“The requirements for performance dogs do vary because the energy requirements increase with exercise. The type and duration are the factors that dictate the energy requirement. For long-duration exercise, fat is the most important source of energy. For sprinting exercise (similar to a greyhound race), the energy requirement is quite similar to a normal dog. You would increase the carbohydrate level and keep the fat level low. The sled dogs for instance, require much higher levels of fat and low carbs to provide the energy needs for endurance work. When using a raw meat diet for energy needs it becomes quite simple to make adjustments to the fat and carbohydrate levels needed.”
By Robert Mueller
Do you know what the most important nutrient the body needs is? The nutrient that is necessary for all living things to survive? Well, you may have guessed it – the vital nutrient that all living things require is water.
An animal can lose almost all of their body fat and more than half of their protein but a loss of just 10% of their body’s water will result in the death of the animal.
All animal life forms consist of almost 65% – 75% water, and many tissues in the body are composed of between 70% – 90% water. The presence of water within the cells and in many tissues is essential for the occurrence of most metabolic processes and chemical reactions. (This is explained further in chapter 4 of my book, “Living Enzymes: The World’s Best Kept Pet Food Secret.” )
Water is essential for regulating many different body functions such as body temperature, hydrolysis the splitting of large molecules into smaller molecules, which aid in digestion and the elimination of waste from the kidneys.
Lack of water can cause your pet to pant. |
As you can see, maintaining a proper balance of water in the body is vitally important for all animals, human and canine alike!
Many new raw diet feeders who are aware of the importance of water in their pet’s daily diet express their concerns to me when they notice their dog begins to consume less water.
Fortunately, there is a very easy-to-understand reason for this difference.
You see, these new raw eaters are used to their dog consuming A LOT of water when eating a cooked, dry dog food diet and after they switch their beloved pet to a water-rich, raw meat diet, the dog’s requirements for additional water is significantly reduced.
That is because dry dog food diets only have a moisture content of about 10% while a raw diet will contain an average moisture content of 70%.
So a raw meat fed dog will get the majority of his daily water intake from the diet instead of an external water supply, like his water bowl.
 Your pet needs the right water source. |
The wonderful thing about your pet getting his water from the food rather than the bowl is that his body can utilize the moisture coming from the food much more effectively. Our pets are naturally designed to obtain their primary source of water from their meals. This is an important difference and becomes just another reason why feeding a raw food diet makes total sense.
Of course, our pets still need an external water source to ensure that the proper moisture requirements of the body are met. It is equally important to use distilled water (instead of tap water) to provide the external moisture requirement for your companion animals. A chlorinated water supply creates a toxic environment for thedog that is best to be avoided if possible.
It is little wonder why so many dogs are suffering from allergies and skin reactions today.
The food our pets eat and the water they drink can be precursors to bad health!
So let the food be your dog’s water source and supplement with distilled water in his bowl and watch your dog’s health begin improve dramatically.
