W. Jean Dodds - Canine Nutrigenomics: The New Science of Feeding Your Dog for Optimum Health

Canine Nutrigenomics
The New Science of Feeding Your Dog for Optimum Health
W. Jean Dodds, DVM
Diana R. Laverdure, MS (2015)

Dogwise Publishing
A Division of Direct Book Service, Inc.
403 South Mission Street, Wenatchee, Washington 98801
1-509-663-9115, 1-800-776-2665
www.dogwisepublishing.com / info@dogwisepublishing.com

2015 W. Jean Dodds, DVM; Diana R. Laverdure, MS (2015)
Graphic Design: Lindsay Peternell

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, digital or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty:
The author and publisher shall not be liable in the event of incidental or consequential damages in connection with, or arising out of, the furnishing, performance, or use of the instructions and suggestions contained in this book. This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its authors. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed in the publication. It is sold with the understanding that the authors and publisher are not engaging in rendering veterinary, medical, health or any other kind of personal or professional services in the book. The reader should consult his or her veterinary, medical, health or other competent professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it. The authors and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dodds, W. Jean, author.
Canine nutrigenomics : the new science of feeding your dog for optimum health / W. Jean Dodds, DVM, Diana R. Laverdure.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61781-154-8
1. Dogs--Nutrition. 2. Dogs--Food. 3. Dogs--Health. I. Laverdure, Diana, 1965- author.
II. Title.
SF427.4.D62 2014
636.7--dc23
2014036035

ISBN: 978-161781154-8

Printed in the U.S.A.

To all dogs with vibrant health
waiting to be uncovered, and
people who love them.

Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food.

-Hippocrates

The authors would like to acknowledge and thank the many people whose support and efforts made this book possible. Our gratitude begins with the dedicated team of scientists of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and throughout the world who collaborated on the Human Genome Project, the international effort to sequence and map the known genes in the human body, known as the genome. Their groundbreaking work has paved the way for new advances in the study of genetic components of diseases, including the important role of environmental factors such as nutrition on gene expression and complex disorders, and has enabled the emerging study of nutrigenomics.

The NHGRI also supported a project to sequence the dog genome, led by Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Ph.D. of the Broad Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research, enabling our canine companions to benefit from the same advances in genomic technologies as humans. The cat genome has also been sequenced. We are extremely grateful for the work of these pioneering scientists.

We would also like to thank the scientists and researchers who are applying this information of human and companion animal genomics to advancing the fields of individualized medicine and nutrition for people and the animals we love. We have cited hundreds of their studies throughout this book. (Note that even though this book focuses on the dog, important parallel studies are also being applied to the cat.)

Jean and Diana would especially like to acknowledge and thank Drs. Barbara Fougre of Australia and Sue Armstrong of the United Kingdom for their valuable contributions that address the herbs, raw foods and other nutrient needs of animal cancer patients.

Writing a book, especially one of this scope and magnitude, is a team effort, and in our case we are grateful to all those at Dogwise Publishing who have enabled us to bring our vision to life. We would like to thank Charlene Woodward, Nate Woodward, Jon Luke and Lindsay Peternell for understanding the importance of this subject matter and supporting us along the lengthy journey from the books gestation to completion. We would especially like to thank Larry Woodward, our editor at Dogwise, whose editing prowess enabled us to raise this book to levels far surpassing what we had originally thought possible. That is what great editors do, and that is what Larry did for us.

To our significant others, we thank Jeans husband Charles and Dianas partner Rodney for their support and devotion through more than two years of long nights, rewrites and seemingly endless attention to detail. Thankfully, they are also perfectionists.

Jean would also like to remember her faithful companions over the years, and especially Issho, the angel whose short life on earth taught us so much about caring and how wholesome nutrition helps animals to thrive even in the face of adversity.

Diana would also like to thank her beloved dog, Chase. For more than a dozen years he has been her best friend, confidante and inspiration on her journey to help all dogs be the best they can be. She looks forward to many more wonderful years, and adventures, together.

Obesity. Gastrointestinal disorders. Skin irritations. Chronic yeast infections. Behavioral issues. Arthritis. Autoimmune diseases. Heart disease. Cancer. These are just a few of the common health conditions plaguing our dogs in skyrocketingand in some cases epidemicnumbers.

These conditions might not appear to share much in common, but they all result from inflammation that originates at the deepest level in your dogs bodyhis cells. Where does this inflammation come from? Much of it stems from the lifestyles our dogs share with us, their caretakersand especially from their modern diet. As you will soon see, many of the foods that are marketed to nourish our dogs actually wreak havoc on them from the inside out, resulting in rampant obesity and chronic disease (Dodds, 2014; Dodds, 2014a). But it doesnt have to be this way.

There is scientific information out there to help your dog live a long life bursting with health and free of chronic illness. You just likely havent heard much about it until now. This information is what Canine Nutrigenomics: The New Science of Feeding Your Dog for Optimum Health is all about.

In the following pages, we will reveal the latest scientific findings showing how nutritional ingredients speak to your dogs body at the cellular level. We will disclose how many of the foods you (and likely your veterinary professional) consider healthy are really sending unhealthy messages to your dogs genes. And, we will offer powerful tools to maximize your dogs health by feeding him to promote optimal gene expression, no matter what his current condition (more on gene expression in a minute).

The concept of eating healthy is not new, but its only over the past decade that scientists have really begun to understand how diet affects us at the deepest levelthe level of our cells. The major breakthrough occurred in 2003 with the completion of the Human Genome Project, a groundbreaking international research program in which scientists sequenced and mapped the location of the known genes in the human body. (Sequencing means determining the exact order of the chemical base units, signified by the letters A, T, G and C that make up a strand of DNA) (NHGRI, 2011). Our DNA contains our genes, which provide the instructions to make proteins that determine everything about us, from our gender and eye color to our ability to fight off disease. An organisms complete set of DNA, including all of its genes, is called its genome. The human genome contains an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 genes, each of which codes for an average of three proteins. We all have trillions of cells, and just about every one of these cells contains a complete copy of our