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| Suppliments for pets I |
Dogs and cats that are
born to healthy parents who ate a well-balanced raw diet and who are
themselves fed this way don't need much in the way of nutritional
supplements. Unfortunately, hardly any of America's pets fit that
description. This chapter describes several of the numerous supplements
that help dogs and cats improve their digestion and maintain good
health. The food supplement business is bewilderingly large, but the
following are among the most widely recommended for use with pets.
The Importance of Enzymes
Enzymes are proteins that in small amounts speed the rate of biological
reactions such as digestion. Unstable and easily inactivated by heat and
certain chemicals, enzymes are produced within living cells to perform
specific biochemical reactions. Nearly every raw food contains the
enzymes necessary for its digestion, but cooking inactivates these
enzymes
and the body must work hard to replace them in order for food to be
broken down and assimilated.
Coenzymes are nonprotein substances that combine with protein to form a
complete enzyme. Most of the coenzymes important in human, canine, and
feline nutrition are produced from vitamins or are themselves vitamins.
Lipoic acid, once thought to be a member of the B-complex vitamins, and
coenzyme Q10, which resembles vitamin E, are popular supplements because
they help prevent and treat chronic illnesses. For example, lipoic acid,
which is abundant in red meat, is a powerful antioxidant that removes
toxins from the body, helps prevent cataracts, increases immune
function, and improves the health of nerves. In animal studies, 100
milligrams of lipoic acid per kilogram of body weight improved memory.
Coenzyme Q10, another important antioxidant, has been used to treat
cancer, improve respiratory function, heal ulcers, prevent allergies,
and improve heart health in humans and animals. Mackerel, salmon, and
sardines are the leading food sources of coenzyme Q10. Like food
enzymes, coenzymes deteriorate at temperatures above approximately 115
degrees F.
For those unable to provide an all-raw diet for their pets, enzyme
supplements replace at least some of the enzymes killed by the cooking
and processing of food. Enzyme supplements can be added to raw foods,
too, especially for dogs and cats that previously have been fed a
commercial diet, are recovering from an illness, have been treated with
antibiotics, or experience any digestive difficulty. Enzyme supplements
(see the Resources for this chapter at the back of this book) have
impressive records of safety and health improvement for animals of every
description, from dogs, cats, and horses to reptiles, birds, fish,
primates, and humans. The addition of enzymes to processed food improves
digestion and assimilation so effectively that the quantity of food may
have to be reduced by 15 to 20 percent to prevent unwanted weight gain.
Veterinarians who have tested enzyme supplements report improved coats,
uniform litters, higher puppy survival rates, fewer problems in
pregnancy, and increased mobility in older dogs, including improvement
in hip dysplasia, all without vitamin or mineral supplementation.
Enzymes increase the assimilation of vitamins, minerals, and other
nutrients.
Plant-derived enzymes include protease, which digests protein; lipase,
which digests fats; and amylase, which digests starch or carbohydrates.
When taken on an empty stomach, these enzymes reduce inflammation,
improve immune function, and stimulate the digestion of bacteria,
toxins, and partly digested proteins. Papain, derived from papaya, has
anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties. Bromelain, derived from
pineapple, reduces inflammation and helps prevent bruising.
Antioxidant enzymes, found in fresh sprouts, convert potentially
damaging free radicals to harmless oxygen and water. The best known
antioxidant enzymes are superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase,
glutathione peroxides, and methionine reductase. |
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Pancreatic enzymes
usually are derived from the pancreas of cattle. Pancreatin works only
in the small intestine. Given with food, it assists in the digestion of
protein, fats, and carbohydrates, and it can prevent adverse food
reactions. Consumed on an empty stomach, it reduces inflammation and
pain throughout the body and helps eliminate intestinal parasites by
literally digesting them.
Sometimes dogs don't produce enough digestive enzymes,"It seems curious,
but these dogs are compelled to eat their feces because it contains the
digestive enzymes they needa kind of disgusting recycling system." In
addition to supplying all the minerals a dog requires (stool eating is
often linked with mineral deficiencies), feeding foods rich in enzymes
can help prevent coprophagia.
You don't need a product labeled "enzymes" to supply these vital
nutrients to your pet. All growing sprouts, grasses, and herbs contain
them. Sprouting authority Victor Vulkinskas often described how his
mentor, the late Ann Wigmore of wheat grass fame, improved the health of
her animals with live foods. Wigmore's chickens and rabbits doubled in
sizewhen she gave them enzyme-rich wheat sprouts; an underweight,
ulcerated monkey regained its health on wheat sprouts; and her cats
showed dramatic improvements in behavior and appearance whenever wheat
grass and sprouting wheat were added to their commercial pet food.
While visiting his parents, Vulkinskas was dismayed to see that the
family's Pekingese dog, which had been fed rich table scraps for five
years, was now suffering from spinal problems due to cancerous growths
that prevented the use of his hind legs. Because there was no hope of
recovery, the veterinarian recommended euthanasia. Vulkinskas mixed
powdered wheat grass juice with water, and the dog lapped it up. "To my
surprise," he said, "the following morning he was waiting for me with a
big grin at my second-floor bedroom door and leaped into the air trying
to lick my facean amazing feat even for a healthy Pekingese!" The dog
lived another five years and always begged for the green powder whenever
he and Vulkinskas shared a meal.
Enzyme-rich diets promote recovery, reduce the incidence of disease, and
improve the quality of life." Although most plants are rich sources of
enzymes, a few, primarily raw seeds and nuts, contain enzyme inhibitors.
Give seeds and nuts in small quantities, feed them to your pet with an
enzyme supplement, or for best results, sprout seeds and soak nuts
overnight to inactivate their enzyme inhibitors. |
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