Advice for animals that are poorly or need special Diets
We see so many pet improve dramatically when the change to a well balanced raw diet.
But raw will not cure all ills ….it will not fix every problem! Please talk to your vet if medical issues arise, or are ongoing.
If your pet is unwell and you are currently feeding a processed diet, please let your vet know before you change to raw. This is particularly important in some conditions which may need close management (such as diabetes).
I will be writing articles about many more problems such as cancer, arthritis weight control and more in the coming weeks and months
If you need dietary advice, don’t forget it is available, free of charge and without obligation, from The Shop's Vet. What should you feed?
With one or two exceptions (primarily where the dog’s immune system has been compromised), you will see that a raw food diet is always recommended. This is because raw food is the easiest thing for your dog to digest and supports his or her immune system. Where raw feeding isn’t recommended, you should not revert to processed food but simply cook the ingredients in the way prescribed. Processed food is an underlying cause for as many as 9 out of 10 visits to the vet, and this includes expensive, so-called scientifically developed, brands.
A reminder about water Water is treated with a great number of chemicals. Ill dogs are less tolerant of these chemicals, and so it is advisable to find a source of pure, clean water. This could be a mineral water (better from a glass bottle than plastic as plastic bottles left in the sun alter the chemical composition of their contents), rainwater or filtered water.
Why ill dogs do better on organic food
Intensively reared meat and intensively farmed vegetables, especially those imported from outside Europe, are often grown without the regulatory framework we are used to, and may contain a surprisingly high percentage of unnatural chemicals (everything from growth hormones to nitrates and from steroids to pesticides). Furthermore, meat will include the residue of whatever the animal has been fed. This is particularly relevant in the case of grain-fed livestock and poultry, and grain is especially harmful to dogs. It is better, therefore, to feed organic food to ill dogs and people.
