There are many systems taking place in our dog’s body all at once. You have the muscular system and the digestive system and many more working together to help your dogs move, think, play, and stay healthy. There’s one vital aspect that often goes unnoticed though; the pH levels in a dog’s system. The pH system is fundamental to the health of your precious puppy and it’s important that you understand it
Today, Canine Caviar would like to talk about the importance of pH and its function. We’ll talk about the science and how Canine Caviar achieves pH balance within its food.
The Science of pH and Alkalinity
What is pH and how does it relate to alkalinity? This is a great place to start our science discussion. In order to better understand alkalinity and pH balance in dogs let’s first look at this image of the pH scale. This scale refers to how acidic or alkaline a particular solution is. This traditionally refers to liquids but is useful for foods as well. Anything below 7 is an acidic solution and anything above 7 is an alkaline solution. 7 is the neutral point; that is to say a solution with pH of 7 is neither acidic or alkaline.
What makes a solution acidic or alkaline? The answer to that question is pH which is an abbreviation for the “potential” for “Hydrogen.” The more hydrogen ions there are in a solution, the more acidic it is and vice versa. That is to say the relationship between the amount of hydrogen and its place on the pH scale is inverse.
Why is it important to have pH balance in dogs or humans in matter of fact? Why does it matter whether the food we put into our bodies is acidic or alkaline? That’s a good question and the next diagram can explain in better detail.
The Importance of pH Balance in Dogs
If you all remember, the human body is mostly water and the same goes for dogs. Many of the most essential organs are protected by, contain, or made of water. Each of these organs require different pH levels to function properly. Looking at the diagram, you can see that the majority of these organs require pH levels that are above 7 or “Alkaline.” You’ll also notice that the most important organs in your dog’s body requires proper pH levels for optimal health.
This is what we refer to as pH balance in dogs; feeding your dog a diet that will elevate and maintain the necessary pH levels for your dog’s many organs. This is an area that is very new to most people and almost a little daunting. Dog food brands have never focused on pH levels before and all the scientific lingo can make it difficult to understand. Nevertheless, pH balance in dogs is very important if you want your dog to be fit and lead a long life. Not doing so will lead to complications in your dog’s health.
Benefits of Alkalinity
What are the exact benefits of pH balance in our best friends? There are many of benefits to pH balance and alkalinity. We know this thanks to the work of dedicated scientists studying alkalinity. Dr. Van Slyke, a biochemist and Nobel Prize nominee, studied the effects of acidity and alkalinity. Through his studies, he found these harmful effects related to acidity:
- Increases anaerobic activity (aging)
- Damage to the kidneys, liver, and pancreas
- Reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood
- Degenerative diseases from acidity and lack of oxygen
- Causes calcium oxalate stone formation
- DNA self-repair mechanism won’t function allowing free radical damage
The benefits of alkalinity are the following:
- Puts more oxygen in the cells
- Minimized cellular degeneration
- Allows DNA self-repair mechanism to function
- Settles digestive upset
- Reduces scratching and hotspots
- Reduces anaerobic activity and increases aerobic activity
- Addresses health concerns such as diabetes, kidney, liver, and heart disease
Achieving pH Balance in Dogs
Achieving pH balance in dogs isn’t as difficult as it seems. It’s all matter of what your dog is eating. This diagram illustrates where certain ingredients rank in terms of acidity and alkalinity. You’ll notice that all meats tend to be acidic. Meat is necessary though for its essential nutrients so how do you balance the acidity? You create pH balance by adding ingredients from the opposite spectrum such as Pearl Millet, Kelp, and Coconut. These opposites balance each other so the pH values in your dog’s many organs stay at their preferred level and don’t get too acidic.
Ingredient that are circled are ingredients Canine Caviar uses in its Limited Ingredient Diets. We use many alkaline ingredients to offset the acidity of meat and ensure a truly balanced diet. Creating a food that’s alkalizing is huge because of all the benefits associated with an alkaline diet.
Final Thoughts
The power of pH and alkalinity is astounding. Being conscious about what we feed our furry friends does them a great service and there is no better way to treat them well than a well-balanced alkaline diet.
Check out the Canine Caviar Blog for more great articles such as European and American Dog Food Comparison and 10 Fruits Safe for Dogs to Enjoy!