Dog Health & Nutrition
We watched a show recently (on SBS) about how a dogs DNA is 94% Wolf. Given this fact, it only makes sense to feed them as their ancestors still eat… a RAW DIET.
We’ve learned a lot from our Natropath Vet & have done quite a bit of research & study into this field over the years.
What we’ve learned from our Natropath Vet is basically this:
1)To limit Commercial Dry Food & some of the commercial treats as well.
Liver treats are ok, look for things with only 1 or 2 ingredients MAX.
2)Feed dogs 50% to 65% Meat & Raw Meaty Bones
3)And 50% Veges. Feed lots of carrots, sweet potato(yellow), pumpkin,
zuccini, sqash, brocolli, Beetroot, spinach. No onion.
4)Add 5ml of fish oil or coconut oil daily for joints & arthritis & aids in digestion
5)CanAdd glucosamine daily for joints & prevention of arthritis
6)Add a Probiotic into the diet (a teaspoon daily of good quality Yoghurt
that has probiotics in it. Jalna, Valia or Natural greek yoghurts are best.
But as a lot of dogs are Lactose-Intolerant, you can buy a Probiotic Powder)
Also, ALL FRUITS are great, no exceptions…. esp tropical fruits, apples, blueberrys etc. Lately we’ve been making up our own Fruit Cubes, which we use as Treats. Our dogs LOVE them!! In a blender we put chopped apple, banana, OJ, Pomegranite Juice, Yoghurt & Honey & then blend the lot & pour into icecubes & Freeze. We give them 2 – 4 cubes a day.
Heres some more info we found on Commercial Foods:
Commercial Foods
Dogs and cats used to be quite healthy until commercial pet food was first manufactured in the 1850’s in England. Over a number of years our pets have become sicker and sicker with diabetes, pancreatitis, bad breath, skin disease, failing hearts and kidneys and failing immune systems which is becoming more common. Unfortunately, today people are programmed to feed commercial pet food. They are under the misconstrued belief that commercial processed food offers a complete diet for different life stages of our pets. Commercial pet food is extremely convenient for us, easy to store, easy to purchase and easy to feed, you are even told the quantity and frequency to feed.
If your vet is strongly opposed to natural raw feeding I would suggest you find another vet. Unfortunately, most vets receive very little education on dogs or cats dietary requirements, other than what commercial dog food company representatives teach them. Breeders and vet receive generous kickbacks from promoting, selling and recommending a commercial diet and sadly it is the commercial diet that keeps their waiting rooms full.
Listed below are a couple of reasons why we will NEVER offer commercial pet food to our animals:
Cooked/ Heat Treated
Destroys many vitamins necessary for good health like the B Group Vitamins and Vitamin C and reduces the protein value.
Destroys enzymes. Enzymes in raw food have two very important functions.
1. They help with the digestion of food and they help slow the aging process. If our pets are fed cooked food it forces the pancreas to work harder to produce more digestive enzymes to help digest the food, resulting in several diseases so commonly seen in our pets of today, including pancreatitis and diabetes.
2. Destroys Anti-Oxidants. Anti-aging factors called anti-oxidants are destroyed in the cooking process and therefore the food is less able to slow the degenerative diseases of old age, including cancer, kidney disease, heart disease and arthritis.
Periodontal Disease
If dogs and cats are not fed raw meaty bones they are not able to brush and floss their teeth, The ripping, tearing and crunching necessary to consume a raw meaty bone washes, polishes and scrubs gums and teeth. 95% of dogs fed a commercial diet will show signs of periodontal disease by the time they are 4 years of age. Periodontal disease is not just a problem in the mouth; it has the potential to affect a number of vital organs in teh body. Bacteria associated with periodontal disease can enter the bloodstream and cause serious problems such as affecting the valves of the heart, causing permanent damage leading to heart failure. Likewise, bacteria can damage both the kidneys and liver also resulting in failure.
Preservatives, Addititves, Colourings and Flavouring
Commercial pet foods are full of ill health promoting colourings, flavourings, and preservatives that can cause hypersensitivity reactions, allergies and skin problems at the very least.
High in Cereals, Grains and Carbohydrates
Grains make up the majority of commercial pet food companies food source. The large amounts of cereals and grains in commercial foods are not chemically or physically suitable for dogs which do not have a digestive system to cope with grains,. Grains are one of the biggest sources of allergies in dogs and cause numerous health problems like obesity, pancreatitis, skin problems, diabetes, dental problems, arthritis, bladder stones and cancer.
Excess Salt Commercial pet food can contain 10 to 20 times more salt than our dogs and cats require. This is very harmful to our pets at it increases blood pressure and can lead to kidney and heart disease.
Angela & Leah O’Meara
Houndog – Dog Day Care, Pet sitting & Dog Minding