The Ancestral Diet
There is much debate on what is the “right food” for both us as humans and our beloved pets. Many opinions are driven by commercial requirements of the companies that make the food so it is difficult to get a clear view of what is right and wrong.
History can teach us so much as it give a bench mark as to what was and should be a “normal diet”
Humans, Cat and Dogs can be traced back approximately 3.5-4 million years in our current form, although there would have been many challenges the diet would have remained the same with the first major change being during the industrial revolution around 1760, where people moved from a rural “cottage industry” to towns and cities as we see today.
The world’s first dog biscuit was produced by Mr James Spratt, known as “Meat Fibrine Cake” and was launched in London circa 1860. (A young clerk, Charles Cruft was one of Spratt’s first employees who went on to found the Cruft’s dog show) "Dog Cakes" were initially sold to English country gentlemen for their sporting dogs and were consumed alongside a diet of fresh meat.
Evolution and Adaptation
Evolution can take thousand or hundreds of thousands of years and even then only small changes can be observed. Both human and cats/dogs digestive system are 99.9% the same as our ancestors.
All species have the ability to adapt to short term changes in diet, this would have been essential for survival as food sources would have been in variable supply. The issue arises when an animal is exposed to a life time of inappropriate food.
In Humans, it is widely known that the consumption of “fast food” can be detrimental to health, although one fast food meal never hurt anyone, the eating high calories, nutritionally devoid food for a long period of time with the exclusion of fruit and vegetable can be linked to a number of serious illnesses.
For Cats and Dog, the consumption of large quantities of cereal grain, rice and other refined carbohydrates for long periods of time with the exclusion of meat can also be linked to serious illnesses.
Whole Prey.
Living in rural areas on the continent, one can come across the remains of a “fox’s meal” when out walking our dogs. All that is left is a few feathers or some fur.
Your dog or cat would act in exactly the same way if they were left to their own devices. Whole prey is a combination of meat and bone which gives a balanced meal for a carnivore, it is worth noting that feeding meat with the absence of bone can cause loose stools as the calcium slows the digestive process down.
It is also worth noting that there is no such thing as puppy, junior, adult or senior food in the natural habitat. Generally adult pet food is of poorer quality and therefore would have a detrimental effect on puppies and kittens so some companies change the formula accordingly.
For more information follow this link to Eden Holistic Pet Foods Page
http://www.edenpetfoods.com/nutrition/the-ancestral-diet.html
Herbivores, Omnivores and Carnivores explained
For more information follow this link to Eden Holistic Pet Foods Page
http://www.edenpetfoods.com/nutrition/herbivores-omnivores-and-carnivores-explained.html