We know the basics of dog and cat nutrition start with the fact that they are carnivores.

This means they NEED MEAT. Dogs and cats are designed to process meat protein to supply many of the elements needed to produce red blood cells, muscle and energy. They have liver enzymes designed to process meat protein that cannot cope well with grain substitutes. We see more cats especially coming in with liver, kidney and diabetes problems that can be directly attributed to feeding grains (poor quality ones at that). We have dogs who itch and bite at themselves due to their inability to process the grains in their food.

We know dogs and cats have short digestive tracts designed to quickly break-down and absorb the foods they gulp down. This brings us to the next big part of the nutrition issue in domestic dogs and cats.

Digestion- We try our best to take care of our pets in our busy lives, and we feel the need to treat them fairly to be sure they are pain free and happy. This often means we treat them with antibiotics or steroids. These treatments work in our pets’ bodies much like they work in our own. An antibiotic goes and destroys bacteria that are considered “negative” and making an animal ill. Just as in our own bodies, these antibiotics are not designed to pick out a specific bacteria, they simply get rid of it all. That includes the “positive” bacteria needed to remain in the intestines to aid in the absorption of nutrients.

When we destroy all the intestinal bacteria we create an environment that is not healthy. When we feed high grain foods on top of the destruction of “good” bacteria, we create an imbalance. “Negative” bacteria can feed on and grow in a high grain environment. So does yeast. How many of you have dealt with those constant stinky (yeasty) ear infections? Consider what goes into your dog or cat to feed that problem.

Grains are also slow digesters. Dogs and cats are designed to digest quickly. When you see a large stool from your dog, you can assume the dog is not using much of what is going in- i.e. the body doesn’t have the time or ability to digest the ingredients of the kibble you are feeding. If you have an animal with immune system issues, you may also see mucus in the stool. This is caused by the intestinal wall trying to protect itself. It builds a barrier of mucus to prevent absorption. The slowing down of the digestion and the affect it has on building an environment that won’t allow the dog or cat to get the nutrition it needs are major reasons to limit the amount of grains in our carnivores’ food.

So.. we know the quality of the food we feed is essential to good nutrition.

We know our dogs and cats need meats to survive and flourish.

We know medications can destroy the balance in the intestinal tract, lowering absorption of even good quality foods.

We know grains can slow down digestion and feed “negative” bacteria.

We also know that we have been feeding the same meats to our dogs and cats for a long time. We fed Beef for yeeeaaarrrs before we decided Chicken was cheaper and easy to produce. Turkey is darn close. When our animals started reacting to (having “allergy” symptoms) those meats we turned to Lamb. That was a little harder to get, and a bit more expensive, but worth it to combat the “allergy” issues.

Well, look where we are now. Now we are making foods for our pets from Duck, Rabbit, Trout, Salmon, Venison, and Goat. We’ve continued to try to change the treatment of the “allergy” symptoms based upon the “as long as we can’t see it, all must be better” philosophy. We are not dealing with the CAUSE.

With that in mind, these new proteins, along with grain-free foods or human-grade quality CAN help us manage the symptoms while working on the cause.

As I said in a previous blog, sometimes the cause may not become evident. Sometimes the best we can do is manage what we know is needed, and let the animal’s immune system cope the best it can.

Let’s say we have a dog with itchy skin that has licked his paws raw and has chronic ear infections.

What do we do?

First we look at the breed of the dog.                                BREEDING

Then we look at the food the dog is eating.                       NUTRITION

Then we look at the last time the dog was vaccinated.     VACCINES