Read Online Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Richard H. Pitcairn, Susan Hubble Pitcairn - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Richard H. Pitcairn, Susan Hubble Pitcairn
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question about the contaminants in meat, especially lead in bones. The response was that they did not have that problem in Australia (where he was from). When I again described the problem with contamination in U.S. cattle and other livestock, he did not have a solution.
Our Solution
Considering how subtle the effects of lead poisoning and that of other chemicals in food can be, I am still advising my clients to use the balanced recipes in this book, using “human-grade” foods as much as possible. I think it is safer in the long run. We have tried to achieve a balance in our recipes between using raw meat as well as grains and vegetables to provide an optimum amount of protein and other ingredients.
Another criterion we used when choosing meats was convenience. That’s why our recipes use meats that are widely available, usually ground up, which makes it easier to mix them in with the recipe and harder for finicky eaters to pick them out. (This is more an issue with cats than with dogs, who enjoy all types of foods.) If your dog or cat will eat all the ingredients in the recipes, then using meat in chunks is better for the health of the gums and teeth.
Most of the recipes in this book call for lean meats, which are considerably higher in protein and lower in fat. The following meats are roughly interchangeable within each group. This means that you can, on occasion, substitute one meat for another in a recipe, pound for pound or cup for cup. The meats are also listed in approximate order of best values, with the first ones representing the most protein for the typical price paid.
Lean meats (interchangeable): Turkey and/or giblets, liver (beef, chicken, or turkey), mackerel, most chicken and/orgiblets, tuna, heart (beef, chicken, or turkey), lean hamburger, lean chuck, duck (without skin), rabbit, or various fishes.
Fatty meats (interchangeable): Roaster chicken (with skin), fatty beef heart, brains, regular hamburger, fatty chuck, sirloin steak, lamb, or pork.
Occasionally, you can substitute any of these fatty meats where the recipe calls for a lean meat. When you do, reduce the amount of oil in the recipe by about a tablespoon for every cup of meat. Cuts of meat vary, so use your best judgment in evaluating the degree of fat in a meat.
Note: If you would like more detailed information as to the amount of fat in various meats and fish, then check the table “Fat Content of Meats,”.
Also note: One pound of ground meat equals about 2 cups.
Guidelines for Selecting and Preparing Meats
Use variety. Feed more than one kind of meat in a meal, using different cuts. Include some muscle or flesh meats, such as hamburger, chicken, and turkey, as well as some organ meats, such as heart, liver or kidneys, or giblets.
Note: Some people have seen great health benefits in their animals from regularly feeding them small amounts of raw liver. Just be sure that you don’t go overboard with liver. Limit it to less than 10 percent of the meat you feed overall. Not only does the liver concentrate and store many pollutants, but it could overdose your pet with vitamin A, which is one of the few vitamins known to cause problems if consumed in excess.
In the years since the first edition of this book came out, fresh raw liver, beef heart, and other parts (other than muscle) have become increasingly difficult to obtain. I asked at a major supermarket chain about the availability of either liver or heart and was told it is simply no longer available to them. They can’t order it. I did, however, find frozen liver in the freezer section. In some communities it is possible to find a butcher that makes this available—we have one in ours.
Emphasize purer sources. One veterinarian I know who worked as a meat inspector has observed that turkeys, ducks, and sheep have lower cancer rates than chickens, cattle, and hogs. He attributes this difference to the amount of meat meal fed each species. So you would probably do well to
Our Solution
Considering how subtle the effects of lead poisoning and that of other chemicals in food can be, I am still advising my clients to use the balanced recipes in this book, using “human-grade” foods as much as possible. I think it is safer in the long run. We have tried to achieve a balance in our recipes between using raw meat as well as grains and vegetables to provide an optimum amount of protein and other ingredients.
Another criterion we used when choosing meats was convenience. That’s why our recipes use meats that are widely available, usually ground up, which makes it easier to mix them in with the recipe and harder for finicky eaters to pick them out. (This is more an issue with cats than with dogs, who enjoy all types of foods.) If your dog or cat will eat all the ingredients in the recipes, then using meat in chunks is better for the health of the gums and teeth.
Most of the recipes in this book call for lean meats, which are considerably higher in protein and lower in fat. The following meats are roughly interchangeable within each group. This means that you can, on occasion, substitute one meat for another in a recipe, pound for pound or cup for cup. The meats are also listed in approximate order of best values, with the first ones representing the most protein for the typical price paid.
Lean meats (interchangeable): Turkey and/or giblets, liver (beef, chicken, or turkey), mackerel, most chicken and/orgiblets, tuna, heart (beef, chicken, or turkey), lean hamburger, lean chuck, duck (without skin), rabbit, or various fishes.
Fatty meats (interchangeable): Roaster chicken (with skin), fatty beef heart, brains, regular hamburger, fatty chuck, sirloin steak, lamb, or pork.
Occasionally, you can substitute any of these fatty meats where the recipe calls for a lean meat. When you do, reduce the amount of oil in the recipe by about a tablespoon for every cup of meat. Cuts of meat vary, so use your best judgment in evaluating the degree of fat in a meat.
Note: If you would like more detailed information as to the amount of fat in various meats and fish, then check the table “Fat Content of Meats,”.
Also note: One pound of ground meat equals about 2 cups.
Guidelines for Selecting and Preparing Meats
Use variety. Feed more than one kind of meat in a meal, using different cuts. Include some muscle or flesh meats, such as hamburger, chicken, and turkey, as well as some organ meats, such as heart, liver or kidneys, or giblets.
Note: Some people have seen great health benefits in their animals from regularly feeding them small amounts of raw liver. Just be sure that you don’t go overboard with liver. Limit it to less than 10 percent of the meat you feed overall. Not only does the liver concentrate and store many pollutants, but it could overdose your pet with vitamin A, which is one of the few vitamins known to cause problems if consumed in excess.
In the years since the first edition of this book came out, fresh raw liver, beef heart, and other parts (other than muscle) have become increasingly difficult to obtain. I asked at a major supermarket chain about the availability of either liver or heart and was told it is simply no longer available to them. They can’t order it. I did, however, find frozen liver in the freezer section. In some communities it is possible to find a butcher that makes this available—we have one in ours.
Emphasize purer sources. One veterinarian I know who worked as a meat inspector has observed that turkeys, ducks, and sheep have lower cancer rates than chickens, cattle, and hogs. He attributes this difference to the amount of meat meal fed each species. So you would probably do well to
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