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Raw Dog Food Diet
Basic Diet
Basic fresh food diet consists of two meals a day, morning and evening, seven days a week. Every meal can be different then the last. What is important is that you follow a basic plan that provides the nutrients over time. Raw feedings is not designed to feed every nutrient in every bowl the way kibble is. We don't eat this way and neither should our dogs. Why Fresh is Best Raw diet provides balanced nutrition that promotes strong skeletal systems, healthy organs and skin, high energy levels and resistance to disease and parasites Raw Meaty Bones -Raw chicken with the bones make up at least 60% of the diet -Chicken is an ideal food for dogs providing nearly everything they need with very few exceptions. -Few nutrients that are missing are easily provided in the muscle and organ meat, eggs and ground vegetables. -Other common choices are pork neck bones, beef neck bones, ox tails, veal riblets, chicken necks, chicken backs, chicken wings and so forth......... -Cooked Bones are chemically changed and become hard and brittle, so when the bones are crushed by the dogs teeth, they can splinter. These cooked splintered bones can cause injuries all the way from the mouth to the anus. COOKED BONES ARE DEADLY!!! RAW BONES ARE SAFE!!! Vegetables -Vegetable portion of the raw diet is important, it helps provide the small amount of fiber needed in a fresh food diet. -Variety is important while stressing the green, leafy vegetables.... carrots, broccoli collard greens, spinach greens or kale, celery and peas are just some of the vegetables you can feed in moderation. -Vegetables to be careful with are cabbage, broccoli, kale (large amounts could decrease thyroid function) -Spinach and chard contain high amounts of oxalic acid and could interfere with calcium absorption and irritate urinary conditions. -The night shade family which includes potatoes, tomatoes, green and red peppers is sometimes found to aggravate arthritic conditions. -Skins of potatoes and the eyes should not be fed raw since they contain solanine which is poisonous. Onions have been found to cause hemolytic anemia in dogs and are best avoided. -Aside from onions, potato eyes and skins, vegetable can be used in moderation as part of the vegetable mix. -Dogs do not have the enzymes to break down cellulose walls unless you open those cells by juicing or blending the vegetables, or they will pass through the dogs system virtually unused. SO you have to use a blender or food processor and mush all the vegetables together in order for the dog to get the benefit of the nutrients. Muscle Meat -A very small portion of the raw diet -Ground beef, turkey, venison, rabbit, pork, veal and lamb are all sources of balance raw diet Fish -Use canned salmon, mackerel, sardines or very rarely tuna and buy the fish in water. Grains -Organic oatmeal or other grains are an optional part of the raw diet -In order for dogs to digest the grains they need to be soaked for at lease twelve hours in watered down yogurt, fruit juice or meat broth. -Feeding grains in this diet does increase the carbohydrates. Organ Meat -Organ meats make up about 7% of the raw diet -Chicken gizzards, hearts, livers, some beef kidney are some of the organ meats you can use but you can also use organs from other animals. Meal Explanations Raw Meaty Bones(RMBs)- are fed by themselves for either the morning and evening meals, always make sure they are raw bones not cooked. Pork, chicken necks, chicken backs, lamb riblets, chicken wings and turkey necks are just some of the RMBs you can feed your dog. Organ Meat- called offal. Organ meat is chicken gizzards and hearts, beef liver, pork liver, pork heart, beef kidney, chicken livers, and eggs. Veggie Meal- primarily your veggie mix. Muscle Meat- any ground meat or chunks of meat without bone. Beef heart is a good beneficial muscle meat. Mixing muscle meats, organ meats and veggies together is fine as long as you give Raw Meaty Bones. Safety of Raw Meaty Bones Your dog has teeth ready-made to crunch the largest of bones small enough to swallow. His gut has all the tools to digest those bones efficiently. Dogs are designed to digest raw meat and bones and have been doing so since the beginning of time. Digestive systems are not any different than that of their predecessor the wolf. Very old dogs who maybe missing many of their molars or do not have the jaw strength to bite through chicken bones, you can take the wings, place them between a folded towel and use a hammer to smash the bones into manageable sizes. Digestion does not take place in the mouth so as long as the bones are small enough to swallow, any dog can handle raw bones. Bacteria and Raw Meat Many people get sick and even die when their immune systems are overwhelmed by one of these bacteria so it is a real concern-when feeding humans. Dogs have a different digestive system than we do and they are much more adept at handling bacteria, rotten food and other things than would do us in. Dogs have a very short digestive tract compared to humans and their raw food is normally digested and passed through in roughly 4 hours. There is much less time for bacteria to sit in the gut, grow and overwhelm their immune system. Dogs digestive tract is acidic and that aids in the handling of bacteria. Raw fed dogs have a very strong immune system and you will be surprised how infrequently you need to visit the veterinarian.
Slow and Steady Switch from Dry to Fresh There are some dogs that cannot tolerated kibble and raw meaty bones. They can handle the bones by themselves and they can eat the kibble by itself with no problems. But when they are digesting both at the same time, they end up with repeated bouts of diarrhea. The best way we have found switching a dog to raw is going cold turkey. You can fast your dog for 1 day and just offer them water if you are concerned about upsetting their stomachs or vomiting. This will give your dog time to empty its stomach of all the kibble it has eaten the day before. What Other Nice Surprises Are There Clean Teeth- raw meaty bones work as toothbrushes and can clean up the dirtiest of teeth. Clean Ears- should see dry, odorless ears every single day. Many people who have battled with recurring ear infections in their dogs for years are amazed at what a more nutritious diet has done for their dog's ears. No Anal Gland Problems- raw diet causes hard, dry stools, the dogs anal glands are emptied naturally. Muscle, not FAT- raw fed dogs become leaner and carry more muscle than kibble fed dogs. Because of all the protein they are eating and less carbohydrates. Brilliant Coat- much brighter and soft coat will come in and reduction in body odor so you dont' have to bath your dog as much. Less Water Consumption- raw diet is so full of moisture from the food, that dogs usually decrease their water consumptions dramatically. Energy Levels- your dog will simply feel good on their new diet. They don't have a stomach full of dry processed food to work on digesting all day . They also don't have the recurring bouts of loose stools or are not plagued by fleas. Smart Supplements Eggs: Eggs provide the perfect protein. A very important nutrient, its a dense food that supplies minerals, plenty of vitamins except for vitamin C, essential fatty acids and enzymes. For additional calcium you can crush the the shell into the bowl with a fork and use that for additional calcium feed the eggshell about once a week. Essential Fatty Acids(EFAs): The basic raw diet does provide some essential fatty acids, but we are learning that an abundance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids in the proper ratio are very beneficial. Its a cancer fighting ratio of Omega 6:3's is 3:. Fish body oil and flaxseed or hemp oil raises the level of Omega 3's in the diet to compensate for the high level of Omega 6's in the food. Safflower and sunflower oils are not included because they are also high in Omega 6 essential fatty acids and not beneficial to the Omega 6:3 ratio. Kelp Powder/Alfalfa: Being new at this you may feel you are not providing everything your dog needs in such a simple diet. Kelp and alfalfa powder are your safety net. Both are loaded with vitamins and minerals so if anything is truly lacking in your diet ever though you are following a balanced plan, the kelp(seaweed) and alfalfa powder should supply any shortcomings. Using this combination covers the trace minerals since kelp is sea-based and alfalfa is land-based. Vitamin E: Has wonderful anti-aging properties, promotes good reproduction and helps your dog produce some of his own vitamin C. Vitamin C: Dogs make there own vitamin C; wonderful thing about vitamin C is that excess is secreted in the urine. The only time you need to have high doses of vitamin C is when a dog is stressed or illness, but the body should not constantly have to work at eliminating excess vitamin C. Supplements are used three of four times per week not everyday. Supplements NOT in the basic diet It has become very popular to feed commercially prepared vitamin and mineral supplements, herbs, spices, raw honey , bee pollen, brewers yeast, garlic, aloe vera, royal jelly, and many more. Only under limited amounts of time should you feed of these supplements to your dog(as a treat). Poop The awesome thing of a diet based on raw meaty bones is that stools are quite small in relation to the size of the dog,very dry and hard and have almost no odor at all. They can range from almost crumbly and white, to small rocks, to dark. slightly softer stools-especially when fed organ meat. Once your dog is accustomed to his raw diet, it is very rare for him to have diarrhea or even loose stool. The poop becomes consistently hard, dry and almost odor-free. Constipation from the raw meaty bones is occasionally a problem, especially in dogs new to the raw diet. If you find your dog is constipated, offer him a mix of canned plain pumpkin and yogurt. Just canned pumpkin does the trick as well. 1/4 cup of each two times a day will clear that right up for a medium size dog. Amounts to Feed Amounts are as varied as your dog. Age, breed, health status, amount of exercise, stress level and just individual differences all play a part in how much food is enough for each dog. A good rule of thumb is to feed 2-3% of your adult dog's weight each day. I have provided a chart to make it easier to understand the amounts. Tiny toy dogs burn more calories and will need to eat more per pound of body weight than large dogs. Puppies also need to eat more food than adults of the same weight but broken down into tree meals per day rather than two. Use your own judgement after your dog has made the transition to fresh food to determine if he needs more of less food Allergy-Prone Dogs Just because a dog may seem to be allergic to meat such as chicken or beef in a commercial dog food does not mean that he is allergic to the same meat fed raw. Cooking chemically changes the composition of the meat and therefore, changes how it is handled by the body. Switching an allergic dog to raw diet, it is not a good idea to deed grains since many dogs are intolerant of them. Brewers yeast is probably one of the biggest causes of itching and gunky ears this is. The brewers yeast is added for the B vitamins, which are important to healthy skin and coat, but you are far better off adding a B complex vitamin rather than adding a commercial supplement that includes brewers yeast. Dogs need to heal from the inside first before dramatic changes will show on the outside. Inhalant Allergies Inhalant allergies are characterized by face rubbing, feet licking, and are typically seasonal. The raw diet does promote overall good health and the dogs who suffer during the ragweed season or something similar are better able to handle the irritating time of the year. The Bad About Commercial Dog Food: -Their health is compromised by poor ingredients and improper ratios of nutrients for optimum health. -The digestive system is no different then the wild wolf. -Dogs are not designed to chew and digest a cooked, grain based food. They don't have teeth for grinding but teeth meant for ripping and tearing raw meat and bones. -Commercial dog food is cooked so it is low in nutrients and natural enzymes are lost. Vitamin values are low so they have to be added back to the processed food artificially along with chemicals, salts and sugars. -Dogs don't starve to death on commercial food but there immune system and general health is very poor. -Ratios of protein and fat to carbohydrates out of balance, the ingredients themselves are substandard. (not fit for human consumption) -4D's of commercial dog food is........dead, diseased, dying and disabled. -High in carbohydrates and calcium that are harmful to dogs. -High salt content leaves some dogs in a constant state of dehydration. -Commercial dog food promotes tartar development on teeth, studies have shown tartar-encrusted teeth release bacteria constantly into the body, causing heart disease among many other problems. -Carbohydrates are also implicated in causing obesity, pancreatic insufficiency, diabetes, arthritis, bladder stones, skin problems, cancer and so on. -Feeding commercial dog food, you have no control over the ingredients themselves or the quality. -Pet food companies regulate themselves. -Analyzing of dog food is done chemically. -Chemical analysis of dog food does not tell you anything about digestibility, palatability and the availability of nutrients.
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Raw Food
