A Lesson In Dog Nutrition From Hippocrates

Online, April 18, 2011 (Newswire.com) - If I had to think of one of the least nutritious examples of sustenance for human consumption (although I don't really consider it food) then I'd have to remember the first time I stopped drinking soda. I was sipping a can of TAB calorie free soda back on my porch. Perhaps it was out of boredom that I turned the soda can around to read it, but suddenly I found myself reading a list words I couldn't pronounce. Were those the ingredients? I never drank soda again.

I can't say I've changed much in the way of checking ingredients and eating naturally. In fact, I've gotten more diligent about it. And so it's no surprise that another significant epiphany managed to overtake me years later when I read the ingredients on a package of commercial dog food. I was taken back to that moment in 1983 when I tossed that can of TAB forever and in all my consistency, I tossed the entire bag of food in the trash and never looked back. This is what I called my dog food epiphany.

Just for the record my 'epiphany' occurred before the major dog food recalls of 2007 and incidentally after my Viszla Fred developed a brain tumor. He, through my ignorance, was only fed a popular commercial brand of kibble his entire life. He died at 8 years young.

A day that stands out for me in Fred's life was the day I took him to the neurologist for his seizures. The first question the Vet asked as he examined him was "What are you feeding him?" I knew right then that I didn't do right by this animal and immediately I tried to correct it with a natural diet, hoping I would save the dog, but it was too late.

I've learned that many Veterinarians aren't well versed in nutrition and the commercial dog food companies take advantage of this. It behooves me to think that many veterinarians know the ill effects of commercial dog food and yet because they profit from it simply because these foods cause conditions like ear infections, skin rashes, gastrointestinal infections, and ultimately cancer or a brain tumors, they only ask THE most enlightening question when you're there for an emergency when obviously, it's too late.

Well, you live and you learn. Like I said, I never looked back. Four years later, we acquired our re-homed pup Valentino, a spunky 7 month old, male, Golden Retriever who'd been brought up on Nutro, (which I immediately tossed into the trash). I switched him to a raw diet and noticed within days that my spunky golden together with chemical free diet and daily romps in the park began to settle down (by the way, this was the main reason his previous owners re-homed him - because he was to hyper). It became apparent to me that the Nutro Brand dog food actually made him more hyper and nervous.

On the Raw diet, Valentino ate 5-6 pounds of raw meat per day- and it didn't travel well, so I set out to find an alternative. I discovered my happy medium, a human grade, chemical free, balanced and nutritious diet. I found this human-grade dehydrated raw food was easy to travel with, hypoallergenic, some were organic and all were human tested, (yes, taste tested by humans) and nutritionally balanced. This is what my dog and I needed - some integrity.

I literally felt myself exhale. My first sign of relief came from reading the ingredients. Yes! I could READ THE INGREDIENTS! The second, was that I didn't have to prepare 5-6 pounds of raw meet each day to get the same benefits for Val. I could add my RAW meats as a bonus if I wanted to because THK is already a complete and balanced product and that was just fine with me. Valentino does really well on THK, he is lean, his coat shines, his teeth are pearly white and his ears show no signs of a food allergy.

Valentino loves his ball, plays a mean outfield and swims tirelessly in the lake. I often get comments about Val's lean physique which often get me into the conversation of what Val eats. I'm always happy to talk food and I'm proud that my dog is living proof of good, honest, nutrition.

Good nutrition is imperative to help maintain a healthy happy dog that will stay with you for a long time to come. It's not always as easy as just buying the commercial bag of dog food in the grocery aisle, but the extra effort will pay off big time when you gain extra time with your beloved dog!

Source: http://mydogscooter.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/feeding-your-dog-well-a-lesson-from-hippocrates/

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