< A version of this article was published in the Winter 2017 issue of Maine DOG Magazine and on my blog at GreenAcresKennel.com >
< Updated 2025-05-11 >
< The link to this page – https://forcefreepets.com/petnutritionourstorywithgus/ >
The first four things I tell my clients and students about pet nutrition are; 1) Quality, wholesome nutrition from fresh, whole foods is fundamental to good health, 2) all pet food companies and pet foods are NOT the same, 3) there is no single brand or
formula of pet food that is the “best” for all pets, and 4) Be wary when seeking advice on pet nutrition, as the pet food world can be a deceptive place. Considering the latter, you are probably asking yourself, “Why should I trust what this guy has to say about pet nutrition?” So, I will start with some background on why I am so passionate about this topic, and hopefully, you will find that I am worthy of your trust.
I became interested in pet nutrition long before I knew I would become a pet care professional. My interest was not driven by choice but by necessity. My wife and I adopted our Cairn Terrier Gus in 1991. Before Gus had been with us for a year, he started to have chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs). Our veterinarian tried all the conventional treatments, and without fail, the infections kept coming back.
Crystals are often present in the urine when a dog has a UTI. Gus had two types of crystals in his urine: calcium oxalate crystals, which occur when the urine is acidic, and triple phosphate or struvite crystals, which occur in urine when it is alkaline or basic. If you remember your high school chemistry, you will recall that acids and bases are opposites. Measured on a numerical pH (Hydrogen potential) scale,
seven is neutral, less than seven is acidic, and more than seven is basic.
The pH of Gus’s urine could swing between 5 and 8 in 24 hours, going from basic to acidic and back. This variation in pH was just one more conundrum in determining what was going on with him, but our veterinarian was convinced it was a nutritional issue. As a result, he had us purchase several bags of different brands and formulas of pet food. We would feed Gus x kibbles of one brand and y kibbles of another brand while monitoring his urinary pH and keeping records of our results. We did this for several weeks, and there was still no significant change. The infection cleared up, but the crystals remained; they continued to irritate Gus; urethra, and he continued having accidents and infections. We kept trying different foods and measuring pH to no avail, and Gus eventually had to have a bladder stone removed.
In the summer of 1994, we vacationed in Maine, and while we were there, my wife purchased a copy of Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats by Dr. Richard Pitcairn. After reading the book, Paula started preparing Gus’
food from scratch, based on recipes in Dr. Pitcairn’s book. We tried different recipes and measured Gus’ urinary pH, but there were still no significant, lasting improvements.
We moved to Maine in the fall of 1995 when we purchased Green Acres Kennel Shop, and Gus’ UTIs remained a part of our lives. In the spring of 1997, a pet food distributor entered the store to convince us to sell his pet food brand. We were not looking for another food then, but we started sharing dog stories as we chatted. We told him about Gus and his UTIs, and then we realized we had something in common; he also had a dog with crystals in his urine. He told us his dogs’ UTIs resolved when he started feeding his brand of food,
supplemented by a probiotic and a pH supplement manufactured by the company he represented. He offered us a free six-week supply of the food and supplements, saying, “Try it and let me know what you think.” At this point, we had been dealing with Gus’ UTIs for over five years, and thought, what have we got to lose? Before we had used the six-week supply, we saw marked improvement in Gus’ urinary health and decided we needed to learn more about this pet food and supplement company.
We started feeding this brand of food to our pets and selling it in our store. This company strongly
believes in education, so we started reading the books written by the company’s owner, a veterinarian. His approach to nutrition was very different from other pet food companies. When asked, “Why shouldn’t we feed our pets only dry pet food, even if it’s a quality brand?” he responded:
“For the same reasons people would not eat the same tired old packaged product at every meal for a lifetime. We intuitively know variety and freshness are linked to health. 100% is not known about nutrition, and it is therefore absurd to claim one can fabricate a 100% complete diet. It seems that the ideal would be for people to make their own pet foods, but many people are too busy for this. The critical thing is to know the ideal, and for pet carnivores that is their natural prey diet–fresh, whole, and raw. Since it is never possible to achieve the ideal at all times, compromises must be made. By keeping the diet as close to the ideal as possible, one makes the fewest compromises and thus has the best chance at health.” [emphasis added]
Wow! The owner of a pet food company is saying that fresh, whole food prepared by a pet’s guardian is a better choice than any commercial pet food. That is not something I ever expected to hear from the owner of a pet food company, but at a common-sense level, everything he said makes perfect sense. This prompted us to start reading everything we could on pet nutrition as we wanted to feed our pets as best as we could afford while helping our clients do the same.
We have been on this pet nutrition journey since 1991. We learn new things all the time while watching the continually changing cast of characters in the pet food world. It takes effort to keep current with all these changes, but we feel it is necessary because we must look out for our pets.