Why raw food is best for my Dogue De Bordeaux
A dogs stomach is not anatomically designed to digest and ferment carbohydrates (the main ingredient in kibble). Even grain-free kibble often contains high levels of starchy carbs, including legumes, peas and lentils. Feeding this to a dog puts their system under pressure, creating metabolically stressful insulin, glucagon and cortisol spikes throughout the day as well as causing inflammation and putting strain on vital organs, leading, in some cases, to a host of serious health conditions.
Theres no doubt the canine species is resilient, and despite eating a diet which isnt providing the natural components they may need, they will adapt and survive for some time. Still, theres a world of difference between surviving and thriving.
Whether you choose ProDog Raws no fuss, no-nonsense, natural raw dog food or raw puppy food, or you decide to create your own DIY raw food recipes at home, you can be sure that the move to a wholesome, species-specific diet will fuel your dogs well-being, regardless of thier breed.
Read on to find out what the benefits of raw dog food are for your Dogue De Bordeaux.
Read on to find out more of why raw food is the best food for your Dogue De Bordeaux
Canine gut health and raw food
The gut houses an ecosystem of bacteria called the microbiome (often known as gut flora). The balance of beneficial and harmful bacteria that makes up the microbiome has now been linked to the development of several health conditions through scientific studies.
Dog nutrition is important, and, independent from genetic factors and calorie intake, an imbalanced gut microbiome has been linked to:
Processed dog food loaded with additives, synthetics, and chemicals can upset the balance of microbiome by fuelling the harmful bacteria. This type of imbalance can contribute to leaky gut, a condition where the intestine lining becomes permeated. There is a delicate intestinal mucosa lining protecting the gut, which allows digested nutrients to pass through the system into the bloodstream. This mucous lining provides an effective barrier against toxins passing through and entering the dogs system. When this lining becomes compromised, food particles and toxins leak through and trigger an immune response, prompting systemic inflammation, all of which makes your dog more prone to illness. DEFRA-approved and raw green tripe for dogs can promote a healthy microbiome and support their digestion.
The immune system is the bodys natural protection mechanism; when functioning effectively will respond to toxins, pathogens and threats to your Dogue De Bordeaux health and happiness found in everyday life.
A vast proportion of the immune system is located in the gut, and therefore the gut environment is crucial to effective immune response. With all breeds, a natural, raw food diet for dogs, potentially supported by dog supplements, will maximise their natural immune defence by nourishing the gut environment and providing necessary immune-boosting micro-nutrients, in turn, ensuring their immune system is in peak condition to fight off all those nasties.
Maintaining appropriate healthy weight is essential for your dog, no matter what breed. Dogue De Bordeauxs are known to piling on the pounds, however, so their diet should consist of biologically appropriate proteins, healthy fats, ground bones and vegetables – which are packed with essential vitamins and minerals – for optimum health and performance.
As with any change in diet, you should pay specific attention to your dogs weight and physical appearance as they adapt to their diet. How much you feed your dog every day depends on several factors, including:
Weighing a Dogue De Bordeaux is likely best at the vets due to their size, no vet will object to you visiting for a weigh-in.
If you can lift your Dogue De Bordeaux, you can use a home weigh-in method, using three simple steps :
Alternatively pop into your vets for a weigh-in.
A species-specific diet is undoubtedly the best Dogue De Bordeaux food, fuel for overall health and happiness. Youll notice remarkably quickly that your four-legged friend will look, feel and even smell better.
Yes, we said SMELL! Were talking about the odour your dog emits from both ends.
Firstly, lets talk about toilet habits. Your dogs toilet habits and flatulence levels are something to pay close attention to. Theyre a great indicator of a dogs gut health and the effectiveness of their digestive system, and with less rubbish in, less rubbish out!
With a raw diet, youll notice a reduction in your dogs flatulence as well as a reduction in the amount of waste excreted. Simply put, when feeding your dog a good quality, raw diet, where the food is of a higher nutritional content, their body absorbs and utilises almost all of it.
Now, on to bad smells from the other end. The two most common causes of bad breath in dogs are poor digestion and gum/teeth decay. Feeding your dog a raw food diet helps with both. As already discussed, digestion is greatly improved through the introduction of a natural species-specific diet. And mouth and dental health are both improved through a reduction in processed sugars and also through the introduction of raw meaty bones, which help to keep their teeth clean. Incorporating raw dog treats into your dogs daily calories could help them maintain their mouth and dental hygiene in a way they really enjoy.
What happens on the inside shows on the outside. When gut health is poor, and a dogs digestion is ineffective, when stress and strain is placed on organs and systems of the body, theres always an impact on your dogs outward appearance.
Raw feeding is proven to improve skin condition, and coat health, reduced irritation, itchy flaky skin, hair loss and an increased shine of fur are beautiful side-effects of a raw natural diet. Our range of natural remedies for dogs could then provide topical support to your dogs skin condition and coat health.
Your Dogue De Bordeaux will be the envy of the town in no time when switching to raw dog food.
Our mission at ProDog Raw is to help as many dogs as possible thrive. The signs of a dog thriving will be plain to see, by you as their human companion. Increased vitality, reduced anxiety, reduced bad behaviour, fewer bad moods, improved mobility, increased agility and a whole heap more doggo smiles and tail wagging.
The Dogue de Bordeaux is a huge dog with an equally enormous appetite. As with all breeds, these dogs need food thats packed with animal proteins and carbohydrates for energy, plus omega fatty acids for coat and skin health. Some breeders and veterinarians recommend feeding a Dogue de Bordeaux a raw diet of fresh meats, vegetables, eggs, fish, and other protein sources–and while such a diet is great for a DDB, many owners find the raw diet to be too expensive and inconvenient, and choose premium grain-free dry food (particularly the kind made for large breeds) instead. The food will need to be grain-free because many DDBs are highly allergic to wheat and other grains. Owners are urged to not feed their DDBs only cheap, generic dog foods, as these have nowhere nearly enough nutritional ingredients to sustain this large breed for the long term.
As a giant-sized breed, Dogue de Bordeaux puppy development normally spans 20-24 months from birth to full maturity. Physically, DDB puppies grow swiftly in height and length for the first 7-8 months, then those growth rates slow somewhat while the adolescent “fills out” by gaining a great deal of muscle mass and fat. A DDB is typically at or near its full adult size (an average of 25 inches at the shoulders in height and 125 pounds in weight) by 14-16 months of age.
And specifically how much exercise does a Dogue de Bordeaux need? Adult DDBs, depending on their age and overall activity level, will need about an hour of proper physical activity each day. You can begin exercising a DDB pup at three months old by taking it on very short (5- to 10-minute) leashed walks, then increasing the walks duration as the puppy grows. Breed experts recommend giving these puppies five minutes of exercise for every month of age; a six-month-old DDB pup will need 30 minutes, a nine-month-old 45, and so on until 12 months of age.
Some things to keep in mind when exercising your Dogue de Bordeaux: first, puppies younger than 12 months old shouldnt participate in activities that include a lot of jumping, running, or navigating of stairs, as doing so can injure their still-developing bones and joints. And regardless of your DDBs age, a leash will be required when youre in public. These dogs may be aggressive towards strangers and other dogs, so theyll need to be carefully controlled when youre out and about. A further note about leash training, particularly with DDB puppies: its a good idea to establish the habit of having the dog (or puppy) walk beside or behind you on the leash, rather than allowing it to lead you. This establishes you as the “pack leader,” and will make it easier for you to teach the puppy/adult proper behavior. Additionally, DDBs are brachycephalic, meaning they have short noses that dont cool the air they breathe as well as other, longer-nosed breeds; this causes them to easily suffer heat stroke in hot temperatures. Its best, therefore, not to exercise your DDB in sweltering heat–and make sure the dog has access to fresh water at all times.
(NOTE: While often calm and docile, dogs of this breed are extremely protective of their loved ones, and can be aggressive towards strangers and other animals, particularly other dogs. These aggressive tendencies mean that new Dogue de Bordeaux owners should provide a great deal of obedience training and socialization with all manner of people, environments, and situations–hopefully, when the DDB is still a young pup. This early training and socialization will teach the young DDB behavior it hopefully continues in maturity.)
FAQ
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