German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

[kiwimac]

Forgive me for my ignorance.But are cannines carnivor`s,herbivor`s or omnivor`s.How many times when hunting in stubble do you see GWP`s breaking off a point,to chow down on grains.think about it for a moment,please people.The gut tract of a cannine is far to short to digest plant matter on a regular basis.Surely,this must lead to health problem,s for the dog.When they eat only meat,they`ll be sweet.Cheerz
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have sporting guns will travel

[cheerio]

I believe that dogs are omnivore. They eat fruit, veggies, grain and meat, and need all of these to develop normally as a pup and be healthy as an adult.
Dogs fed only meat develop a metabolic bone disease by which the bone does not solidify and the dog constantly suffers from spontaneous fractures. Pups usually do not survive past a year.
Dogs given an all-vegetarian diet, a diet mostly based on corn or on table scraps may develop what is known as a Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism due to a lack of calcium. The symptoms in a pup are severe skeletal problems with lameness, stunted growth and sponteneous fractures. In an adult dogs, the lack of calcium will lead to thinning of the jaws and periodontal diseases.
Please note that a diet primarily based on beef heart, kidney or liver will give rise to the same problem as a result of an excess of phosphorus and lack of calcium.

[AmmoMike]

Cherrio,
what you are saying is if I feed beef heart, with the vegies and stuff (BARF) I will be ok? Or is it bad? We were going to make our Barf out of beef liver and hearts and such... Humm now Im confused...
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Mike

[cheerio]

a diet which has for only protein those from Hart, kidney or liver is not a complete diet, despites the grain and veggetable you may add. Simply add a couple of chicken backs, turkey's necks or ground beef and it will be fine.
BTW, horse meat also leads to the same problem.

[kiwimac]

Cheerio.Hi.Excellent reply.My earlier comment I made was with reference to my understanding of modernday pet food.Which is:In the late 1920`s early1930`s in the USA, cerals and meat deemed not fit for human consumtion had little value or use.Until,an enterprising person decided to blend the two.Thus creating the pet food industry.Employing ten`s of thousands globaly today.So what did people feed their dogs before the wet and dry pet foods of the last 70 odd years?Well,that would depend where people lived/worked etc.An omnivore diet of table scraps would have featured to be sure.Although in rural areas meat would have featured more so in the diet.Most farms had a cow or to,so milk would be right up there too.People today have access to superior quality (if they choose to) food than 70 years ago.Leading to longer healthier lives.Due to our scientific triumphs.As it is for todays petfood formulations.And before man domesticated the Wolf:Evidence now shows that Wolves will consume the undigested food from the intestines of the grazing animals they have killed.Pup`s especialy.Although how often they do this is unsure.Moreso for adult Wolves.Like humans ,dogs get skin complaints from time to time,and a change of diet can help.Also chemical irritants.Diets should be changed gradually.To give the gut enzymes a chance to adjust.Up to 2 weeks at a times. So I stand corrected before thee Cheerz.
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have sporting guns will travel