Are you one of over 63% of Australian households who owns a pet? If so, you may be interested to know what that pet food you buy in the supermarket may be doing to your beloved cat or dog. There is no doubt that pet food is a convenient and easy way to feed our animals. It’s there in our supermarket aisles telling us so, with pictures of bouncing, happy, content cats and dogs. The advertising and marketing are so convincing that Pet food sales are over $1.8 billion a year in Australia. So don’t you want to know exactly what is in the food you give? And more importantly how it works on your dog or cat? Commercially prepared pet food is cooked, and there is no getting away from the fact that cooked foods loses its nutrients. After being cooked, the food is fortified with vitamins and minerals. This helps make up for that which is lost in cooking, plus then add chemicals, and preservatives to make that food last, and palatable (and I think, somewhat addictive). Most of these foods use rice and starchy vegetables, so that you get the energy needed to fuel your animal. What you also get though is protein from low quality sources from meat, and vegetables and grains (your dog and cat need a lot of protein from meat! Especially that carnivorous little cat). The low quality protein (often from sources unknown, and from items not fit for humans), plus the high carbohydrate content, and low (or out of) balance of vitamins and minerals, can cause numerous health issues. Some of the signs you may be able to see are
o Dull coat/hair loss/dry skin/eczema
o Low energy/lethargy/mood swings
o Smelly stools
o Tooth decay
o Bad breath
o Joint stiffness
o Slow wound healing
o Overweight/Obese
Other times there is no visible sign, and your animal is surviving, but are they really thriving? Maybe they are suffering from poor digestion, and poor functioning immune system. They may be ageing prematurely. Their kidneys may be working so hard to digest this low quality protein they are consuming, that there may be damage occurring to their organs. They may be prone to other diseases, and arthritis, diabetes, and cancer. Unable to use their natural instincts to feed themselves properly, domestic animals are dependent on us to nourish them in a manner that meets their basic nutritional needs. Here at our practice, Animal Natural Care, we are qualified Animal Nutritionists & Naturopaths, and we believe that dogs and cats need to eat in a more natural way. Dogs and cats digestive systems are best suited to raw whole foods. This most closely resembles what they would eat in the wild. If you let your animal out into the bush, chances are it won’t be lighting a fire, and cooking its little rodent that it caught. We recommend raw meaty bones, these clean their teeth, and gives them excellent nutrients, plus the added benefit of the satisfaction that your animal gets in chewing and gnawing at its food. Watch, it makes them happy! Add some offal, fish, oils (for the Omega 3’s & 6’s), eggs, yoghurt, oats and vegetables (green leafy are excellent), fruit & other veggies (pulped up will allow your animal to digest wonderfully), and you will have an animal that THRIVES. Together we can create a simple, natural, healthy and cost effective way of feeding your dog or cat, so that you have an animal that is happy, energetic and thriving.