If you are into health and wellness in the human world, there is a plethora of information available for you.
We are encouraged to understand what goes into our bodies, encouraged to look at labels, encouraged to make decisions around our health with regards to how and what we eat and how we live. You feel bloated, oh hey, here's a solution, you are tired, oh, take this supplement. Our lives have been so smashed by toxins, fast food and poor advice over the years that we have had to take back control.
We are not encouraged to do the same with our pets. And they have been smashed by even worse toxins, worse food and very poor advice.
The last decade has seen a huge shift in the dog food industry. Findings around ingredients and the quality of food has led to tightening of regulations and we now have incredible dog food brands that really do promote rude health for dogs. Brands like Lily's Kitchen have paved the way for a whole new way of feeding our dogs. But this is still not mainstream food or mainstream teachings on dog health and nutrition.
The big difference in dealing with dog health is that obviously dogs cannot talk, in the literal sense. But they give us very clear signs if they are thriving, surviving or struggling.
We are not encouraged to understand what our dogs eat. It has been drummed into us that good food comes in a packet as it has been approved by a body of animal specialists and is “complete”. We are not encouraged to change their food and you “spoil” your dog if you feed them fresh food or raw food, because they should eat kibble. They should eat what you put down, full stop (Bullshit).
I am actually pretty pro GOOD kibble. My dog eats it. She loves YORAs kibble, made from mealworms. We will get into this in another post, but why TF does everything your dog touches have to have meat in it? We will have a big chat about this!
Shuga eats freshly made food, often poached chicken (her cat sister only eats this so it's easy for me), lots of greenery and whatever grains or legumes I have going around. She snacks on snap peas, carrots, rice cakes and pears as well as the occasional duck neck. She also has a small slice of sourdough with olive oil or butter for brekkie and a touch of kefir.
Spoilt, yes. Healthy, yes. Should this be more normal? YES!
This is a lot of the reasoning behind creating Guddog. I get that most people are not as into dog nutrition as I am, so this is my way of putting something out into the world that can help your dog, whatever their diet is. It works for BARF, kibble and the way I do things (human and dog co-healthing/ mixture of everything).
If you have any interest in this stuff, Dr Richard Pitcairn, is your dude. His newest edition of “Natural Health for Dogs and Cats” has some super interesting stuff in there. If you are looking to move your dog or cat onto a more plant-based diet, or just include more of these food items in their day to day, he has an incredible amount of info and guidance. There are also some amazing dog magazine online with loads of information on nutrition and myth busting.
It is up to you to really do your research with what to feed your dog. Food is very personal and the way you view your own nutrition plays a big role in how your view your dogs nutrition.
Take some time to really look into it, as the results will be so worth it.
* I am not a Vet and have huge respect for Vets, this is an opinion piece and is based on my own experiences and studies