The Best Food for your Dog
December 19th, 2020
The food your dog is missing
Is your dog a part of your family? Are they truly your best friend? If you’re shaking your head yes, then you’re going to love what I have to share.
Meet Cesar. He’s an eight-year-old German Shepard. He is one of my patient’s dogs. For several weeks, my patient would tell stories about his health and how worried she was about him. She felt like he was aging quickly. He was less interested in play, lethargic, his joints ached, he was cloudy in the eyes, and his coat was rough.
Unfortunately, due to appointment times, my patient and I rarely had an opportunity to dive deep into Cesar’s health. Until recently.
what helped cesar
I am not a veterinarian, but I know dietary health and food very well. Due to Cesar’s symptoms, I encouraged my patient to start giving Cesar a very small amount of local honey and small spoon full of unfiltered organic coconut oil twice daily. Within three days of adding these two simple nutritious dense foods in his diet, he was back to his original self.
Watch the video below to see the miraculous shift!
When my patient described Cesar’s symptoms and demeanor in depth, it became clear to me that he was missing vital nutrients. Cesar was eating classic American dog food, dried kibble. The problem with kibble is that it lacks several essential vitamins and minerals that dogs need. I don’t care how expensive or what it says on the dog food bag, kibble is not enough nutrition. This lack in essential dietary health was the cause of Cesar’s health concerns.
Dogs have the same physiological makeup as humans. They have all the same organs that humans do. They simply stand differently. Dogs need real substantial nutrition keep them healthy and playful, just like we do. They need real food. Would you eat their kibble?
Honey is dense in glucose, aka sugar. All of our organs including our brain need natural-forming sugars from fruits and vegetables. This sugar keeps our brain sharp, our joints and muscles well lubricated, and soothes the nervous system. Have a nervous dog? Honey will help! Honey keeps our overall engine flowing smoothly. The benefits of honey are vast.
Coconut oil is also a wonderful lubricant for the joints and muscles. It is a healthy fat that helps the body to excrete toxins. Coconut oil when taken internally for dogs makes their coat silky smooth and also helps to heal wounds, itching, and hot spots.
What to feed your dog
The main takeaway from this beautiful life-saving story is that your dog needs real food. I’m talking about the stuff that you and I eat. Real vegetables, real meat, grains, and fruits too.
It’s so simple to give and maintain a healthy diet for your dog. Below is what my dog, Sloan primarily eats, and more on honey and coconut oil. Sloan of course, also takes Chinese herbs regularly.
Sloan has been on a a diet of half kibble and half real food her whole life mixed with warm water and/or chicken or beef broth. She is a mix mainly of Chihuahua, Chow Chow, and German Shepard. She is eight years old, weighs about 23 lbs, and stands 15 inches high. She has had zero health issues and still plays like she’s three.
Sloan primarily eats what I eat. More often than not, what I cook she eats.
Her staples are:
- Carrots
- Potatoes (sweet or regular)
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Squashes
- Rice
- Wild blueberries
- Dates
- Figs
- Apricots
- Canned tuna
- Turkey
- Chicken
- Beef (fat drained)
- Chicken and beef broth
If I’m in a pinch, I always have frozen peas and carrots, frozen squash, frozen wild blueberry’s and tuna stashed away for her. When I cook mushrooms, celery or grains like millet and quinoa, she gets some too. Sloan is rarely denied any kitchen food except chocolate and excessive garlic and onion. I cook with herbs and spices and she eats those too. When I’m going to cook with heavy spices like Mexican spices or heavy garlic, I cook hers separately or rise the cooked food over very hot water to rinse of excess herbs and spices.
Dogs do not handle high fat foods well. This includes pork, fatty salmon pieces and beef. I always drain or soak out the fat from beef before giving it to Sloan.
Sloan does eat honey and coconut oil. She gets a very small amount of honey once daily with a treat and coconut oil about one to two times a week. She knows when the coconut oil jar is opening!
She never gets processed or packaged foods made for humans. However, she will get a small bite of takeout.
Sloan is healthy. Her vitamins and minerals are rich in her system. Therefore, she doesn’t need a high or frequent dose of honey or coconut oil like Cesar did at first. She only needs a maintenance dose.
When we feed our dog real food, it keeps them out of the veterinarians office and away from expensive health bills. This type of dietary lifestyle keeps them healthy for a long time to come.
The way Sloan eats may seem excessive to some, but once you get into the habit of it, it’s easy. Plus if you cook for yourself, why not add in extra for your dog too. Depending on the size of your dog, they don’t require a whole lot more.
Please post questions or your own dog’s dietary regime below!
To a healthy life that includes many years and lots of love from our dogs,
– Malerie
Disclaimer: This information is intended for general reference only. It is not a replacement for professional health advice. The content in this post intentionally does not provide dosage information or possible interactions with prescription drugs or other medications. Please contact a certified health practitioner such as a physician of Oriental Medicine or Herbalist before considering use. To schedule an appointment with Malerie, visit the services page.
