Carnivore Basics, Chapter 5 - Plant Matter

Brenda Hagel © 2003

Carnivores are primarily meat eaters but they are opportunists and will eat whatever food is available to meet their needs. This means that the diet of wild canids and domestic dogs will change throughout its life depending on what is available for it to eat and whether nutritional requirements change.

From a physiological standpoint, dogs are not designed to eat plant matter; at least not in a direct sense. Within Mother Nature’s ecosystem, there are producers (the organism that produce energy) and consumers (the organisms that consume energy). Plants get their energy from the sun through a process called photosynthesis. The herbivores get their energy from the plants. Omnivores get their energy from both the plants and the animals they eat and obligate carnivores get their energy from the animals that they eat. This transfer of energy from one organism to another is known as an Ecological Level Pyramid. Even though wolves, coyotes and foxes are classified as carnivores they do eat some fruit and vegetation. They eat varying amounts of plant material from the stomach of small animals along with any hair ingested when consuming this prey. They also obtain fiber (and other valuable nutrients) when feeding on the feces of herbivores

Putting aside the feral aspects of nutrition for a moment, the domestic dog’s long history of evolution with humans does allow for the inclusion of vegetables and fruit in the diet. Think about farm dogs that have flourished on leftovers that included vegetable peelings from kitchen waste. And given the opportunity, wild and domestic dogs will help themselves to berries or feast on a windfall of over-ripe fruit. Urban dog owners often witness their pets avidly grazing on backyard grass and many dogs find the cat’s grass tray irresistible! Scavengers at heart, dogs will seek and obtain that which they instinctively require in one form or another.

Dogs are classified as a “consumer” rather than a “producer” in the ecological pyramid. Their digestive tract is about six times the length of their body, unlike the intestinal tract of the herbivore, which is ten to twelve times its body length. The salivary glands serve merely to lubricate rather than initiate digestion. Their oral anatomy is designed to hold forty-two teeth which comprise of twelve incisors that are well suited for cutting; long, pointed top and bottom canines for grasping and ripping and twenty-six premolars and molars for crushing food. Their jaw is not capable of moving sideways so they are unable to properly grind vegetable material which may be why food is rarely chewed, but ‘wolfed’ down whole. Therefore, dogs require plant material in a pre-digested or over-ripe form in order for it to be adequately utilized. If not, it may come “out” the same way it went “in”.

Large amounts of vegetables and fruit are not necessary to the dog although it is believed that the fiber they provide may help prevent harmful food substances from affecting the colon. Fiber is broken down by fermentation to a very limited degree in the canid species. This is normally accomplished through enzymes produced by bacteria that inhabit areas of the gastro intestinal tract. Grazing animals such as cattle or sheep can obtain energy from the fiber they consume. The largest part of their four chambered stomach is designed for fermentation by bacteria. In other animals such as horses and rabbits this process takes place in the cecum, which is located at the junction of the intestinal tract. Monogastric animals such as the dog have only a very small cecum and therefore obtain little energy from insoluble carbohydrates. However, dietary fiber serves other purposes. The fiber in vegetables and fruits plays a role in contributing to stool consistency and is useful to prevent constipation.

Tripe & Rumen

If you’re the type that likes to stay true to the feral side of your dog’s diet, can’t be bothered with food processors and doesn’t mind the aroma of fermented herbage, then green tripe may be the alternative you choose to feed instead of vegetables. Even if you do feed your dogs vegetables, green tripe can and should still be incorporated into the diet if possible. If you’re not familiar with this foodstuff, prepare yourself for the smell it emits and the absolute joy your dog will exhibit when eating it!

Green tripe is the muscular lining and content of a ruminant’s stomach. Examples of ruminant animals would be cows, sheep, goats and deer. Note that ruminants chew their food more than once while some herbivorous mammals do not. Green pasture provides the natural herbivore diet with carbohydrates, cellulose, proteins, enzymes, essential fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins; especially A, D and E. These rich nutrients will in turn become beneficial to the dog.

The Ruminant Ecosystem

The first stomach chamber is the large rumen (or paunch) followed by the reticulum which has a distinctive “honeycomb” appearance and the omasum (psalterium or manyplies). The last chamber is the abomasum (or reed), which corresponds to the stomach of monogastric mammals.

Ruminants have the ability to store large quantities of grass or foliage in the rumen, where many species of minute protozoan and bacteria live in harmony. This flora and fauna digest the cellulose in the plant material, thereby releasing the contents of the plant cell nutrients for digestion by the cow. The action of these microbes produces different substances, including fatty acids. In addition, any protein is converted into fatty acids and other material is used by the micro-organisms for their own cell-protein synthesis.

After the plant matter is processed in the rumen, it is regurgitated. Hence the term that herbivores chew their cud! The chewed cud or bolus, goes directly to the other chambers of the stomach (the reticulum, omasum, and abomasum). Additional digestion, with the aid of various microorganisms continues in these other chambers. For example, in the omasum, fatty acids and water are absorbed. In the abomasum gastric juice containing hydrochloric acid is secreted, as in a regular mammalian stomach, further digesting the food. The next stop is the small and large intestinal tract, which extracts any remaining nutrients from the feed prior to elimination.

The result of this complex manufacturing facility provides an incredibly beneficial food for puppies and dogs that supplies enzymes, short-chain fatty acids, long-chain omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, and the “friendly” lactic acid bacteria. Green tripe generally delivers equal calcium to phosphorus ratio, and is an excellent source of biological carbohydrate, protein, fiber and fat. Dogs fed green tripe on a regular basis possess clean teeth, most likely due to the slightly acidic pH and enzymes present in this food. Improved coat condition is often observed with more shine, richer color and less dander. This is probably due in part to the essential fatty acids found in green tripe.

For permission to reproduce this article email bhagel@quadrant.net