Scare tactics regarding bacteria in raw food

Pet food manufacturers educate veterinary surgeons to tell you that there are major risks involved in feeding raw food with regard to bacteria. Thier scientists have identified bacteria in pet food and in the faeces of those pets fed it, however they do not inform you that a dog on a fully raw, non-grain diet does not get affected by these bacteria, here is why:

Bile and pancreatic juice released into the duodenum are

bactericidal for :

• E.coli
• Shigella
• Salmonella 
• Klebsiella

bacteriostatic for:

• Coagulase (+ & -)
• staphulocci
• pseudomonas

and inhibit candida albicans

National Research Council (2006) Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. Washington DC The National Research Academic Press

Reasons not to feed corn or soy to your dog

Corn & Soy are made up of short-chain fatty acids, that are known to inactivate lipase, hydrochloric acid & pepsin (Brosey et al. 2000), this inevitably has a negative effect on digestion, especially of proteins and therefore the amino acids necessary for mood regulation.

Here's another scientific article about how feeding a high protein, no-grain diet, has a positive effect on behaviour: http://www.animalmedcenter.com/news-and-press/article/the-influence-of-nutrition-on-aggression

The Consequences of Bloat

This is Ruby, a few weeks ago she was rushed into the local veterinary hospital for Emergency Surgery due to bloat.

Upon veterinary recommendation she is now on dried food 4 times a day, is it any wonder that she isn't feeling very well?

Dissertation Poster

Bloat

Deep chested breeds of dog are highly susceptible to bloat, this can lead to emergency surgery and the possibility of the dog not surviving.

So how does your dog get bloat?

Bloat occurs due to a build up of gas trapped in the gastro-intestinal tract. This gas is created by microbacteria in the hind gut as a result of bacterial fermentation of starch.

Starch in the mammilian body is digested by amylase, however dogs produce very small quantities and therefore have no capacity to deal with the large amounts in commercial diets.

Therefore small amounts of starch can be coped with in the canine diet, large amounts of starch such as found in dried and tinned foods, from grains, cereals, rice & potatoes can and do lead to bloat and death.

How many times a day should you feed your dog?

The answer is once.

The dogs' digestive system is set up to eat only once a day. Canine stomach acid is much stronger than that of a human, hence they can digest bone etc., however putting anything in it, reduces it's strength and only time with an empty stomach can bring it back to it's full pH.

Therefore feeding more than once a day, or providing the ability to graze, actually reduces the dogs ability to digest what it is being fed.  With the gastro-intestinal tract being 80% of the immune system, multiple daily feeding has a negative effect on the immune system, increasing the likelyhood of illness.

Therefore feed your dog once a day, the occassional treat is fine, and a weekly starve day will help boost the digestive and immune system.

Teeth as an indicator of health

In a preliminary study the following was shown:

80% of dogs over the age of 3 on a commercial cooked diet had teeth like this:

80% of dogs over the age of 3 on a raw diet had teeth like this: