Nutrition For Our Pets, Had I Known!

Nutrition For Our Pets, Had I Known is a chronicle of my life with our family pets – one Cat and four Dogs, and what I should have Fed them. I grew up in a home where Pets were No Strangers. They were part of our family. And, they bore our Family Last Name as Theirs, as well. Nutrition for our pets was People Food, which they looked forward to. Yet, I wonder how nutritious the People Food was, especially for our cat. From when I was about 8 years old, until I became a young adult, and departed from my Family Home, we always had, at least one Cat, and three to four Dogs. Today, I not only chronicle my Relationship with my Family Pets, but I commemorate our Cat, peter and our four dogs, lion, bruno, miller and pompi who got left behind.

My Personal Relationships with peter, lion, bruno, miller and pompi

When I got junior high school age, I went off to Boarding School. I was so excited because, at last I was a Big girl. I adjusted quickly to being away from my parents and siblings. Surprisingly, not really though lol! I was not homesick, at all. Before I went off to Boarding School, I put myself in charge of grooming our family dogs. I didn’t really have to worry about peter, our cat because it groomed itself. Yet, every now and then, I’d give it a bath in the bath tub in one of our bathrooms.

As I write this piece, I can still vividly see our cat, peter and our dogs lion, bruno, miller and pompi. Memories of them makes me smile, but also fills my eyes with tears. They were good pets, and they were inside and outside pets. They had free movement in and outside of our home, their home.

Peter

When peter gave birth. Oh yah! Peter was a female cat. Funny, isn’t it. I have no clue why we picked the name, peter for a female cat. Ok so, when peter was giving birth to its litter, It allowed me pick up its kittens from our downstairs visitor’s bathroom floor into a box I had prior to its due date. I had no idea when peter was going to be due so, I was just prepared. I prepared a box with soft towels and place two kittens in the box. And, peter jumped in and delivered the third kitten. I was very close to our pets.

Nutrition for Our Pets at my Family Home

My mother was the cook. She cooked our pet’s food from scratch. When she went to the market, she would buy meat and bones, including “Biscuit Bones” from the butcher for our pets. Our pets ate whatever we ate. My mom would simply add bones, biscuit bones and more meat to their portions.

Lion

Lion was our oldest because we got it first. Lion was a male dog. It followed my father everywhere. And, when my father went to work at his private practice clinic especially when on call, which he was on always, lion would wait for my father outside in front of the Waiting Room Entrance. We called lion the Wise One. It was calm and appeared to be able to read our moods. During grooming time, there was no resistance from lion. it simply stood still while I scrubbed it down. Splashed on some anti-tick powder, rubbed it in, and put lion on a leash on our veranda so it doesn’t attempt to dry itself in the sand in our front yard. Lion did attempt to dry itself in the sand once before. So, I learned, and kept it on a leash until its fur dried completely.

Bruno

Then, we got bruno, as a puppy. It was a male dog, as well. Bruno was playful even as it grew up into an adult dog. I remember fondly how I would have to call and call on bruno to groom it. Usually, I would have to go to wherever it is standing, watching me and wagging its tail. Once I put a leash on bruno, it just followed and endured the routine of scrubbing and brushing. I also have to put bruno on a leash to dry. Otherwise, bruno will roll in the sand in an attempt to dry itself. Bruno was too playful to be my father’s watch dog. It used to go along with lion and my dad, but bruno will always be home almost immediately. You see my parents clinic was not far from our home. it was a walking distance – good Physical Exercise.

Miller

At last, we got a female dog. Miller was adorable. It had only one litter during we were in each other’s lives. It was got fixed just like our male dogs. Miller had 4 puppies, of which two died due to a maggot infestation. Not sure how that happen because our pets had their veterinarian who looked after them. Anyway, I was able to save two of Miller’s puppies that we rehomed.

Hmmm… miller’s personality and my relationship with miller was neither here, nor there. It liked being by itself. Miller was a smaller dog. So, it was easy to pick miller up when it was time for grooming. I always put miller on a leash after a bath. Otherwise, it will roll in sand like the other dogs. Miller was a sweet heart, even with its antecedents.

Pompi

Pompi was the fourth dog we brought into our family. It was also a male dog. My younger brother brought pompi home claiming it was a German Shepherd dog. We were all excited and welcomed pompi into our family. All dogs are cute when they are young. Not only that, they all look a like when they are newly born, and young puppies. However, as pompi grew older, it failed to transform into a German Shepherd dog.

Oh boy! We were disappointed, but we quickly turned the German Shepherd disappointment into a big joke on my brother. My brother was very sure pompi was it! Although we expressed our doubts when we first saw pompi. To groom pompi, I had to chase after it. So, I quickly learned how to fly without perching. Pompi was put on a leash a day before I groomed it. No drama on the day of grooming was experience moving forward. Pompi was very quick and light on its feet. It was a hyper dog, but also loveable.

What Happened… Things Fell Apart

Lion got hit by a car, as it tried to run after my dad as he got picked up his friend, whom lion did not recognize. We did all we could do to support its healing. But, from then onwards, lion’s health and quality of life declined steadily. It died a naturally death. We held a small funeral ceremony for lion. Life went on. Then, peter disappeared and came back after several months. Peter grew very huge. Peter was living a wild life apparently feeding on rodents and other little animals such a lizards in the bushes around, or wherever it had gone. We were kind of afraid of peter. Because it was big like a little Big Cat. Peter might have sensed our fear. It stayed with us for a couple of days and left again, but it never came back.

The Calamity…

Life kept going on. My siblings and I grew older gradually. So did my parents and our remaining pets – bruno, miller and pompi. Things were normal. I was going back to Boarding School, and coming back home on Holidays. And, so were my younger siblings. Some of my siblings were in Elementary school so they were still permanently at home. During my Vacation times, I resumed my grooming duties with our dogs. And, then one day, everything stood still. Because Things Fell Apart for the Center could Not Hold Things together Anymore. My beloved dad passed away! To cut a Long and Sad story short. Those of us he left behind Lost everything, including our Home.

What Did I Do?

I was alarmed by the reality of the situation. Our dogs were domesticated and probably had no clue on how to feed themselves. Moreover, we lived in the city. Not exactly a hunting ground. Therefore, I had to quickly think of how to provide nutrition for our pets. For six week consecutively, I took food to my childhood home because our dogs, bruno, miller and pompi were still there.

The Confusion

We were all confused because a lot of water had gone under the bridge during this time. We couldn’t find homes to rehome our pets. Therefore, I took it upon myself to visit them once a day, fed them while we reached out to people for help. Then, one day I came home as usual, and when I called on them, none of them came running over as usual. I went to my childhood home everyday for another two weeks, but no sign of them. I was heartbroken because I didn’t know what to think. Were they dead? Had some good Samaritan taken them in? No clue. No trace of them. But, I knew I would have to Leave Them Behind and Move On. That was difficult.

Moving On With Life

For years, after the very last day I went to my childhood home, I dreamed of starving dogs and dried up plants. Today, I have been very hesitant about having pets such as dogs and/or cats. Suddenly, right now, I just realized deep down within me I am afraid Life Circumstances might present themselves, which might necessitate rehoming my pets, And, I might not be able to. Not being able to rehome my pets if needed really bothers me. Instead, I have a lot of plants. I figure it will be easier to rehome my plants if the need ever arises. At the worst I take them to different nurseries.

As for my dad’s Departure, it was an issue, and it is still an issue. An issue I have learned to live with, Comfortably. I have a dynamic relationship with my dad. He is carried along in my memories. And, I call on him whenever I need his insights.

The Nutrition For Our Pets at my Family Home Kept Disease Away

Nowadays, pets have all the dis-eases and dis-orders Humans have. How come? In my mind it boils down to the nutrition for our pets, which is not specie appropriate, most times. And mostly lacks, or has miniscule amounts of Nutrients needed for pets to Thrive. Our family pets were Never Sick. Lion’s hip fractured because it was hit by a car. The veterinarian could not put a cast on lion’s hip. I don’t think putting a cast around a fractured hip bone is feasible among humans, either. Lion’s passing was saddening as well.

My Conclusion on Nutrition For Our Pets at my Family Home

Remember, my mother cooked our pets’ meals from scratch. She made sure to include bones, meat and biscuit bone to whatever People Food was going to be the nutrition for our pets for the day. We ate a lot of Vegetables, especially in soups. I think that is why they were Healthful and Thrived. In retrospect, I believe lion, bruno, miller and pompi thrived because evolutionarily dogs are Omnivores. Yes, you read correctly. The evolution from Wolves to Dogs was facilitated by us, Humans.

Nutrition for Dogs versus Cats

Dogs and Cats have slightly different Nutritional Requirements. Lets discuss the optimal nutrition for dogs first. Then, we look at what optimal nutrition for cats might be.

Best Nutrition For Our Dogs, Naturally

According to Petaluma, the Evolutionary History and Speciation of Dogs from their Wolf Ancestors was as a Result of the need to Adapt to consuming an Omnivorous diet with large quantities of plant-based ingredients. The domestication of dogs by their human owners facilitated this evolution from a dominant Carnivorous diet to an Omnivorous diet. You have to bear in mind there are some Omnivorous Foods that might be Poisonous to dogs. Although they may be able to eat a lot of People Foods. Note, dogs need a good amount of Proteins (minimum of 10%), and Fats (minimum 5.5%). But, not as much as cats need proteins and fats in their nutrition. This means, though dogs can survive on plant based nutrition, they thrive best when they eat enough meat. Because first and foremost they are hunters of prey in keeping with their nature.

For more information on your Dog’s Nutritional Needs, Check out this Site for additional Noteworthy Information and Insights. Dogs cannot eat certain People Foods. You may want to be aware, and Purina has Compiled a list on what Dogs Should Not Eat!

So What do we Need to Feed our Dogs?

Mind you, adult wolves’ primary source prey animals as their primary source of nutrition. Wolves will also eat some plant materials like sedges, seeds, grasses, acorns, berries, or other fruit. There is an amazing article on how to feed your dog like a wolf would feed itself in the wild. Here is an article by Dogs Naturally.

Video on Optimal Nutrition For Our Dogs to Maintain a Level of Alertness and the Wild in our Pets.

Best Nutrition For Our Pets – Cats, Naturally

A cat’s nutritional needs are different from that of a dog. Cats are Strict Carnivores. While dogs are omnivorous. Just like with dogs, but more so with cats, a heavy Grain Based diet is worst for cats. There are a number of Biochemical differences between Cats and Dogs. Which means, it is important that Cats are feed a Strict Carnivorous diet to Thrive. This appears to be a plausible explanation for why peter our Family Cat left our Home for the WILD. We fed peter an Omnivorous diet more suitable for our dogs. So, peter left home in search for how to fulfil its Nutrient needs. Makes sense now! There is an article by petMD that clearly outlines why and how cats and dogs have to be fed differently. Here is an Article by petMD.

Products and Solutions to Protect Pets from Deterioration, and Help Pets Thrive.

Currently, in the US, dog and cat Food sold in Supermarkets, and/or Pet Stores, are Cheap, and mainly Grain Based. In other words, these so called dog and cat Foods and Treats should not be referred to as Food, at all. Because they are Nonfoods devoid of any Nutrients. These Nonfoods masqueraded as Food for cats and dogs Poison these animals when they consumed these Nonfoods over a long period of time. I strongly believe a combination of Lack of Nutrients, and Abundance of Toxins cumulate into most of the horrible dis-eases and dis-orders prevalent amongst Our Pets these days. Just like with us, Humans.

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