Raw Food for Dogs.
There is a way of feeding dogs that doesn't use commercially produced stinky canned dog food. It is based on what dogs in nature would have eaten - plenty of animals and bones. They would have got some vegetable matter in their diets from eating the stomach contents of herbivores they caught.
There are two Australian vets who have written on and recommend raw feeding for dogs and cats. They are Tom Lonsdale (Raw Meaty Bones Promote Health) and Ian Billinghurt (Give Your Dog A Bone).
I don't know if they agree with each others ideas, as there are some differences between them,
mainly being that one includes 15% raw fruit and vegetables in the diet, to emulate
the stomach contents of rabbits or other herbivores caught in the wild.
Both recommend feeding raw meaty bones to maximise the health and dental well-being of
the animals.
I would highly recommend both of these books. It could revolutionise how you feel about the commercial dog-food industry.
Our dogs are really healthy.
Commercial foods are bad for pets health.
Animals fed well stay healthier. Many pets suffer from a lifetime of eating canned food, which causes dental disease from lack of chewing and leads to general degenerative problems.
Dogs eat cat faeces because the dog is missing vital
nutrients from eating commercial dog food and cat poo has some of the minerals it's after.
This may be because cats get more fish, which are high in nutrients, whereas commercial
dog is overcooked animal by-products with very little nutrition in it.
Starch (grains) are also added to a lot of bought dog foods. This is unnecessary in
their diets and can lead to health problems.
Variety.
Raw Meaty Bones
Dogs should get a variety of meats. Raw meaty bones should make up 70-80% of the total diet.
Generally our dogs get chicken frames or turkey wings, and occasionally lamb offcuts,
lamb shanks or frozen sardines.
Kangaroo tails or rabbit are great too if you can get them.
Large beef bones are good for exercise and tooth cleaning so it's good for them to have
one sometimes.
I collect the beef bones after a couple of days when the dogs are finished with them so they don't keep chewing
and making their teeth blunt.
Try and get bones from younger beef animals as they will be softer on the teeth.
Never ever give dogs cooked bones as they can shatter into sharp shards and get stuck inside the animal, or larger pieces can get stuck.
Even small bones can sometimes be swallowed so you may need to watch the animal isn't gulping food down.
Raw fruit and vegetables and supplements
About 15% raw fruit and vegetables and supplements, such as fish oil, tinned sardines, yoghurt, apple cider vinegar.
The additives are to add extra minerals and so on. It's all about variety and getting a balance of food over time, not trying to make each meal completely balanced.
Sometimes the dogs get vegetables blended up to a fine mass.
I was lucky enough to be given a good strong food processor; it's made feeding the dogs much easier.
Usually this is celery and carrot and whatever other vegetables are in the fridge, including plenty of leafy greens.
Into this goes, at different times, sardines, yoghurt, chicken fat or skin, dried fish
from the Asian supermarket, eggs, splash of apple cider vinegar, vegetable oil, kelp
powder and fish oil tablets.
If we ever have left-overs it usually ends up blended through the vegetables; the human food makes the dogs more interested in raw vegetable mince!
Offal
They are meant to have 10% offal including liver, green tripe, kidneys and heart.
This has a large amount of important nutrients and should be fed fresh and raw.
Our younger dog won't eat whole offal, but gets some from the dog mince our local butcher makes from scraps.
Dried liver is a good snack, too.
Odd bits
Never give much dairy or fat. I don't use much fat or animal products in their vegetable mix, but it does mean you can feed them vegetables more easily as they are keen to eat the animal products in it.
Ours don't generally get cereals, although if I am being lazy and there's no bones in the freezer I give them dog biscuits; Supercoat seems pretty good and doesn't cost a huge amount.
They like to snack on various fruits and vegetables, including apples, melon, cucumber, carrots. My dogs eat grapes, even though it seems that grapes have killed dogs. I don't give them many any more, but they have been eating plenty for years, and they are still well.
The big white fluffy beastie we have now eats most things we offer. We're lucky to have a good butcher nearby; our dogs get to eat plenty of chicken carcases and we add lots of good stuff to their vegetable blends.
Healthier feeding means less trips to the vet, and a healthier, long-living dog.
Another good thing about this diet is that their faeces is drier and kind of cleaner as the dog digests eveything better which means less smelly dog poo in the garden.
Overall, it's an easy way to feed your dogs, it's cheap, and keeps your pets full of life and vitality.
Vicki B