Natural, whole raw foods contain numerous enzymes and phytochemicals that modern science has discovered are important for proper nutrition in humans and laboratory animals. This holds true for dogs and cats as well.

Enzymes are specialized protein substances that are involved in all the dog’s activities. Even thinking requires enzymes. Enzymes are found abundantly in fresh, minimally processed natural foods. 

Enzymes are deactivated or destroyed at temperatures above 118 to 170 degrees F; therefore there are no enzymes in processed dog foods. This forces the dog’s digestive enzymes to do all the work, and perhaps puts a strain on the dog’s ability to manufacture necessary metabolic enzymes.

It is believed that one of the reasons we see such immediate improvements with older dogs when converting them from kibble to raw meat based diets is because of the increased levels of enzymes they are getting. As a dog ages, the secretion of enzymes is gradually reduced and the benefits of eating natural foods with enzymes increases.

When we think of disease-fighting nutrients, we no longer think of A or E or C. We seek out essential nutrients, phytochemicals and flavonoids in produce and herbs. Phytochemicals are naturally occurring compounds in vegetables and fruits that are getting increasing attention from researchers looking into the connection between diet and disease. Some phytochemicals function as antioxidants. Epidemiological evidence from more than 200 studies link consumption of foods rich in phytochemicals with decreased risks for certain diseases ranging from some cancers to aging to some forms of dysphasia. For instance, the sulforaphanes found in broccoli have been shown to help prevent certain types of cancers.

Fruits and vegetables have hundreds of antioxidant compounds. Some, like vitamin C, are destroyed by heat. There is a growing consensus among researchers that a variety of whole foods — not supplements — should be the source for antioxidants. Many of the antioxidants identified as having a health-protective effect represent a group of compounds found in the intact food, which in concert provide the health-protective effects. The selected antioxidant alone will not yield the entire health benefit. “Vitamin research has only scratched the surface in understanding subclinical deficiency states, bioavailablity, and nutrient-nutrient interaction.”(The Nutrition Desk Reference, Garrison and Somer, 1995.) One needs to eat the natural, intact vegetable or fruit, with the full complement of natural phytochemicals, to yield the entire health benefit. Raw forms of vegetables and fruits are the most consistently associated with lower risk of cancer. (Steinmetz and Potter, “Vegetables, fruits, and cancer.” 1991).

In sum, people, laboratory animals, dogs and cats need some whole, intact foods in order to be at their best. One cannot replace or add all the enzymes, antioxidants and phytochemicals that are destroyed or altered in processing.

An allergy is your body’s way of dealing with a unknown protein.  It uses an inflammatory response to drive out these foreign invaders that it does not know what to do with.  Robyn O’Brien talks at TED about the rise of food allergies and it’s link to deadly diseases.  It is the genetic engineering and added hormones in commercially process foods that can be the explanation for this.

 

It may not be that your dog is allergic to chicken, but it is allergic to the hormones or steroids in the chicken.

 

When you pet vomits it can be a very alarming incident.  Immediately you think “Is something you ate?”, “Are you sick?” and then the sympathy sets in and you feel bad for pour sick Fido.

The truth is that Fido may not be sick at all.  If your dog scarfs down its food or gulps up large amounts of water before eating, they will vomit up what they just ate.  Their stomachs can’t handle the sudden intake of food and water and so it rejects it.

Therefore next time your pup pukes, take a look at the consistency of the vomit.  If it is undigested food, then they are probably just eating too fast.  Also remember the the number one indicator of your dog having a parasite or pour organ function such as kidney failure is what is coming out the other end.  If you see diarrhea or a sudden change in the consistency then they are likely sick and you should consult your holistic veterinarian.

Please speak with your veterinarian about any specific health problems. We are not veterinarians and cannot give medical advice on treating pets. If you’re not sure if a proper raw diet is right for your pet, feel free to print out our nutrient profile and discuss it with your veterinarian. The answers below represent what we have learned from research, science, veterinary feeding trials, first-hand knowledge and our customers testimonials.

If your pet has not been fed a raw diet before introduce Steve’s Real Food slowly to your pet. You may want to start with one nugget the first day, and increase to full time feeding over a period of one to two weeks. Watch your pet carefully and please note that not all health problems have a dietary factor.

Benefits to complete and balanced Steve’s Real Food for Pets diets:

The major benefit to Steve’s Real Food for Pets is simply improved overall health. However, in actual cases reported to us and in studies done on raw feeding, pet owners report changes, reductions or eliminations of the following:

• Cleans and whitens teeth naturally
• Cleans breath / reduces body odor
• Reduces stool odor and volume
• Weight Management
• Many phobic behaviors disappear such as: aggression, moodiness, anxiety and fearful behavior
• Promotes calmness and confidence
• Dramatically increases energy, endurance, alertness and attention
• Strengthening and healing of the immune system and organs
• More affectionate
• Reduced shedding
• Reduction in hairballs
• Allergies (such as: hot spots, cysts and eye tearing)
• Dermatitis (healthier skin, less shedding and a full shiny coat)
• Weight Problems
• Parasites (internal and external)
• Flea infestation
• Arthritis and hip dysplasia
• Ear and eye ailments
• Kidney and liver dysfunction
• Bladder Stones
• Urinary crystals and infections
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Intestinal problems
• Bloat
• Diarrhea
• And much more!

Frequently Asked Questions:

My dog has a long history of allergies. Can Steve’s help?

We’ve seen many allergic dogs and cats benefit from our food and from other properly prepared grain-free raw diets. Even dogs diagnosed as “allergic to chicken” often thrive on Steve’s Real Food all human quality chicken variety.

Remember the need for variety! Research in humans and laboratory animals clearly shows that insufficient variety can create food allergies and intolerances. Feeding the same food day after day week after week year after year is often the cause of the allergies.

My dog is limping. Can a change in diet help?

We’ve seen many dogs that were aging and starting to limp “get younger” on a proper raw diet. Indeed, it was when Steve Brown saw the dramatic improvement in his older dog Garbo that he started working on Steve’s Real Food.

My cat has diabetes. Is it safe to feed her Steve’s?

Generally, yes. Recent research has shown that a high protein, low carbohydrate diet like Steve’s is a more beneficial diet for diabetic cats who do not have weight problems than the traditional high carbohydrate diabetic ration. Cats have a virtually nonexistent carbohydrate metabolism; as such, if there is not enough dietary protein to make glucose from, cats will catabolize their muscle protein. This produces a situation where the diabetic cat begins wasting because her diet does not provide sufficient protein. Furthermore, the high carbohydrate ration aggravates hyperglycemia. If you have a diabetic cat, always check with a veterinarian before changing diets. Steve’s may not be the optimal diet for diabetic cats with obesity problems.

My cat has a history of feline urological syndrome (FUS). Is it safe to feed her Steve’s?

Yes. Our food was specifically designed to have the proper amount of magnesium for cats with FUS.

How can Steve’s help to prevent cancer and be a natural diet for dogs and cats with cancer?

Research clearly shows that great nutrition helps to support and maintain all animals bodies naturally, this is what nature intended. This includes helping to prevent cancer along with being a natural diet for animals with cancer. Cancer is the #1 cause of death in dogs and one of the leading concerns of cat owners as well. We are finding that within the last 20 years dogs and cats are getting the same aliments that humans have been getting for the last 50 years. And one of the major changes has been nutrition, being the fact that most peoples and pets diets consist now of highly processed foods.

All formulas of Steve’s Real Food for pets combines a proven old-world formula using high-quality human edible ingredients, with the best of modern functional foods to give unmatched nutrition and help prevent cancer. Here are some of the ingredients in Steve’s Real Food for Pets that are proven to help prevent cancer:

Natural phytochemicals, antioxidants and bioflavonoids: Research has clearly shown that a diet rich in a variety of fresh, whole, raw vegetables and fruits can help to prevent many forms of cancer, along with many other diet related aliments.

FOS, (fructooligosaccharide or inulin, labeled as extract of chicory) This ingredient is a prebiotic compound that selectively stimulates growth of bacteria beneficial to large bowel metabolism. FOS helps increase the bioavailability of minerals. Research has shown that FOS helps prevent colon cancer.

Omega-3′s: A diet containing sufficient Omega-3 has been proven to improve a dog’s and cat’s immune systems’ ability to fight all diseases. Real Food For Pets uses Mighty Omega Plus™, which contains sardine, anchovy, flaxseed oils and natural antioxidants.

Natural enzymes: Real Food For Pets contains thousands of metabolic, digestive, and food enzymes only found in raw foods. Many studies with humans and laboratory animals show that eating a diet rich in enzymes reduces the stress on the digestive system, especially the pancreas, therefore reducing the incidence of cancer.

What veterinarians are saying about Steve’s…

Veterinarians are a major part of the Steve’s Real Food For Pets development program. Many veterinarians – at first are quite skeptical about raw meat-based diets – provided short and long term feeding trials. Now they are among our most ardent supporters. Perhaps the best testament is that three of Steve’s Real Food For Pets top five retail accounts are veterinary offices. Here are a couple of testimonials of how they see first-hand results:

“Based on the current literature and our own experience, we believe that pets thrive on raw food diets. They have more energy and vitality, their coats are thicker and shinier, their teeth need cleaning less often, they have fewer allergy problems and they live longer, healthier lives… Steve’s Real Food For Pets, an easy-to-feed, complete and balanced raw food diet for dogs is what we feed our dogs and think it’s fantastic.”
Dr. Doreen Hock, Eugene, OR

Speaking of a year-old Mastiff which was brought to his office in critical condition, Dr. Charles W. Coleman told us, “Without Real Food For Pets diet, that dog would have died.” Doctor Coleman treated two other dogs shortly thereafter and said that the key element of the successful treatment was Real Food For Pets. Doctor Coleman says unequivocally, “I’m trying to get everybody on it. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my whole career.”

Some veterinarians love properly prepared raw meat-based diets. Unfortunately, many others have no first-hand experience with raw meat-based diets and may be reluctant to recommend them. That is changing each day and more and more veterinarians are advocating for raw meat-based diets.

See our Knowledge Base for more FAQs.

The Need for Whole Foods

Recent conclusive research shows that humans and laboratory animals need whole foods, not just vitamin and mineral supplements to be at their best. There is a growing consensus among researchers that nutrients, especially antioxidants, must be in balance, that we need the complete families of antioxidants and other micronutrients that only whole, raw foods provide.

For example, fruits and vegetables have hundreds of antioxidant compounds, including carotenoids, dithiolthiones, flavonoids, isothiocyanates, selenium, monoterpenes, glucosinolates and vitamin C and E. Research shows that these antioxidants work in concert, together, to provide the health-protective effects. One can’t just take an antioxidant supplement and expect to get the health benefits.

Selenium, an essential mineral, is a more specific example. A new federal study (April 2001) found that selenium eaten as a pure compound (as in a supplement) does not protect as well as selenium consumed as part of broccoli. Indeed, the study showed that the purified additive may have no benefit at all. Steve’s Real Food uses kelp and broccoli as the primary sources of selenium.

To be at our best, we – and our pets –need some whole, raw foods in our diets.

If you read the label of most dry and canned foods, even the premium brands, you’ll find meat or meat meals, grains, perhaps a few vegetables, and lots of vitamin and mineral supplements. With Steve’s Real Food and other proper raw diets, the vitamins, minerals and other known and unknown micronutrients are provided by whole, real foods.

Raw

The natural diet of dogs and cats is raw foods. As dogs and cats developed for hundreds of thousands of years, their digestive systems, their saliva, their teeth, indeed their entire bodies developed for raw foods.

Raw foods contain thousands of digestive and food enzymes. Enzymes are specialized protein substances that are involved in all the dog’s activities. Even thinking requires enzymes. Enzymes are found abundantly in fresh, minimally processed natural foods. When a cat or a dog ate its natural prey the cat or dog consumed many different types of food, digestive, and metabolic enzymes.

Enzymes are deactivated or destroyed at temperatures above 105 to 170 degrees F; therefore there are no enzymes in processed dog foods. This forces the dog’s digestive enzymes to do all the work, and perhaps puts a strain on the dog’s ability to manufacture their own enzymes.

Most kibbles are produced at temperatures above 300 degrees F under 600 or more pounds of pressure per square inch. This is a harsh environment for many nutrients. Heat destroys all the enzymes, some of the known antioxidants, and perhaps some of the unknown phytochemicals, flavonoids and antioxidants. High heat may alter the bioavailability of some of the minerals and perhaps even alter the chemical structure of some of the amino and fatty acids.

Raw forms of vegetables and fruits are the most consistently associated with lower risk of cancer.

Variety

Science has definitively shown that humans and laboratory animals need to eat a variety of whole natural foods, with the full complement of natural phytochemicals and antioxidants, to be at their best. We believe this is true with dogs and cats as well.

At Steve’s, we believe that feeding the same food day after day, month after month, causes some of the many food intolerances and allergies that we see with dogs and cats.

The marketing age “never change the dog’s diet” is the worst nutritional advice one can give.

Almost grain free

The natural diet of dogs and cats contain little if any grain. Indeed cats were originally domesticated to protect granaries because they would not eat grain. Grain is used in many commercial foods because they provide inexpensive calories and help hold the food together.

High Water Content

Almost all the natural foods that dogs and cats eat have a high water content. Liver, for instance, is 72% water. The water content of most vegetables and fruits is in the 90% range. Dry pet foods have less than 10% water. Dogs and cats were not meant to eat a diet of exclusively dry food.

High protein

The natural diet of a dog is high in protein, like Steve’s Real Food. Protein is best analyzed on a dry matter basis, with the water removed. On a dry matter basis, almost all natural foods are high in protein. Meat is 50% plus protein; vegetables are 30% plus protein. Indeed, we think it is unnatural for dogs to eat foods with less than 30% protein on a dry matter basis.

Making your own pet food

A word of advice:

As with making your own home cooked meals for your family, making homemade food for your pets is more cost effective.  If you plan to make your own food, there are many resources to help you. Dogwise.com has several books that can help you.

When done right, fed according to directions, these variety-based feeding programs maybe the absolute best ways to feed dogs. But please don’t take any shortcuts with these systems. You must do it right, or not at all. Calcium and phosphorous issues are usually the primary problems.