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What You Need to Know About Your Pet's Food

Dr. Larry Siegler
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Nutrition is the foundation of good health for people and the same is true for our animal companions.
Diet is the most important component of your pet's health care.

The best diet for your dog or cat is not dissimilar to the best diet for you -- it consists of a variety of whole foods enhanced with vitamins and minerals, enzymes and supplements, when necessary, to promote optimal health, prevent disease or to address health issues.

Our animal companions are natural hunters and carnivores; just look at their ancestry. The dog at your feet (or on your sofa) has evolved from the wolf, and it's digestive system is virtually the same despite thousands of years of domestication. They have very short intestinal tracts geared to the consumption and digestion of raw foods.

The cat on your lap is a true or "obligate" carnivore (meat only diet) and is specially designed by nature to hunt small rodents and birds. Her digestive tract, as well, is intended to assimilate raw meat best.

Commercially prepared kibble has become the standard diet for most pets in our culture. It is relatively cheap and quite convenient.

Knowledgeable guardians and many veterinarians, however, are becoming increasingly aware of the true nutritional needs of companion animals and are taking a proactive approach to nutrition by choosing the highest quality ingredients and carefully controlled preparation over cost and convenience.

For most dogs and cats, a home-prepared raw food diet is best. This is not always feasible, however, with the growing trend of organic pet foods, online stores like Only Natural Pet Store - Everything Natural for Dogs & Cats What You Need to Know About Your Pet's Foodoffer the healthiest options available for all life-styles and feeding choices.

Whatever food you choose to offer your pet, putting some thought into your decision now can produce big rewards over his or her lifetime and very probably help him/her avoid serious and costly illnesses caused by poor nutrition and feeding practices.

Freshness

When trying to determine the best diet for your companion, there are two things to keep in mind: The fresher, the better, and rotation is optimal. First let's discuss freshness.

Fresh food is teaming with life. It contains natural enzymes, probiotics, antioxidants and vitamins and minerals in their most natural state making them more digestible and more easily assimilated.

Heat is the number one enemy of nutrients in food.

The fresher the food, the more bioavailable the nutrients in that food will be.

This means that the antioxidants in the fruits and vegetables listed in the ingredients will be far more likely to be intact and digestible in raw food than dry kibble or canned food, (which are processed at high temperatures).

This holds true for natural enzymes, probiotics, amino acids and vitamins and minerals as well.

The less heat processed the food, the more likely the nutrients are preserved in their natural state by the time you feed it to your companion, and the more digestible those nutrients will be.

So, even if dry kibble is a part of your companion's diet, adding fresher foods like fresh or frozen raw food & bones or fresh cooked meat, healthy table scraps, freeze dried or dehydrated diets, and even canned food can enhance the quality of his or her overall diet.

The freshness scale:

  • 1. Home prepared diet (preferably raw)
  • 2. Frozen raw food diets
  • 3. Freeze dried & dehydrated foods
  • 4. Canned foods
  • 5. Dry kibble





Before starting any self treatment Dr. Grisanti recommends that you consider consulting with a doctor trained in functional medicine. Visit www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com to find doctors thoroughly trained in functional medicine

Functional medicine embraces the totality of the regulatory functions of the body. It encompasses all of the biophysical, biochemical, enzymatic, endocrine, immunological, and bioenergetic regulatory capacities.

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., D.A.C.B.N., M.S.