My clients today included a dog whose person said he was “marking uncontrollably” and her cat who had cancer and was about to begin chemotherapy.

Both animals had been fed dry, hard kibble and processed canned food as their normal diet. If most animal caretakers knew what was in those foods, I don’t believe they would choose to feed their animals the stuff. I’m still completely puzzled when veterinarians prescribe these dry foods and say human-grade food for animals is bad.

Kibble and Processed Canned Food

Kibble and processed canned food are feed-grade and they’re regulated by the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials), which allows these waste products in the food:

• -Hooves, beaks, feet and other non-digestible animal parts;
• -Dead and diseased animals from animal shelters,farms,ranches, feedlots, and other facilities;
• -Fats, grease, and other food waste from restaurants and stores.

It’s Not What You Think

Some of my clients have told me that their animal friend loves their food and can’t get enough. But what’s often happening there is that the animal is desperately trying to get enough nutrition to keep going. When I tune into their bodies they feel hungry, but it’s hunger for nutrition, not empty calories. Animals thrive when the majority of their nutrition comes from fresh, whole-food sources.

The dog who was marking said he had a physical problem. When I did a body scan it looked like kidney or bladder stones, a common problem with this kind of diet. And the cat with cancer had a similar problem: she was trying to get along with a diet high in carbohydrates when what she needed was 60% protein.

Is It More Expensive?

Human-grade food is certainly more expensive than non-digestible waste products at the check out stand, but not in the long run. This kitty was facing super expensive chemo therapy and both animals had been to vet many times for illness. In fact, the dog had already been treated once for kidney stones. Those treatments were worth thousands of dollars.

The Best Food for Your Cat or Dog

Dehydrated raw organic food is very good and very convenient.
The main ingredient is meat, supplemented with vegetables and no grains. My favorite website to order from is onlynaturalpet.com. The brands of animal food I use for cats and dog are Primal, Stella and Chewys, Northwest Naturals and Only Natural Pet store brand.

www.onlynaturalpet.com/search/cats/food/raw-non-frozen
www.onlynaturalpet.com/search/dogs/food/raw-non-frozen