Dietary Guidelines for Pets
The first
step in providing your pet with a healthy diet is to banish the myth that
"people food" is not good for animals. This is an untruth perpetuated by
the commercial pet food industry. Your pet will thrive and enjoy
disease-free longevity if you provide them with fresh, organic food as you
hopefully do for yourself.
Please keep in mind that the recommendations being made here are
generalized as each pet is an individual with possible different needs.
Enjoy
your journey into Contagious Health for your treasured pets.
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* If your pet has been eating commercial pet food her digestive system will undergo a cleanse when you begin giving her fresh food. Further, commercial pet foods contain additives that purposely slow the digestive process. (this is to prevent the diarrhea the pet would have from the toxins in commercial pet food.) The duration of the cleanse varies in every pet. Loose bowel movements are to be expected during your pet's transition to clean, fresh food. Provide filtered water with a few drops of Life Transfusion Liquid Mineral Complex mixed in. Feed small amounts of food frequently as your pet adjusts to her new diet regime. The normal dog should have three to four bowel movements in twenty four hours, the normal cat one to two.
* Provide nutritional supplementation to make sure your pet is getting all the vitamins and minerals it requires to be healthy. Refer to the Master Formulas for Pets section for guidance as to which products apply to your pet.
* Be sure your pet gets plenty of fun-oriented exercise. This is vital to their health. Walk that dog!!! Provide your cat with toys that encourage play!!! This will insure that the pet's digestive system gets the stimulation it requires to function properly.
* As you will be limiting the amount of dry food your pet eats, provide your dog with nylon chew bones (no rawhide toys, they can damage your dog's digestive track when ingested) or real soup bones (steamed) for gum stimulation. Also, brush your pet's teeth daily, and annually have her teeth cleaned by your vet.
Diet Guidelines for Dogs:
Dogs require a combination of vegetables, grains, and meats to give them the nutrition they require. There is debate as to the viability of feeding dogs cooked or raw meat. We do not recommend feeding raw meat as it often is infected with parasites and salmonella. A small amount of raw vegetables and fruit is considered beneficial. There is also debate as to whether dogs can be vegetarians. While it is true that dogs can live as vegetarians (cats CANNOT) , and we as humans can subscribe to a vegan diet, we believe that dogs in their original nature were carnivorous and are healthier consuming some meat and fish in their diets. They do, of course, love it.
A good dog diet with variety can be fun and satisfying to prepare for your pet. To keep preparation simple use this ratio of ingredients: one third to one half meat or fish, one quarter steamed grain, and one quarter steamed vegetables. Mix your ingredients together and serve warm.
Suggested ingredients to include in your recipes:
Meats should include chicken, turkey, liver, lamb. Beef consumption is rather controversial these days as a result of the reality of Mad Cow Disease in the food supply, use your own judgment regarding feeding it to your pet. If you do feed any beef, limit the amount as it is fatty.
Alaskan canned salmon is a good breakfast food for dogs and is especially beneficial to dogs with skin allergies. Avoid farm-raised salmon as it is contains harmful dioxins and other undesirable toxins due to how the fish are fed for market.
A variety of steamed grains should include brown rice, pearl barley, millet, and rolled oats. Grain will form the base of your recipes and can be prepared in advance to give you a few days supply. Be sure the grains are cooked to be very soft. Avoid wheat and corn grains as they are hard for dogs to digest, wheat in particular is known to cause allergies.
Almost all steamed vegetables are desirable foods for your dog. Include yams and white potatoes as part of your base along with broccoli tops. Carrots, pumpkin, and squash are great additions. Make sure the veggies are soft and mashed together with the meat and grain. You can also sprinkle some raw lettuce, dandelion greens, spinach, and chive in the mix. Save a little meat broth and mash it in the vegetables.
One or two hard-boiled peeled eggs a week is good, as is the treat of a little raw apple, orange, or raisin depending on your dog's taste. We also recommend a teaspoon to a tablespoon of nutritional yeast once a day along with a teaspoon of flax seed oil. A dab of peanut butter is a delightful dog treat, especially if is put in one of the hard rubber rolly toys that most dogs are crazy for!
While fresh prepared food is the best diet for your dog, if you must feed a manufactured chow we recommend and personally use the brand "Solid Gold". Originally formulated in Germany, it is very holistic in content. We use the kibbles as training rewards in our educational work with dogs.
Your dog will let you know which are her favorite foods within the balance of these good foods. Keep in mind that you are the "parent" and she is dependent on you to provide her with what is best for her. Have a good time with this part of your holistic lifestyle!
Diet Guidelines
for Cats:
Cats, like dogs, require a variety of fresh food to achieve optimum
health. However, while including grains and vegetables in their recipe
mixes is important we must emphasize that cats are strict carnivores and
need a greater ratio of meat/fish to the other ingredients in the food
than dogs. If a cat is deprived of meat it will develop serious health
conditions such as kidney failure and blindness. Also, while a dog should
eat two to three times a day, your cat should eat five to six small meals
a day. If this is not possible for you to provide, we suggest giving her a
morning meal then leaving a small amount of food for free choice eating
throughout the day.
A good food ingredients ratio for a cat is: entirely fish for one meal of
the day, preferably breakfast. The other meals should be a mix of one half
to three quarters part meat/fish and one quarter vegetable/grain mix.
Meats and fish should include chicken, turkey, liver, canned Alaskan
salmon, canned jack mackerel, and fresh white fishes that are available in
your seafood market. Fish contains taurine which is an essential amino
acid required by cats. Avoid canned tuna as it is known to be very high in
mercury. As with your dog, it is your call as to whether you feed her
beef. If you do decide to feed her beef limit the amount and frequency as
it is very fatty.
Grains should include steamed brown rice, rolled oats, millet, and pearl
barley. Be sure they are very soft and well-mashed into the food mix.
Vegetables can include a little bit of yam and broccoli tops, again
steamed very soft and mixed into the food thoroughly. Raw, finely chopped
dandelion greens, parsley, or chive is a good addition.
Pour fish broth from the canned salmon, etc. into your mix to flavor it.
Add a pinch of brewers yeast, and a one quarter teaspoon flax oil. A
tablespoon of mashed hard-boiled egg once or twice a week is fine.
Solid Gold Katz-N-Flocken dry food is a good snack for one small meal.
Once or twice a week
try to provide your cat with a sprig or two of fresh catnip. If you cannot
"grow your own", dry catnip is fine. If you have green chemical-free grass
in your yard cut a couple of blades once a week and bring them in the
house for your cat to roll around on and chew.
Cats can be very discriminating eaters. Your cat will definitely let you
know what she prefers and you should work with her to some extent
regarding her food choices. It has been our experience that at times a cat
will eat more than at others and even skip a meal only to come back to it
later. They also seem to like food mildly warm. Feeding your cat
holistically is a creative experience so plan on enjoying preparing meals
that she especially likes!
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug
Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any
disease.
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