My Husky has major skin issues - which is not uncommon for the breed. With all of the research that I have done, the natural health classes that I have taken and the tons of money that I have spent on trying different dog foods, I have definitely come to the conclusion that it is the food that we feed our pets.
Cats and wolves (dogs) have been thriving for tens of thousands of years without our input on what they should eat. Only for the past 60 years or so have we decided that we are the authority on what our fury friends should eat. Funny, how our pets are now so susceptible to disease such as cancer and diabetes and allergies.
We should be feeding our pets what their wild counter parts eat. Wolves eat raw meat (generally smaller animals such as rabbit, fish and birds but also venison and caribou), raw bones (only cooked bones splinter), eggs, roots, fruits and vegetables. They do not eat grains, meat meal or additives. Wolves have also been known to eat homeopathic remedies such as garlic to keep away parasites and willow bark to help with aches and pains.
Cats are pure carnivores eating a diet of small prey such as rabbits, birds and fish. However, they will occasionally eat plant matter such as grass and catnip to help aid digestion. With all of the commercial pet food on the market, it is no wonder so many of our pets have allergic and digestive issues. If your pet has a skin allergy, try taking him/her off of all grains (rice and oatmeal are easier to digest but are still grains and they can still cause problems). It could also be an over abundance of yeast caused by too much starch in food (grains and potatoes - sweet potatoes have much less starch) and antibiotics. A great dry and wet food to transition your pets on is Wellness Core. Regarding raw meat; there are so many reasons why your pets should eat raw foods.
First Raw foods have digestive enzymes which can only be found in foods that have not been cooked, radiated or processed. Digestive enzymes aid in digestion and are essential for good health.
Second Cooked meat takes 4-6 hours longer to digest than raw meat. The longer meat stays in the gut, the worse for the digestive tract.
Three Raw meat creates more acid in the stomach to aid in the digestion of food. Yes, more acid in your stomach is good for you and your pet. Acid reflux and other acid related issues are caused by too little acid in your stomach not too much. Third Raw foods contain less free-radicals and more vitamins than cooked.
Fourth Everyone is so afraid of the bad bacteria in raw meat. Yes, bacteria can hurt your pet, but it can also help. The more bacteria your pet is exposed to (OK, there are some limitations) the better your pets immune system. Animals put their noses and tongues in nasty things all day long, much of which has worse bacteria than raw meat. It's better to prepare your pets for those instances then to compromise its immune system by trying to keep bacteria away from it. Also, when killing bad bacteria, you are killing good bacteria which is again, good for digestion.
As a Natural Health Chef and animal lover, I would say that the best rule of thumb to follow is feed your pet what its wild counterpart would eat. Cats and wolves (dogs) have been thriving for tens of thousands of years without our input on what they should eat. Only for the past 60 years or so have we decided that we are the authority on what our fury friends should eat. Funny, how our pets are now so susceptible to disease such as cancer and diabetes. Wolves eat raw meat (generally smaller animals such as rabbit, fish and birds but also venison and caribou), raw bones (only cooked bones splinter), eggs, roots, fruits and vegetables. They do not eat grains, meat meal or additives. Wolves have also been known to eat homeopathic remedies such as garlic to keep away parasites and willow bark to help with aches and pains. Cats are pure carnivores eating a diet of small prey such as rabbits, birds and fish. However, they will occasionally eat plant matter such as grass and catnip to help aid digestion. With all of the commercial pet food on the market, it is no wonder so many of our pets have allergic and digestive issues. If your pet has a skin allergy, try taking him/her off of grains. It could also be an over abundance of yeast caused by too much starch and antibiotics. Regarding raw meat; there are so many reasons why your pets should eat raw foods. First Raw foods have digestive enzymes which can only be found in foods that have not been cooked, radiated or processed. Digestive enzymes aid in digestion and are essential for good health. Second Cooked meat takes 4-6 hours longer to digest than raw meat. The longer meat stays in the gut, the worse for the digestive tract. Three Raw meat creates more acid in the stomach to aid in the digestion of food. Yes, more acid in your stomach is good for you and your pet. Acid reflux and other acid related issues are caused by too little acid in your stomach. Third Raw foods contain less free-radicals and more vitamins than cooked. Fourth Everyone is so afraid of the bad bacteria in raw meat. Yes, bacteria can hurt your pet, but it can also help. The more bacteria your pet is exposed to (OK, there are some limitations) the better your pets immune system. Animals put their noses and tongues in nasty things all day long, much of which has worse bacteria than raw meat. Its better to prepare your pets for those instances then to compromise its immune system by trying to keep bacteria away from it. Also, when killing bad bacteria, you are killing good bacteria which is again, good for digestion. Note: A poor digestive tract causes disease. Regarding garlic wolves eat it, so why not your dog. If your dog is having a poor reaction it could be something else your dog is eating. Cats, however, do not eat it, so try rubbing garlic powder and brewers yeast on your cats coat to ward off parasites. www.naturallyfreshfare.com ... View related article.
