The Genius of Dr. Barbara Royal
LOYAL TO ROYAL
"It's time to change the way we eat, it's time to change the way we live. It's on us to do what we gotta do--to survive."--2Pac
I love Rome. He is a 5-year old bullmastiff that sleeps in our bed, sprawls out on the couch, and takes showers--definitely part of the family! Unfortunately, dogs don't live as long as people and bigger dogs are prone to having numerous health issues from hip dysplasia to bloat. I would do anything to keep him healthy.
I learned about Dr. Barbara Royal from a news show. She was talking about holistic pet health care and the importance of feeding your pet a raw diet. Dr. Royal kept drilling home that many pet health issues can be prevented simply by dietary changes. (Wow, just like people!) Often times she is presented with a sick animal and her first instinct is to change the diet. Food is used as medicine.
This blew me away because I feel the exact same way about humans. I had to learn more. So, I bought her book and read its entirety on a flight from San Francisco to Chicago. Dr. Royal detailed both her successes and failures as a vet--some heartbreaking stories that can soften even the toughest hardass. She has worked in zoos, wildlife centers, and with every possible animal on the planet. But, the common theme was that animal health comes down to diet and she recommended eating raw.
Rome ate kibble. We fed it to him because that was what my dogs ate when I was a kid. It was all I knew. In her book, Dr. Royal explained that house pets often die of cancer, but animals in the wild do not. Why? What are wild animals eating that pets are not? Or, more importantly, what are our pets eating that wild animals are not?
After booking an appointment with Dr. Royal, we decided to experiment. Rome was going to transition off kibble, eat raw for two months and then be re-evaluated. With lifestyle factors staying the same (2-3 daily walks and 22 hours of sleep per day), his weight went from 126 pounds to 117. Rome lost 9 pounds just by changing his diet! His ear infections? Gone. His messy poop? Gone. All due to a better diet.
If we take this concept and apply it to people, we should realize that our nutrition influences our health as much as exercise (if not more). We should also know that doing what we have always done--as in Rome eating kibble--can be detrimental to our health. At the same time, making small changes can save our lives.
Based on Rome's results we now use the Royal Treatment exclusively. I attribute Rome's overall good health to the nutrition changes Dr. Royal suggested. I know that she and I are equally passionate about eating better. Yes, eating raw is more expensive. But, I would rather spend money on good food now and give Rome a happy life rather than spend the money at the vet when it's too late. I am grateful she encouraged me to make changes.