Nutrition

Mom and I decided to include information on nutrition because until Mom chatted with Ms Bunni (Mistress of my Mother Ship), she had no idea the nasty ingredients of most dog food.  Plus Ms Bunni explained to her how important the health of my teeth are to my overall well being and the huge roll my dog food plays in that health.

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

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.

 

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.

Majik Poodle 
(that's me!)
Email: 
 

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