brighthaven.org

The Natural Diet For Cats & Dogs

In order to explain the diet to you, I must first tell a little of the story of BrightHaven.

In the beginning I worked for a wonderful veterinarian, Dr. Doug Coward of Mission Viejo, who helped me enormously by employing the wonders of modern medicine to help me treat my animals. I was feeding them a veterinarian recommended food and felt that I was doing the very best possible for all my animals. As you probably know, our policy here at BrightHaven is to accept animals over the age of 16 years and occasionally some who are younger and seriously ill or tremendously handicapped. Over time, my confusion mounted when our animals continued to die, although given the very best conventional care. After the loss of a precious Siamese that had stolen my heart, I agreed to listen and to try the natural way, both in diet and medicine, and WOW did things change at our house!!! We started to see shining fur and gleaming eyes and so much more energy - and this from cats in their 20's!!!

For those of you who are still a little skeptical (as I was!!), it helps to remember that cats and dogs are carnivores and have flesh tearing teeth. If living in the wild their natural diet would be mice, rats and other small rodents - hence at BrightHaven we feed primarily raw meat balanced with a small amount of vegetables, which they would ingest from their prey's stomach, if eaten.

Gail Pope

Commercial Food versus Natural Diet

Pet food is an 11 billion dollar a year industry in the US alone. Many pet food manufacturers take the waste products from the human food industry and turn them into profit. Most brands, from supermarket foods to so-called premium pet foods, use inferior if not downright disgusting ingredients as well as artificial flavorings, colorings, preservatives and other chemicals which have been proven to have harmful effects on the health of our companions. A lot of nutrients is destroyed during processing of these foods and claims of 100% complete and balanced nutrition aren't more than wishful thinking. Dry foods are particularly damaging since they are heavily grain-based (cats are true carnivores and have no use for carbohydrates, many cats become obese or diabetic from excess carbs), and the low moisture content can dehydrate animals from inside. Cats that are fed dry kibble commonly suffer from urinary tract and kidney problems because they never drink enough to make up for the lack of moisture in dry food.

If you insist on feeding commercial food, please choose more "natural" brands that use high quality meats and no artificial additives (see referral list). Dry kibble is best avoided altogether.

A natural, raw meat diet, supplemented with vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids resembles most closely what cats and dogs would eat in the wild - and, the closer you stick to nature the better. Good health starts with a good diet and you will notice the overall appearance of your animal improve dramatically once you start them on natural food. You will also have the satisfaction of knowing what exactly you put into your animal's mouth.

Though it may be more expensive to feed a natural diet than to buy dry food from a supermarket you will probably save a lot of money in vet bills due to improved overall health. Feeding a raw meat diet actually works out more economical than feeding a high quality canned food!

What is a Natural Diet?

A natural diet mainly consists of raw meat, vegetables/plant matter, oils and vitamin and mineral supplements. It is essential to feed the meat raw! Cats and dogs are carnivores whose systems are designed to process raw meat. A carnivore's system can handle bacteria quite well without succumbing to illness, but of course you should observe basic rules of good hygiene and storage when handling raw meat. Here is how to make a natural diet:

MEAT 1LB	Ground Turkey, Lamb, Chicken, Venison, Ostrich, Buffalo, Rabbit We have stopped feeding beef for fear of BSE (Mad Cow Disease). Beef is also a common allergen, particularly in dogs. Fat content should be 7-20% Organ meats from the same animal as the muscle meat may be added in the following proportions: Heart 10-20%, Liver 5%, chopped into bite size pieces. (Never feed large amounts of liver since it can lead to vitamin A poisoning.) Ideally meats should be organic or natural (free of hormones/antibiotics - see resource guide), especially for older or sick animals.
VEGETABLES: Cats: 5-7% Dogs: 20%	Carrot, Zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower,, asparagus, peas, cabbage, squash, pumpkin and leafy greens Feed raw or lightly steamed, blanched or baked. Vegetables should be finely ground, pureed or pulped. Again, organic is better! An excellent alternative to vegetables is grass! Cats like grass and it provides them with the necessary fiber. With scissors, cut approximately 25 3-4 inch blades into the mix.
CALCIUM:	It is absolutely essential to add calcium, unless the meat mix contains ground up bones. If not, you can add about 2 teaspoons of human grade bone meal. The best source of calcium are raw chicken (cats)/turkey (dogs) necks if the animals like to eat. the best source of calcium are bones, such as raw chicken necks (cats) and turkey necks/ wings (dogs) if the animals will eat them. Dogs may be fed other bones occasionally, but the most beneficial are those of chicken or turkey carcasses.
OILS:	2 Capsules of Salmon oil or other fish oil. 1 tbls of Flax oil may be used instead. If liver is omitted in the recipe, 1 tbs. of cod liver oil should be added and the amount of other oils cut down. Oils supplies essential fatty acids - a must for healthy skin and coat Must be kept refrigerated!
EGG	add 1 raw egg yolk per lb of meat; it provides many vitamins. Egg whites should be fed cooked.
TAURINE	1000mg if meat mix does not contain heart
ENZYMES:	Supplement with digestive enzymes (see resource guide) according to package instructions for at least 4-6 weeks to jump start the animal's own enzyme production. Digestive enzymes are highly beneficial for older or sick animals, particularly for those with digestive problems.
FLUIDS:	Use filtered /bottled water or home-made, defatted chicken broth to get a nice moist consistency.
VITAMINS/MINERALS Vitamin E: Vitamins A&D: Minerals: Vitamin B:	Certain vitamins and minerals must be added to the diet: 200 IU If you do not use liver, 1 tbls of cod liver oil should be added 1/8 teaspoon each of kelp and dulse powder (available at health food stores) 30 mg

OPTIONAL:
Psyllium husks:	Can replace vegetables 2-4 times per week. Excellent source of fiber and effective colon cleanser . 1 teaspoon per lb of meat mixed into 8 oz of water (do not omit the water!).
Glandulars:	A freeze-dried multi-glandular product (available at health food stores) is a great immune enhancer. 2 capsules per lb of meat.
Gelatin:	1/2 tbsp per lb of meat. Helpful for maintaining healthy connective tissue and cartilage. Unflavored Knox is available at supermarkets.

The natural diet is complemented by feeding raw chicken (cats) or turkey (dogs)necks 1-7 times per week. They are nature's toothbrush, with the chewing action loosening tartar and they provide an satisfying chewing experience for your animal. Necks consist of soft cartilage and will not splinter. You should supervise your animal to make sure they don't try to swallow the necks whole. If your animal is resistant to eating necks, try coating them with something your animal really likes, e.g. nutritional yeast, baby food or ground up kibble.

Also, provide a container of wheat grass for your animal. Grass helps keep the intestines clean and helps with hairballs.

Fresh, filtered or bottled water must be available at all times.

There are many recipes for cat and dog foods available. We recommend sticking with the above or a similar cat diet (please do not feed grains to your cat), but if you would like some variety for your dog, please refer to the resource section. NB: It is important to follow a properly balanced recipe. Please do not feed raw meat unsupplemented for long periods of time.

Getting Started

A good way to start is to purchase a little ground meat (turkey or chicken) from a local market. Obviously it is preferable to buy natural or organic meat from a health food store, but any raw meat is a 100% improvement on any commercial diet.

Firstly offer a little to your cat or dog and just see. If it is eaten eagerly then you are on your way!!! - Your choice now is to consider whether to buy an already prepared product or to make your own diet. Sometimes animals have been eating commercial food for such a long time that they have forgotten their heritage and need a little coaxing, so please go ahead and mix a tiny amount with their food and - above all - do tell them that it's great. If you are worried, then they will be too! We have seen and dealt over and over again with all the transition problems and you are always welcome to call BrightHaven for guidance.

When changing to a natural diet it is a good idea to mix the new food with the previous diet for a while and make changes gradually, especially with older animals, in order to not detoxify too fast.

Feeding

Cats: It is best to feed 2 portions per day, more if the animal is very sick or only eats small amounts. Do not leave food down for more than 30 minutes to prevent spoilage. Always throw uneaten leftovers away. The average cat will eat approximately 100 grams of the natural diet per day, however this is not set in stone. Watch your animal carefully: If s/he puts on unwanted weight, cut the portions down, if s/he loses weight, s/he may not be getting enough.

Dogs: One to two meals per day plus bones is usually sufficient. The amount to be fed varies according to body weight and metabolic rate, but it should be roughly 2% of the total body weight. Again, watch your dog carefully and adjust quantities as needed. As with cats you do not want to leave the food out for more than 30 minutes and discard any leftovers.

Everything needed to make the Natural Diet, including meats, is available for sale at BrightHaven for walkin-ins only, at reasonable prices.

Please visit our Products and Referrals page for descriptions of our products and links to many helpful resources.