WE ARE CARNIVORES! Part II

 

Many pet owners want the best for their pets, and are willing to spend tons of money getting their beloved companions the best of everything - the prettiest collars, the coolest t-shirts and premium or even ultra premium pet food. 

In the past, I used to feed my dogs and cat the best kibble there was on the market. Why? Simply because I did not know any better. And surely if my vet thinks that I should feed my pets kibble, who am I to disagree? 

I was one of those who thought I was doing the best for my furry companions by buying them the "best" and "most expensive" kibble there was in the market. But little did I know that I was actually slowly but surely "poisoning" my kids. 

***************

So, Should You Feed Your Dog High Performance Kibble? 

Click on the following link to find out  

Why I will Never Feed My Kids Kibble Again?

 

***************

And then of course, there are those pet owners who will go to great lengths to prepare home-made meals for their canine or feline companions in order to ensure that their beloved pets get a balanced diet. Very often however, these home-made meals include fruit and vegetables. And some even go so far as to advocate a vegetarian diet for their pets which is completely inappropriate.

The ideology that including fruits, vegetables and grains in your pet's diet will make it a wholesome and balanced diet is completely and utterly wrong. Your canine and feline companions do not need these types of food and by feeding them these foods, you are actually putting unnecessary stress on their internal organs. 

When I first started raw feeding I was sort of following the BARF method which included a small amount of pureed fruit and veges. Why? Well, it was because the few raw feeder friends that I had included fruit and veges as part of their dogs and cats diets, and because I was desperate to try anything that would improve Cleo's health. 

*Yes, I only made the switch to raw feeding after Cleo was diagnosed with a severely enlarged heart and her condition deteriorated so rapidly and there was nothing the vets could do except give her medication to alleviate the symptoms.Thankfully, two years down the line, Cleo is doing really well on her prey-model raw diet which does not include any grains, fruits or vegetables.

Anyway, since we first started raw feeding almost two years ago now, I have been doing extensive and continued reading, and I have learnt that dogs and especially cats have no use for fruits or veges. (I should have realised this on my own after the first month of raw feeding. In the first few meals, yes they would eat the pureed fruit and veges, but then later on they would just go for the meat and bones only!).

Picture from www.vetmed.wsu.edu

Picture from www.vetmed.wsu.edu

Now let's take a look at the teeth of our furry companions. Note that both dogs and cats have no flat molars which are required for chewing and grinding veges, fruits and grains. They only have sharp incissors, canines and molars which are meant to cut and rip meat off bone as well as to crush non-weight bearing bones. If you observe your dog carefully, they do not chew... they merely crush  their food a couple of times (if it's a big piece) and then swallow. Dogs and especially cats, are unable to move their jaws from side to side to provide the grinding movement required to chew. This is also another reason why many dogs choke on kibble or other "small" pieces of inappropriate food - because they are unable to chew and therefore will inhale or swallow small pieces of food.

Additionally, dogs and cats do not produce the enzyme amylase in their mouths like humans (and herbivores and omnivores) which is very important for breaking down starch and carbohydrates before they enter the stomache.

Their digestive systems are that of true carnivores, i.e.a they have a very short digestive track which means that it cannot digest plant matter which requires a much longer time to be broken down. How many of you have noticed that if your dog ate some grass, it would come out the other end completely undigested?

This means that if you feed your dog or cat grains and carbohydrates, you are stressing your pets digestive system and you may cause excessive strain on your dog's or cat's pancreas.   

For a more detailed analysis on whether or not your dog or cat requires fruits, grains and veges, check out the following links:

The Great Debate: Do Dogs Need Fruits and Vegetables?
Myth: Dogs are Omnivores 
What is Wrong with Dog Food?
Canine Evolution and Anatomy

***************************

Note: This post is intended as a guide or reference and is not meant to replace veterinary advice. The information on this post is based on conclusions that I have made after extensive reading, advice from other raw feeders in particular the Raw Feeding and Raw Chat Facebook groups, and on my experience with my own dogs. Please consult your holistic veterinarian for advice on the most appropriate way to feed and supplement your dogs.

IS YOUR DOG TAGGED?

IN RECENT TIMES, there has been an alarming rate of posts on Facebook, Petfinder, Twitter etc about pet dogs that have gone missing or been found by concerned citizens.

Those that are more fortunate and internet savvy may be re-united. But a large number of animals are un-claimed because the owners do not know how to look for them, and the rescuers have no way of contacting the owners.

So I thought I would just highlight the importance of having dog-tags for your poochies. Make sure your dog has a collar with an ID tag and/or your local council license. This can help reunite your dog and you should your dog accidentally escape and is unable to find his way home.

The most important piece of information to include on the pet-id tag is your phone number. So where can you get these id tags? We got ours from Furrenz.com. There are quite a few styles available for a reasonable price. Service is efficient and delivery, prompt.

For more unique id tags, check out Furkids Forever. The tags sold here are one of a kind...

But at the end of the day, please make sure that you take extra care when opening gates especially if you have auto-gates to ensure that your beloved pets do not accidentally run out. Also check your fences periodically to ensure that there are no holes etc from which your pet can squeeze out. And also please be careful when walking your pets. Ensure that your harnesses and collars and leashes are secure.

ACUPUNCTURE FOR LITTLE TEDDY

We rescued Little Teddy (Tadasana) a couple of months back from a six foot drain. He was in a terrible condition and had injured one of his hind legs slightly. We started him on a raw diet and began to see improvement in his condition within days. We were unable to take him to the vet at that point in time as he was also a very fierce kitten. He would hiss, spit, scratch and bite whenever we tried to handle him.

Anyway, over time he became a really sweet and adorable kitten. He started to play as a normal kitten and we were really happy.

However, two weeks ago, he suddenly became very ill. One day he was doing fine and the next day I noticed that he had not eaten his food which he normally gobbles down within minutes. He also did not greet me or try to play with me like he normally does.

He was just lying in his litter box. I tried to pick him up and he screamed in pain. That was when I realised something was very wrong.

Anyway I brought the food to him and he ate it all up but he was in severe pain. I took him to the vet the next day blood was also taken as physically there didn’t seem to be very much wrong with him.

The results came back and the readings for his organs were okay. But His neutrophil reading is quite high about 10,000 and bands at over 500. So he was put on a 5 day course of antibiotics.

We saw an improvement as the pain descreased and he started to try and play again after the 3rd day of antibiotics although he still could not stand, but he was trying to grab our hands and nibble on our fingers.

On the 5th day he started to try and stand and walk, but he was still quite wobbly. So we took him in and the vet recommended that an x-ray be done.

The x-rays apparently showed that he had a severe calcium deficiency as his bones were not clearly defined and were very faint.

There was also a small fracture on his leg, but apparently that was nothing to worry about and should be just left as it is.

Our vet has since recommended that we switch him to a kibble diet as it is a more balanced diet. I disagree and cannot bring myself to feed Teddy such rubbish.

My main area of contention is that if there was a severe calcium deficiency then the change should not have been that drastic, i.e. happy kitten one day, miserable kitten the next. It should have been a progresssive deterioration. These pictures posted above were taken only 3 weeks ago with the exception of the first picture which was taken when he was initially rescued.

So anyway, I decided to take him to see Dr Susanna of Asia Paws, and he took to her really well. No screaming or hissing and allowed Dr Susanna to put in several needles into his back and into his legs. He then even started to walk about on the treatment table albeit rather wobbly. So we will be continuing acupuncture with Dr Susanna for Teddy and hopefully he will be all better soon.