Paleopet by James Coghlan, D.V.M,

We have all been duped the last 10-15 years about pet food.  You don’t have to go raw or buy expensive ‘natural’ diets.  The single best thing you can do for your pet’s health is cut the STARCH (=sugar)  This book has inexpensive and easy ways to vastly improve the quality of your pets’ diet.  We’re definitely going to gradually go paleo!  I will share the experience here on my blog.

I will be watching closely any changes in my senior doxie, Raleigh, as I enhance his diet.  Aside from being 11 years old and having terrible allergies, he is overall a healthy senior.  He does have some lumps and bumps and occasional an cough.

Cowboy is a senior foster with very arthritic knees and moderately severe dental disease.  Lainey is a growing puppy at 6 months old and Lincoln is a rescue from the streets with red, itchy skin.  I’d like to record my experience ‘going paleo’ here on this blog.  I feel responsible to get the TRUTH about pet nutrition out as, not only have I been convinced that supposed ‘all natural’ foods with human grade meat cuts and ‘healthy’ grains like rice and sweet potatoes were the best for my dogs, I’ve convinced countless other pet foods of the same!
I was fooled my so long by pet food manufacturers wanting to maximize profits and were willing to literally make up big, fat (albeit convincing)  lies in order to do so.  It’s an absolute OUTRAGE.  I hope many of the pet owner’s led astray like I was see this blog and feel as compelled as I do to make some immediate changes.

These guys are worth it…

THREE things you can do RIGHT away before reading 1 word of this book:

1. Add fish oils to their food.  Dosage is flexible and also depends on it’s use.
   

   DOSAGE: Use products made for either humans or dogs. The amount of EPA and DHA in various fish oil preparations varies. Look for concentrated forms when giving high doses so you use smaller amounts of oil.

   Healthy dogs can be given 100 to 150 mg EPA and DHA per 10 pounds of body weight daily; dogs who have health problems can be given up to 300 mg per 10 pounds of body weight. One ounce of canned fish with bones (sardines, jack mackerel, pink salmon) averages about 300 mg EPA and DHA combined.

   The recommended dosage of liquid fish oil products is often too high, adding unnecessary fat and calories to your dog’s diet. High doses of fish oil can interfere with platelets and lead to increased bleeding, and too much can contribute to rather than reduce inflammation.

   Cod liver oil is similar to fish oil, but most products also contain high levels of vitamins A and D (molecular distillation removes these vitamins). For those who feed a homemade diet that does not include much fish, give an amount that provides about 100 IUs of vitamin D per 25 pounds of body weight daily. Do not use high doses of cod liver oil. If additional omega-3 fatty acids are desired, add plain fish oil. (REFERENCE)

   2. Add plain yogurt to their diet for probiotic health.  Digestive enzymes are missing from commercial dog food and are a great additive too.  I use this for my dogs and cats.  It’s a powdered nutrient with probiotics & digestive enzymes in one.

   

   Check your local feed barn or vet supply. I found a powder suitable for dogs and cats.

   3.  Add FIBER to their diet.  1 tsp (small dogs) to 1-2 tablespoon (med-lg dogs) of pure, canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling) with dinner at night.  Super simple!

I hope you’ll enjoy following our progress as we try out a more instinctive diet for my pets and fosters.