Multiple health issues vanished by switching to a raw food diet
Darby (6) a StaffordshireBull Terrier from the UK that started on a raw food diet 3 years old.
Owner: We adopted Darby from the Scottish Staffy Rescue when he was 1.5years old. We were given a list of foods he was allergic to ( these were mainly cereal based). We started feeding him a premium kibble with no cereals.
Darby however still continued to have frequent ear infections and various other allergic conditions/reactions. He was often on steroids and various medications for these. We switched to raw when he was 3. He is fed completes (via Paleoridge) morning and evening and given a small lunch of either a duck foot, duck neck, rib, chicken/duck wing etc. This past year we have also started adding golden paste, spirulina and kefir to his diet on a daily basis.
After Raw
Since starting him on raw he has not had a single ear infection. His skin condition has improved vastly. Darby was also prone to flatulence, and since starting a raw diet, this has completely disappeared. His coat, teeth, ears are all in beautiful condition. Starting a raw fed diet for Darby was the best decision I have ever made.
Darby’s page: http://longlivingpets.com/darby
My Comment
Ear infections are one of the most common symptoms of an incomplete diet. These symptoms may arise from internal massive infections that the body can’t overcome with a normal immune reaction to toxins and chemicals. The elimination expands to the skin and often starts in the ears. By switching the food to a raw diet two main things are accomplished. The removal of the ‘bad stuff’ (kibble) and the replacement of the ‘good stuff (raw healthy food). The results can be quite amazing and quick in some dogs depending on how the immune system responds. Some dogs can take longer and also display a detox effect that can make things seem even worse for some time. The key is to battle it out since it will pass and the result is a healthy dog that will add years to his life and also reduce the risk of chronic diseases dramatically.
More about allergies
We need to look at allergies as a signal from the body that something is not working right. In most cases, the cause is never addressed. That can be devastating to the treatment.
We are visual people and when we see our pets scratch or lick different parts of their body, suffer from chronic diarrhea, frequent vomiting it is natural to think that your pet may have fleas, eat something that was spoiled or suffer from something more serious.
The natural thing to do for most is to make an appointment with their veterinarian to run some tests. Most vets have been thought that these symptoms are most likely due adverse reaction from food allergies. If this is a kibble fed dog the most common treatment is this: Put the dog on antibiotics and steroids and change to another type or brand of kibble. This may look like they are attempting to address the cause.
The immediate effect of this protocol may look promising since the antibiotics and steroids will reduce the symptoms temporarily giving an impression that this is working! What a relief! My pet is finally getting this under control and does not seem to suffer anymore. This makes everyone feel great, no doubt about it. I fully understand this feeling. But I also understand what is actually going on and that makes me feel concerned and wanting to educate the pet owners that things are not as good as they may appear.
First I want to stress and don’t blame the pet owners for their actions and choice of treatment strategy. This plan comes from a highly educated professional so why question him or her? I consider veterinarians among one of the most intelligent professional. I’m always impressed with their knowledge when it comes to emergency injury care and their understanding of the physiology of an animal. They and many admit it most lack a good understanding of nutrition. Veterinarians are not thought this in vet schools. The knowledge they obtain is mostly from seminars help by representatives from pet food companies.
Pet food companies are also the main supporters and financial contributors to most of these institutions and it easy to see the implications of this relationship.
Back to nature
If you browse through this website you see a common trend; raw food make dogs healthier and in many cases eliminate symptoms of a disease and it often happens rather quickly. What is really happening is that the dog and cat for that matter, when fed a raw food diet, is providing the body with quality protein from animal sources not plant sources that you find in commercial dog food. Another important improvement is that this protein is not altered by heat like kibble is. When meat is heated the amino acids tend to form chains that become unbreakable. That’s not a good thing. Actually, it can be a very bad thing since the body cannot recognize that it is. It’s foreign to them. When this happens the body has some choice to make. One option is to purge it which is a way to eliminate foreign substances. Another option is to store it and the body will do that when it is not sure if it may be something that it can use later. The preferred storage places it in the fat. This is often what we notice in older dogs, small lumps on their skin. Some call this fatty tissue. When you feel these bumps you will be able to move them with the skin telling you that they are no attached to the body only the loose skin. These are also referred to as benign tumors.