July/August 2010 - Dogs Naturally Magazine
July/August 2010 - Dogs Naturally Magazine
July/August 2010 - Dogs Naturally Magazine
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y: Lucy Postins<br />
Part II: Embarking On A Home-<br />
Made Diet For Your Dog<br />
If you’ve fed a kibble diet for a long pe-<br />
riod of time, it can be a daunting prospect<br />
to make the switch to fresh fare.<br />
Some animal guardians are especially<br />
intimidated by switching to 100% raw<br />
foods and there are some concerns<br />
about combining kibble and raw food<br />
together since they digest at different<br />
rates and this can increase the risk of<br />
illness from bacterial contamination.<br />
One option is to begin combining some<br />
fresh vegetables and fruits plus lightly<br />
cooked meats, organs and fish as well as<br />
plain yogurt or cottage cheese, with your<br />
dog’s regular food. Several companies<br />
provide premixes or ‘base diets’ or supplements<br />
to be used as the base of a<br />
homemade diet and these can be helpful<br />
in making the transition as well as ensuring<br />
an adequate array of nutritional components<br />
to the diet.<br />
Following is a list of suggested ingredi-<br />
ents to include in your dog’s homemade<br />
meals, or to combine with a premix as<br />
you gradually make the move away from<br />
kibble, to a varied healthy diet:<br />
Ground meat such as chicken, turkey,<br />
beef, and buffalo, which can be<br />
served raw or cooked depending on<br />
what you’re comfortable with.<br />
Raw Meaty Bones such as chicken<br />
necks or backs. It’s a good idea to grind<br />
bones to begin with, to allow your dog to<br />
get used to them. Your butcher may be<br />
able to do this for you, or you could invest<br />
in a good quality meat-grinder capable<br />
of grinding bone. Never feed cooked<br />
bones!<br />
Raw (or lightly cooked) organs and<br />
other muscle meats.<br />
Raw or lightly cooked white fish such<br />
as cod, sole and haddock as well as oily<br />
fish like salmon, sardines and herring<br />
(salmon should be cooked because of the<br />
possible risk of parasitic infestation in<br />
raw salmon) as well as low sodium<br />
canned fish.<br />
Root vegetables such as sweet potatoes,<br />
yams, pumpkin, parsnips (these<br />
vegetables should be lightly steamed or<br />
pulped to aid digestibility), plus other<br />
fresh vegetables such as zucchini, green<br />
beans, kale and celery.<br />
Plain yogurt, cottage cheese, kefir<br />
and eggs – these can be lightly scrambled<br />
if preferred but are perfectly acceptable<br />
raw for most dogs. Some raw feeders<br />
also include the finely ground shell as a<br />
great natural source of calcium.<br />
Fresh or dried fruits like melon, blueberries,<br />
cranberries & pitted peaches.<br />
Fresh herbs such as parsley, nettles,<br />
watercress and dandelion leaves.<br />
Ground nuts such as almonds and seeds<br />
like shelled sunflower, pumpkin or<br />
ground flax, also make an interesting<br />
addition.<br />
Ingredients to Avoid<br />
Chocolate<br />
Grapes<br />
Raisins<br />
Macadamia Nuts<br />
Onions<br />
What are the challenges of preparing<br />
your pet’s food, yourself?<br />
It takes some homework to prepare<br />
balanced, nutritional meals but it's not<br />
much more difficult than providing ourselves<br />
or our human children with wholesome<br />
& healthy nutrition, when a broad<br />
array of foods is offered throughout the<br />
week.<br />
Homemade meals can be time consuming<br />
to prepare, and messy as well.<br />
Some regimens for homemade food re<br />
<strong>Dogs</strong>...<strong>Naturally</strong>! <strong>July</strong>/<strong>August</strong> <strong>2010</strong>