Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Get off the gravy train and get on the fresh food for your dog bandwagon. They need fresh food just like we do. They get diabetes and auto immune disease, just like us, if they don't eat whole fresh foods designed for their metabolism. They can get depressed, overweight and lethargic, just like us, if they eat wheat and corn and canola oils. Dump the kibble and the canned food with grains. These sweet friends of ours digest like their ancestors, the wolves.

Get your pals off the SAD (Standard American Diet) that makes you sad and sick and prepare fresh proteins (raw and slightly seared meat, lamb and chicken), vegetables, including lightly steamed broccoli, cabbage, carrots, sweet potatoes and peas, add some fresh blueberries and good fats like raw butter, coconut oil and fish oil and your 4-pawed friends will howl with joy... Think of feeding them the colors of the Brainbow that I teach about for humans.

A totally raw diet may work for some, but not all dogs can tolerate that, especially at the start. I always freeze raw organic sources of protein before serving. I find Xoco can tolerate 1 raw meal a day topped with a "medicine ball" and a teaspoon of lightly seared beef or lamb, and then I supplement his evening meal with primal nuggets, which are freeze dried raw lamb and berries.

Xoco also loves his lightly steamed Brussel sprouts with butter and a touch of sea salt and baked sweet potato topped with a touch of coconut oil. This balance keeps his bowels flowing at just the right speed and consistency. You will learn about your pup as you go along and experiment with slowly changing their diets.

How to start?

1) Make a list of your dog's symptoms and health issues. Consider how they may be triggered or exacerbated by the foods s/he is eating.

2) Allergies? You can accomplish a lot by aligning your dog's biological needs with the fresh species specific food and thus reduce allergens in food and strengthen your dog's adrenal and immune capacity to respond effectively to allergenic exposures.

3) Pain? Pain and inflammation go together; reduce pro-inflammatory foods (grains and poor quality oils) and your dog will avoid the joint pain that affects so many dogs young and old.

4) Identify the sources of food s/he is eating? Is it kibble? fresh? freeze dried? does it have additives, coloring or preservatives? Grains or canola oil? Most commercial foods, even the best ones, use poor quality ingredients.

5) Finally, by feeding your dog healthy food and nutrients you will be able to reduce medications and prevent the use of many medications currently used for allergies and pain.

6) Transitioning to fresh food takes about a month; start slowly by changing the ratio of types of foods and adding in a little fresh and/or raw food to each meal until you find the right balance.

Trying to get veggies and vitamins into the mix? Try a Natural Medicine Ball!

Xoco is a very fussy eater; a little dab of raw butter whets his appetite and they he eagerly eats his medicinal ball made of slightly steamed vegetables and fresh fruits, a carnivore vitamin and mineral pack, pro biotics, raw butter, coconut oil, dehydrated liver and milk thistle every day. Your medicine ball may contain variations based on your dog's needs. The trick is to have all the supplements in powdered or liquid form and mix in a based of ground vegetables and butter and oil.

We prepare these "balls" every 2 weeks:

• Steam some broccoli, Brussel sprouts, carrots, sweet potatoes and peas.

• When slight steamed, (not too soft, not too hard,) blend them in food processor with a 1-2 organic free range eggs (shells and all, very slightly poached).

• Add fresh or frozen blueberries, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, 2 tablespoons of raw butter and a little sea salt. Don't liquefy too much but make sure it is all smoothly blended. Empty into a bowl and add the measured powdered vitamins and probiotics. I also add a liquid amino acid formula.

• Spread out on a piece of parchment and it should be thick enough so that you can now take a knife and divide it into servings and roll into balls, place in a plastic container and then freeze. Each day you can take one out and add it to the protein you serve your pup.

Supplement with Nutrients and Herbs

It is always advisable to supplement with a good quality multivitamin and multimineral and probiotic, especially when making fresh food. I use pharmaceutical grade RX vitamins designed for dogs, and you can get a 20 percent discount at my online portal when you shop HERE.

For an in-depth Belly Rub of a read, check out my favorite book, Canine Nutrigenomics: The New Science of Feeding Your Dog for Optimum Health, written by the eminent veterinarian Dr. W. Jean Dodds and the Nutritionist Diana Laverdure. It's available for purchase at Amazon.com.

Leslie Korn has lived and worked in Banderas Bay since 1973 conducting research in Traditional Medicine of Mexico. She is a Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health-educated clinician in clinical practice in Mental Health Nutrition, Integrative Medicine and the prevention of dementia and cognitive decline. She is the author of 7 books including the latest, 'The Good Mood Kitchen.' To learn more about her work, visit DrLeslieKorn.com. She can be reached at lekorn(at)cwis.org.

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