Your Dog and Your Cat 



bohydrates or starches. Vegetable foods contain 

 a large amount of water, fiber and starches, with 

 only a small quantity of protein. Thus, to acquire 

 the amount of protein necessary, the dog must con- 

 sume a large volume of vegetable foods, while the 

 same nourishment could be obtained from a small 

 quantity of meat. Furthermore, the knowledge 

 gained from the feeding of dogs, both experi- 

 mentally and in the treatment of disease, has shown 

 that the more concentrated the food the easier it is 

 digested. 



Foods 



Meats — Beef. — Of all meats beef Is most exten- 

 sively used since it is served more frequently in 

 the ordinary household. It may be given raw and 

 in this form is most easily digested and of greater 

 food value, because none of its nutritiveness is lost 

 in the preparation. The meat should be ground 

 preferably at home, for that which the butcher 

 prepares contains too much fat and gristle. Raw 

 beef should not be made the exclusive diet, except 

 in certain conditions, for, although it supplies all 

 of the energy needed by the body, it lacks the fats 

 and sugars necessary to keep the animal robust. For 

 this reason, it may be given alone and in small 

 quantities to reduce fat animals. The raw meat i^ 

 so thoroughly digested that but little waste material 

 is left, and thus the stool is scanty. This lack of 

 bulk sometimes induces constipation. Occasionally 



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