Veggies to avoid in high quantities

There are certain vegetables that if given long term on a regular basis can cause dogs and cats to develop a depression of the thyroid gland.

The vegetables to be aware of are:

• ·      cabbage,
• ·      broccoli,
• ·      cauliflower and
• ·      brussel sprouts. 

·      Beans and peas should also be an occasional addition to the food as these can also cause thyroid depression. (Billinghurst 1993)

In regards to the peas, broccoli and cauliflower, author of ‘Natural Nutrition for Cats and Dogs’ suggests that these particular vegetables should be cooked.  He also recommends cooking corn, green beans, potato and winter squash. (Pitcairn 2005)

As brussel sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage in large quantities can cause stomach upsets and excess gas, they are best avoided or used very occasionally (Brown 2006)

The thyroid gland situated in the neck is an endocrine gland, which secretes a hormone ‘thyroxin,’ essential for a variety of essential body functions.  Some of these functions includes: the metabolism of fat, carbohydrate and protein, it helps to control the levels of enzymes in the body, it controls the strength and rhythm of the heartbeat, it effects body weight, it effects blood pressure and our circulation including heart rate.  This hormone also controls the rate in which food absorption into the blood from the gut occurs.  In addition, thyroxin also assists to increase the rate of cellular respiration in the production of energy.

When the thyroid gland is not doing its job effectively and is under-functioning, the problem is called hypothyroidism.  This usually starts with swollen glands, weight gain, depression, lethargy, poor coat, hair loss, possibly a change in skin colour and a personality change. (Goldstein et al 2005)

Whilst hypothyroidism is not necessarily a cause of dietary intake, it is certainly worth knowing that some vegetables could encourage such a problem.

From the author of ‘Eat healthy or Die Young,’ he says that certain foods contain chemicals, which block the production of thyroid hormone, particularly cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts and watercress. (Thyroid Health Homepage, 2003)  This clearly supports most of the authors’ advice to give these vegetables occasionally rather than on a regular, long term basis.

How to prepare raw veggies for your cat or dog

The best ways to prepare vegetables at home to obtain optimal nutritional value for your pet. 

The best possible way to prepare highly nutritious vegetables and fruits is to put them, in their raw state, through a juicing machine.  A juicing machine completely crushes the plant material, squeezes out the juice and forms a highly nutritious pulp loaded with nutrients.  The better quality the juicing machine,  the more nutrients are extracted from the plant cells. 

As the teeth of cats and dogs are not built for grinding down plant material, completely crushed, is the one form of vegetable and fruit matter where all of the nutrients have the opportunity to be absorbed from the gut into the bloodstream. Author of, ‘Give a dog a bone,’ strongly suggests this method in order to extract the maximum benefit for our cats and dogs. (Billinghurst 1993)  If a juicer is not available, a meat grinder does a similar job, the difference being that the juice is not separated in the process (Arora 2006).  Juicing or grinding ensures that the vegetable matter closely resembles the plant material our cats and dogs would consume in the wild from the gut of a herbivore prey animal.  If the plant material is not thoroughly pulped into the digestible form that would be found in a prey animal, the nutrients are lost as simply roughage through the gut.  (Schultze 1998).

Optimally, fruits and vegetables should be organic.  This ensures that they do not contain toxic chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides.  Organic produce is also known to be higher in nutritional value than their non-organic, genetically engineered counterparts. (Goldstein 2005)

Freshly juiced vegetable pulp contains fibre, water, minerals, enzymes, vitamins, carbohydrates, anti-oxidants, essential fatty acids and some protein.  To benefit ourselves and our pets we can juice the vegetables, give the pulp material to them with a little of the juice and drink the rest of the juice ourselves.  Once juiced, vegetable and fruit juice and pulp breaks down very quickly.  As a result the pulp and the juice should be consumed soon after processing.  It should not be stored and preferably used on the same day in which it is made (Billinghurst 1993).

The next best option to prepare our pets vegetables is to grate them as finely as possible. This can be done by hand or better still, through a food processor.  (Martin 2008)  This would expose some of the nutrients for absorption, however most of the nutrients will unfortunately be lost through the digestive tract.  Grated vegetables are not of much value to cats and dogs as most of the cell walls remain intact. (Billinghurst 1993) 

Without a juicing machine, this is still the next best method of preparing plant material, however much of what is given to our cats and dogs using this method is wasted.  From an economical point of view, it would be cheaper, long term, to invest in a high quality juicing machine.  At least this way we know that all of the plant nutrients is going to be available for digestion rather than being a form of roughage.

The third choice is to finely chop the vegetables or to steam them.  As cats and dogs cannot digest cellulose (the material plant cell walls are made of), any plant cells, which remain intact, will be wasted.  In fact if chunks of vegetables are given to our pets; 99% of the nutrients are lost, undigested.  Cooking, however does break open all cell walls of the vegetables.  The only problem is that during the cooking process most of the nutrients and enzymes are destroyed in the high temperature of the surrounding water (Billinghurst 1993).

Whilst dogs are easily adapted to raw vegetables, cats being incredibly fussy, prove to quite a challenge.   Author of ‘The Holistic Cat,’ recommends trialling cats on cooked pureed vegetables.  They can be bought, already prepared as organic baby food in jars.  Popular baby food includes pureed pumpkin, carrots, wintersquash, green peas and sweet potato.  (Coscia 2009)

From personal experience with my two extremely fussy eighteen year old cats, they have until now, both enjoyed in particular the pumpkin and the green peas mixed into their meat, ground up bone and supplement mix.  Slowly, I have been also introducing juiced parsley, alfalfa and fresh wheat grass to their food.  Its not easy finding food for our cats that is healthy, raw and palatable to them.  However, due to this particular author’s advice I have at last achieved my cats willingly eating vegetables even if they are cooked.

It is advisable, no matter what the method is of introducing vegetables and fruit, it should be done gradually to avoid any stomach upsets, wind and diarrhoea.  It is strongly advisable though, no matter what, to persevere with fresh plant material in the diet of our cats and dogs as it (along with other benefits) greatly assists in preventing and treating degenerative diseases. (Billinghurst 1993)

Can cats and dogs digest all forms of raw vegetables?

When wild dogs, foxes and dingos capture their wild prey for food, the first thing they eat is the stomach and intestines along with the crushed, partly digested plant matter (Billinghurst 1993).  This information alone should allow most conscientious pet owners to realise that the method in which dogs and cats absorb vegetable matter best is when it is in its crushed and partly digested form.  However, as most cat and dog owners, including myself are not prepared to bring home a live kill from the bush which includes such beautifully prepared vegetable matter, we are left to improvise.

Before we can decide how to prepare the form in which our pets eat their vegetables we need to have an appreciation of what fresh vegetables bring to our pets health, their longevity and vital energy.

In general terms vegetables give our pets fibre, to prevent and treat diseases of the digestive tract, an abundance of vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and digestive enzymes.  They can also provide some essential fatty acids and protein.  As vegetables contain significant omega 3 fatty acids, wild dogs generally have healthy skin, are less likely to develop growth problems, reproductive problems and degenerative diseases. (Billinghurst 1993)

Raw leafy greens have an array of nutrients including vitamins A, C, E and K.  They contain most of the B vitamins with the exception of B12, thiamine and choline. (Billinghurst 1993)  The best liked green vegetables for cats and dogs are parsley, alfalfa, zucchini, broccoli, and peas.  As cats are fussier when it comes to vegetables, cucumber appears to be well liked, as does roast or pureed pumpkin.  Other vegetables that are popular are carrots, green peas, winter squash, capsicum peppers, spinach, corn, beetroot and green beans.  Some vegetables, which should be cooked before serving, are corn, peas, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower and winter squash. (Pitcairn 2005) 

According to author of, ‘The Longevity Program, Natural Care for Cats and Dogs,’ the best vegetables are watercress, parsley, dandelion, beet greens, broccoli and zucchini.  He suggests the vegetables for optimum health are carrot, spinach, celery, asparagus and string beans.  It is interesting to note that although this author makes no recommendation of quantity, he does however state that the vegetables should be organic to avoid pesticides and herbicides (Goldstein et al 2005).

In addition to vegetables in the diet, a selection of grasses (known to have anti cancerous properties) can be freshly grown and added; such as wheat grass, barley grass, oat and rye.  Cats enjoy eating them straight from the growing pot. (Arora 2006)

There is however a discrepancy into which vegetables should be given regularly and which should be limited to occasional.  The general consensus amongst authors of natural diets appears to be that the following vegetables should be given only occasionally: asparagus, spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and rhubarb.  Vegetables such as rhubarb and spinach are high in oxalic acid, which can prevent the absorption of calcium (Pitcairn 2005).  The others may cause digestive upsets or in the case of cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and brussel sprouts, they can depress the thyroid gland function. (Billinghurst 1993)

The most highly regarded vegetables or plant matter appear to be kelp and alfalfa.  Kelp boasts a host of nutrients, which includes vitamins A, B’s, C, E, biotin, bromine, zinc, calcium, choline, copper, inositol, iodine, potassium, sodium, sulphur and selenium.  Whilst alfalfa contains vitamins B, C, D, E, K, beta-carotene, biotin, folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and protein.  Alfalfa has the ability to fight negative gram bacteria, is good for inflammation and can be used with diabetes and ulcers. (Schultze 1998) 

Vegetables, which can also be used, in very small quantities are garlic and ginger.  Ginger includes enzymes to assist digestion and is known for its anti-inflammatory effects. (Schultze 1998)  Garlic is known for its anti-parasitic effects in the digestive tract.

The form in which all of the vegetables should be given to our pets is in the most crushed state as possible.  Unless the vegetables are somehow broken down, cats and dogs do not digest them.  This is also the case with herbivore animals.  Cell walls of plant material must be broken down to release the nutrients from within the plant cells themselves otherwise they are lost through the digestive tract without being absorbed into the blood.

Fasting for 24 hours

The practice of fasting a dog is considered to be a health benefit according to most holistic vets and authors of animal nutrition texts.  Fasting can be carried out one day a week with dogs.  During this 24 hour period without food there should be lots of fresh drinking water available, and maybe some fresh apple or carrot juice. 

“Meal skipping frees up energy that would otherwise be used for digestion, enabling the body to cleanse, repair, and regenerate.”  If fasting for a whole 24 hours seems too radical, even skipping one or two meals on a weekly basis, with cats and dogs can be beneficial.  It assists in maintaining healthy skin, fur and overall health. (Goldstein et al 2005)

In agreement with this weekly method of fasting is author of, ‘Work Wonders.’  “In the wild fasting between hunts is normal and research evidence suggests that fasting confers health benefits.” (Lonsdale 2005)

Although fasting is beneficial, the downside is that it can be stressful both to the owner and to the dog.  When a pet’s human companions are all eating their regular meals, no doubt it can be very confusing for a dog to understand why he or she is not being fed as usual. (Allegretti et al 2003)

In opposition to most animal nutritionists, author of, ‘Raw Dog Food,’ says that its alright to fast a healthy dog but she doesn’t see any health benefits in doing so. (MacDonald 2004)

Although opinions in regards to fasting may differ, there is a general agreement that fasting should not be carried out with kittens, puppies, older or sick animals.

If fasting is carried out, there are ways in which to reduce stress on the dog, which are:

·      Ensure they are in good health before fasting.  A vet will be able to determine if there are any underlying health problems, which could be worsened by this practice. (Billinghurst 1993)

·      If a dog is refusing to eat a change in diet, they can be fasted for several days without any risk to health.  A really hungry dog will eat anything.

·      Owners could fast with their dog.  This will reduce stress in both owner and dog and certainly lead to a true understanding by the owner of fasting.

·      Preferably avoid eating in front of the fasting animal to avoid guilt on the owner’s part and temptation for the dog.

·      Keep the animal active and occupied for the fasting period such as going out on long walks, increasing playtime and staying away from the kitchen and food smells.

·      Once we have made a decision to fast our dog, we should adhere to a routine where we observe changes in the dog’s energy levels and overall health.

·      Long-term, we may be able to see health benefits, which will certainly alleviate guilt on fasting days when our dog looks up at us with hungry eyes.

According to Dr Billinghurst, author of, ‘The Barf Diet,’ “Fasting can be a great ally.”  Dogs can benefit from fasting for one or two days.  However, cats, in particular overweight cats should not be fasted for more than 24 hours.  Unlike the dog, cats will quickly develop a serious condition called ‘Hepatic Lipidosis,’ which has a negative effect on the functioning of the liver. (Billinghurst 2001)  In need of energy from fat stores, an abundance of fats pass through the liver in need to be broken down.  The stress on the liver can, over several days of fasting, cause liver failure.

Battle of the bulge

Obesity in cats and dogs can be caused by several factors, which include:

     A lack of exercise

     Inadequate diet (commercial pet food with huge amounts of carbohydrates)

     Boredom

     Overindulgent owners

     Genetics (particular breeds are more prone to obesity)

     Gender (females are more prone to obesity than males)

     Reproductive status (neutering increases likelihood of obesity)

(Allegretti et al 2003)

In addition to this list, an overwhelming number of cat and dog nutrition experts blame obesity on commercial pet foods which are loaded with poor quality, heavily processed carbohydrates and saturated fats.  It is also interesting to note that cats and dogs on a processed food diet tend to have excessive cravings to eat more, this may be due to them having nutritional deficiencies. (Pitcairn et al 2005)

There are several suggestions how we can take a dog or cat from obesity back to a normal, healthy weight:

     The most important changes must be to:

     - Eliminate processed foods, which includes commercial pet food (Messonier 2001)

     - Reduce carbohydrates (grain, rice, pasta, corn based fillers)

     - Reduce fats,

     - Increase high quality lean proteins (Goldstein et al 2005)

     - Introduce lots of raw meaty bones either whole or minced (Billinghurst 1993)

     - Add vitamin B6 (6.5kg cat dosage = 25mg daily) which assists in the metabolism of fats

     - Add 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the drinking water.  This will also assist to metabolize fats. (Goldstein et al 2005)

     - Increase the activity levels of the animal, more walks and playtime

     - Treats should be pieces of fruit, unsalted popcorn or a raw bone rather than processed dog treats.

     - Include some low fat high quality protein into the diet such as cottage cheese and eggs (Pitcairn et al 2005)

     - Weight loss, especially in cats should be gradual to avoid 'Hepatic Lipidosis.' (Hodgkins 2007)

As most obese cats and dogs will need a change of diet, this also presents the problem, (especially with cats) how do we get our pet to accept and eat food they are unaccustomed to? 

There are many suggestions as to how to change the diet,

1. Gradually,

2. An immediate change which may require a 24 hour fasting period

3. An immediate change with the use of appetite stimulators such as 'cyproheptadine' (which is a anti-histamine drug that increase appetite within 20 minutes of administration.  Cats can be given a 2mg dose. (Hodgkins 2007). Whichever the chosen method, patience and persistence is required, especially with cats!

Personally, I like the gradual approach, introducing the raw ingredients slowly.

Commercial pet food companies, whilst not accepting any blame for the obesity of many cats and dogs have attempted to assist pet owners in their dilemma by producing specially made food, suitable for overweight pets.  Such foods are usually lower in fat and understandably, higher in fibre.  However they are still high in low cost, mass produced corn and grain produce, poor quality protein and are far removed from the raw diet made of real, living, highly nutritious foods.  Pet food manufacturers unfortunately ignore the need in the obese pet for good quality protein and instead include in their produce, protein sourced from vegetable matter.

 

Dry food in particular claims its ingredients are ‘species appropriate.’  However, in practice, they are providing quite the opposite.  Commercial pet food companies are having to continuously add artificial ingredients in an attempt to compensate for what only natural raw food can give.  Even though their attempts are futile, they still continue to make billions of dollars through very clever but misleading marketing and advertising campaigns. (Hodgkins 2007) 

The continued feeding of commercial pet food with its high levels of processed grain, in the long term, can only create health problems; not end them.  As blood sugar levels rise and fall due to the excessive loading of carbohydrates, our pets hunger and urge to eat increases even more.  This leads to owners feeling guilty from seeing their pet hungry and unsatisfied, and the cycle continues until degenerative diseases take a hold. Their pet, that they are killing slowly with kind ignorance becomes sick and dependent on pharmaceutical drugs.  Without intervention, education and a change in diet, the much-loved pet is a victim of the random aging process and will no doubt live a shorter and less enjoyable life. 

Whilst Veterinarians are still being influenced by powerful pet food companies both in Veterinary school and in their clinics, there will continue to be an abundance of degenerative diseases which includes obesity, plaguing our domestic, dependent cats and dogs.

Obesity, once established in a dog or cat can lead to other problems such as osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, liver disease and insulin resistance. (Allegretti et al 2003).  In addition, obesity, being the result of a poor diet of processed foods, can also cause lower urinary tract infections. (Coscia 2009). Author of 'Natural Health Bible for Cats and Dogs," takes obesity even further, associating this debilitating condition with hyperthyroidism, increased complications whilst taking pharmaceutical drugs and hypertension. (Messonnier 2001)

As most holistic veterinarians and animal nutritionists would agree, commercial pet food is most certainly contributing to the large number of obese cats and dogs at the mercy of misled and misinformed pet owners. 

Up until approximately 5 years ago I was one of these pet owners who trusted in the pet food companies and in the processed, packaged food sold in veterinary clinics.  I thought I was providing my cats and dog with the best diet recommended to me by their vet.  Little did I know the food was slowly debilitating kidneys, joints, weakening their immune systems and aging them far quicker than any natural raw diet.

In order to treat obesity, it is important to know that cats are quite different to dogs when it comes to utilizing fat energy stores in the process of weight loss.  As cats do not mobilize fat reserves for energy very efficiently, an extreme diet is dangerous.  Fasting a cat for even a few days leads to Hepatic Lipidosis (fatty liver disease), in which the liver malfunctions due to the overload of mobilized fats in the blood.  However, dogs can tolerate a strict diet, as they can utilize fat reserves for energy efficiently without causing harm to the liver. (Course notes)

Obesity should be treated seriously as it severely decreases longevity and is the cause of many degenerative diseases.  A study carried out in 1997 revealed that obese cats were:

     4 1/2 times more likely to have diabetes

     3 times more likely to suffer from lameness

     7 times more prone to arthritis and muscle injuries

     3 times more likely of developing non allergic skin problems

     Twice as likely to die before the age of twelve

Interestingly, "in the wild, few, if any, animals are obese." (Messonnier 2001)

The Vegetarian Diet

“The canines we live with today are genetically far removed from their wild counterparts….even a wolf or a coyote is not a true carnivore.  A wild canine nibbles on grasses and other vegetation, as well as the stomach contents of his vegetarian prey…..it’s reasonable to assume that our dogs can rely on non-animal sources for a healthy diet.” (Allegretti et al 2003)

Although a vegetarian diet for dogs is not what nature intended, there are several points which are in support of the vegetarian diet:

1. When both grains and legumes are fed in the diet, together, they provide a balance of all the essential amino acids.  As a result they are a major source of protein.

2.  As the vegetarian diet is lower in protein than the carnivorous diet, it means there may be less chance of degenerative diseases such as kidney disease.  From this perspective the vegetarian diet may increase longevity.

3.  It is high in fibre.  This means less likelihood of obesity, which means increased activity.

4.  Vegetarian foods are higher in potassium than the animal produce diet.  Vegetables are high in potassium and low in sodium. (Billinghurst 1993)

And now for the reasons why a vegetarian diet for cats and dogs is neither appropriate or what nature intended.

"In the world of humans there are political, religious, ethical and health reasons for becoming a vegetarian.  However in the world of carnivorous cats and dogs such beliefs and rules do not and never have applied.  Thousands of years of natural selection has shown us that dogs and cats are still perfectly adapted to eat meat." (Puotein 1999)

According to author of, “Give Your Dog a Bone,” vegetarian diets have several aspects that do not meet the nutritional requirements a raw animal produce diet meets:

1.    It is basically a cooked diet (e.g.: legumes, grains).  If rice and lentils form the bulk of a diet, many of the essential nutrients in the food are being destroyed during the heating process.   Most vitamins, all living enzymes and anti-oxidants are destroyed.  As a result, supplements will need to be added to the diet in order to provide a balanced diet. 

2.    Grains are not a natural food for dogs.  In the long term, feeding a rice-based diet may encourage health problems such as allergies, cancer, diabetes, pancreatic problems and arthritis.  To reduce the likelihood of such problems occurring, more juiced or pulped green leafy vegetables, raw sprouted grain and legumes can be added in place of cooked rice and legumes.  When grains form the bulk of the diet it can also cause zinc deficiency in dogs.

3.    Vegetarian diets are low in essential fatty acids.  As a result, oils such as evening primrose, flaxseed, salmon, and cod liver oil need to be added to the diet.

4.    There are several nutrients which are also low in grain based diets such as:

Methionine for skin health

Taurine for brain health

Calcium for bones and teeth

Magnesium, an essential mineral

Iodine for the thyroid gland

When feeding a vegetarian diet, Dr Billinghurst author of, 'Give your dog a bone,' places a large emphasis on the importance of completely crushing vegetable matter into a pulp before feeding.  This can be achieved by placing all the vegetable matter into a juicing machine, and then remixing the juice and the pulp.  This will ensure that all nutrients can be absorbed through the gut wall, rather than passing through the body as fibre, which will surely cause huge deficiencies.  (Billinghurst 1993)

Author of ‘The Complete Holistic Dog Book,’ suggests eggs to be included into the canine vegetarian diet.  They can be bought ‘cruelty free’ in the form of free range eggs and provide excellent protein.  The diet should also have a great deal of variety, which includes black beans, lentils and tofu, cottage cheese and live yoghurt.  Multivitamins and a vitamin B12 should also be added to the diet on a regular basis. (Allegretti et al 2003)

Mincing bone and meat for fussy, toothless or elderly pets

If your cat or dog just won’t chomp on a raw meaty bone, there is a solution!

You need a good meat-mincing machine that will mince the whole lot, problem solved.

My meat-mincer, whilst it does not mince lamb or beef bones, does a great job mincing whole chickens.

And as chicken bones are far superior to lamb or beef bones it’s no hardship.

This meat-mincing machine is a Panasonic MK-G1800P

I have ground up dozens of whole chickens and the machine is still going strong. 

For those of you who live in Dubai, I bought this machine from Sharaf DG in Times Square, Sheikh Zayed Road.  It was 859Dhs.  There are cheaper ones available however I’m not sure how strong they are compared to the one I use.

To save lots of time and money, I usually grind up 5 whole chickens and freeze small 150g bags of meat and bone mix.  Each bag when mixed with oils and supplements at meal-time, will last an adult cat 1-2 days depending on age and activity level.

Great additions to this raw mix is raw egg yolk, pulped veggies, pureed pumpkin……..check out my recipe page.

Note: if you are feeding a raw diet without bones, you must add calcium carbonate powder to the meat.  For every 150 grams of raw meat, add 300mg calcium carbonate.  This is important, as calcium to phosphate ratio needs to be balanced.