The Best and Worst Foods for Your Pet
Friday, January 6th, 2012 at
3:02 pm
healthypets.mercola.com An integrative wellness veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker discusses her best-to-worst recommendations for diets for dogs and cats and explains how to improve the quality of the food you feed your own pet.
Of course they are the same species. They can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. That doesn’t mean they eat the same since (as I noted before) they occupy entirely different ecological niches, behave differently, raise their offspring differently and have different reproductive cycles. I have read the raw food myths and some make good sense and some are rationalizations. Its a good site. I’ve bookmarked it and will check often. Right now I don’t want to fix what ain’t broke.
@oneacd Yes, but dogs ONLY live in a different ecological niches because they have gained much greater “status quo”. Back then dogs roamed around and acted more like wolves[due to the fact that they weren't kept as "indoor family pets" as they are today.]
If left alone without human contact, dogs revert back to their ancestral instincts and behave exactly like wolves. Hunting rabbits, birds, etc. Even birthing pups in “den-like” areas.
We’ve simply subdued dogs stronger instincts.
then how and why do they allow those people to make “vegan pet food”?
isn’t that abuse? or allowed like how we have junk food.
How can feeding our pets factory farmed, diseased animals be a good idea? None of these animals (the pets nor the factory farmed cows, pigs, etc) are natural. Making arguments based on nature without some admission that the whole system is unnatural to begin with is faulty.
Also, important but left out is the reality of the 4-d’s in commercial pet food: farm animals who are down, dead, diseased, or disabled. How sad that these animals who are tortured get no thought as you obsess over pet food
@primaorangina1 Ever wonder how the last six generations of human beings survived n such “unnatural food?” It’s because you’re paranoid. With the exception of the unhealth caused by the government’s “food pyramid,” this diet has produced the healthiest human beings in history.
I have a few packs of both dog and cat food in the semi-moist packs… Wellness & Nutro. There is NO propylene glycol in either. Does this mean it is safe?
@ Dr. Becker,
i feed our 3 cats California Naturals chicken and brown rice formula, is quite expensive, now my oldest cat 7yrs started throwing up a few yrs ago about 5 yrs old, asked vet said prob nervous stomach?
now the other 2, one of which is outside in non winter months in Alberta Canada, are also throwing up in this last yr.
sometimes the food is barely digested, sometimes it is mostly paste like. def not hairballs and happens too often compared to any cat had before.
any suggestions?
@ Dr. Becker, continued,
after oldest cat started throwing up in 2005, is when i got started getting sick a lot which is not normal for me, colds, flu’s, staff, strep….
then in 2008 dx with some auto-immune condition, widespread severe neuropatic pain/spasms, said is fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, dr said was from chronic pain from back/neck injury…..but i also had spontaneous vomitting during in 2009 for 6-7 months.
@ Dr. Becker,which i contributed to tap water here, i usually had bottled water, as when i do not drink the tap water, and since i do not get sick to stomach like that, but dr at time told me digestive issues were common with these conditions.
i notice mold grows quickly in toilet along water lines, and we keep these closed so cats cannot drink from them but they have a few times. wondering if also could be human to animal disease or vice-versa possibly involved
@ Dr. Becker,however my oldest cat was throwing up the yr before moving in here, so 2007,, and that is when we got the other cats jan 2008,
2 yrs later now the other 2 cats are throwing up.
i always keep the water fresh and clean bowl and use brita for them, as well as clean food dish.
wondering if got oldest tested then would know what others have, also should mention my girlfriend also developed auto immune fibromyalgia and chronic fatgue yr after me in 2009.
@ Dr. Becker,so a few questions there, just not sure where to start. food, supplement, blood test at vet, etc?? as i am on very limited disability income, i want my cats healthy, but not spending more than i am for their food, or unnecessary vet tests, etc…would like to rule things out step at a time funny my biological name, before mother remarried and adopted was Becker :^) have to start with my 1st post about 5 posts down for start 2 end due to character limit had to put in more than 1 post
@touchxOFxpinkxO Found some Purina ones the other day with high fructose corn syrup, … Not enough that the people in this country are dying from obesity and diabetes….let’s do it to our animals now too! I was looking into buying a quick bag of food that night till I could get to the pet store. THAT’S the night I came home and started looking for alternatives. Please people, you read labels for your food, do it for your pets. I knew it wasn’t good, but how DARE companies add that crap!
please provide examples as i have no idea of what your talking about?
Your so very awesome-OMG your video content, truths and your ability to speak as you do is great-thanks for showing us how to properly BEST care for our tiny loved ones!
2 people have malnourished pets =(
CAN I FEED MY CAT BUNNY HEARTS?
I FEEL THEY NEED THE EXTRA RAW POWER ONLY NATURE PROVIDES!
MAYBE CHICKEN BLOOD ON TAP!
@realistromeo Sure.
Pets need fresh food too! Banana Seals for pet keep your pets food fresh right in the bag it comes in! Check it out on the web at: SaveTheBananaSeal
Here are some of the examples she had in mind:
1) PMR or BARF style raw diet
2) Premade raw- bravo, blue ridge beef, stella and chewy, natures variety, etc
3)Homecooked- either home made, or premade mixes like honest kitchen
4) I think by this one she means canned food without byproducts or glutens, a high quality, grain free canned food, ex, Wellness, Innova, Blue Buffalo, etc
continued:
5) Technically theres no such thing as human grade dry food since most contain some form of rendered meal (with exception of some carb heavy brands like halo), but just because it has meat meals, doesent make it low grade. Meals should be named, such as chicken meal, lamb meal, etc. ex. Blue Buffalo, Taste of the wild, Healthwise, canidae, acana, etc.
6) Not sure what she means by this one, maybe super premium in comparison to grocey store brands, something like purina.
7) Again, similar to number 6, lower quality “premium” foods like iams, science diet.
Vet foods, usually crap, science diet, prescription foods, purina, etc.
9)Same as above
10) Beneful, Ol roy, kibbles and bits, etc (nasty shit)
11)Same as above
12) Moist and meaty
13) what she said
Hello Dr. Becker, thanks for your advise. Our 4 yr old cat never drinks out of her ceramic water dish (always with fresh water), sometime I see her drinking from the toilet bowl. But somehow her litter box always has many clumps of clumped litter in it. Where does she get her fluid. We feed her IAMS dry food and bagged semi moist “Temptations”. Any idea?
hello Dr. Becker I have a dog that has a skin condition his hair falls and skin looks real dry I took him to his vet and he gave him some antibiotics and vitamins cause he said he had a fungus in his skin and low immune system can you help me so i could get my dog in good health please
hello Dr. Becker I have a dog that has a skin condition his hair falls and skin looks real dry I took him to his vet and he gave him some antibiotics and vitamins cause he said he had a fungus in his skin and low immune system can you help me so i could get my dog in good health please
I just started buying raw beef for my dogs Is it ok to mix the raw with kibble (blue buffalo) and 1 egg?