It would be more appropriate for the pet food companies to advertise their products as convenient feed, instead of calling it healthy, complete, balanced and optimum health food, says Canine Nutritionist Manssi SK Saha
New Delhi, December 14, 2019: Canine Nutritionist as a profession and qualification was not something most of us as dog owners are aware of. A very interesting one also since vets are not taught a lot of nutrition in veterinary college and they get most of their information from the food product companies. As a dog owner for over 30 years, I was not aware of a specialized and niche area of study that focuses on correct and balanced nutrition for dogs. I didn’t know that such a study teaches you about micro-nutrients and deficiencies and illness management and natural healing. My biggest surprise was that it was not a study about packaged foods and which brands are better and which are not; which “dog food” will serve my dog’s health more than the other. It was a study about fresh foods and clean food. In fact, it was about “food” not dog food! As I began my journey in canine nutrition, I quickly realized that absolutely everything I had been told, I had read and I knew about good nutrition for my dog was not true.
I began to learn that what the commercial pet food industry cleverly markets as food is, in fact, animal feed. Not food at all. And by the end of my diploma I was absolutely certain about the path my life had to take. I needed to educate as many pet parents as possible about this mass brainwash that the big pet feed companies have been carrying out for about six decades now. I realised holistic healing and health relies on fresh food and correct balance and manipulation of nutrients to maintain health for to aid recovery from specific illness. The results have been great. Dogs show amazing vitality differences within two weeks. People often ask me, “If you are so busy, why don’t you just feed kibble instead of a fresh diet for your dog?
It comes in large bags at a low cost, and what can be more convenient than digging into a bag and putting the food in front of the dog?” And that is a good question for most people. I have fed kibble (commercial processed foods) to many of my dogs before I found out what was in the kibble, what grows on kibble, and how little kibble supports my dog’s health. At times the driving factor was the price, and at times the ease, convenience and shelf life of dry food. I now know exactly what is in the kibble and what’s wrong with it and the things it does inside my dog’s body. I know all of these things from my profession as a Canine Nutritionist. But, not everyone gets a job that immerses them in nutritional information about their pets. So let us help you know more about it. I had the opportunity to learn in detail all of the above, as
a part of my job, I make it my business to educate people on the making of processed foods, and the ugly truth behind it.
Each species has a species appropriate diet and dry dog feed is simply not species appropriate! The convenience factor still remains, and if the food companies were to advertise it as convenient feed for dogs, it would be more accurate than calling it healthy, complete, balanced and optimum health food. I cannot imagine any of us going on a 100% fast food, processed packet food diet for the rest of our lives and still expect to have a wonderful, fit and healthy life. But essentially, we are expecting our dogs to be able to do exactly that! We are expecting them to eat fatty, high sugar, low quality, compromised ingredient food heavily laced with preservatives and flavours and colours; for the whole of their lives, and we are expecting them to be healthy. Nothing makes me happier to see that more people today are questioning the quality of food they feed their dogs than ever before, and a good number of them understand and see the need to feed fresh food to their dogs. A few years ago people needed to do their own research, filter out the nonsense from the logical, make some guesses about what is right and wrong.
Today, there are professional nutritionisst that can do that for you and give you a personalised customised plan for your dog! What makes the world of difference to your dog’s health and longevity is the food you feed them. What goes inside the body surely must be of the uttermost importance and deserves some thought, not to mention science. Nutrition can be of paramount importance in growth and development, in prevention of illness, chronic illness management and healing. Convenience of feeding fresh has also been taken care of: various services are available that provide fresh cooked meals for your dogs delivered to your doorstep. Doggiellicious is one such “all under one roof” service.
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