YAY! He Got It Right About Meat!

We dogs are carnivores. According to one of Oprah Winfrey's veterinarians, Dr. Martin Goldstein, this means we need "meat, meat, meat." Thank you, Dr. Goldstein, for making that point clear.

Wheat, rice, corn, barley, and other grains are not our natural diet. What we need is MEAT! With a few exceptions, most canned dog foods and kibble (dry dog food) are made with grains. They don't have the amounts of meat we need.

In addition to meat, we also like a little green plant food from time to time. As for me, I'm always on the lookout for new green grass and amaranth leaves. If Mama would let me in the garden, I'm sure I could find some other tasty treats. Some of my friends say they like carrots. Hmm.... I wonder if they dig them up themselves. Sounds like fun.

Anyway, back to meat.... Don't worry, our meager needs are well worth the little bit of extra cost. And we are perfectly willing to compromise on our diets if that makes you happy. We are dogs, you know, and we love to please you (man's best friend, and all that).

So, here are some suggestions for how to improve our diets:

* Raw meat is the best! (Dr. Goldstein says so)

* Cooked meat is nice, real nice -- venison, chicken (but no bones, please), beef, beefalo, lamb

* Canned wild Alaska salmon and canned sardines (packed in water) are great. They don't need any cooking, and they give us plenty of Omega 3's and other good stuff we need. No cooking required. And how they make our coats shine!

* Canned Mackerel is okay, too. It usually costs a little less than salmon or sardines. No cooking required, either.

* Beef heart and chicken livers and gizzards are easy to find everywhere. Cheap, too. We love them, but please don't give us livers or gizzards every day (really now, do I have to explain?).

* Canned dog food with 90-95% meat is convenient. Although the cost is more, it is nice to use for travel. Look for one that includes cartilage, connective tissue, fat, and bone (it's ground up, of course).

If you're not into cooking, that's perfectly fine. We love raw meat, as well as canned fish! Of course, we still like a little dry kibble if you want to reduce our food cost a bit. Just don't make it our main diet.

Important Note: Switching to a new diet can be hard on our systems, so be sure to make the changes gradually over a few days.

For more great ideas from Dr. Goldstein, check out his book, The Nature of Animal Healing: A Definitive Guide to Caring for Your Dog and Cat, by Martin Goldstein, D.V.M.

Copyright @2007 Susie Q.


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