(Continued from the home page...)

When I began my acupuncture program, our patients’ diets were discussed over and over again. To the Chinese medical practitioner, food is the first medicine, and the guardian of health. It was my first exposure to a philosophy of nutrition not based on profit, but on common sense.

Since those first lectures, I have not been able to learn enough about what to feed our dogs and cats. The more I learn, the less I feel I know. Yet I feel I am light years ahead in my knowledge of small animal nutrition compared to what I knew in the old days.

While I feel I have a lot to learn, I would like to focus on a few key concepts that I feel are very crucial to helping our pets through better nutrition.

1. What we feed our dogs and cats has everything to do with their health and well-being. Poor nutrition can not support the metabolic processes necessary for good digestion, a healthy immune system, and other organ function.
2. Dogs and cats can and should have “people food.” What makes it people food? Ever wonder where that term came from? Pet food manufacturers, perhaps? It’s all food!!!
3. Read pet food labels. In many cases it will shock you. By-products are non-digestible and often harmful. Corn and oats are inexpensive fillers. Dog food and treats don’t need to be green or red. Dogs don’t care.

This doesn’t really answer the question of “what to feed.” It varies with the pet. Just like some people thrive on dairy and others are lactose-intolerant, your dog or cat has unique needs in terms of calorie requirements, protein source tolerance, etc. However, a few rules of thumb: 1)

1. Again, “people food,” if it’s nutritious, is good. Remember, dogs evolved eating meat, not a heat-extruded pellet in a bag.
2. That being said, if you feed a kibbled diet, look for products without corn, wheat, or by-products. No matter what the manufacturer claims, they are cheap fillers.
3. Add some real food to your pet’s kibbled diet.
4. Do watch calories.
5. If you feed a homemade diet, be sure to find a recipe that is complete and balanced. www.naturalpetproductions.com and www.susanwynn.com are both good websites to check.

This is the tip of the ice-berg. But it is good food for thought (I know, bad pun). I hope this column has given you a good starting point to explore improving your pet’s health through better nutrition.

Deirdre Farr