Inuit Sled Dog International
Copyright ISDI, 1997, 2012
Preserving the pure Inuit dog
THE INUIT DOG
On this page, I will post extracts of the book The Canadian Inuit Dog: Canada's Heritage, by Geneviève Montcombroux.
Nutrition
The Inuit dog gives a new meaning to the term fast food. Amazing quantities of food can disappear down his throat in a matter of seconds.
The Inuit dog is a "primitive" animal in the sense that he was a hunting and working companion, eating the same food as his master. The Inuit diet depended on meat and fish. This makes the CID closer to the wild canids than any other dogs. Pet dogs have long adapted to food similar to their masters, who are cereal eaters. The CID, in the Arctic, has not undergone such an adaptation and doesn't properly assimilate foods based on wheat, oat, barley or rye. Cereal bran contains a substance - phytic acid - that makes calcium unavailable to the body.
Because dogs are carnivorous, it is usually thought that an all-meat diet is good for them. The wild canids eat the lean muscles of the prey as well as bones, organs, and the contents of the stomach and intestines.The prey being herbivorous, it contains carbohydrates and vitamins. The CID fed on this wild meat with "pre-cooked" vegetable matter thrives on it.
The CID should be fed a meat-based diet, with a high proportion of fat, and a small amount of carbohydrates. The Inuti dog metabolizes the protein and the lipids very rapidly.
Don't touch my food,
Photo Pierre Dunnigan.
Courtesy of Makivik Corporation
Photo Pierre Dunnigan.
Courtesy of Makivik Corporation
Pups feeding. Photo Montcombroux
Toadhal Arnavik catching up on the news while her pups feed. Photo Montcombroux.
Toadhall trail, snow tunnel?
Photo Montcombroux
Photo Montcombroux