About Dr. Marlene Siegel:

If asked, what are the 3 things that could be done for our fur children to keep them healthy, I would answer:

1. Gut health.
2. Reduce toxin exposure
3. Detoxify all 6 organs of elimination

Let’s “break this down”, pun intended!

Gut health

70%-80% of the pets’ immune system is located in the mucosal lining of the large intestine. Consequently, a healthy immune system depends greatly on proper digestion.

Digestion involves 4 steps:

A. Food ingested. Dogs and cats were not designed to eat carbohydrates, consequently they have no amylase (the enzyme in human saliva that begins carbohydrate digestion) in their saliva, which is why they don’t chew their food, they tear, gulp and swallow. Watch National Geographic and we see carnivores killing and eating the animals they caught. They are not dragging their fresh kill to a kibble processor or a canning factory!

B. Food broken down (digested) into the individual building blocks. Enzymes (found in living, non processed food), along with good gut bacteria, convert the food to nutrients the body can use. Protein is broken down to individual amino acids and carbs break down to simple sugars. There are over 100 trillion microorganisms, and over 400 different beneficial bacterial species in a healthy digestive tract. Beneficial bacteria aid in digestion, absorption, and the production of B vitamins and enzymes. Good gut bacteria are a primary defense against foreign invaders, and they play an important roll in cell to cell communication.

C. Assimilation. Once broken down to the individual units, the digested food is filtered through the “cheese cloth” like lining of the intestine, which allows certain sized nutrients in and keeps improper things out. When the “cheese cloth” lining becomes leaky (damage due to toxins, GMO, processed foods....) the resulting condition is called leaky gut. Leaky gut is the underlying cause for all inflammation, and leads to conditions like allergies, cancer, arthritis and chronic skin disease.

D. Elimination is the final step in digestion where the waste products are eliminated. Improper elimination may result in toxins being reabsorbed or in good nutrients being lost.

Reduction in beneficial bacteria may result from:

1. Aging. As time goes on, bacteria become weaker. It is important to always be replenishing the beneficial bacteria with fermented foods.

2. Eating processed diets (kibble or can food).

3. GMO’s eaten directly or consumed via animals fed GMO’s.

4. Acid/alkaline imbalance due to grain based diets causing a slowing of the gut contents allowing harmful bacteria to take over. More proof that dogs and cats were NOT designed to eat grains!

5. Many drugs, especially pain medications.

6. Drinking chlorinated water.

7. Radiation from cell phones, cordless phones and WIFI.

8. Non-organic sources of meat and chicken (loaded with antibiotics, hormones, and GMOs).

9. Antibiotics destroy both bad and beneficial bacteria, allowing virulent, mutant strains of harmful microorganisms to take over the gut flora.

What should we feed our dogs and cats

Begin with a species appropriate diet. An ideal diet is a raw meat diet that includes muscle meat, organ meat, fat and ground bone with supplementation of the essential vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. Only feed grass fed/grass fed out or free range meats. Visit EvoLoveRaw.com for more information on species appropriate diets.

Next is reduction of toxins. Food, water, household (what touches the skin and what is breathed in), EMF radiation and A.N.T.’s that live in the brain (automatic negative thoughts). Once educated, it is as simple as choosing what you spend your dollars on.

Last and most importantly is detoxification of the 6 organs of elimination. Liver, lungs, kidney, colon, skin and lymphatics. Though they are all important, the liver and the lymphatics get my special attention as they do so many vital functions for our health. The Therasage product line assists in many levels of detoxification and are my products of choice.

Ready to take this conversation to the next level? I offer an online course that takes a deep dive into the above plus helping pet parents understand the biology of the animal and how we can best support the innate wisdom of the body so it performs at its best. But there is more, I help you develop a sustainable action plan and a system for successful implementation!

For more information on how to create a sustainable integrative lifestyle for your pet, contact me at 813-973-2929 or email pvmc4u@pascovet.com