When knowing what best to feed our most beloved dogs, a question comes to mind. Are our dogs carnivores or omnivores?
This information is essential in knowing what is best to feed our dogs. Should we feed them primarily meat, or should we feed them vegetables? Obviously, a dog's anatomy is entirely different from that of humans. Therefore, there are some food types that are healthy for us, but fail to provide dogs the nutrition they need.
The Canine Anatomy
The first factor of canine anatomy we should look at is a dog's dental features. A dog's teeth have evolved to shred, grab, rip, tear, and shear the meat off their prey. In addition, they are equipped with powerful jaw and neck muscles that help them take down their food source.
The second factor is their digestive system. Dogs do not have enzymes in their saliva that can quickly break down starches and carbohydrates. This task is placed on the pancreas. A dog's pancreas only can produce a small amount of enzymes, if a dog eats a small portion of vegetation. If you feed your dog large amounts of vegetables, its pancreas is pushed to the limit. Pushing any organ to the limit is hazardous to any animal's health.
A dog's digestive system is short and works quickly. Meat can be broken down more quickly, compared to vegetation that needs a longer amount of time to digest. In addition, dogs do not have friendly bacteria that can efficiently break down vegetation.
Lastly, we should take a look at their direct ancestors. Dogs are descendants of the more ancient wolf. You can safely conclude that a wolf in all aspects is a carnivore.
Why Do We See Dogs Eating Fruits And Vegetables?
We have seen dogs on several occasions eat various fruits and vegetables. This however does not mean that dogs are omnivores. Dogs by nature are opportunistic and highly adaptive creatures. Whenever an opportunity presents itself, it will eat anything that is edible. This is why we see our dogs eating previously dead animals like road kill, waiting for fruits to fall off of fruit trees, and on several occasions their own fecal matter. Dogs simply evolved to survive.
When we look at a dog's dental features, muscle makeup, digestive features, and ancestry, a dog is a carnivore inside and out. Every part of their anatomy points out that they are primarily meat eaters. Therefore, we can safely conclude that they are carnivores.
When we see a dog eating fruits and vegetables, it is their instinctive nature to survive that is kicking in. True, they can survive on fruits and vegetables, but will fail to thrive if they are fed a vegetarian diet alone.
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