Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (18 page)

Let’s look at ways to satisfy each of these special dietary needs in turn. (See for diets created specifically to meet the needs of dogs and cats with disease problems, such as kidney and urinary disorders.)

G
UIDELINES
FOR
F
EEDING
IN
S
PECIAL
C
ONDITIONS

It is not surprising that the need for food increases when there is either increased growth or increased repair or replacement of body tissues.

Growth occurs during:

• Maturing from puppyhood or kittenhood to adulthood
  
• Pregnancy
  

Increased repair and replacement occurs during:

• Production of milk while nursing
  
• Hard exercise
  
• Cold weather
  
• Hot weather
  
• Emotional stress
  
• Recovering from an illness
  

Growing puppies need twice as much energy per pound of body weight as does the adult
dog. When they get to be about 40 percent of the final adult weight, the ratio changes to 1.6 times adult energy needs. For example, if an adult 25-pound dog needs 840 Kcal per day, that works out to about 34 Kcal per pound of body weight (840 divided by 25 = 33.6). The young, just-weaned puppy of the same breed, weighing only 2 pounds, will need 68 Kcal per pound (twice that of the adult) to be able to grow larger.

When he develops to 40 percent of the adult weight (10 pounds), then the requirement drops to 54 Kcal per pound (34 × 1.6 = 54.4). At 80 percent adult weight, it drops further to 1.2 times maintenance (34 × 1.2 = 40.8, or 41, Kcal/lb). (See the chart, opposite, “How to Predict Your Puppy’s Adult Size,” for guidance.)

Have all of these calculations scared you? Don’t worry about it. Just understand that the little puppies are going to eat about twice as much per pound of body weight as the adult dog. Then as they get older quantities drop gradually until they are mature (about 14 months).

Some dogs never seem to get to the point of “maintenance,” acting hungry all the time and scavenging for food whenever they can. This, however, is an aberration, a symptom of imbalanced metabolism, and needs treatment beyond nutritional adjustment.

We can rank conditions in order—those needing concentrated food at the top, gradually decreasing in that requirement as we go down the list. We can also match conditions with recipes from chapter 4, so you know which ones are most suitable.

HIGH-ENERGY RECIPES FOR DOGS

In our recipe development, we followed guidelines proposed by Ben E. Sheffy, PhD, of Cornell University, that boost recommended levels of protein beyond the usual standards as the energy density (or fattiness) of a diet increases. Extra protein is necessary because a dog eats less total food in a fattier, higher-calorie diet. So, in order to receive the same amount of protein, a dog must eat a diet in which protein constitutes a higher proportion of the total.

In a lower-fat diet with a caloric density of just 3.5 kilocalories per kilogram of dry weight, Dr. Sheffy suggests a minimum of 23 percent protein for proper growth. In fattier diets (5 kilocalories per kilogram), however, he recommends at least 30 to 33 percent protein. Most of our recipes tend toward the upper end of this range, with caloric densities of around 4.5 to 5 and protein levels close to 30 percent. (Caloric densities means that a lot of calories are packed in a small amount of food.)

HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU FEED YOUR DOG?

There is no specific answer to this question. The general guide as to “how much” is offered with each recipe in chapter 4, but there is so much variation among individual animals that a “general guide” is about as close as we can get. A healthy dog will eat just enough food to maintain its adult weight. If the food is low in energy content, then more quantity will be eaten. The higher energy foods, as in our recipes, require less quantity for the same result.

HOW TO PREDICT YOUR PUPPY’S ADULT SIZE

S
OURCE
:
Adapted from
Current Veterinary Therapy V: Small Animal Practice
, ed. Robert W. Kirk (Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders, 1974).

FEEDING DOGS WITH EXTRA NEEDS

Let your dog’s appetite and weight be your guide. A good plan is to feed an adult dog either once or twice a day, leaving the food down for 20 minutes. If it is not eaten, take it up until next time, covering and refrigerating it in the meantime. If your dog loses weight, then you need to increase the amount given. A normal, healthy dog eating these recipes should not lose weight.

If your dog gains weight, then she is either eating too much or not getting enough exercise—or both. Cut down the quantity, or feed only once a day. If the problem persists, then there is likely a thyroid imbalance that may need correction with holistic treatment. There are recipes in the
Quick Reference Section
that will help with the dog determined to be overweight.

Feed half-grown pups and adult dogs with extra needs two or three times a day, allowing them to eat as much as they want at one meal (take it up, cover, and refrigerate it until next time).

Younger puppies should be fed three or four times a day.

Note:
Larger dogs require fewer calories per pound of body weight than smaller dogs. That’s why a 55-pound dog isn’t fed 11 times more than a 5-pounder.

CATS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

For cats, special needs conditions are the same as for dogs—growth, pregnancy, etc. The recipes for cats in chapter 4 provide enough protein and fat for felines with special needs. All recipes are very generous with both protein and fat and can be used for growing kittens as well as pregnant and lactating cats. The recipe for
Poultry Delight
is a little lower in fat than the rest but still quite adequate for most needs.

FEEDING ORPHANED OR REJECTED KITTENS AND PUPPIES

Mother’s milk is the best food there is, so use these recipes as a last resort. Sometimes a female cannot or will not nurse all her young adequately, and sometimes, unfortunately, the mother dies. In such cases you can keep the babies alive with a formula designed to mimic as closely as possible the natural constituents of the nursing cat’s or dog’s milk. You can buy commercial products that do this, but if you want to give your young charges the benefits of raw fresh foods, use the formulas that follow.

To boost the protein content of cow’s or goat’s milk to the level found in cat’s and dog’s milk, add protein powder. Buy an unflavored
powder that contains at least 80 percent protein (dry weight basis) and lists its proteins from animal sources: casein, lactalbumin, and egg albumin. Unlike powders based on soy proteins, animal protein powders will meet the special amino acid requirements of your young orphans. These powders are sold in many health food stores.

Supplement these formulas with vitamins made especially for adult dogs or cats. Select a powdered formula or crush the tablet and mix it into the milk. If the formula contains calcium but not phosphorus, cut back a bit on the bone meal or calcium supplement in the recipe.

If you use a calcium source other than bone meal, it’s safest to use one based on calcium lactate or calcium gluconate. These are better absorbed than calcium carbonate, a common source that is also the basis of eggshell powder.

KITTEN FORMULA

This formula closely replicates the constituents of cat’s milk, which is 42.2 percent protein, 25 percent fat, 26.1 percent carbohydrates, and 6.7 percent ash. This formula contains 44 percent protein, 25 percent fat, 26 percent carbohydrates, and 4 percent ash. The calcium to phosphorus ratio is ideal at 1.2 to 1. Energy density is 5, meaning it is a concentrated food.

• 2 cups whole milk (goat milk preferred)
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 5 teaspoons protein powder (from animal protein sources)
  
• ¼ teaspoon of Group I bone meal (or ½ tsp of Group II bone meal or about 350 mg calcium from a Group III source or 1⁄8 teaspoon eggshell powder)*
  
• 1–2 days’ worth of cat vitamins (adult dosage), powdered or crushed
  
• 100 milligrams taurine supplement (if not in cat vitamins)
  

*See information on calcium supplements in the
Table of Calcium Supplementation Products
.

Mix the ingredients well. Warm just to body temperature and feed with a pet nurser or doll bottle. It is important that the milk continue to be warm, so you may have to reheat it occasionally by placing it in a pan of hot water. Make sure it is body temperature—not too hot! Check it on your wrist or with a thermometer (101°F).

Yield:
About 3 cups of formula, around 190
kilocalories per cup
.

Give each kitten just enough at each feeding to enlarge the abdomen slightly without distending it (usually 8 cc, which is about 1½ teaspoons). Don’t overfeed. Stop before the kitten does. Feed according to “Kitten Feeding Schedule,” opposite.

After each feeding, gently massage the kitten’s belly to stimulate a bowel movement, and swab the genital and anal areas with a tissue moistened slightly with warm water. Mama cats lick the same areas to stimulate proper urination and defecation.

After two weeks of age, you can begin to
add a high-protein dry cereal, such as baby cereal or oats, to the formula, or ground up liver or kidney. Start introducing solids (cat recipes mentioned above or high-quality canned food) when the kittens are 3 to 4 weeks old. Mix them with the formula to make a thin mush. Begin weaning the kittens from the bottle at about 4 to 6 weeks. By 6 weeks of age the kittens will likely be able to eat all of their food from a bowl.

KITTEN FEEDING SCHEDULE

PUPPY FORMULA

Comparable in formulation to a dog’s natural milk (33.2 percent protein, 44.1 percent fat, 15.8 percent carbohydrate, and 6.9 percent ash), this mixture contains 33 percent protein, 43 percent fat, 21 percent carbohydrates, and 3 percent ash. It has a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 1.3 to 1 and provides about 250 Kcal per cup.

• ¾ cup half-and-half (milk and cream)
  
• 1 cup whole milk (goat milk preferred)
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• ½ tablespoon protein powder
  
• ½ teaspoon of Group I bone meal (or 1 tsp of Group II bone meal, or about 700 mg calcium from a Group III source, or ⅓ teaspoon eggshell powder)*
  
• 1–2 days’ worth of dog vitamins (adult dosage), powdered or crushed
  

*See information on calcium supplements in the
Table of Calcium Supplementation Products
.