The Original CrockPET Diet
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My life mission to help animals began when I was very young. My family pets meant the world to me, and I always felt such a strong connection to them, that it almost seemed as though a life spent helping animals was my destined path.
While in veterinary school, it became apparent to me that my role as a veterinarian went well beyond checkups and surgeries. I realized that I was not only a doctor to these pets, but their friend and advocate. These pets cannot speak up for themselves, they can’t tell you what they are comfortable with, or what they think is best. And many times, the owner can’t either. My job has always been to do what is best for my patients, to do what is right – no matter what.
Several years ago, my own health began to take me for a wild ride. At the same time, my dog Arnold (who was 17 at the time!) was struggling with the discomfort and decline of old age. Western medicine only helped so much, for both of us, and I soon had to let my old friend go.
Almost immediately, I decided that I’d had enough of feeling helpless, and began pursuing acupuncture and Eastern Veterinary Medicine at the Chi Institute in Florida. This opened up many new avenues for me, but most importantly revealed the healing powers of acupuncture, as well as herbal and food therapy.
More than ever, the importance of diet became abundantly clear to me. Most of us don’t pay much attention to what or how we eat, until our health becomes a real problem. Why is that? It doesn’t make any sense!
Paying close attention to what our pets eat, to the fuel that feeds their body, is the first step in preventative care and maintaining good health. Once I realized this in entirety, I was horrified by the food I’d been feeding my own pets, and recommending to my clients. Food from the bag or can didn’t provide proper nutrition, and certainly wasn’t promoting better health.
As my ethical duty to advocate for these pets required, I went to the drawing board. I could no longer rely on pet food manufacturers to help me on this. I knew that our pets needed real food. So, after a good look into nutrition and even history, The Original CrockPET Diet was born.
What’s behind the science of The Original CrockPET Diet?
There are so many reasons homemade dog food and cat food is the healthiest option, the most important being that you know exactly what your pet is eating. The basis of your pet’s health begins with the food they eat, and ingredients truly matter. Controlling the ingredients of your pet’s food not only assures the quality of their diet, but their health as well.
While the importance of which ingredients go into your pet’s food is of the highest priority, it’s also vital to keep certain things out of their bowls. And it’s not just mysterious ingredients you’re protecting them from, it’s harmful chemicals, bacteria and other dangerous contaminants. Home cooking guarantees that you know what is in your pet’s food, but also what is not.
The food our pets eat can be the very best medicine, or a slow poison. Changing an animal’s diet can bring about a significantly positive change in their health, and their overall quality of life. Homemade pet food can actually function as true food therapy, and allows pet parents the opportunity to activate this healing lifestyle for their pets, right from their own home.
Because I am not only a veterinarian, but a pet parent (just like you!), I wanted to find a way to help pets achieve their best quality of life. My life’s work has led me through many years of education and practice in Western Veterinary Medicine, Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, Nutritional Study and Food Therapy, Homeopathy and Western Herbology. My desire to incorporate a more natural way of healing into pets’ everyday lives is what led me to develop the best homemade dog food and cat food on the planet – The Original CrockPET Diet.
Facts About Commercial Pet Food
Being a pet parent in today’s commercially-run industry is tough. Advertisers and pet supply stores tell us what to buy for our dogs and cats, but on whose agenda? Usually not ours, and certainly not in any regard for the health of your furry friend.
Pet food recalls happen all the time, and pet owners are always left wondering: how can I protect my beloved friend from this? The only way to fully protect your dog or cat from dangerous or mysterious ingredients is to cook for them yourself.
When my clients ask me for recommendations of commercial foods, I have a great deal of difficulty making one. Every brand of food that I had thought was trustworthy has had at least one recall in the last three to five years. Ingredients change often. Clients report that a food their dog or cat used to tolerate suddenly started making them sick.
Most of the dog food recalls since 2006 have been due to salmonella contamination. Other recalls include contamination of food with plastic, metal shards, mice, and ingredients that might cause allergies.
An article in The Journal of Animal Physiology and Nutrition detailed the author’s study of food allergens in several high-end venison based commercial foods. They found that all contained detectable amounts of beef, soy and poultry. This could spell bad news for an animal with a serious food allergy.
Nestle Purina and Hills dog foods have sued Blue Buffalo foods for deceptive labeling. Nestle and Hills claim that Blue includes what it says is not present in the food, and does not include what it states on the label. Ultimately, Blue Buffalo paid $32 million to settle a class action lawsuit over deceptive labeling practices. This is a good example of why food trials for allergies or GI issues often fail. Many respected brands that claim to have a single protein often have contamination from common allergens like beef and chicken.
While the big three pet foods sued Blue Buffalo, they continue to make prescription foods that are often just chicken and corn, with an added ingredient to make it perform the prescription purpose. (i.e. urinary acidifiers are added to what looks like Beneful ingredients to make a urinary tract diet).
Even premium dog foods cannot be fully trusted, as many brands are manufactured together in the same plant. Contamination of one product can result in problems in any of the other brands being contaminated. Dangers such as salmonella, listeria, thyroid hormones or even euthanasia drugs have been reported in commercial pet foods. This contamination can not only sicken unlucky pets, but their owners as well.
The FDA has been watching dog food closely for salmonella contamination, because it has caused a great deal of sickness in people feeding their dogs. The level of concern is so great, that the FDA has advised washing your hands after feeding pets to avoid contracting the disease.
If you need to wash your hands after feeding your dog, how safe is their food?
Could Raw Foods Be the Answer?
Furthermore, the debate over which diet is best for your pet has been ongoing for years. Popular trends among people, like paleo and raw food diets, often trickle down and make their way to our pet’s bowls. But they rarely come with much explanation when it comes to species-specific nutrition, little more than the ingredients listed on dry kibble bags.
Raw food is often promoted as the ancestral diet for dogs. Whether homemade or commercial, I have seen it help many dogs and cats overcome health issues. However, I’ve also seen many more dogs with health issues on raw food return to health on home cooked diets.
Raw foods have had recalls due to Salmonella and other bacteria, and I have seen a few dogs sicken from raw food handled unsafely. However, the vast majority of food sickness I have seen is from commercial dry food, and certainly that is where the majority of recalls occur.
Most veterinarians are against raw food because we have been told by the pet food companies that bacterial contamination runs rampant. Many raw food feeders believe that dogs do not get salmonella if they eat raw food because their GI tracts kill all the bugs. Neither of these beliefs are true.
After a great deal of research, I don’t think raw food is a good answer, perhaps except for cats, who often will not eat it. Dogs did not evolve eating this type of food. They evolved with us, eating our garbage first, then our leftovers.
I also look at this from the issue of sustainability. Our conventional meat animal production is strained, and very intensive of natural resources like grains, water and fuel, with a huge amount of methane production, not to mention the inhumane practices of growing and slaughtering these animals. When there are tons of articles about eating insects, and companies springing up with insect protein powders, change is in the wind.
All this information leads me to the point that our food chain is compromised. We can’t trust that our own food is safe, let alone our dog’s. Our heavy reliance on processed and precooked foods has altered our health as well as that of our pets.
The upside of this awareness is that it has caused many people, including me and my family, to use as much locally produced food, and natural or organic food as possible. In doing this, we not only reduce the number of miles our food travels, but the chances of contamination with bacteria and other things that are not supposed to be present.
Is Homemade Dog Food the Answer?
As you might guess, home cooked foods is my preference. There was a study published a few years ago by veterinary nutritionists saying that out of 200 recipes available on the web, only seven were complete and balanced. I believe that is true, but does hamburger, rice, whole wheat bread and a multivitamin sound complete and balanced to you? Those ingredients are often the basis of most of the veterinary nutritionist-recommended alternatives to prescription diets, that are “complete and balanced.”
I think this is a backlash against homespun nutrition ideas that developed in the void after the dog food recall. People simply don’t believe (or trust) pet food companies, or veterinary nutritionists anymore.
We currently have these paradigms for feeding pets: commercial dry and canned foods, “fresh” foods in refrigerated sections, raw food, both commercial and homemade, and home cooked diets. Like many things in life, people have become rather dogmatic, if you’ll pardon the pun, about dog food. Cat food has fewer debates largely because cats are cats. They often don’t agree with what we think is best for them, especially when it comes to food choices.
It’s hard to say outright what brought us to this point, one with so much back and forth on our pets’ diet. To find out what are dogs are truly “supposed” to be eating, and how we got into this maze, we have to go to the beginning.
Diet History of Humans and Dogs
Homo Sapiens appeared on the planet about 50,000 years ago. Fire was soon discovered, and we began cooking our food. While many people believe raw food is the ancestral diet for dogs, it’s been this long since humans and canids existed on raw food.
Cooking is what is credited with the development of larger, higher functioning brains, as it makes nutrients more easily digestible. The dog as we know it, Canis familiarus, showed up about the time that the neanderthal disappeared, giving rein to the team of man and dog. There’s actually evidence that we used the dog to help us run the neanderthals out of existence.
Where I am going with this is to say that the dog evolved with us. They ate our garbage at first, then our leftovers, and then what we made for them. We had been cooking for 20,000 years by the time the dog appeared, so they most likely evolved eating cooked foods, not raw ones.
The other thing to recognize is that the modern version of the Paleo diet isn’t quite right either. There is evidence that we were baking 30,000 years ago. Agriculture wasn’t developed until 10,000 years ago, so the grains we were baking with were foraged and very different than the ones we have today. In any case, how processed could they have been with grinding stones?
Our diets still required a great deal of foraging and hunting. Between us and the dogs, you can bet every bit of the animal was eaten then. A large part of our calories had to have come from fat, as it is so calorie dense.
The cat on the other hand was and is an obligate carnivore. This means that they must eat meat to get the required amino acids to run the body (especially taurine). They remained more aloof to humans until the advent of agriculture and food storage. We found them helpful in keeping mice and other pests under control, when we started storing grains and other food. Mice and cream is what cats found us humans useful for.
Our feeding arrangements remained the same as we went through time. The dog’s diet changed as ours did. The cat’s diet changed more slowly.
Early nutrition information from the USDA indicated that children should eat mostly milk and grains. This dates back as far as the thirties. The first official food guidelines were issued during World War II to help people understand what they should consume based on their limited resources. Food rationing was going on during the war, and so it was important for people to make good choices in order to keep their nutrition balanced.
Between the seventies and the early nineties, researchers on the human side were looking at the link between hypercholesterolemia and heart disease. They decided that high cholesterol causes heart disease, and that high cholesterol came from eating too much fat. That concept has been proven false in the last five years, and revealed to be based on a study that was paid for by the sugar industry. The PURE study released this year pretty well nailed the coffin closed on high carbohydrate diets and their alleged supporting role in health.
Nonetheless, a new food pyramid came out. Grains, breads, cereals and sweets became the staples of the American diet. As we went from eating a diet that was heavily weighted calorically towards fat to one where carbohydrates predominated, several things began to happen.
During this period of time, and continuing into present-day, obesity increased in epidemic proportions. Along with our weight gain, humans began developing chronic diseases that the food pyramid was intended to decrease, like diabetes, heart and cardiovascular disease, arthritis, respiratory disease, gastrointestinal disease and cancer in unprecedented numbers.
Lo and behold, the same thing began happening with dogs. As cat food made the shift to high carbohydrate, cats developed the same litany of woes. I’ve often said that the bag of food was the worst thing we ever did to cats, turning cats from fat burners to glucose burners.
Of course, now that we know better, current food guidelines greatly reduce the recommended amount of grains, and increased the amount of vegetables and fruit to be consumed.
Most people don’t realize that commercial dog food dates back to the mid eighteen hundreds in England. At this time, most people were still feeding their dogs leftover scraps, as well as the other bits we didn’t really eat at the time. This included meat trimmings, vegetable trim or other stale or unwanted foods. Still, dogs weren’t having the severe health trouble we see today.
In truth, the way pets ate before we fed from the bag, and what we used to eat before processed and packaged food existed, were WHOLE FOODS. We took those Whole Foods, and turned them into wholesome meals. What we didn’t finish, we fed to our pets.
By the eighteen seventies, the operation was moved to the United States. From there, the popular phenomenon of dog shows began to spring up. Dog shows were a powerful method to market this new concept of commercial dog food.
Once the very-efficient commercial dog food marketing strategies took hold, canned food for dogs began to take off. This began in the very early nineteen hundreds. Canned dog and cat food, largely made from horse meat, became very popular.
Many of the major food manufacturers we are familiar with today viewed dog food as a way to dispose of leftovers from the food manufacturing process that otherwise could not be used. Disturbingly enough, this was also a convenient means to dispose of dead horses and other animals not fit for human consumption (yikes!).
The invention of dry kibble followed soon after, and took off during World War II. Various stories about why this happened exist. Some indicate that due to tin shortages, canned foods became difficult to manufacture. Other stories suggest that Mark Morris, the founder of Hills Pet Foods, was concerned about the government’s plan to euthanize dogs en masse due to food shortages. He developed a diet be used for emergency purposes, comprised of finely ground corn, with the beaks and feathers of poultry to supply protein.
Regardless of the reason, dry foods became the primary way to feed pets. There was a brief period in the mid forties when dehydrated dog foods were commonly available, but that soon fizzled out. In the late fifties, major manufacturers such as Purina, Gaines, Kennel Ration and others began to use an extruded method to produce the kibble food we think of as dog food today. Clearly the best interest of dogs was never at the heart of this process. Dog foods have always been regarded by manufacturers as a way to dispose of foods that are unsuitable for human consumption. This goes on to include spoiled, rotten, and food otherwise indigestible by humans.
That’s hardly a way to treat man’s best friend.
The idea that feeding home-cooked foods would result in a nutritionally incomplete diet began in the late sixties, and was endorsed by the American Veterinary Medical Association. The AVMA helped pet food manufacturers promote the idea that adding table scraps was dangerous, and that it would compromise dogs health.
I believed and lived by this mantra for years, before I began using food therapy. Vet students were taught to feed out of the bag in veterinary school, and the people that taught us nutrition were the folks that made the bag of food.
Prescription diets were developed as early as the late forties to help with heart and kidney disease. Dr. Mark Morris (whom I believe really had the good of dogs in his heart) founded Hills dog food, and was a leader in producing these types of diets.
Until 1974, the National Research Council (NRC) determined what nutrients and levels were recommended for pet foods to sustain maximal health. At that point, the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) was formed. They found that nutritional levels could be somewhat determined by simple chemical analysis. They also asserted that long-term feeding trials, to determine the effect of these levels, were not necessary. AAFCO was incidentally formed by the major pet food manufacturers, essentially leaving no independent organization to police their manufacturing policies.
In 1985, the NRC developed protein guidelines based on ten amino acids rather than raw percentages. The testing for nutrients was to be done after the food had been processed, not before. This method would assure the consumer that they were feeding a balanced and nutritionally available diet to their dogs and cats. The NRC also recommended that all pet foods be labeled based on 1000 kcal, so that a consumer could easily compare one food to another.
The pet food manufacturers (AAFCO) were not pleased with these guidelines, and still have not made any moves to officially implement or enforce them. Because many of the foods they produce are not easily digestible, they are not bioavailable. What that means is that though they may list a certain percentage of protein on the bag, the animal may not be able to digest and absorb that protein.
As premium pet foods, various life stages, and other breed-specific foods were developed, the consumer, pet owner that is, became more and more convinced that dog nutrition was well beyond their grasp. However, in the late eighties and nineties, people began to look at the ingredients on the bags of dog food and wonder if all those things they couldn’t pronounce were actually good for their pets. This was the beginning of a major shift for pet food.
Consumer awareness prompted the pet food manufacturers to remove many of those questionable chemicals from the foods, using vitamin C or E to preserve the foods instead. In addition, consumer pressure caused many brands to use only whole meat products, rather than unidentifiable meal digests or meat byproducts. Again, we were certainly starting to take a step in the right direction.
Unfortunately, most manufactured pet foods still maintain over 65% of their content of grains, grain fillers, fibers, and grain byproducts. What our dogs and cats are eating largely mirrors our own diets, as we still eat a highly processed grain based diet, for the most part out of convenience.
In recent years past, human nutrition has slowly shifted away from vilifying fat. We are now recognizing that the studies that sent us into a nationwide high carb diet were flat out wrong. Cholesterol content of foods has been removed from food labels, with the understanding that the amount of fat we consume does not increase blood cholesterol.
So what does hike up cholesterol levels? High sugar and processed food consumption, along with increased levels of inflammation. Appropriately, sugar content has replaced cholesterol on food labels.
Pet foods have evolved during this time to reflect the least expensive sources of foods, hence the wheat byproduct that caused the first major dog food recall in 2006. The backlash to the mindset of using the least expensive ingredients, ones that are not good for us or our animals, is the “super premium dog foods.” These foods claim to use higher quality ingredients, and to be nutritionally appropriate for the species they serve. Unfortunately, most foods, even the grain free ones, are still very high in carbohydrates. Often 65% or more of the diet is made up by carbs, even for cats.
Food Therapy – Using Food as Medicine
When I started using food therapy, I felt like I’d stepped off of a precipice. All I’d known up to that point was to feed pets the “best possible” bagged food. After years practicing western veterinary medicine, I had seen enough of what could happen to pets and their health as a result of ignorance.
My desire to dive even deeper into options for diagnosis and treatment of disease led me to Eastern Medicine.
Traditional Western medicine is somewhat limited in the treatment of diseases and illnesses – especially when it comes to pet health. Many “treatments” include a barrage of medications, which often include steroids or heavy pain medications. In short, we are treating the symptoms (the “branches”) of the illness, rather than getting to and solving the root of it.
After studying functional medicine and Eastern/Chinese Medicine at The Chi Institute of Traditional Veterinary Medicine in Florida, I was better able to see the full picture. I could evaluate a pet’s condition from many different aspects, and had a much wider array of possible treatments to implement. Rather than defaulting to a standard treatment, “Plan A,” I found I was able to look at many more options and implement methods that would create the greatest likelihood of success for each individual pet.
I found the answer in Food Therapy through struggles with my own personal health. After years of treating my body badly with nutrient-poor and fast foods, I found myself faced with adrenal fatigue, intestinal parasitism, leaky gut syndrome, fibromyalgia and nerve compression associated with bulging disks.
In conventional medical practice, the treatment for all of these diseases would typically involve heavy duty pain medication, antidepressants, corticosteroids and several other medications with an array of unpleasant side effects. Instead, my integrative doctor began by treating my leaky gut syndrome. I used supplements (with no nasty side effects) alongside a rotation and elimination diet, to help calm my immune system’s overreaction to the terrible foods it had been fighting for years.
It took upward of six months for my body to finally return to a state of balance, and for me to start feeling better. But wow, what a difference I saw and felt! All without the “Plan A” that traditional medicine would have offered (and likely would not have worked, but made matters worse).
This experience made me realize how important it was to offer pets and their owners another option for health, their “Plan B.” When pets (or people) are facing an illness or disease, traditional medicine often offers only one solution. Much of the time, these solutions can be intensive, invasive or ineffective – not to mention expensive. If a pet parent is unable or unwilling to subject their pet to such treatments, they are rarely given another option.
Through my personal experience, I know that there is always another option to “Plan A,” and I have made it my mission to provide that option to pets and their owners. By implementing functional medicine, TCVM, herbal therapy and, most importantly, food therapy, I strive to offer a “Plan B” to any pet that is in need of healing, without the consequence of frightening side effects or extreme treatments.
My hope with this philosophy of medicine and healing is that we derive support for the journey to health from a team of dedicated people – our friends and family.
The Solution – The Original Crockpet Diet!
I believe that home cooked dog food like The Original Crockpet Diet truly reflects what we and our dogs have evolved to eat. By feeding what the physiology needs, we can often reverse disease, or in advanced stages, slow it’s progression.
The Original Crockpet Diet is not just cooking for your dog, it is also a way to transform their health using the principles of a Traditional Chinese Herbal formula. The standard diet is written for issues most commonly seen by veterinarians; hot, blood deficient pets. By applying the principles of Functional Medicine, the diet is also intended to prevent cancer and other chronic disease.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine Food Therapy, diets are designed to help balance the system and prevent disease, as well as treat it. A particular food is considered to have an energetic (temperature) property, as well as a function. We use these properties to help design a diet that will allow optimal health.
The benefits to feeding The Original Crockpet Diet™ are many. It maximizes moisture in the diet, which makes digestion easier for your dog. This his level of moisture also leaves more nutritive fluids in the body, to prevent or manage any health issues or nutrient deficiencies.
After feeding our pets dry corn-based diets (which are energetically “hot,” according to TCVM principles) for several decades, they have developed a host of diseases or imbalances like diabetes, thyroid disorders, liver disease, heart disease, tooth and gum issues, and cancer. Homemade dog food and cat food can resolve many of these health problems, especially when cooling ingredients are used in the recipe.
The Original Crockpet Diet also uses the principles of Functional Medicine to reduce inflammation in your pet’s body. This is helpful in preventing autoimmune disease, pain and diseases that have inflammation at their roots, such as kidney disease, chronic vomiting and diarrhea, and cancer. Homemade diabetic dog food can reduce or eliminate the need for insulin, by controlling the carb content.
Many studies conclude that chronic inflammation is likely the base cause of heart disease. Other health issues caused by inflammation may not be life threatening, but sure do make life miserable for your pet. These conditions include dermatitis, otitis, osteoarthritis and so many more.
Many clients have said that when they made the switch to homemade dog food from bagged or canned food, their pet’s energy level went up dramatically, their pain levels were reduced, skin conditions were alleviated or healed, and chronic urinary issues were often resolved. It even seemed that their pets were generally much happier, excited about eating and life itself.
Feeding The Original Crockpet Diet™ is also a great way to control exactly what quality of food your dog is eating. You may not always be able to use organic ingredients but you will still have a much higher quality food than if you were using commercially produced foods. Most people don’t realize that the majority of high end “natural” pet food is not organic.
While this home cooked dog food diet is already a huge step up in your dog’s or cat’s quality of nutrition, it can also be adapted to fit your pet’s specific needs. The Original CrockPet Diet™ is complete and balanced for all life stages, according to AAFCO standards. This statement is on every bag, box and can of commercial pet food as well, but TOCPD is actually safe and balanced for your pet.
The opportunity to rotate proteins in the diet prevents the gut’s immune system from seeing the same ingredient day after day. For a dog with leaky gut syndrome, the repeated exposure to the same antigen in any specific protein can lead to trouble. That ingredient may become an antigen to be attacked, resulting in intolerance. Stopping this daily barrage of exposure can reduce inflammation and autoimmune disease.
By supporting GI health, we encourage healthy detoxification of the body. The phytonutrients in many of the ingredients can be better absorbed, and improve the liver’s ability to remove toxins from the body.
The Original Crockpet Diet™ is also great for those animals who need some help with weight control, as it directly promotes lean muscle and healthy weight. Healthful vegetables in the recipe help make your pet feel full without adding excessive calories. Some ingredients serve multiple purposes. Green beans, for example, are a great source of fiber and can help relieve chronic anal gland impaction issues.
Not only is The Original Crockpet Diet™ a great way to guarantee quality dog food ingredients, but it also ensures true, whole nutrition. It is species appropriate nutrition, carefully balanced for appropriate levels of protein, fat and carbohydrates (both simple and complex). The Diet has been reviewed by a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist, and found to be balanced and complete for all life stages according to AAFCO standards, for both dogs and cats.
Homemade Pet Food Isn’t Enough
Any homemade dog food needs a proper multi-vitamin and calcium supplementation to maintain health. Vitamins are especially necessary these days as conventionally farmed foods are grown in nutrient depleted soils. On their own, they’re unable to give us all we need.
The specific nutrient profiles of The Original Crockpet Diet™ support optimal organ function, digestion and probiotic organs. This incredible organ support is due, in part, to the multivitamin developed specifically to compliment it. Holistic Total Body Support is an all natural glandular multivitamin, designed to complete the balanced nutrition of this homemade food for dogs and cats.
Glandular supplements provide direct support to the endocrine system, which most multivitamins lack. The glandular tissues are very nutrient-rich, providing a natural source for the vitamins and minerals your dog needs. But glandular supplements also contain the raw material needed to rebuild tissues and damaged organs: fatty acids, amino acids, polypeptides and enzymes. This comes in especially handy when glands or organs are weakened by disease, which often occurs in cancer patients.
While the main goal of The Original Crockpet Diet™ is optimizing your pet’s health, it also provides much needed relief for owners.
One of the most spectacular things about The Original Crockpet Diet™ is how much the dogs love it! After watching a sick dog refuse food, or an overweight furball struggle because their diet is wrong, weary dog owners rejoice in their animal’s response to this food.
I can think of fewer than twenty dogs that either didn’t like this home cooked diet, or could not tolerate it. Most pups dance for their meals, and some even stare at the crockpot for hours until the food is ready. Many dog owners have dogs that resisted meals, but once fed The Original Crockpet Diet™, start polishing off their bowls in record time. Even cats, who are notoriously resistant to change in their diet, once transitioned are thrilled with their new food.
Even pets who willingly transition to the new diet may need help adjusting to it. This is why I developed my Holistic Health Coaching plans. I want to be able to provide pet owners with all of the knowledge they need to make The CrockPet Diet™ work, and to helping their pets lead healthy, happy and holistic lifestyles.
It’s Easier Than You Think
I am here to coach you every step of the way! We’ll choose your pet’s ingredients together, and talk about other ways to optimize their health through lifestyle choices, herbal supplements, and even essential oils. It may seem daunting to cook for your pet, but fear not. The Original Crockpet Diet™ takes fifteen minutes to prep, and the slow cooker does the rest.
The recipe is designed to fit in a six to seven quart slow cooker. You can use a plug-in roaster oven to make up to three times the standard recipe amount for large or multiple dogs.
Using an immersion blender, or a potato masher can help mix the food together to whichever consistency your dog prefers. The Original Crockpet Diet™ keeps well for 5-7 days in the refrigerator, and can be frozen for six months at a time.
When changing a dog’s diet, it is important to gradually switch them to a new food over the course of one to two weeks. Most dogs are absolutely delighted with home-made dog food, and quickly accept and transition to the new diet. Because dogs are omnivores as we are, they need to eat a combination of protein, vegetables, and carbohydrates from potatoes, rice, or whole grains.
It can take quite a while to convert cats to any new diet, even homemade cat food like The Original Crockpet Diet™. First, make sure your cat is converted from dry food to canned food. Patience is key, and you literally may be starting with one teaspoon per meal for several weeks, until your cat starts to adjust properly. Very gradually, mix in more home cooked food and less old food until they are only eating The Original Crockpet Diet™. Because cats are carnivores, we take out the simple carbohydrates, and provide a diet higher in fat and protein.
Fast Results Improving Over Time
As a long term strategy for health, the changes The Original Crockpet Diet facilitates may take several weeks to take full effect. However, many people have noticed positive changes right away; shinier, silkier coats and improved appetite or enthusiasm for eating are often evident within one to two weeks.
Often, dogs will lose three to five percent of their body weight, as they release the water they retained while being on a dry diet. Simultaneously, water consumption and stool volume decrease as your dog’s body takes in more of what they need at mealtime, with less waste to be removed.
Anyone who has faced health challenges, or is interested in living the healthiest life they can, understands that the foundation to good health is a healthy diet. This is no different for our furry friends, and they will love you even more for the care you’ve put into their food.
Taking the leap into The Original Crockpet Diet™ gives you the opportunity to optimize your dog or cat’s health, helping them be their best self from the inside out. You won’t have to worry about pet food recalls, or have to whether your pet’s home cooked food is properly balanced and nutritious. Rest assured that your pet is eating the healthiest food on the planet, and that you have done everything in your power, as a pet parent, to give your dog or cat the healthiest and happiest life possible.
As I like to say, your pet’s best health begins in the bowl!
I’m your pet’s ally.
Integrative veterinary medicine given me the chance to become not only an advocate for pets, but an ally. Of course, as a veterinarian, I always fight for what is best for the animal. But as an integrative veterinarian, with a toolbelt full of holistic veterinary know-how, I was armed with options that were both effective and kind.
Today, I am no longer practicing veterinary medicine in a clinic, but have decided to continue my work as an ally for pets everywhere. The Original CrockPET Diet™ has given me a way to share the magic of food therapy with pet owners, while online pet health coaching allows me to guide owners through holistic homecare.
While your vet is there to help manage acute medical issues (and provide regular checkups, which are super important), I am here to help you avoid them, and to help your pet recover.
The Health Map that I can provide for your pet after consultation is the best home tool I can give you for your pet’s healthy, holistic lifestyle. Join me, and the hundreds of happy pet parents who have already committed to giving their pets the best life possible.
I am not just a veterinarian, or a Holistic Pet Health Coach. More than anything, I’m your pet’s ally. My life’s mission is to help you give your pet a better life, one that is full of many happy, healthy years