Nutrition
Nutrition is the foundation of health. Without a proper diet, the body is unable to utilize nutrients for growth, maintenance, and the natural aging process. Whole prey raw pet food is a species appropriate diet that must to feed your dog, cat, rabbit, horse in order for them to have the best chance at a long and healthy life.
Holly has always had a passion for animals. Caring for them in life and in death has always been with compassion and dignity. She has a love of all animals that goes back to her her childhood; trying to find homes for the stray animals she would find in the neighborhood because her family already had enough creatures. Growing up with parents who also loved animals and instilled the ideology of giving that pet the best environment possible to thrive is something she has passed on to her own children. The love of all creatures comes from being raised with fish, snakes, frogs, salamanders, newts, caiman alligators (yes it is true), turtles, cats, dogs and a bird. Holly once moved and took her turtle with her on the bus trip to Calgary!
Holly graduated as a Veterinary Technologist in Saskatoon at Kelsey SIAST in 1992. Immediately after graduation she and her husband and critters travelled to Winnipeg to start new jobs. For many years Holly worked hard at becoming an efficient Technologist but when the time came, chose to devote all her time to her infant son and became a stay-at-home mom. She was blessed with two children. With the developing health issues of her older child, Holly soon looked to outside sources for help with healing him. Providing him with drugs and not actually helping to make his body stronger was not an option. Proper nutrition made an impact on his health but it was not enough. Herbal medicine had another positive impact. However, it was Homeopathic medicine that had the biggest impact in helping to improve his health. Because of that, Holly decided to study Homeopathy for herself. She chose to dedicate her training to helping care for her animals as well as her family.
In 1999, Holly re-connected with a friend and breeder in Saskatoon that was making raw food for her kennel. She provided her with a recipe and Holly began feeding the fresh food to her own healthy dogs. Within months there were dramatic changes in the dog’s coats, stool, and general health. Her older German Shepherd’s arthritis disappeared! Plagued with hip dysplasia and arthritis in her shoulder, Teppo was very lame. But at 9 years of age with raw food, she was running like a puppy again. Sadly she died a year later of cancer. That initial recipe slowly turned into the Carnivora product she still feeds and recommends to this very day.
Her dog Silken, a Labrador/Shepherd cross that was adopted from the WHS at 5 weeks of age, lived to 16½ years of age; completely medication free. Her other Labrador cross, Balto lived to 16½ as well.
Holly has raised many kittens and puppies on raw food, including numerous “sick” puppies from northern Manitoba. Simply putting them on raw food and providing a few doses of Homeopathic supplements, turns the pup’s health around in days. Many of these pups have been re-homed but Holly does still have one of them. Her name is Maya.
In 2017, Holly graduated from the American Council of Animal Naturopathy with a degree in Animal Naturopathy. She is certified to work with dogs, cats, rabbits, and horses.
Holly’s passion for nutrition shows in her work and in her life.
Holly shares her home with 4 dogs, 6 cats, a rabbit, a tarantula, a gecko and 1 horse. She also has a very understanding husband and two children.
The opportunity to learn and grow sometimes comes with a cost. I’m sure that statement holds true for a lot of us. I kno
The opportunity to learn and grow sometimes comes with a cost. I’m sure that statement holds true for a lot of us. I know for me it certainly does. I learned the hard way the effect highly processed or "dead" food has on an individual; human or animal. It is For others, you may be hoping to eliminate that heartbreak or minimize the consequences of not acting on taking that leap into the natural world, or admitting you may have a behavior issue with your dog and just don’t know where to turn.
Cats
Cats are obligate carnivores and to feed them anything but fresh, whole food is to do them a huge disservice. Feeding cats dry food may cause health issues such as obesity, constipation, diabetes, and urinary crystals which may lead to bladder stones. Many of these health issues are easily prevented by feeding the correct diet. Not only does dry food contain a lot of carbohydrates, but because it contains very little moisture, it actually dehydrates the pet when it consumes it. The body has to use its own resources to digest the dry food, thus pulling moisture from its own body, and putting it in a state of dehydration. Cats naturally do not drink a lot of water so they tend to not drink enough to replace the moisture lost from eating dry food, which ultimately results in dehydration, leading to the health issues stated above.
Because cats are obligate carnivores, they have a dietary need for protein. Dry food usually does not provide enough protein in the diet so cats try and eat enough to satisfy it. Pet guardians often believe that their pets are hungry for calories, but in fact they are literally “starving” for protein and other nutrients. So they eat, and eat, and eat, and put the weight on because they cannot get enough protein etc. on a daily basis in order to meet their nutritional requirements.
Cats, being carnivores, must get their moisture from the food they eat. Whole prey raw food provides what they need in both nutrients and water content.
Dogs
Dogs are carnivores but they are not strict obligate carnivores like cats. I like to call dogs “garbage hounds” because they can survive on almost anything, unlike cats. Dogs can eat vegetables, starches, grains, fruits, and of course meat. However, the closer the diet is to what their ancestors the wolf would eat, the healthier dogs will be. It is the difference between surviving and thriving. The more species appropriate the diet is, the stronger the immune system is, and the less likely the dog is to succumb to health issues.
Whole prey raw food provides dogs with optimal amounts of nutrients, unlike dry foods that provide minimal nutritional requirements. Because the nutrients are in a natural form, anything extra that the dog doesn’t need will be excreted in the urine and feces. For example, extra calcium will be excreted in the stool, turning the feces a whitish color and hardening it to a chalky consistency within 24 hours. Tweaking the diet based on the nutritional needs of the dog is fairly easy to do.
Contrary to popular belief, vegetables are not a requirement for a young, healthy dog. Vegetables can throw off the body’s pH, potentially resulting in one of a variety of issues such as bladder skin, or ear issues. Setting the stage for a lifetime of health is best when the proper nutrients are provided in the most natural manner possible; raw whole prey.
Mother Nature really knows best.