From Wise Traditions in Food, Farming, and the Healing Arts,
the quarterly Journal of The Weston A. Price Foundation,
Volume 2 Number Two, p34.
In the United States, most people believe that "people food" is
unsuitable, even dangerous, for dogs and cats. For half a century, pet
food manufacturers and veterinarians have explained that commercial
pet foods are "scientifically balanced," "nutritionally complete," and
superior to anything our pets might otherwise consume. These experts
frown upon giving pets table scraps, raw food and supplements that
disrupt a commercial pet food's "precisely controlled balance of
vitamins and minerals."
We're so used to these notions that most of us accept them without a
second thought. But some pet owners have remained skeptical and have
taken a different approach. In recent years their numbers are growing.
What are these eccentric people feeding their animals? Just the things
the experts say will kill them: raw meat, unpasteurized milk, raw
eggs, raw vegetables and fruits and—worst of all—raw bones. If these
dogs and cats don't die from indigestion, botulism, Salmonella, E.
coli bacteria, or a deficiency disease, they'll surely choke to death
or puncture their intestines. Any veterinarian will tell you that
these animals are living on borrowed time.
Make that almost any veterinarian. Members of the American Holistic
Veterinary Medical Association,1 an organization that reflects the
surging interest in natural therapies for pets, believe those animals
are eating exactly what Mother Nature intended.
POTTENGER'S CATS
A diet of mostly raw animal foods for cats was examined back in the
1930s by Francis Pottenger, MD. He conducted a ten-year-long study in
which nearly a thousand cats were fed the same basic diet of milk,
meat and a small dose of cod liver oil.2
The healthiest cats were the ones who received raw meat and raw milk.
This was the only group to produce generation after generation of
healthy kittens with broad faces, adequate nasal cavities, broad
dental arches, strong and correctly shaped teeth and bones, excellent
tissue tone, good-quality fur with a minimum of shedding and an
absence of gum disease. These cats were resistant to infections, fleas
and internal parasites. They showed no sign of allergies and were
gregarious, friendly and predictable in their behavior patterns.
Miscarriages were rare and litters averaged five kittens, which the
mothers nursed without difficulty.
Another group received raw milk and cooked meat. The cats in this
group developed skeletal and dental deformities, heart problems,
vision problems, thyroid imbalances, infections of the kidney, liver,
testes, ovaries and bladder, arthritis and inflammation of the joints,
and inflammation of the nervous system with paralysis and meningitis.
Their second and third generations had abnormal respiratory tissues.
Cooked-meat cats were so irritable that some of the females were named
Tiger, Cobra and Rattlesnake, while the males were docile and passive,
a sexual role reversal not seen in the raw-food cats. Vermin and
intestinal parasites abounded and skin lesions and allergies appeared
frequently. Adult cats died of pneumonia or infections of the bone
while kittens died of pneumonia and diarrhea. The cooked-meat cats had
serious reproductive problems including sterility, miscarriage, a lack
of maternal instinct and difficult labors with high infant mortality
rates. Many females died in labor.
The cats fed raw meat with pasteurized milk showed similar changes,
and those fed evaporated milk showed even more damage, while the most
marked deficiencies occurred among those fed sweetened condensed milk.
Because the health of each new generation was adversely affected by
its parents' inferior diet, the cooked-food kittens had even more
problems, and there were no fourth generation kittens in any of the
cooked-food groups because the third generation always died before
reproducing. Had antibiotic drugs been available, these kittens might
not have died of pneumonia and other infectious diseases, in which
case the experiment could have continued through longer chains of
deformed offspring.
One of Dr. Pottenger's most exciting discoveries was that the health
deterioration caused by cooked foods can be reversed, although it took
four generations to completely restore perfect health to cats whose
ancestors ate cooked meat or pasteurized milk.
THE NATURAL REARING DIET
During the 1940s and 1950s, while food scientists in England and
Europe were developing commercial pet foods, Juliette de Bairacli Levy
fed her unvaccinated Afghan hounds raw meat, raw bones, raw goat milk,
raw fish, raw eggs and a variety of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and
oils. The only medicines she used were herbs. Supremely healthy and
intelligent, her dogs won numerous championships and de Bairacli Levy
gained a devoted following around the world. In 1955, she published
The Complete Herbal Book for the Dog, which explained the Natural
Rearing diet and philosophy. (The book was renamed The Complete Herbal
Handbook for the Dog and Cat3 in subsequent editions.)
The Natural Rearing canine diet is based on raw meat, including bones
and organs, from a variety of animals. The meat is never frozen and is
served whole or in large chunks, not ground or minced. The diet also
includes raw milk, especially goat milk; cereal grains, especially
those that have been flaked and soaked overnight in raw milk; small
amounts of sprouted seeds; finely grated or baked root vegetables;
occasional fruits and nuts; and miscellaneous foods such as honey,
eggs, seaweed, carob, coconut, avocados and olives. These items should
be organically grown whenever possible.
One day each week the dinner is meatless, with raw milk, eggs or
cheese mixed with slowly cooked whole-grain cereal, rice or lentils.
The following day is a fast day, with only water served or, if
necessary, a small amount of honey in water, diluted milk or water
from flaked oats or barley soaked overnight. In the wild, dogs hunt
when hungry, eat when food is available and often go a day or more
without a substantial meal. Feeding a light dinner followed by a
day-long fast approximates this schedule.
The Natural Rearing diet for cats is similar, emphasizing a variety of
meats, meaty bones and small amounts of soaked grain, raw milk, raw
cheese and vegetable matter. While Dr. Pottenger proved that cats
thrive on a diet of raw meat and raw milk, cats in the wild consume
vegetable matter through their prey's digestive organs. The Natural
Rearing diet strives to duplicate the constantly changing fare on
which dogs and cats evolved.
"Many people are doing a natural food diet nowadays," says Washington
state resident Jo Forsythe4, a longtime Newfoundland fancier who
breeds Portuguese water dogs, "but Juliette de Bairacli Levy deserves
credit as the grandmother of the movement. I have friends who have
followed her guidelines exclusively for many, many generations of
healthy dogs. For convenience, I've had to modify her plan when I
travel, but at home my dogs eat an almost all-raw diet. They don't
have digestive problems or deficiency diseases, and they thrive on
fresh, whole foods. I think that by eating a constantly changing
assortment of foods, they have a better chance of getting whatever
nutrients they need than if they ate the same foods every day."
Marina Zacharias4 saw the difference a natural diet makes when she
bought her first Basset Hound fifteen years ago. "He had been raised
on a premium-quality pet food for the first five months of his life,"
she says. "I switched him over to the Natural Rearing diet, which he
had a much easier time digesting, and he grew very well. When he was
18 months old, I saw some of his littermates and the contrast was
amazing. He had been one of the smaller puppies in the litter and now
he was the largest. His coat, bone density, posture, eyes,
disposition, alertness and everything else were superior."
He became the patriarch of a line of raw-food Bassets, and Zacharias
became a full-time animal nutritionist and publisher of the newsletter
Natural Rearing.5 "It works the other way around, too," she continues.
"I know breeders who raised their puppies on raw food and sent them to
homes where for one reason or another their diet was changed. When
they met up with the pups in show-handling class a few weeks later,
their coat quality and bone density had deteriorated and they didn't
look as well as they used to. It's not that a raw-food diet pushes
growth, which would be unhealthy, but it meets the animal's genetic
potential by providing all the nutrients the body needs to grow
properly."
Breeders who feed a natural diet do more than strengthen individual
dogs; they improve their entire lines. "When we had our first puppies
from a four-year-old mother who had been on raw food all her life, the
difference was dramatic," says Barbara Werner4 who raises Golden
Retrievers in New York. "She showed none of the signs of nutritional
stress that are common in pregnancy. Her coat stayed gorgeous, her
labor was short and she produced nine strong, lively pups that landed
on their feet. This is a breed so prone to autoimmune disorders and
cancers that one veterinarian told me a three-year-old golden is now
considered middle-aged. I find this attitude unacceptable. The
puppies' grandfather was still winning ribbons at dog shows when he
was eleven."
THE PITCAIRN DIET
The first American veterinarian to write a best-selling book that
endorsed home-prepared pet food was Richard Pitcairn, DVM, PhD, whose
Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats6 was published in
1982 and revised in 1995. Dr. Pitcairn recommends a diet based on raw
or cooked meat, raw bones, raw or pasteurized dairy products and
cooked grains, with small amounts of nuts, seeds, vegetables, herbs,
fruits, natural flavorings, brewer's yeast, bone meal, powdered kelp,
vegetable oil, cod liver oil and vitamin D capsules.
Cat groomer Anitra Frazier adopted the Pitcairn diet, encouraged her
clients to do the same and described the results in 1981 in The
Natural Cat. Her book, which was revised in 1990 as The New Natural
Cat,7 recommends that food be removed between meals because cats in
the wild don't lounge beside automatic food dispensers (that tip alone
has improved many cats' coats), and meat should be served raw.
Frazier's "Superfinicky Owner's I'll-Do-Anything-for-My-Cat Diet"
consists of protein (raw ground beef, organic chicken, organic egg
yolk, etc.), finely grated vegetables, and soaked oat bran or cooked
barley, millet, oat flakes, brown rice or other grain. Supplements
include a vitamin-mineral mix, optional digestive enzymes and
once-a-week feedings of vitamins E, A, and D from capsules.
Other writers spread the word about home-prepared diets in books and
magazines, using plans much like those of de Bairacli Levy, Pitcairn
and Frazier. Reigning Cats and Dogs by Pat McKay,8 Cat Care, Naturally
by Celeste Yarnall,9 The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog by Wendy
Volhard and Kerry Brown, DVM,10 and my own Encyclopedia of Natural Pet
Care11 and Natural Remedies for Dogs and Cats12 are a few examples.
INTRODUCING THE BARF DIET
Early in his practice, Australian veterinarian Ian Billinghurst read
American and English veterinary journals with wonder, for they
routinely featured articles about illnesses and conditions he had
never seen. In his book Give Your Dog a Bone,13 Dr. Billinghurst
describes what happened when his nation adopted commercial pet foods
in the 1960s. Until then, Australians fed their pets raw meaty bones
and table scraps. "Everybody knew how to do it," he says. "It was
common sense. As a consequence, most Australian dogs were very
healthy."
Billinghurst fed his own dogs commercial food for two years and
watched them develop skin problems, runny eyes, scruffy coats, itching
skin, hot spots, ear infections, anal sac problems, smelly fur and
feces, bad breath, tooth and gum problems, repeated worm infestations,
bone and growth disorders and reproductive problems. Previously, his
dogs had dined on fresh hare, raw bones and table scraps. They were
never wormed or vaccinated, had large litters of robust puppies and
stayed healthy with a minimum of effort.
As soon as he switched his dogs back to their previous diet their
health improved. So did the health of dogs belonging to clients who
adopted his BARF feeding plan—Bones And Raw Food or Biologically
Appropriate Raw Food. Thanks to his books, speaking tours,
enthusiastic converts and the success of his philosophy, so has the
health of dogs around the world.
Even when they appreciate the benefits of raw bones, some owners are
reluctant to provide them for personal reasons (bones can be messy and
inconvenient) or because they have been frightened by veterinarians
and other authority figures. Unfortunately, not feeding raw bones may
create nutritional imbalances that cause serious harm. In his second
book, Feed Your Pups with Bones,14 Dr. Billinghurst warned against the
use of substitutes such as heat-sterilized bone meal and calcium
supplements, for they can disrupt the natural balance of minerals in
growing bodies and can cause—instead of preventing—hip and elbow
dysplasia and other structural problems.
"Don't forget that we have all been brainwashed to believe that dogs
should eat processed dog food and that raw bones are bad," says
Christine Swingle,4 who raises West Highland white terriers in
Connecticut. "I have been feeding a raw-food diet for four years, and
two years ago I gathered up the courage to feed raw chicken necks and
wings. The Westies love them. It's amazing—they digest raw meaty bones
despite what I was led to believe!"
Holistic veterinarians warn that pets who are not used to eating bones
or who are in poor health should start with small quantities. Too much
at first may cause either constipation or diarrhea, or the animal may
have trouble digesting bones when they are first introduced.
Bones that an animal bites through are safer than those that are cut
with a saw. Bones that are too large to swallow whole are safer than
those that can be swallowed, although the size a dog might swallow
whole decreases as she learns how to take her time and chew. Bones
from young animals are less brittle than those from older animals.
Poultry neck bones are the least likely to cause problems, and wings
are another favorite "safe" bone. Serving other foods before serving
bones provides a cushion that helps protect the stomach lining, while
small amounts of fiber or roughage help remove undigested bone
fragments from the digestive tract. In the wild, as Juliette de
Bairacli Levy notes, dogs and cats swallow the entire prey animal, and
its indigestible fur or feathers act as a cushion that sweeps residues
along. Her Natural Rearing diet includes a pinch of soaked wheat bran
for that reason.
Products containing digestive enzymes may help an older pet digest raw
bones. Keeping bones out of the reach of dogs that are literally
starved for them prevents accidental overindulgences. After adjusting
to an improved diet of fresh, raw foods, most dogs and cats are able
to digest raw bones without difficulty.
In addition to their nutritional benefits, the cartilage, ligaments,
and tendons attached to raw bones act as a natural dental floss, and
crunching through raw bones is good for the teeth and gums. As New
York veterinarian Beverly Cappel, DVM,4 says, "You can always tell a
bone-chewing dog; they have the whitest, strongest, cleanest teeth."
Dogs and cats that eat raw, meaty bones save their owners the expense
of tooth cleaning and other dental work. They rarely develop gum
disease, and their breath is usually sweeter than that of their
commercially fed relatives.
TRADITIONAL FOOD PREPARATION TECHNIQUES
Now that the Weston A. Price Foundation is educating the public about
traditional food preparation techniques, some dog owners and canine
nutritionists are discovering the difference these methods make in the
health of dogs fed a home-prepared diet.
Of the various experts whose menu plans are widely used, only Juliette
de Bairacli Levy emphasizes the overnight soaking of grain and the
natural fermentation of meat. In her Complete Herbal Handbook for the
Dog and Cat,3she describes in detail how to hang or bury meat
(preferably a sheep's head) so that it "ripens." As an alternative,
meat-tenderizing enzymes such as papain, pancreatin, hydrochloric acid
(betain HCl), pepsin, and bile are ingredients in digestive
supplements which can be powdered, mixed with water, and applied to
meat several hours before serving to predigest it.
LACTIC ACID FERMENTATION
Vegetables are important to canine health, and although advocates of
home-prepared diets debate the quantity of vegetable matter dogs
should consume, all agree that vegetables contain essential nutrients
that are not provided by other foods. Cats do not require vegetables
for optimum health, as Dr. Pottenger proved, but many breeders report
good results from adding small amounts of raw vegetables to their
food.
One way to help dogs and cats digest vegetables is to puree them.
Blenders and food processors make this task easy, and pureed root
vegetables like carrots and parsnips, leafy herbs such as parsley, and
grasses like wheat grass or barley grass can be added to every meal
with good results.
Another way to improve the digestibility of vegetables is with
lactic-acid fermentation, and a growing body of research indicates
that this method both prevents and helps cure cancer and other serious
illnesses. According to William J. Fischer in How to Fight Cancer and
Win,15 lactic acid fermentation produces vitamin C, B vitamins,
enzymes that support metabolic activity, choline which balances and
nourishes the blood, and acetylcholine which tones the nerves, calms
the mind and improves sleep patterns. Lactic acid is also a chemical
repressor that fights cancer cells without harming healthy cells.
Lactic-acid fermentation imitates the digestion of plant foods in the
stomachs of small animals that dogs and cats in the wild would eat.
As with any new food, introduce fermented vegetables gently and in
small quantities. For dogs and cats that are slow to accept new foods,
this can be as little as a fraction of a teaspoon mixed with the
animal's regular food, increasing the amount a little each day.
Whatever vegetables a canine or feline menu plan recommends can be
replaced with a slightly smaller quantity, such as 10 to 15 percent
less by volume, of lacto-fermented fare. Fermentation and pressing
condense the vegetables and concentrate their nutrients. The resulting
liquid, which looks like water but is really the vegetables' juice, is
a rich source of lactic acid and other nutrients. It can be added in
small amounts, such as 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time, to a pet's food
and drinking water.
For more detailed instructions, see The Cultured Cabbage:
Rediscovering the Art of Making Sauerkraut by Klaus Kaufmann and
Annelies Schoeneck21 orNourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.23
Lacto-fermented vegetables are sold in some health food stores.22
MAKING GRAINS DIGESTIBLE
Wheat, corn, and other widely used, inexpensive grains have so
disrupted the health of America's dogs and cats that a few experts
recommend avoiding grains altogether. However, some breeders who
prepare their pets' food report that when they eliminated grain, they
experienced breeding problems for the first time.4 Restoring grain
restored the animals' reproductive health.
Pet nutritionists agree that the only grain dogs and cats can fully
utilize has been predigested, such as by a prey animal's digestive
organs. Cooked grains are more digestible than raw grains, but cooking
does not digest grains. Microwave cooking, cooking in a pressure
cooker, and the high heat and pressure used in extrusion processing
(the method used to produce commercial kibble) damage the protein
molecules and fragile oils in grains.
To prepare a nutrient-dense sprouted grain puree, soak 1/2 to 1 cup
grain in a wide-mouth quart jar of filtered water for 10 to 12 hours
or overnight. Organically grown wheat, rye, kamut, spelt, barley,
millet, amaranth, quinoa, and other grains can be sprouted; rice is
the only grain for which this procedure is not recommended.
To introduce sprouted grain to chow hounds with normal digestion,
start with 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight every other day and
gradually increase the amount as desired. For cats, use smaller
amounts, such as 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon to start. For finicky dogs or
cats and those with digestive problems, start with tiny amounts. The
grain mash will keep, refrigerated, for two weeks or longer. If
following a diet that calls for 15 to 20 percent cooked grain,
consider reducing the amount of grain by half once the animal is
accustomed to sprouted grain because sprouted grain is far more
concentrated and nutritious than cooked grain.
FATS AND OILS
Dogs and cats are designed to consume animal-source saturated fats,
which are an important source of calories and nutrients, including
essential fatty acids (EFAs). Some pet nutritionists recommend a
lowfat diet for dogs and cats on the theory that prey animals are
usually lean rather than fat, but wild felines and canines eat large
amounts of fat whenever they catch animals that are about to hibernate
or that naturally develop layers of insulating fat. Dogs and cats need
some fat for fuel, but they need less in warm weather or during
periods of inactivity. Many pet nutritionists recommend removing any
thick layers of fat from raw meat and poultry before serving it, which
is good advice when feeding commercially farmed animals whose fat may
store antibiotics, synthetic hormones and chemical residues.
Some home-prepared diets for dogs and cats use unsaturated vegetable
oils. While small amounts of organically grown, refrigerated,
superior-quality flaxseed, evening primrose, or borage seed oil are
likely to have a beneficial rather than detrimental effect on canine
and feline health, the same cannot be said of vegetable oils sold for
cooking, such as those that line America's supermarket shelves. To
avoid EFA imbalances and trans fats, do not feed your dog or cat
margarine, vegetable shortening, any refined vegetable oil such as
corn or safflower oil, or any product containing hydrogenated or
partially hydrogenated oil.
Provide essential fats and protect your pet against EFA imbalances and
deficiencies by feeding a constantly changing variety of foods that
contain healthful fats, including nuts, eggs, fatty fish, occasional
avocados, and small amounts of raw or home-prepared butter, unrefined,
organic coconut oil16,24and/or a superior-quality refrigerated
flaxseed or EFA-supplement oil. Older animals and those with a history
of digestive problems may benefit from the use of digestive enzyme
products that contain lipase, the enzyme that digests lipids (fats and
oils).
EGG WHITES AND YOLKS
Raw eggs are a health concern because egg whites contain avidin, a
protein that interferes with the body's absorption of biotin, a
B-complex vitamin. Because cooking neutralizes avidin, many pet
nutritionists recommend cooking eggs before serving them to animals.
However, foxes, coyotes, and wild dogs and cats are fond of raiding
bird nests or chicken coops and eating raw eggs, shell and all. In the
study that showed avidin's adverse effect on biotin, laboratory rats
were fed excessive quantities of raw egg white.5 A growing number of
veterinarians and other experts recommend feeding raw egg, although
opinions differ as to whether the whites should be fed. Pets with
strong digestive systems can eat the whole egg and its shell; others
(except for those with a serious sensitivity or allergy) can eat the
yolk by itself. As Dr. Pottenger proved in his poultry feeding
experiments,2 eggs from naturally raised, free-range chickens are more
nutritious (and, no doubt, less allergenic) than from chickens
confined to indoor coops.
THE GREAT MILK DEBATE
Should dogs and cats eat dairy products? Some pet nutritionists say
milk and dairy products are perfect foods, while others blame them for
every canine and feline disorder from ear infections to cancer.
The truth lies somewhere in between. Raw, unpasteurized, unhomogenized
milk straight from healthy, organically raised, grass-fed cows or
goats is an excellent food for dogs and cats.2,3 Unfortunately,
America's supermarkets stopped selling raw, whole milk long ago. Some
states allow raw milk to be sold for pet use, and some allow consumers
to buy raw milk directly from dairy farms. Health food stores can
sometimes recommend suppliers, as can A Campaign for Real Milk.25
The most familiar cultured dairy products in North America are yogurt
and kefir, which are sold in health food stores and supermarkets.
However, most commercially prepared yogurt and kefir contain
questionable ingredients, such as nonfat dry milk powder, and their
beneficial bacteria decline during shipment and storage. Freshly
prepared yogurt and kefir provide both beneficial bacteria and the
lactic acid they thrive on, protecting the system against pathogens
and infection while improving digestion.
Yogurt requires carefully controlled heat for its fermentation, but
thanks to the many electric yogurt makers sold in kitchen supply and
department stores, it is easy to make at home. For dogs and cats,
freshly prepared yogurt that has fermented for 24 hours is most
digestible, for prolonged fermentation is needed to break down the
lactose in milk.20 Kefir ferments at room temperature and requires no
special equipment. Starters for both yogurt and kefir are widely
available.26, 27, 28 Once fermented, a small amount of yogurt or kefir
from a previous batch is added to fresh milk, and the bacteria grow.
Centuries ago, Scandinavian farmers discovered that milk clabbered
faster when their cows ate butterwort, a European herb. Piima culture
from Finland29is derived from the milk of butterwort-fed cows; it
contains five strains of beneficial bacteria and is easy for pets to
digest. Piima starter can be used to make piima milk, cream, butter,
buttermilk, cream cheese, and whey, any of which can be added to a
pet's dinner. When introducing dairy products, feed them once a week
to be sure your dog or cat tolerates them well; then use as often as
desired.
FRINGE BENEFITS
Traditional food preparation techniques involve a shift of mental
gears. These methods require planning, but they aren't expensive or
difficult.
No matter which home-prepared diet one follows, food given to dogs and
cats is more nutritious and easier to digest when traditionally
prepared. Dog cleanup and cat litterbox chores are usually more
pleasant when pets are on a well balanced diet of mostly raw food.
Skin and coat problems, joint problems, and other chronic health
conditions usually improve, and so do the animals' body odor,
disposition, mental focus, and resistance to disease. Puppies weaned
on raw foods are especially healthy.33 Well-nourished pets are in
every way a joy to live with.
About the Author
C.J. Puotinen is the author of several books about medicinal herbs,
includingNatural Relief from Aches and Pains (Keats, 2001), The
Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care (Keats, 1999), and Natural Remedies
for Dogs and Cats (Keats, 2000). She and her husband live in New York
with two cats and a Labrador Retriever.
Editor's note: While humans benefit from many of the same dietary
principles that prove salutary for dogs and cats, it is important to
remember that humans are not animals. The human species has always
cooked some of its food, particularly grains, green vegetables and a
portion of meat and seafood. Cooking makes some nutrients more
available to humans, whose digestive tracts are smaller than those of
animals and who lack the capability to neutralize many toxins that
animals can handle. Even Francis Pottenger gave some cooked foods to
his human patients.
References and Resources
American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, 2218 Old Emmorton
Road, Bel Air, MD 21015, phone 1-410-569-0795, fax
410-569-2346,ahvma@compuserve.com,
www.altvedmed.com. Referrals to
holistic veterinarians.
Pottenger, Francis M., Jr. Pottenger's Cats: A Study in Nutrition. La
Mesa, CA: Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, 1983.
de Bairacli Levy, Juliette. The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog
and Cat. London: Faber and Faber, first published in 1953, revised
sixth edition, 1991.
Author's interviews.
Natural Rearing, P.O. Box 1436, Jacksonville, OR 97530, phone
541-899-2080, fax 541-899-3414, Natural Rearing Newsletter and breeder
directory. ambrican.RemoveThis@cdsnet.net,
www.naturalrearing.com.
Pitcairn, Richard, and Susan Hubble Pitcairn. Complete Guide to
Natural Health for Dogs & Cats. Emmaus, Penn.: Rodale Press, 1995.
Frazier, Anitra, and Norma Eckroate. The New Natural Cat. New York:
Plume/Penguin Books, 1990.
McKay, Pat. Reigning Cats & Dogs. Pasadena, Calif.: Oscar
Publications, 1992.
Yarnall, Celeste. Cat Care, Naturally. Boston: Charles E. Tuttle Co.,
Inc., 1995.
Volhard, Wendy, and Kerry Brown. The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog.
New York: Macmillan/Howell Book House, 1995, 2000.
Puotinen, CJ. Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care. Los Angeles:
Keats/NTC, 1998 and 2000.
Puotinen, CJ. Natural Remedies for Dogs and Cats. Los Angeles:
Keats/NTC, 1999.
Billinghurst, Ian. Give Your Dog a Bone. Lithgow, N.S.W. Australia:
Ian Billinghurst, 1993.
Billinghurst, Ian. Feed Your Pup with Bones. Lithgow, N.S.W.
Australia: Ian Billinghurst, 1998.
Fischer, William L. How to Fight Cancer and Win. Burnaby, B.C.,
Canada: Alive Books, 1987.
Gold Mine Natural Food Company, 3419 Hancock Street, San Diego, CA
92110-4307, phone 1-800-475-FOOD, fax 619-296-9756. Japanese salad
presses, organic grains and seeds, unrefined sea salt, organic coconut
oil.
Natural Lifestyle Supply Company, 16 Lookout Drive, Asheville NC
28804-3330, phone 1-800-752-2775. Japanese salad presses and books on
how to use them; organic grains, seeds, unrefined sea salt.
Eden Foods, 701 Tecumseh Road, Clinton, MI 49236, phone 1-800-248-0301
or 517-456-7424, fax 517-456-6075. Eden brand unrefined French sea
salt.
Grain and Salt Society, 273 Fairway Drive, Asheville, NC 28805, phone
1-800-867-7258 or 704-299-9005, fax 704-299-1640. Celtic unrefined
French sea salt.
Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health through Diet by Elaine
Gottschall (Baltimore, Ontario, Canada: The Kirkton Press, 1994
(seventh printing, 1999).
Kaufmann, Klaus and Annelies Schoeneck. The Cultured Cabbage:
Rediscovering the Art of Making Sauerkraut. Burnaby, BC, Canada, Alive
Books, 1997.
Deep Root Organic, Caldwell Bio Fermentation, Canada,. Inc.
Martinville (Quebec) Canada.
www.biolacto.com. Distributes
lacto-fermented sauerkraut, carrots, red cabbage, and beets in the US.
Fallon, Sally. Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges
Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. Second edition.
Washington, DC: New Trends Publishing, 1999.
Essential Oil Company, 1719 S.E. Umatilla St., Portland, OR 97202,
phone 1-800-729-5912, fax 503-872-8767,
www.essentialoil.com. Organic
hand-pressed, unprocessed coconut oil from Jamaica.
A Campaign for Real Milk,
www.Realmilk.com. Grassroots organization
campaigning for the return of raw, unpasteurized, unhomogenized, whole
milk to America's markets. Sponsored by the Weston A. Price
Foundation.
International Yogurt Company, 628 N. Doheny Drive, Los Angeles CA
90069. Supplies health food stores with kefir grains, yogurt starter,
and yogurt supplements.
New England Cheesemaking Supply Company, P.O. Box 65, Ashfield, MA
01330, phone 413-628-3808. Kefir culture, Bulgarian yogurt culture,
and several cheese starter cultures.
Teldon of Canada, Ltd., 7432 Fraser Park Drive, Burnaby, BC V5J 5B9,
Canada, phone 800-663-2212 or 6045-436-0545, fax 604-435-4862. Home
kefir makers with reusable kefir grains.
Piima, PO Box 2614, La Mesa, CA 91943. Source of piima culture for
making fermented dairy products. Send check for $5 for one package or
$20 for five with name and address.
Puotinen, CJ. "Starting Out Raw: Weaning Infant Puppies on Raw
Food."The Whole Dog Journal, Vol. 3, No. 12, December 2000. (The Whole
Dog Journal, customer_service.RemoveThis@belvoir.com, phone 1-800-424-7887.)
SIDEBAR ARTICLE
DISINFECTING RAW MEAT
Many people who contemplate feeding their pets raw meat are concerned
with its safety, especially with regard to Salmonella and E. coli.
Isn't raw meat dangerous?
Healthy dogs and cats in the wild can eat just about any raw meat and
survive, if not thrive. Just think of all the bones dogs bury and all
the birds and rodents cats consume. Their stomachs contain high
concentrations of hydrochloric acid and digestive juices and their
digestive tracts host an abundance of beneficial bacteria, making it
difficult for harmful bacteria to survive. Any meat, poultry, or other
fresh food that's suitable for human consumption is safe for most dogs
and cats.
The following disinfecting methods are more for the protection of
people than pets, although any animal that's been fed only packaged,
processed food may need protection from unfamiliar microbes until its
digestive system recovers. If desired, disinfect raw meat, raw bones,
or eggs in the shell with any of the following procedures11, 12. The
meat should be in large pieces; these procedures are not recommended
for ground meat. Keep meat and other perishable foods refrigerated
until ready to use.
Soak the meat in a solution of 1/2 teaspoon original formula Clorox
bleach per gallon water for 15 to 20 minutes, then soak in plain water
for 10 minutes.
Soak the meat in a sink or bowl containing cold water and several
drops of 35 percent food-grade hydrogen peroxide. Use enough to create
small bubbles in the water but not enough to change the meat's color.
Soak for 10 minutes, then rinse in plain water.
Soak the meat in a sink or bowl containing cold water and 30 or more
drops of liquid grapefruit seed extract; let stand five minutes and
drain. Alternatively, add 20 or more drops to a 32-ounce spray bottle
of filtered or distilled water, then spray on meat or poultry and
rinse in clean water.
Any of the above methods can be used to disinfect raw fruits and
vegetables. Use a separate soak solution for each type of food.
Dip the meat in very hot water. In 1992, the Journal of Epidemiology
and Infection reported that meat can be sterilized by placing it for
10 to 20 seconds in water that has been heated to 80 degrees
Centigrade (176 degrees Fahrenheit). Doing so leaves the surface of
the meat "virtually sterile." In a large pan, heat water just until
active bubbles form at the bottom or check the temperature with a
kitchen thermometer. Remove from heat. Lift the meat with tongs,
immerse it for 10 to 20 seconds, and let it drain in your pet's bowl.
At about 150 degrees F, hot water from the tap won't disinfect raw
meat but it will warm refrigerated meat to body temperature, a
recommended step in meal preparation.
Some nutritionists recommend that meat be frozen for 14 days or more
to kill any parasites that might infect it. Juliette de Bairacli Levy3
does not recommend freezing meat, and the thousands of breeders and
owners who have followed her Natural Rearing philosophy for the last
half-century agree. In the wild, healthy dogs and cats are such poor
hosts for pathogens that their bodies repel and reject intestinal
worms and other parasites.
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