Dear JB,

I thought this question was going to be an easy one but then I searched the internet to get a feel for the topic and wow, there are lots of different opinions out there. Here are the facts as set forth by the NRC Nutrient Requirement of Dogs and Cats (the “bible” of feeding pets):

The discovery of biotin as an essential nutrient for animals was intimately linked with the demonstration that certain food extracts were able to reverse a condition produced by the feeding of raw egg white. Egg white contains a glycoprotein avidin that very tightly binds biotin, is resistant to intestinal proteolysis, and is biologically inactive. One molecule of avidin binds four molecules of biotin, and even heat treatment releases only 0-10% of the bound biotin. Spontaneous biotin deficiencies rarely occur in dog and cats in the absence of a diet containing raw egg white.

What this tells me is that feeding raw eggs (or at least raw egg whites) is NOT a good thing for dogs. In fact, feeding raw eggs could cause the very thing you’re trying to prevent by binding an essential nutrient (biotin) that dogs need for healthy skin and coat.

So my advice is to steer away from eggs and towards products that contain ingredients proven to support resilient skin and shiny coats such as fatty acids, gelatin (a source of protein), and biotin, a vitamin necessary for protein production. Take a look at our new SmartCanine Skin & Coat, which offers a correct balance of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids from a blend of fish oil, flax seed, olive oil and rice bran.

Of course, make sure you’re feeding your dog a high-quality, complete and balanced diet appropriate for his lifestage. Then include regular grooming and not too much bathing so you don’t strip his coat of healthy and protective oils. With attention like this to the inside and outside of your dog, he’ll be slick and shiny in no time!

Dear AN,

What an interesting thesis! I certainly hope it gets published somewhere because it sounds like it will contain some very practical information. I’m not very familiar with European horse feeding systems—except to know they have some different feedstuffs than us—so I’m going to stick to what’s recommended here in America.

The number one source for feeding horses in the U.S. is the sixth edition of Nutrient Requirements for Horses authored by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies Press and published in 2007. Here’s what their website says about the book:

Proper formulation of diets for horses depends on adequate knowledge of their nutrient requirements. These requirements depend on the breed and age of the horse and whether it is exercising, pregnant, or lactating.

A great deal of new information has been accumulated since the publication 17 years ago of the last edition of Nutrient Requirements of Horses. This new edition features a detailed review of scientific literature, summarizing all the latest information, and provides a new set of requirements based on revised data. Also included is updated information on the composition of feeds, feed additives, and other compounds routinely fed to horses. The effects of physiological factors, such as exercise, and environmental factors, such as temperature and humidity, are covered, as well. Nutrient Requirements of Horses also contains information on several nutritional and metabolic diseases that horses often have.

Designed primarily as a reference, both practical and technical, Nutrient Requirements of Horses is intended to ensure that the diets of horses and other equids contain adequate amounts of nutrients and that the intakes of certain nutrients are not so excessive that they inhibit performance or impair health. This book is primarily intended for animal nutritionists, veterinarians, and other scientists; however, individual horse owners and managers will also find some of this material useful. Professors who teach graduate courses in animal nutrition will find Nutrient Requirements of Horses beneficial as a textbook.

You can also find the table of contents on the website, which lists these chapters:
1. Energy
2. Carbohydrates
3. Fats and Fatty Acids
4. Proteins and Amino Acids
5. Minerals
6. Vitamins
7. Water and Water Quality
8. Feeds and Feed Processing
9. Feed Additives
10. Feed Analysis
11. Feeding Behavior and General Considerations for Feeding Management
12. Unique Aspects of Equine Nutrition
13. Donkeys and Other Equids
14. Ration Formulation and Evaluation
15. Computer Model to Estimate Requirements
16. Tables
  a. Nutrient Requirement Tables
  b. Feed Composition Tables
  c. Composition of Mare’s Milk Tables
  d. Table of Conversions

Finally, it contains appendixes and an index. I hope this answers your question and good luck on your thesis!

Dear LB

Regular readers of this blog are probably tired of me covering this topic, but as long as I’m still getting questions about it, I’m still going to answer them.

You’ve probably heard the saying “cats are not little dogs.” Well, dogs are not little horses (but wouldn’t they be cute?) What I mean by that is that dogs should be given dog products, cats should be given cat products and horses should be given horse products. There are a couple of reasons why I take such a firm stand:

1. Toxicity—while dogs, cats and horses (and us) all have basically the same systems, there are a few differences in the way we metabolize certain compounds that mean a therapeutic substance in one species is a poison in another. Take Tylenol (acetaminophen) for example. Works great on people but is fatal in cats. Onions are the same way. The sweetener in gum (xylitol) can be life-threatening in dogs. So can grapes.

2. Dosing– a powder concentrated for a 1000lb horse might only require a scoop (two or three tablespoons) to have a benefit. Unless you have a pharmaceutical grade scale that measures in grams, it would be almost impossible to dose your dog correctly (especially a small breed like yours).

3. Formulation—a powder flavored with something attractive to horses like apple or cherry, or a pellet made from alfalfa or beet pulp on dog food may not get eaten. It makes more sense to stick with a treat or chew tab that has a yummy beef or liver flavor that most dogs love.

My advice is to choose a glucosamine/chondroitin product from among the many made specifically for our canine friends. SmartPak has just launched its own line of supplements for dogs, including SmartCanine Joint and SmartCanine Joint Ultra. But we also carry quality products from Nutramax, such as their popular Cosequin line, as well as the Glycoflex line by Vetri-Science, Grand Meadows products for dogs and many others. I’m sure you can find something your dog will love among these!

What is the best and most cost effective way to sand your horses? I have heard that metamucil is good but, I would rather avoid using it. I use Fiberpsyll and that is the cheapest physillium product I have found so far. KM, Florida

I noticed a disclaimer on psyllium used for gut sand reduction stating that no scientific research has been done on its use. Why not? DG, California

Dear Sand Colic Question Writers,

DG, I’m not sure what disclaimer you’re looking at. I’ve looked at all the labels of all the psyllium products for horses I could find (whether we sold them or not) and couldn’t find one. Do you mean this statement?

Safe use in pregnant animals or animals intended for breeding has not been proven.

If so, that’s a caution that the NASC requires all of its members to put on all their supplements, unless research on every single ingredient in the product has been done in pregnant mares and breeding stallions, which is unlikely.

While there is research on the use of psyllium in horses, to be honest with you, the NASC advises its members to be careful about conducting research and sharing it. That’s because the FDA doesn’t want supplement companies using a single research project to make drug-type claims about over-the-counter products that haven’t undergone the lengthy, expensive and rigorous safety and efficacy testing they require before granting FDA approval (prescription products, dewormers, etc.) So even if a supplement company pays to have research conducted on its product and “proves” it treats a disease, the company still can’t make a drug claim or really even use the research in its marketing. That’s one of the reasons you don’t see a lot of research on supplements.

As I said though, some research has been performed on the use of psyllium for reducing sand (and therefore sand colic and sand diarrhea) in horses. These papers all show a clear benefit:

Evacuation of sand from the equine intestine with mineral oil, with and without psyllium. (2008)

Fecal sand clearance is enhanced with a product combining probiotics, prebiotics and psyllium in clinically normal horses. (2007)

Abdominal radiography in monitoring the resolution of sand accumulations from the large colon of horses treated medically. (2001)

Diarrhea associated with sand in the gastrointestinal tract of horses. (1988)

One study, performed by my alma mater the University of Illinois, did not show this benefit but researchers now suspect the study may not have been set up appropriately:

Failure of psyllium mucilloid to hasten evaluation of sand from the equine large intestine. (1998)

I encourage all of you to read my article on sand colic, as feeding psyllium is only a part of keeping your horse sand-free. Other advice includes not feeding them on the ground, only allowing grazing in pastures with solid plant growth, and feeding before turnout.

Dear KM,

You don’t say how old your puppy is, but if you’re beginning to think about switching her over to adult food she’s probably close to 12 months old. That means she’s already done most of her growing and less at risk for developmental orthopedic diseases (DOD) like hip dysplasia. So I think you’re fine to gradually transition her to LiveSmart Chicken and Brown Rice Adult over the usual two-week period or so.

Before today, I wouldn’t even have mentioned DOD in a breed like a bulldog because I don’t think of them as a large or giant breed dog prone to growth disorders. The classic definition of a large-breed dog is one whose mature body weight exceeds 50lbs. American Bulldogs are right on the cusp of that so they should be okay, right?

Unfortunately, I did some digging and found some shocking statistics at www.offa.org, the website of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, a not-for-profit dedicated to reducing genetic disease in dogs and cats. According to the OFA, who has maintained a database of test results for 40 years, the American Bulldog ranks #9 for elbow dysplasia and #16 for hip dysplasia (additional genetic diseases of the bulldog involve the spine and trachea). While the roles that genetics, nutrition, exercise and other factors play in developmental orthopedic disease are still unclear, a conservative diet is probably the smart way to go in your dog.

A conservative diet is one that doesn’t overdo the energy, calcium and Vitamin D. It’s also one that is not fed free-choice or time-limited. To quote from the “Nutritional Risk to Large-Breed Dogs” chapter in the November 2006 issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America—Small Animal Practice:

“Quantities of food offered should be consistently measured, divided, and offered at multiple feeding times.”

You may already be purchasing your food in PortionPaks, our unique feeding system. If not, I recommend you make the switch from bags to PortionPaks to protect her from overeating, which can lead to growth disorders, obesity, bloat and other health problems.

Dear JM,

First, I recommend you check out the page that I wrote specifically about Thoroughpin. It defines this condition as a cosmetic blemish of the hock area that consists of swelling but no heat or pain, as you describe. However, just to be sure there’s nothing more serious going on, I recommend having a veterinarian examine your mare. Because the risk factors for Thoroughpin may also be risk factors for more serious conditions such as arthritis, tendinitis and other lamenesses, it will be helpful to have a vet’s opinion on the matter.

When it comes to treatments for Thoroughpin, less may be more. That is, because the swelling is a cosmetic blemish and not an actual cause of lameness or discomfort, you may be better off sticking with the conservative approach you’ve already taken vs more aggressive approaches such as injections or fluid drainage. These all run the risk of infection or at the very least inflammation and down-time so I say “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” One of my horses has a thoroughpin on one hind leg (probably from kicking the stall) and I notice two things improve the swelling: cold weather and MSM.

Dear MS,

Hardly ever will you see me recommend a horse product for a dog or the other way around. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, dosing can be extremely difficult. Not only can it be hard to figure out how much of a product for a 1000lb horse to give to a 60lb dog, sometimes the formulation for one species isn’t so easy to get another species to eat. Second, it’s hard for me personally to keep track of the ingredients it’s safe for one species to have but dangerous for another species to have so I avoid the risk by sticking to species-specific products.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let me make some recommendations that should be safe for your dog and easy for you. You’re on the right track with gelatin, or, hydrolyzed (boiled) collagen. Collagen is simply a term for a certain group of proteins in the body. This group of proteins is the most abundant group in the body, and the most abundant group in connective tissue (such as toenails). It makes sense to supply the building blocks of toenails if you want them to grow healthier.

The next ingredient I would make sure to have on board is biotin. In the B-vitamin family, it’s a co-enzyme in hundreds of metabolic reactions, one of which is protein building. Horse owners have long recognized its value in growing strong, resilient hooves and there’s evidence to support its use in promoting healthy skin and coat in dogs as well.

Finally, make sure your dog is getting plenty of the anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids. Sometimes commercial diets are loaded towards the pro-inflammatory omega 6 fatty acid side and problems can develop on the inside as well as the outside.

Provide your dog will all three of these key ingredients—gelatin, biotin and omega 3 fatty acids—with our new SmartCanine Skin & Coat. Then just make sure your feeding a high-quality dog food and supplementing with fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthy snacks, and your dog should be in great shape in no time!

Dear DH,

Since the average length of pregnancy in the mare is 338 – 343 days or about 11 months, your mare is heading into her last trimester. Up to now, she has done just fine on the same nutritional program you would use for any horse: a complete and balanced diet fed at a rate of 1 – 2% of her body weight daily based on high-quality forage. Of course, fresh water and loose salt is always available. But during the last four months of gestation the foal grows rapidly, requiring the mare’s diet to change in three key areas: energy, protein and vitamins/minerals.

A pregnant mare’s energy requirements gradually increase after the seventh month of gestation, so you should gradually begin to supply her with more calories. Of course, if she’s already overweight, then this step may not be necessary. Aim to keep her in good flesh but not too heavy (between a 5 and a 6 on the Henneke Body Condition Scoring scale, where 1 = emaciated and 9 = obese). It may be tempting to just add an extra scoop of grain to her ration, but fat or beet pulp are safer sources of calories.

Adult horses in maintenance as well as mares in early gestation only need an 8% crude protein diet. But during the last trimester when the foal is building lots of tissue, that level will need to be upped to 10 – 12%. Instead of simply increasing the amount of grain in the diet, which can lead to problems, begin swapping out flakes of grass hay for flakes of alfalfa hay, which are higher in protein.

Feeding alfalfa hay also provides the additional calcium that mares need in late gestation. Other minerals of interest include selenium–especially if you are in a selenium-deficient area of the country–and copper, which may have a protective effect against developmental orthopedic diseases such as osteochondritis dissecans or OCD. Also, make sure your mare gets plenty of Vitamins A and E particularly if she does not have access to fresh grass. A multi-vitamin/mineral supplement  made especially for mares may be a good choice now.

One final bit of advice: during the last trimester the foal takes up quite of bit of room in the mare’s abdomen. Just when she should be eating more there’s no room for food! Try to feed smaller meals more frequently so she takes in the nutrition she needs without becoming uncomfortable. Now just work with your veterinarian to make sure your mare’s other health needs are met (deworming, vaccination, hoof and dental care) then provide careful monitoring until the Big Day!

Dear ML,

You’re right on both counts: that fruits and vegetables have health benefits to pets but that not every fruit and vegetable is safe to feed your pet. For example, garlic, onions and grapes have all been shown to be toxic to dogs. On the other hand, vegetables such as carrots, peas and pumpkin are wonderful additions to dry dog food diet as are fruits like apples, blueberries and bananas. Not only are they packed with vitamins and minerals, they also contain fiber, antioxidants and other beneficial agents.

If you wish to introduce fruits and vegetables to your dog, do so gradually and in moderation. Add just one to two new items each week and avoid unbalancing the diet by limiting fruits and veggies to 10 – 20 % of the total diet. Another suggestion is to lightly cook the vegetables, which helps release certain nutrients. Finally, visit www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/ to make sure everything you’re offering to your dog is safe.

SmartPak is a firm believer in the health benefits of fruits and vegetables to dogs, and has included a wide variety of both in its supplements as well as its food. SmartCanine Vite is a nutritional supplement that contains a tasty blend of fruits and vegetables along with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids and digestive support. It’s designed to complement heavily processed commercial kibble.

Either way you choose to add fruits and vegetables to your dog’s diet—by home cooking them yourself or through the product mentioned above—you’ll be providing him with a healthier diet that also tastes great!

Dear JC,

The average length of pregnancy in dogs is 63 days or about 9 weeks. During the first six weeks of pregnancy, experts recommend continuing to feed her usual high-quality maintenance diet. By high-quality, I mean a meat-based commercial kibble for adult dogs or a home cooked diet that is complete and balanced. While a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement may not be necessary if she’s fed a premium diet, a small amount of fresh fruits and lightly cooked vegetables can be a healthy addition to any dogs’ diet. Omega 3 fatty acids from fish oil  provide additional health benefits.

The pups grow the most during the last trimester, or three weeks, of pregnancy, so that’s when your dog will need extra calories, protein and minerals, like calcium. Gradually increase her daily food intake so that by her due date, she’s eating three times the amount she was before pregnancy. By increasing the amount of food she eats each day, she’ll not only be getting additional calories, she’ll also be taking in the additional protein, calcium and other nutrients the pups need to develop properly.

If you find that your dog simply can’t eat this much food, she’s losing weight, or you’re concerned that she won’t be able to keep up with the pups’ demand for milk, gradually switch her over to a food specially made for the pregnancy/lactation lifestage. Generally the same as puppy formula, this food concentrates calories, protein and calcium so your dog doesn’t have to eat as much to get the same nutrition.