Udo Erasmus, pioneer of essential fatty acids, EFA's, omega-3, omega fats, Udo's Choice, Udo's Oil, cold-pressed flax-seed oil, trans-fats, Trans Fatty acids
CANINE NUTRITIONAL HEALING

Healthy Treats for Healthy Dog
by Doug Freeman and Michael Howell

 
Introduction

In a reaction to the high level of preservatives and artificial supplements in most commercially available dog foods, Michael Howell and Doug Freeman started preparing a natural food diet for their pet. After reading Fats That Heal Fats That Kill, they incorporated Udo's Choice Pet Essentials into a custom recipe. The results were amazing and have led to a business venture devoted to canine health.
 
The Story

"Our immersion into canine nutrition resulted from concern for the survival of Noelle, our Labrador Retriever" says Michael Howell. At three years of age, Noelle began to have seizures. Although at first the seizures were rare, in the following year they began to increase in frequency and severity.
 
The standard treatment offered by veterinarians to control these seizures is Phenobarbital. If owners decline treatment, they are told that it is quite possible that the dog's condition might continue to deteriorate and the seizures could ultimately 'cluster', resulting in death. "However, the drug can lead to liver damage," says Michael, "and we were worried that it would simply be a band-aid solution that masked the underlying cause of her seizures".

So after some research, Michael and Doug rejected this option, deciding instead to heal her through better nutrition. "After scouring the library and the Internet for information on canine nutrition and the pet food industry, we were excited to learn that nutrition was increasingly being used as a healing tool" explains Michael.
 
They realized that a good starting point was to assess Noelle's usual nutritional intake. "We compared Noelle's diet of commercially prepared 'premium' kibble to the food that we consume and realized her food was extremely processed and deficient in natural nutrients". In order to meet government standards, commercial dog food must be processed at extremely high temperatures. This is intended to kill harmful bacteria. Unfortunately, the heat also destroys vital nutrients and degrades essential fatty acids. The government standards for dog food do not address the nutritional content of the food. If it meets the minimum requirements for protein, fat, fibre and moisture, it can be deemed 'complete and balanced'. The quality of the proteins and fats is not regulated.
 
"I had read Fats That Heal Fats That Kill, so I knew the importance of essential fatty acids. Owners might assume that their pets are receiving sufficient amounts if they read the ingredient label of a commercial dog food - unfortunately, the processing of these foods exposes the essential fatty acids to light, oxygen and heat - the three most destructive elements for essential fatty acids" Michael explains.
 
Noelle's kibble was replaced with a diet containing fresher, more natural foods, supplemented with Udo's Choice Pet Essentials blend of organic foods, whole food concentrates, herbs and phytonutrients. Twice a day, Noelle receives:
· one unit protein (beef, de-boned chicken thighs, or a can of salmon)
· two units vegetables (usually carrots, peas or zucchini)
· one half banana
· one unit of brown rice
· two tablespoons of plain yogurt
· one teaspoon of Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil Blend
· 1 1/2 teaspoons Udo's Choice Pet Essentials

All these ingredients (except the meat or fish) plus some filtered water are placed in a blender and the resulting puree is topped with the meat. Noelle cleans her bowl to a shine!
 
Noelle also received a homeopathic remedy from two very skilled homeopathic practitioners. Before the homeopathic and nutritional therapies, Noelle suffered from seizures almost weekly. She now has seizures only once or twice a year. The seizures are also shorter and much less severe.
 
"As Noelle's condition improved, and I became more convinced that the combination of homeopathy and nutrition were responsible, I began baking natural treats for her" explains Michael. "Since these were an instant hit with Noelle and her canine buddies, we decided that it would be a great idea to make the biscuits available to dogs everywhere". K9 biscuit Co, is the result. What started as a home-based business has grown to full production in a commercial kitchen with treats being shipped throughout North America!
K9 Biscuit Company is devoted to canine nutrition, so in addition to its line of healthy dog biscuits and treats, it also markets Udo's Choice Pet Essentials. "Always one of our most popular products" says Michael.

Doug Freeman has a Masters Degree in Zoology. Michael Howell's professional background includes a long stint in culinary preparation and landscape architecture. His design firm, Terra Luma Design (www.terraluma.com), creates healthy green spaces for people and their pets. Michael and Doug adopted Noelle five years ago. K9 Biscuit Company), their new storefront, is located at 1707 Fir Street in Vancouver, British Columbia.


All Writings © Doug Freeman & Michael Howell 2002 / Reproduction by Permission Only
printer-friendly
version

 

 


 
Click to send us an email!