What Does All Natural Mean?
Today’s post is gently recycled, but I’ll be amending parts to reflect my and my dogs’ journey since writing. This is one of my first blog posts, in celebration of our five year blogging anniversary. I’ve battled cancer since then, and am on a different health journey now. But I still believe in all natural, both for myself and my dogs.
What does all natural mean, and why should you care whether or not what you give your fluffy best friend is all natural? Simply put, and this is how Jones Natural Chews describes it, all natural means nothing artificial. Ever. At all. Nothing manufactured to create an ingredient. The ingredients are grown from plants or animals, or come directly from minerals.
All Natural for Humans, and Vegan for Me
Let me tell you a short story about a human. Me.
About eight months ago I decided to go all natural with my diet. I went so far as becoming a vegan. Don’t get me wrong – I didn’t give up coffee with artificial creamer and refined sugar. I mean, I’m not crazy, understand.
But I pretty much gave up everything else.
I did this for one reason, and it was not to lose weight, though I could stand to lose a whole person worth.
I don’t want to be the 60 year old woman in WalMart on the hoveround, asking some punk covered in tatts for help. Amended – now I most certainly am using the hoveround, and at not quite 50. This is because of peripheral neuropathy in my feet as a result of chemotherapy last year, battling cancer. While my feet recover a tiny bit every day, I may still always opt for a motorized cart when I shop. *sigh*
Not that I have anything against tattoos.
In three weeks I noticed a difference. Mainly:
- My weekly migraines disappeared. They were hormonal, so really they were monthly, but they’d built over 20 years to being weekly. GONE.
- My heartburn disappeared. No more monthly purchases of Prilosec!
- I stopped having to wear deodorant. Yeah. Weird, huh?
That all told me that:
- The hormones in my diet have really been screwing with me. Meat, dairy, and who knows what else?
- The additives in my diet make me stink. Literally. How else to explain the lack of odor when switching to all natural food?
Last year I battled rectal cancer. To read about that journey, click here. I still don’t have clear answers about why it happened or how I could have prevented it, but my weight probably played a part. I’m currently losing weight and eating healthier.
Should My Dog Be On An All Natural Diet?
Now, I can’t guarantee that switching your dog to an all natural diet will mean a longer life or fewer aches and pains in their old age, less doggy smell, or anything else. But for Pete’s sake – if it works for people, why not for critters? Have you read the ingredient list on your dog’s food? Do you know what’s in it? Do you make your dog’s food? Pop over to Kimberly’s blog, Keep the Tail Wagging, and see how she feeds her dogs. It’s a pretty amazing site devoted to raw food. Myself, I feed my dogs a combo of grain free kibble and raw.
Should You Give Your Dog All Natural Treats?
Think about the treats you give your fur baby. In fact, go get the box or bag right now. Go ahead.
I’ll wait.
Got it? Where are the treats made? Made in the USA? Can you pronounce all of the ingredients? Are the ingredients all natural?
If you answered no to those questions, I’d invite you to rethink your baby’s treats. And I’d like you to think about finding some Jones Natural Chews for your sweet dog. Head to their FAQ page if you want to know more. Like the casings on their sausages – the same ones used for human consumption. And glycerin? What the heck is that and why is it the one weird ingredient in a Jones Natural Chew? Go find out! The answer is really kinda cool.
Giveaways
I know you want to try our all natural treats with your dog. Luckily for you, Jones Natural Chews is holding TWO giveaways! The first is giving some lucky dog three treats of their own choosing! Click here to get to that giveaway, making sure you tweet about it! The second is our usual giveaway – those happen every two weeks. Click here to enter to win a two ingredient Bully n Bacon for your dog, and don’t forget to tweet about it! Your dog will smile. Dogs know the difference, people!
Spreading the good chews …
Flea