diana laverdure

Welcome to 15 Steps to Raising the Healthiest Pet You Know.

I’m Diana Laverdure, award-winning dog health writer, pet nutritionist and co-author
of the groundbreaking new book, Canine Nutrigenomics: The New Science of
Feeding Your Dog for Optimum Health. As a pet nutrition activist, I recognize that the
pet food system is broken, and I’m inviting you to help me fix it.

While just four global pet food companies control the foods most of our dogs and cats eat, pet obesity
and chronic disease are skyrocketing. What does this say about the quality of the nutrition these
companies are providing our beloved animal companions?

Moreover, it’s almost impossible to find cutting-edge, science-backed nutrition information that isn’t
influenced by the agenda of some pet food trade organization, pet food manufacturer, retail sales outlet
or even veterinary association. I founded Pet Food Diva to provide that information.

True health begins at the deepest cellular level. This new way of looking at the relationship between food
and health is called nutrigenomics. Nutrigenomics is the study of how foods communicate with our cells
and cause our genes to turn “on” (activate) or turn “off” (suppress). In a nutshell, this means that while
we can’t change the genes we were born with, we can change the way these genes express, or behave.

Responding to environmental signals, unhealthy gene expression leads to a variety of chronic

inflammatory diseases, ranging from arthritis to cancer, while healthy gene expression enables the body
to fight off disease and live in a state of physiological balance.

To help our pets achieve vibrant health, we must nourish them with the types of food that
promote optimum gene expression.

These 15 steps are a great start, but of course there is so much more. For the latest information, be sure
to grab a copy of Canine Nutrigenomics: The New Science of Feeding Your Dog for Optimum Health,
check your inbox each week for my tips and resources and hop on over to Pet Food Diva to catch my
newest blog posts and videos.

To your pet’s health,

diana laverdure

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 15 Steps to Raising the Healthiest Pet You Know

Step 1: Take control of your pet’s nutrition.

YOU are the best person for the job. Why? Because you know your dog or cat better than anyone
else—even your veterinarian. And NOBODY loves your pet like you do. So don’t be bullied by “experts”
who claim to know better. Your pet is counting on you to step up to the plate (or, rather, bowl!) and serve
up foods that will nourish him at the deepest cellular level. Commit to your pet’s nutrition today.

Step 2: Educate yourself.

Now that you’ve committed to taking control of your pet’s nutrition, you’ll want to make sure you’re
educated on the topic! I urge you to choose your educational sources wisely. There is a LOT of
misinformation about pet health and nutrition floating around on the Web. I see it all the time and it
angers me, because people follow it in good faith and could end up doing more harm than good for their
pets. So, please be cautious about who you follow; be sure they are reputable, well credentialed and that
their only agenda is your pet’s health. Here are some experts I love:
Dr. Jean Dodds, Dr. Nancy Kay, Dr. Shawn Messonnier and, of course, my site, Pet Food Diva.

Step 3: Choose the right partner.

All pet parents need a trusted partner in their pet’s care, and that partner should, first and foremost, be
your veterinarian. The right veterinary partner can do wonders for your pet’s health and even add years
to his life. Unfortunately, not all veterinarians deserve to partner with you or to care for your beloved
pet. If your veterinarian thinks she knows everything, refuses to listen to your concerns, dismisses your
ideas or otherwise makes you feel uncomfortable, it’s time to move on. Also move on if your veterinarian
bashes raw diets or refuses to treat pets fed a raw diet.

Blanket “raw diet bashing” shows that the vet is lumping all raw diets together under one umbrella and
that she is not open-minded enough to investigate and recognize the vast array of raw diets available
and the variations in safety and quality that exist between them. Listen to your gut, just as you would do
in any relationship. And never trust your pet’s care to anyone you are not head over heels in “love” with—
no matter how much they try to persuade you that they know best. In fact, the more they try to persuade
you that they know best, the more likely you should find someone new.

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 Step 4: If you can’t understand the
ingredients, skip the food.
Does the label on your dog or cat’s food read more
like a list of ingredients you’d find in a laboratory than
a grocery store? If so, it is not sending messages of
optimum cellular health to your pet. I strongly urge you
toss it (or, better yet, return it) and select a food with real
ingredients—the kind you would eat yourself!

As you read the label, imagine you are walking up and down the grocery store aisles. Would you find the
ingredients in the produce section, the dairy section, the meat section—or no section? If you wouldn’t
find the ingredients listed at your grocery store, move on to another product.

Step 5: Ditch foods with chemical additives.

Many mass-market commercial pet foods contain one or more chemical additives, such as artificial
colors, flavors and palatability enhancers; emulsifying agents such as stabilizers and thickeners;
humectants (substances that help foods retain moisture), such as sorbitol and polydextrose; and
chemical preservatives, such as Butylated hyroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and
ethoxyquin. [1] These chemicals can send unhealthy messages to your dog’s cells, creating system-wide
inflammation that leads to chronic disease.

If your pet’s food contains chemical additives, ditch it and find one that doesn’t. Fortunately,
there are plenty of chemical-free alternatives available.

Step 6: Steer clear of dangerous “vitamin” K3.

Vitamin K3 (Menadione Sodium Bisulfate) (also listed as Menadione Dimethyl- Pyrimidinol Bisulfate,
Menadione Dimethyl-Pyrimidinol Bisulfite, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex, Menadione Sodium
Bisulfite and Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex) is a synthetic form of vitamin K (the natural forms are
vitamin K1 and vitamin K2) used as an inexpensive vitamin K supplement in some commercial pet foods.

Menadione has been implicated in a variety of dangerous effects on the body, including damaging the
natural vitamin K cycle (natural vitamin K is essential for blood clotting), cytotoxicity in liver cells, possible
mutagenic effects, weakening of the immune system, irritation of skin and mucous membranes, allergic
reactions, eczema and toxicity in high doses. [2]

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Step 7: Just say no to GMO.
Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material
(DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally, e.g., through the introduction
of a gene from a different organism. [ 3] – World Heath Organization

Genetically engineered crops are patented inventions developed mainly by six chemical companies—
Monsanto, Dow, BASF, Bayer, Syngenta and DuPont. Most GM crops were invented so they could be
sprayed with more weed-killing herbicides without harming the genetically engineered plant. [4]

Not surprisingly, the top three GM crops grown in the U.S. are corn, soybeans and cotton [ 4 ] —two
of which (corn and soybeans) are common ingredients in many mass-market commercial pet foods.

To date, 62 countries have passed federal laws requiring labeling of GMO foods; however the US is not
one of them. [4] As a proponent of creating diets that communicate healthy messages to our pets’ cells, I
strongly advise against feeding ingredients that have had their DNA genetically modified.

Step 8: Beware of pet food marketing claims.

Many pet food manufacturers attempt to lure consumers with images of fresh, wholesome foods and
tempting claims such as “natural”, “holistic”, “premium” and “gourmet.” However, these terms are
essentially meaningless. Why? Because they have not been legally defined by the US Food and Drug
Administration’s (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine, which, along with the states, creates and enforces
pet food regulations.

I’ve seen “natural” products packed with processed ingredients, such as refined flour and sugar, which
send pro-inflammatory messages to the cells. According to the FDA:

Products labeled as premium or gourmet are not required to contain any different or higher
quality ingredients, nor are they held up to any higher nutritional standards than are any other
complete and balanced products. [8]

The bottom line: choose your dog or cat’s food based on the quality of the ingredients, not on catchy—
and meaningless—marketing claims.

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Step 9: Go organic when possible.
While claims like “natural”, “gourmet”, “holistic” and “premium” hold no real value, “organic” does have
meaning because the term is legally defined and regulated for both human and pet food by the USDA’s
National Organic Program (NOP), which sets and enforces national standards for organic products.

Organic pet foods do not contain antibiotics or growth hormones (in food production animals),
GMOs, ionizing radiation, pesticides, sewage sludge or synthetic fertilizers. [ 5] [6]

Since organic foods cost more, I suggest creating an

“organic priority list” to help you pick and choose which
organic foods to invest in. To create your list, check out
the Environmental Working Group. The EWG provides
research-based information about the toxins in our food
supply and environment, so that we can make healthier
choices about how we live.

Each year, the EWG releases two important lists to help us reduce our exposure to pesticides from
fruits and vegetables: the Dirty Dozen Plus™ reveals the 12+ fruits and veggies that contain the most
pesticides, while the Clean 15™ tells us the 15 that contain the least. [ 5]

Step 10: Say “bye bye” to animal by-products.

According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), poultry by-product meal:

Consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered poultry, such as
necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as
might occur unavoidably in good processing practices.

We will delve into the intricacies of protein often at Pet Food Diva, but for now let’s just say that dogs
and cats don’t gain optimum health at the cellular level from eating poor quality protein sources such as
animal heads, feet, backs and intestines as their primary protein source. But that’s not the only problem
with animal by-products.

A huge industry called the rendering industry exists to convert by-products from animals into a variety of
ingredients used in industrial and consumer goods, from candles to by-product meals used in pet foods.

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A 2004 report to Congress titled Animal Rendering: Economics and Policy states:

Renderers annually convert 47 billion pounds or more of raw animal materials into
approximately 18 billion pounds of products. Sources for these materials include meat
slaughtering and processing plants (the primary one); dead animals from farms, ranches,
feedlots, marketing barns, animal shelters, and other facilities; and fats, grease, and other food
waste from restaurants and stores. [ 7]

Take a good look at this list of “materials.” It sounds like the script for a horror movie, including animal
shelters! Such “ingredients” certainly do not promote optimum cellular health in our pets.

Step 11: Steer clear of high-glycemic carbohydrates.

When you hear the word carbohydrate, images of bread, pasta, cereal and other processed foods likely
pop into your mind. These foods, often referred to as “junk” carbs, contain sugary, refined ingredients
that rank high on the Glycemic Index (GI), an index that rates ingredients by how quickly and how high
they cause blood sugar levels to rise after eating them.

High-GI carbohydrates trigger the body to produce a chronic inflammatory response, contributing to a
variety of health problems including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and cancer. Common high-
GI carbohydrates in pet foods include corn, sugar, wheat (white or whole wheat) and white rice.

You may have noticed that I have not included white potatoes on this list, even though they rank high on
the GI. The reason is because white potatoes are soothing to the bowel and liver and can benefit pets
suffering from certain health conditions, such as gastrointestinal issues and liver disease. However, do
not over-feed white potatoes to an otherwise healthy animal.

Step 12: Keep your pet fit and trim.

According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, 52.6% of dogs and 57.6% of cats are
overweight. And while you might find your “chubby” pet cute, extra pounds mean a shorter life for our
animal companions—up to 2.5 years shorter. Overweight pets are at greater risk for a variety of diseases,
including osteoarthritis, heart and respiratory disease, kidney disease, insulin resistance and Type 2
diabetes, high blood pressure and many forms of cancer. [9] Say “I love you” by helping your dog or cat
shed those extra pounds and achieve his or her ideal weight. For pet obesity information and weight loss
tools, visit petobesityprevention.org.

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Step 13: Clean up your pet’s environment.
Diet plays a huge role in regulating gene expression, but
non-nutritional environmental factors also send messages to
the cells to create health or disease. Detoxifying your pet’s
environment is an important part of any health protocol.

Environmental hazards include:

Household products, such as chemical cleaners,

laundry detergent, bleach, dishwashing detergent,
air fresheners and floor and carpet cleaners.

Lawn/garden products such as pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers & pool products.

Construction materials, such as drywall, asbestos, insulation, paints, varnishes and adhesives.

Automotive products, such as antifreeze, break fluid, lubricants and sealants.

Personal care products, such as deoderants, shampoos, sunscreens, hair sprays & perfume.

Pet care products, such as insect repellents, cat litter, flea and tick collars and shampoos.

Batteries and battery fluid.

Step 14: Hold that needle.

Vaccines have achieved many important benefits for companion animals, however over-vaccination of
already protected pets can lead to a host of health issues resulting from vaccinosis (reactions and side
effects of vaccines).

This is especially true for animals with compromised immune

systems, since vaccines represent a stressor that could prove
to be the “tipping point” between health and disease.

Vaccines can even cause susceptibility to chronic diseases that

appear later in life. Side effects range from mild (e.g.—fever,
vomiting, sore joints) to severe (e.g.— infections, neurological
disorders, aberrant behaviour,) to fatal. [ 10]

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If you want to ensure your pet is protected without over-vaccinating, ask your veterinarian to perform a
titer test, a simple blood test to check his immunity. The only vaccine required by law is rabies, but in
situations involving serious illness, your veterinarian can write you a medical waiver. Just understand that
if your pet should bite somebody, he will be considered unvaccinated under the law.

Step 15: Always think about how your pet’s food affects his cells.
As you now know, foods communicate with our cells and regulate gene expression to help promote
either vibrant health or chronic disease. To help nourish your dog or cat at the deepest cellular level, opt
for foods that are as pure and clean as possible, which means free of genetically modified organisms,
pesticides, chemicals additives, hormones and antibiotics.

Also choose high-quality, bioavailable nutrients, such as proteins containing real meat over inferior
quality, grain-based protein sources, and high-quality carbohydrates found in fresh vegetables over high-
glycemic, “junk” carbs found in highly processed foods.

I hope you enjoyed these 15 steps!

For the latest news, blog posts and videos on creating optimum cellular health
in your dog or cat, please join me over at Pet Food Diva.

Are you on social media? Let’s connect!

Facebook | Google+ | RSS | Twitter | YouTube

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Resources:
1. Roudebush, P. (1993). Pet food additives. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 203, 1667-1970.

2. The Dog Food Project. (2012). Menadione (Vitamin K3).

3. World Health Organization (WHO). (2013). Food, Genetically Modified.

4. Environmental Working Group (EWG). (2013, March). We have the Right to Know about our Food.

5. Environmental Working Group (EWG). (2014). Executive Summary: EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™.

6. Organic.org. (2013). Frequently asked questions.

7. Becker, G.S. (2004). Animal Rendering, Economics and Policy.

8. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). (2010). Pet Food Labels-General.

9. Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. (2014).

10. Dodds, W.J. (2001). Vaccination protocols for dogs predisposed to vaccine reactions. Journal of the American Animal
Hospital Association, 38, 1-4.

The information contained in this e-book was adapted from Canine Nutrigenomics: The New Science of Feeding Your
Dog for Optimum Health (Dogwise Publishing), by Diana R. Laverdure and W. Jean Dodds, DVM.

This information is not meant to diagnose or treat any disease or to be a substitute for veterinary care.
Always follow the instructions provided by your veterinarian.

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About the Author, Diana Laverdure
Diana R. Laverdure, MS (2015) is an award-winning canine health
writer, a nationally recognized expert on dog health and a
pet
nutrition consultant to consumers and the pet food industry.


She received a Bachelor of Arts
degree magna cum laude in

1987
from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts and a
Master
of Animal Science degree (2015)
from Charles Sturt
University in
Australia. She has authored more
than one hundred
articles on dog health, which appear in a variety of top national dog
magazines and on her award-winning informational website,
The Happy Dog Spot.

Her articles have been nominated for numerous awards from the Dog Writers Association of America
(DWAA) and her book, The Canine Thyroid Epidemic: Answers You Need for Your Dog (co-authored with
Dr. W. Jean Dodds) (Dogwise Publishing, 2011), received the Eukanuba Canine Health Award and the
DWAA Maxwell Medallion for Best Care/Health Book of 2011.

Diana strongly believes, as reflected in this report, that many of the chronic health issues suffered by
dogs (and cats) today are a result of inappropriate diet and lifestyle choices. As a pet nutrition consultant
through her company, Pet Food Diva, she provides pet parents with customized nutrition information and
individually formulated diets to optimize the health and longevity of their beloved animal companions.
She also serves as a consultant to small to midsize pet food companies, in order to better expand the
marketplace for quality and innovation.

Diana is a staunch advocate of animal rescue and supporter of many rescue organizations serving a
wide variety of abused and neglected species. She is blessed by her beloved rescued Belgian Shepherd
mix, Chase (13 years old at the time of this writing), who propelled her along her journey of healing and
preventing companion animal health issues more than a decade ago.

She is also blessed to share her life and home with Dr. Rodney Dunetz, an Acupuncture Physician and
Doctor of Oriental Medicine who shares her passion for creating optimum health for people, animals and
the planet through compassionate and sustainable living.

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 Canine Nutrigenomics: The New Science of
Feeding Your Dog for Optimum Health
Learn which foods create disease and premature aging in your dog,
and which ones regulate gene expression for optimum health in this
groundbreaking new book!

Get ready to transform your dog’s life – and quite possibly your
own – with the power of nutrigenomics.

Nutrigenomics is the study of how the foods we eat communicate

with our genes and cause them to turn “on” (activate) or turn “off”
(suppress). This process, known as gene expression, plays a huge
role in determining whether you – or your dog – will live a life of vibrant
health or one plagued by illness.

You can’t change your genes, but you can change how your genes behave!

Inside Canine Nutrigenomics, You’ll Discover:

How foods “speak” to your dog’s genes through the epigenome, creating health or
disease, and how you can change those messages by the foods you feed.

The low-down on the amazing healing power of functional foods, what they are and how
you can use them to nourish your dog at the cellular level.

Savvy tips to outsmart the pet food companies and what you need to know to purchase the
healthiest commercial foods for your dog.

The “Three Keys” to easily creating a foundation diet for your dog based on the principles
of nutrigenomics, no matter what his age, lifestyle or current health issues.

How to use functional ingredients to treat, manage and even reverse a wide variety of
chronic canine health conditions, including obesity, arthritis, cancer, chronic kidney disease,
gastrointestinal disease, liver disease, thyroid disease and many more.

The 10 “canine functional superfoods” and how they can supercharge your dog’s health by
optimizing his gene expression.

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 The signs of a food intolerance/sensitivity and how to stop it in its tracks.

Smart tips to apply the principles of nutrigenomics to suit your individual situation,
regardless of whether you choose to feed your dog kibble, canned, dehydrated, freeze-dried,
raw, home-cooked or a combination.

The small changes that can “kick up” your dog’s commercial diet and make it more in line
with the principles of nutrigenomics.

The “must-have” foods for your canine-friendly kitchen, so you can always be ready in a
flash to prepare nutrigenomics-friendly meals and snacks.

Heal Your Dog Using the Power of Nutrigenomics.

You can help him:

Build a stronger immune system. Remain mentally clear for life.

Enjoy a long, healthy, vibrant life free of Recover from chronic health issues.
chronic disease.

Get Canine Nutrigenomics Now!

Copyright 2014, Diana Laverdure. All rights reserved.

No part of this document may be copied, reprinted or disseminated without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

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