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Howdy Tom,
It's now 2 1/2 years since I returned the carnivores at my place to their proper diet. Both the cats have shed much fat and are both in very good condition. Their mouths do not smell objectionable except when they've just finished some sardines or lamb's liver. Neither of them has had a recurrence of the episodes of urinary blockage. Indeed neither has had any evidence of discomfort with urinating at all. The older cat, James who used to roam outside our fences during the day is now content to hang around in our yard most of the time. Since he is in very good condition, I think it may be because he no longer needs to hunt for himself as much as he used to when I wasn't providing any fresh raw supplements in times of low mouse populations around home. His only apparent legacy of being fed processed shit is a flapping underbelly where he used to wear too much fat. The younger cat George is a much more accomplished hunter than when he was getting processed shit as a main diet. He brings in his kills to enjoy at his feeding spot in the laundry. I didn't shape this behaviour at all and I believe he has associated the place to enjoy good food with the raw supplements I give him. I do not supplement the cats with any vegetables at all. The older cat will take the occasional goose grower pellet in season but I am not fussed at this evidence of my past bad mother behaviour as long as he only rarely gets at the bin. I am very relaxed about their diet now because I am sure they are getting enough variety with their mouse kills. All I do is give them presents of mainly chook on the bone and large chunks of roo. If they stop hunting mice, I might have to think about being more conscientious about providing a more varied menu from the butcher but everything seems fine right now. Both the dogs are also very healthy. The older dog Darky no longer has any snorting fits. He relishes roo tail, roo leg bone-in and chook carcass and his breath is sweet. Interestingly, his muzzle hasn't greyed further since he began eating his food from the carcass. His hearing is diminishing and he has advancing cataracts, but I see no diminished vigour when he runs and guards his territory or on our walks. The younger dog Daphne inhales her food and so I wish that I could feed her only on large carcass items more infrequently than 6 days a week. But since it would be unbearable for her to have to watch her companion make his slow way through his daily meal, I have to be a little more inventive about her feeds and she probably gets the sinewy end of the roo tail a bit too often for perfect nutrition. Although her breath is sweet and her gums are healthy, her teeth are never as white as her companion's. But I see this as a minor imperfection in comparison with giving her processed shit. I may take veterinary advice about her teeth when I next have a vet look her over. I don't feel at all anxious about her general health outlook any more. Both dogs scavenge in the goose pen for whole grains. They both get table scraps and enjoy their share of my toast and other sweet things. The years of carbohydrate overload have obviously given them a taste for grains and I don't see that I should be too worried if they still have carbohydrate occasionally. I don't supply them with any particular vegetables and indeed the younger dog rejects most that I present her with. Both of them scavenge freely in the compost heap for their favourite banana peel and cabbage cores and both nibble on tender grass. I feel as though all is back to normal and I have stopped blaming myself for having fed such rubbish to them all those years. One very conspicuous difference in all four animals is the integrity of their coats; while they indeed had thick shining coats when they were fed processed shit, they also shed to a much greater degree than I had experienced with my mother's animals. With a proper diet, their coats are now less luxuriant, although very strong, and none of them sheds hair constantly to even a quarter of the degree when on processed shit. Grooming is much more enjoyable and my nose and eyes no longer react whenever I disturb a cat or a dog coat. Interestingly, the old dog's coat is much more rain resistant than it was when it was thick and fluffy. I have noted a much more distinct seasonal change in both the dogs' and the cats' coats for the last 2 years. I wonder if they are more comfortable with this smoother summer coat? My vet visits have gone from around 12 a year (outside the urinary infection and throat infection emergencies for both cats and dogs) to a single visit with all four animals to have a vet check them and vaccinate. And now that I've worked out a 3-year vaccination interval with the vet, I may even extend the check-up period. The saving directly to me from both feed and professional fees is around $1200/year but the health saving to the animals is of course priceless. I have had no success in finding a vet who is prepared to eschew advertising, displaying, or even stocking processed feed for carnivores. As a result, I buy as little extra above service from my treating vet as possible. I have told these vets that until they examine their complicity in the corporate aims of pet food manufacturing, I will source worming medicine and grooming items from pet and pet feed shops. At least pet feed shops are open about their commercial aims and they don't offer veterinary expertise de facto. I will return in another 2 years with another update. Thanks for your book again.
Nancy McIntyre |