The Serotonin Diet

***nikki*** · by ***nikki*** on Sat 19 Sep 2009, 10:07

• DO NOT FEED onions or leeks, grapes or raisins, macadamia nuts.
• Fruit and vegetables will help with any possible mineral deficiencies.
• Use good quality protein (white fish, chicken, lamb and beef)
• Feed oily fish NO MORE THAN once per week.
• Give a good quality vitamin and mineral supplement.
• Ideally give 3 or more meals a day.

The physiological effects of feeding regimes for behaviour cases

In many cases we can improve the emotional state and consequently the behaviour of a dog by paying particular attention to feeding:

Serotonin

• Serotonin is known as the ‘feel good’ hormone.
• Poor serotonin activity in the brain causes the dog to be more of a ‘risk-taker’. Thus the dog is more likely to resort to aggression without fully accepting the consequences.
• Feed cooked chicken or white fish and then 20-30 minutes later feed cooked pasta, brown rice or potatoes with a vitamin B supplement.
• Feed this for 1-2 weeks (to give a kick start to serotonin production) and then begin to introduce other proteins, fruit, and vegetables for a more prolonged feeding regime.
• The protein tryptophan is used by the body to make serotonin and as this is beginning to be broken down in the gut the carbohydrate causes insulin to be released. Insulin and vitamin B6 help turn the tryptophan into serotonin.
• Serotonin activity is also increased by plenty of chewing and gnawing activity (preferably in the form of large bones)
• The static and purposeful nature of Mind Games also help produce serotonin.

Blood Glucose Levels
• Fluctuations in blood glucose (an immediate ‘high’ on eating simple carbohydrates followed by a slump) can cause severe mood swings
• Periods of low blood glucose are more readily accompanied by aggression due to a lack of tolerance.
• Give the dog a good quality feed in 4,5 or 6 meals spaced throughout the day.

Appropriate feeding methods for individual cases

• The include coprophagia, pica, anorexia and mouth based anomalies
• If stress levels are high – natural feeding & chewing (preferably large natural bones)
• If the dog suffers from anxiety – natural feeding and chewing (preferably large natural bones)
• Food issues(eg aggression/possession) – multiple feeds and deliver appropriately for that individual.

Serotonin Diet

This dog will be fed 4 times a day as follows

08:30
100g cooked chicken, defrosted veg, ½ tsp marmite, 100g Arden Grange

09:00
Feed 150g cooked pasta

11:30
100g Arden Grange and 100g cooked chicken

12:00
Feed cooked pasta

14:00
100g Arden Grange and 100g cooked chicken

14:30
Feed cooked pasta

16:00
100g Arden Grange and 100g cooked chicken

16:30
Feed cooked pasta

Feed slightly defrosted vegetables with the 1st meal of the day

Add to 100g Arden Grange and 100g cooked chicken

Follow this diet for 2 weeks then begin to add a larger variety of fruit and vegetables and different proteins i.e white fish

Always provide chewing material i.e raw bones and raw hide chews.

After each meal feed cooked pasta 20-30 minutes after vegetable and meat meal.

This will need to be repeated 4 times a day.

**allie** · by **allie** on Sat 19 Sep 2009, 10:12

Thanks for the information, very interesting

**squidgy82000** · by **squidgy82000** on Sat 19 Sep 2009, 11:12

very interesting and certainly sounds good but you would have to be around all the time to do the feeding ,Trouble dont really like eating in the day he is veering really to almost once a day which i dont feel is good , but i certainly give him chicken and the white fish but have never tried him on pasta which i just might give a go just to add to the variety

**watts1974** · by **watts1974** on Sat 19 Sep 2009, 12:09

Thats more complicated than feeding a baby

***nikki*** · by ***nikki*** on Sat 19 Sep 2009, 12:10

I thought that to start off with, but a few of the dogs in the kennels (mainly collies) are on this diet as they are so stressed. It seems to work and once you have done it a couple of times, it is sooo simple.

x

**watts1974** · by **watts1974** on Sat 19 Sep 2009, 12:12

Its probably one of those things that looks really complicated written down but when you get into it, its really simple and becomes second nature.

**Oxide** · by **Oxide** on Sat 19 Sep 2009, 14:53

I don't even feed myself that well so - Sorry dogs!!!!

**Emmalou** · by **Emmalou** on Sat 19 Sep 2009, 14:58

That is better than my diet lol

**watts1974** · by **watts1974** on Sat 19 Sep 2009, 15:57

What happens to the effects of the diet if the dog dosn't eat a part of it?

**watts1974** · by **watts1974** on Sat 19 Sep 2009, 15:58

And does it work on humans?

***nikki*** · by ***nikki*** on Sat 19 Sep 2009, 21:59

TBH all the dogs that have been fed on this so far have eaten every meal without fail.

x

holedigger · by holedigger on Mon 26 Oct 2009, 06:41

That seems like a hell of a lot of food for one dog! I was told on average a 17kg dog should get 350grams of the 'BARF' diet a day.
Did I read this plan right?

**Markey** · by **Markey** on Mon 26 Oct 2009, 07:54

Oxide wrote:I don't even feed myself that well so - Sorry dogs!!!!

What she said....

He can sort his own Serotonin out....

The Serotonin Diet

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