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Darwin's Food

Writer's picture: Jordan  Olson Jordan Olson

All About Olive

She’s my dog, not my child. And yet I’m so proud of her! She lost another three pounds! That brings her total weight loss to 5 pounds. On the other hand, I should be proud of myself, too. I’m the one who’s making the most effort. She’s just eating the delicious and healthy food I’m putting down for her twice a day.

But it’s me that’s had to make changes. I’ve become diligent about not giving her tastes of human food or nibble whatever’s fallen on the floor. Olive has a weakness for salty snacks, especially French fries, popcorn, and cheese crackers. On second thought, I’m the one with the salt cravings. She just took advantage of my generosity. It’s taken a lot of willpower, especially with the spills. I miss having an instant vacuum cleaner always at the ready. So I guess I should be proud of myself for not sharing my snacks anymore. And picking up kitchen scraps from the floor before she can grab them. And then because I can’t spoil one dog and deprive the other, my tiny, 7-pound Chihuahua doesn’t get to snack anymore either. I’ve turned into a strict dog mom.

And then there’s the walking. I’m the one who’s been more conscientious about taking walks. We’re not going out on her initiative. She never brings me the leash and says, “Whaddya say? Wanna take a stroll to the park?” Nope, I’m the one who has to put down the remote and make it happen.

The funny thing is, she has no clue that she’s on a diet or losing weight. In her eyes, nothing has changed. Except that she doesn’t eat kibble anymore. And let me tell you, the way she scarfs down her Darwin’s as fast as she can, she’s not missing it. When I read about what’s in kibble, it makes me sad for the dogs who eat it. Corn and wheat gluten, meat by-products, food dyes, rendered fat. Call me crazy but who wants to feed that garbage to their pet? For me, the worst is BHT (Butylated Hydroxytulene) and BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole), two chemically made preservatives that keep products with oils and fats from becoming rancid. Sounds okay and they’re generally recognized as “safe,” but those chemicals are also potential carcinogens, as per the World Health Organization. The State of California agrees.

I do my best to make sure my kids eat a balanced diet every day, and I definitely prefer organic so they’re not gobbling up chemicals and toxins. It’s important my pups are healthy too. It’s not just that I want them to live a long, healthy life, but I really can’t afford for them to get sick. You hear stories about pets with cancer and thousands spent on extending their lives. First, I can’t afford canine chemo. Second, I don’t know that I’d want to put my beloved pets through all that. So we’ll just stick with Darwin’s for now.

I’ll keep you updated on Olive’s doggie diet!

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