About Laura Murphy Expertise Do you have a question about nutrition, including which food is best for your pet and which should be avoided? If you’re researching homecooked or raw diets, this is the place. I can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about raw feeding. Do you want to know whether or not you need to supplement your pet’s diet and, if so, which supplements are for you? I can help you with just about any question regarding canine and feline nutrition and feeding. Although I believe in the benefits of raw feeding, I respect anyone trying to do the best thing for their pets and will answer questions on any type of pet food.
I can address many areas of holistic pet care, including illness, homeopathic remedies, herbal remedies, and flower essences. We can talk about everything from vaccinating (and when not to), to skin problems, to cancer. Please note that I am not a veterinarian and any health-related information is from my personal experience and research, but I can be a good resource.
I can also answer your questions about pet rescue, including when to use them and what kind of pet is right for you. And I love controversial subjects like puppy mills and animal experimentation. If I don’t know the answer to your question immediately, I’ll research it for you.
Basically, if you’re got a pet question – fire away. Chances are, I’ll have something you can use.
Laura Murphy
Experience An animal lover and owner all my life, I spent years as a foster parent for a national rescue group and as a volunteer at my local Humane League. Many years ago, I began researching and using natural health care methods to treat both my pets and my family. I have worked with holistic vets to develop and provide custom homeopathic and Bach Flower Essence blends for their clients. In 2002, I started Pets By Nature to give pet owners who are seeking a healthier and more natural way to feed and care for their pets a reliable source of education, support, guidance, and products. Relying on honesty, integrity, and openness with respect to natural health care for companion animals, I am able to provide quality products, services, and information with the intent of helping interested pet owners learn about and practice a more natural method of pet nutrition and health care.
Education/Credentials I am a college graduate and full time Business Systems Analyst. I have written many articles for publication on my web site and throughout the local pet community. I have been a vendor at local dog shows and do public speaking on the topics of pet nutrition and holistic health care.
Past/Present Clients My clients range from new pet owners to 4th generation raw feeding breeders. I enjoy a wonderful professional relationship with several veterinary practices who refer my diets, supplements, and homeopathics to many of their clients. I ship supplements and flower essences all over the world, and provide a quality frozen raw food to the Central Pennsylvania area. Virtually all of my marketing is word-of-mouth referrals from my current clients and I consider them all my extended family.
Question Hi Laura I recently started reading up on raw diets and am very eager to start my dog on it. But what do I have to do to wheen him out of his kibble. I read an article on line that said to just start them cold turkey. He is a four and a half month old dachshund. he weighs about 9lbs. that will be his adult weight also. I have been feeding him Nutro wich im really happy with but I want him to be even healthier. if you could give me a way to start him on this diet and maybe some recepies to make him enjoy this new diet without getting sick. I would really appreciate it. thanks. thanks so much for your time.
Answer Oscar,
Congratulations on your puppy and your desire to feed him a healthy raw diet. I switched mine cold turkey and had no problem with the healthy dogs. My Brittany with the severe IBS suffered some digestive upset for about 2 weeks, but he's been great for the last 7 years.
There are some good sites out there for starting out. Check out:
Also a great idea (and what I did originally) is to join one or more raw feeding groups. Yahoo groups has several good ones. You can get a lot of good information on those from people who've been doing it for years. Keep in mind, though, that there are a thousand different opinions on raw feeding. Don't listen to anyone who tells you it has to be a certain way or it's wrong. Go with the moderate advice that recognizes every dog is an individual and that there are many "right" ways to do it. Start slow, maybe with a couple of chicken wings and nothing else for a few weeks. That's what I did. I gradually added raw veggies that I put through a juicer to grind up. Your puppy is young and will adapt easily to anything, but you want to add new foods gradually. If he's getting meat and bones, he'll be fine. As you go along, you can try all sorts of other things and offer lots of variety but don't worry about it to start. Do some reading and go from there. You want to shoot for about 2% of his body weight to start with which is about 3 ounces of food a day. That's not much and you'll be tempted to overfeed him. We all are, especially when they show how much they love it. But stick to the plan and watch his weight. If it starts going up, cut back. If it starts going down, feed a little more. I have a client with 5 yorkies and some, although they weigh exactly the same, get very different amounts based on their activity and metabolism.
