Last week, we were having major problems getting Indiana to eat. Raw food, her main diet, was out. Canned food, her usual safe go-to, was out. I tried scrambled eggs. I tried cooked turkey. Nothing was working. She wouldn't eat her pills either, not in cream cheese, not in liver sausage, not in canned cat food, not even in liver sausage dipped in canned cat food. I was freaking out, a lot, to be honest.
It's not that I was worried that Indiana was going to starve. She didn't even seem like she felt sick, just that everything I offered wasn't quite what she wanted. What I did worry about (because this latest round of food aversion was probably brought on my her last UTI and subsequent antibiotics) was that maybe this last backslide would be the one she wouldn't bounce back from.
Indiana has battled illness after illness with grace and strength, and she has recovered from all of them, more times than I can count. Major illnesses, minor illnesses, this dog has fought them all, and won. I know someday this will stop being the case. As she ages, I know that each illness puts more stress on her body, and while we do everything we can to build a strong immune system for her, I know eventually, because she is a biological organism, that she won't be able to recover from something. This is the way of life, and it totally sucks, and I live every day trying to delay that. But I am aware of the realities.
So when Indy stopped eating last week, there was a small part of me that wondered, "What if?" What if this was the one she couldn't recover from? What if she was just going to stop eating and waste away to nothing? I turned to my online pet friends via Facebook, who offered loads of support and advice, reminding me to take a step back, to take a deep breath, and just let her be. Getting her to eat anything was, at some point, more important than getting her to eat the ideal diet. So I turned to my last resort: kibble.
I keep some grain-free, human-grade kibble around, because my canine brother, Bill Wilson, visits often, and that's his favorite. Indiana happens to like it too. And while I'd rather a dog eat high-quality kibble than the large, commercial brand foods out there, I'm still not generally a big fan (it's less a quality issue than the fact that I prefer feeding whole foods). But I was desperate, and I know that feeding kibble, especially temporarily, isn't going to hurt Indiana. In fact, it had the potential to help her. So I poured her a small bowl, set it in front of her, and she inhaled it. So I poured her more. Gone. And more. Gone again. So the next day, (because I believe in rotating foods as often as possible) I headed off to the store for samples of kibble, so see what other kinds she'd eat. The answer? All of them. Some she likes better than others, but basically, I gave her samples of every grain-free food in the store, and they were all a-okay in her book.
So yesterday I headed back to the store to buy actual bags of food. My first time buying kibble for my own pets in almost 5 years. I felt almost ashamed. I work at this particular pet food store a few days a month, so I'm familiar with all of the food and frequently recommend favorite brands of kibble (even if I don't feed it, I still learn about the different brands and do, indeed, have favorites) to customers. But I felt completely lost buying food for my own dog. I'm comfortable around the raw foods and the canned foods. Years of an aversion to the baked stuff has given me a complex, I guess.
I headed right away to the food Indiana inhaled the fastest, a locally distributed food called "Born Free," a grain-free food manufactured by Fromm (on my list of faves). But I still wanted more, so I headed to the one she ate second-fast, the most expensive foods in the store (of course, right?), Orijen and Acana. (Also faves, though sometimes customers shy away from these because of the price) After picking up a couple more samples, I was good to go. And I felt, oddly, very free. I had purchased kibble and survived.
I'm still not generally a fan of kibble (I firmly believe that each pet owner should feed the highest quality food they can afford, and because I can afford raw, that is my preference), but I am a fan of Indiana. And she's loving kibble right now. She eats it up right away, as fast as she can. She's excited, her bright eyes staring at me while she munches away at her (now beloved) food. And that's what's important. She's getting all the nutrients she needs. She loves it. What more can I ask?
I hope eventually to be able to get her back onto canned food, and then, maybe, if I'm lucky, back on to raw. Because Indy has kidney disease, and because kibble is baked and therefore very concentrated, it's still a food that is hard on her kidneys. So I'd prefer not to keep her on it forever. I do know, however, that she's calling the shots. And if she wants to eat only kibble for the rest of her life, then that's okay with me. I guess that makes me a fan of kibble.
Showing posts with label raw. Show all posts
Showing posts with label raw. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Things I've Learned From My Dog: Listen!
We had a brief (and actually very minor, in the grand scheme of things) scare with Indiana this week; she stopped eating!
She's done this before, about two years ago. It's scary every time, given her history. My mind goes terrible places at first. Oh, God, why isn't she eating? Is she sick? Is it the cancer? It's the cancer, isn't it? How will I ever be able to deal with it? I can't go through this again. Why is this happening? Why? Then I take a deep breath and tell myself to shut up! For heaven's sake.
Turns out, Indiana, who isn't a picky eater, is a picky eater. The first time, she was turning her nose up at her food because we were trying to sneak pills into it. So out went the pills, and in came a new brand of food. We thought this round of food-snubbery was related to a new pill she's taking--a bit of stomach upset?--and fed her canned pumpkin that night to settle her stomach. The next day, she was still turning her nose up at the food, but she was acting completely normal. Hmmm. "Let's give her some of the cats' raw food," I thought to myself. "Let's experiment here." Sure enough, she ate that raw food like it was going out of style. Hallelujah!
We're still feeding Isis the homemade raw food, but Indiana is eating a locally-made raw food, Nature's Quest. Jim feels bad about this switch, because we were obviously feeding homemade because we felt it was the healthiest thing for our pets. I don't feel so bad about it though. It's not like we're going from raw to kibble. We're still talking about a high-quality, fresh diet, made by a company I trust (I've met one of the owners and traded emails with the other--they started feeding raw to their pets for the same reasons we did, only they decided to make a living out of it!).
For whatever reason, Indiana is done with the homemade food for the timebeing. She made that abundantly clear. We'll give her some time off and try the homemade food again. But it has gotten me to thinking. Even though we give our girls a good rotation of meat--a different source(chicken, turkey, lamb, or buffalo) every 5 meals and a different mix of fresh veggies and fruit every batch--it wasn't enough variety for Indiana. Maybe going back to the homemade isn't the right way to go. Maybe a rotation of different meats and different brands of commercial raw foods is right for her. It's so hard to know.
But what I do know is to listen to Indiana. She's pretty clear about what she wants, and why shouldn't I trust that?
She's done this before, about two years ago. It's scary every time, given her history. My mind goes terrible places at first. Oh, God, why isn't she eating? Is she sick? Is it the cancer? It's the cancer, isn't it? How will I ever be able to deal with it? I can't go through this again. Why is this happening? Why? Then I take a deep breath and tell myself to shut up! For heaven's sake.
Turns out, Indiana, who isn't a picky eater, is a picky eater. The first time, she was turning her nose up at her food because we were trying to sneak pills into it. So out went the pills, and in came a new brand of food. We thought this round of food-snubbery was related to a new pill she's taking--a bit of stomach upset?--and fed her canned pumpkin that night to settle her stomach. The next day, she was still turning her nose up at the food, but she was acting completely normal. Hmmm. "Let's give her some of the cats' raw food," I thought to myself. "Let's experiment here." Sure enough, she ate that raw food like it was going out of style. Hallelujah!
We're still feeding Isis the homemade raw food, but Indiana is eating a locally-made raw food, Nature's Quest. Jim feels bad about this switch, because we were obviously feeding homemade because we felt it was the healthiest thing for our pets. I don't feel so bad about it though. It's not like we're going from raw to kibble. We're still talking about a high-quality, fresh diet, made by a company I trust (I've met one of the owners and traded emails with the other--they started feeding raw to their pets for the same reasons we did, only they decided to make a living out of it!).
For whatever reason, Indiana is done with the homemade food for the timebeing. She made that abundantly clear. We'll give her some time off and try the homemade food again. But it has gotten me to thinking. Even though we give our girls a good rotation of meat--a different source(chicken, turkey, lamb, or buffalo) every 5 meals and a different mix of fresh veggies and fruit every batch--it wasn't enough variety for Indiana. Maybe going back to the homemade isn't the right way to go. Maybe a rotation of different meats and different brands of commercial raw foods is right for her. It's so hard to know.
But what I do know is to listen to Indiana. She's pretty clear about what she wants, and why shouldn't I trust that?
Monday, August 17, 2009
Product Spotlight: Primal Pet Foods
This is the first in a series of posts on products I love. It was hard to choose which product would have the place of honor as the very first, because there are so many wonderful products out there, but ultimately, my gut said to go with Primal.
I discovered Primal foods several years ago when I switched over to holistic care for my pets. They make a wonderful line of premade raw meals, with meat sources like chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, quail, venison, and pheasant. The first thing that struck me about Primal was their ingredients list. Check it out:
Chicken, Chicken Necks, Ground Chicken Bones, Chicken Hearts, Organic Kale,
Organic Carrots, Organic Yams, Chicken Livers, Organic Broccoli, Organic Apples,
Organic Ground Flaxseed, Cranberries, Organic Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar,
Organic Parsley, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Kelp, Alfalfa, Mixed Tocopherols
(source of vitamin E).
Oh my gosh! Amazing! I know and understand every ingredient on there! I love that their fruits and veggies are not only organic, but they use just the right mix, so they don't have to add any artificial vitamins or minerals. Humans are always told that it's better for us to derive our nutrients from food sources, rather than from vitamins in pill form. The same holds for our animals. Love it!
We don't feed the premade stuff anymore, but we do use Primal meat in our homemade mix. Primal makes a line of "grinds," which include the meat, organs, and bone. We add our own veggies and nutrients to this. The only reason we switched to a homemade diet was because we wanted control over the vegetables and add-ins, such as the oils, supergreen foods, and such.
Primal is always the first brand I mention when I recommend raw diets to others. I encourage you to visit their website, http://primalpetfoods.com/, read their company philosophy and drool over their wonderfully amazing ingredients lists. But pretend you're a dog when you're drooling, or otherwise it's pretty gross.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Things I've Learned From My Dog: Raw Food Diets
It's no coincidence that my first real "meaty" post (oops...no pun intended!) on this blog is about raw food diets. The raw diet is probably the best thing I've learned from Indiana's experience, and something I wish with all my heart I had learned about 11 years ago when I became a parent. Alas, I had to learn the hard way. Don't make the same mistake I did! Learn about raw food now, read about it with an open mind, and give it a try. I guarantee you won't regret it.
I first learned about the raw food diet from the wonderful Dr. Karen Becker. On our first consultation with her, after Indiana's cancer diagnosis, she explained that it was vitally important that dogs with cancer eat a grain-free diet. Standard commercial kibbles and canned foods are PACKED with grain (mostly corn). Honestly, grain isn't good for a healthy pet, let alone one with a weakened immune system. Cancer feeds off carbs (especially true for tumor-based cancers), so feeding a diet high in grains is essentially feeding the cancer. Indiana had struggled with weight problems her whole life, so we had her on a kibble that we felt was the healthiest. While I won't name names just yet, it was a "premium" kibble, and it was the "weight management" formula, which Dr. Becker informed me was around 80% grains. Gasp! Aren't dogs carnivores, for heaven's sake?
And so we began our slow transition to raw foods. Both Indiana and Isis were put on canned foods alone--no kibble (canned is so much healthier for dogs, because it has more meat and more moisture). Slowly, we added in raw foods over a period of about eight months. Dr. Becker was really careful with Indiana, because of the fact that she's missing part of her stomach. We also added in a digestive enzyme, Prozyme (it's good stuff) to help. We still use Prozyme today, with all of our pets.
A lot of people have a tough time with the idea of a raw diet. They worry about the bacteria. Well, many vets think dogs' stomachs are much more adapted to bacteria than our own, making the bacteria not a big deal. Plus, if you handle the meat properly (keeping it frozen, etc.), bacteria shouldn't be an issue. We've fed raw exclusively for two and a half years now with no problems whatsoever. For crying out load, doesn't your dog eat poo or dead animals off the ground? I know mine do. No bacteria there, uh uh.
Other parents are concerned that raw food is "gross." I'm a vegetarian, folks; if I can do it, you can do it.
Another worry about raw food is the cost. Is it more expensive than kibble? You bet. Is it worth every penny? No doubt. I won't deny that not every family can afford to feed a raw diet. But every family should consider a raw diet and see if they can swing the cost. I'm going to be incredibly unhelpful here and tell you I have no idea how much I spend each month on pet food. It's a lot. But feeding our kids the healthiest diet possible is a big priority for Jim and I, and we're willing to make budget cuts in other places in order to keep our kids in fresh meat. I feel so good about feeding raw, I'll always find a way to make it work.
The biggest obstacle you'll reach is probably your veterinarian, unless you're blessed to have someone like Dr. Becker. I'll save the drama for another post, but I'll just make this statement: vet school nutrition classes are taught by the commercial pet food brand manufacturers. A bias there, perhaps? Do your research, follow your gut instinct, and sometimes you just have to do your own thing. I actually had an oncologist basically tell us we would kill Indiana by putting her on the raw diet. Hrmph. Shows how much she knows.
So I've talked a bit about common raw food concerns. You're probably still wondering--if it's so controversial, what makes it so great? Aha. Here's where it gets good. The benefits of a raw food diet include, but are certainly not limited to:
I first learned about the raw food diet from the wonderful Dr. Karen Becker. On our first consultation with her, after Indiana's cancer diagnosis, she explained that it was vitally important that dogs with cancer eat a grain-free diet. Standard commercial kibbles and canned foods are PACKED with grain (mostly corn). Honestly, grain isn't good for a healthy pet, let alone one with a weakened immune system. Cancer feeds off carbs (especially true for tumor-based cancers), so feeding a diet high in grains is essentially feeding the cancer. Indiana had struggled with weight problems her whole life, so we had her on a kibble that we felt was the healthiest. While I won't name names just yet, it was a "premium" kibble, and it was the "weight management" formula, which Dr. Becker informed me was around 80% grains. Gasp! Aren't dogs carnivores, for heaven's sake?
And so we began our slow transition to raw foods. Both Indiana and Isis were put on canned foods alone--no kibble (canned is so much healthier for dogs, because it has more meat and more moisture). Slowly, we added in raw foods over a period of about eight months. Dr. Becker was really careful with Indiana, because of the fact that she's missing part of her stomach. We also added in a digestive enzyme, Prozyme (it's good stuff) to help. We still use Prozyme today, with all of our pets.
A lot of people have a tough time with the idea of a raw diet. They worry about the bacteria. Well, many vets think dogs' stomachs are much more adapted to bacteria than our own, making the bacteria not a big deal. Plus, if you handle the meat properly (keeping it frozen, etc.), bacteria shouldn't be an issue. We've fed raw exclusively for two and a half years now with no problems whatsoever. For crying out load, doesn't your dog eat poo or dead animals off the ground? I know mine do. No bacteria there, uh uh.
Other parents are concerned that raw food is "gross." I'm a vegetarian, folks; if I can do it, you can do it.
Another worry about raw food is the cost. Is it more expensive than kibble? You bet. Is it worth every penny? No doubt. I won't deny that not every family can afford to feed a raw diet. But every family should consider a raw diet and see if they can swing the cost. I'm going to be incredibly unhelpful here and tell you I have no idea how much I spend each month on pet food. It's a lot. But feeding our kids the healthiest diet possible is a big priority for Jim and I, and we're willing to make budget cuts in other places in order to keep our kids in fresh meat. I feel so good about feeding raw, I'll always find a way to make it work.
The biggest obstacle you'll reach is probably your veterinarian, unless you're blessed to have someone like Dr. Becker. I'll save the drama for another post, but I'll just make this statement: vet school nutrition classes are taught by the commercial pet food brand manufacturers. A bias there, perhaps? Do your research, follow your gut instinct, and sometimes you just have to do your own thing. I actually had an oncologist basically tell us we would kill Indiana by putting her on the raw diet. Hrmph. Shows how much she knows.
So I've talked a bit about common raw food concerns. You're probably still wondering--if it's so controversial, what makes it so great? Aha. Here's where it gets good. The benefits of a raw food diet include, but are certainly not limited to:
- weight control (Indiana is at her ideal weight for the first time EVER!)
- decrease in allergies (many pets are allergic to grains)
- immune boosting (fresh, chemical-free ingredients--it's ideal!)
- improved joint function
- clear skin and shiny coat
Take those benefits and multiply them by 1000, which will then tell you how awesome the raw diet is. I seriously understate it.
It's important to mention that kibbles aren't the best diet for a pet. They're processed--highly processed. I could blabber on forever about this (and I will later, trust me), but Dr. Becker puts it best, I think:
"To think we could sustain life on a 100% processed diet is conceivable, but to thrive…it’s not possible. Much like trying to sustain your kids on Ensure© liquid beverage; it’s 100% nutritionally complete but if that’s all kids were fed generation after generation, overall health would deteriorate. All life requires living foods for health. Can you and your pets survive on canned/boxed foods? Sure. Can you or you pets thrive on canned/boxed foods? No. It’s that simple."
Over the next week or so, I'll be sharing more about my pets' diets with you. I make a homemade diet (vet-approved), so I'll share pictures of our process. I ask you to follow me with an open mind, and I encourage you to do your own research. There's a lot of information out there, both pro and con, and I suggest you read both. I'll talk about diet a lot over the course of this blog, as diet is the fundamental building block of health. I also happen to be pretty obsessed with the topic!
I'll leave you with a few great websites about food:
- Dr. Karen Becker, DVM, NMD of Natural Pet Animal Hospital
- Primal Pet Foods, makers of my favorite raw foods
- DogFoodAnalyis.com. Find out how your pet's kibble rates
- The Dog Food Project. Anything and everything about diet
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