Archive for the ‘Raw Dog Food’ Category

Its never a good thing to hear that your dog is in kidney failure, Chronic Renal Failure, has high kidney values or what have you.  Its devastating because far too often these dogs go downhill and go down fast.  Usually, if you have a traditional vet, they will put your dog immediately on a prescription diet – most commonly Science Diet K/D.

The ingredients in K/D, leave much to be desired.  The first few are as follows:

“Brewers Rice, Pork Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Dried Egg Product, Flaxseed, Corn Gluten

Many pets with kidney problems won't eat prescription diets causing their systems to weaken and rendering them unable to fight the disease

Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor, Powdered Cellulose, Calcium Carbonate, Dried Beet Pulp, L-Lysine, Potassium Chloride, Potassium Citrate, Choline Chloride, Iodized Salt…”

Note the decided lack of meat.  Erroneously, the first decision that many jump to when faced with a pet that has kidney problems is that they no longer should have protein.  The fact is that they need to be fed less PHOSPHORUS and the RIGHT proteins.

Proteins make up the bulk of a carnivore’s diet and make no mistake, our dogs and cats ARE carnivores.  The best proteins for our little house carnivores are animal based as they contain all the essential amino acids that our pets need.  To deprive our dog, or cat, of protein, is to take away the most vital part of their diet.  Contrary to the belief of some, protein does not cause kidney problems as a pet ages nor is it necessary to erase them from the diet of an animal showing signs of distressed kidneys.

According to www.dogaware.com, one of the leading sites on dealing with kidney problems in our pets, lowering the phosphorus in our pet’s diet has been shown to “slow the progression of kidney disease.”  Further, feeding fattier meats will supply calories while reducing phosphorus levels so long as care is taken with dogs prone to pancreatitis.  Raw fats are processed far more easily by dogs and cats and always should receive preference over cooked fats.

It is also important to avoid feeding bones which are quite high in phosphorus.  Using a calcium supplement to replace bones is a must for kidney patients.  Calcium from a whole food source – such as Eggshellent Calcium – is a far better choice than using synthetic calcium supplements and are easy to add to your pet’s food.  Removing the bones reduces phosphorus level of which bones have a high amount.  Calcium acts as a phosphorus binder and in this manner helps the kidneys deal with any phosphorus that is present.  Avoiding other foods high in phosphorus is also key.  Foods like fish, cheese and organ meats should be generally avoided with the exception of organ meats which should be fed in small amounts and only very moderately due to the nutritional benefits that they provide.   Your basic dietary goals should therefore include, moderate to high amounts of fat, high quality protein, low phosphorus and plenty of water. (Whole Dog Journal, May 2005).

When pets are placed on a prescription diet, it is often noted that they begin to suffer from inappetence.  This is hardly conducive to fighting the kidney problems – in fact it often compromises the animal as he gets weaker and weaker from

Raw Green Tripe can be a lifesaver for a pet suffering from chronic renal failure

lack of nutrition.  One of the most perfect foods for kidney patients is Raw Green Tripe.  Naturally low in phosphorus with a perfect amount of calcium through non-bone sources to bind what phosphorus there is, it tends to be a favorite of most all dogs (cats, not as much as they aren’t drawn nearly so much to smelly foods).  Many dogs who will not or have stopped eating their prescription kibble will begin to eat once more when faced with a pungent bowl of raw tripe.  Tripe, which is the stomach of a ruminant animal, is quite nearly a complete food and if it is all that your kidney dog will eat than you are actually in good shape.  Variety is always nice and preferable, but tripe can fulfill their nutritional needs and is rarely ignored.

At A Place For Paws we offer a kidney package containing both Raw Green Tripe and our specially formulated Pork and Veggies mix that includes Eggshellent Calcium rather than actual pork bone.  A combination of the two can make the difference in your kidney dog’s eating habits.  Also great for pets with kidney problems is Grizzly Salmon Oil.  Fish body oils provide high amounts of Omega 3 essential fatty acids which have been shown to help dogs with chronic renal failure or high kidney values (WDJ, 2005).   Remember, your pet needs good food in order to have a healthy body.  A healthy body is more than necessary for fighting off their illness – poor nutrition will simply weaken your pet making the end come far more quickly than it has to.

While its true that people need to do their research before deciding to switch to a raw diet, once that decision is made, the rest should be easy.  That seems to not always be true.  Stress seems to rule the day when it comes to actually switching our dogs over.  Being told through the years that its imperative that we pick one brand of kibble and never stray from that brand day in and day out, has caused a glitch in our thought processes.  In reality its not hard, won’t cause any undue trauma to your puppy, dog, kitten or cat, and doesn’t take but a moment of time.

Puppies as young as this 6 week old baby are old enough to get on a raw diet

Many people want to do what I’ll call “The Gradual Switch”.   I remember always being told that you must ease your dog from one nameless kibble to another by adding one piece of kibble A and taking away one piece of kibble B each day for 1000 years.  Apparently this is the only way to avoid killing our dogs by switching their food so quickly that they…I don’t know, spontaneously combust?  But seriously – the gradual switch is not absolutely necessary.  Period.  End of sentence.  If you want to do it that way, sure, you could.  Back in the day when I switched my dogs over, I still had a half of a bag of kibble left.  Admittedly, I was a little nervous (I’d heard the same spontaneous combustion stories you see) and began their raw transition by feeding kibble in the morning and raw at night until the bag of kibble was gone.  I told myself it was because I didn’t want to waste the kibble but….truthfully I did have a little trepidation.  Over the years I have fostered many dogs – adults, puppies, large ones, small ones – and none having been fed raw prior to coming to my home.  Since I have never had any kibble in the house since that last half bag, I’ve never again done the gradual switch…

Which leads me to the way that I DO switch dogs to raw – the method known as “Cold Turkey”.  Its the practice of bringing the dog or puppy into your house and when its dinnertime giving them their first raw meal – no kibble included.  What’s more, it works.  My method is definitely constructed – I start slowly and without much variety initially and work up to normal raw feeding as we go.  I also give a probiotic at the time I am switching to help their nutritionally deprived bodies deal with all that usable food.  Have I ever seen the dread “dire rear”?  Certainly but if I do it is short lived and hardly a blip on the screen of life and 90% of the time I see nothing but a positive change in stool from their last kibble poop to their first raw poop.

Toy breeds can be switched just the same way as larger dogs - dogs are dogs no matter their size!

The method, in a nutshell, is easy.  I start with something like Beef and Bone or Raw Green Tripe – basic.  I stick with it for at least 4-6 days giving their system time to adjust.  Then I pick my next protein source, often Just Turkey (for very baby puppies) or Turkey and Veggies for slightly older puppies and dogs.  Same time frame, move on to the next protien source.  Occasionally I vary it – start with chicken backs or necks and move on from there.  In this manner I have switched 8 week old puppies as well as 10 year old adults and all those in between.  There isn’t an age too young to switch a puppy and if a dog is in decent health there isn’t an age too old.  Within a couple of weeks you will be feeding a full variety of things all done without having to do the “gradual switch”.  Have no fear and rejoice in the fact that it will be that much more quickly that the kibble poops go away forever!

Reagan

Cancer is an ugly word whether we are talking about us or our pets.  Often terminal, the best we can hope for is to either prevent it from occurring at all or, when it does happen, stop it or slow it.  Many would scoff at the idea that diet can make a difference for our pets where cancer is concerned, but the truth of the matter is that there are certain measures we can take that can help.  Will changing your pet’s diet get rid of the cancer completely?  Probably not BUT slowing the beast and giving our pets a lengthier quality life is certainly worth the change.

Tripe is often a go to food for dogs who have lost their appetite due to illness. Its perfectly balanced and great for dogs dealing with cancer and treatment

Commercial processed dog foods are, in reality, very cancer friendly.  Understand that you aren’t going to find any advertising campaigns touting kibble as the friend and feeder of cancer cells but why would anyone want to share that sort of info?  Just because they don’t proclaim it on the bag doesn’t mean it isn’t true.  Cancer cells feed off of sugars.  Carbohydrates turn to sugars in the body.  Carbohydrates feed cancer cells.  Thankfully dogs have no use for or need of carbohydrates.  That begs the question as to why commercial kibbles are full of carbs.  The answer, because they are cheap fillers and they hold those tiny little nuggets together.  Nutritionally they do nothing for our pets.  They use fat, not carbs, as their energy source and, indeed, can’t even digest carbs to any usable degree.  So one of the most important things you can do for your pet who has been given a diagnosis of cancer is eliminate all those carbs.  How?  Feed meat, bones, organs, offal.  Easy as that.  Why on earth would anyone continue to feed a product that is going to cause a cancer to grow more quickly?  Its logical and pure common sense.  Trust it.  It may give you an extra few months or even years with your pet and it certainly isn’t going to cause harm.

Another plus to feeding a natural raw diet to a dog predisposed to or diagnosed with cancer is that a healthy dog who receives good nutrition is a dog who has an immune system that just won’t quit.  Its understood that a healthy immune system isn’t going to destroy cancer BUT a healthy immune system gives those healthy cells a fighting chance to keep the cancer cells at bay.  Consider too that the more cancer cells take over, the less efficient your pet’s body is at fighting off secondary infections.  Sick animals tend to not want to eat, further weakening their systems and giving them even less of a platform from which to fight.  Even the pickiest dogs can often be enticed to eat raw therby keeping up weight and strength.

Diet recommendations are simple – no carbs, pure meat and organs.  Vegetables should be fed in moderation or skipped entirely but since they have great anti-cancer benefits, small amounts of low glycemic veggies can help your cause as well.

Chicken backs are an easy and affordable way to feed without carbohydrates

A Place For Paws carries many foods that are consistent with these recommendations.  Our meat only mixes include Beef and Bone, Just Chicken, Just Turkey and Raw Green Tripe.  Tripe is often a go to meal when your dog’s appetite starts to fall off.  Not many dogs can resist the smell and tastiness of tripe and it has often proven to be a lifesaver of sorts in its ability to convince some of the sickest dogs to eat.  Our Just Veggies Too is a low glycemic mixture that you can use to add those dark green leafy veggies to your dog’s diet in amounts that you desire.  Our other low glycemic low veggie mixes include our Cornish Hen and Veggies, Turkey and Veggies and Chicken and Veggies For Cats.  Also perfect for avoiding carbs are raw meaty bones such as chicken backs, chicken necks, turkey necks and beef gullet.  Our Nothing But…Treats are single ingredient treats with no added carbs whatsoever – try to find THAT at the local Super Petstore!

Raw feeding is the ONLY way to go when your dog has had a cancer diagnosis or scare .  Its easy to do and can make such a difference in your dog’s life possibly extending your time with your best friend by weeks, months or even years.