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During appointments, our doctors consistently ask about your pet's diet
because good nutrition is foundational to good health. And, as most of
our clients are already aware, the best nutrition is found in fresh,
whole foods. Despite the success of the commercial pet food
manufacturers to provide reasonably nutritious food at economical
prices, pet foods undergo high temperature and pressure processing
which damages nutrients in the food. And, they do not include
beneficial fruits and vegetables. Most commercial pet foods contain
only meat (protein), fat, grains (carbohydrates), with some added
minerals and synthetic vitamins. Fruits and vegetables contain
thousands of beneficial nutrients called phytochemicals which are
critically important for both pets and people, and these nutrients
should be consumed without the damaging effects of high heat processing. Much
of what we know to be a healthy diet of fresh, whole foods for people
also applies to dogs. Ideal foods are organically-raised grass-fed meat
animals, organically-grown vegetables and fruits, and limited amounts
of whole grains and unsweetened dairy products derived from grass-fed
cows. The two primary categories of foods to avoid are: 1) refined
carbohydrates such as fructose sweeteners, sugar, and white flour
products such as white bread and pasta; 2) damaged fats, called
hydrogenated oils or trans fats, which are found in most pre-packaged
foods, deep-fried or high-temperature processed foods, and margarine or
shortening. We
will frequently recommend raw meat and/or bones for our patients.
However, it is important to use common sense when feeding raw meat and
bones to a pet. Ideally, meat should be clean and fresh, or freshly
thawed. Ground meat should come from a reliably clean source to
minimize bacterial contamination in processing. Bones should be raw
knuckle-bones or poultry bones which are easily chewed and may be fed
whole or ground. Grinding bones before feeding decreases the
possibility of problems such as a greedy dog bolting a too-large piece
of bone. Also, what many people consider to be 'marrow' bones are
simply very hard and thick, fat-filled bone shafts that offer little
nutritional value and may damage the teeth. In
many cases, it may not be possible to feed a diet of fresh, whole foods
and we may recommend one of a variety of dry kibble foods. Despite the
familiar high heat and pressure processing of the meat and grain
ingredients, the dry foods that we recommend have special features that
offer important nutritional advantages over traditional commercial
diets because they have dehydrated or freeze-dried foods, herbs, and
nutrients added after the heat processing. This insures that your pet
receives more of the 'good stuff' only available in un-processed foods
(natural vitamin complexes, trace minerals, and naturally-occurring
enzymes). And despite the advantages of these special foods,
supplementation with fresh vegetables and fruits is always encouraged. Despite
these guidelines and recommendations, it is extremely difficult to feed
a perfect, ideal diet. Therefore, most pets (and people) benefit from
high-quality whole-food based nutritional supplements. These
supplements supply extra food-based nutrition for the body and help to
support various body systems such as endocrine glands and organs. Standard Process has
been producing organically-raised whole-food supplements for humans for
over 75 years and has recently introduced a line of veterinary
nutritional supplements utilizing the same high-quality ingredients
that go into the human supplements. Whole food supplements may be
thought of as 'vitamins', but rather than being synthetically produced
in a laboratory like a drug, they are produced from whole foods which
are organically grown, harvested fresh, dried, ground, and blended to
produce the various supplements which are used in people and pets. If
you are unsure of how to make the change to a fresh, whole food diet or
if you have questions about nutritional supplementation, schedule an
appointment to discuss the subject in more detail with our
doctors. |