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.