Rottweiler Breeder, German Rottweilers, German
rottweiler puppies, Rottweiler Stud dog, Rotti puppies, British Columbia,
Rotties, Rotts,
Welcome to our Nutrition page!
We have
been feeding natural, raw diet for well over 20 years now, along
with a limited amount of premium kibble (usually at their evening meal - 2 - 3
timen a week). We have slowly moved from the BARF diet, to a bit more over
to the Prey Model form of feeding.
The
benefits of a natural diet are incredible. Some of these include;
-
cleaner
teeth
-
shinier
coats and healthier skin
-
no
bad breath
-
lots
of energy
-
less
fat, and more muscle
-
bright
eyes
-
smaller,
firmer, less smelly stools
-
less
health problems, which translates into less vet bills
WHAT OUR
DOGS EAT:
In the
mornings our dogs get the following;
-
Beef/organ
meat/bone dust (4-5 times a week)
-
Ground
Chicken or Turkey (1-2 times a week)
-
Fish
(1-2 times a week) - sardines, salmon or mackerel
-
Tripe
(green) (1 time per week)
-
Homemade
all natural yogurt
- 3 tablespoons
-
Apple
cider vinegar + oil - 1 1/2 tablespoons
Free
range eggs (boiled - 2 times a week)
-
Kelp - 1
teaspoon per day (mixed with our own 'private recipe')
-
Vitamin
C - (1 - 2 a day)
-
Vitamin
E - 400 ui (2 times a week)
-
Flaxseed
Oil or fresh ground flaxseed
-
Salmon
Body Oil
-
Zinc
- 50 mg (2 times a week)
-
Regenerex
-
Veggie/Fruit
Mix (please see below) (1-2 times a week)
In the
evenings they get;
Chicken
racks/backs and/or necks or turkey necks
VEGGIE
MIXTURE:
I tend to
switch the veggie mixture all the time, depending upon what is available and
what is on sale.
An
average veggie mixture can contain the following;
-
Carrots
-
Alfalfa
sprouts
-
Garlic
-
Egg
shells
-
Green
beans
-
Spinach
-
Yam
-
Beet
-
Rutabaga
-
Celery
-
*Cabbage
-
*Asparagus
-
*Broccoli
-
*Cauliflower
-
Apples
-
Oranges
-
Bananas
-
Strawberries
-
Blueberries
-
Potato
* Not
very often or of huge amounts.
A
good time saving tip is, if you are short on veggies, and in a hurry, keep a few
jars of baby food on hand. The pure vegetable mixtures are great!
I put
everything through my food processor until I have a veggie mush, as I call
it. I do not do this every morning, as I just never seem to have the
time. I make enough to last for about 5 days and I store it in the refrigerator.
An
Overview Of BARF
Welcome!
If you are just starting your research on the BARF diet you may
want to take a moment to review this information.
It will give you the basics for the feeding programme. I also
encourage new members to read and learn all they can
before beginning to feed their dogs this way, but be sure that what you
learn comes from a reliable source that understands
the concept of evolutionary nutrition!
WHAT
YOU FEED IN THE BARF DIET... Raw Meaty
Bones (RMB)
The
most important thing you need is a supply of raw
meaty bones for chewing but more importantly
for eating. These form the basis of the diet. Most people feed
chicken or turkey wings, necks, backs or carcasses.
These pieces consist of bone, cartilage, fat and a little bit of
flesh. The optimal RMB is 50% meat to 50% bone. Other
meaty bone sources should be evaluated for the required balance of these
components according to the needs of the dog
being fed. White meats seem to be healthier for dogs than red meats.
This may be because they are higher in essential fatty
acids unlike red meats which are higher in saturated fats and associated
with degenerative conditions such as arthritis. However,
it is important to try and feed variety, so try to incorporate other
meat (beef, lamb, pork...ostrich) several times a week.
Raw meaty chicken bones can be fed to all sizes, shapes and ages of
dogs. For example, raw chicken wings can form
the basis of a small dog's diet whereas large dogs might be fed turkey
necks, wings, chicken backs or even an entire chicken
on occasion! Lamb shanks, including breasts, chops, legs and ribs
are also valuable and should be fed on the bone. Not
a lot of people feed pork or rabbit, but it can be used to provide variety
in the diet. Beef is very popular as dog meat, however
as the bones are very hard they are usually not as easily consumed
by smaller dogs as is poultry. Most beef bone cuts
are better utilized for eating exercise and teeth cleaning. Besides
these smaller eating bones, your dog will need larger, less meaty
bones. These bones provide eating exercise, they clean
the teeth, massage the gums and satisfy a psychological need that dogs
have. Bones are your dog's most important source
for minerals, especially calcium. They provide quality protein, fats,
fat soluable vitamins and cartilage. Are bones dangerous?
Perhaps. However, dogs have evolved to eat bones and it would be
rare that a problem might arise. If fed raw, they
are soft and chewable. It is NOT recommended that cooked bones be fed
as they become brittle and have the potential to
splinter. If you prefer to NOT feed whole RMB, have a dog that is missing
teeth, who does not eat carefully, or has difficulty
digesting whole bones, then it is recommended that the RMB be ground.
The same benefits will be obtained.
Meat
& Fish
Any
ground muscle meat is acceptable such as beef, lamb, rabbit, deer...An all meat
diet has the potential for disaster, however
a meal of pure meat is fine now and again. Fish (salmon,
sardines, mackerel) can also form a part of the weekly balanced
diet. If a lot of fish is to be fed, then the whole fish should be
used and vitamin E should be supplemented.
Offal
Organ
meats are a small part of the BARF diet, about 10 - 15%. They should
be fresh, raw and include liver, kidney, heart, brain,
tripe... In its raw state it is nutritionally valuable food with first
class protein, essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins.
Vegetables
The
use of vegetables must be stressed as their omission in the diet may contribute
to ill health. Vegetables should form 15 - 25%
of the overall diet. Use any vegetable (with the exception of onions)
such as green leafy, beet, spinach, celery, cabbage family,
capsicum, root and/or fruits such as tomato, apple, oranges, pears,
mangoes and banana. The wider the variety the better,
as each contributes to a full spectrum of nutrients. Fruits should
be fed when over-ripened where they provide the non-complex
carbohydrates or simple sugars as opposed to the slow releasing
energy from the complex carbohydrates. The bulk
of the vegies used should consist of 'low glycemic,' green leafy vegetables
and ripe fruit. 'Low glycemics' are foods, which
do not cause a rapid rise in blood glucose levels. Homes with one or
two dogs can utilize scraps and peelings along with
other vegetables and fruits. Vegetables must be processed before they
become nutritionally beneficial to your dog. This does
not involve cooking, but does require a food processor or grinder that
will be able to totally crush the vegetable and fruit
matter. Once prepared it can be fed as a 'soup', 'patty' or 'cake',
depending on the amount of juice and pulp content of the
mix.
Healthy
Oils
The
BARF diet requires that a health promoting oil be included as a source
of omega3 and omega6 essential fatty acids. These
oils are vital for your dog's health. What you will be looking for is
flax oil or salmon oil. You will also need cod liver oil. When
feeding these oils, appropriate antioxidants must also be used - such
as vitamin E. These healthy oils must be kept refrigerated
or frozen in order to maintain their integrity. Ordinary vegetable
oils from the supermarket are not recommended.
Yogurt
- Eggs
Dairy
foods are not required by the dog, in an evolutionay sense, however,
high quality yogurt or kefir contains essential bacteria
for bowel health and for general health. You will need to find a sugarless
brand from the health store or make your own.
Eggs are a cheap source of top quality protein, vitamin A, minerals -
and if free range they also contain good amounts of
fatty acids. The entire egg - shell and all is fed. Egg yolks are excellent
'skin food'.
An
optional requirement - Grain?
The
short and simple answer is that grains did NOT figure as part of our dogs
[or cats] evolutionary diet. On that basis, grain is
not biologically appropriate for our pets. The only way grains may be
used in the diet is when they are freshly sprouted
and then processed along with the other
vegetable matter.
Vitamins...
For
optimal health your dog will definitely need extra vitamins. These may
include the B complex, vitamin E and C along with some
kelp and/or alfalfa. With the exception of vitamin E, these vitamins
can be frozen.
How
Much To Feed?
The
amounts required will depend on the age, activity level and metabolism
of your dog. The adult dog that has reached maturity
may be fed approximately 60% raw meaty bones. The other 40% of the
diet would consist of meat, fish, fruit or vegetables,
organ meats, an occasional porridge meal plus supplements and
a very small percentage of left-overs.
Approximate
Guidelines for Average Dog @ 1/2lb per 25lbs
Weight
of dog 60% RMB - whole or ground 40% Vegetable Mixture
10lbs
2.5oz
1.5oz
25lbs
5oz
3.5oz
50lbs
10oz
6oz
75lbs
15oz
10oz
100lbs
24oz
16oz
About
Bacteria...
A
dog's immune system is designed to handle bacteria such as Samolella, E.Coli
and Campylobacter jejuni. It is much more adept
at this than the human body. If dogs are fed nothing but heat sterilized
food, you are depriving them of the opportunity to
develop an immune response to these and many other organisms. Handling
raw foods for your dog requires the same care as
your 'human' food does. Raw food will spoil if left unrefrigerated for
an extended period of time. Excess food not eaten, should
be refigerated for the next feeding or discarded. Keep raw meat separate
from other foods; wash working surfaces, utensils
and hands with hot soapy water after each feeding. Simple!
How
to make the switch?
Some
owners just go 'cold turkey' and never look back. Some dog's may have
a looser stool for a day or so...some just blend
into the change like they have always eaten this way... others are so
excited about eating now they will follow you around
begging for more. Depending on the history of your dog, you may have
to make a more gradual change or simply make
the switch and go with what ever comes from it - literally! When you
are ready to begin take it slowly. Try to keep the
diet simple at first. This is particularly important
for older/middle aged dogs that have been
eating a cooked diet for most of their life.
Start with chicken or turkey necks or backs only for the first
couple of days and remove any excess fat. The only other
thing you might add at this point would be some yogurt or a probiotic
supplement. Keep meals small to begin with and don't
overfeed. Once the dog is digesting the raw meaty bones, add some veggies
with a bit of lean ground meat. After a week
or two, you can start adding the other foods like eggs and offal (leaving
a little bit more fat on the chicken if necessary) and
then start adding supplements if you want to. Don't do it all at once.
I would also suggest that with dogs new to the BARF
diet that you stay away from the harder or fattier bones for awhile.
Give them time to re-develop their digestive system
first.
You
can do it!
Lots
of people watch their dog deteriorate on commercial foods simply because
they either don't know what else to feed, how
to feed it or that they do need to feed something better in order to obtain
or maintain optimal health. When dogs are switched
to bones and raw food, health problems either improve or disappear.
By making such a remarkably simple but profound
change in your dog's diet you will quickly discover what so many
other dog owners around the world already know.
Here
are some interesting links on BARF and nutrition, if you are interested in finding out more
information on it.
BARF
For Beginners
Raw
Diet Study
Raw
Meaty Bones
Raw
Food Links
PET
DIETS
Dog
Food Comparisons
Raw
Fed
And
here is some recommended reading.
Here is a list of excellent
reading, which can be bought at www.dogwise.com
"Give Your Dog A Bone" and "Grow Your Pup with Bones", by Ian Billinghurst
"The Ultimate Diet", by Kymythy Schultze
"The Nature of Animal Healing", by Martin Goldstein, DVM
"The Holistic Guide for Healthy Dogs", by Wendy Volhard & Kerry Brown, DVM
"Food Pets Die For", by Ann Martin
"The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat", by Juliette de Bairacli Levy
"Reigning Cats and Dogs", by Pat McKay
"The Natural Remedy Book for Dogs and Cats", by Dine Stein
"The Complete Encyclopedia for Natural Pet Care", by C.J. Puotinen
