Many of our pets’ health problems can be linked to feeding inappropriate diets- even though the label may claim “100% complete & balanced.” If you yourself have experienced the benefits of following a Paleo, whole foods, or raw diet, then you understand the integral connection between food and health. Everything a body needs to thrive simply cannot come from a bag or can!
Fine-tuning your pet’s diet can bring relief from such conditions such as itchy allergic skin, recurrent ear infections, bladder crystals, and vomiting / diarrhea due to food sensitivities or inflammatory bowel disease.
Raw, homemade, or commercial diets (or some combination) may be recommended based upon your pet’s age and condition as well as the lifestyle of your household. The principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine can also be utilized to select warming, cooling, or other supportive foods tailored to individual needs.
Toxic/ Healthy Foods
Healthful Proteins (raw or cooked):
- Meats: beef, chicken, turkey, duck, rabbit, lamb, liver, gizzards, hearts
- Eggs & Dairy: yogurt, cottage cheese, pastured or free-range organic eggs
Tips
- Be cautious feeding cooked animal fats to dogs that are prone to Pancreatitis.
- Dairy is not recommended for pets with seizure disorders
- Eggs can be fed raw if they are from a trusted source, or cook just the white leaving the yolk raw to prevent damage to the delicate beneficial omega-3 fats
Healthful Vegetables
(finely chopped or pureed preferred)
- Leafy Greens (spinach, romaine lettuce, mixed baby greens, bok choy, kale, parsley, chard, wheat grass, sprouts)- raw is best
- Cole Family (cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower)- cook and limit quantities to reduce gas
- Roots & starches (beets, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, squashes)- cooked
- Green & colorful vegetables (asparagus, zucchini, celery, cucumber, bell peppers, tomatoes, peas, green beans)- raw or cooked
- Avoid nightshades in patients with allergies or immune issues (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, potatoes)
- Limit starchy carbohydrates especially in cats, and in any patients with seizures
Do NOT feed these Toxic Foods
- Macadamia nuts (muscle pain and paralysis)
- Chocolate (hyperactivity, rapid heart rate, vomiting/ diarrhea)
- Caffeine (hyperactivity, rapid heart rate)
- Grapes/ Raisins/ Zante currants (kidney failure)
- Onions (anemia)
- Garlic (safe in small amounts- up to one clove per day in small dogs)
- Avocados (safe in small amounts)
Always cook
- Pork (Toxoplasmosis)
- Salmon & Trout (Salmon Poisoning Disease)
- All fish (Thiaminase)
Always feed Raw
Bones: Bones should not be cooked- they become hard and indigestible when cooked and are prone to splintering. Dogs and cats can safely eat raw bones of an appropriate size if they chew thoroughly.
Natural Pet Food Shops
- 4 Paws (Silverdale)
- Superior Pet Foods (Poulsbo)
- Pet Town (Port Orchard)
- Wysong (Online)