Natural pet care is increasingly becoming more the choice of care for pet
owners. People have become more and more disillusioned with conventional care as
a means to
prevent illness in their pets. In truth biomedicine was
never originally intended to be a means of prevention but rather a means of emergency,
acute care. In simpler terms this means that typically veterinarians are not the
people we should be looking to for our pets’ nutritional needs. Veterinarians are
trained in the treatment and management of disease. Natural care of our pets is
obtained by preventing illness in the first place through
proper species specific
feeding and nutrition which properly supports the immune function. Our canines’
cuisine of choice will be according to their species as the
scavenger carnivore.
The biggest interest for pet owners lies with what is appropriate to feed. Due to
not only the wide variety of different commercial foods but also the wide ranging
opinions and advice from the natural pet health industry, pet owners are often confused
and frustrated. Many opt out for the ease of what is comfortable and known to them
much to the detriment of their
pets’ health.
In this article we are going to
focus on those of the canine variety in the
hopes of making this a simple and common sense approach for dog owners. First we
need to discuss exactly what type of diet is optimal and correct for a canine according
to their species. Dogs are what are described as
scavenger carnivores which means
they will scavenge for food - any kind of food dead or alive or otherwise
- in order to survive. However, this also means that given a natural choice or preference
they will choose a meat and bone diet for their optimal health to thrive.
In my own recent studies I’ve discovered some discrepancies that will not only confuse
any dog owner but can make it very hard to accomplish proper feeding when in reality
this is not rocket science.
Feeding our dogs should be nothing more than plain
common sense. Look at the teeth of our dogs and you’ll find not omnivore teeth
with both grinding molars and canines, but you’ll find only teeth designed for ripping,
tearing, shredding, and shearing. Chewing does not enter the equation. Knowing this
then the simple solution to feeding our dogs a proper diet that they can really
thrive on is a raw meat and bone diet.
Often advice is given about feeding all sorts of different vegetables, grains, vegetable
oils and other things that dogs would not choose to eat in the wild. We think because
they do eat these things since that is what WE feed them, that they have evolved
into some sort of omnivore but again that is also not a fact but more of a myth.
What bears reminding is that dogs are scavenger carnivores - they are opportunistic,
eating what they need to fill their stomachs and survive.
According to Dr. Elson Haas (1992) carnivores rarely eat vegetables and for a specific
reason:
True carnivores that eat only meat are hard to find; in the animal kingdom, they
include the wolf and cat families, which naturally subsist on the flesh of other
animals. These animals are naturally adapted to hunt and consume flesh. Their
speed, power, pointed teeth and sharp claws help them a great deal. They have no
molars and cannot really chew; they rip the flesh from their prey and swallow it.
And their digestive tracts are specifically designed to process the high-protein,
sometimes fatty meals. They only eat vegetables, local greens, when they are sick.
(p.358)
Dogs are of the wolf family and therefore this statement very much pertains to
them. Many people are actually more concerned about their own feelings about
eating a meat diet and wrongly transfer that to our carnivore dogs and cats. While
we can do very well without a meat diet, dogs and cats cannot and do not - cats
even more so as obligate carnivores. Humans are also concerned about bacteria and
parasites but again there are easy and natural solutions to combat that concern.
First understand that dogs have natural enzymes in their saliva that will kill bacteria,
plus they have shorter intestines that move the meat through much quicker than our
omnivore bodies leaving no time for bacteria that may have survived their high acid
stomachs to gain a foothold. To put ourselves at ease remember that our dogs wild
cousins do not sit around cooking their prey prior feeding, they just eat. We can
also do things such as freezing the meat for a day or two prior to feeding to kill
any possible parasites.
Nature also provides us an arsenal of natural parasite
and bacteria fighters in the form of herbs, essential oils, food-grade diatomaceous
earth, grapefruit seed extract and so forth.
We can
help our dogs overcome and/or prevent many ailments if we’ll feed
them properly according to their species. Commercial foods are often laden with
grains (which dogs cannot digest properly) that only exacerbate immune system problems
leading to allergies, diabetes, kidney and liver disease, and
even cancer.
We can help them be well long into their golden years by feeding them a basic diet
that dogs have eaten for centuries. Commercial foods only came into existence just
over a hundred years ago. What did dogs eat before that? You guessed it: meat and
bones.
A simple formula for a raw feeding diet is to give your dog 2-3% of his
total body weight per day in meat and bones in a 1:1 or 1:2 bone to meat ratio.
In conclusion I’ll share with you what former veterinarian technician and natural-rearing
breeder of Boston Terriers;
Jeannie Thomason wrote recently to me and is
shared with you by permission:
DNA and science have proven that dogs have not evolved at all. The little toy poodle
has nearly identical DNA as a wolf does. The tiny poodle has the same type
of jaws, teeth, saliva, short intestinal tract, etc as its wolf cousin. So while
we have domesticated dogs and changed their outward appearance, nothing has changed
internally for them. This is just a fact, no right or wrong, a fact…I feel a lot
of people nowadays think of their pets as their children which is fine however,
we have to remember they are NOT human beings and omnivores but are carnivores
and cannot thrive on the same diet we do. Yes, salad’s and whole, non-modified
grains are healthy for us as human beings but, not for our carnivorous companions.
To me it is just common sense to feed an animal what it was designed and created
to eat in the first place to be and stay healthy. What does a wild wolf, coyote
or other wild dog eat? Meat and bones, organs from the prey, some wild seeded grasses,
herbs as well as some young green grass (although unless prey is scarce it not the
main part of their diet), berries, tree bark, insects and eggs. NOT carrots, broccoli,
flax seeds, canola oil or olive oil, wheat, corn, oats, soy beans, kidney beans,
potatoes, yams, celery. While these food items won’t kill your dog they will not
necessarily thrive on them either. (The
Whole Dog)
I’m in total agreement with Thomason on her statement and have seen proof of every
word in the care of my own dogs. Keep it simple using common sense and our dogs
can and will have far better quality of lives with longevity.
Bibliography:
Haas, E. MD (1992) Staying Healthy with Nutrition: The Complete Guide to Diet &
Nutritional Medicine. Berkeley: Celestial Arts.
Originally published here:
http://dogs.suite101.com/article.cfm/canine_cuisine
About the author:
Dr. Kim Bloomer is a veterinary naturopath (Kingdom College of Natural Health),
Dr. Kim is the host and creator of Animal Talk Naturally Radio show which she hosts together
with her like-minded colleague and friend, Dr. Jeannie Thomason, and a proficient
blogger and writer on natural pet health. Kim is also co-author of the book
Whole Health for Happy Dogs. Dr. Kim’s articles have been featured in
various publications such as Animal Wellness Magazine and Natural Horse Magazine.
Dr. Kim sits on the Advisory Board for Holistic Option .
Dr. Kim is currently enrolled in the Clayton College of Natural Health studying
for her human Doctor of Naturopathy degree. She lives with her husband of many years
and they are owned by a rescued Neopolitan Mastiff named Shadrach.
Blogs: Bark ‘N’ Blog
& A Dog’s View
Website: Aspenbloom Pet
Care
Copyright © 2007. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced
in any form without the written consent of the Author. This article is for educational
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