Raw Pet Diets Grow in Popularity
Continuing to increase in popularity is the practice of feeding dogs and cats the natural raw diet. While this term describes the condition of the food, a better terminology would be Species Appropriate Nutrition. After all, cats and dogs have never been known to cook their own food and, if circumstances are such that they must fend for themselves, they will eat a wide variety of foods, a good portion of which is raw. Another feature of dogs and cats we cannot deny is that they are carnivores, cats especially. Cats do very poorly unless their diet contains meat.
Exactly why are pet owners turning away from the convenience of food in a bag that has a shelf life of many months to food that requires refrigeration and some preparation? I believe many have finally realized that there are positive nutritional gains from feeding a natural diet and that they can do an excellent job of providing superior nutrition for their animals with fresh real food. Many more simply want to improve their pet’s health.
Drawing from anecdotal reports from my clients, what they notice about their pets on raw food are better energy levels and improved stamina; better coats; healthier teeth and gums; smaller, less smelly and more biodegradable stools; less gaseous emissions from both ends; better well-being; and, of course, improvement in chronic health conditions in many cases.
I have witnessed such a large number of unhealthy pets improve once they were taken off of processed foods that it is difficult for me (and my clients) to ignore these results. The following from the Malmas family is just one testimonial to the raw diet, where many diets were tried with their dog, only to have him simply get worse and worse. I am encountering these testimonials with ever increasing frequency.
“Jack is our 3 yr old Golden Retriever, and he has been struggling with allergies for about 2 years. Obviously, it was difficult to figure out what he was allergic to, so food seemed the best place to start. Over the past 2 years we have tried about 8 different dry dog foods, including special hypo-allergenic brands from the vet, all with different protein sources, different grains, etc…. nothing helped.
We used prescribed allergy medications when he was especially bad, but even that would only give him relief temporarily. Jack was having a very bad week. He had been gaining weight with all the food changes, and his energy was at an all time low. Jack’s paws were red and inflamed and his mouth was raw from scratching. His ears were red and raw, and his face was quite puffy. He also had about 14 lbs to lose.
Dr. Drosdovech recommended putting Jack on a raw food diet. We went through the 10 day transition, and after 5 weeks the difference in Jack is amazing! He has lost 8.5 lbs, his face is no longer puffy, and his paws and mouth are much better. Although his scratching hasn’t completed subsided, he doesn’t scratch nearly as often as he did before and his energy has returned so he is able to play and run like a 3yr old should!”
Not every dog or cat does well on the raw diet and not all of them will readily eat it. However, I have found that most will easily adapt to it and most seem to believe they have died and gone to Heaven!
Problems with the diet can be minimized by slowly transitioning them on to the raw food, sometimes with an Internal Cleanse or Fast. If the pet is a healthy individual, cleansing is usually not required, but it is still recommended to move fairly slowly over 5-7 days. If the pet vomits, has diarrhea, or becomes constipated, it is time to back off and go more slowly.
The following from Dr. Richard Pitcairn, a veterinary homeopath, says it all:
All processed pet foods--whether sold in cans, bags, or frozen packages, in either giant supermarket chains or local health food stores- are missing something that seems to me to be one of the most important "nutrients" of all. This key ingredient is something nutritional scientists have practically ignored. But when it's there, you and I can know it and feel it. It is a quality found only in freshly grown, uncooked whole foods. It's life energy."
My advice is to exercise common sense and not to begin this way of feeding without in depth instruction, but please don’t be afraid to try real food on your pets. My next article will address more on natural nutrition including arguments against this method of feeding as well as the benefits of bone chewing.
Dr. Moira Drosdovech
