Raw Food ....something to consider
If you feed raw to your dog and or cat(s) …terrific!!! If not but are considering trying it…awesome!!! So which should you choose there are close to 20 different “known” brands and many more trying to get notoriety. Hopefully this blog will help.
Choose a raw diet that is truly a meat driven version. There are many out there that are 70,80,90% meat driven which sounds great but there are improvements that are always “in need to be verified”. Choosing a raw diet should possess a minimal of 90% ( preferable higher)of protein derived from animal/fish meats. Try to stay away from those with higher than needed carb %’s. Most, if not all canine nutritionists recommend keeping the carb % at 5-or less of your dog’s total daily diet.
Some raw companies are promoting a fermented raw diet claiming it increases bioavailabilty to the animal. This is subject to many questions. First of all, fermented diets rely on the vegetables added and fermented ( many use kefir, apple cider vinegar, kambucha) to provide this classification on their label, remembering that raw diet should be as nature intended makes many ponder about this. After all, lets consider the coyote ( FYI…Avg life span in the wild is 15 yrs).
A coyote’s digestive tract is virtually the same as our best friends as they are eat raw/hunted prey and getting their probiotics from the predigested food the prey eats. Consider the following digestive process(s):
1.Food moves from the mouth to the stomach via the esophageus.
As the stomach churns food into a thick liquid (chyme), special glands secrete enzymes that break down proteins, hydrochloric acid that aids those enzymes, and mucus that protects the stomach from digesting itself. Vomiting is the most obvious sign of stomach inflammation.
2.Just as food leaves the stomach into the small intestine.
3.The pancreas then begins its job as it is attached to the main digestive tract. It adds enzymes that help digest carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, plus sodium bicarbonate to help neutralize stomach acid. Also in the pancreas lies a tube attached to the liver call the bile duct. It is through this tube that the liver contributes bile, which breaks up fats into easily absorbed globules and promotes absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
Most of the digestion and nutrient absorption occurs in the small intestine, where more enzymes and mucus are added. Finger-like projections (villi) lining the small intestine absorb broken down nutrients for delivery throughout the body. Believe it or not …in a medium-sized dog, villi provide an absorptive surface equal in size to the floor of a small room.FYI…. If your dog has watery diarrhea with no blood or mucus, & does not strain when defecating, its small intestine is probably inflamed.
Unfortunately, most dog owners have experienced the unpleasant surprise of discovering the common consequences of canine digestive disorders/ poor food etc - vomit and diarrhea. Which fermented diets can also cause if fed incorrectly.
So what should you to do??? Choose a raw diet with a simplistic list of ingredients, as little carbs as possible and preferably complete and balanced as nature intended, not with a synthesized vitamin pact from anywhere other than a U.S.A. origin. If you’d like to alkalinize the diet more ( which is so simple) contact me through one of my 5 stores, I will help.