Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (8 page)

No one believes her age, including the
vet—she is a joy. Her sister died two years
ago of cancer and she ate [a commercial
food] all her life. I know her incredible health
is due to her healthy diet and on her
birthday I wanted to express my gratitude
.

HOW TO USE A HOMEMADE DIET

Results like these speak for themselves. Yet we’ve all heard some veterinarian or pet food manufacturer warn against feeding pets table scraps or homemade diets. Such foods, they contend, have not been scientifically formulated to meet animals’ needs and may ruin a pet’s health. So why this discrepancy between the excellent results with home-prepared food and these dire warnings? For one thing, it depends on what you are actually feeding. If we just scraped junk-food leftovers into a pet’s bowl it wouldn’t be so healthy, would it? Even if you’re more conscientious than that, it’s still easy to be misguided by your own tastes and needs, not realizing that what’s good for you may not be good for your pet. (For example, because they are carnivores, dogs and cats need far more protein and calcium on a pound-for-pound basis than humans require.)

Nonetheless, do-it-yourself animal feeding has been with us since the first dog and person crossed paths at least 10,000 years ago. And generation after generation of animals got by just fine on the scraps and extras of our ancestors. The problem today is that we don’t have the same scraps and extras as our ancestors, but a lot of artificial foods high in sugar, fat, and chemicals. So, let’s choose our ingredients with care and all will be fine.

We also have the benefit of modern dietary analysis and research, so I believe it makes sense to use that information and adhere to it in formulating a pet’s diet. Why do I say that, when few of us bother to calculate the exact nutrients in our own meals? The reason is that, unlike humans or wild animals with free access to natural and varied food supplies, our pets have little choice about what they eat. Rarely, if ever, do they get to follow their instincts in selecting individual foods; usually, a number of ingredients are mixed together and it’s a matter of eating all or nothing. Moreover, the instincts of home-bound pets are not as finely tuned as the instincts of wild animals. Like us, pets can easily develop a taste for the strong flavors of junk food.

The recipes in this book are palatable, easy to make, and nutritious. Using a computer, we have been able to analyze the contents of each recipe and its suggested variations. Relying on standard data for the most important food constituents (given in the
USDA Handbook on the Composition of
Foods
), we adjusted the recipes to make sure the amount of each nutrient met or exceeded the minimal amounts recommended for dog and cat foods as provided by the guidelines from the Committee on Animal Nutrition, Board on Agriculture, and the National Research Council.

Sounds very exact, doesn’t it? Realize, however, that even though foods have been analyzed for their constituents, what actually is present in what you buy can vary considerably. The wheat or oats of today may not be the same as what you used a month ago. This
is because crops (and livestock) are products of their environment, and how they are raised determines what nutrition they ultimately provide. It is well known that there can be considerable variation in protein content, vitamins, and minerals, for example, depending on the soil, the amount of irrigation, the time of harvesting, and the storage period. This is why I recommend not using the same recipe all the time and also varying the ingredients in the recipes (substituting the ones suggested as possible alternatives). This way you compensate for these inevitable differences in food values.

But first, let’s talk about the best basic foods to use, along with some nutritional supplements that should be added as a necessary part of the diet.

T
HE
F
OUNDATION
P
RINCIPLES

The first important principle in this do-it-yourself way of feeding animals is, as we said above, to aim for variety, because that helps to ensure the best balance of nutrients. Soon you will identify several combinations that are best suited to your lifestyle and your animal’s preferences.

Another worthwhile principle is to stick to the recipes fairly closely. They’ve been carefully formulated to provide the best combinations. Sometimes people try to take shortcuts by omitting the calcium supplement, for example, but that will cause a deficiency problem if done regularly.

Third, I strongly encourage you to use organically raised and minimally processed foods whenever possible. It’s best for the immediate health of your pet, and it’s best for the long-term health of the Earth and everything on it. Fortunately, it’s possible for people throughout most of the United States to find organically raised grains. Organically produced food costs more than conventionally produced food, at least at the check-out. Part of the reason that conventionally raised food costs less is because some of the costs are hidden in government subsidies and the heavy use of chemicals, which reduces the time needed to care for the crops. They are hidden costs that we will pay for some day. Organic foods, however, are less expensive if purchased in bulk in natural food stores. (See
Best Ingredient Choices for Feeding Your Pet
, which will also help you find the best protein buys.) It may be difficult to find or afford organic meat, and it often can be obtained only in a frozen form. Just do what you can, and try to use the best whole, fresh ingredients you can afford. When these are made into balanced recipes, they are still a big improvement over commercial pet food products, which we know can be laced with everything from cancerous tissue to sugar, dyes, and moldy grains (see chapter 2).

The fourth general principle is to be patient yet persistent as you gradually introduce these new foods to your animal friend. Most people find their pets love these foods, but some animals hesitate to eat them at first, simply because the foods are unfamiliar.
Also, any change of diet—even a switch from one commercial brand of food to another—means the pet’s digestive system has to adapt. So take time to introduce the new foods, certainly a few days and maybe a period of weeks in some animals with digestive weakness, substituting ever-greater proportions of natural foods for commercial foods. (See chapter 6 for more discussion on making the switch.)

THE BASIC FOOD GROUPS

Now let’s consider each of the basic food groups used in our recipes—and how best to buy, store, and prepare them.

M
EATS

Meat is the food with the most chemical contamination and is also produced at a great cost to the environment and with considerable suffering by the livestock raised according to modern farming methods (see the discussion in chapter 5). Still, it remains that meat is the most natural food for carnivores. It contains much protein and is rich in many other nutrients needed by dogs and cats. In our recipes we try to balance these is-sues—using meat as a major ingredient, but bringing in other nutritious food sources as well. That’s why most of the recipes in this book include some fresh meat combined with high-protein grains, legumes, or dairy products to produce a total amount of protein that exceeds the recommended standards. The resulting protein levels are comparable to (usually greater than) the protein levels found in commercial foods, which use a similar process of combining plant and animal proteins. In chapter 5, we also include some meatless recipes that are suitable for feeding dogs.

It has become popular of late to feed a diet made up almost entirely of raw meat and bones. While this way of feeding is closer to the natural diet, it has some disadvantages, primarily in being too rich for inactive animals and being so high in chemical contaminants (less so for organic bones and meat).

Regarding the suitability of such a high protein and fat diet for pet dogs, consider that wolves, for example, will spend much of their time hunting and traveling long distances—as much as 50 or 100 miles in a day. Extreme physical activity and a high-meat diet go hand in hand. Their lifestyle requires that level of food, which in turn is only obtained by great effort. Our pet dogs, on the other hand, are mostly inactive; their food is brought to them. Feeding them such a rich diet compares with the couch potato who eats steak and fries while watching the tube; the most strenuous activity is going into the kitchen to get more food. It is out of balance for the amount of activity that pet dogs experience.

Yes, many animals will have improved health on a mostly meat and bones diet, but much of that comes from getting away from commercial foods and avoiding the cooked
and depleted foods commonly used in commercial products.

The other consideration is the added load of environmental contaminants that is inevitably picked up. Unless meat is organic, the more that is eaten, the more chemicals are absorbed. As just one example, the use of synthetic estrogen (DES), a female hormone used to fatten cattle, is carried over into the meat and thus into your dog, gradually having effects over time. The potential effects are not completely known, but since the hormone is used to make cattle gain weight, we can certainly expect at least that much to happen. Estrogen has also been implicated in cancer development in laboratory animals.

Bones present their own problems. Lead is one of the biggest concerns, as noted in chapter 2, because lead is deposited in bones and does not break down. It is interesting that bone meal meant for human consumption (sold in natural food stores) cannot be derived from U.S. cattle, because there is excess lead in their bones. These same bones, however, are used in pet food, and the more fed, the more lead exposure there is.

I once attended a presentation by a veterinarian who promoted this type of diet and brought up the question about the contaminants in meat, especially lead in bones. The response was that they did not have that problem in Australia (where he was from). When I again described the problem with contamination in U.S. cattle and other livestock, he did not have a solution.

Our Solution

Considering how subtle the effects of lead poisoning and that of other chemicals in food can be, I am still advising my clients to use the balanced recipes in this book, using “human-grade” foods as much as possible. I think it is safer in the long run. We have tried to achieve a balance in our recipes between using raw meat as well as grains and vegetables to provide an optimum amount of protein and other ingredients.

Another criterion we used when choosing meats was convenience. That’s why our recipes use meats that are widely available, usually ground up, which makes it easier to mix them in with the recipe and harder for finicky eaters to pick them out. (This is more an issue with cats than with dogs, who enjoy all types of foods.) If your dog or cat will eat all the ingredients in the recipes, then using meat in chunks is better for the health of the gums and teeth.

Most of the recipes in this book call for lean meats, which are considerably higher in protein and lower in fat. The following meats are roughly interchangeable within each group. This means that you can, on occasion, substitute one meat for another in a recipe, pound for pound or cup for cup. The meats are also listed in approximate order of best values, with the first ones representing the most protein for the typical price paid.

Lean meats (interchangeable):
Turkey and/or giblets, liver (beef, chicken, or turkey), mackerel, most chicken and/or
giblets, tuna, heart (beef, chicken, or turkey), lean hamburger, lean chuck, duck (without skin), rabbit, or various fishes.

Fatty meats (interchangeable):
Roaster chicken (with skin), fatty beef heart, brains, regular hamburger, fatty chuck, sirloin steak, lamb, or pork.

Occasionally, you can substitute any of these fatty meats where the recipe calls for a lean meat. When you do, reduce the amount of oil in the recipe by about a tablespoon for every cup of meat. Cuts of meat vary, so use your best judgment in evaluating the degree of fat in a meat.

Note:
If you would like more detailed information as to the amount of fat in various meats and fish, then check the table “Fat Content of Meats,”.

Also note:
One pound of ground meat equals about 2 cups.

Guidelines for Selecting and Preparing Meats

Use variety.
Feed more than one kind of meat in a meal, using different cuts. Include some muscle or flesh meats, such as hamburger, chicken, and turkey, as well as some organ meats, such as heart, liver or kidneys, or giblets.

Note:
Some people have seen great health benefits in their animals from regularly feeding them small amounts of raw liver. Just be sure that you don’t go overboard with liver. Limit it to less than 10 percent of the meat you feed overall. Not only does the liver concentrate and store many pollutants, but it could overdose your pet with vitamin A, which is one of the few vitamins known to cause problems if consumed in excess.

In the years since the first edition of this book came out, fresh raw liver, beef heart, and other parts (other than muscle) have become increasingly difficult to obtain. I asked at a major supermarket chain about the availability of either liver or heart and was told it is simply no longer available to them. They can’t order it. I did, however, find frozen liver in the freezer section. In some communities it is possible to find a butcher that makes this available—we have one in ours.

Emphasize purer sources.
One veterinarian I know who worked as a meat inspector has observed that turkeys, ducks, and sheep have lower cancer rates than chickens, cattle, and hogs. He attributes this difference to the amount of meat meal fed each species. So you would probably do well to emphasize turkey and lamb, for example, unless you can obtain quality-raised chicken or beef. Some natural food stores carry meats described as organically raised or chemical-free (meaning that no drugs, hormones, or the like were used in the livestock feed). Also, it’s a good idea to look for free-range chickens, rather than those stressed by being raised in the intensely crowded confines of the typical little cages in factory farms.