07/03/2025
A refreshing read about The Phantom Planter's experience with his dog and how food can really shape your pets' health and wellbeing. Highly recommend a read!😇
Is your pet food doing your dog harm?
For most of wee Betty's life I have had her on a raw meat diet. Normally raw mince mixed with peas, carrots and turmeric. She has always been full of energy.
For the past year or so I've been a bit lazy making up her food and have been buying dried kibble for her which she loves and other normal pet food.
Would also give her raw stuff from time to time but not as strict as what I was before
I used to fast her all day then one large raw meal in the late afternoon/early evening.
From I've been giving her the petfood I've noticed her back legs getting really stiff and her energy levels slumping. Never did I think petfood would have anything to do with this. But then why not, when I over eat gluten I get stiff myself.
My son was looking after her for a few days and she was fed only pet food.
When I got her back I took her for a walk up a pretty steep hill. Wee Betty's back legs were so bad I had to carry her in parts.
She was also finding it really hard to breath.
Wee betty is 10 years old and this really started to depress me a bit.
So I went back and started researching some stuff if dog food can make your dog stiff and it was one of the top side effects.
I went straight out and bought a load of mince and veg and started to make her up bathes of raw meals again and put them in the freezer.
I did this 4 days ago and went back to a really strict feeding schedule. Fasting all day and one large meal early evenings.
After 2 days her energy levels were back up. Jumping around all hyper again on her walks and not walking with the head down looking depressed. She even climbed a mountain with me there no bother.
She didn't even have the energy before to jump up onto the sofa anymore and I was just thinking we'll this is it for her. She's getting old now and just have to accept this.
This morming she jumped up on the sofa no bother and is a different Wee dog.
Apparently the same company own nearly every pet food brand and they also own all the vets also. A good friend of mine told me her pet hospital was just bought over by the same Mars/Pedigree company.
Makes you think!
No more pet food for me guys. If you go to the butchers most of them sell massive bags of dog mince for a fraction of the price of dog food. Just a bit more time making up batches and freezing them.
Mince, carrots, peas, turmeric and a dash of black pepper. Most days she gets this or I'll rotate with sardines and rice, again with quarter teaspoon of turmeric and black pepper.
We betty is my best mate and saviour, I didn't rescue her, she rescued me.
I remember the first time I got her, I was still a coke head and a p**s artist. I took her to the beach just me and her and I remember thinking this is better than any line of peas and barley or a bottle of vodka. I enjoyed myself so much and laughed so hard for the first time in years. She's been a wee guide for me and she's been with me for nearly every tree I've planted.
I owe it to her.