By Wendell Fowler
Sandi and my existence would be incomplete without the unconditional love, companionship and faithfulness of our two Morkies, Teddy and Scarlet, the diva. Feeding our beloved dogs properly is hugely significant to their well-being, life span and overall health. Ours too.
As tribute to our many dogs who crossed the rainbow bridge, I’m sharing ways we can show love to our “fur-buddies” while we can still rub their favorite spot as they lick and nuzzle our hand in gratitude.
While they eagerly walk beside you in life, enrich their vittles with nourishment they’d naturally eat in the wild: not GMO corn, wheat, soy and the entrails and internal organs of other animals. Read labels: The first item on the list of ingredients should be meat like chicken or lamb. Not chicken meal as the primary ingredient.
Look for healthy preservatives on the ingredients label like vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) or C. Sidestep foods with chemical preservatives ethoxyquin, BHA, BHT or Propyl Gallate, all implicated in many health problems, including cancer.
Never, ever treat your yard with cancer-causing Roundup, or feed them dairy, chocolate, coffee grounds, grapes, avocado, onions, garlic, raisins, nutmeg, baking powder/soda, raw fish, smoked meats, jerky treats from China, bacon, hotdogs, or sugary foods! With a few exceptions, today’s doggie junk food is stepped-on with corn, wheat, soy, food colorings and preservatives. Corn and most grains are not easily digestible unless refined into a meal or flour and then cooked. Seek organic, grain-free food.
Dogs should have a shiny coat, a high energy level and you should be able to feel their ribs through the skin. Enhance your dog’s meals by adding ground flax seed or canned sardines in water that brim with Omega-3 fatty acids, critical for skin and coat health and preventing dry, itchy skin and hot spots. Add a pinch of turmeric powder, chopped wheat grass, kale, peas, carrots, green beans, cooked sweet potato, grated apples, coconut oil and probiotics. Dogs supplemented with appropriate nutrition live tail-wagging, long and healthy lives.
Your fur babies couldn’t care less that Gravy Train makes its own gravy. Evolve, scrutinize labels and upgrade your pooch’s meals. Although all life is born to die, we’re never prepare for death’s arrival, but we mustn’t hasten it. Teddy and Scarlett love us no matter what – just like the great creator. I look up and I see God, I look down and see my dog.
Chef Wendell is a public speaker and syndicated food writer. To book Chef for your social organization. school, or business, email: chefwendellfowler@gmail.com.
