Holistic Nutrition

FAQ’s

  1. How important is what I feed my dog or cat? 
  2. What is the best food for my dog or cat?
  3. Is raw food safe?
  4. What is the best way to transition to a new food? 
  5. When should I add supplements?
  6. Is it okay to feed table scraps?
  7. Should I stick with one food or offer variety?
  8. Are bones okay? 
  9. What is the best way to ensure my pet stays healthy?
  1. How important is what I feed my dog or cat? 

    Yes!  Nutrition provides the foundation for all good health – or ill health.   Food has the ability to either harm or heal so the most important thing you can do to ensure the health of your dog or cat is to feed them a good high quality, balanced, natural diet, preferably raw.  Benefits of a natural raw diet include:

    • Good digestion
    • Cleaner teeth and fresh breath
    • Greater energy and stamina
    • Decrease in abnormal hyperactivity
    • Better weight control
    • Less susceptibility to parasites and disease
    • Shinier, healthier skin and coat
    • Harder, smaller, less smelly stools
    • Fewer trips to the vet!

     

  2.  What is the best food for my dog or cat?

    The best food for dogs and cats is a minimally processed “species appropriate” diet, preferably raw and homemade.   This generally consists of high quality, hormone and antibiotic-free meat, raw bones (or some other source of calcium such as bone meal or a calcium supplement), organs, vegetables and fruit.  You can also add in a small amount of carbohydrates such as rice or potatoes, but as carnivores, they don’t really need it.  Dogs and cats are not efficient at digesting, assimilating and utilizing plant-based ingredients as a source of high quality protein.

    It can be overwhelming when thinking about preparing your dog or cat’s food but there are many resources available to assist you (see “resources” section of our website).  It is best to use a recipe, especially in the beginning, to make sure you are getting a correct balance of nutrients required to avoid deficiencies and to thrive.   Mixing meat, rice and vegetables is NOT a balanced diet!  If preparing food is not a viable option, there are prepared raw and cooked foods that are nutritionally complete; all you do is thaw and feed.   There are also pre-mixes that when added to meat (either raw or cooked), provide a balanced and complete meal.  Dr. Karen Becker of  http://healthypets.mercola.com  sums up the best foods clearly and succinctly in her list of best-to-worst foods:

    The List of Best-to-Worst Foods

    1. A balanced, raw, homemade diet is the best food you can feed your dog or cat. It will be nutritionally balanced because you're following recipes like those found in the cookbook I co-authored, Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats.

      Raw means the food is unadulterated and still contains all the enzymes and nutrients that are typically destroyed during cooking or other types of processing.

      Homemade is the best option because you are in complete control of the quality of ingredients in your pet's diet.

      I recommend pets get plenty of nutritional variety, and another great thing about serving homemade is you can buy seasonal fruits and veggies on sale, as well as protein sources (meats), and use them in rotation.

    2. The next best thing you can feed your pet is a commercially available raw diet. This is a raw food diet that someone else has done the heavy lifting to prepare.

      It's important that the diet is balanced, and you should be aware that there are raw food pet diets entering the market that are not yet proven to be nutritionally complete. These foods often say "For supplementation or intermittent feeding" on the label.

      You'll know if the raw food you've selected is balanced because it will say it right on the packaging: "This food has been proven to be nutritionally complete or adequate for all life stages."

      At the present time, these diets are found only in the freezer section of small/privately owned or upscale pet boutiques – not in the big box pet stores. You can also find a selection online.

    3. Cooked, balanced homemade diet. It's the same diet found in number 1, above, except that it's cooked. This means some of the nutrient composition has been diminished through processing.

    4. Human-grade canned food. If the label doesn't say the ingredients are human grade, they're not. Pet food made with human-grade ingredients is also a great deal more expensive, so that's another way to tell what you're getting.

      This type of diet is the most expensive you can feed your pet. What I tell my clients is, "If you have more money than time, you can purchase human-grade canned food for your dog or cat. But if you have more time than money, I recommend you make a balanced, homemade diet right in your own kitchen for a fraction of the cost."

    5. Human-grade dry food. As I discussed earlier, dry food is not as species-appropriate as a moisture-dense diet. Human grade is very important because the food is approved, in theory, for human consumption, which means it doesn't contain low quality rendered by-products.

    6. Super premium canned food which can be found at big box pet supply stores like Petco and PetSmart.

    7. Super premium dry food.

    8. Veterinary-recommended canned food. Vet recommended canned foods are purchased at your vet's office or clinic. Typical brands are Science Diet, the Purina veterinary lines, Royal Canin and Waltham.

    9. Veterinary-recommended dry food.

    10. Grocery store brand canned food.

    11. Grocery store brand dry food.

    12. Semi-most pouched food.

      The reason this type of pet food is so far down the list is because in order for the food to remain "semi-moist," an ingredient called propylene glycol is added. This is a scary preservative that is a second cousin to ethylene glycol, which is antifreeze. And while propylene glycol is approved for use in pet foods, it is unhealthy for dogs and cats. I do not recommend feeding any food that contains this additive.


    13. Dead last on the list and the worst thing you can feed your pet is an unbalanced, homemade diet – raw or cooked. I'm seeing an increasing number of misguided pet owners in my practice who think they're doing the right thing by serving their pet, say, a chicken breast and some veggies and calling it a day.

      Yes, the food is homemade, but it's nutritionally unbalanced. Pets being fed this way are showing up at my clinic with endocrine abnormalities, skeletal issues and organ degeneration as a result of deficiencies in calcium, trace minerals and omega fatty acids.

  3.  Is raw food safe?

    Dogs and cats have a shorter digestive system than we do, which means that foods are processed quickly -- before harmful bacteria have a chance to multiply and cause problems. Also, carnivores have a very high level of acidity in their digestive systems. This high acidity, which allows them to process raw meats and bones, is also hostile to bacteria. We’ve all seen dogs eat true garbage (rotten foods, decaying squirrel carcasses, etc.) without any ill effects. Nature did not evolve carnivores to eat a diet that would kill them.  When preparing and handling raw food, always wash your hands, utensils and dog and cat bowls after every use with hot, soapy water.

  4. What is the best way to transition to a new food? 

    Ideally, you will transition slowly, especially if your dog or cat is not used to variety.  Add in about ¼ of the new food with ¾ of the food you are currently feeding.  Change the ratio slightly each day to add in more of the new food.  A week or so should be adequate time.  The more often you change your pets food, the less time you’ll need to transition to a new food.  Healthy dogs and cats that are fed variety can generally tolerate food changes, even regular changes, with little or no problem.

  5. When should I add supplements?

    It’s best to try to get most nutrients through the food by offering a balanced and varied diet.   However, I do recommend adding a good omega -3 essential fatty acid in the form of fish oil (salmon, sardine/anchovy, krill) daily along with a general whole-food or green supplement.  Other supplements can be added as needed depending on whether your dog or cat has a specific condition which could benefit from additional supplementation such as arthritis, urinary tract problems, thyroid issues, diabetes, GI problems, etc.

  6. Is it okay to feed table scraps?

    Absolutely!   This is precisely what animals ate prior to the advent of “pet” food in the 1950’s.  Adding a small percentage (so as not to change the calcium/phosphorus ratio too much) of healthy “human” foods is a great way to supplement your dog or cat’s food, especially kibble.  Some good options include cottage cheese and yogurt (unless your dog is allergic or lactose intolerant), vegetables, meats, fruit – just about anything healthy that you would eat.  Never feed onions, grapes, or chocolate though as these are toxic to dogs.

  7. Should I stick with one food or offer variety?

    Variety is key to a healthy diet.  Dogs are much more likely to get the nutrients they need and less likely to suffer from allergies if given a variety of different foods.  Regardless of whether you feed raw or cooked foods or kibble, feed a variety.   If you feed kibble, switch it every few months and add good high quality “human” ingredients or canned food to supplement.

  8. Are bones okay? 

    There is some risk inherent in feeding bones of any kind but generally raw bones are safe since they are not brittle from cooking.  Choose bones that are an appropriate size for your dog or cat and always supervise!  Bones provide great recreation and do more to keep their teeth clean than anything else (besides maybe brushing!).

  9. What is the best way to ensure my pet stays healthy?
    • Feed a healthy, species appropriate diet
    • Vaccinate minimally
    • Avoid exposure to toxins such as pesticides and chemical flea/tick control products
    • Use natural remedies when possible and appropriate
    • Regular annual checkups (not vaccines!) with a holistic veterinarian 
    • Provide lots of love, exercise and sunshine!