The Holistic Canine

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The Holistic Canine

We provide individualized consulting, science-based education, & precision nutrition. Holistic health care necessitates knowledge and wisdom.

The Holistic Canine is an expert-led canine nutrition & wellness practice specializing in diet formulation, therapeutic plans, & holistic support for optimal health. Health is a state within the body that encompasses the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of the animal. It must be cultivated with care and requires an ongoing process of maintenance and effort. An ongoing self-education and awareness of current research is recommended for preserving optimal health. We not only keep continually abreast of the latest research and developments in the natural health field for animal care, but we put into practice what we have learned, honing it to produce optimal and vibrant health. Only natural rearing can produce a true state of health. Any introduction of poison, chemicals, or synthetic substances to an animal's body, as well as altering their physical body, directly disrupts and disturbs the natural flow and rhythm of health maintenance. Kimberly is a board certified doctor of Nutrition and Naturopathy, professionally certified as a Natural Health Practitioner and a Holistic Nutrition Practitioner. She practices with dogs, cats, and livestock as well as people, giving nutrition and health care strategies and therapies to pet parents. Together with her husband, Andrew, they are pet parents to six dogs and more than thirty chickens and turkeys. They follow the strict Code of Ethics outlined by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners.

12/20/2025

🧠🐶 You Won’t See This Nutrient on Trend Lists — But It’s Vital to Your Dog’s Health: Thiamine (Vitamin B1)

Homemade diets can look incredibly nourishing — fresh meats, organs, and bones — but there’s one critical nutrient that is almost always deficient when diets are not carefully formulated or audited:

👉 Thiamine (Vitamin B1)

This is especially true for diets based solely on beef, chicken, or turkey, and for popular 80/10/10 prey model recipes.

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🔬 Why Thiamine Is Essential

Thiamine is a water-soluble B vitamin that dogs cannot produce on their own. It must be supplied consistently through the diet.

It is required for:
⚡ Energy metabolism (carbohydrates → usable energy)
🧠 Brain and nervous system function
💪 Normal muscle function
🍽️ Healthy appetite and digestion

Without enough thiamine, the body literally cannot generate energy efficiently, especially for the brain.

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⚠️ Signs of Thiamine Deficiency

Deficiency often begins subtly and is frequently overlooked:

➡️ Low energy or lethargy
➡️ Decreased appetite or weight loss
➡️ Vomiting or GI upset
➡️ Weakness or uncoordinated movement
➡️ Neurological signs (tremors, seizures)

👉 Good stool quality does not rule out a thiamine deficiency.

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🥩 Why 80/10/10 & Prey Model Diets Often Fall Short

The 80/10/10 model focuses on ratios — not nutrient adequacy.

Common issues:
❌ Beef, chicken, and turkey are poor to moderate sources of thiamine
❌ Muscle meat + bone + organ ratios do not guarantee micronutrient sufficiency
❌ No margin of safety without formulation or nutrient analysis
❌ No fortification like commercial diets

A diet can be “species-appropriate” and still be nutrient-deficient.

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🌿🐟 Thiamine-Rich Foods That Help Prevent Deficiency

To meet (and exceed) thiamine minimums, intentional inclusion of rich sources is essential.

Excellent sources include:

💛 Nutritional yeast (very rich and highly effective)
🐖 Pork (one of the best whole-food sources)
🐟 Salmon (moderate source with added omega-3 benefits)

👉 Including at least one of these at therapeutic levels is critical when feeding homemade diets — especially those dominated by beef, chicken, or turkey.
Even better, add two of these sources every day.

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🧠 The Big Takeaway

Homemade diets require more than good intentions and ratios.

✅️ Balance is about nutrients, not ingredients
✅️ Thiamine deficiency is common — and preventable
✅️ Formulation or professional auditing protects long-term health

At The Holistic Canine, we don’t guess — we calculate.

🐾 If you’re feeding homemade and want peace of mind, we’re here to help 💚. Book an appointment with our board certified nutrition practitioner.
theholisticcanine.us

12/19/2025

🧬 COPPER: THE DEFICIENCY NO ONE IS WATCHING FOR

(And One of the Easiest to Get Wrong in Fresh Diets)

Copper is a trace mineral with outsized importance in canine nutrition — and it is frequently misbalanced in homemade and fresh food diets.

Most pet parents assume:

“I feed liver, so copper is covered.”

❌️ That assumption is often incorrect.

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🧠 WHY COPPER MATTERS

Copper is essential for:
✔ Red blood cell formation
✔ Iron metabolism (without copper, iron can’t be used properly)
✔ Nervous system development
✔ Connective tissue strength
✔ Pigment production (coat & skin)
✔ Immune function

Inadequate copper intake may contribute to: ▪ Anemia
▪ Poor coat color or fading
▪ Weak immune response
▪ Skeletal and connective tissue issues
▪ Impaired growth in puppies

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🥩 LIVER ≠ ALWAYS ENOUGH COPPER

Copper content varies dramatically depending on the type of liver fed:

🔹️ Beef & calf liver → High in copper
🔹️ Duck liver → Moderate copper (often not enough for puppies)
🔹️ Chicken & turkey liver → Very low copper

👉 Diets relying primarily on poultry liver are almost always copper deficient unless copper is added elsewhere.

This is one of the most common hidden deficiencies we see in fresh-fed dogs.

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🐾 PUPPIES & COPPER REQUIREMENTS

Growing puppies have higher copper needs per calorie than adult dogs.

Copper is critical for:
👉 Rapid tissue growth
👉 Proper skeletal development
👉 Nervous system maturation

A diet that is “fine” for an adult dog may be insufficient for a puppy, especially when duck or poultry liver is used exclusively.

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⚖️ TOO MUCH COPPER IS ALSO A PROBLEM

Copper balance is a tight window.

Excessive copper intake — especially from overfeeding beef or calf liver — can:
▪ Interfere with zinc absorption
▪ Disrupt mineral balance
▪ Increase oxidative stress

This is why rotating organs or “feeding more liver just in case” can create new problems while trying to fix old ones.

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🔗 COPPER DOES NOT WORK ALONE

Copper is closely linked with:
➡️ Iron (copper is required to mobilize. iron)
➡️ Zinc (excess copper can suppress zinc absorption)
➡️ Calcium & phosphorus (mineral balance matters)

Focusing on one mineral without considering the others leads to imbalance.

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🚫 COMMON FRESH-FEEDING MISTAKES

▪ Assuming all liver provides the same nutrients
▪ Feeding only poultry liver
▪ Overfeeding beef liver to “cover bases”
▪ Ignoring copper–zinc interactions
▪ Skipping formulation for puppies

Whole foods are powerful — but only when used intentionally.

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🐕 THE TAKEAWAY 👇

Copper deficiency is common.
Copper excess is possible.
Both are avoidable.

Fresh food nutrition isn’t about ingredients alone — it’s about balance ⚖️.

Precision matters — especially when you’re feeding fresh 💚.

❓️Need help formulating a properly balanced raw or fresh food diet for your beloved dog? Book an appointment with our board certified nutrition practitioner to get started.
theholisticcanine.us

12/18/2025

🍗 Raw Meaty Bones: How Much, Which Ones, and What If You Don’t Feed Them?

Raw meaty bones (RMBs) are one of the most confusing parts of raw feeding, especially for pet parents just getting started 🦴.

Let’s simplify it.

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What Are Raw Meaty Bones❓️

Raw meaty bones are edible bones with meat attached.
They serve two roles at once:

✔️ Bone → provides calcium & phosphorus

✔️ Meat → counts toward the protein portion of the meal

This dual role is where most confusion comes from.

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Common Examples of RMBs ➡️

▪️Chicken necks, backs, wings, quarters
▪️Turkey necks
▪️Duck necks, wings, feet
▪️Rabbit pieces

⚠️ Weight-bearing bones from large animals are not appropriate.

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Here’s an Important Detail Many People Miss
👇

📢 Not all raw meaty bones are the same.

Each RMB has a different bone-to-meat ratio.
For example:

🦴 A chicken neck contains a higher percentage of bone

🍗 A chicken quarter contains more meat

A turkey neck is very different from a duck neck 🦃 ❌️ 🦆

👉 This means two bones of the same weight can contribute very different amounts of calcium.

This is why simply “adding a bone” without guidance can easily throw a diet out of balance.

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How Much RMB Goes Into a Diet❓️

Instead of thinking in grams, think in percentages.

For most adult dogs: 🦴 Edible bone ≈ 10% of the total diet

For most puppies: 🦴 Edible bone ≈ 15% or higher

Remember:
✅️ The bone portion supplies calcium & phosphorus (this part ONLY counts as the 10% to 15% of the total diet)
✅️ The meat portion counts toward daily protein
✅️ RMBs replace part of the meal—they are not added on top

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❓️Why Bone Balance Matters

Too little bone can lead to:

🔹️Weak bones
🔹️Poor teeth
🔹️Mineral deficiencies

Too much bone can cause:

🔹️Constipation
🔹️Chalky stools
🔹️Mineral imbalances

⚖️ Balance — not “more” — is the goal.

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What If You Don’t Feed Raw Meaty Bones ❓️

That’s okay — RMBs are optional, not required.

Calcium can be safely provided using:
✔️ Bone meal
✔️ Calcium hydroxyapatite
✔️ Other balanced calcium sources (used correctly)

📏 These are measured supplements, and amounts must be matched to the diet’s phosphorus.

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The Takeaway 👇

Raw meaty bones can be a wonderful tool—but only when used correctly.

They are:
➡️ A calcium source
➡️ A meat source
➡️ A variable ingredient that requires thoughtful balance

If raw bones don’t feel right for your dog — or for you — there are safe, effective alternatives.

Education always comes before trends.

💬 If you’d like a follow-up post breaking down different RMB types and their bone percentages, let us know below 👇.

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❓️ Too confused about bones? You’re not alone. Professional formulation ensures your dog gets the nutrients they need — without guesswork. Book a consultation with our board certified nutrition practitioner!
theholisticcanine.us

12/17/2025

💩 Dog Stool: A Valuable Clue — But Not the Whole Health Story

An Evidence-Based Perspective from The Holistic Canine❗️

Stool quality absolutely matters.
It gives us real-time feedback about digestion, hydration, fiber tolerance, and gross GI function 💩.

But here’s the truth many pet parents don’t hear enough:

👉 Normal stool does NOT equal a nutritionally balanced diet.
👉 Good p**p does NOT guarantee good health.

This misconception is especially common among raw and fresh food feeders.

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🔍 What Stool CAN Tell Us

Stool consistency, shape, and frequency provide useful information about:

✅️ Digestive transit time
✅️ Fat tolerance
✅️ Fiber balance
✅️ Gross calcium excess (chalky, crumbly stools)
✅️ Acute GI upset or infection
✅️ Hydration status

In raw-fed dogs, stool can help indicate when bone intake is clearly excessive or insufficient. That feedback is useful — and worth paying attention to.

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⚠️ What Stool CANNOT Tell Us

This is where the misunderstanding happens.

Even perfect-looking stool cannot tell us whether a diet is:

❌ Meeting NRC nutrient requirements
❌ Providing adequate zinc, copper, iodine, selenium, or iron
❌ Supporting thyroid function
❌ Supporting immune health
❌ Supporting skin, coat, or metabolic needs
❌ Properly balanced for long-term health

Multiple studies and clinical diet analyses show that dogs can have ideal stool while still being deficient in key micronutrients — especially zinc, copper, iodine, and certain vitamins.

This includes dogs eating:
▪️Raw diets
▪️Meat-bone-organ diets
▪️Raw diets with vegetables/fruit
▪️Home-cooked fresh diets

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🧪 Why Stool Isn’t a Reliable Measure of Nutrient Balance

Stool reflects what exits the body, not what is absorbed at the cellular level.

Many nutrient deficiencies:

❗️Do not affect stool at all

❗️Develop slowly over months or years

❗️First appear as skin, coat, immune, or metabolic issues — not diarrhea

Dogs with zinc deficiency, copper deficiency, iodine imbalance, or calcium-mineral antagonism often have normal, well-formed stools until clinical signs appear.

👉 This is why stool quality alone cannot validate a diet.

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🦴 A Common Raw Feeding Myth 💩

🚫 “If the p**p looks good, the diet is balanced.”

Science does NOT support this❗️

Stool can tell us when something is grossly wrong —
but it cannot confirm that everything is right.

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🧠 The Holistic Canine Perspective

We absolutely believe stool is a valuable diagnostic clue.
But it is one piece of the puzzle, not the final verdict.

A truly appropriate diet considers:
✔ Stool quality
✔ Ingredient selection
✔ Mineral ratios
✔ Nutrient bioavailability
✔ Individual dog needs
✔ Scientific nutrient analysis

Good p**p is a great starting point — not the finish line.

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🌟 Many loving pet parents believe stool quality proves a diet is balanced.
Sharing this helps protect dogs from silent deficiencies that develop long before stool changes.

💚 For a professionally formulated diet plan or to schedule a phone consultation, visit
theholisticcanine.us

12/16/2025

⚕️ Therapeutic Diets: When Nutrition Becomes Treatment

Nutrition is more than calories on a plate—it is information for the body 🧬.

For many dogs, a thoughtfully designed therapeutic diet can be life-altering and, in some cases, life-saving. Therapeutic nutrition is not about trends or restriction; it’s about using evidence-based nutrient targets to support specific physiological needs, reduce disease burden, and improve quality of life.

Therapeutic diets can be incredibly valuable for non-life-threatening but quality-of-life–impacting conditions, including:
🔹️Obesity and metabolic dysfunction
🔹️Skin and coat disorders
🔹️Nutrient deficiencies
🔹️Food sensitivities and allergies
🔹️Gastrointestinal disorders
🔹️Urinary tract and bladder health
🔹️Arthritis and orthopedic conditions

In these cases, nutrition can help calm inflammation, correct imbalances, support digestion, and reduce clinical symptoms—often decreasing reliance on medications over time.

For serious and life-altering conditions, nutrition becomes even more critical:
▪️Chronic kidney disease
▪️Liver disease and liver shunts
▪️Pancreatitis
▪️Diabetes
▪️Congestive heart failure (including DCM)
▪️Autoimmune conditions
▪️Cancer

In these situations, therapeutic diets are carefully structured to manage protein quality and quantity, fat tolerance, mineral balance, carbohydrate load, inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolic demands—always tailored to the individual dog, their diagnostics, and their medical treatments.

There is no single “perfect” diet for every dog. What works beautifully for one condition may be harmful for another. That is why therapeutic nutrition must be individualized, intentional, and rooted in physiology and research—not guesswork.

📝 At The Holistic Canine, therapeutic plans are formulated with the understanding that food can be a powerful tool alongside veterinary care. When done correctly, nutrition doesn’t just support the body—it helps guide it toward stability, resilience, and healing.

💚 Because sometimes, changing what’s in the bowl can truly change a life. 🐾

theholisticcanine.us

12/15/2025

🧠 BEEF SPLEEN: AN IRON-RICH ORGAN FOR DOGS OF ALL AGES

Iron is essential throughout life — not just during growth.

While puppies have higher iron demands, adult dogs rely on iron just as heavily for energy, immune resilience, and oxygen delivery.

One of the most efficient whole-food sources❓️
Beef spleen.

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🧬 WHY IRON MATTERS (AT EVERY LIFE STAGE)

Iron is required for:
✔ Red blood cell production (hemoglobin)
✔ Oxygen transport to muscles and organs
✔ Cellular energy metabolism
✔ Immune system function
✔ Cognitive and neurological health

Insufficient iron may contribute to:
▪ Fatigue and low stamina
▪ Poor recovery from illness
▪ Reduced immune response
▪ Exercise intolerance

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🥩 WHAT MAKES BEEF SPLEEN UNIQUE

Beef spleen provides:
🩸 Highly bioavailable heme iron
🩸Vitamin B12 (red blood cell maturation)
🩸Copper, needed for proper iron utilization
🩸 Selenium, supporting antioxidant defenses

Heme iron from animal tissues is absorbed far more efficiently than non-heme iron.

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🐾 BENEFITS FOR PUPPIES

During growth, puppies:
🔹️Expand blood volume rapidly
🔹️Build muscle and connective tissue
🔹️Have higher oxygen and nutrient demands

Beef spleen can support:
✔ Healthy red blood cell development
✔ Energy levels during growth
✔ Immune system maturation

This is especially relevant for:
• Large and giant breed puppies
• Fresh-fed or homemade diets

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🐕 BENEFITS FOR ADULT DOGS

In adult dogs, beef spleen helps support:
✔ Endurance and stamina
✔ Recovery from illness or stress
✔ Immune resilience
✔ Dogs with higher activity levels
✔ Diets that are lower in organ variety

It can be particularly helpful for:
▪️ Active and working dogs
▪️ Seniors with declining appetite
▪️ Dogs with marginal iron intake

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⚖️ BALANCE STILL MATTERS

Iron interacts with other minerals.

Excessive iron can interfere with:
👉 Zinc absorption
👉 Copper balance

Beef spleen should be:
✔ Fed in small, calculated amounts (5% or less of the total diet)
✔ Rotated with other organs
✔ Part of a balanced, formulated diet

More is not better — precision is protective.

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🚫 COMMON MISTAKES

▪ Overfeeding liver while neglecting other organs
▪ Avoiding spleen due to unfamiliarity
▪ Supplementing iron without confirming need
▪ Assuming muscle meat provides enough iron

Whole-food organs provide iron in a biologically appropriate context.

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🐾 THE TAKEAWAY

Beef spleen is a powerful, underused organ that supports oxygen delivery, energy, and immune health in both puppies and adult dogs.

✨️ Species-appropriate ingredients are effective. Balanced formulation makes them safe.

Need help formulating an NRC diet for your puppy or adult dog❓️ Book now❗️
theholisticcanine.us

12/14/2025

🦴 CALCIUM ISN’T JUST ABOUT BONES

(And Too Much Can Be Just As Harmful As Too Little)

Calcium is one of the most misunderstood nutrients in canine nutrition.

Yes — calcium is essential for skeletal development.
But calcium does not work alone, and more is not better.

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🧬 WHY CALCIUM MATTERS

Calcium plays a role in:
✔ Bone and tooth formation
✔ Muscle contraction
✔ Nerve signaling
✔ Blood clotting
✔ Cellular communication

To do its job safely, calcium must be balanced, not isolated.

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⚖️ THE CALCIUM : PHOSPHORUS RATIO (THIS PART MATTERS❗️)

According to NRC guidelines, dogs require:
➡️ A Ca:P ratio between ~1:1 and 2:1
➡️ Optimal target for most dogs: ~1.2–1.4 : 1

⚠️ Too little calcium → impaired bone mineralization
⚠️ Too much calcium → abnormal bone growth
⚠️ Wrong ratio → skeletal disease even if total calcium looks “adequate”

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🐾 PUPPIES ARE THE MOST AT RISK

Growing puppies cannot regulate excess calcium.
What they consume is what gets absorbed.

This is especially critical for:
▪️Large & giant breed puppies
▪️Dogs expected to exceed ~70 lb adult weight

Excess calcium during growth has been linked to:
🔹️ Developmental orthopedic disease
🔹️ Joint incongruity
🔹️ Abnormal growth plate closure
🔹️ Increased risk of arthritis later in life

👉 Large and giant breed puppies actually require slightly less calcium per calorie, not more.

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📊 NRC CALCIUM GUIDANCE

Based on NRC nutrient requirements:

🔷️ Adult dogs require ~1 g to 1.25 g calcium / 1,000 kcal

🔷️ Growing puppies require ~3.0 g calcium / 1,000 kcal

🔷️ Upper safe limit during growth: ~4.5 g / 1,000 kcal (large breed stay around 3 g / 1000 kcal)

Chronic excess — even from “natural” sources — can be damaging.

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🔗 CALCIUM DOES NOT ACT ALONE

Calcium interacts directly with other nutrients:

➡️ Phosphorus
→ Must remain balanced with calcium for proper bone formation

➡️ Magnesium
→ Required for calcium transport and utilization

➡️ Zinc
→ Competes for absorption when calcium intake is excessive

➡️ Vitamin D
→ Regulates calcium absorption and blood levels

An imbalance in one can disrupt all the others❗️

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🚫 COMMON MISTAKES WE SEE 👇

▪ Over-supplementing calcium “just to be safe”
▪ Adding bone or calcium powders without calculation
▪ Assuming puppies need extra calcium
▪ Ignoring mineral interactions

Nutrition errors made during growth can echo for a lifetime ⚠️.

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🐕 THE TAKEAWAY

Calcium isn’t about adding more.
It’s about adding it correctly.

Balanced nutrition isn’t intuitive —
it’s calculated.

‼️Puppy diets and fresh food recipes must be formulated — not guessed. For a properly formulated NRC diet, book now!
theholisticcanine.us

12/13/2025

🧠 IODINE: A MISSING LINK IN THYROID HEALTH FOR DOGS

Iodine deficiency is a quiet but very real risk in fresh & homemade diets — and it directly impacts the thyroid gland.

Iodine is required to produce thyroid hormones (T3 & T4), which regulate:
✔ Metabolism
✔ Body temperature
✔ Skin & coat health
✔ Energy levels
✔ Growth and neurological function

When iodine intake is chronically inadequate, the thyroid works harder to compensate — sometimes leading to:
▪ Goiter (thyroid enlargement)
▪ Hypothyroid-like symptoms
▪ Lethargy and exercise intolerance
▪ Unexplained weight changes
▪ Poor coat quality and hair loss

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🧬 WHY THIS MATTERS MORE FOR SOME DOGS

Certain breeds are genetically predisposed to thyroid dysfunction, including:
🔹️Golden Retrievers
🔹️Doberman Pinschers
🔹️Boxers
🔹️Great Danes
🔹️Cocker Spaniels
🔹️Irish Setters

In these dogs, nutritional gaps don’t stay silent for long.

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🥩 THE COMMON PROBLEM WITH FRESH & HOMEMADE DIETS

Here’s what many pet parents don’t realize:

Muscle meat, organs, vegetables, eggs, and dairy
👉 are NOT reliable sources of iodine❗️

Even well-intentioned, whole-food diets can fall short unless iodine is intentionally included.

❌️ Adding “variety” does not solve an iodine deficiency.
❌ ️Adding “superfoods” does not solve an iodine deficiency.

✅️ Iodine must be measured and deliberate.

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⚠️ A CRITICAL BALANCE

Too little iodine can impair thyroid hormone production.
Too much iodine can also disrupt thyroid function.

Safe iodine sources include 👇:

✅️ Precisely measured kelp with the iodine yield clearly analyzed and labeled

✅️ Properly formulated mineral blends

✅️ Professionally balanced recipes

Free-feeding seaweed or “eyeballing” iodine sources is not safe ⚠️.

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🐾 THE TAKEAWAY

Thyroid disease is not always genetic.
Sometimes, it’s nutritional.

Balanced nutrition isn’t intuitive —
it’s calculated.

If you’re feeding fresh or homemade, nutrient precision matters just as much as ingredient quality. If you need assistance from our board certified nutrition practitioner, book an appointment today... 👇

theholisticcanine.us

12/12/2025

Our dogs may not speak our language… but they speak to our hearts in every moment.
A gentle nudge when we’re sad. A happy dance when we walk through the door. A quiet presence when we simply need someone to stay by our side.

They don’t ask for much in return—just to be loved, protected, nourished, and respected.
And isn’t that what family deserves?

At The Holistic Canine, we believe our dogs are family.
Not accessories.
Not afterthoughts.
Not “just pets.”

They are loyal companions who trust us completely with their health, their joy, and their lives.
And it’s our responsibility—and privilege—to honor that trust.

That means:
✨ Providing the nutrition their bodies truly need to thrive
✨ Supporting their health with mindful, proactive care
✨ Creating an environment of mutual respect, safety, and understanding
✨ And giving the unconditional love they so effortlessly give to us every single day

Because when we choose to care for them with intention, compassion, and knowledge…
we’re not just extending their lives—we’re enriching the bond that makes life worth living.

Here’s to treating our dogs like the cherished family members they are.
Today and every day. ❤️🐾

theholisticcanine.us

12/11/2025

⚠️ Zinc: The Silent Deficiency in Homemade Dog Diets

Zinc is one of the most commonly deficient micronutrients in homemade raw and cooked diets—and the research consistently supports this. When nutritionists analyze fresh-food recipes created by pet owners, zinc is often the nutrient that falls shortest.

But even when a diet appears to meet NRC minimums, your dog may still not be absorbing enough 😦. Here’s why:

🔍 Why Zinc Deficiency Happens (Even When You Think the Diet is Balanced)

1️⃣ Calcium Directly Competes with Zinc for Absorption

Dogs require high levels of calcium, especially in raw diets where bone is included.
👉 However, science clearly shows that calcium is a strong antagonist to zinc, meaning it can block zinc absorption in the intestines.
A diet that technically meets NRC zinc minimums may still lead to functional deficiency when calcium is high❗️

This is why dogs on raw diets with raw meaty bones or diets with added bone meal powder, calcium hydroxyapatite, calcium carbonate/phosphate, or eggshell often struggle to maintain optimal zinc levels.

🔍 2️⃣ Some Dogs Struggle to Absorb Zinc Efficiently

Even with adequate dietary zinc, certain breeds—including Huskies and Malamutes—are predisposed to Syndrome 1 Zinc-Responsive Dermatosis, a genetically influenced malabsorption disorder.

Breeds where zinc issues are well documented:
▪️Siberian Husky
▪️Alaskan Malamute
▪️Samoyed
▪️Great Danes (occasionally)
▪️Other northern or Arctic breeds

These dogs often require supplementation even when the diet is technically “complete.”

🔍 3️⃣ Syndrome 2 Zinc-Responsive Dermatosis

Syndrome 2 can occur in any breed, but is especially seen in large-breed puppies fed diets with:
▪️Excessive calcium
▪️Imbalanced mineral ratios
▪️Poor-quality or improperly formulated homemade diets

High calcium intake during growth is a known risk factor because it further suppresses zinc absorption, leading to dermatologic symptoms such as:
🔹️Crusting around the face
🔹️Thickened paw pads
🔹️Flaky skin
🔹️Poor coat quality

🔍 4️⃣ Zinc Deficiency Can Occur in Any Dog

Even dogs with no genetic predisposition can develop zinc-responsive dermatosis when:
🔸️Diets are low in zinc
🔸️Calcium is high
🔸️Phytates (from plant matter or grains) bind zinc
🔸️Chronic inflammation increases zinc demand

🧠 Our Recommendation at The Holistic Canine

Because zinc deficiency is so common, and calcium so easily blocks absorption, we recommend adding a zinc supplement in every homemade meal plan—raw or cooked—even when food-based zinc appears to “hit the mark.”

It’s a low-risk, high-benefit addition that supports:

✅️Skin & coat health
✅️Immune function
✅️Wound healing
✅️Thyroid health
✅️Reproductive health
✅️Healthy growth in puppies

Your dog’s skin, coat, and immune system are zinc-dependent, and deficiency often goes unnoticed until symptoms become significant.

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📢 Help Us Get the Word Out by Clicking Share!

Zinc deficiency in homemade diets is far more common than most pet parents realize.
Sharing this helps other owners prevent unnecessary skin issues—especially in raw-fed and growing dogs❗️

❓️Need help ensuring your homemade diet is optimized for zinc? Book now with The Holistic Canine's board certified nutrition practitioner to safeguard your pet. theholisticcanine.us

12/10/2025

Taurine Matters: Should You Supplement❓️

❤️ Taurine & Your Dog’s Heart 🐾 Why Fresh Food Matters More Than Ever

At The Holistic Canine, we talk a lot about bioavailability — how well your dog’s body can actually use the nutrients in their food. Taurine is one of the best examples of why fresh, biologically appropriate diets matter.

What is taurine, and why is it vital?

Taurine plays major roles in:
✔️ Heart muscle function
✔️ Bile acid conjugation (fat digestion)
✔️ Retinal health
✔️ Antioxidant protection
✔️ Reproductive health

Dogs can synthesize taurine — but only if they have enough of the amino acids methionine and cysteine, plus the cofactors required for taurine metabolism.

❓️So why do taurine deficiencies still happen?

👉 Processed Foods Fall Short❗️

It’s not enough for a diet to contain protein — the real question is whether that protein is high-quality, digestible, and minimally processed, allowing a dog to absorb the amino acids they need.

Research shows:

🔹 ️High-heat processing (like extrusion used in kibble) can reduce the availability of methionine and cysteine.

🔹 ️Some diets linked with taurine-deficient DCM contained proteins with reduced digestibility or altered amino-acid profiles.

🔹️ Diets heavy in low–bioavailability ingredients (certain legumes, high-fiber fillers, plant concentrates, novel proteins without digestibility studies) may deliver protein that looks good on a label but provides fewer usable amino acids once digested.

🔹️ Several studies investigating diet-associated DCM found that improving protein quality and adding fresh, animal-based proteins improved taurine status and cardiac markers in affected dogs.

When the body doesn’t receive enough usable methionine or cysteine, taurine synthesis slows — and the heart is often the first organ to show consequences.

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🌟 Why Fresh Food Shines 🐕
(And why The Holistic Canine prioritizes it)

Fresh, minimally processed diets provide:

1️⃣ Naturally high levels of methionine & cysteine

Fresh muscle meats, heart, dark poultry meat, eggs, and seafood offer a complete amino-acid profile with high digestibility.

2️⃣ Natural dietary taurine

While dogs can synthesize taurine, getting it directly from food is beneficial — especially from:
• beef heart
• turkey thigh
• dark chicken meat
• sardines
• mussels
• raw or lightly cooked organ meats

3️⃣ Superior digestion & absorption

Fresh foods avoid the extreme temperatures and mechanical processing that damage amino acids and reduce their availability.

4️⃣ Better bile-acid metabolism

Fresh fats and whole-food nutrients support normal bile-acid conjugation — a process that requires taurine. Disrupted bile metabolism can increase taurine loss.

5️⃣ Species-appropriate nutrition

Amino acids from fresh animal proteins consistently show higher bioavailability than processed or plant-concentrate proteins.

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❓️Should You Supplement Taurine?

Supplementation can be helpful in certain cases, but it should never replace fixing the diet.

At The Holistic Canine, we recommend:
✔️ Start with a balanced, fresh-food foundation
✔️ Test whole-blood taurine levels if your dog is/was on a processed diet, has a DCM concern, or is from an at-risk breed
✔️ Supplement only if needed or if recommended by your veterinarian

Fresh food provides the building blocks — taurine, methionine, cysteine, and the cofactors needed for synthesis — in their most natural, absorbable form.

Bottom Line 👇

Taurine deficiency isn’t caused by a lack of taurine on paper — it’s caused by a lack of usable amino acids that your dog’s body can turn into taurine.

A properly balanced fresh-food diet gives dogs:
💚 Stronger amino-acid profiles
💚 Higher bioavailability
💚 Natural taurine sources
💚 Superior heart-health support

This is why The Holistic Canine formulates every recipe around highly digestible proteins, whole foods, and nutrient synergy — to help protect your dog’s heart for life.
theholisticcanine.us

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Macon, GA
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Our Story

Health is a state within the body that encompasses the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of the animal. It must be cultivated with care and requires an ongoing process of maintenance and effort. Holistic health care necessitates knowledge and wisdom. An ongoing self-education and awareness of current research is recommended for preserving optimal health. We not only keep continually abreast of the latest research and developments in the natural health field for animal care, but we put into practice what we have learned, honing it to produce vibrant health. Only species-appropriate fresh raw foods and natural health care can produce a true state of health. Any introduction of processed foods, poison, chemicals, or synthetic substances to an animal's body, as well as altering their physical body, directly disrupts and disturbs the natural flow and rhythm of health maintenance. Kimberly is a doctor of Holistic Orthomolecular Nutrition and is a board certified holistic health practitioner (BCHHP). She is certified further as a Natural Health Practitioner (CNHP), a Holistic Nutrition Practitioner CHNP), and Raw Dog Food Nutritionist. She practices with dogs as well as people, giving nutrition and health care advice to canine pet parents. Together with her husband, Andrew, they raw feed and naturopathically care for their six dogs.