ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR CURRENT BELIEFS TO BE CHALLENGED?
It is a long-held belief, that Wolves eat the stomach contents of their prey and this forms the basis of some popular feeding programs for the modern dog BUT Wolves by default do not eat the stomach contents, they generally eat the stomach lining but not the contents - they (by default) do not do this in the wild or in a sanctuary environment.
😲Mind blown? What the?!
It makes you wonder what other information the dog community blindly believe as well right?
Now, just so I'm not asking you to blindly believe me, I've included some direct quotes from Wolf experts below.
✊ Please go forth and re-educate when you next hear this long-held belief.
🐺WOLVES IN THE WILD
❝The rump of the prey animal, which is the usual point of attack, is often the first part eaten......The next part of the carcass to be eaten are the heart, lungs, liver and all other viscera except Stomach Contents❞.
Lucyan David "Dave" Mech, PhD
American Wolf Expert
Researched wolves since 1958 in places such as Minnesota, Ellesmere Island, Canada, Italy, Alaska, Yellowstone National Park, and on Isle Royale.
🐺WOLVES IN CAPTIVITY
Wolf Haven International Sanctuary stated:
❝Wolves typically will not consume the stomach contents of their prey (except in cases of smaller prey that they consume very quickly such as rabbits or mice). However, they will eat the lining around the stomach and in captivity, we have observed them rolling on the stomach contents.❞
🐺Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary stated:
❝No, wolves do not appear to eat the stomach contents (or rumen) of its kills. In general, wolves leave the rumen behind; it is actually how many hunters tell a wolf kill apart from a bear kill. Wolves leave behind the rumen and bears do not, because bears are true omnivores, whereas wolves can be omnivorous—but that is not their default state. With that said, wolves have been known to eat berries, grapes and other fruits from vineyards and from the wild. Wolves have also been known to eat cigarette butts, garbage, and a lot of other crazy things. So to say that no wolf alive has ever eaten rumen may be a stretch if we take extreme conditions and worldwide wolf population across thousands of years into account. Of course, if the kill is small and they eat the whole animal, then yes, they will eat the stomach contents❞.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN NOW FOR HOW WE FEED OUR DOGS?
We carry on feeding them species appropriate diets that are muscle meat, offal, bone and a little fruit & veg. Fermented products are great for our dogs and we can create them by making Kefir and fermented Veggies and/or giving them Apple Cider Vinegar - none of this will replicate what is in the stomach of prey but now we know it doesn't actually matter because they didn't actually eat it....if we want to be more factual we could talk about all the good bacteria they obtain from eating into the rectum of their prey where all that beneficial bacteria sits as well as just behind it in the large intestine so reach for your Green Tripe and your Fermented ingredients + your raw Goats Milk for all that great good bacteria.