Free Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Richard H. Pitcairn, Susan Hubble Pitcairn

emphasize turkey and lamb, for example, unless you can obtain quality-raised chicken or beef. Some natural food stores carry meats described as organically raised or chemical-free (meaning that no drugs, hormones, or the like were used in the livestock feed). Also, it’s a good idea to look for free-range chickens, rather than those stressed by being raised in the intensely crowded confines of the typical little cages in factory farms.
    Try ground meats. This is especially good for cats, because you can readily blend in other ingredients, and the cats can’t pick out the meat and leave the rest. If you have afood processor, you can grind chunks of meat along with the other ingredients to make a nice texture; otherwise, buy it already ground or ask the butcher to grind it for you. (Chunks of meat have benefits, too, because chewing them exercises an animal’s jaws, which helps condition the gums.)
    Feed meat raw whenever possible if the animal will accept it. I make this recommendation on the basis of research, clinical practice, and the natural habits of predators since the beginning of time. My clients have been feeding their pets this way successfully for more than 25 years. All the meats listed in the recipes in this book may be fed raw. If, however, you substitute by using a little fish, rabbit, or pork now and then, you should cook them first to kill parasites like tapeworms or trichinosis organisms, which these foods can carry.
    You should be aware that most veterinarians oppose feeding raw meat because of concern about diseases like salmonella or Escherichia coli . After more than 25 years of experience in recommending this practice, I can attest to seeing no problem with infections from these diseases. On the contrary, I’ve observed an improved level of health. This is not to say that animals can never become ill from eating raw meat, but they certainly seem to be less susceptible to it than people are. Perhaps this is because dogs and cats are natural carnivores and raw meat is their natural food. They have much stronger stomach acids than people, and this likely protects them from a multitude of these problems. If you are uncomfortable about feeding raw meat to your pet, feel free to cook it, of course, but remember, the nutritional values (given for raw meats) will be compromised to an unknown degree.
    Tip: If your time is really limited, or you’re very concerned about feeding raw meat, you might substitute tofu, which is also easier for your pet to digest. It does, however, cost about the same per gram of protein as most commercial meats. With a little flavoring like low-sodium soy sauce or meat drippings, most dogs will accept tofu.
    The Threat of Mad Cow Disease
    “What about Mad Cow Disease?” you may ask. A 1992 English study of 444 dogs that showed symptoms suggesting this disease found brain abnormalities similar to those discovered in cattle and people. A consultant microbiologist said it was “absolutely certain that the presence of scrapie-(the name for the “mad cow” disease in sheep) associated fibrils shows these dogs had the disease.” In 2000, in Norway, an 11-year-old golden retriever died from spongiform encephalopathy (Mad Cow), and a link was established to pet food brought in from England. Cats are also affected by this disease, and at least 75 of them have already died from the feline version of the disease in England.
    Spongiform encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease) originally became a problem because of the practice of feeding lamb meal—rendered tissues coming from sheep—to cattle. Yes, strange as it is, these animals thatlive on grasses and plants are being fed tissue from their own kind. No wonder these strange illnesses pop up. In hindsight we can see this was a completely avoidable problem, and the only reason for this cannibalistic way of feeding livestock was to reduce costs and to find a way to use rendered animal parts.
    Cattle in the United States are fed the same way.