By Dr. Ruth Roberts DVM, CVA, CVH, CVFT
As a holistic, integrative veterinarian, I have dedicated my life to keeping pets healthy, in the safest and most natural ways possible. So, when I saw the food my patients were eating was actually impacting their health negatively, I decided to do something about it. That’s why I invented The Original CrockPet Diet, a home cooked food recipe for dogs and cats.
Home cooking is more than just a way to show your pets you love them. The thoughtful selection of ingredients, and quick-and-easy preparation, are actually the best way to prevent and treat pet illness and disease.
What’s lurking in that bag
The ingredients that go into commercially made pet food can be downright scary. Many brands are made with fillers, dyes and artificial ingredients. Not to mention the less-than-regulated production methods, that often lead to contamination.
More commercial pet foods are recalled all the time, after making dogs and cats sick. Salmonella, excess thyroid hormone and even euthanasia drugs have been found in bagged and canned pet food, and even treats, all over the country.
To a veterinarian and pet parent, these unsafe contaminants are not the only problem with commercial pet food. It’s what many of these foods lack, in addition to a poor selection of ingredients, that is the problem. Essential vitamins and nutrients are often missing from kibble and canned food, leaving our pets lacking, and their bodies unable to ward off disease.
Why ingredients matter
We all want to make sure our pets are eating the best, healthiest food available. But what does that really mean?
Well, for starters, we want to make sure that none of the ingredients are going to harm our beloved furbaby. This is easiest to do, when you can select the ingredients and prepare them yourself. It’s tough to trust what’s coming out of a bag, when you don’t know where it all started.
Next, it’s important to know that your pet’s food is fueling their body properly, with complete balance. The nutrition information given for commercial pet food is measured prior to cooking. Through the cooking process, vital micronutrients are often lost.
Using the right ingredients in your pet’s food not only provides good nutritional balance, but can actually help prevent and cure illness. Food is the best medicine nature has to offer us. A diet full of healthy vegetables and clean meats is the best way to provide your pet’s body with the vitamins and minerals it needs to stay healthy.
Slow cooking for the win
Often, pet parents wonder whether raw diets will offer the same benefits of a home cooked diet like The Original CrockPet Diet. The answer, unfortunately, is “no.”
While the whole ingredients of most raw diets are certainly a step-up from the mysterious mash of kibble, they come with a few pretty awful downsides. The risk of illness due to bacteria, like listeria or salmonella, is incredibly high in raw diets. More commercial raw foods have been recalled recently, than any other food type, due to bacterial contamination.
If that’s not enough to make you run for the stove right away, maybe history can lend a hand. The truth is, dogs and cats have been eating our cooked leftovers and scraps, since the invention of fire. They evolved over thousands of years eating foods that had been cooked, and their bodies adapted to that constant.
When a dog or cat consumes raw foods, especially fibrous veggies, their body has to work extra hard to digest it. This often leads to digestive issues and other subsequent health problems.
Cooking your pet’s food makes it easier for them to digest, promoting the absorption of those oh-so-important nutrients that keep them healthy. A healthy digestive system is the base of a healthy body.
Real food is real healing
Through over 28 years of practice, I can confidently say that food is the best medicine available to help our pets. Food Therapy is a very real and effective practice, that uses the healing properties of various foods to promote health. Often, when a pet is sick, the answer to their healing can be found in examining their diet.
Food therapy and proper feeding practices can help reduce inflammation and promote healthy cell rebuilding. This means reducing, relieving or even eliminating many inflammatory health issues like allergies, arthritis and cancer. All through a delicious food that even the pickiest pets love!
Home cooking for my pets gives me the ability to hand-pick the foods that will go into their diet. I can rotate the ingredients seasonally, or as often as necessary based on their health needs.
It’s important to remember that food therapy and home cooking should be used all the time, not just when our pets are unwell. Feeding your pet’s best health, on a regular basis, will actually prevent many diseases and illnesses by supporting a healthy immune system and supporting their vital organs.
Your pet’s best health is only hours away!
Overall, home cooking your pet’s food with a balanced recipe like The Original CrockPet Diet is the best way to guarantee you are feeding your pet the healthiest, safest food on the planet. When you cook your pet’s food at home, you can rest assured that there are no mysterious or potentially harmful ingredients in their bowl. Furthermore, you know that you are giving them food that is easy to digest, and will promote their best possible health. Your pet’s best health truly begins in the bowl, and that can begin right at home.
