As some of you know I speak alot about diet and the option of raw diet.   I feel compelled to mention this because I hear these statements ALL of the time.  People often say to me “but most vets do not recommend a raw diet” OR “my vet said never to feed my dog “PEOPLE” food.  hmmmm I find this so extremely interesting.  I am actually almost speechless that vets say these things and even more so that most people don’t even realize what they just said….they just go with it because the words came out of a “vets” mouth.

So here is my first question …….what exactly is dog FOOD?  And what is it exactly that categorizes people food as PEOPLE food?   Most commercial dog food ingredient lists contain things such as chicken, duck, beef, lamb, rice, apples, carrots, potatoes, peas, kale, oats etc etc.  I don’t know about you but I eat all of those things!

So here are my thoughts that I think everyone should at least ponder this.  If you are feeding a quality dog food, what do you hope are the ingredients in that food?  Dog food should be made out of ???……road kill??  Horse food??  Seriously…..if you want them to eat things like chicken, lamb, potato, carrot etc etc what are those things if they are not ALSO “people” food right?

 I think a much more appropriate term that would be better understood by the masses would be to say “don’t feed your dog table scraps”.  There is a difference in people food vs table scraps.  Left overs from dinner could be salty, high fat, spicy etc etc.  Therefor being more selective in what you feed your dog is the wiser.  But opting to feed your dog “people food” straight out of your own kitchen is not only smart but the healthiest choice.  No preservatives, no hidden ingredients, a truly human grade quality diet.    This includes fruits and veggies as “healthy” snacks as oppose to store bought processed snacks.  I recommend nothing from a can, all fresh produce.  No processed meats, all fresh meats!

Now, as far as the “vet” is concerned, I am not saying to over look your vets advise but do keep this in mind, your vet is a “medical” doctor NOT a nutritionist.  Unless they specialize in nutrition, they are not automatically educated in this area simply because they are a doctor.  They are educated in the field of medicine.  For some, there are also added benefits in recommending the commercial foods they carry in their clinic and no money is made by recommending you make your own dog food.  Even when commercial dog foods have ingredients such as beef, chicken or lamb, how do we know these meats were human grade or left over parts or even animals that were not deemed consumable by humans such as sickly animals therefor they were discarded over to the “dog food companies” and don’t be naive and think this doesn’t happen.

The information on the internet is endless.  Many have said to have cleared many many health issues simply by taking their dog off of commercial diets.  Issues like bladder stones, skin issues, allergies, arthritis, even improvements with diabetics!

Here are a few links but do your own research……………….

http://www.darwinspet.com/benefits-of-raw/why-raw-food-is-best/?ac=AW1-SITELINKS-why&gclid=CLjhu7zfpcACFU9lfgodZj8Akg

This link really gives a good easy to understand explanation to the difference in feeding raw vs commercial…take a look;  http://www.thatmutt.com/raw-dog-food/

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/knowledgebase/knowledgebasedetail.aspx?articleid=5

I will be adding more to this section soon!

• DOG FOOD:  We were feeding Nature’s Variety Instinct dry for a while & sending puppies to their new homes with this food but I would like to recommend a change for those using this food.  While I feel it is a quality food, I also feel (as other breeders of miniature schnauzers agree) that this food is too high in protein and fat for this particular breed.  I recommend staying around 24-30% protein and no more than 15% fat but preferably lower in fat (10-12) with your dry Kibble.  But I do have some clients who have had good results with this food.  And the Nature’s Variety Instinct Healthy Weight Raw Boost is a good option in this brand because the fat percentage is much lower than their other foods even if your miniature schnauzer is not over weight.  The importance of watching percentage of fat is not about weight of your dog but the pancreas issues this breed can have on a high fat diet!  On a different note, I also use Nature’s Variety RAW Is completely different, even thought it’s raw.  The ingredients include a variety of fresh RAW organic fruits and vegetables and meat source.   Nature’s Variety raw can be used to help a dog gain or lose weight and can be helpful to dogs that need a low fat diet due to pancreas issues.  I have safely used this for a dog with a very sensitive pancreas.  I was very pleased to find a better option for her than RX diet.  But of course every dog is different so this is not considered medical advise.  It is only to tell you of my personal experience.  The main brand of dog food I use is ADDICTION.  I prefer any of their foods that are again, lower in FAT %.  My adults are fed the lamb, my puppies the Salmon puppy.  Addiction makes a variety of type foods such as dry, can and dehydrated from a variety of meat sources and a variety of price ranges.  Also made by the same company, Wishbone Dog food, I use this food regularly as well.

• Some of the other brands we like are Acana.  They make their OWN food in their own facility!  Huge plus.  I also like Nature’s Logic, especially the sardine formula which is still a high quality protein count without the high fat.  A hard combination to find for this breed in the grain free.  I also like The Honest Kitchen, this food has low fat options that do not sacrifice protein or taste.

• For those needing a lower fat food for overweight or dogs with sensitive pancreas I have also successfully used Canine Caviar Special Needs, Annemaet Grain Free Lean Formula and Artemis weight management.  Click names of food to visit their websites.  Low fat food is usually sacrificing in protein or total lack of ingredients.  It tends to be bland and not of interest to most dogs however, I have found these foods to do the trick keeping the fat percentage in check, still appealing in taste and ingredient list and no licking and gnawing feet due to carb fillers.  Please share your experiences!

WELLNESS PET FOOD & our experience;  As many of you know, we feed this food to our dogs for about 2 years.  And with great success, however, after the ingredient list was changed by the (new) company, we slowly started experiencing problems.  Everyone started licking their paws, some were gnawing terribly at their paws.  And we were having sudden yeast infections in the ears…….of pretty much everyone.  What are the odds multiple dogs would have a yeast infection in their ears at the same time!  I knew this just did not make sense but I also knew it HAD to be in the food.  So after much research I decided to give Nature’s Logic a try & also found Honest Kitchen.  I am using both brands depending on the specific dogs needs being I obviously have more than one dog but for those with only one or two dogs, choose one or the other.

What happens is dog foods that are high in starch creates an over abundance of yeast in the body.  Such things as potatoes, peas and some other veggies are used as fiber.  They are less expensive than meat proteins, they are also used as fillers as well.  Granted they are nutritional fillers, too much of a good thing is rarely good.  My goal was to find a food low in carbs/starches, still retaining high protein yet not too high in fat content.  BIG challenge with dry kibble which is why I promote feeding raw!  We have only been using Nature’s Logic for a short time but already there are visible results.  Some dogs are no longer licking at all, others very little.  Everyone’s ears are clear except ONE so great progress!  Not only have I ran across this problem, but I have already had two individuals experience the same issues as me as well as a natural pet products retailer told me they were hearing the same things about wellness.

Energy for health, healing & well-being for you and your pet!

Rather than making this a LONG page of reading, I am going to share various links of interest related to pet health.  Today people are becoming more and more aware of things they can do to avoid common pet health issues.  Mostly it starts with diet!!!  I cannot STRESS that enough!  And note or might I even say “Newsflash”, your vet is NOT a nutritionist so do your own homework!  The internet is so vast today that unlimited resources are literally a click away.  Not everyone will agree with every resource I put on this page but I will try to continually add a variety.  I know what its like to search and search for certain info.  One of the things I had in mind for this website is a resource for us to share with one another.  Don’t hesitate to share in a post any information you may think will be helpful to others.

DID YOU KNOW;

Apple Cider vinegar has MANY benefits!  Apple cider vinegar has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. Among the ailments it’s said to cure are allergies, acne, high cholesterol, joint pain, weight loss, rheumatism, arthritis, gout, dandruff, chronic fatique, candida, sore throat, gum infection, sinus infection, flu, acid reflux, leg cramps, athletes feet and ear infections. It’s also used to help dissolve kidney stones, lower high blood pressure, and it’s also been shown to help with type 2 diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity.

In addition to the things listed above, did you know ACV can also clear yeasty doggie ears, ear infection (human or canine), ear mites (of course dilute).  Regular white vinegar can also be used for some of the external uses, also dilute.

** Did you know drinking 2 T of ACV in a glass of water 1-2 times a day can clear a bladder infection in only a day or two?  I have proven this more than once!

** Vinegar can also be put in a cool bath to relieve and heal a sunburn.

** Soak your feet in vinegar water to relieve athletes feet

Read More;  Here are two links for more acv info; Click HERE  or   HERE

Is your dog constantly scratching???  Is your dog often scratching their muzzle, ears, licking and or gnawing at their feet?  Are they developing red dis-colorization on the feet, mouth and tear stains?  Were you told by your vet it was a FLEA ALLERGY even though you never see any fleas on your dog.  You were probably told “It only takes ONE flea.”   Are you interested and or open to try a new approach to solving this problem and probably getting your dog off of medication FOREVER!  There is a little secret your vet didn’t tell you.  Maybe your vet didn’t even know.  After all, they are a MEDICAL doctor and most medical doctors are not specialized in the area of nutrition or holistic (aka natural) alternatives.  Medicine is their field and quit frankly the only way they make any money is to prescribe medicine.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not against doctors or medication.  In many ways they are a blessing and a life savor however, there are times that medication is only a band-aid to the problem.  Sometimes the only way to solve the problem is to go straight to the source rather than to treat the symptoms right?  Let me suggest the concept that it might actually be your dog’s diet and not pesty fleas creating this problem.  See, much of the commercial dog food today is full of carbs for the purpose of low cost.  Many carbs are actually very healthy but in moderation.  They provide fiber, proteins, vitamins and minerals however, due to the low cost, many dog foods are over abundant in carbs such as rice, potato, potato starch, peas, pea starch, carrots, etc etc.  In the body carbs turn to sugar which in turn feeds yeast in the body creating an over abundance of yeast.  This is why some dogs who have the “scratching problem” may also have reoccurring yeasty ear infections!  Imagine that!  Suggestion, try switching to a lower carb dog food.  If you have a sever case you might need to put your dog on a bland diet for a week or two to combat this build up of yeast in their system.  If you just can’t find a food that does the trick for your dog,  try making your dog’s food.  Leave out or greatly minimize things such as rice and potatoes.  You might just be surprised at the huge difference in your dog.   Making your own food can be as easy as a little time in the kitchen once a week or even once a month.  Just bag up their meals and freeze them.   You can bag each meal or one or two days worth of feedings in one package.  Thaw enough for two day supply at a time.  There are tons of suggestions on the internet for making your own dog food.  Tweak as needed for your dog’s needs.  

FOOD NEWS: For this breed we recommend staying around 22-26% protein and 10-15% fat (depending on the individual dog.  The first ingredient should be a meat and even better if the food has more than one type of meat/protein source.  You want to see a nice variety of veggies as well as Omega 3 & 6.  No corn, wheat or artificial flavors or preservatives.  You do not want to see loads of potatoes & peas as too much of this combined with other ingredients is an abundance of carbs which are used as a filler.  When you see potato & potato fiber or peas & pea fiber, that’s too much.  Sweet potato is better than regular potato.

LOW FAT for the over weight or sensitive pancreas dog:  I have also discovered a couple of lower fat foods for those dogs needing less fat due to pancreas issues.  I am trying one of these now.  The second has been hard to find in stock, it seems to sell out fast with many good reviews on several websites!   It is very hard to find a very low fat that you do not sacrifice too much protein and OR quality ingredients.  And usually these “low fat” foods are so bland, the dog’s just turn their nose up & go hungry. I am not recommending them based on my usage, only their potential.  I will post the names soon but if you want to know more, just email me.

This site is a MUST SEE:   http://www.theonlinevet.com/innercircle.php        I would like to add that holistic options ARE true choices!  Don’t think that they don’t work!  I have personally cleared a dog of a cancerous tumor through 100% holistic methods in just 4 short months!  He was 10 years old when starting the treatment.  He died at almost 12 years old and NOT of cancer but of a failing heart.  And let me tell you, right up until the last couple of weeks of his life he was amazing at keeping up with the younger dogs.  You would have never guessed his age by his activity level and alertness!   He never lost vision or hearing or any mobility.  We also kept him on daily NuVet and incorporated raw foods in his diet.  He was our foster dog that we took in when he was 9 1/2 years old and after the cancer, we decided to let him live out his life here with us.  And yes, one of the products we used was the Energy Cup mentioned below.  He was a VERY special boy which my entire family was just so touched by.  We was very loved & we will NEVER forget him.             Here he is …….(He is 10 years old in this picture!!)

***********CHECK THIS OUT!:  Also a GREAT recommendation of products can be found at http://www.vitalityscience.com/.  For those of you who are interested in natural healthy products & supplements or that are having an unresolved issue this site is a must see.  So many times we rely on our vet and so many times they just can’t fix the problem.  What many don’t realize is this is happening because “medication” is not getting to the root of the problem and many times is only a band-aide.  Nutrition is simply the key in a huge number is issues.  Medical doctors are not in the field of nutrition nor are they trained on the subject.  They are in fact trained in medicine.

I recently ran across this site and thought it had some helpful information some of you may enjoy;

http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/health/articles/feeding-homemade-dog-food.html

The importance of having an alkaline body………   This site’s primary topic is fighting CANCER but it has some very good information for the area and importance of an alkalined body.  http://cancerfightingstrategies.com/acidity.html

Another way to assist you in becoming alkalined is the “Energy Cup” from Joy Life…. JOY LIFE USA

We used the Energy Cup and the Emitter from Joy Life in the cancer treatment for the dog mentioned above.

What is zero point energy and how does it affect the body? …………

Amazing products that have been life changing for many!  Can be used for your dog or yourself.  Do you have a dog that lives with arthritis pain?  ………..Alkaline your body with the energy cup for MANY health benefits………….. Did you know disease can’t live in an alkaline environment?  Much more, stay tuned……….