Frequently Asked Questions:
- Why feed raw?
- What should carnivores eat?
- Are raw diets safe?
- How do raw diets protect my dog's health?
- Why does my pet need a food supplement in his or her diet?
- What are the benefits of feeding organic, Wholistic Canine Complete?
- What is Wholistic Canine Complete made with?
- Where can I get more information about raw diets?
Why feed raw?
More and more professionals in the world of dogs and cats (breeders, veterinarians, breed ring handlers, sports competitors) are advocating a second look at what we feed our animals. Why? Because there is a growing belief that dogs and cats need a raw, natural diet in order to be healthy, and that commercial pet foods cannot supply the nutrients necessary for good health and long lives.
What should carnivores eat?
Proper nutrition is vital to good health. In nature, it is live foods that truly nourish both people and animals. If your animals are to thrive, they need the live enzymes, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and unadulterated amino acids, vitamins and minerals that only raw food can provide. While commercial pet foods are convenient, most contain sub-standard or condemned meats. And because they are also highly processed at extreme temperatures, they are devoid of many of the building blocks of good health, and often full of questionable preservatives. So, commercial pet foods may sustain life, but unlike raw diets, they do not contain the life-enhancing nutrition that promotes health.
Cats and Dogs Are Carnivores?
Cats and dogs are carnivores, or meat-eaters. Yet ALL dry commercial pet foods are at least 60% (or more) grain because the carbohydrates are needed to hold the food together. But as The Merck Veterinary Manual (8th ed., pg. 1628) tells us, dogs and cats have "no dietary requirement for carbohydrate." Does it make sense to feed our carnivores a diet that contains at least 60% of a substance they don't even need? Additionally, carbohydrates are metabolized by the body to glucose (sugar) which is known to feed cancers, diabetes and many other disorders that now plague our companion animals. If grains and vegetables were a primary nutrient source, you'd see cats and dogs stalking ears of corn and heads of wheat.
Raw diets simulate the menu that nature intended carnivores to eat. When a carnivore eats an herbivore like a rabbit, the carnivore eats some meat, some bone, some organ meats (liver, heart, kidney, etc.), and some green vegetation contained in the herbivore's digestive tract. That's nature's perfect meal - the meal that raw diets replicate.
Are raw diets safe?
Dogs and cats are NOT humans. They have a very different digestive tract and process. For example, we can eat all the onion we want without harm, but some dogs can get anemic from a single, small portion of them. We can eat a pound of baker's chocolate and merely get fat or nauseous, while dogs can die from even a lesser amount. We can get very sick from raw meat, while dogs thrive on it as their natural diet. Again, they are NOT human.
Compared to us, dogs and cats have a very short digestive system, which means that foods are processed quickly -- before harmful bacteria have a chance to multiply and cause problems. Also, carnivores have a very high level of acidity in their digestive systems. This high acidity, which allows them to break down the nutrients in raw meats and bones, is also hostile to bacteria. We've all seen dogs eat true garbage (rotten foods, decaying squirrel carcasses, etc.) without any ill effects. Nature did not evolve carnivores to eat a diet that would kill them. And remember, we aren't suggesting you feed spoiled, contaminate foods. A raw food diet consists of good quality, USDA-inspected and approved meats and bones - the ingredients used by Bravo.
Protect the Health of Your Animals with the Diet Designed by Nature.
A high-quality, raw food diet can provide the nutrients that will help insure that your animals lead a long and healthy life. Some animals with existing health problems, when switched to a raw food diet, may experience an improvement in their conditions. Healthy animals on a raw diet are likely to avoid some of the illnesses that are now becoming common in our companion animals. Lifetime picky eaters, when given the diet designed by nature, may suddenly turn into chow hounds. Raw diets for almost every animal significantly reduce, or even eliminate the need for veterinary dental work. While you are spared the cost of that dental work, your animal will not be subject to the risks of the associated anesthesia.
How do raw diets protect my dog's health?
Protect the Health of Your Animals with the Diet Designed by Nature.A high-quality, raw food diet can provide the nutrients that will help insure that your animals lead a long and healthy life. Some animals with existing health problems, when switched to a raw food diet, may experience an improvement in their conditions. Healthy animals on a raw diet are likely to avoid some of the illnesses that are now becoming common in our companion animals. Lifetime picky eaters, when given the diet designed by nature, may suddenly turn into chow hounds. Raw diets for almost every animal significantly reduce, or even eliminate the need for veterinary dental work. While you are spared the cost of that dental work, your animal will not be subject to the risks of the associated anesthesia.
Why does my pet need a food supplement in his or her diet?
Today our household dogs share very few of the common bonds with their early predecessors, the wolves. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing but our dogs still have the same nutritional needs as their distant relatives. And proper nutrition equates to good health.
The vast majority of today's commercially prepared dog foods just cannot meet the nutritional needs of our pets. Most are grain-based diets because grain is a much cheaper commodity than meat but our dogs never evolved on grains as a mainstay diet. Varied meat, organs, bones, berries, herbs, etc. were their diet of choice and of necessity. And Mother Nature, in addition, provided a vast array of supplemental whole food material that our dogs instinctively sought for optimal health.
Today our domesticated dogs cannot go out and forage in the wild but we can do it for them! We at "Paws Up On Health" are pleased to offer Wholistic Canine Complete™ and Wholistic Canine Complete Joint Mobility™ from The Wholistic Pet and Wholistic Organics™. It's like bringing Mother Nature to them! All the high-quality whole food ingredients that provide them with complete nourishment are right in the bag! Fresh, wholesome, complete! The bounty of Mother Nature!
(Copyright 2005 by The Wholistic Pet and Wholistic Organics . This cannot be published either in whole or in part without the express written consent of The Wholistic Pet.)
What are the benefits of feeding organic, Wholistic Canine Complete?
The benefits of giving your pet Wholistic Canine Complete™ are profound and typically there is a noticeable improvement in appearance within just a few weeks of feeding. The skin and coat are usually the first indicators of what is happening inside (the skin is the largest excretory organ of the body and is usually the first to show signs as the body tries to detoxify itself). The most noticeable difference that you will soon see is the development of a thick and lustrous coat of fur along with supple, healthy skin. Allergies will start to disappear as well as the telltale signs of face-rubbing, feet and tail chewing, dandruff and scratching. What you won't see is all the good that is truly happening inside: a stronger immune system, elimination of damaging free radicals that can promote disease and premature aging, better digestion and assimilation of nutrients, healthy intestinal tract, and stronger cells, tissues and organs that are functioning at their best because they are each being maximally nourished.
(Copyright 2005 by The Wholistic Pet and Wholistic Organics . This cannot be published either in whole or in part without the express written consent of The Wholistic Pet.)
What is Wholistic Canine Complete made with?
Wholistic Canine Complete™ is the very first all in one human grade, raw whole-food organic pet supplement. This superior, nutritional dog food supplement provides your pet with a complete array of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, essential fatty acids, powerful antioxidants and digestive microflora! It is the only pet food supplement you will need to feed your pet to ensure his health.
Wholistic Canine Complete™ contains a proprietary blend of whole, natural foods that are brimming with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes. Because these nutrients come from whole foods, they are readily assimilated by the body for maximum nutrition, unlike synthetic ingredients of variable quality and bioavailability.
Until now, most of us have had to buy several supplements and hope that they were the right combination. Success depended more on good luck, intuition and on the ability to find and choose the correct formulation. But that has all changed with the introduction of Wholistic Canine Complete™
The premium ingredients that make up Wholistic Canine Complete™ are all organic, human-grade, and super-fresh, thereby offering the highest possible level of nutrition. The kelp in Wholistic Canine Complete™ is Certified Organic and is the same as that used in Wholistic Sea Blend™ it is truly the finest kelp available worldwide. Because of its purity and potency of nutrients, especially minerals, this kelp will offer maximum glandular support, especially for the thyroid and pituitary gland.
The use of hydrolyzed whitefish offers supreme palatability (instead of dried liver), eliminates the concern for contaminated beef products, and is exceptionally high in protein content (>80%). This absorbable protein is advantageous for wound healing and is also critical for certain protein malabsorption problems such as found in Crohn's Disease and in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The probiotics are specifically grown both for freshness and viability, thereby ensuring maximum benefit. The Vitamin C used is Ester-C because it is the most rapidly and easily assimilated Vitamin C available and is gentle on the stomach lining. Even the garlic that is used is Certified Organic by the California Organic Act of 1970.
Alone, each of these specific and carefully chosen ingredients would result in positive health for your pet but, in combination, these ingredients can offer your pet a powerful defense against avoidable health problems.
(Copyright 2005 by The Wholistic Pet and Wholistic Organics . This cannot be published either in whole or in part without the express written consent of The Wholistic Pet.)
Where can I get more information about raw diets?
More Information
There are many good books available on natural diets for pets. Anything we learn that brings us closer to our animal friends and enables them to live an optimal quality of life contributes to the well being of us all.
