Are You Feeding Your Dog the Right Diet?
Are You Feeding Your Dog the Best Diet?
Friends ask me all the time what I feed my dog, Chloe. She’s a happy, vibrant 9-1/2 year old King Charles Cavalier who was diagnosed with lymphoma the summer of 2013.
The oncologist predicted she had three months to live and recommended we start chemo right away. But the treatments he recommended came with not-so-fun side effects and no guarantee of much more time. Keep in mind, Chloe was showing no symptoms of cancer. She still loved her walks, ran every chance she got, loved chasing squirrels and was overall a very happy dog. Why would I want to give her a drug or start a chemo treatment that would most likely make her feel terrible?
So my husband and I decided we wanted Chloe to feel good and be happy for as long as possible. Granted, if Chloe had been suffering in any way, that decision would have been much harder, but I doubt it would have been any different.
Research. Research. Research.
Over the next week, I looked into the raw food diet for dogs and cats. The concept behind feeding your pet raw food is allowing them to eat the way they use to eat living in the wild. A healthy raw food diet includes foods like muscle meat, bones (preferably ground for safety), organ meats, organic vegetables and fruits like broccoli, spinach, kale, parsley, apples and blueberries, as well as organic pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
Since I wanted to decrease Chloe’s inflammation and make her body more alkaline (cancer has a really hard time growing in an alkaline environment), I decided to give the raw food diet a try. It made sense to me and I figured it couldn’t hurt. More than two years later, Chloe is still thriving with no sign of cancer.
So what do I feed her exactly?
Many people have asked me to share Chloe’s diet, so here it is. Twice a day, I feed her:
- Raw Food Brand: Primal Pet Foods (different type of meat each week)
- 2 cups of finely-chopped raw kale and parsley (grind in food processor)
- ¼ tsp. of cod liver oil (gives Omega 3s + Vitamin D)
- ½ scoop of green powder (optional)
- ½ – 1 oz. filtered water
Each week, I rotate the meat source between venison, lamb, duck, beef, chicken, and turkey & sardine. Chloe loves them all and is always excited to eat. And from the very beginning, this diet worked perfectly with her system. For the first time, she has had no issues with digestion or elimination.
Depending on your dog’s weight, I recommend you thaw the suggested number of frozen nuggets in the refrigerator overnight. Since Chloe weighs 15 pounds, I feed her six nuggets a day — three at breakfast and three at dinner. I grind the greens right before serving and combine all of the ingredients in her bowl.
Honestly, I don’t know if it was the raw food diet that healed Chloe or if we just got really lucky. But regardless, this is definitely a diet that can give your pet more energy, vitality and reduce symptoms caused by the common food allergens like wheat, corn and soy found in conventional dog foods.
Obviously, I am very happy I switched Chloe to raw food. If you decide to give it a try, please let me know how it goes in the comment section below. I’d love to hear.
Happy Trails!
Candace
