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Local, whole foods make new raw pet food healthy
Several years ago, Carole King became increasingly concerned about the safety and nutritional value of the food she was feeding her beloved pets.A long-time animal lover, King ran Doggie Dooty, a pet sitting and midday dog-walking business that served clients in Fauquier and Loudoun counties for 12 years. She encountered many pets with a variety of health issues, and some of her own menagerie of pets also suffered with various illnesses, all of which inspired King to find healthier meal options.
Through her research, she discovered the Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF) diet. Developed by Australian veterinarian Ian Billinghurst, the BARF diet aims to feed dogs and cats the kind of meal their wild ancestors would have eaten. While raw meat is the highlight, the diet also includes the raw vegetables that ancestral animals would have gotten when they consumed downed prey, King explained.
"I've been feeding this way for eight years. The first and biggest change you'll see is an increase in vigor and vitality. These guys are all senior citizens, " King said, pointing to her houseful of pets. Two of the cats are living healthy, happy lives despite having feline AIDS, she added.
Spurred on by recurring commercial pet food recalls and a growing awareness of the link between pet ailments and inadequate nutrition, King began making her own pet food using organic, whole foods and a small grinder in her kitchen. She also began talking with clients about the potential benefits to animals with issues like obesity, diabetes, bowel urinary tract problems, and food allergies.
"Sometimes it was really distressing because I knew how easily those conditions could be addressed, "she said, adding that she began offering animal nutrition consultations and, in some cases, preparing meals for clients.
As demand grew, King decided to shift her focus. In 2004, she enrolled in a program at Lord Fairfax Community College to become a certified veterinary assistant. Having completed coursework in 2006, King was armed with more knowledge about anatomy, biology, and animal-care issues and began research for the launch of her new business, Chow Now Pet Food, in earnest.
And we do mean in earnest.
"This was always in my mind, and I just decided to do it. DDE_LINK1I was no longer comfortable with the foods that were available. This is like a calling for me, DDE_LINK1 " she said.
Pets can eat local, too
Committed to creating a healthful, well-balanced raw diet using Virginia-grown meat and produce, King visited numerous farms throughout the state, looking for partners in the venture. Though not all of the ingredients come from Fauquier farms, they do come from within Virginia, King said. The lamb is grass-fed and chemical free, and goes from the pasture directly to a small processor in Harrisonburg. The chicken is pasture-raised and chemical free. All produce is certified organic.
A vegetarian, King went to great lengths to ensure that the animals that are used in her product are raised well and treated humanely. "I go to every single farm and go through the whole process. Some were very disappointing, most were wonderful," she said.
To further ensure food safety, King has partnered with a small meat processing plant in Harrisonburg. The plant, which does not process in volume, handles meat for human consumption and has a full-time inspector on site.
"The food chain in the global pet food market continues to be impossible to monitor. That's why we take the ‘farm to bowl' approach to create locally sourced and locally produced foods, " King said. "We strongly believe that supporting local Virginia farmers is the only way to guarantee a safe food supply. We're involved in every step of the process."
With lamb and chicken meals for dogs and chicken for cats, Chow Now has plans to expand its offerings and will add a turkey meal to the menu in the near future, King said. "We're really careful about what we want in our product lines," she said, noting that Chow Now does not include eggs, wheat, corn or dairy products, which are common animal allergens.
Years in the making, Chow Now hit the market in January. It is currently available at Marshall IGA, the Epicurious Cow in Washington, Va., For Goodness Sake in Leesburg, and Singing Stones Animal Wellness Center in Vienna.
The dog and cat food embodies the principals of the BARF diet, King explained. "It's based on going back to nature," King said, explaining that dog and cat food are formulated differently to meet the nutritional needs of each species.
"Cats are obligate carnivores," she said, explaining that felines don't need or benefit from eating grains that are commonly found in dry kibble cat food. In fact, she said, the introduction of grains can lead to feline diabetes, which is often reversed in many cases when cats are switched to the BARF diet.
Descendant from desert animals, cats are designed to get most of their fluid from their food and they typically don't drink much water, King said. When they're fed dry food, which doesn't contain the water they need, many cats develop urinary tract problems.
Another problem King has seen with dry kibble is that many pet owners put out a bowl and leave it for the day. This free-feeding often leads to weight problems for cats, she said.
While King said that she prefers canned commercial pet food to dry kibble, the high heat used in processing the food robs it of its nutrients, which then need to be replaced through additives.
"These guys can't go to the store and choose food, but if they could, they wouldn't get a bag of kibble or processed canned food. They'd be going to the meat aisle. Kibble is one of the most processed foods on earth.
"With the BARF diet, we try to replicate nature for them," King said, adding that the food ?including mineral-rich bones and nutrient-filled organs ?s finely ground and sold in frozen, 16-ounce packages in the meat department.
Chow Now also includes mixed greens and alfalfa kelp for their vitamin content, King said.
A new diet philosophy
Feeding raw food is a new concept for many pet owners, as it was for Chow Now user Margaret Bishop.
Bishop, who began using Doggie Dooty services a few years ago, hired King as a nutritional consultant when her ailing, aging Labrador began having kidney problems.
"She ate it, that was a big improvement," Bishop said of the dog, who had been refusing food. Crediting the diet with helping her pet live happier for another year, Bishop said that she was at first reluctant to try the raw food diet.
"I was definitely nervous about feeding them raw. It took me awhile. At first, I'd buy the frozen food and then cook it, but [King's] whole theory about the meat and the bones makes sense. When she explained how hard grains are on them, that made sense," she said, adding that she now feeds all of her dogs Chow Now.
Bishop, who lives in Marshall, said she believes that the diet has helped strengthen her dogs' immune systems, noting that though the dogs have been exposed to Lyme disease they have not contracted it.
"My 14-year-old Lab mix goes on 30-minute walks with me, maybe not every day, but almost," she said, adding that an adopted spaniel who came to her with severe allergies has seen dramatic improvement. And, she added, her 13-year-old terrier recently came from a veterinarian appointment having earned high praise for his low heart rate and notably clean teeth and gums. "That makes you feel good about it," she said.
Dr. Carol Lundquist, a veterinarian at Singing Stones Animal Wellness Center in Vienna, has been feeding her pets raw food ?and recommending the diet to patients ?since 1995.
Clearly a proponent of the diet, Lundquist cautioned that a raw food diet is not appropriate for pets with certain illnesses or pets on some types of medication. Pointing out that nutrition is not covered in depth in veterinary school, Lundquist said that pet owners should speak with a vet who is knowledgeable about raw food when making a decision about whether to switch to the diet.
"The raw food diet is not the best diet for every pet. It's a wonderful diet for many pets," Lundquist said. "I consider it an evolutionary diet. That's what our pets evolved on. That's what the anatomy and physiology of their digestive tract is best suited for. It meets their health and nutritional requirements, and because it uses whole food, it's going to be very nutritious."
Lundquist said that in her patients and in her own pets, she sees improvements in the health of animals' teeth and gums, eyes, joints, coat, and skin, as well as better weight management. It also benefits pets with irritable bowel and urinary tract problems, and prevents diabetes.
"For cats, it's more important than it is for dogs because cats are strict carnivores. Eating dry cat food can cause bowel and bladder problems and diabetes," she said.
In preparing and serving a raw diet, pet owners need to take food safety precautions ?like washing their hands, utensils, and pet bowls after each use. The food should not be allowed to sit out, she added, noting that pet owners should discard uneaten food promptly. Lundquist said, those with compromised immune systems should be particularly cautious. She added that in the nearly 15 years she's serving and recommending raw food, she has not seen any pets become sick from it.
Making the switch
Chow Now provides detailed literature on how pet owners can make the switch to raw food.
Cats, typically, are more difficult to transition, King said, pointing to studies that show cats can become addicted to dry kibble ?its color, shape, or texture -- refusing to eat anything else, particularly if it's the only food they've ever known. Out of self-preservation, she said, cats are naturally reluctant to eat new food.
In her transition plan, King recommends first transitioning cats to commercial canned food. Then, pet owners can begin adding small amounts of Chow Now into the mix.
"Canned food, for all intents and purposes, is fine to transition to, but shouldn't be the final stop," she said. "You have to do it gradually because their digestive system has to adjust. It's like going through a detox program."
Lundquist agreed, but added that even for picky cats, the transition is mostly a matter of commitment on the part of the pet owner.
"For my clients who are committed to this, it takes about two weeks to transition from canned food to raw," she said, adding that pet owners should not offer raw and dry food in the same meal for a couple of reasons. First, she said, cats will always go for the kibble. "It's like you have a bowl of salad and a bowl of M&M's, what are you going to eat?" she said.
Secondly, mixing the two is a bad idea because they are digested so differently. Mixing raw with canned food, however, is suggested during the transition period.
Dogs, God love them, are usually much easier. "Ninety-nine percent of dogs will love it right away," King said. Still, Chow Now recommends a gradual introduction of raw food into a pets diet.
" We want people to do this the right way, " she said. "We recommend starting by mixing in a minute amount of raw food with the animal's regular diet. Gradually increase the amount added, while decreasing the old food."
Because the food is raw, King offers specific instructions for safe handling. Planning is important as it can take 24 hours or longer to thaw a Chow Now container in the refrigerator. Food should be served at room temperature, King said, adding that anything left uneaten after 20 minutes should be discarded.
For more information about Chow Now, visit www.chownowpetfood.com or call (540) 364-3934.
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