By Holistic Veterinarian Dr Clare Middle (BVMS CVAc CVHom)

The subject of natural diet has been discussed on many occasions, but remains the most important step owners can take in having a healthier pet. Over the last 20 or so years, I have witnessed a significant improvement in the health of many animals coming to my veterinary clinic with chronic health problems with a simple change from processed (dried, tinned or 'dog roll') pet food, to fresh, raw food.

This means trying to feed dogs and cats the carcass-based diet they would naturally eat, and which they are physiologically equipped to digest.

This is a much easier process than most people may initially imagine, and the results can be surprisingly beneficial.

But, due to the difficulty in supplying whole, fresh carcasses in a suburban environment, it is up to us pet owners to supply as close an approximation as we can to the whole carcass diet cats and dogs would naturally eat.

Dogs with itchy skin conditions can improve within a month or so of changing from a diet of processed pet food to a diet consisting of fresh meat, bones, vegetables and fruit with a correct balance of fish oil, and kelp.

Natural diet is a mainstay of holistic veterinary (and human) treatment for many degenerative conditions such as autoimmunity and cancer, combined with herbs, homoeopathics and other therapies. There are now many clinical trials that have shown this to be the case.

What is Wrong with Commercial Pet Food?

Tinned foods contain cooked meat, and cooking destroys many of the useful nutrients in meat for carnivorous animals.

Most commercial dried foods (even premium brands) may contain 25% to 60% carbohydrate. The carbohydrate component is usually present as rice or corn meal. The carbohydrate in dried food makes the food less expensive to manufacture, and gives it a long shelf life. Veterinary physiology text books tell us that dogs and cats should have no more than 3% to 5% carbohydrate in their diet, because any more than this reduces the liver glycogen metabolism, thus reducing the detoxification of chemicals and toxins from the liver and fat stores.

Full liver metabolism, which can only happen with a very low, or no, carbohydrate diet, will therefore reduce the likelihood of degenerative conditions such as autoimmune or infectious disease, liver and kidney disease, arthritis and cancer.

It has been shown scientifically that cats are much more likely to suffer diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, bladder stones and hepatitis if their diet contains dried commercial food. It has been shown scientifically that puppies are more likely to develop hip dysplasia on a diet containing carbohydrate.

Just Feed What Nature Intends the Animal to Eat!

Dogs are omnivores and cats are carnivores. They obtain their essential nutrients from the raw meat, bone, sinew, offal and fermented vegetable gut contents of the carcasses they eat, plus dogs also eat a lot of dropped, rotting fruit, berries, dung and leaf litter from the jungle floor.

We can easily add the "jungle floor litter" and "carcass gut contents" in the form of kelp, alfalfa powder or spirulina (to add trace elements), a quarter to a heaped teaspoon depending on size of cat/dog.
Fresh, real food will provide essential nutrients in a more useable form for the animal than as separate additives artificially incorporated into heated and pressurised processed food.

Meat, Fish and Eggs

The easiest and most economical raw meaty bones for dogs are chicken wings, lamb necks, ox tails or roo tails.
For cats, raw chicken necks and lamb cutlets are the most popular.

Fish oil, 1 to 6 g depending on animal size, is needed for the essential Omega 3 fatty acids. Alternatively, feed tinned or fresh fish, such as raw white bait, two or three times a week.

Eggs are fine (complete with crushed shell for dogs) to give whole, raw or cooked, 2-3 times a week.

Vegetables and fruit

Basically, any you eat are fine for animals. Ideally raw, pulped or grated vegies and herbs are ideal - carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, zucchini, peas, beetroot, squash, parsley, cress, sprouts, coriander, basil, dill.

Vegetables can be pulped raw, or cooked. The pulp left over from your juicer is great animal food.

Cats may eat mashed pumpkin or sweet potato with cheese or sour cream, roast potatoes or pumpkin, stir fried vegetables, mashed banana, yoghurt or soup.

Remember cats can tolerate 10% fat diets, so feel free to add cheese, eggs, fatty meat off cuts and other fatty foods to taste for cats.

Make it Cheap and Easy

Many of us lead busy lives, so make it all fit with the household routine. Keep a dog bowl on the counter and put in all leftover fruit, vegetable and salad scraps - apple cores, tomato and carrot tops or leftover salad, yoghurt or cracked eggs from the fridge. Go around the garden and gather herbs, nasturtiums, dandelions, or over ripe fruit from the fruit bowl - strawberries, melon, bananas, apples, pears. Then add kelp and fish or fish oil and some raw meat and raw bones.

You will find this natural diet will be cheaper than commercial food, even paying for the fish, kelp and oil.
Your pet will feel more included in the family having "human food" and will be happier and healthier.
It is a joy seeing your pet's healthy, nurturing diet manifest easily from the household kitchen routine!

For more on a healthy diet for your pet visit www.claremiddle.com