Their unique set of nutritional requirements have been passed on from generation to generation just like the breed's unique coat, body size and temperament. We have found that we can not change the genetic makeup of the animals we are feeding just by exposing them to a different diet for a small amount of time. Therefore, I suggest that Whippet owners try to feed their present companion pets with foods that contain what this breed requires. The food should contain: (#1) nutrient sources that are similar to those found in the native environment of the breed's ancestors (sources which are not foreign to the digestive and glandular systems of today's Whippet and which are easy for them to assimilate) and (#2) the proper balance of protein, carbohydrates, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals that match the breed specific nutritional requirements - those which have been passed on by their ancestors.
Pet owners who feed their companion pets correctly can save a lot of money. Many dogs are taken to the vet, suffering from nutritionally related problems, and the vet bills can be huge. i.e. dry/itchy/flaky skin, hot spots, yeast infections in the ear, thyroid - liver - kidney problems, just to name a few, cost the average dog owner hundreds of dollars every year. That is why I recommend that pet owners learn about the nutritional needs of the animal they are feeding before deciding on one of the many foods which are now available. When we first learn what our companion pet needs and then choose a diet that is correct for the animal being fed, it is a win-win situation: the dogs are healthier and the owners save money.
I personally believe that the best diet for a Whippet is one that the owner makes fresh, using quality ingredients, without preservatives. It only takes about one to two hours a week to cook for a Whippet so that both #1 & #2 are met and preparing home cooked meals for a dog can be less expensive than buying the average all-breed, any-breed commercial pet food. I hope that you will consider using this option to feed your companion pets correctly.
In my books (published in 1990 and 1997) on breed specific canine nutrition, I listed food sources to use and food sources to avoid when feeding a Whippet. The idea was to provide pet owners (both those who wanted to cook for their companion pets or those who wanted to buy an all-breed/any-breed preservative filled food for their pets) information about food sources to use or avoid. So that you can have that same information, below is the text from the page "Whippet" that was in one of my books on canine nutrition.
WHIPPET
Weight Standards: m/f - average 25 lbs.
Height Standards: m - 19 to 22 inches, f - 18 to 21 inches
Coat: short and sleek, may be any color or color combination
Common Ailments: monorchidism, hot spots and skin rash
The Whippet developed in Great Britain but originated in Italy or Northern Africa. Roman legions brought this breed to Great Britain when they invaded in 49 A.D.. The Whippet is the breed example I use when asked how long it would take a dog to change its nutritional requirements when exposed to different foods. My answer is that it would take as long as it would for a dog's coat to adapt to a new climate. After twenty-one centuries, the Whippet still has a coat best suited for the warm and dry environment of its origins and not the heavier double coat found on breeds originating in the colder climate of the British Islands. Likewise, they still retain the nutritional requirements they developed in their native environment. Fortunately for the Whippet the rabbit was the main food supply in both their native area of the world and in their new homeland.
Native food supplies for this breed would have been rabbits, domesticated poultry, mutton, goat, and wheat or corn.
For the Whippet I recommend foods that are a blend of lamb, poultry, wheat, and corn. The addition of a linseed oil coat conditioner to this blend will provide this breed with a good balance of the fatty acids its skin and coat require. However, you should avoid feeding a soy oil coat conditioner to this breed as well as any soy bean meal in its food. Other food sources to avoid feeding a Whippet include horse meat, beef, or ocean fish.
At this web site I have already documented how it has been PROVEN that one breed can require ten times what a different breed requires - PER KILOGRAM OF BODY WEIGHT - of fat soluble vitamin "D" and thus a product formulated for the breed with the higher requirements would be toxic to the breed with lower requirements.
I am also providing you with information about which sources of vitamins and minerals are best for a Whippet because it has also been proven that different breeds will assimilate different sources of vitamins and minerals in different ways. i.e. There are over 170 different molecular forms of the mineral "calcium." The source of the mineral calcium that a Whippet can easily assimilate can be hard for a different breed to assimilate and thus that other breed can develop kidney stones on the best source of calcium for a Whippet. The reverse of this is also true. Below you will find a list of the best sources of vitamins and minerals for the dietary requirements of a Whippet. The balance or amounts are not listed because each individual animal can have different requirements depending on: the sex of the animal; the age (a puppy will have different needs than an adolescent, who even though it may be the same size as an adult will have different requirements than an adult); the activity level (if a dog is very active the dog will need more of the B complex than a couch potato of the same breed); stress levels; medical conditions; and other dietary factors (i.e. does the water supply contain high amounts of minerals). There are many factors come into play when considering the proper amount of each nutrient in an individual dogs diet.
PLEASE NOTE: Some breeds, because of their breed specific set of nutritional requirements, should have very low amounts of some vitamins or minerals in their diet. The amount that some breeds require may have already been exceeded by the amount that is in most all-breed/any-breed commercial foods (i.e. copper - Bedlington Terrier or zinc - Siberian Husky). This is another reason that I have not listed any amounts here - I do not want dog owners to supplement what may already be TOO MUCH in an all breed food with additional vitamins or minerals just because I listed an amount here. The list below is for SOURCE information only.
Mineral & Best Source
Calcium Oyster Shell
Copper Gluconate
Iodine Sea Kelp
Iron Ferrous Fumerate
Magnesium Magnesium-Gluconate
Manganese Manganese-Gluconate
Phosphorus Oyster Shell
Potassium Potassium-Gluconate
Zinc Zinc-Gluconate
Please do not feed this breed of dog any supplemental vitamin C (ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate or ascorbal palmitate) because of the kidney and liver damage it can do (see article at this web site).
Please Note: I have received many E-mails from dog owners asking if the book that is now available in book stores contains recipes or supplement charts for the average puppy, adolescent, adult or geriatric Whippet. It does not. It only contains one recipe and that recipe is there to show how a pet owner can take the ingredients listed on a bag of grocery store dog food and make the food cheaper, from fresh whole sources and without any harmful preservatives. I do not recommend that recipe for any one specific breed of dog (especially a Whippet). I am planning to include recipes and supplement charts for Whippets in my next book and hopefully that book will be ready to be published within the next year.
If you can not wait for my next book to be published and want to start cooking nutritious preservative free food for a special companion pet I would be happy to prepare a recipe for you to use (for a small fee). Over the last 30 years many dog lovers have asked me to develop a diet for a specific companion pet or their entire kennel of dogs. I have formulated thousands of dog specific (more than just breed specific)diets and I would be willing to do this for your companion pet.
To have me prepare a custom recipe and supplement chart for a dog I need the following information:
Please be specific since all these factor into the nutritional requirements of a dog. I ask that you send me as much information as possible to work with and please be patient, the average turn around time (from the time I receive what I need to formulate a custom recipe, to the time the packet is ready to be E-mailed to you) is 5 to 7 days. I formulate these recipes based on the needs of the animal that will be eating the food. These are not done with a pre-prepared recipe sent with auto-responder from an E-mail box. I do not send out a "one-diet-fits-all-dogs" or even a "one-recipe-for-all-Whippets." I do these recipes one at a time, based on the information you provide about the animal that will be eating the food.
Please E-mail the information to me.
For each recipe packet you are ordering (includes both a custom recipe and supplement chart for one dog) the fee is $100.00 in US dollars.
Payments for the recipe packets can be made with credit cards on-line using PayPals.
After I have both the information and the payment the recipe packet will be formulated and E-mailed to you within five to ten week days (m-f).
BEFORE YOU E-MAIL ME AND ASK . . .There is NO commercial all-breed, any-breed dog food on the market today that I would recommend feeding to any Whippet.
If you want to buy a commercial all-breed food to feed your Whippet, I suggest that you visit some of the web sites listed on my Tail-Wagging Links page or read the articles at this web site that tell you what is in commercial dog foods and how to read their labels. You may also want to visit the page Tests You Can Run at Home For Symptoms Of Nutritional Problems so that you can see how your Whippet is assimilating the sources and balance of the nutrients used in the food you are now feeding it. As I state on my Home Page "I believe a well informed pet owner makes a better pet owner."