Hi all,

I hope this post is appropriate for the list, as I'm kinda stuck...

I've been asked to write a series of articles on canine nutrition for a
Golden Retriever magazine. As you might imagine, I don't intend to write
one of those "any of the better foods is fine" pieces. I feed my own dogs a
very species-appropriate diet of raw meat, meaty bones, juiced vegetables,
eggs, ground nuts and seeds and a few supplements to help make up for our
depleted soils (kelp, alfalfa powder, vitamin C, E, cod liver oil,
B-complex). In the articles, I would like to try to make the connection
between the grain content of commercial foods and many of the diseases that
plague Goldens.

JFYI, Golden Retrievers originated in Scotland about 130 years ago,
developed from other breeds like the Flatcoat Retriever and the Tweed Water
Spaniel. Like most breeds, they can have a lot of health problems. Most
common in GR's are allergies and skin problems, hip dysplasia, and
hypothyroidism (autoimmune thyroiditis). The number of cancer deaths in
this breed are alarming. Lymphoma, hemangiosarcoma, and osteosarcoma seem
to be most common and run in certain lines (pedigree). Vets sometimes refer
to Goldens as "tumor factories" and they could be the poster children for
veterinary dermatology. Unbelievably, a 7 or 8 year old Golden is
considered "geriatric". To a lesser degree, they also can have/develop
osteochondrosis or osteochondritis dissecans, juvenile cataracts, central
progressive retinal atrophy, subvalvular aortic stenosis,
seizures/idopathic epilepsy, and von Willebrand's.

The average Golden "fancier" spends a lot of time wringing their hands over
these problems, which everyone labels as genetic (the hip dysplasia gene,
the hypothyroid gene, etc. - they say there's a gene(s) for everything, so
it's accepted that it's the breeder's job to work to eliminate all these
bad genes from the breed).

In my opinion (and this will be the crux of my articles), many of this
breed's problems can be laid directly at the door of nutrition - namely the
massive amounts of carbs from grains (40% or more) in commercial foods.
From the list of ailments above it is my feeling that the skin/allergy
problems, hypothyroidism, cancer, and possibly epilepsy are all  likely to
have their basis in the diet. I suspect that many of the orthopedic
(growth) problems do as well.

Given human and canine parallel evolution, I can't imagine how dogs could
have adapted to a diet high in grain or dairy any better than we have. (Any
thoughts on this?) Unfortunately, I'm having difficulty making the grain
connection to autoimmune problems. As I understand it, grains are foreign
proteins in the human diet that do one of two things: either trigger an
immune response (allergy) or "trick" the immune system into attacking
"self" (an autoimmune response) through a process known as "molecular
mimicry". Correct? From most of the posts I've seen in the archives, it
seems that everyone "knows" this, but so far I haven't found any references
that specifically mention *grain* proteins being able to pull off this
"molecular mimicry". I've only found mention of viri and bacteria being
able to do this. Or is it simply a theory that grain protein can be an
autoimmune culprit as well? IOW, is there proof of this that I can cite?

Also, if anyone knows of any references on all this that relate
specifically to studies in dogs, please let me know. Somehow I don't think
there are any, as the pet food industry funds most canine nutritional
studies, and I'm sure they aren't interested in proving the grains they use
are causing all kinds of health problems. I've done searches of MedLine and
Basic Biosys but so far haven't come up with anything. Maybe I'm looking in
the wrong databases? I'm not a scientist by training, just have a
fascination for this subject matter.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions anyone might have.

Kathy Partridge
mailto:[log in to unmask]
Kathy Partridge
mailto:[log in to unmask]
Artworks website: <http://www.borg.com/~atelierk/>
|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|
Atelier Golden Retrievers & Goldens Portrayed
Member GRCA, up in central New York