Correcting Nutritional Deficiencies In Dogs

I believe the majority of illness and disease in canines has its foundation in nutrition.  The reason I feel this way comes from the numerous dog food labels I have read and reviewed the ingredient list on.  The majority have poor quality proteins and ingredients not needed in a canine diet, i.e. corn, wheat, soy, which many dogs are allergic to or develop allergies to.  Then on top of that, unnatural additives, colors, and preservatives, many of which are known carcinogens.

To think that the typical pet owner, dogs specifically referring to in this article, put their trust in an industry who has been given charge of these beloved pet’s health, and have, in my opinion, basically fallen very short, are themselves getting short changed.  Most people would not think twice about what they feed their dog, because they have been ‘conditioned’ to the hype surrounding commercials and advertisements for the kibble they purchase.  Misleading would be a kind word.  It looks good visually with all the colors and ‘freshness’ that is presented…it sounds good, because well, it’s intended to, or else it wouldn’t sell.

That aside, let me discuss how to correct these issues caused by improper commercial dog food diets.  This is something that cannot be undone overnight, in a week, or even a few months.  It could take as long as 12 months or more, depending on many factors; i.e., severity and longevity of the issue, age of the dog, breed of the dog, the dog’s overall health and even environmental factors can enter in the equation.  Okay, so where does one begin?

My suggestion would be…the kibble…take it out of the diet completely.  Yipes! But that’s all I feed my dog, you may say….well, that’s most likely what caused this predicament…so it needs to be eliminated, and fresh, whole foods in its place.  Unless the dog is very thin or severely malnourished, I would suggest a 24-hour fast, only allowing fresh filtered water to give the dog’s digestive tract a ‘rest’ and help start a detoxification process to clean up and eliminate the many ‘foreigners’ that have invaded and taken residence all over your dog’s body.  Then begin with some bland proteins such as a boiled, boneless, skinless chicken breast, cottage cheese and some good complex carbohydrates such as organic brown rice (I do not feed my dogs white rice, as it is processed with talc, a known carcinogen), and some boiled potato.

If the dog is in such a state that antibiotics are necessary, such as severe allergies, then add a probiotic like kefir to the diet to help populate the good bacteria back into the intestine that this drug destroys.  Within at least three days, start your dog on an herbal immune support supplement.  Realize, this may take up to three months to begin noticing positive results. You are ridding your dog’s body of months, maybe years of build-up of toxic substances…there’s a lot of ‘work’ to be done.  Herbs are natural medicine, not miracle workers.  Consistency is key…this is a lifestyle change for your dog, as well as you….as it will take extra effort and time to keep this up.  The benefits far outweigh your dog being in ill health.  Be patient…you’re in this for the long haul.

Remember variety.  Mix it up.  You wouldn’t want to eat the same food every day.  Variety helps balance your dog’s diet.  I haven’t met a dog yet that doesn’t like salmon, chicken, liver, steak, organic ground beef, kidneys/hearts, etc…there are many meats to choose from.  You may find some other foods like banana may not be ‘liked’ the first time.  Oatmeal, eggs, cheese, broccoli, green beans, squash…my dogs love all of these.  Start early with a proper nutritional plan, and make it an everyday event.  Don’t rely on a mainly greedy industry to take charge of your dog’s health….if they really cared about your dog, they would make a better food for them to eat.  Live and learn…I have, and because of that I’ve made positive changes in my dog’s health.  Add as little commercial food as possible, and then make sure it’s a high quality kibble.  I would hope top health would be a necessity and not an option to any pet owner.  Any improvement is moving in the right direction.  Really, you’ll find once you get used to it in your routine, that it’s no more than cooking for yourself…it’ll be fun, and your dogs will really look forward to their meals, believe me, I know…it gets a little crazy around here at breakfast and dinner!  That gives me a good feeling, knowing I’m doing something healthy for them, after all, they cannot do it for themselves.  A diet closest to nature, what dogs would eat in the wild, is what is best for them, not the excessive grains, artificial colors, preservatives and additives found in most dog food.  Once you see the positive change it brings, you’ll realize it’s worth it and you’ve made the right decision, you won’t want to turn back and you won’t regret it.

Information The Pet Food Industry Would Rather You Not Know

Really it’s sad that it’s necessary that I write this blog.  I would like to think the pet food industry was on the side of the consumer and their pet(s).  So, why am I writing it? Because I don’t like to be misled, and it is really irritating when I know, it’s not just me who is being deceived.  I don’t feed my dogs home cooked meals, study canine nutritional needs, or even invest my hard earned dollars into obtaining certification in advanced canine nutrition because I have nothing better to do. I do it because I not only care about my dogs, but everybody else’s dogs! I love dogs!  I want everybody I know who has a dog to be educated in knowing what can help their furry companions stay healthy.  The last 25 years of my life have involved reading countless articles and books, and included probably thousands of hours of research and application of exercise and nutrition.  I have learned to sort through the hype and present simplified information to help others live better lives.  I’m not perfect, I fall short…I’m human, but I continue to strive toward what I know to be right.  There is a lot of just down right nonsense out there, and it can be confusing.

This blog will be quite lengthy, and I hope you will stick with it and read it….I hope it makes you angry (you’ll understand why I say that when you read on), and I hope it brings about change for your dog and mostly a transformation throughout the pet food industry.  I have no problem calling them out….because I pursue the real truth in all things.  I am a proactive personality.  Ignoring issues doesn’t make them go away.  I’m also not a very trusting individual….perhaps that stems from my sheltered childhood.  I don’t tend to take things at face value…if it is something that is important to me; I research it and test it to prove whether it is correct.  I’m really starting to learn a lot of new things in my current studies in canine nutrition…some of those things I had my suspicions about already…and it’s just proving me right.

I would compare what the pet food industry practices to be quite similar to that of the prescription drug industry.  I understand there are times when a prescription drug such as an antibiotic can be life-saving, and other drugs and procedures can save one from the brink of death.  Those are not the issues I’m comparing.  It’s those things that herbal therapies and natural remedies would do the job for effectively and would be more ‘user-friendly’ to the human body.  Our systems were not designed to choke them up with man-made chemical substances.  But yet many find themselves in a vicious cycle of prescription drug overload.  I don’t know of anybody personally that takes just one prescription drug.  It’s what doctors are trained to do…write scripts.  Let’s not look at the nutritional side of the equation to get to the root or cause of the problem…let’s give you something to mask the symptoms.  Oh…then that will get your body out of whack, and then we have to take care of that issue…so another drug is required for that….and on and on…the cycle begins.

So why are we so unwittingly trusting toward strangers to make these decisions for us? What decision would that be, you ask? The real burning question is, what do our dogs really need in their diet? What are their nutritional needs? I was a naïve owner when I first got a dog…granted that’s been almost 17 years ago…but it took many years, and earning certification in human nutrition and studying canine nutrition on my own for the last four years to bring me around. Is the pet food industry truly concerned about the health and real needs of your dog, or getting you to believe your dog needs their product? Have you noticed how the pet food commercials claim their product has everything your dog needs for balanced and complete nutrition?  Makes one tend to believe they really care about your pet, however they are far more concerned with the sales and marketing, i.e., the bottom dollars than with what they are selling.  Most of it is what I would call junk…high carbohydrates, fibers and fillers along with low quality proteins and ingredients that would make your stomach turn.  Actually what some of it is are factory waste products, unfit for human consumption, and truly not adequate for dogs either, but that’s not what they lead you to believe.  This is why it is so important that you educate yourself. We are their voice.  If we do not stand up for them and speak up for them, they will suffer in silence. A natural diet for a dog contains about 14% carbohydrate.  Even the high quality kibble that I use contains 52% carbohydrate! Goodness knows what this low-end stuff has! It doesn’t take rocket science in looking at these numbers to realize, it’s not in the best interest of your dog to feed him/her just kibble! I cook for mine, so the amount of kibble they get is about 25% of their meal.  I incorporate a lot of protein from meat, eggs, cheese, etc.

So what are ‘by-products’ that you see listed on many dog ingredients (you have read the ingredient list of the dog food you buy for your dog, I hope).  Well, it’s non-human grade meat, unusable parts…end of the chain so to speak…like chicken beaks and feet.  Yeah, it’s amazing how the gimmicks and cosmetic strategies used to sell these products attract pet owners.  All those artificial colors aren’t necessary…they’re there because we humans think they need to be.  Do you really think your dog cares what ‘color’ his food is? Not!  It certainly has nothing to do with supporting dog health. The bottom line is what dogs need, and believe me…the pet food industry isn’t rushing to make that known publicly, otherwise they would sell a lot less of their food….which means, they wouldn’t be raking in all the big bucks.  When people become educated about their own health, and even that of their dog, they realize there are options they weren’t aware of before. 

Many of these junk dog foods contain BHA and BHT, preservatives….unnatural ones at that….known carcinogens.  It’s the better manufacturer’s that use things like vitamins C and E and rosemary to preserve their kibble.  The hype behind all these special ‘formulas’ of dog foods is a crock too.  What makes you think if they can’t make a suitable food for a young, healthy, growing dog that they could do something out of the ordinary special for an aging or diseased dog? Really? Do you get the feeling that these folk don’t trust you to feed your own dog? Hmmm…well, I don’t know about you, but that’s an insult to my intelligence.  A little research on your end…throw in some common sense…like what do wild dogs and wolves eat, and it doesn’t take long for two plus two to equal four.  That can leave this industry totally out of the equation.  Do we not possess our own judgment and common sense about nutrition? This is the twenty-first century…we’ve learned a whole lot over the last twenty years, which has led more people to take charge of their health….eating better, exercising, keeping their weight down.  That’s great….now let’s transfer that to our dogs.

I’m going to give you some information to assist you in this area.  My first suggestion is to get a copy of the book written by Lew Olson, PhD titled ‘Raw & Natural Nutrition For Dogs’.  The first chapter covers the history of dog food…you will learn a lot from this that you most likely didn’t know.  Next, get on the Internet, and go to www.lifesabundance.com.  Click on the ‘pets’ tab….scroll down to the video.  This is about a 15 minute video that will enlighten you on what is in your dog’s bowl.  Next, visit: http://dogtorj.com/ and scroll down to the section on the right hand side titled ‘Something To Chew On’.  There is an article titled, ‘The Truth About Pet Food’.  There are several other articles you can read there as well.

I wonder…if more pet owners were aware of their dog’s nutritional needs, would they be less apt to rely on their vet? Your vet will most likely not be the one to suggest a raw or home cooked diet for your dog.  So, what do veterinarians really believe and how do they feed their own pets? I’m sure most of them probably have at least one.  Would fewer pursue careers in veterinary medicine if it weren’t as lucrative? Why did they choose this field? Because they truly care about helping animals, or for the money? It seems for the majority of the pet food manufacturer‘s, the bottom line is the money…is that the kind of help you want for your beloved furry family member? Do you want them to have that kind of control? I don’t. Does your pet mean enough to you that you feel it is worth the effort to become more involved in his/her health and wellbeing? I am an advocate for dogs.  As of 2010, the pet industry was a $41 billion/year industry! Wow!  I don’t care to be a millionaire…I care about dogs…remember? Mine and yours.

Ok, so I’ve let the cat…or rather the dog out of the bag on this blog…and maybe I’ve stepped on some industry toes.  I’m not going to apologize for it…it is what it is. If ‘they’ don’t like it, then they need to change their ways! I hope since you’ve read this it has caused you to realize how important nutrition is for your dog…it is literally your first line of defense against disease.  That’s where you have to start…proper nutrition is key.  I will continue to pursue this area.  I have learned a lot, but I have so much more to learn…and I won’t keep quiet about it.  My love for dogs is unconditional….a human trait that is hard to come by.  I’m all my dogs have, they are my responsibility, and in my opinion they deserve the best I can give them.  I can only do that if I am informed. Don’t fall prey to the lies of someone who is greedy, instead trust in someone who is a true advocate for all dogs.

Multi-Dog Households

It seems like it's been a loooonnnggg time ago that I only had one dog.  Really it's only been about four years ago.  I remember when I first started fostering for rescue...just adding another dog was doubling what I already had!  Hmmmm....somewhere along the line that has really multiplied!
For many people, one dog is enough, and it's best to always know your limitations, physically and financially.  You want to do the best for your dog(s), and if you over extend yourself, it's not fair to anybody involved.
However, perhaps you're considering going to a two-dog or multi-dog household.  What considerations should you look into? There are several things.
I just recently found from fostering a dog barely out of pup-hood and was two to three times the size of my other dogs, wasn't a good fit.  Fortunately, we only had this dog for a couple weeks.  But in that time, she managed to stress out my other dogs to the point of several of them getting diarrhea.  Ok, so my lesson from that....probably shouldn't foster pups or larger dogs...it wasn't her fault about her age and size.  I really liked her, and of course, as always, any dog coming into our home, is treated as my other doggies are.
So, obviously size is an issue.  How much room do you have? Do you have a fenced yard to properly and safely contain the size the dog will grow to? Do you not have a fence? If not, then you'll need to harness/leash the dog when outside...for obvious safety reasons.
How active is the breed you are considering adding to your family? All of mine are at least 5 years or older...my oldest being almost 17.  Our current foster is around 3.  As I mentioned above, my dogs were not too fond of the energy level of the foster we had for a couple of weeks.  Some of them would run and chase her when they went outside, but it didn't take long for them to wear out.
Food.  Are you able to afford a good quality kibble? Will you be cooking for the new arrival? Our puppy foster, due to age, size and energy level required about twice the amount of food I feed my other dogs.
Compatibility.  Will your dogs be able to get along with the new buddy? Some dogs bond better with others....I have had more problems with males not wanting other males in the home, especially if you have an alpha male.  Females always seem to do well together...and with other male dogs as well.  If getting along is an issue, the new dog may need to be crated while you are away for the safety of the other dogs.
Time.  Do you have the additional time that another dog will require? Dogs are very demanding of attention.  They are very social creatures.  Sometimes I almost feel like I ignore my dogs because I have a large responsibility with so many things in my life right now.  I try not to be partial, and give each one some one-on-one attention each day...sometimes it doesn't happen.
Also, other issues are baths, nail trims, all those necessary hygiene issues.  I do those myself.  I only have one dog I have to pay to get his nails trimmed.  Well pet vet visits for necessary shots and annual exams.
All these are certainly considerations when thinking about expanding your furry family.
I love my dogs very, very much.  I look forward to time I can spend with them, coming home from work and being greeted by them.  To properly care for multiple animals, it takes time, commitment, dedication and continual keeping on top of issues and getting to really know your pet.  They are most likely going to be a lifetime responsibility...so just consider, what are you willing to give? Just remember, you have many other things in your life...your job, family, recreation....all they have is you.

Does It Really Matter What Kind of Water My Dog Drinks?

It may not seem like that big of a deal....water is water, right? No.  It does matter, at least that's my thinking, and maybe that makes it a personal preference.
Tap water contains a lot of unwanted chemicals that could affect a small dog.  I understand it is necessary stuff that the utility adds to the water to keep it 'clean' and drinkable.  Tap water can cause a white dogs face to discolor.  I quit giving it to my Maltese years ago after I read that.
A good water filter will take out the unwanted stuff and allow for a cleaner taste.  There have been times in my area when the utility was doing something to the water supply that caused it to have a chlorine smell and taste to it.  Ick!
There is also bottled water.  Purified water is a good choice.
Also make sure your dog's water is clean at home in it's dish.  Mine tend to get particles of who knows what in it sometimes before it's all gone.  I rinse out, dry and refill the dish with clean water.
Do not let your dog drink from puddles (you don't know what might be in the run-off) or from doggie parks where other dogs have drank from.  Consider this, you might not think twice about drinking after one of your close family members, like a spouse, but would you want to drink from a cup that a stranger drank from?  If it's a warm day, or you're walking a distance, or playing an extended time at the park, bring clean water for your dog.  There are water carriers you can buy at pet stores that will latch onto a belt loop for easy carrying.
Remember, we've domesticated these creatures, they're susceptible to things in our environment that they wouldn't be in the wild.  I consider if it's not good enough for me, it's not good enough for my dog either!

Keeping Your Dog Comfortable and Calm

This time of year there are many things that can make your dog uneasy.  Thunderstorms and fireworks are probably your two biggest concerns.  These are situations where you should definitely keep your dog indoors as much as possible.  Even with that, dogs hear very well, and at best these noises may only be muffled, and can still cause anxiety.
I have found a line of products that I really like by Vet's Best.  This one is called Comfort Calm.  You can use it in dogs 10 months or older.  It contains Valerian Root...a great calming herb.  A couple of the inactive ingredients are brewer's yeast...a really great natural supplement and liver from pork....so it's a taste that will be appealing to your dog.  Administer about an hour ahead, a small dog (under 25 pounds) only needing one tablet.  And you can repeat it in 6-8 hours if needed.  If your dogs are really small, like mine, a 1/2 tablet will do (the chewable tablet is scored). The price is very reasonable.  A 30 tablet jar is around $8.
The next time you need to help reduce your dog's stress and tension from travel, loud noises and big events, be ready with a natural, herbal product, and know you are giving your dog the best!

No-No Foods For Dogs

I had a request to write a blog about no-no foods for dogs.  I have seen many lists over the years, and I have also seen them posted on FaceBook before.
One food I do not agree with that appears on some of these lists is garlic.  It's okay to give your dog garlic...even fresh garlic...it doesn't take a lot of it to flavor food.  When I use it, I put it in with the meat.  Garlic is an antibacterial herb, and will help to keep your dog's intestinal tract free of parasites.  I have also used it in chewable pill form with brewer's yeast for years to ward off fleas...and it works very well.
The following foods I do know you should not feed your dog: avocado, onion, alcohol, caffeine (this would be soda pop, coffee, tea, etc.), corn (and especially corn cobs...very dangerous, plus most dogs are allergic to corn).  Avoid any smoked meats such as ham, smoked sausage, bacon (even the turkey variety), etc.
Remember when feeding your dogs fruits such as watermelon and cherries to remove seeds.  Do not feed large amounts of fruits and vegetables...and start off slowly, so as not to cause stomach upset which can lead to diarrhea.
Dogs are carnivores...they thrive on meat (proteins) and fat...these should be the mainstay of your dog's diet. Eggs are an excellent source of protein, and you need not be concerned that this will cause problems like it would in humans...dog's digestive systems are built different and are capable of handling cholesterol.  I am not a fan of low-fat...anything.  My dogs eat whole milk yogurt, and whole milk, and extra virgin olive oil...all organic, of course.  Sticking as close as possible to the diet canines would consume in the wild is best.  Just because a food is okay or good for humans, does not mean it is suitable for your dog.  Herbs are a great addition to your dog's meals, as these would be also be available in the wild.  Go with these and your dog will have a healthy, balanced diet.