It’s something every dog owner wants to know: what is the best food for my dog?  You’ve probably heard of this term before, canine ancestral diet. The human version of this is the Paleo diet, drawing its name from the Paleolithic era, which ended around 10,000 years ago when basic agriculture by humans started, including the domestication of animals
There’s such a wide variety of feeding options these days, ranging from raw and freeze dried meat all the way through to processed biscuits. With so many conflicting options and opinions,  which one to pick? We choose to feed Roxy, Loki and Billie and our cats, a diet based on the Canine Ancestral Diet.

This is a scientifically based diet, which mimics the food that a dog – or its ancestors – would naturally eat in the wild. It combines the current research into nutrition as well as species appropriate ingredients. It’s “balanced and complete” nutrition without the harmful processing and ingredients, and made from the foods that a dog would eat in the wild. No steroids, gluten, grains, by products, preservatives, chemicals, fillers, salt, colours, and flavour enhancers.

While it’s impossible to know exactly what our dog’s ancestors ate, their closest relatives the wolf, coyote and fox can give us some clues. Their eating requirements are all extremely similar: meat, organs, stomach contents (which is partially digested/fermented), some fruits and grasses. They consumed their prey whole, while digestive and beneficial enzymes were still living. From this we can conclude that the ideal canine diet is high in fresh animal protein, has balanced fats, and is nutritionally complete with fruits and vegetables.
By applying this approach to dog nutrition, there are many health benefits like:

  • Better brain function
  • Stronger heart
  • More lean muscle mass
  • Less chance of health problems
  • Lower risk of cancer
  • More energy
  • Relief from common skin problems
  • Smaller stools
  • Fresher breath
  • Shinier coat