Behaviour & Nutrition

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.Nutrition has an enormous impact on the health of our pets. Have you considered how it may affect their behaviour as well?


Manufactured food colourings, preservatives and flavours have all been shown to have close links to certain behavioural syndromes in humans, particularly children. This is also the case with our pets.


Dogs

Dogs suffering from anxiety, hyper excitability, and aggression, will respond favourably to change from processed dog foods to a balanced raw food diet. I can guarantee you will see a difference in their wellbeing.

I recently assisted veterinary behavioural specialist Dr Gabrielle Carter, by treating allergies in her own dog through dietary changes. Not only did the allergies improve dramatically, but Gabrielle was very surprised and pleased that her dog’s separation anxiety issues also changed for the positive.

I would encourage anyone involved in dog training to consider a change to a raw food diet for any problem dogs you come across.


Cats

Even if 80 years old, Pottenger’s Cat Study, remains significant research into the importance of a raw meat diet for pets.

Between 1932 and 1942, Dr Pottenger conducted a clinical trial, involving over 900 cats, into the nutritional effects of cooked versus raw food diets. The cats fed on the cooked meat diet showed increased aggression to other cats and more aggressive behaviour towards their handlers. This behavioural change was easily reversed when the cats were put back onto a raw meat diet.


Latest Research

Emerging research on the links between behaviour and nutrition suggests that consumption of a raw meat diet improves the natural levels of 5-hydroxytryptophan in pets.

5-hydroxytryptophan in the body is a natural precursor to producing the neurotransmitter serotonin, which has a powerful impact on mood, and other behavioural traits.


The far reaching health benefits of a raw food diet still continue to amaze me, and correcting behavioural problems is just one of the many benefits of making this change.