✅ This Could Change How We Look At Food-From Dr. Pitcairn

[JodyLT]

I've been communicating back and forth with Dr. Richard Pitcairn. For anyone reading this who doesn't recognize his name, he is the widely respected homeopathic vet who created the first and I think only Professional Course in Veterinary Homeopathy for veterinarians, as well as was a founding member of The Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy. In talking about him doing an interview on my podcast about homeopathy, we got to talking about nutrition, another of his specialities, and when I assumed he'd want to talk about raw feeding, he sent back this: "You may want to not do our interview after what I tell you. I don't recommend feeding meat to our animals anymore because of all of the toxins in our environment today." Boom! A shocker about meat; not so much about the toxic load we all bear, including our animals from the world we created. He then sent me a paper he wrote based on scientific studies conducted, capturing the urine and blood samples of a number of dogs and cats, as well as testing various dog and cat foods. It's pretty shocking.

I know we talk a lot about raw feeding here; I feed my dogs and cat raw. It's like what CAN we eat today that's not bad for us in some way or another. So, ruffling any feathers is so not my intent. I do want to share information from a very respectable source as it opens the door for discussion.

Would love to know what the docs here think of this, as well as pet parents.

Thanks!
Jody??

 

[Dr. Christina]

As with everything about feeding, there are many different opinions and even different experts have different studies indicating one thing better than another. For instance, HRI labs who test for glyphosate say that glyphosate is not stored in the meat and their tests found none in muscles tested. Others say glyphosate is in all the meat we feed out pets.

I have known vegan humans who did it right who lived a long and healthy life and others who died young of cancer. The same for the meat based Sally Fallon Traditional Diet.

I think it is much harder to balance a diet when feeding foods not in the ancestral diet that their genes are designed for. It certainly is possible and I have heard of some vets with great results.

Most importantly, regardless of what diet is chosen, pay attention to ALL of the symptoms, including BEAM and Early Warning Signs of Internal Imbalance. If they worsen with any new diet tried, then it is not best for this cat or dog.

Dr. Christina

 

[Dr. Sara]

Dr. Pitcairn has certainly had a massive influence on the American holistic community, and I respect what he has done for homeopathy in the US.

Dr. P founded a US 1 year course in professional veterinary homeopathy; there are numerous other courses worldwide, many of them far older than the Pitcairn curse. I studied for three years in the UK, for instance, and many of my colleagues have completed multi-year courses in Germany, Italy, India, Colombia, Japan, etc. Homeopathy is less accepted in the US; hence fewer opportunities for education.

Our own feelings toward food and animal rights will affect our food choices for our animals. I have known dogs who have apparently done well on a vegan diet, as dogs have a greater ability to digest a wide variety of foods. Cats are obligate carnivores, and feline vegan diets require an intense level of supplementation. People need to choose what is best for the animal, regardless of their personal feelings. If one can't bear feeding meat, rabbits and guinea pigs are excellent companions. My own feeling is that respect for the animal requires that I feed a diet that satisfies their genetic, physiologic, and atavistic needs, and which keeps them as healthy as possible.
Stay well,
Dr. Sara

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Jody-

IMHO, mindful meat eating is the way to go for dogs and cats.

Unfortunately tho, "mindful" (of the planet) does not describe most of the meat, poultry, fish, industries.

Because of our non-regenerative and unsustainable livestock (and meat) farming practices, the balanced veggie diet has grown in popularity.

My own fundamental problem with this tho is not the meat vs. veggies issue but rather is about feeding an ultra-processed (dry and wet food) vs. a fresh food.

Vitality/energy may be found to be (I have not found any research to verify this) the missing factor (no matter how well balanced the diet).

However, I think that other factors (like Happiness, BEAMing and sniffing) may be even more important than the kind of diet fed.

Look at the diet (a Wal-Mart quality kibble) and lifestyle of this long-lived dog (ad many of Gentle Giants other dogs):

BTW-Thanks @GiannaB for asking about this food and the bring seeming paradox in lifespan (despite feeding an ultra-processed food) when we spoke.

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

When Dr. Celeste Yarnall and I were getting ready to publish our book, Paleo Dog, I had a long conversation with Richard on this topic. At that time, he said he was basing his anti-meat idea on the diets most dogs were eating and developing health problems on. He referred to them as "high meat" diets but he was talking about mass-market kibble products. But Purina and Mars and Diamond dry dog foods (that the vast majority of dogs eat) didn't then and still do not have any meat in them. They contain by-products and plant extracts as their primary protein sources. In other words, most dogs aren't eating meat to begin with. So blaming high meat intake for their health problems is, IMO, not a correct premise.

Certainly, the U.S. meat supply has a lot of problems. Livestock are fed GMO grain-based foods), kept in horrendous, overcrowded conditions, covered with urine and feces, treated with antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, and other chemicals.... Slaughterhouses only spread the filth around. So yes, meat has lots of problems--and this is meat destined for *human* consumption! The by-products and rejected wastes that go into dog food are worse, without even the minimal standards for refrigeration and sanitation that human foods require.

However, plant products may not be much better. Agrochemicals like fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides abound. As Richard points out, sewer sludge is used directly on farmlands as fertilizer. Crops raised in this manner are fed to the livestock and poultry our pets end up eating, and they're also used directly in pet foods. So yeah, our pets are definitely being poisoned by both animal- and plant-sourced ingredients.

This is far from a new issue. I wrote a paper with Dr. Michael W. Fox in the 1990s saying much the same thing as Richard's paper (though we didn't have the statistical data back then that Richard presents). The issue of sewage as fertilizer issue also dates back to the mid 1990s. Want to read something nice and horrifying? Fear In The Fields -- How Hazardous Wastes Become Fertilizer -- Lack Of Fertilizer Regulation In U.S. Leaves Farmers, Consumers Guessing About Toxic Concentrations On Farms | The Seattle Times. Radioactive waste was used as fertilizer way back in the1980s. The Weston Price Foundation and Standard Process have been talking about depleted farmland and reduced nutrition in crops for decades. Dr. Katie Kangas did a fabulous job on the 10/18/21 Empower Hour talking about glyphosate and what it's doing to all of us, pets and people.

So I'm not ready to throw in with Richard on vegan diets for pets. I agree with Dr. Sara that we need to honor our pets' spirits and physical needs by feeding a species-appropriate diet. Certainly for cats, that cannot be a vegan diet.

I prefer to rely on science, and in this case, evolution is a good branch to look at. What did a given species evolve to eat? Dogs are opportunists who can do well on nearly any diet. All wild canids, and all wild cats, eat both prey and plant matter. There are videos online showing wolves gorging themselves on wild blueberries! In the summer when fruits and veggies are plentiful, that's what foxes and coyotes will eat. There has never been an indigenous vegan human culture, so that tells me something too.

Both dogs and cats do better, I think, with a good mix of foods from as wholesome and safe a source as we can manage. My last batch of cats was very fond of sweet potatoes; and one of them would choose asparagus over any meat or fish, any day of the week!

In the end, I think we just have to do the best we can, given our resources, knowledge, and common sense.

 

[JodyLT]

First, I want to thank @Dr. Christina @Dr. Sara @Dr. Jeff @Dr. Jean for your replies. All are much appreciated and respected. It is frustrating for us pet parents and confusing. I think Dr. Pitcairn acknowledges this too. As I may have mentioned in the Forum before, I've tried hard to source drug free, pesticide/herbicide free ranches that have pasture raised and humanely slaughtered animals. That is what I currently feed my guys and I throw in some Steve's Real Food as well from time to time, although not sure who bought them recently and what that means for us.

It makes sense to me that we have to experiment with and find what works best for our individual pet, just like we'd do for ourselves. The video about Burt's 25yo dog fed a kibble diet is amazing, even though I wouldn't feed my animals kibble. It's like the 102 yo woman who's smoked and drank all her life and ate what she wanted. It must be good genes!

We do live on a toxic planet, we all know this. And it makes sense that we and our pets have a variety of toxins in our bodies. Maybe this is why despite their good diets and all the loving they get, my 3 dogs all have developed a lipoma, each one! What is that about?! I have cut back on fatty meat and oils (I don't give them the fatty acid omega 3 oil every day now and cut all of the fat from the meats that have it). Sophie's went away but not the others.

Anyway, I appreciate your thoughtful responses. Like in homeopathy, there are as many opinions as there are doctors and practitioners practicing. I think, for now, I'll keep feeding my guys what I am. Have a great rest of the weekend!

Jody ??

 

[Dr. Jeff]

YW Jody!

Great discussion!!

Dr. Bob Goldstein will discuss feeding a plant-based diet for dogs and cats during the 5/30 HA! webinar.

I look forward to learning more from his recent research at that time.

 

[JodyLT]

YW Jody!

Great discussion!!

Dr. Bob Goldstein will discuss feeding a plant-based diet for dogs and cats during the 5/30 HA! webinar.

I look forward to learning more from his recent research at that time.

I do too! I really like Dr. Bob and his products and actually, Marty was my vet for years when I lived in NY. LOL

 

[DeannaM]

Opinions on Dr Marty's freeze dried Nature's Feast for cats? There are no supplements in the ingredient list, which leads me to believe that it is all inclusive nutrition for cats.
How does freeze dried raw compare to frozen raw?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks for making your first post Deanna!

I don't know that specific diet. but can look into it.

Great question about freeze dried vs. fresh food!

Personally, I prefer the fresh frozen, and less processed, food. However they are both superior (from an energy and ingredient perspective) than ultra-processed dry and canned.

Maybe cat expert @Dr. Jean knows this more about this food.

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

I haven't seen this food before, and it raises a number of concerns. We'll see if/when they respond to my questions!

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

BTW dietary fats aren't the cause of lipomas. Rather, the body is "cleaning out the closets," and the skin is the safest place to store toxins that can't be excreted by other routes.

Healthy fats are a natural and extremely important part of the diet, especially EPA and DHA. Their functions in cell membranes and as potent antioxidants are a big part of the body's defense system. They help mobilize and excrete all those lovely toxins we breathe, eat and drink every day!

 

[RuthR]

I am tagging onto this post because it was asking about Dr. Marty's freeze-dried raw Nature's Feast for cats.
I feed my cat raw ground beef and ground chicken made with a pre-mix. I also purchased Dr. Marty's Nature's Feast freeze-dried raw cat food as a backup emergency food. It looked like good food, but now I am re-thinking that. In response to my inquiry, the company told me the salmon is wild and caught from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. They also advised that their ingredients are not organic. In Dr. Pitcairn's book, he advises against feeding seafood because of mercury and radioactive toxins from nuclear accidents. Will you please share your thoughts on this? Do you have recommendations for other brands of freeze-dried raw food that will be better for my cat?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Will you please share your thoughts on this? Do you have recommendations for other brands of freeze-dried raw food that will be better for my cat?

For occasional use, Dr. Marty's is fine. Truly organic pet foods of any kind are hard to find and often are super expensive.

A freeze dried raw that is as vital as possible (no HPP) is Small Batch.

My own cats also love the occasional Wysong Archetype and Dream Treats but I don't know if they're treated by HPP (the company is not super responsive).

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Hi Ruth, here is way too much information on fish and seafood: Why Fish is Dangerous for Cats | Little Big Cat

Personally, I like Stella and Chewy's for a freeze-dried food. They have several flavors.