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MY GAPS*-FRIENDLY FURRY FRIENDS

Updated: Jun 9, 2023


My GAPS-Friendly Furry Friends  | Living in Wellness GAPS Blog

PENNY


Penny is the name of our little black shih tzu poodle! I have been feeding her mostly GAPS* foods for the past couple of years. We decided to change her diet when daily medication did not resolve her elevated liver/kidney test levels on her bi-yearly vet checkups.


Since she has transitioned to the GAPS* foods we haven't gotten her re-tested to see if the test results improved... We don't need the test results to know that she is happier, more energetic and enjoys eating the GAPS* food!


Some of the GAPS*-Foods that Penny enjoys eating are noted below:

  • Organ meat, any kind

  • Cooked meat, any kind

  • Ice cubes made from cooking organ meat with meat stock (or water)

  • Cooked eggs

  • Nutritional yeast

  • Dehydrated liver (NutriBites)

  • Green peas

  • Raw cabbage

  • Olive oil & coconut oil daily

  • Animal fat

  • Fermented yogurt

  • Cooked potato


The GAPS*-Foods that are unsuited for dogs, that I AVOID are follows:

  • Onions (so I have to be consciously aware that any meat stock, meat or organ meat is not cooked together with onions)

  • Cocoa


Some of the Non-GAPS* Foods that we give her as an occasional treat:

  • Homemade Dehydrated Sweet Potato


The noticeable advantages that we’ve noticed while feeding Penny GAPS* Foods are as follows:

  • Penny is SOOOO strong and muscular for her size!

  • She doesn’t beg for food at the dinner table!

  • More energy and loves to play! (compared to the lethargy we noticed before she came to GAPS*)


I do want to mention that feeding her GAPS* Foods does come at a cost. It’s likely equivalent to feeding a child! But every penny of the money spent on her has been worth it! We have no regrets!


Lastly, if Penny does cheat by having non-GAPS* Foods, it isn’t that detrimental. Here system can tolerate it in moderation.



 

SOPHIE

My GAPS-Friendly Furry Friends  | Living in Wellness GAPS Blog

Sophie is the name of my parent’s yorkie. She is much older than Penny. Since transitioning Penny onto GAPS* I have been trying to convince my parents to change Sophie’s diet to better her health. I was not successful in convincing them outright through rationalization. Instead, it happened accidentally purposefully! Let me explain… My parents leave Sophie with us when they go on holidays. During one of the weeks we babysat Sophie, I fed her mostly meat stock and got her hooked! When my parents came back from their holidays, I gifted them several bags of frozen meat stock ice-cubes. They would give it to Sophie as a post-holiday treat!


Then there was another time where we were babysitting Sophie while my parents were on vacation and I got her addicted to beef liver. In our household we joke that Beef Liver is Doggy-Cocaine, as the dogs go absolutely bonkers for it! So when Sophie returned home to my parents after their vacation ended, she refused to eat anything but Beef Liver! I had to teach my parents how to make it so they could feed Sophie! That goes to show you how much she needed the nutrition and how willing she was to abstain until she got it!



 


Other non-GAPS* family dogs


I love to brag that Penny eats homemade GAPS*-Food because I’ve seen what the difference makes. I feel so sorry for dogs that are fed processed food. It breaks my heart some days. Whenever I get passionate about this topic with other family members, I say to them “How would you like to eat processed crackers & cereals for the rest of your life?” (as if I’m trying to rationalize with them an analogous scenario to eating dried dog food). Or, I also get them thinking by throwing the following question at them: “What do you think naturally wild dogs eat, list some items for me?”


It is quite common for family members to complain about their kibble-fed dogs. Some of the most common complaints from them include:

  • Their dogs beg for food at the dinner table (Take note that I’ve heard their dogs begging at family dinners and the noise can be very intolerably loud based on how desperate these dogs are to get some table scraps)

  • Having to get their teeth pulled

  • Gum inflammation

  • Tartar


 


So far, because we introduced Penny to GAPS* at an early age, we haven’t had any issues to deal with. But I feel confident that any issues that do arise in the future can be properly taken care of through GAPS* wisdom and GAPS* practices.


I hope this has inspired you to incorporate healthier choices for your furry friend! The love you receive in return will be well worth it!


Tania






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