Notes From The Founder
Founder Sean B. Jones has been a psychotherapist for nearly 30-years. Sean has spent a successful career recommending that his human patients avoid processed foods and eat more real whole foods. Sean believes the same is true for cats & dogs.
WHATS IS A NATURAL FOOD FOR A CAT OR DOG?
Just because something is natural doesn’t mean it should be eaten. There are a lot of natural foods that are NOT species appropriate. There are a lot of natural toxins too.
The most relevant question is - are you feeding a biologically or species appropriate food. Most people would not feed meat to a horse or a cow because they are herbivores. We would not expect a snake to eat grain. Panda Bears eat bamboo, many insects eat plant leaves. All species have species appropriate foods that they are biologically capable of digesting and obtaining nourishment from.
While many species share similar external traits; often their internal physiology to digest food is drastically different. Apes and humans have very different digestive physiologies and capabilities. Many herd animals like cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo, deer, llamas, alpacas and camels known as ruminants or camelids have three or four stomachs.
Classified By Science
Humans are classified as omnivores and have the ability to eat and survive on both plan and animal matter. Horses and cows are classified as plant eating herbivores.
Cats & Dogs are classified as carnivores, "meat eaters". Carnivores are animals whose food and energy requirements derive solely from animal tissue or meat, whether through hunting or scavenging. Carnivores do NOT digest plant material like herbivores or omnivores and DO NOT obtain the same nutrients from them. Even if cats and dogs could break down the cellulose to get to the nutrients out of plant matter, their intestines are too short to get anything useful out of it. In addition, the long-term eating of foods that are not biologically or species appropriate may cause immune or allergic reactions and a syndrome commonly known as “leaky gut”.
Dogs and Cats do get nutrients from plants when they eat prey animals that eat plants.
Medicinal Value Of Some Plants For Dogs
There are some medicinal value in some plants for dogs. Dogs are scavengers and would naturally snack on or eat small amounts of plant material, including roots, berries, and vegetation. Dogs produce very small amounts of an enzyme called Amylase needed to break down plant matter. Dogs only produce enough amylase to break down already partially digested plant matter in the stomach of a very small prey animal. Therefore, dogs may have the ability to receive some medicinal values found in very small amounts of berries, spinach, etc.
THE RAW DOG BARKERY IS DIFFERENT
Common cat and dog foods & treats are loaded with sugar, grains, plant proteins, synthetic vitamins & minerals, preservatives or unidentifiable ingredients; often sourced from outside the United States.
Raw Dog Barkery’s products are made from familiar and easily identifiable biologically appropriate meat & produce ingredients from USDA inspected sources. Raw Dog Barkery only sources from the United States of America and are made in Wisconsin. Raw Dog Barkery treats are fun and appealing to humans and dogs & cats alike. Check out the Raw Dog Barkery
About Sean B. Jones, MS, MBA
Sean is the co-founder of Raw Dog Bakery. He certified in pet nutrition, canine herbalism & raw feeding. Sean is a licensed psychotherapist, and a former FBI special agent and healthcare chief executive. He has two masters degrees and has a passion for educating pet parents about biologically & species appropriate foods & supplements. Sean lives in Waukesha, Wisconsin with his wife (co-founder of Raw Dog Barkery) and their three golden retrievers Bonnie, Clyde & Stella.