Dr. Karen Becker on Raw Meat Diets

Dog Food Dilemma

As a vegetarian & health-conscious consumer, I have choosen to remove meat from my diet. I carefully select the meat & poultry that my family eats, even though it is not very frequent. With 5 large & extra large dogs who eat meat everyday, twice a day it is not as easy from an economic standpoint to buy only the best organic or free-range beef & chicken. So today as I was doing my food shopping I resorted to buy the no name chicken breasts that were on sale. The breasts were huge!!! What does this mean...well I'm getting more for my money, but on the other hand this means the poor chickens were fed grain to increase their weight at a ridculous rate making it difficult if not impossible for their little legs to hold them up. They are also likely to have come from a farm where they are kept in battery cages & have their toes & beaks clipped to reduce the possiblity of them injurying other birds due to there close & stressful living quarters.

I know I must feed my dogs a species-appropriate diet and that even non-organic chicken is better for them than processed kibble, I morally feel as if I have done something horribly wrong. I have supported the cruelty that large farms guarantee. This is the dilemma I face everytime I go to the food store. For more info into what factory farms are really like I recommend watching Food Inc., a food documentary not only about farms that raise animals, but vegetables, fruit, and grain as well.

Food For Thought...

I just finished listening to The China Study on audiobook for the second time. This book is all about protein and more importantly (for us vegetarians) the harmful effects of animal protein on the human body. The irony here is that the United States and many other parts of the world consume an incredible amount of animal protein every single day and yet our carnivore companions consume tons of nasty grains in their kibble. This is how I see it...corporate America came up with the perfect no-waste plan. Raise animals to feed people, raise grains to feed the livestock that people eat and the left over nasty grains like moldy corn & wheat gluten that are not regulated by the FDA along with parts of the livestock that people wouldn't dare consume go into commercial pet food among other things that if you knew about you would never buy another bag of dog food off your super market shelf. Before you fill another bowl of food with kibble read What's Really in Pet Food. Consider researching raw diets and/or commercial dog foods without grains such as Evo, Wellness, Solid Gold, Before Grains, etc. which all offer varieties free of grains. And for all you meat eating humans out there consider a day without meat...just one a week. It really does make a difference. I highly recommend In Defense of Food, The China Study and Quantum Wellness for those of you looking to improve your own diet.

Raw Deal

As a follow up to my previous post about grain-free dog food...I wanted to talk about raw feeding. There are tons of great resources out there to help you get started. One is a yahoo group called Raw-Lite. I use two brands of commercial raw diets Steves Real Food and Nature's Variety. Steve's Real Food comes in Turkey, Chicken & Beef. Nature's Variety comes in Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Venison & Rabbit. Tyson has a sensitive stomach so he enjoys the more expensive varieties of Rabbit & Venison. The rest of the crew is happy with just about anything, so they eat the Steve's. The benefits of raw feeding are endless. As many of you know...Bulldogs are extremely prone to allergies. Since Tyson has been on raw meat, he has not had a single ear infection or skin allergy. All of my dogs are at a great weight, are energetic and have beautiful coats & clean teeth. Some of the commercial raw diets can be expensive, but there are ways around that. You can buy chicken breasts or chicken backs, turkey necks, ground beef, etc. to get started and mix it with kibble. This is the most natural diet for our canine counterparts. Can you imagine eating hamburger helper every day of your entire life. Well that's what I think of when people tell me they feed their dogs the same kibble for 12 years. Blah! Bones are great too (much safer than rawhide)...but they must be raw. NEVER feed cooked bones as they can splinter or break and cause major internal injury to the dog. Raw bones are a wonderful and easy way to keep dogs teeth tarter & plaque free. You should always supervise your dog while he enjoys his bone, but don't ever try to take it away because these are tremendously valuable items. Always trade off for something of equal value (cheese, hotdogs, chicken, etc). If you have any questions about raw feeding please post a comment and I'll respond accordingly.

FDA Investigating NUTRO

According to Consumer Report yesterday, the FDA is investigating NUTRO Pet Food Company for sudden illnesses and death AGAIN associated with feeding dogs & cats NUTRO brand pet food. What is it going to take to change the manufacturing process of the food we feed our fur kids? Pet food consumers need to take a stand and stop buying these processed foods. Just like anything else that is mass produced...errors occur...but these errors are causing suffering and even death. What's Really in Pet Food is a very descriptive article which really puts the spotlight on commercial pet food companies. I highly recommend taking the time to read through this long article. Please consider switching your pets to a high-quality pet food. There are many grain-free dry & canned foods on the market that are free of wheat, wheat gluten and corn, all of which are allergens for dogs & cats. As true carnivores, they should not consume these troublesome grains. If you are really adventurous...I challenge you to switch to a raw diet. This is by far the most natural, healthy diet for your dogs & cats. You will see an amazing difference, especially in those pets with allergies, ear infections, dry skin, hair loss, hyperactivity, auto-immune disorders, etc. People feed their dogs the same food day in and day out. How would you like to eat hamburger helper for breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day....blah! Dogs are descendants of wolves and therefore should not be eating cereal, but fresh, raw meat, raw bones & some fresh veggies (stay away from onions, grapes & raisins). We have been feed our dogs raw foods for over 7 years and I can't say enough good things about it. It can get expensive so you may need to get a little creative, but I'd rather spend the money on good quality food and prevent illness & disease rather than pay more money later to cure illness (if there is a cure).