Making Waves

So the recent hype in the dog world is that this past week, Oprah had a whole show on dogs. She brought her vet who is a holistic vet to discuss what dogs should actually be eating. (drum roll please.....)

Guess what he recommended on public television to a viewing audience of ??!?!?!

That feeding raw is the best dog diet.

And cooked diet 2nd... good quality canned food 3rd, good quality grain free kibble 4th, good quality grain in kibble was 5th. And regular grocery store bought generic kibble is way way low on the list.

Dr. Marty Goldstein, author of The Nature of Animal Healing, is an expert on holistic pet medicine and the veterinarian caring for Oprah's dog Sophie, who is suffering from kidney failure. Based on Dr. Marty's advice, Oprah says she now feeds her dogs a mixed diet of chicken, beef, lamb, brown rice, potatoes and carrots.

Dr. Marty Goldstein on Oprah

Dr. Marty says most people feed their dogs diets that go against their animal nature. He says a dog that eats only dry food is like a person who eats nothing but carbs! Dr. Marty says the best thing for a dog to eat is raw meat. His own dog, Danny, ate this diet and lived to be 19! "Danny lived on fresh cooked meat and brown rice and carrots, peas, lamb, potatoes. You know, real food. What did they eat in nature? They ate real food."

To get Dr. Marty's advice on what to feed your pet, visit Dr. Marty Goldstein

Extra Credit Reading

Warning, this article is long. I just found it browsing around. But it comments on a lot of the common concerns, questions, and doubts from non-raw believers. I'll just post it for you to read. What you decide to do with it is entirely up to you.

Raw Feeders in SF Story

This is Just the Beginning

Just in case anyone feeds this: Natural Balance expanded its recall, and melamine has been found in a rice protein concentrate. Natural Balance Recall

Can you see what is happening? The commercial pet food industry is beginning to crumble. Company after company is recalling their products. First it's the cheap wheat gluten, now it's the rice protein. What's next? These are all cheap fillers that pet food companies have been depending on for decades to keep their production costs low and their profits high. Cheap Filler

The only good that may come out of this is that maybe now, FINALLY, the pet food industry will be scrutinized and regulated.

Oh, didn't you know that?

Up to this point, the pet food industry has not had to follow any regulations besides labeling what they put into their food. And if you really looked into the ingredient list and researched what Chicken "Meal" or Beef "By-Products" are, you would not be feeding this to your dog unless you didn't care about their health. They are not responsible for testing the actual nutritional value after the food is processed into kibble. They are not responsible for studying long term health.

Also, do you know what happens in rendering plants? Do you really think they will throw out any pieces of meat that are from dead, diseased, and dying animals? Hell no! Do you think they really care where "meat by product" or "meat meal" came from? Or even worse, what kind of meat it is? Is it road kill? Are they from farm animals? Are they from domestic animals? Are they from shelters? If you don't believe this, I understand. It's hard to swallow (literally). But at least believe this.
THIS INDUSTRY IS NOT REGULATED.

Now the FDA has stepped in and is supposedly checking to make sure retailers have pulled all recalled items off their shelves. Even they admit, some of it is still out there. FDA Report This is YOUR responsibility to your pet. Don't expect or assume that the pet food industry, retailers or the FDA is going to fix this problem any time soon.

High profit industry that is not regulated. Hmmmmm.......If that doesn't send a clear message, I dunno what will.

More bad food

The tainted food list continues to grow. First it was only canned food. Then dry food was recalled. Now dog treats too. Pet Food Recall To be on the safe side, it seems everyone should steer clear of anything that has wheat in it, if you haven't already. In fact, you may want to steer clear of all commercial dog treats.
Here is a list of the voluntary recall of dog biscuits:
Dog Biscuits

There are so many great natural alternative dog treats that you can find in your regular grocery store. Some things I like to use are:

almonds
walnuts
pistachios
rice chex
string cheese
carrots
apple chips

Get creative and think outside the box..pun intended!

And the Truth Shall Set You Free

So I didn't say much about the pet food recall a few days ago, due primarily to a lack of information. I held my tongue, I kept to the facts.
But NOW I cannot resist making my comments. The pet food industry has just been caught, unfortunately at the expense of our dear animals, using cheap fillers in their pet food. They should ALL feel ashamed of themselves. They keep trying to find cheaper and cheaper ways to make a buck, at the expense of our babies. In a way, I point my finger at pet owners as well. They are ultimately the primary caretakers (aka parents) of their pets. An analogy would be the parent who sues a fast food chain for causing their child's life-threatening obesity or high blood pressure. Our pets are soley dependent upon us to provide them the best possible care for them. We are the ones who should be responsible consumers. We should be caring about what our babies are eating. We should be reading labels and making their nutrition a priority. Wouldn't you do that for your human child? Why not for the living being that thinks (and always will thing) you are the best person in the whole wide world? Why not for your babies that will love and adore you to their last breath. Isn't this the least you can do for them?
Don't feed them this garbage!

What's in Pet Food?

Ok...and now I'm off my soapbox.

Major Pet Food Recall

In case you haven't already heard:

60 million containers of pet food recalled
Eukanuba, Iams and store brands tied to kidney failure, deaths

Updated: 5:03 a.m. ET March 17, 2007
WASHINGTON - A major manufacturer of dog and cat food sold under Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger and other store brands recalled 60 million containers of wet pet food Friday after reports of kidney failure and deaths.

An unknown number of cats and dogs suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, Menu Foods said in announcing the North American recall. Product testing has not revealed a link explaining the reported cases of illness and death, the company said.

"At this juncture, we're not 100 percent sure what's happened," said Paul Henderson, the company's president and chief executive officer. However, the recalled products were made using wheat gluten purchased from a new supplier, since dropped for another source, spokeswoman Sarah Tuite said. Wheat gluten is a source of protein.

Check here for recalled brands:
Recall

Dem Bones Dem Bones

Here are the beautiful beef marrow bones from Hare-Today. Look at all that lovely meat surrounding the bone. Now that's a meal!
I gave these to Riley and Sabrina an hour and a half ago and they are still going at them. That's what I love about feeding a raw diet. I love watching my dogs get the psychological benefits of a satisfying meal. There is no doubt that they are not only getting nutrition, but great psychological stimulation, as well as a great workout for their jaws and teeth. Oh! Clean teeth!

A Hearty Canine Meal

Today I received my first order from Hare Today-Gone Tomorrow, HARE TODAY a raw food distributor located in PA. It was an exciting event! The products were nicely cut, packaged, and labeled in plastic bags and kept cool in a foam insulated box. The bones were absolutely beautiful! I had been preparing for the arrival of this box so Riley and Sabrina only got a small dinner last night and I fasted them through this morning's meal. I was so excited to give them a nice hearty beef meal. Here's what Sabrina and Riley each got for dinner:

1/2 pound of BRAVO beef blend (ground muscle, bone, organs)
1/2 pound of BRAVA beef tripe (ground stomach and some spleen)
1/4 pound of HARE TODAY'S beef trim
1 beef marrow bone from Whole Foods Market

It was so satisfying to watch my dogs eat their meal with such gusto. They just seemed to savor their meal and I was so proud to be able to give them such a nicely balanced meal. I held off on the HARE-TODAY beef marrow bones cuz they look like a beautiful snack in themselves. I'm saving it for a day when I feel guilty about not letting them out as much as I should. These beef marrow bones were surrounded by a good 3 inches of meat!

In addition, I purchased large goat bones and lamb bones. Both come with lovely thick layers of meat still attached. I bought some tripe and beef blend from them as well as chicken. The total, including shipping, came to approximately $2 a pound. UNBELIEVABLE!!! Plus, if I ship the foam insulting pieces back I get $10 back. Just to clarify this for people who think feeding raw food is terribly expensive. I looked online to compare with a "high end" holistic dog food. For a 33lb bag of the holistic kibble, you would pay $40. With shipping charges, you're looking at about $1.50 per pound of dog food. Now I dunno how much your dogs eat, but luckily my two are easy keepers. One meal like the one they had today alternated with a smaller meal every other day would do them just fine. And, I'm assured that the meat they are being fed has been raised on a small farm, without pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, or vaccines. Nothing makes me happier than that!