Aspenbloom Pet Care

by Dr. Kim Bloomer

This past summer, I’ve had the opportunity to consult with several dog owners about the proper way to feed their pets. Typically the reason they come to me is because their dogs are sick and they haven’t seen much if any results with the traditional veterinary care they are pursuing.

My only regret is that they didn’t come to me before their dogs got sick. That would sure help with lessening the illness factor that is inevitable when we don’t honor the laws of nature.

The problem is usually fear-based. A good friend of mine, a veterinarian in South Africa, Dr. Johan Joubert, reminded me that fear is really “false evidence appearing real”. That is what propels people to overvaccinate their pets and feed what is completely abnormal to them – packaged dry kibble or canned food. Fear that they may die if they DON’T vaccinate. Fear that if they DO feed a diet that is completely normal for an opportunistic scavenger carnivore like a wolf, a coyote, and yes our DOGS to eat, they will die. Or they will become vicious because of eating blood. Or they will get parasites. Or they will get sick from a pathogen of some kind. Or choke.

We have all been conditioned to believe in the fears. With rumors perpetuated through the media, primarily from the pet food industry itself, it’s no wonder most pet owners are afraid to truly go “natural” with their dogs and cats. And sadly even those we’ve surrendered all health care to for our pets, our veterinarians, have been taught this same NONsense by the pet food industry. You see, the pet food industry is who teaches them the little nutrition they learn in vet school. One thing pet owners need to learn is that their veterinarians are not taught how to prevent illness in your pets (particularly not through diet and nutrition). Rather, they are taught how to TREAT symptoms! The exception are those special veterinarians who have taken far more interest in seeing their patients be well by taking the initiative to further educate themselves to the truth about proper nutrition for animals according to their species nature and then in turn to educate their clients.

The fact is that we’ve ALL (including our vets) been led to believe that “natural” means adding in some supplements and feeding something out of a bag that have the words “holistic” or “natural” written on it. Marketing and media have played a key role in deceiving us.

If anything is truly NATURAL it won’t be in a bag or can. Those are merely processed foods like anything else called “food” placed in a box or can. They are denatured foods that have nothing live left in them that we need for our sustenance and the same goes for what we feed our pets. In order for these types of foods to be sold saying they have vitamins in them or any kind of real nutrition, SYNTHETIC forms of vitamins and minerals are sprayed on to the goop. If you want to read further about the process, my colleague and friend, Dr. Jeannie Thomason, wrote a very good article describing the slop that we are so determined to feed to our pets: http://www.thewholedog.org/id19.html I’d be far, far more afraid to feed that and far more afraid of my pets getting pathogens or parasites or choking on that than on REAL raw food.

Let’s address those concerns here and allow you to see that the fears are merely false evidence APPEARING real. Then we’ll take a look at how some pet owners decided to take back control of their pets’ health AND stop giving into the false evidence. They unlearned the deception in order to receive the truth.

• Parasites & Bacteria. If there are parasites in us and/or our pets, and there typically are, they are there for a good purpose. They have their own special purpose to fulfill. Again my colleague has a very informational article on this topic here http://www.thewholedog.org/artoverwoming.html

Keep in mind, that a kibble-fed dog or cat is far more likely to have a problem with parasites because they are being fed a diet that is completely abnormal to their very nature. Cats are obligate carnivores obligated to eat fresh raw meat daily; dogs are opportunistic scavenger carnivores needing to eat raw meat and bones to thrive.

A very simple solution to this AND the bacteria so-called “problem” is to freeze the meat for at least twenty four hours, then defrost and serve to your little house wolf or lion. Something else to consider about pathogens is that we ALL have “good” (commonly called Probiotics) and “bad” bacteria in our bodies. Some of us have far more bad than we ought to and that is because we are not properly nourishing our bodies with fresh, wholesome raw fruits and vegetables.

Our dogs and cats are no different. If all they are ever fed is a denatured processed food in the form of kibble or canned food, which often has ingredients that no living being ought to be eating such as propylene glycol in them, then the bad bacteria will win. Salmonella and e.Coli inhabit everyone’s intestines – us and our pets. If you will notice the recalls are typically over COMMERCIAL pet foods for pathogens. Also keep in mind that carnivores are adapted to eat meat raw. The biggest fear is to stop treating them as though they were US. Allowing them to be THEM is the biggest hurdle.

We, every single one of us, need to eat RAW foods to thrive and that includes our carnivore pets. For them that means raw meat and bones. If we can’t handle that, then a carnivore pet should not be a pet we consider having. It is inhumane to consider feeding them the same dry, denatured food day in and out, over and over again because WE can’t handle THEIR true carnivore nature.

• Choking. The truth is dogs and cats can choke on kibble. In fact they are far more likely to choke on kibble than raw meaty bones since they don’t chew food, they gulp it. Dr. Jeannie and I wrote an in depth article on the anatomy and physiology of dogs and why they can’t chew or be expected to do so – and cats are no different: http://aspenbloompetcare.com/2009/07/dogs-the-omnivore-carnivore-controversy.htm

Pets should be supervised when eating any meal – whether it is kibble or raw food. There are so many resources to help you learn how plus you can also obtain a consult with a veterinary naturopath to learn how to feed your dogs and cats a raw diet. I’ve put together a great resource page on raw feeding that includes videos, audios, articles and links to educational websites here: http://aspenbloompetcare.com/pet-resources/raw-feeding-information

• They will become vicious because of eating blood. That has to be one of the silliest myths I’ve ever heard. I can’t help but laugh out loud every time I hear this sort of comment from someone. Animals are far more likely to be vicious and out of sorts if they aren’t eating what is normal for them. Have you ever wondered about the rise in behavioral problems with both our human children and our pets? Have you ever considered the amount of processed foods laden with food additives, chemicals, MSG, corn syrup, and other junk that could be contributing to these problems? And consider this, what if you had to eat the exact same food, for every single meal, every single day for the rest of your life? How happy would YOU be then? And how healthy would you be?

I wrote an article quite a long time ago that dispels more of the myths. In addition, on the raw feeding page above you will also find more sites that debunk even more myths. Be sure and check them out to free yourself from this bondage of FEAR. Here is the article: http://aspenbloompetcare.com/2005/11/dispelling-the-myths-of-raw-feeding.htm

• Some other disinformation I keep reading about is that dogs have either evolved into omnivores or they need some amount of vegetables in order to mimic the stomach contents of prey – again our article http://aspenbloompetcare.com/2009/07/dogs-the-omnivore-carnivore-controversy.htm really addresses this misnomer.

Here is one example that a friend sent me to discern for him:
During tough seasons when meat is harder to come by, wolfs and wild dogs become more opportunistic, eating eggs, fish, fermenting fruit, seeds, nuts and grasses to supplement the meat that they are able to catch.

Then the article went on to say this: such as parsley, kale, dandelion, chard and a small portion (25% of the total vegetables) of pureed root vegetation and fruit including parsnips, yams, squash, apples, pears, and berries.

My response is how in the world do seeds, nuts, and grasses translate into squash, apples and pears???

I wrote to my friend this:
That makes no sense to me. They are completely different things. Pureed or not, that is NOT modeling a wolf diet. And they will only eat seeds, nuts, grasses, herbs, when there isn’t an abundance of meat available. If dogs are fed an abundance of meat and bones there is no need for veggies at all. In fact it taxes and overworks their pancreas and liver.

I would add to my comments something I tell ALL my own clients: Carnivores are at the top of the food chain. Whatever the prey they consume eats, they too will receive that into their bodies. That means that they get the phytonutrients and whatever other nutrients they need from the flesh of the prey they consume. They do NOT need veggies pureed or otherwise like we do.

So now you have a lot of information to digest and assimilate. Let me just share with you a few short stories of dogs that have been helped only this summer of 2009 because their owners decided to forgo the false evidence appearing real in order to take charge of the health of their dogs.

Story #1
One friend decided to do a consult with me after several years of not listening. Maybe out of fear or thinking the costs were too high. However, when her two mixed breed dogs, at the age of nine, starting having health challenges (i.e. thyroid, eyes, skin) and after listening to another mutual friend who publicly announced at a business meeting how I’d helped her two dogs be well just by switching them to a raw diet, decided she had to do something DIFFERENT. Her vet was not happy with her decision. He also said her dogs had to stay on medication their entire lives and have regular dentals done. Within three weeks of switching her dogs to a raw diet, AFTER having a long consultation with me, her dogs now have white, clean teeth. They are shedding out their old coats for new, glossier ones. They are more energetic while also being calmer in their demeanor. And she is being able to slowly wean her dogs off of their medications. (NOTE: Be sure and consult with your veterinarian before attempting to wean your pets off of any medication).

Story #2
Another guy who was at the same business luncheon came over and talked with me about his own dog. His dog was not doing well on the medication for kennel cough. I merely made a suggestion for a couple of natural products he could try, and the raw diet. He went to my website, read everything on raw feeding, used my suggestions and within five days his dog was well. And now he said that his dog is doing very well on the raw diet and he’s very happy it will also save him money over the long-term AND keep his dog healthy saving on vet bills.

Story #3
My own brother had been hearing me tell him repeatedly about a raw diet for his own dog. He would say he was going to, but always had a reason why he hadn’t done it yet. I eventually discovered it was fear-based and of course the convenience of doing what he’d always done. He was over at my house one evening for dinner when my husband decided to show him how readily his dog would take to it. And his dog didn’t disappoint us. He ate two chicken backs exactly the way a wolf would eat them – and we captured it all on video! No one taught him, and he was a very happy little canine. Later, after his dog got bitten by something – a scorpion or wasp – and got very ill, he decided to take him to a vet instead of utilizing the suggestions I’d made. He later regretted that to the tune of a $500 vet bill with his dog sicker than ever. He decided to then do what I’d initially suggested which cost him a total of $20 and additionally put his dog on a raw diet. Two days later his dog was well and ready to RAWk and roll! He is keeping him on a raw diet and he said that this little cattle dog is so much calmer now and settled. He doesn’t have the nervous energy he seemed to always have when being kibble and can-fed.

Maybe you’d like to be able to share your own raw feeding success story one day and how YOU overcame the fear. I encourage you to look to the true inner nature of your dog or cat and let them teach you.

For more information on how to care for your dogs and cats naturally visit my Pet Resources Page here:
http://www.aspenbloompetcare.com/pet-resources

About the Author:
Copyright © August 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the Author. This article is for educational purposes only. The decision to use, or not to use, any information is the sole responsibility of the reader.

Dr. Kim Bloomer is a veterinary naturopath and a proficient blogger and writer on natural pet health. She worked in traditional veterinary medicine for many years and continues to do extensive research into natural health care for dogs and cats.

Dr. Kim’s articles have been featured in various publications such Animal Wellness Magazine and Natural Horse Magazine. She is the co-author of, Whole Health for Happy Dogs, co-authored with holistic veterinarian, Dr. Jill Elliot. Dr. Kim is the host and creator of Animal Talk Naturally Radio Show which she hosts together with her like-minded colleague and friend, Dr. Jeannie Thomason.

Dr. Kim is currently enrolled in the Clayton College of Natural Health studying for her human Doctor of Naturopathy degree. She sits on the Advisory Board for HolisticOption.com and is adjunct professor with Kingdom College of Natural Health.

Dr. Kim offers well pet consultations via phone or email: www.drkimbloomer.org

DISCLAIMER: All information contained here is intended for educational purposes only. It is not provided in order to diagnose, prevent or treat any disease, illness or injured condition of the body or pets. The author accepts no responsibility for such use. Anyone or their pets suffering from any disease, illness or injury should consult with their physician or veterinarian.