For those of us with pets that have digestive issues, e.g. vomiting, regurgitating, motility, etc., even after going grain-free, it’s a puzzle. We don’t know how many pieces are in the box, so we have no way of knowing how many are missing. We just know that the final picture should be a healthy cat or dog.

 

One of the big pieces is changing the diet by removing the grains and dry food. After reading various websites and books, however, I’m left with the impression that removing the kibble solves all of the problems, especially if the pet is fed all raw. Perhaps an all-raw diet does cure the problems, but I can’t speak to that because I didn’t feed all raw. I fed a wet, grain-free diet to my previously kibble-fed pet and still saw some, though fewer, digestive issues.  For those who are experiencing the same thing, I think there must be at least one more piece to the puzzle that we’re missing. I think that piece is nutritional deficiencies, and while correcting those deficiencies may not cure our pets, it may very well improve their health and quality of life, which in turn improves ours.

 

Our pets can develop nutritional deficiencies in several ways:

 

1. A grain-based diet (e.g. dry food or a food high in carbohydrates) which can lead to
2. Absorption issues (low stomach acid, intestinal damage)
3. Unbalanced diet

4. Endocrine-Immune Imbalance

5. Toxins (medications, environmental)

 

Let’s explore each of these.