FOOD MATTERS
By Jenny Kline
W
hat are you feeding your little “pet carnivore”? The only way to know what you’re feeding is by reading the ingredient’s label on your pet food package. I have spent decades working as a pet professional: ten years working for veterinarians, 20 years training and showing dogs, and 30+ years grooming, as well as attending numerous canine nutrition seminars. I have learned that most people are terribly confused and/or misled about dog food. The cute commercials, “veterinarian recommended” ads, and colorful kibble are all designed to appeal to humans, not dogs. Sadly, most dog food at the grocery store, Walmart or even your vet’s office is predominately made of CORN. This is what most of our poor little meat-eaters are fed every day. This causes weight gain, diabetes, inflammation, and skin conditions. But wait! Flat teeth = plant eater; pointy teeth = meat eater. Have you seen your dog’s teeth? Read the label for ingredients! Does it sound like a cow would eat it, or a wolf? Does it really matter? YES! It does! First and foremost, dogs (and cats!) are carnivores. The dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf. DNA analysis published in 1997 suggests that the transformation from wolf to dog occurred around 130,000 years ago! Despite the changes humans have made to dogs’ external physical appearance, their digestive systems remain essentially the same as a wolf. That means they are designed by nature to eat MEAT, like their wild cousins. Many people believe their veterinarian’s recommendation on pet food, which is understandable. But veterinarians are not taught much about proper dog/cat nutrition in vet school. The little they are taught, is sponsored by Hill’s, the
manufacturer of Science Diet. Science Diet is made of predominantly CORN. Yup. A fifty-dollar bag of corn....... Pet owners are told that disease, degeneration and poor vitality have nothing to do with what our pets eat, which is FALSE.
Food matters! In this age of gimmicks, misinformation and outright lies, we all must do our own research and educate ourselves on what a carnivore should eat. (trust me, it’s not corn!) Why is corn so bad? Where do I begin….? Corn is fed to cattle at feed lots to fatten them up. So your pet will get fat and possibly develop diabetes on a diet of corn. Corn is EXTREMELY inflammatory which causes systemic inflammation in young or old pets, aggravating and causing pain to any underlying conditions like arthritis. Corn metabolizes into sugar, which neither cats nor dogs should eat. Corn is a carbohydrate which is not a necessary component of a carnivore diet. Our dogs (and cats!) depend on us completely to feed them speciesappropriate food. They can survive on inappropriate diets of corn, wheat, rice and soy, but they will not THRIVE on it. As they age, health problems will emerge which could have been avoided had they been fed what nature designed them to eat. It is up to us, as responsible petparents, to read the label and make good choices, knowing that what we feed them makes all the difference to their health and well-being.
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So the bottom line is read the label, do some research, use common sense, and don’t be persuaded or fooled into feeding inappropriate cow food to your meat- eater. Dogs and cats are healthier and happier eating what nature designed for them to eat. Remember any diet changes must be done gradually! July 2020
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