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When I moved to Colorado I was eating Eukanuba.
Then Ms Sherry of Spirit Paws turned mom on to Evo.
I Loved Evo, but then I slurped some wet dirt on the
bank of a mountain stream while we were on a road trip
and contracted Giardia - OMG - you don't want to get
Giardia!!! Get vaccinated! I'm on a yearly
vaccine now, but I can no longer stand Evo dog food.
This is really too bad, too, because it consisted of
some of my favorite foods.
Favorite Foods
cottage cheese
cherries
watermelon (like getting a drink with every bite!)
nectarines
apples
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milk
Limu
tomatoes if they have been next to ham
and
whatever Jess is eating - except carrots, I really don't
care for carrots unless they were cooked with Mom's
cross rib roast.
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I was doing well on Eukanuba, but the manufacturer did something
to the food and I started pooing twice as much and Mom
became concerned so she switched me to Avoderm and I
liked it ok in the beginning, then I started getting
picky about it - wanted cottage cheese with it or a
splash of gravy or any other refrigerator treat I could
get, so she again talked with Ms Sherry.
One of the brands Ms Sherry recommended is Nature's Variety, but you can't get
that just anywhere, so Spirit directed us to the guys
who really care about pets at
Samantha's Katz N Dogz in
Centennial, Colorado. What awesome guys!
They sent mom home with some really tasty samples.
They didn't have Nature's Variety in a little bag of
lamb & rice, so dad got salmon.
SALMON.
Mom doesn't like salmon and neither do I.
If dad will feed it to me one piece at a time, I'll
eat it, otherwise I really like the sample from Canada -
I am French you know.... Orijen is the name of the
food - wonderful flavor, texture and smell - oh my
goodness, the smell! Just Yummy!
I'll keep you posted on the food situation... I ate
all the Orijen so Mom
went to see those guys at Samantha's Katz N Dogz, but it
was Sunday and their shop was closed, so I'm back on
Avoderm till we run out. BUT, Dad talked her into
getting a can of Avoderm to go with. The last can
of food Dad talked Mom into getting for me gave me
terrible gas, but it wasn't Avoderm. Nothing like
having a gassy poodle sleeping on your desk while you
work - at least that's what mom said... Anyhow,
Dad is mixing a tablespoon of my canned Avoderm Lamb &
Rice with my dry Lamb & Rice with a splash of water and
a couple of those big dog food bites from the vets
office for my teeth. Man-o-man, is it delish!
I LOVE IT! I even eat it when Mom fixes it! Sorry I
digress... Back to Nutrition...
Ms Sherry was so kind as to share an article she wrote
on nutrition with us. By the way, Ms Sherry is the
healer of
www.SpiritPaws.com. She offers
classes,
Animal Blessings,
Animal Communication,
Animal Companion Meditation,
Animal Energy Work,
Animal Totem,
Grief Counseling,
Healthy Pet Consultations, and
Pet Loss Support. Yes, Ms Sherry knows what
she's doing when it comes to us animal spirits. The
Importance of Quality Pet Food
by Sherry B. True
Over the past couple of years I have had the opportunity
to work within the retail pet food industry. I have
learned a lot about the importance of feeding a good
diet to our animal companions. I would like to share
what I have learned in hopes that you too can improve
your animal’s health as I did with all of my animal
companions.
For me personally, I have been feeding a raw diet to my
three dogs in the morning and canned food at the night
time feeding. I prefer not to feed dry as it is a
processed food and creates a lot more waste to clean up.
I also do not feed foods that have grains in them. It is
ok if you do, it is just a personal preference for me.
Dogs and cats do not eat grains in the wild they eat the
animals that eat the grains but not the grains
themselves. Just as a side note when I was feeding
Science Diet to my dogs I would have a plastic shopping
bag full of waste every 5 days. After switching them to
raw and canned I have maybe a half of bag of waste.
Always check the first 4 to 5 ingredients to see what is
in the food you are feeding. Corn, wheat (wheat is one
of the most common allergens for dogs and provides NO
NUTRITION), soy (soy flour is another common allergen
for dogs), gluten and any food listing “by-products.”
Chicken-by-product meal (should NEVER be in pet foods,
these are the feet, feathers, beaks, organs of dead,
diseased or other chickens unfit for human consumption.
In many cases, by-product meals are derived from "4-D"
meat sources defined as food animals that have been
rejected for human consumption because they were
presented to the meat packing plant as "Dead, Dying,
Diseased or Disabled”. Meat by-products are commonly
found in pet foods including Science Diet (including
their prescription diet product line), Purina (both
Purina One and Purina Pro Plan), Beneful, Iams and
Eukanuba. Ingredients listed as "meat, beef, chicken,
and/or poultry by-products" on pet food labels are not
required to include actual meat, and "rendered meat" on
labels can refer to any rendered mammal meat, including
dogs and cats. These “rendered meats” are from vets who
have animals that have been euthanized. You are looking
for human grade foods. I do not want to give my animals
anything I wouldn’t eat.
We are seeing more and more animals with allergies and
health issues due to the food they are being fed. All of
our animals, regardless of size should really be living
between 20 and 27 yrs. They are not and that is due to
the food we feed and over-vaccination. Feeding the lower
grade and lower priced foods will eventually cost you
more in the long run and drastically shorten your
animal’s life. Basically it is like you are feeding your
pet McDonald’s everyday.
Check to see if there is corn syrup or sucrose listed in
your pet’s food. Both of these added to the food can
cause hyperactivity, addiction to food (sugar rush),
diabetes, weight gain, fearful behavior and ill health.
We know what sugar does to kids that are on it and it is
the same with our pets. I also hear a lot that their pet
does not want to eat the good food and would prefer the
old food. I try to explain to folks that yes they don’t
want the good stuff because they are addicted to the
junk in the old food. It may take a little while but
they will eventually eat the good food. We know how hard
it is for us to get off of the sugar train and our pets
are no different.
I also mix up the brand of foods so they don’t get tired
of the same thing all the time. Switching between brands
is ok unless you have a dog or cat that has a sensitive
stomach then you might need to add something like
Acidophilus which helps aid in adding good bacteria back
into the pets system for easier digestion. If you can
switch to a raw diet it would be the best. Most raw
diets are already prepared into patties or come in
containers you just have to thaw out. They are 95
percent meat with fruits, veggies and supplements. Some
of the raw and not raw foods I would recommend are:
Nature’s Variety (Raw, canned and kibble and also has
the marrow bones)
Aunt Jeni’s (Raw and they also have a Salmon oil I add
to their food)
Primal (Raw)
Bravo (Raw)
Taste of Wild (Kibble ~ grain free)
Evangers (Kibble & Canned ~ my Girls love this food!)
Innova/Evo (Canned and kibble and Evo is grain free)
Wellness (Canned and kibble and has some grain free
foods)
Chicken Soup for the Pets Soul (Canned & kibble)
Merrick (Cans and kibble)
You can always Google any of these brands and check out
their website to see where there is a store close to you
that sells the product. If you do want to feed kibble
the store you go to should be able to provide you with
free sample packages of the food to see if it is
something they like.
Please take the time to explore the benefits of a
healthy diet for your pet. The best way to look at it is
that either way you are going to have to pay for owning
your pet. So you can either pay for the good food now or
pay the vet later because you have an unhealthy pet on
your hands. Your pets will appreciate the upgrade in
food believe me!
If you would like to have a
Healthy Consult with your
pet please visit my website and we can discuss your
current situation. Spirit Paws
www.spiritpaws.com.
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