why raw
Many questions revolve around dry, canned and cooked pet foods.
How did we get to the point where we think that it is okay to feed our dogs and cats the same scoop of dry food every day? How and why can we switch pet foods to a healthier and better lifestyle? Do pet food companies have alternate motives? Do we know what are the ingredients and intake of dry pet food? Do we know how it is effecting our pets?
- Only for the past 100 years commercial pet food has existed. What did pets eat before these 100 years?
- Does it make sense that a business that sells pet food is responsible for teaching vets about animal nutrition?
- What are the ingredients in these crunchy kibbles? What is in those cans? Do you really understand the impacts of their ingredients?
- The question is why are pets so sick, if we think that processed pet food is so healthy?
- Here are some facts that you should know:
- Obesity epidemic – 56% dogs and 54% cats
- Diabetes– Dogs are up 32% and cats are up 16% since 2006.
- Cancer is the #1 cause of death in dogs over the age of two years.
- ½ dogs will acquire cancer, ¼ will die from cancer.
For only the last 100 years mankind has replaced the majority of the Ancestral Diet with grains, sugars, highly processed foods, and low-quality ingredients; GMO corn, soy, wheat, meat-by products, animal fat and digest, preservatives, emulsifiers, and artificial flavors and colors.
Important ingredients in the Ancestral Diet
- High-quality proteins in an Ancestral Diet
o The Ancestral Diet contains 49% protein, primarily from fresh animal sources. Protein from animals contain balanced amino acids and a complete range of protein-type nutrients, such as taurine and carnitine.
o Protein is the most important nutrient in your pet’s diet. It is responsible for building and repairing muscles and tissues. Moreover, protein provides the structure of the hair, skin, nails, bones, tendons, joints, ligaments, cartilage, and muscle fibers.
o It is important to keep in mind that it is not only about the amount of protein but about the quality of protein. If your pet is having “not the best” high quality protein, it can turn into an unhealthy situation and this may lead to inflammation and chronic disease.
It is essential that pet owners need to be aware that the meat used in modern commercial dog foods are commonly low quality and low quantities in comparison to what is considered optimal.
- Balanced fats in an Ancestral Diet
o Fats represent a broad category of nutrients, just as vitamins and minerals are broad categories. Therefore, the amount of fat and the balance of fats is extremely important. Dogs need to consume the proper amounts of fats as well as vitamins and minerals in a balanced manner.
o Equivalently, dogs also need to consume a variety of fatty acids (the basic components of fat) in proper amounts and balance. In an Ancestral Diet, the ration of omega-6s to omega-3s was between 2:1 and 6:1, within the range now considered optimum by most pet nutritionists.
o However, dogs today do not get the wide range of balance of fats. The typical commercial pet foods have unbalanced, incomplete and sometimes rancid fats.
o Poorly balanced fats are the major problems almost all commercial and most homemade dog foods experience.
o Scientific evidence proves that dogs who eat the proper amounts of balanced fats, with a complete range of fatty acids, are healthier and happier. These dogs:
- learn faster,
- remember more,
- see and hear better,
- less skin, coat, and other inflammatory problems
- more coordinated
- less likely to be obese
- Probably live longer than dogs who do not consume a proper balance of fats.
- Low carbohydrates in an Ancestral Diet
The dog’s Ancestral Diet consumes only 6% of calories from carbohydrates. Mainly from fruits, grasses and vegetables. This is considerably below what the typical dog consumes which can be high as 60 – 80%.
However, feeding your pet a high in carbohydrate diet has many negative log-tem health implications.
- Fresh ingredients in an Ancestral Diet
o Modern dogs, like people, do need some fresh whole foods, and the large majority of foods in an Ancestral Diet were fresh whole foods.
o Studies have shown that vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from whole foods are more nutritious than the refined forms found in most dog foods. The meaning of refined nutrients have a major role in preventing deficiency diseases, but are not sufficient for the best health of your pet. Refined foods lack the cancer-fighting nutrients founds in fruits and vegetables.
- High moisture levels in Ancestral Diet
o Most pets that consume dry foods and drink frequently from their water bowel are not getting fair levels of water. However, the Ancestral Diet consisted of live prey, which concludes of 78% moisture. That is a lot of moisture! The moisture content found in the ancestral diet contains many dissolve vitamins and minerals that are not found in plain H2O.
Hydration is very important for your pet because:
- Maintains stable, normal body temperature.
- Aids in digestion – getting food through the body and helping to absorb the nutrition within the food.
- Lubricating healthy joints – especially important for large breeds and senior dogs.
- Maintains healthy functioning organs and literally prevents them from shutting down.
o Our pet’s digestion is a moisture intensive process, from saliva to gastric juices. Our pet’s body will pull this moisture from other tissues and organs if necessary, leaving less moisture temporarily available for flushing toxins and general hydration.