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To me the term "wholistic" in regards to pet foods means that the food is as close to what nature intended the species or the variation of that species to eat. It is a diet in which they get all of the needed nutrients in an easily assimilated form. Raw food is not scientifically created, it just is.
In our opinion based on our research and personal experiences and the experiences of numerous others, the BARF diet, also known as the bones and raw food diet is one of those "wholistic" diets. We feel that it is the most natural diet that felines and canines would have eaten in the wild. It is full of enzymes which makes digestion a lot easier, trace minerals, amino acids, vitamins and minerals and more!! I have read that it takes 1-2 hours to digest raw food and 8-10 to digest kibble. Kymythy Schultz believes that the pancreas has to work extra hard to digest dry kibbles than if the enzymes are already present in the food. I can attest to the importance of the pancreas as we have a white shepherd who has a genetic condition called E.P.I. in which her pancreas has stopped producing digestive enzymes. This means that without the assistance of added pancreas enzymes she is not able to digest and absorb very little. As pet owners who feed our dogs a raw food diet I can tell you that they are lean, strong, have shiny, beautiful coats, have clean, white teeth, have a nice energy about them. They are not too hyper, they have firm stool which is very small and tends to turn white and disintegrate, a lot like wolf feces I am told, no anal gland problems, and do not have a breath or body odor in any way, shape or form.
I believe that humans created dry food or "kibble concoctions" out of convenience for them.
Now that being said.....
There is an incredible difference between pet foods on the market today. They are not created equally as some would want you to believe. Fortunately there are incredibly healthy dry dog foods available for those that prefer that convenience of a dry food. We carry a variety of top notch foods that do not contain any useless fillers, chemical preservatives, dyes, sugars, meat by products, rendered meats and the like. The healthy oils and acidophilus (good bacteria in the intestines) are generally altered when heated, so these conscientious companies spray the usually cold-pressed oils on after the kibble is cooled, the same goes for the acidophilus. One company that we carry, Nature's Variety, uses freeze-dried salmon oil on the kibble along with liver and meat for added enzymes and other nutrients. In addition to the dry foods, we recommend adding a whole food supplement to ensure getting maximum digestibility and nutrient value.
References:
Schultz, Kymythy. The Ultimate Diet: Natural Nutrition for dogs and cats. Hay House Inc, 1999.
Goldstein D.V.M, Martin. The Nature of Animal Healing. Random House Inc, 1999. |
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