer teeth cleanings
and other veterinary procedures—
feeding a high-quality, natural diet
would almost certainly work out to be
a bargain for most dogs.
12Two supplements every dog
owner should know about
N atural supplements can
help dog owners address a
wide range of health and behavioral
enzymes in well-made digestive aids
help dogs get the most from whatever
food they’re eating. Especially good
problems from challenged immune candidates for a digestive aid include
systems to fireworks anxiety. middle-aged and senior dogs, dogs
Mud Bay’s staff or others trained suffering from diarrhea, vomiting or
poor skin/coat and dogs undergoing
diet transitions or other stresses.
Joint supplements are a must
for almost every dog over the age of
seven or weighing more than eighty
pounds. Rather than waiting for the
in natural solutions can often help development of pain or loss of mobil-
owners identify supplements to help ity, most dogs seem to be well served
with specific conditions. But every by receiving high-quality, natural
owner—no matter how healthy their joint support throughout
dog—should know about these two their lives.
canine supplements.
Digestive aids. Most dogs
eating a cooked or processed
diet experience significant
benefits from taking a digestive
supplement. That’s because
the probiotics and digestive
13Making dinnertime fun
L ife with your dog is too short
not to make it as fun as it can
be. Here are three things you can
associate food with fun,
reduces obesity and is
a great opportunity for
do to make dinnertime a kick. bonding.
Variety is the spice of life, Create anticipation for
and dogs are scavengers by the next meal by picking
nature. Introducing up the dish after 20 or 30
new foods and meat- minutes. Leaving food out
rich toppers makes all day isn’t good for dogs’
mealtime more digestive systems, and it
fun and stimulates dogs’ immune takes all the excitement out of mealtime.
systems.
Play just before dinner. Goofing Mud Bay supports adoption
around before mealtime helps dogs with healthy food and cold cash.
Most dogs and cats adopted from shel-
ters around Puget Sound go home with
coupons for natural foods from Mud
Bay. And now, we are pleased that dogs
and cats adopted in the Vancouver/
Portland area go home with them too.
When these coupons are used, Mud Bay
makes a donation to the shelter. Since
2001, Mud Bay has donated more than
$460,000 to organizations that contrib-
ute to the well-being of animals.
14Mud Bay has been helping
dog owners feed healthy foods
since 1988
O ur company began in 1988,
the year Elsa Wulff bought
a small farm store on a hill above
Mud Bay just outside of Olympia,
Washington. Today, there are Mud
Bay stores all around the Pacific
Northwest and we’re employee-owned Our original store on Mud Bay Road, outside of Olympia
and operated, but we’re all still doing Visit any of our stores for more information
the same thing: helping owners feed on solutions to everyday problems that arise
healthy foods to their animals. when caring for your dog.
Employee-owned Mud Bay shares information, decision-making, profits
and company ownership with the members of our staff.
We don’t charge extra We put a fair, low price on everything we sell—
and we almost always set the prices of our pet foods below the everyday
prices of every other major retailer in the area.
We research everything we sell Mud Bay has earned a unique
reputation for the care we take in investigating companies and products.
We guarantee satisfaction We guarantee
everything on our shelves. If a cat, a dog or
an owner is unsatisfied with anything we sell,
we’ll happily buy it back.
15Good nutrition provides the best
foundation of health for your dog...
T hat’s why Mud Bay staff give dog owners
customized nutritional recommendations
and why Mud Bay stores carry more than 300
healthy and fairly priced natural dog foods.
We’d love to help you choose the diet that makes
the most sense for you and your dog.
Where is Mud Bay?
There is a body of water called
Mud Bay in Puget Sound (and at
low tide, it really is very muddy),
but we’ve established and staffed
Mud Bay stores in communities all around the
Pacific Northwest.
mudbay.com
Natural foods, well-made supplies and useful information
Mud Bay and its staff strive to help dog and cat owners improve the health of their animals
and to increase the happiness owners experience in caring for their animals by provid-
ing natural foods, well-made supplies and useful information. Mud Bay and its staff do
not diagnose or treat specific conditions, and the information provided by Mud Bay’s staff,
publications, website and other media are not substitutes for treatment by a veterinarian. A
great vet is an invaluable resource, and we recommend that owners discuss diet and other
changes in the care of their animals with theirs.
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