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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? Topics Fitness Food Health Natural Pamper Special Style Events Medical Directory Reader's Picks RSS Info About OHL Advertise Archive Photos Return to Mail Tribune NEWS NOW (No heading) Read (No heading)» Water rates may rise 13 percent per year By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Read Water rates» 'Pioneer Mike' gets a makeover in Iowa so he can return to Ashland Plaza By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Read 'Pioneer Mike' » (No heading) Read (No heading)» Water rates may rise 13 percent per year By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Read Water rates» 'Pioneer Mike' gets a makeover in Iowa so he can return to Ashland Plaza By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Read 'Pioneer Mike' » Food Fit for Fido Over time, people begin to "look like" their pets. Or maybe it's the other way around. Either way, the resemblance is there. Comment By MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER MailTribune.com By MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER Posted Nov. 3, 2014 at 2:00 AM Updated Dec 8, 2014 at 11:21 AM By MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER Posted Nov. 3, 2014 at 2:00 AM Updated Dec 8, 2014 at 11:21 AM Making Your Own --> If you have the time, there's always the option of making your own pet food. Recipes abound online, of course, but Judkins stresses the importance of education and the proper resources. One book... » Read more X Making Your Own If you have the time, there's always the option of making your own pet food. Recipes abound online, of course, but Judkins stresses the importance of education and the proper resources. One book he recommends is "Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats" by integrative wellness veterinarian Karen Becker and animal nutritionist Beth Taylor. Becker contends that making pet food from processed "people" food and not being well-versed in animals' nutritional needs can be as harmful to pets as feeding them foods off the pet store shelves. In an article for Healthy Pets at mercola.com, she says the best homemade pet foods contain a combination of meat, including organs; vegetables and fruits; additional vitamins and minerals; and things such as probiotics and enzymes. The book contains recipes for dogs based on 75 percent meat/organs/bone and 25 percent vegetables/fruits, and for cats based on 88 percent meat/organs/bone and 12 percent veggies. » Social News Over time, people begin to "look like" their pets. Or maybe it's the other way around. Either way, the resemblance is there. But facial similarity isn't the only physical way humans and their pets are alike. More importantly, we share basic nutritional needs and physiological reactions to food. The "garbage in, garbage out" adage is true for cats and dogs, too. "I call it 'The Kibble Conundrum,'" says Jeffrey Judkins, a naturopathic veterinarian at the Animalkind holistic veterinary clinic in Jacksonville, explaining that diets high in processed foods are as detrimental to pet health as they are to human health. "Nutrition is far and away the most important aspect of all of the veterinary issues I see here — behavior, skin problems, arthritis, diabetes, aggression, anxiety," he says. "It all has a huge dietary component." Human, canine or feline, it doesn't matter, the vet says. "If you're not getting what you need nutritionally, your central nervous system isn't going to be working properly," he adds. According to Judkins, most conventional veterinarians get little to no training in nutrition and often recommend conventional foods that lack the proper amounts of protein and good fats, and have too many carbs, fillers and by-products. "Cats should not be eating corn or anything made from corn, yet corn gluten is one of the first ingredients in most store-bought pet foods," he says. "Why in the world would you feed that to a cat? Cats eat mice and birds." One of the only pet-food brands Judkins will recommend is Kristi's All Natural Pet Food in Grant's Pass, which creates grain-free, frozen, raw pet food from "human-grade" ingredients. Kristi's owners/operators Tracy Higgs, Becca Cramer, Cory Alvis-Allen and Craig Allen believe that pet foods need to be as nutritionally sound as human food for the best results. Mass-manufactured foods often have ingredients that can cause allergies and other health problems. They also can be subjected to contaminants in the manufacturing process. "Raw, preservative- and filler-free foods are more easily digested by our furry friends," Higgs says. "The cooking process destroys essential enzymes and vitamins, thereby reducing the nutritional quality of the food." So if humans and pets have similar nutritional needs, wouldn't it make sense to just feed Fido table scraps? Not necessarily. Higgs cautions that table scraps can be harmful, even toxic to pets, and can cause obesity, diabetes and unhealthy food behaviors. Judkins adds that just as information about human nutritional needs changes, so does that about pets' needs. Staying informed about dietary recommendations for humans and animals is key to a good foundation, and needs to be accompanied by a keen eye for reading labels to know what exactly is in the food you're providing. The vet cautions that it may take a while to migrate your pets to a new food, especially something as different as a raw diet. Do it gradually, he advises, and be aware that not all pets will be able to make the transition. "Even if you can't convert them over completely, try to get them onto a more raw, less processed diet," he says. "The less kibble you give them, the better off they'll be." By MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER MailTribune.com By MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER Posted Nov. 3, 2014 at 2:00 AM Updated Dec 8, 2014 at 11:21 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction Archive Terms of Use Privacy Policy Contact Us Advertise Careers Copyright © . Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Southern Oregon Media Group: Mail Tribune.com | Ashland Daily Tidings | Medford Nickel