Mary Allen
Harlortar and horse poop are not what we humans prefer to put in our mouths, but for many dogs, it is a delicacy. Although we may not always understand our dogs, there is much to learn about the dog’s sense of taste. Did you know, for example, that dogs have special taste buds for water?
Dogs are estimated to have about 1700 taste buds, humans have about 10,000. But it is not the number of taste buds that determines how tastes are perceived and therefore even the dog can feel very weak tastes. Taste buds are located on the entire tongue and in them there are special taste cells. The taste cells are chemoreceptors, which means that they are very sensitive to chemical stimulation, taste is just a chemical stimulation.
Dogs can perceive five basic tastes
To be able to taste, substances are dissolved in saliva, it is a process that goes fast but varies slightly from individual to individual. The composition of saliva affects how an individual perceives taste. Therefore, dogs, just like us, have different favorite sweets and different ease of experiencing, perceiving, and distinguishing tastes. The brain receives signals from the taste buds in the mouth and it is in the brain that the taste is determined. Relatively new studies have shown that dogs can perceive the same five basic tastes as us, sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.
An evolutionary advantage for the dog is their special taste buds for water. On the tip of the dog’s tongue, right where the tongue curls when the dog drinks, are the taste buds. These taste buds are found in several other carnivores, for example in cats. The specific water taste buds of the animals play an important role in determining whether water is safe to drink or not. The water taste buds are always active when something is in the mouth, but research shows that they are more sensitive to salty and very sweet foods. One theory is that animals in the wild are more easily dehydrated after certain foods and therefore need to drink more.
Do not like bitter or sour food
Another evolutionary adaptation in the dog’s taste buds is that, unlike us, they do not have the same high craving for salt. The dog’s ancestor wolf has a diet that 80 percent consists of meat and then the entire intake of salt is met. In general, neither wolves nor dogs like bitter and sour food because in the wild it usually means that something is rancid or toxic.
The dog’s choice of food is not always obvious to us. Garbage, harlots, or an old sock – most things can be chewed on. That the dog in our eyes sometimes chooses strange food has to do with smell. The sense of smell and taste are closely linked and in general the rule “if it smells good, then it tastes good” applies to our dogs.
If you have a dog that is difficult with food, then remember that the dog often eats what really smells good and a lot. An old or sick dog may lose appetite due to an impaired sense of smell.