Raw Whole Prey Model
I feed a Raw Whole Prey Model diet to my dogs and cats. It's the optimal, species appropriate diet for our domestic carnivores. This is not cooked, ground, minced, sliced or diced. There are no fruits, grains, carbs, sugars or vegetable matter. No dairy or flax or wheat germ. No kelp, nuts or anything else. Nothing but Meat, bone, organ and liver. It's not complicated and it's exactly what our dogs are meant to eat. There are no recipes or menus to follow. You source and buy meat just as you would for yourself - chicken, beef, pork, deer, quail, elk, emu, bison, turkey, duck - virtually any meat. There are resources available to you on yahoo groups and on facebook, but don't expect to find much in the way of help from mainstream sources. I suggest you start here: http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html For more information, check these out:: Evolution of the dog and genetics - http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3099-dogs-evolved-from-handful-of-wolves.html#.UgRRjpKsiSo http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/01/5/l_015_02.html http://www2.fiu.edu/~milesk/Genetics.htm |
Sheeple, Dogs and Food
Sheeple. My favorite term lately. I would like to apply it to how we feed our dogs. The dog (Canis Lupus Familiaris) is a subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis Lupus). http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=14000738 By DNA, Anatomy and Physiology, there is almost no difference between dogs and wolves. http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/wolves-coyotes-and-dogs Dogs and wolves are structured and designed to eat like Carnivores. In practice, however, Mainstream America feeds their dog like an Omnivore. Not because they came up with the feeding style themselves, but as a direct result of the emergence and market domination of commercial pet food manufacturers. http://feline-nutrition.org/features/a-brief-history-of-commercial-pet-food Since the beginning of the pet food industry, there has been grain, corn, fillers, preservatives, low quality products and some unbelievably horrible ‘other stuff’ in commercial pet food. Pet food is certainly not a diet created for a carnivore yet you choose and feed this to your dog. You are held in sway by the slick marketing because, really, the product IS the marketing http://www.petfoodindustry.com/Marketing_petfoods_with_firepower.html It seems that some folks are starting to get a clue, which accounts for the trends, but the majority remains under enchantment. You are pressured by your vet who may have a vested, monetary interest in maintaining a relationship with pet manufacturers or simply doesn’t know as much as you wish they did. http://www.doggyspace.com/dogblog/2012/11/26/how-do-vets-recommend-pet-food-part-3-in-practice/ http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/01/02/veterinary-nutritionists-favor-commercial-food.aspx http://veterinarycommunity.dvm360.com/_What-do-Veterinarians-Know-About-Nutrition/blog/6215487/30809.html Maybe you just care about what is trendy http://www.petfoodindustry.com/Default.aspx?pageid=7888&id=7964&blogid=761&terms=wellness Or maybe you just don’t think about it at all. Of course, I am biased. I don’t feed my dogs a commercial diet. It is my choice based on my own research and experience over the last 7 or 8 years. But I have done my due diligence, evaluated the options carefully and critically, and come to my own conclusions. I do not follow a leader. I do not ‘go along to get along’. I certainly do not buckle to fancy marketing. So, my dear Sheeple, the pet food industry is a bajillion dollar industry world-wide at the cost of our pet’s health ( http://rawfed.com/myths/kibble.html ), our pocket book and basic common sense. Why not at least make an informed decision. Check out the links. Research on your own. Talk about it with friends. Here are some other informative links: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/13_10/features/Carbohydrate-Intake-For-Dogs_20103-1.html http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/choosing-dog-food/dry-dog-food-cleaner-teeth/ http://thewholedog.org/artkidneyfailure.html Happy reading and let me know what you think, what you find, and what, if anything, has influenced your decisions. PS - What about our cats? It’s almost worse; Cats are Obligate Carnivores – but more on that later. In the meantime, a few links to tide you over. http://drtims.com/grain-free-cat-foods/ http://www.catinfo.org/?link=cannedfoods |