This is a
difficult subject because, there is no "one size fits all" diet for
our pets, or people. There are many
variables.
Things to
add to your pets diet to enhance the food.
1. Sardines – you can get raw, canned, dehydrated, freeze dried or
fresh. Sardines have important trace
minerals like Manganese, Iodine, Zinc, Copper, plus the important EPA-DHA and
Omega 3. I believe that most dog/cat
foods will benefit with the addition of Sardines. Its easy 1 can of spring water or olive oil
based sardines split up 2 times a week (50 lb dog).
2. Collagen or Bone Broth (helps add more liquid
also)
Collagen is loaded with Amino Acids,
Collagen and collagen-rich substances like bone broth can help soothe and
repair the gut lining, improving leaky gut and other problems triggered by that
problematic state of your pet’s digestive system. Can help with joint pain, skin and coat, digestion. Amino Acids and proteins are the building
blocks of life.
(Nature’s Logic has powdered Bone Broth(Beef,
Pork, Turkey, Chicken) Honest Kitchen (Chicken) – Primal has Frozen Bone Broth
(Beef, Pork, Turkey, Chicken) Answers has Frozen Bone Broth ( Turkey, Fish) If
you have a dog with joint issues, I usually recommend Pork because it is higher
in Glucosamine & Chondroitin. It’s
easy to make your own bone broth, there are tons of recipes online just make
sure you don’t use items that dogs/cats can’t have.
With any of the Bone broths it’s easy
to make it more functional by addition of herbs, or other healthy
products. Primal has just come out with
a product called Elixir which is a bone broth base with the addition of
aromatic whole food toppers that can be added to any pet food meal The
different flavors have functional ingredients that help to support healthy
digestive tracts, immune systems, and joints.
3. Whole food vitamins.
This category is a bit difficult
because if you are feeding a kibble (and some raw), you really don’t want to
add any synthetic vitamins because most kibbles (and some raw) already have
synthetic supplements so if you add another synthetic supplement it could cause
problems in your pet. So this is where
adding a Whole food supplement is the best because if the pet doesn’t need the
vitamin they just eliminate it like a food, where if it’s a synthetic the pet’s
body treats it like a toxin. So Nature’s
Logic has a dried whole food supplement called Food Fortifier it comes in Beef
and Chicken. Earth animal has a dried
whole food supplement called Daily Raw.
Green JuJu has Frozen Functional Veggies for Joints, Skin, Immunity and
Digestion. Northwest Naturals has Frozen
Veggie Cubes. You can easily make your
own “ice cube” veggies by grinding up (your choice) veggies and freezing in ice
cube trays.
4. Goat Milk
Goat Milk is considered the
“universal milk” it is high is many important micronutrients, including
calcium, phosphorus and riboflavin, minerals, electrolytes, trace elements, enzymes
plus heart-healthy fats and protein.
They are easily absorbed plus add needed liquid to all dog/cat food. There are easy “treat” ways to get digestive
enzymes also Answers has Goat milk cheese that has 1 billion probiotics per
treat for only 19 calories. And now they
have Cow Milk Kefir treats that help with fleas and ticks.
5. Herbs
Because our pets are exposed to so
many different chemicals and pollutions on a daily basis I believe it’s
important to keep their liver functioning at a high clean level. You can do this a few ways, have them do a liver
cleanse 4 times a year or rotate through herbs throughout the year. Doing a liver cleanse 4 times a year is
basically the same except you would be using a larger quantity of herbs at a
time. So say you have a 50# dog and you
are doing one of the 4 cleanses you would start with approx. 2 tsp (broke up
into meals) of one of the following Milk Thistle, Dandelion, Burdock, Red
clover. I personally think its best if
you only do one week of each, so one week of Milk Thistle, one week of Dandelion
one week of Burdock, one week of Red Clover then repeat. Usually the 4 a year
detox lasts 45 days. If you decide to do
the protocol year round (what I do) then add one ½ teaspoon per 25 lbs.
rotating through the above herbs each week.
6. Egg
With eggs I only recommend Organic
free range eggs they are the most complete food, they are a great bioavailable
source of protein and high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, healthy fats.
If feeding daily be sure to feed the whole egg (including the shell) or just
the yolk to avoid any nutritional issues that might be caused by feeding the
white of the egg alone. Remember to
include this in the calorie count as eggs have approx. 70 calories.
7. Fermented food
This is important because it helps
with digestion and keeping the gut in working order. This would include any of the Answers products
since all of their products are fermented.
But it can be as easy as purchasing from the grocery store or health
food store raw sauerkraut, fermented vegetables. Or you can make your own, a little goes a long
way you only feed about 1 Tablespoon for a 50 lb dog. As with all fermentation
the bacteria not only create new nutrients, enzymes and organic acids, but they
also become an extremely effective probiotic for your dog.
8. Misc. other things that are important to
incorporate.
Green Tripe and Organ meats (liver,
spleen, bladder, kidney, brain, thymus) if you can get a mixture of some or all
of these they are the “missing piece” in my opinion for all dogs. I don’t have heart listed because heart is an
organ they use as a meat source since it’s considered a muscle. Bones are very important also because they
help with the instinctual ripping and tearing action that dogs and cats have,
plus it helps keep their teeth clean, and keeps them from getting bored. Kelp (for iodine), Blueberries (antioxidants),
red peppers, spinach, various greens. So
we have to remember that dogs and cats are still the same as their wild
counterpart, and I know that a lot of people only want to feed the “prey” model
to their pets, but to truly feed prey you would have to let your pet - hunt –
not eat for a few days – and let them have the whole animal. So sometimes they would be eating bark,
berries, grass, stomach content (which would be fermented), brain, fur,
etc. Since we pretty much hold them
captive we have to make sure they are getting a complete diet with all the
extra antioxidants, vitamins, minerals that if they were wild they would seek
out and eat.
In closing
remember every dog or cat is different and should be fed as an individual, they
may require more specific nutrients because of their species, age, health,
activity level. Also remember you can’t
feed just Chicken thighs and expect a healthy dog/cat, that would in no way be
complete and you would have a very sick animal.
Please note,
I am not a veterinarian, part of a veterinary group, or veterinary
nutritionist. I am an independent Pet Nutrition Specialist/Advisor, a Certified
Herbalist. Always consult with your
veterinarian when making changes that affect your dog’s health. The information
in this blog post or Pet Supplies ‘N’ More is not intended to diagnose,
prognosis, treat, correct, change, alleviate, or prevent animal disease,
illness, pain, deformity, defect, injury, or other physical, dental, or mental
conditions.
My name is
Paula Gorman and I am a Pet Nutrition Specialist, Herbalist. I am an employee of Pet Supplies ‘N’ More in
Muskego WI and have been advising pet owners on diet for over 20 years. I have studied hours upon hours of canine
nutrition for my own dog’s sake, and for those that shop at Pet Supplies ‘N’
More.