Lengthen your pet’s life with Brazil Nuts
Submitted by The Cat/Dog Log Blog
Here’s a scary statistic - one out of three dogs will die of cancer. According to Dr. Mercola, what you feed your dog (or cat) can make a big difference in their overall health and their ability to fight off disease. If your pet’s diet is composed mainly of over-processed, grain based foods and synthetic vitamins and minerals, you’re setting them up for many potential health risks. According to Dr. Mercola, even the best of the healthy dry foods are in this category.
Selenium, an essential trace mineral, is necessary for normal functioning of the immune system for humans as well as our pets. Animal studies have shown high selenium levels are effective at preventing cancer, but the form of the selenium is important. The natural food-derived form has beneficial effects that human-synthesized selenium does not. Most dog foods, dry and canned, use an inorganic type of selenium (sodium selenite or sodium selenate) which is considered toxic according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Selenium deficiency can cause problems such as Kashin-Beck disease, a degeneration of the articular cartiliage between the joints, thyroid disease, and many varieties of cancer. Natural forms of selenium can be stored by the body, whereas selenite cannot, which tells me that our pet’s bodies probably cannot use the inorganic forms found in most dry foods. As for cats, Pottenger’s study of cats showed nutritional deficiencies get worse with each generation.
Broccoli and other vegetables are a good source of natural selenium but the levels can vary according to the amount of selenium in the soil where they’re grown. However Brazil Nuts provide a reliable source of selenium and the fresher the better, with freshly shelled Brazil Nuts being the best. Dr. Mercola recommends adding 1/2 of a crushed Brazil Nut per day for every 50 pounds of your dog’s weight. For toy breeds 10 pounds or less, 1 crushed nut per week is adequate.
The article focuses on dogs and doesn’t give information for feeding Brazil Nuts to cats, but according to the ASPCA, Brazil Nuts are not toxic to cats and dogs. Please use caution when supplementing your pet’s food and use in moderation according to the weight examples given above to avoid stomach upset from too large a quantity. Another word of caution: while Brazil Nuts are good for your pet, the similar looking Macadamia Nut is not and is poisonous to pets.
