"Additives and Natural Nutrition - Dogs"

BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF HOLISTIC NUTRITION AND MEDICINE www.bahnm.org.uk

Despite the claims by many modern nutritionists, there is no evidence to
suggest that dogs live longer or are any healthier on modern commercially
prepared pet foods when compared to Natural Feeding. In fact the reverse is
probably more likely. Holistic veterinary surgeons in clinical practice report
that around half the cases which are seen by veterinary surgeons can be
cured by changing to Natural Feeding, which actually suggests very strongly
that the diets they were on were actually causing problems rather than
providing good health.

Nutrients should be supplied from whole unadulterated raw materials in order
that they can be properly optimised by the body. In other words the body
recognises it as food. It should mirror the evolved requirements of the animal.
Foods from other sources such as unsuitable by-products and chemical
additives can lead to sub-optimal nutrition and often chronic poor health. This
may not happen in the short term but it is a reasonable assumption there are
consequences for not adhering to the principles of natural nutrition.
During the latter half of the twentieth century with the development of modern
science it was generally believed that that these basic requirements of the
body could be ignored. Food has increasingly been formulated using
unsuitable by-products and chemical additives. Today we see many problems
in human health which are now being associated with fast-foods, many of
which are prepared according to these principles; things such as obesity,
Irritable Bowel Diseases, hyperactivity, heart problems, diabetes and many
others. Many recognise this and are returning to the principles of Natural
Nutrition both for themselves and for their dogs.

The subject of nutrition is generally over-scienced by the food manufacturing
industry which formulates products according to what is termed ‘reductionist’
rather than ‘holistic’ science. Both are relavant but they must be kept in
perspective. The reductionist scientist says ‘I can explain nutrition in terms of
chemical components and there is nothing else’ the holistic scientist says ‘I
can explain nutrition in terms of chemical components but there are some
things I can’t measure and the whole is more than just the sum the parts’.
The trick with nutrition as with any reductive discipline is to focus on the main
components, because modern science, being what it is, raises more
questions than it answers. Provided the basic components are of the right
type and quality there is little else to be concerned about. The basic
components are:

Macronutrients: Substances which are required in the diet in relatively large
amounts such as protein, fat and carbohydrate. These should be ‘whole’ raw
materials and not over processed.

Micronutrients: Substances which are required in the diet in relatively small
amounts such as vitamins and minerals. Some of these can be manufactured
by the body from other chemicals already present called provitamins.
Micronutrients should be naturally derived and inherent in the macronutrients
because they work better that way. Synthetic micronutrients are not as good
for a variety of reasons and are associated with problems if overused.
Natural substances provide micronutrients such as vitamins in the proper form
as ‘suites’ of chemical compounds which act together. This is in contrast to
many of the synthetic forms, which are only a part of the vitamin. Ascorbic
acid for example often passes for vitamin C, however it bears little
resemblance to the natural form existing in oranges. It can also cause
digestive and other problems associated with ‘e-numbers’.

It is worth considering that we probably have not discovered all the
micronutrients, which makes a strong case for the use of Natural Feeding
principles provided through the holistic perspective because it automatically
provides all that is needed.

The best sources of both macronutrients and micronutrients are:
• Meat – proving protein. This can be from any meat except pork which
dogs don’t seem to digest very well. Chicken is especially good.
Boneless (or finely ground) fish can also be used.

• Cereal grains - A range of whole cooked cereals which provide
carbohydrate. Suitable grains would be oats, barley, rice, etc.

• Vegetable matter - A range of whole cooked green vegetables and
herbs for fibre.

• Water – Often neglected. A large percentage of the body is water. It
should be from a pure source.

• Raw bones
If these are good quality, no other supplements should be routinely needed for
a healthy dog. If a dog has specific clinical problems, nutritional therapy with
natural products such as herbs may help, but the choice of these should be
made with the help of an holistic veterinary surgeon who will properly
integrate nutrition and medicine.

The best way to feed:
The best way to feed dogs is to source the raw materials independently and
prepare the diet at home. In that way the nature and quality of the ingredients
is known. This is the way all dogs (and ourselves) were fed before we were
persuaded that mankind cannot survive without prepared food from the
supermarket. Natural Feeding is not without its problems however - it takes
time and energy and most people have little to spare of either.

For those who are dedicated to Natural Feeding but want the convenience of
commercially prepared food there are several commercial companies
producing BAHNM Certified Holistic products which meet the criteria.
For free technical information on integrated medicine and advice in
specific circumstances contact: tech.help@bahnm.org.uk

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