Thank you for being here! As I mentioned last week, ratio diets are a great starting point to feeding your dog a species appropriate diet, but we need to be mindful of the nutrients these diets may be lacking, and the symptoms that are manifesting. I want to talk about two essential nutrients today - zinc and copper. Zinc is one of these nutrients that almost all home-made diets are lacking if the right whole foods are not added, or at least supplementation. Even by rotating a variety of different proteins and cuts of meat, most likely your dog is lacking zinc, just as mine were. Copper, on the other hand, is one of those nutrients that home-made diets can either be deficient, or in great excess, which further depletes the body of zinc. This is because zinc adversely affects copper absorption and vice versa. So, if we increase the zinc consumption, we must also increase the copper consumption. The ideal zinc to copper ratio is 10:1, which is important for immune health and brain health.

What I have come to realize when looking back to when I was feeding a ratio diet is that my dogs’ meals were deficient in zinc and high in copper, which was negatively affecting their already low zinc absorption. This is because I was feeding mostly beef liver, which is high in copper, and I was feeding it at a rate of 5%, which is what the ratio diets call for. So, to put this in perspective, my dogs were getting 2x their recommended allowance for copper (Ezra should get 2 mg and she was getting 4 mg), and only hitting about 60% of their zinc recommended allowance (Ezra should get 20 mg and she was getting 13 mg). This made the zinc to copper ratio at a less than optimal level, and thus, skin and coat issues appeared. Both my dogs had dull, coarse hair and my black lab mix, Ezra, had dry, flaky skin. This is a clear sign of zinc deficiency. An optimal zinc to copper ratio supports a healthy immune system, creates a healthy gene expression, provides powerful antioxidants and is needed for various metabolic processes. Furthermore, an excess of copper over time can lead to liver disease.

It’s important to look at the types of food we are feeding and their levels of nutrients. Even though red meat is an excellent source of zinc, it will only get you so far and will most likely not reach your dogs recommended allowance for zinc. Beef and calf liver are also a great source of zinc, but higher in copper, which will affect zinc absorption. However, if you were to use pork liver instead of beef liver as part of the 5% liver portion, now your dog is deficient in both zinc AND copper, because pork liver is not a great source for either.

Foods high in zinc:

·       Wheatgrass. Wheatgrass is really an incredible plant. One ounce of wheatgrass has a whopping 496mg of zinc! Now we obviously wouldn’t feed in such high amounts. Going back to my example of Ezra, she needs 20 mg of zinc as her recommended allowance per NRC requirements, so she would need such a small amount of wheatgrass to fulfill her zinc requirements. What I personally like to do with wheatgrass is grow it in my house so it’s available for grazing purposes. My dogs may elect to eat it or not, whatever they need. I also like to cut some off some of what I am growing and add it to their veggie mix blend. That way I know my dogs are getting the extra nutrients that their bodies need.

·       Oysters. Oysters are an incredible source of zinc AND copper! One ounce of eastern, canned, oysters provides 25mg of zinc and 1.25 mg of copper. So typically for Ezra, I will give her 0.7 ounces of oysters in with her meals to meet her zinc requirements, and this will also get to close to reaching her copper requirements, which is 2 mg.

Other whole foods that are great sources of zinc, but will not contribute to the extent of wheatgrass and oysters:

·       Red meat. For example; raw, grass-fed, ground beef has about 1.3 mg of zinc per ounce or 28 grams. So, say I feed Ezra 200 grams of ground beef in a meal – that’s about 9 mg of zinc and we need to get to 20 mg, which is her recommended allowance for zinc.

·       Pumpkin Seeds. A great extra source of zinc, as well as many other nutrients. Pumpkin seeds are so versatile and are great for many things. They provide about 2.19 mg of zinc per ounce. The general rule for pumpkin seeds is ¼ tsp per 10 pounds of your dog’s body weight. I personally like to ferment them along with other seeds (like sunflower and chia seeds) and add this mixture to my dogs’ meals to boost some vitamins and minerals. However, I don’t count on this mixture to fill in any gaps, it’s really just for added support.

Foods high in copper:

·       Beef Liver. Highest form of copper, where one ounce of beef liver provides 2.7 mg of copper. This one ounce of beef liver alone would satisfy Ezra’s recommended allowance for copper in a day.

·       Oysters. As we analyzed in the zinc section, one ounce of eastern, canned, oysters provide 1.25 mg of copper.

·       Sunflower seeds. A great extra source of copper, as well as many other nutrients. Sunflower seeds, like pumpkin seeds, are so versatile and great for many things. They provide about 0.5 mg of copper per ounce, but I use them in the same way I discussed with pumpkin seeds. I like to add a fermented mixture to my dogs meals for extra support, but don’t count on them to fill in any nutritional gaps.

It is also important to note that some dog breeds are genetically more prone to zinc deficiencies than others, including Huskies and Malamutes. Other large breeds may also be more prone to zinc deficiencies including Great Danes, Saint Bernards, German Shepherds and Dobermans. I have a German Shepherd and I can tell by his skin and coat that he does well with extra zinc added into his diet.

I implore you to do your own research as to whether your dog is getting enough zinc and copper if you are feeding your dog DIY or a ratio diet. Are you able to hit the 10:1 optimal ratio level? You can analyze different foods and their nutrient levels at: https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/

Please – let me know if you have any questions or if I can be of assistance!

Blessings <3