The Importance of Diet
"Let
food be your medicine" - Hippocrates
Copyright ©1996-2001
HomeVet
There
is nothing more important in our pets' day-to-day life
than their diets. The food we feed them provides the
building blocks upon which all life forces and optimal
health depend. Metabolism, growth and healing cannot
proceed optimally without the proper energy which derives
from the food we feed.
The basic tenets
of human nutrition and physiology apply to our pets.
The best diet is one composed of fresh wholesome (preferably
organic) foods, with plenty of variety. Beef, poultry,
fish, vegetables and fruit should all be part of the
diet. Almost any food, in moderation, is fine. Feeding
only one diet, be it commercial or home-prepared, exclusively
for a pet's entire life predisposes to nutritional deficiency
and is just not enough to ensure optimal health.
A "100% complete
and balanced" claim can be made by any company meeting
minimal standards. Although this "perfect" food may
sustain the perfect pet living in a physiological vacuum,
one food alone can not be either complete or balanced
for all pets.
The ideal diet
for an individual species is the one upon which it evolved.
This is a simple, irrefutable fact. Dogs and cats are
carnivores (though only cats are obligate carnivores).
They have adapted (with our prodding) to a cereal-based
diet. The ideal diet for the carnivore however is raw
meat from hunted prey possibly with some grains and
vegetables (from stomach contents). The powerful enzymes
and microorganisms (probiotics) that should be consumed
in the stomach contents may need to be supplemented
when a less than ideal diet is fed. . Products such
as Florazyme
and Ultra
Strength Acidophilus provide such probiotics.
In addition to
a diet of raw meat, the ancestors of our pets today
experienced periods of enforced fasting due to lack
of prey. Cycling between having plenty to eat and having
nothing is normal and healthy. Fasting is beneficial
because it allows the body to rest, detoxify itself
and heal. Fasting has even been used in human studies
to aid arthritis and atherosclerosis.
The raw
meats of today are a far cry from that which the
carnivores of yesterday survived on. Nowadays, antibiotics,
hormones, pesticides and bacterial contaminants are
the rule in most commercially raised meat and poultry.
Feeding organic meat and poultry is the best alternative
.
A pet
food with high quality ingredients which is properly
stored can be the basis for feeding our pets. This should
be supplemented with fresh (raw, juiced or steamed)
vegetables, some fresh fruit, and meat. Alternatively
most pets will thrive on a totally fresh food diet.
In some cases serious problems like allergies and epilepsy
can be treated just by stopping all commercial food.
Feed divided
meals throughout the day. One large meal is not adequate
and may predispose to bloat.
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Smaller, divided meals are easier on the body. Kibble,
when fed, should be soaked well beforehand. In addition
to allowing the gas within the pelletized dry food to
escape, soaking allows hydrolysis (water-assisted digestion)
to occur outside the body.
Fresh foods should
be used to supplement, or in some cases replace, the
commercial diet. With your veterinarian's guidance a
totally home-cooked diet can be formulated for your
pet. In many cases a fresh wholesome diet alone will
alleviate many medical conditions. If commercial food
is the predominant component of your pet's diet, use
the highest quality affordable food ( Wysong,
Flint River Ranch ) and even then supplementation
may be necessary).
Please note:
The information provided here is meant to supplement
that provided by your veterinarian. Nothing can replace
a complete history and physical examination performed
by your veterinarian. - Dr. Jeff
I greatly value your feedback. Please let me know what
you think of this site and what you would like to see
on it. drjeff@homevet.com
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at 7:45 PM on 11/13/01.
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