Daily Mail - 05.03.2020

Daily Mail, Thursday, March 5, 2020^ Page 51

healthier happier pet

The first commercially prepared pet food went on sale in the 1860s. U.S. businessman James Spratt

created the formulation after watching stray dogs eat stale biscuits at Liverpool docks. Spratt’s

Meat Fibrine Dog Cake was a mix of wheat meals, vegetables, beetroot and beef blood.

WITHOUT A SPECIAL DIET, MY CATS WOULD DIE

I FEED HIM RABBITS’ EARS

... WITH THEIR FUR ON!

Amy De-Keyser, 31, works for

the rsPCA and lives in Horsham,

West sussex, with her husband and

their 14-year-old crossbreed dog

sammy, a tortoise and three

chickens. she says:

I aDopTeD Sammy six years ago from

a small charity where he’d been fed

on quite cheap dried food and I

knew I didn’t want him on that.

When I started agility classes with

him — he’s an active, working dog

who really enjoyed them — I asked

others what they fed their dogs and

everyone was using raw food.

The aim is to replicate what they’d

be eating as wild dogs so I

introduced it gradually

to his diet and we

haven’t really looked

back since.

I m m e d i a t e l y ,

S a m m y ’ s c o a t

started to look

glossy, his eyes

sparkled and his

bowel movements

got a lot less stinky.

I buy him frozen

raw food from the pet

shop, which is in cubes

because it also contains

vegetables and berries. It’s a

‘complete’ food, which means it has

everything in it Sammy needs.

I also try to give him offal and I

buy whole sprats too because oily

fish is as good for dogs as it is for

humans, as the fish bones help with

food digestion.

My mum also regularly makes a

bone broth for Sammy and her dog

too, which I mix into his food. With

raw food, you have to freeze it first

for two weeks to kill off all the bad

bacteria before you use it, so you

have to make space in the freezer.

I know there is some controversy

surrounding it but I think that’s

because of a lack of understanding.

I get that domestic dogs aren’t the

same as in the wild and I understand

that people want to feed a diet

that has been through millions of

tests but if you’re doing it right,

raw food is a good option for lots of

dogs. although it is always worth

speaking to your vet before

changing your pet’s diet.

I’ve tweaked Sammy’s diet

ove r t h e ye a r s — h e

recently had some teeth

out so he doesn’t get

raw chunks of meat

any more. Instead, I

b u y i t a l r e a d y

minced. and I give

him an arthritis

supplement tablet

too now.

S a m m y a l w a y s

cleans his bowl. he

p a r t i c u l a r l y l ove s

dried rabbit ears — still

with their fur on (which

I’m told is good for digestion).

I’ve never seen him so excited over

something so disgusting!

EMMA’S vERDICT: Dogs are not

wolves and can’t be fed like them.

Their calorie and nutrient require-

ments are totally different.

If you want to home-prepare a diet

because you don’t like the idea of

processed food please cook it and

be sure it is balanced.

Loving the new

diet: Crossbreed

sammy with

owner Amy

INTERvIEWS BY L ORRAINE F ISHER

pampered

puss:

amanda

with Tully

the cat

menus

that

worked

miracles

and love cuddling up to me on

the sofa in the evening.

And even though she is

smaller and shyer, Doris isn’t

afraid to bash Tully on the

head if he steps out of line

and dares sit closer to me

than her!

EMMA’S vERDICT: Urinary

problems are very common in

cats and often related to the

stress of living with other cats

so the Royal Canin Urinary

S/O is great to treat that.

Some diets like this can be a

little too acidic once renal

issues start so it might be

worth talking to Royal Canin

about whether it’s a good

time to switch to a full renal

support diet.

Prescription foods can do

wo n d e r s a n d , a l t h o u g h

medication can help, diet

is still the best proven way

to prolong life in cats with

kidney disease.

Pictures: Mar

Tin S

Paven /

Murray

Sander

S / Shu

TT er

ST ock

DiD YOU

KNOW?