When Dr. Francis Pottenger conducted his famous experiments with cats (he fed, roughly, 450 on a raw food diet and 450 on a cooked food diet using the same ingredients) he found that after three generations the cats on the cooked food diet became infertile. We don't know if the same holds true for dogs and cooked food BUT we given that fertility is a growing problem we can guess that it might be so. (Incidentally, processed cat food now has various additives put into it to counter the effect of the cooking, which is why the domestic cat hasn't become extinct in the last 50 years). So, how can a raw food diet aid fertility? The first thing to remember is that it takes two to tango. Dogs are just as likely to suffer from fertility issues as bitches if fed on processed food. Basically most manufactured dog food offers a narrow spectrum of nutrients, damaged fats and proteins, high chemical and grain levels, high levels of artificial calcium, salt and sugar mixed with low levels of natural anti-oxidants, enzymes, available micro nutrients and phytochemicals and…but you get the idea. One of the effects of feeding processed food to several generations of dog, according to Dr. Ian Billinghurst in his book Grow Your Pups With Bones is substantially reduced fertility. He points out that: ‘the best way to certain of low to non-existent fertility…is to feed a dry food starting from when they are puppies.’ Billinghurst then goes on to explain why the different elements (essential fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin C, anti-oxidants and so forth) in a raw food diet boost fertility. For males he lays great stress on the need for zinc, which occurs naturally in lamb, beef, chicken, eggs, and carrots as well as methionine (found in eggs), magnesium (found in green vegetables), manganese (again found in green vegetables), selenium (again found in eggs) and other important nutrients. Billinghurst feels that it is always better for dogs to obtain all these nutrients from their food and warns against overdosing with supplements. Where supplements may be required it is vital to get professional advice as it is possible to overdose a dog on ingredients such as zinc. If you have a fertility issue with your dog we would be pleased to offer advice.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Raw food and fertility...
When Dr. Francis Pottenger conducted his famous experiments with cats (he fed, roughly, 450 on a raw food diet and 450 on a cooked food diet using the same ingredients) he found that after three generations the cats on the cooked food diet became infertile. We don't know if the same holds true for dogs and cooked food BUT we given that fertility is a growing problem we can guess that it might be so. (Incidentally, processed cat food now has various additives put into it to counter the effect of the cooking, which is why the domestic cat hasn't become extinct in the last 50 years). So, how can a raw food diet aid fertility? The first thing to remember is that it takes two to tango. Dogs are just as likely to suffer from fertility issues as bitches if fed on processed food. Basically most manufactured dog food offers a narrow spectrum of nutrients, damaged fats and proteins, high chemical and grain levels, high levels of artificial calcium, salt and sugar mixed with low levels of natural anti-oxidants, enzymes, available micro nutrients and phytochemicals and…but you get the idea. One of the effects of feeding processed food to several generations of dog, according to Dr. Ian Billinghurst in his book Grow Your Pups With Bones is substantially reduced fertility. He points out that: ‘the best way to certain of low to non-existent fertility…is to feed a dry food starting from when they are puppies.’ Billinghurst then goes on to explain why the different elements (essential fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin C, anti-oxidants and so forth) in a raw food diet boost fertility. For males he lays great stress on the need for zinc, which occurs naturally in lamb, beef, chicken, eggs, and carrots as well as methionine (found in eggs), magnesium (found in green vegetables), manganese (again found in green vegetables), selenium (again found in eggs) and other important nutrients. Billinghurst feels that it is always better for dogs to obtain all these nutrients from their food and warns against overdosing with supplements. Where supplements may be required it is vital to get professional advice as it is possible to overdose a dog on ingredients such as zinc. If you have a fertility issue with your dog we would be pleased to offer advice.
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