True, not all dogs are subject to the same conditions, it's subject to individual genetics. Same as humans. The issue is what is optimum for dogs in general.
What your dog was susceptible to is called "Evolutionary Discordance", in his case it was probably related to gluten, hence the improvement when switched to rice. Rice, although still a grain, is relaitvely low on gluten. This is "micronutrient discordance", rather than macronutrient discordance, which is the percentage of protein-carbs-fat. The reason the fat is low in your food is that rice is the main energy source, (and cheap) so more fat (expensive) would lead to hyperinsulinemia. It still results in an insulin based hormonal secretion pattern, which is neither natural nor provides optimum nutrition for dogs. It costs me about a buck a day for each of my dogs, I'd guess you're paying more for your dog food. It's all about the hormonal secretion pattern.
Another benefit is that when my dogs poop in the yard, the poop turns white and dissolves, so no more scooping.
Two things the dog food industry was able to do was use preservatives illegal for human consumption, and not be required to list the chemicals used in the rendering process for meat and bone meals.
The estimate for actual canine longevity when following a natural nutritional pattern is around 20-22 years.
Regards
Ken
Last edited by Ken61; 03/31/17 03:29 PM.
