Minerals are another concern because since the late 1800's, America's farm soils have been stripped of their minerals and trace elements. The result is such a severe mineral depletion that the mineral levels of our industrially grown staple crops are insufficient to provide and maintain good health. The most widely used chemical fertilizers contain only two or three minerals, not the 72 trace elements found in nature.
Mineral deficiencies interfere with vitamin absorption, digestion and the health of every body system, from the brain's electrical circuitry to the healthy operation of the heart, circulatory system, reproductive organs, skeleton, skin, lungs and everything else. A lifetime of health problems can be prevented by feeding puppies, kittens and other young animals the minerals their growing bodies require.
Seaweeds such as kelp and dulse provide dozens of minerals, including iodine. Brazil nuts are rich in selenium. Blackstrap molasses and wheat germ contain substantial magnesium. Organ meats provide substantial iron and potassium. Bones offer calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and other minerals in perfect balance; bone marrow is rich in copper and iron. The advantage to food-derived minerals is that they are easy to assimilate and in proportions that living bodies utilize well. Ian Billinghurst based his dog diet on bones because they provide a puppy's most complete and balanced supply of minerals, preventing hip dysplasia, growth defects, wobbler syndrome, dropped hocks, spayed feet and bone cysts. "We have been breeding Great Danes and Rottweilers for years," he explains. "The bone problems our dogs had been experiencing disappeared the moment we began to raise our puppies on a bone-based diet." Billinghurst cautions breeders and owners that the larger the breed, the more important it is not to use calcium supplements because these supplements have been shown to disrupt the balance of minerals needed by the body and exacerbate bone and growth problems.
Whenever it's necessary to provide a mineral supplement, consider using a liquid or powder that contains most or all of the elements found in nature rather than a product that contains only one, two or five minerals. Mineral supplements derived from plant material, ocean water or salt lakes are easily absorbed, well tolerated and in natural balance.
In fact, one of the most important supplements for any dog, cat, horse, cow, llama, goat, rabbit, bird, tropical fish, reptile or other pet may be salt - not any salt, but unrefined, unprocessed sea salt, which contains only 80 to 83 percent sodium chloride, with the remaining 17 to 20 percent consisting of moisture and 84 trace elements in the proportions needed by all of the earth's animals, human included.
Recommended uses: Sprinkle a small amount of unrefined sea salt on fatty foods to improve digestion and assimilation. Add a pinch to each bowl of drinking water and to every meal, using more for large animals and tiny amounts for small pets.
Do not use refined table salt, kosher salt or sea salt that has been boiled or heated during processing. If the salt is bright white or has the familiar taste of table salt, it won't contribute to your pet's good health. Look for naturally dried sea salt that is slightly gray in color with a taste that's very different from that of table salt. |
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