Giving Our Pets the Benefit of Natural Foods

Good nutrition is the foundation of health. The food we eat provides us with the raw materials we need to function. When our bodies are fed well, they can function well. Animals are no different. The strength of your pet's immune system, resistance to disease, and quality of life all depend on the type and quality of food it eats.

Animals evolved eating specific foods. These foods vary with the physiology of each species. Cats are true carnivores, belonging to the same predacious family as lions and tigers. Dogs too, are carnivorous (and scavengers) and are the same species (Canis Lupus) as the wolf.

The digestive systems of dogs and cats, like wolves and tigers, are short and highly acidic. They evolved to eat other animals, raw, including their stomach contents, hides, bones, organs and muscle meats.

However, most companion animals are not fed fresh raw animals. They're dining on "pet food." "Complete nutrition" or any other nutritional enticements on packages are essentially meaningless, because there are no U.S. RDA requirements for pets. These products are not even necessarily tested on dogs and cats, and they don't have to be, because there are no quality controls or standards.

What goes into pet food? Well, for starters, "animal by-products," not fit for human consumption, which can include diseased and tumorous animals, road kill, and euthanized animals from labs and animal control facilities.

Grain by-products, like "mill runs" and "flours," are another ingredient. These have had all nutritious parts removed and can include "grains" such as expired, stale bakery products. Interestingly, the top 5 pet food companies are subdivisions of large people food processing companies, providing a place for their waste products - capitalism at its finest!

Neither cats nor dogs need any kind of grain food. They don't get energy from carbohydrates the way people do. They run on "glucose precursors" - fats and proteins. So any "grains" in pet foods are just filler.

Non-food sources of fiber are also used, like "cellulose fiber," which can be anything from newspaper to sawdust. "Plant cellulose" usually means ground peanut shells.

Often the oils used in pet foods are made from rendered carcasses or recycled grease from food processing plants. These don't supply your pet with any of the essential fatty acids vitally important for health.

Sugar also goes into pet food. It can be labeled "sucrose" or "dextrose," among other names, and can lead to diabetes, weight gain and behavior problems in pets, just as it does in people. Sodium is also added, as are artificial flavors, flavor enhancers (like MSG) and artificial colors, which can cause allergies, anxiety and behavior problems in animals, just as they do in people. And don't forget carcinogenic chemical preservatives like BHA and BHT, propylene glycol and nitrates. (It's ok for manufacturers to say "naturally preserved" as long as they didn't add the preservatives. Preservatives already in ingredients don't have to be listed.)

All of these ingredients are highly processed under high heat, killing any enzymes that could help digest them.

Carnivores have very short digestive tracts to move food through quickly. Raw food takes about 4-5 hours to digest. Canned pet food takes about 8-9 hours, and dry food takes around 15-16 hours.

Which food is the most species appropriate? The easiest way to think about a balanced diet for your animal is to think about what it would be eating in the wild. Domesticated carnivores need an approximation of prey. This breaks down into 4 food groups:

Raw meat, including muscle, organ meat and eggs. This gives your animal protein, enzymes, vitamins and minerals, and essential fatty acids - all in the most bio-available form.

Raw bones. These provide nutritious marrow, fiber, and a host of other bone building and repairing nutrients. Raw bones also give our pets exercise.Their jaws and upper bodies get to work like nature intended, keeping their teeth nice and clean.

Vegetables. This should be a small part of your pet's diet, (but not yours, I hope!) providing vitamins, minerals, fiber and enzymes.

Extras, like kelp and cod liver oil. These give an extra boost of nutrients that would normally be found in a wild diet. They can help make up for nutritional deficiencies and can help our furry friends cope with the stresses and toxins of modern life.

Many health problems can be helped when we give our pets a species-appropriate natural diet. Digestive difficulties, "doggie odor," dental maladies, fatigue, runny eyes, coat problems - even compulsive foot licking can stop, can be eliminated with proper diet.

Different animals have different digestive capacities, and there is no one single "right" way to feed your pets, just like there is no one single diet that is right for all people. Some animals with particular health conditions may do best on a cooked food diet; some dogs do well with some whole grains. But all animals benefit from natural, unprocessed, healthy foods, just like people do.

Jennette Turner is a certified Holistic Nutritionist who has worked with natural foods and healing for over nine years. She maintains a private practice in St. Paul, and has published articles nationwide.