Contributed by Jeff Coltenback, Holistic Pet Health Consultant

Today?s pet industry is so convoluted with products, supplies and especially food.? You can go to any pet store and see many different brands of foods.? Which ones stand out to you?? Think about it.? The fancy bags with pictures of choice cuts of meat and whole vegetables with lots of colors are very appealing.? After all, we live in a marketing savvy country.? The advertizing here in America is often very creative.? They know how to get our attention.? They tell all you need to know about food.? They tell you how dogs are omnivores (meat and plant eaters).? They tell you how they need healthy, whole grains and vegetables.? Oh, and don?t forget your dog?s biscuits to keep his teeth and gums healthy!? Finally, we take our pets to the veterinarian for health checks or, God forbid, a health related issue and our trusted doctors reinforce what we see and what we?re told about pet food.? So, if our trusted doctors who care for our beloved pets tell us it?s good, than it has to be.? I mean they went to school for 8 years, in some cases longer, to become the most knowledgeable and talented pet care experts in the world.? This commercial pet food has to be good for our pets. I think you can see where I am going with this, don?t you?

Knowledge is only as good as the source of the information.? Would you believe that apples cause cancer?? Of course you wouldn?t.? But, if you kept hearing it over and over and over from the people you trust and respect most, guess what?? You would eventually believe that apples cause cancer.? Knowledge or education does not always create a well-informed individual.? Christopher Columbus discovered America, right?? Then why were there people here when he ?discovered? our Country?? Hey, don?t get me wrong.? I am absolutely 100% American and I love my Country.? But, we have a national holiday for a man who discovered a land that was already inhabited.? I know what he did for exploration and world travel.? Why don?t we have a national holiday called ?Native American? day?? They were here first!!? How does this related to food?? Simple.? Dogs were here first!!? What I mean is that dogs were here and eating healthy and living long lives long before commercial pet food. And, don?t even get me started on vaccines.? We?ll cover that in a separate article.? Go to the major manufacturer?s websites and see when they were founded.? Most commercial pet food can be dated back to the late 1940?s.? There was commercial feed before then, but it was sold in barnyards to farmers and locals.

Prior to the commercial pet food movement, dogs ate what we ate and fed off the land as well.? They ate real food and probably some fresh killed too.? I know it seems gross.? But, our dogs of yesterday ate real food and even hunted.? They did not eat over-processed, artificially enhanced, chemically-treated, dry cereal.? And, here?s the kicker; dogs are not equipped physiologically to process it properly and thrive.? Do dogs survive on commercial food?? Of course they do.? All of these foods are fortified with vitamins and minerals and dogs do get the minimum nutrients to survive.? But, I do not want my dogs to survive.? I want them to thrive!!? Contrary to popular opinion, dogs are carnivores.? They are not omnivores.? This is not my opinion.? This is a scientific fact. Just look at a dog?s body, mouth, teeth, digestive tract, and the enzymes their bodies produce and what you have is a hunter.? A carnivore!!? The fact that they can survive on vegetable and grain matter does not make them omnivores.? It only makes dog food companies rich!!? Dog THRIVE on meat.? I have been personally feeding RAW meat to pit bulls and Shih Tzus for over 6 years and have never had any problems.? In fact, my vets always comment on how well they look. ?Additionally, I know people who have been feeding RAW or home-cooked for 40 years and never had any serious health issues with their pets.?? Of course, they didn?t over-vaccinate either (again, future articles will uncover the dangers in vaccines), which likely aided in their pets? health.

So, in a nutshell, commercial food just isn?t ideal for dogs or cats or most other pets.? Unfortunately, it is way too convenient for us to feed our pets what they really need to eat; real fresh food.? We still need to cover why, specifically, it isn?t ideal.? And, we will in future articles.? In the next article will review what to feed and how to do it!? Thanks for helping the Paws for Peace cause!!