This post will discuss my canine companion’s journey toward Primal Living. :)
I’ve been “low carb primal” now for about 17 months…and I love it. For those not aware, its’ a higher protein, high fat and low carbohydrate meal plan. (It’s more than a meal plan but I won’t go into that in this post. )
Max is the “nickname” of my 9 yr old Yellow Labrador Retriever … he’s actually our 3rd son… he’s just not human.
I knew that low carb primal was the best meal plan for humans… and then I began reading that it was the best for canines as well. Of course, this makes much sense… dogs did not “evolve” eating food from a bag, box nor can… no more so than humans.
We have always fed Max food scraps and leftovers so he has never been a dog that was fed strictly dog food. For years I felt bad about that, you know CONVENTIONAL WISDOM… “don’t feed your dog from the table” … well that is certainly true if you eat the Standard American Diet (SAD) which is almost exactly like the American Diabetes Association’s diabetes diet. (sadly)
Not only is the SAD unhealthy for your canine companion… it’s unhealthy for you.
I discovered that most dog foods are EXTREMELY high in carbohydrates and even their fats and proteins are from inferior sources. I report about that in this post, “Fast Food Causing Canine Diabetes?”.
Back to MAX!
Because we do feed Max table scraps, as I went lower and lower in carbohydrates to fight diabetes … by default so was Max. He still received a serving of his “processed dog food” daily but that was being supplemented by meats, fat and low carb veggies. Over time, I began feeding him less and less of the processed dog foods. Odd… he never complained about the meat and fats… not once! :)
A couple of months ago, based on talks with some of my friends (sorry I don’t want to leave anyone out so I’ll not mention anyone) I decided to formerly and officially begin to move Max to the Primal Meal Plan. We normally eat cheaper cuts of meat and Max would share in those including the vegetables. When we do eat the more expensive meats, Max would not share in those… I would feed him canned salmon or canned mackerel.
I did not record the day / date that Max went FULLY Primal but it’s been several months and he’d been mostly primal prior to that for several months.
Max Today
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post that was primarily concerned with my wife’s reluctance to … “GO PRIMAL”. A secondary topic was a missing bra … it wasn’t mine, it was my wife’s…. :) (that post is here, “She Does Not Get It”)
We suspected that Max had eaten my wife’s bra… we suspected this because Max had a history of eating socks, underwear and even my GYM SHORTS! … we knew he’d eaten them because he would eventually vomit them up…. whole. :(
To shorten the story, Max has not been feeling well and we suspect more and more that he did eat the bra. To rule other ailments out, we had a blood work up done. I just received the results today…
Max’s Blood work was, in the words of the Doctor of Veterinarian Medicine (DVM) … PERFECT!!!!
My first reaction was one of relief…. my second reaction was one of concern, he’s still not feeling well.
My 3rd reaction was WOO HOO! More proof that “PRIMAL LIVING” rocks not only the “human world” … but it’s great for canines as well.
Notes from the phone call with the DVM:
Red, White and Platelet counts = Normal
Protein levels = Normal
Liver & Kidney Tests = Normal
The quote for the DVM,
“looks really, really good for any aged dog but especially for a nine year old”.
I just wanted to provide further evidence that eating, playing…. LIVING primally is the best for humans and their canine companions. :)
Poke a finger in the eye of the American Diabetes Association and their ADA Minions… go low carb primal.
True… sadly, you will pay Big Pharma less for drugs … and you will be paying Monsanto and Kellogg’s less money… but you’ll feel better for it.
Here is my Diabetes Warrior Info:
My Diabetes Nutritional Chart
My Diabetes Meal Plan
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