What to feed and NOT to feed your Irish Wolfhound and any dog for that matter.

To maintain great body shape and overall health of our Irish Wolfhounds we follow some pretty simple and easy guidelines for wolfhound nutrition.

Chain stores, grocery stores, may not carry the brands that are quality enough to nourish your wolfhound alone, so supplementation would be in order. Some veterinary guidelines for feeding large breed hounds are:

FDA INVESTIGATES POTENTIAL CONNECTION BETWEEN DIET AND CASES OF CANINE HEART DISEASE
July 12, 2018

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting pet owners and veterinary professionals about reports of canine dialte cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs eating certain pet foods containing peas, lentils other legume seeds, or potatoes as main ingredients. These reports are unusual because DCM is occurring in breeds not typically genetically prone to disease. The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine and the Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network, a collaboration of government and veterinary diagnostic laboratories, are investigating this potential association.

IRISH WOLFHOUND
FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

SHOP NOW

Canine DCM is a disease of a dog’s heart muscle and results in an enlarged heart. As the heart and its chambers become dilated, it becomes harder fot the heart to pump, and heart failure. Heart function may improve in cases that are not linked to genetics with appropriate veterinary treatment and dietary modification, if caught early.

The underlying cause of DCM is not truly known, but is thought to have a genetic component. Breeds that are typically more frequently affected by DCM include large and giant breed dogs, such as Great Danes, Boxers,Newfoundlands, Irish Wolfhounds, Saint Bernards and Doberman Pinschers. It is less common in small and medium breed dogs, except American and English Cocker Spaniels. However, the cases that have been reported to the FDA have included Golden and Labrador Retrievers, Whippets, a Shih Tzu, a Bulldog and Miniature Schnauzers, as well as mixed breeds.

Diets in cases reported to the FDA frequently list potatoes or multiple legumes such as peas, lentils, other “pulses” (seeds of legumes), and their protein, starch and fiber derivatives early in the ingredient list, indicating that they are main ingredients. Early reports from the veterinary cardiology community indicate that the dogs consistently ate these foods as their primary source of nutrition for time periods ranging from months to years. High levels of legumes or potatoes appear to be more common in diets labeled as “grain-free”, but it is not yet known how these ingredients are linked to cases of DCM. Changes in diet, especially for dogs with DCM, should be made in consultation with a licensed veterinarian.

In the reports the FDA has received, some of the dogs showed signs of heart disease, including decreased energy, cough, difficulty breathing and episodes of collapse. Medical records for four atypical DCM cases, three Golden Retrievers and one Labrador Retriever, show that these dogs had low whole blood levels of the amino acid taurine. Taurine deficiency is well-documented as potentially leading to DCM. The Labrador Retriever with low whole blood taurine levels is recovering with veterinary treatment, including taurine supplementation, and a diet change. Four other cases of DCM in atypical dog breeds, a Miniature Schnauzer, Shih Tzu and two Labrador Retrievers, had normal blood taurine levels. The FDA continues to work with board certified veterinary cardiologists and veterinary nutritionists to better understand the clinical presentation of these dogs. The agency has also been in contact with pet food manufacturers to discuss these reports and to help further the investigation.

And as far as to what is safe for your Irish Wolfhound or dog to eat, here are some of the do’s and don’ts:

So yes, dry dog food is okay and good to feed your hounds as well as wet/canned food as long as you read the label and really look at the ingredients instead of being swayed by marketing like “Healthy, Nutritious, Natural & Organic.”

IRISH LANDSCAPE FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY — IRISH LANDSCAPE
FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

SHOP NOW

We definitely have a brand and formula that we can stand by, but there are many brands just as suitable. On your dog food bag there are feeding guidelines and instructions, we have found that each of our Irish Wolfhounds are different and the amount of food you feed them is also unique to each wolfhound. On the average we feed our adult hounds 2 plus cups of kibble/dry dog food 2x a day and we put on top of each of their food, either a half cup of soup, raw meat, eggs or wet/canned food. We also soak our kibble in hot water before adding the topper supplementation to expand the food...guarding against BLOAT. We do NOT free feed our Irish Wolfhounds because of and to prevent BLOAT.