Right you lovely lot, we going natural

[kizkiznobite]

tesco’s do own brand free flow mince…it posk and beef big bag in freezer section

i dont feed they way many do toby/angela because i feed flexi time but if i am doing home cooked and raw then it alternate days not the same day…dogs do not really need the carbs as such and to feed both on the same day is not good so it raw one day and the cooked with the carbs the next…

[Anonymous]

My vet is ok with it  🙂

I think the health of Loki and he is weight and how shiney his coat is means they are fine with what I feed him  ;D

The main problem my vet has is with the intact nature of his balls  😀

Incidentally bev – Would we be better to alternate then?  Say raw one day then cooked the next? He still having two meals tho…

[xtine]

I have been meaning to ask about crabs Bev after Marks post… so does a dog no need carbs every day? We give Fritz carbs (pasta usually) every evening… should we not? Should he just have meat some days with some veggies?

[kizkiznobite]

it depends how you feed really..if you add carbs then what you are doing is giving food that is converted to glucose…for the future..the next day etc as dogs take energy from fats…if you feed no carbs that is fine …it good it… the ultimate in many ways as then there is no pressure on the internal organs…but …for me it is a way to get veg and vits etc in them …when fritz and loki came to me they both was happy with a recreational type bone am and then an evening meal of meaty bones.or meat and veg with the mutton i use..as on the last walk…for instant energy as a treat deliverer…but as i said my lot are fed flexitime…depending on needs…at the moment for example cubert wants 3 meals one day 1 the next and then 2 and then 1 depending…

[xtine]

ok.. am with you.. so if I cut out the carbs would I need to increase the amount of meat he has? I would say on av he has roughly 300g meat in the evening when he has carbs with it….

[kizkiznobite]

yes you would….he would need i guess about 150 gm extra of fatty bone meat…but you would need to assess for weight gain and loss over about 4 weeks

[xtine]

so lamb bones added in.. in the evening?

[SuzAndTheDiva]

honey doesnt have the pasta etc now and shes doing just fine. her diets still incredibly limited, but have added some more veggies, and she likes mince with it raw, then chicken wings necks etc etc fish for brekkie…….

[TobyTeaCosy and Angela]

Suz, just wondering how much does honey weight?  I know that’s a personal question to ask a diva, let alone a lady but just wondering how she compares with Toby at 6.4kg?  If she is close to that, I suspect she a bit less, how many wings does she get for breakfast?

[SuzAndTheDiva]

shes about 7 kilos, honestly dont know but she weighed about that last time she was weighed  😀

she normally gets one wing for brekkie – but she can be like that for a few weeks, then will want much more and work her way through some serious amounts of meat too – I rarely give her more than one cos shes a pig who has no idea how to CHEW her bones, always feels safer just to give one! But if she needs extra i just add some raw meat….

[Sweetypye]

My Happorth for what it is worth.

Raw Feeding Guidelines

Although many people successfully feed commercial foods to their dogs scores of owners are choosing to use fewer processed products in both their own diet and that of their pets.

After all dogs are not equipped with can openers or cooking utensils and were designed to hunt, catch, kill and feed on a wide variety of prey animals as well as to be opportunistic scavengers.

Dogs are scientifically classified as carnivores, manifest by their physique.  They have eyes at the front of their head in order to observe potential food, jaws that move up and down, as opposed to the side to side movement present in omnivores/herbivores, no flat topped molars with which to chew and a shorter digestive tract reflecting the fact that they were created to consume little or no vegetation or cereals/grains.

Feeding a raw diet is often seen as somewhat revolutionary however it must be remembered that dogs have not only survived but thrived on such nutrition for hundreds of years prior to the advent of manufactured dog food.

One of the main concerns expressed by owners is that they cannot successfully replicate the scientifically researched diets that pet food companies quote as their USP (unique selling point).  However, just as a degree is not required to adequately nourish ourselves, the same is true for our canine companions.

There is a plethora of information on raw feeding produced by qualified pet nutritionists and/or veterinary surgeons who have specialised in this field; therefore creating a satisfactory home diet need not be overly onerous or complicated for the ordinary dog owner.

Quantities

For adults approximately 2 – 3% of their bodyweight per day. Calculate this by multiplying 2/3 by your dog’s weight and dividing it by 100.

Eg 2 x 30/100 = 600g, 3 x 30/100 = 900g.

For puppies feed circa 10% of their present bodyweight or 2-3% of their projected adult weight per day.

However be guided by your hand and eye; if the dog is looking a little too ribby up the amount and reduce if the dog is looking a little too well padded! Dogs will vary on their requirements depending on age, sex, activity level, temperament and time of year etc.

Frequency

Dogs should be fed twice a day for the following reasons:
• To minimise the risk of Bloat/GDV
• To avoid blood sugar fluctuations

Meats

Lamb, beef, chicken, turkey, rabbit, pork, venison, duck, hare, and/or anything you can get your hands on; some dogs regularly chow down on more exotic species.

Dogs require the correct calcium:phosphorus ratio and so it is essential to feed raw meaty bones (RMBs) as well as muscle meat.

Offal such as hearts, lungs, kidneys, tripe, liver is also essential (although strictly speaking the heart is a muscle).

Fish

Oily fish such as pilchards, mackerel, sardines, etc provide a good source of Omega 3; if it is difficult to obtain fresh, then tinned makes a good substitute.  Tuna may contain high levels of mercury and is a less valuable source of Omega 3.

Vegetables

Onions must not be fed to dogs in any form as they can cause haemolytic anaemia which can be fatal. Avocados contain persin which can produce problems in some animals.

All other vegetables may be fed however, for a dog to get any nutritional benefit from vegetables, they must either be pulped or frozen, otherwise they go out the way they went in and can only be used as source of fibre.

Oxalic acid can interfere with calcium absorption; so don’t feed too much of Spinach or Chard.

Care should also be taken not to overfeed vegetables from the cruciferous family eg cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, kale, swedes, turnips and broccoli to dogs as this may inhibit thyroid function.

Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and aubergines all belong to the nightshade family of plants. Dogs who have arthritis may be sensitive to these foods which may exacerbate their condition.  It is doubtful if raw potato can be digested successfully in any case.

Garlic is a useful addition to the diet as it performs an antiseptic, antibiotic, antifungal function.

Fruit

All except grapes (and raisins) which can cause kidney failure and death in even very small amounts.  Bananas are an excellent source of pre-biotics essential for gut health.

Bear in mind fruit and/or vegetables should not make up more than 10% of diet and can have a laxative effect!

Dairy

No animal post weaning consumes milk bar humans however live yoghurt can be very useful for poorly stomachs because of its probiotic content provided that dogs are not intolerant to lactose (milk sugar) and casein (milk protein).  As puppies leave their dams equipped with a full set of teeth bones are a more appropriate source of calcium.

Eggs can be given raw each day, the shells are good sources of calcium but only when powdered, otherwise they merely provide roughage. 

Grains/cereals

There is no proven need for carbohydrates in the dog’s diet and of course these need to be cooked before they can be successfully digested by the canine.

Books (in order of simplicity/accessibility)

• Switching to Raw by Sue Johnson
• Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schulze
• The Barf Diet by Ian Billingshurst
• Give your Dog a Bone by Ian Billingshurst
• Grow your pups with Bones by Ian Billingshurst
• Work Wonders by Tom Lonsdale
• Raw Meaty Bones by Tom Lonsdale

Websites – Britbarf, K9nutrition yahoo groups the first is UK the second is an excellent US site,

[Anonymous]

Honey eats like the Pekes they weight between 10 and 11lb you can convert it  ;D
They pig out for days like eat the plate or the floor as well as the food then they slow right down possible eating about half, then they pick up again weather also has a lot to do with how much they eat, but their weight never changes.
Val

[Anonymous]

Sweetypye – do you feed only raw food? Or do you feed cooked as well?  🙂

[TobyTeaCosy and Angela]

Wow this is all really useful stuff, am amazed that the feeding pages are to 15 pages plus long but we still have questions!  😉

Sweetypye, that’s really useful, you know where it says veg to be pulped, does that mean cooked and blitzed in the food processor, or blitzed raw?

[Sweetypye]

No I only feed raw, I am too lazy to cook, I keep packs of Natures Harvest in my car in case of an emergency otherwise they just get what is on my list.

[Author]

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