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Just like us a healthy diet promotes a healthy animal and the benefits in the long term are great.
Most of the dogs diet (at least 70%) should be made up of raw meaty bones or a combination of meat and bones and the next most important ingredients are fruit, vegetables and grains. Fruit and vegetables about 20% and grains 10%. This diet is designed to keep your dog in optimum health.
MEAT:
Meat is the most important of all the dogs needs and so quality is very important. All meat should be fed RAW. Chicken (any part raw), lamb flaps, beef mince and heart are the main types of meat to feed although most meat that is purchased from a butcher and is fit for human consumption will do.BONES:
Bones are wonderful “toothbrushes” for our dogs and keep mouth and gums clean and fresh. No bad breath!!!! RAW chicken bones are fine as are lamb flaps. I advise not to feed large or round leg bones as they can break the dogs teeth.
OFFAL:
Most offal is fine as long as it is purchased from a supermarket or butcher.SARDINES:
The dogs love them!! Put a can on their meals about once a week.VEGETABLES & FRUIT:
Most vegetables and fruit are OK except onions which can be toxic to dogs. Vegetables and fruit must be ripe, the riper the better. Use all the scraps from the family dinner preparation ie: ends and skin of carrots, broccoli stalks, celery tops, outer leaves of lettuce cabbage etc. No potato peelings though!! Green leafy vegetables, ie; spinach, celery etc. carrots, sweet potato and pumpkin (cooked), bananas, apples, rockmelon are what we feed regularly.Ideally they should be put through a juicer and the pulp and juice fed raw. Alternatively they could be put through the food processor or grated as finely as possible. Cooked vegies are fine but raw is best.
GRAINS:
Barley flakes ( in summer), rolled oats or natural muesli (in winter) are the preferred grains. Occasional meals with rice or pasta are fine.Barley cools the blood and oats warm the blood.
DAIRY PRODUCTS AND EGGS:
Yoghurt and cottage cheese should be given 4 times a week. A couple of tablespoons each for an adult dog.2-3 eggs a week will do. Shells and all can be crushed and put into the “mush” meal.
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR:
Apple cider vinegar is a wonderful product and should be included in all “mush” meals. About 3 tablespoons per adult dog. An apple a day keeps the doctor away!!!!!!
KELP:
Powdered, available from most good pet shops. Kelp helps keep the dog healthy. It contains loads of vitamins & minerals. ½ teaspoon in mush meals per adult dog.BREWERS YEAST:
Available from most good pet shops. Not to be confused with cooking yeast, brewers yeast is an excellent source of the B vitamins. 1 ½ teaspoons in mush meal per adult dog.Brewers yeast and kelp can be mixed, 3 parts yeast to 1 part kelp, and stored in a container. 2 teaspoons of mix per adult dog.
GARLIC:
Garlic is very good for dogs. It helps repel fleas and worms. 1 teaspoon or clove in the “mush” meal is ample. Do not over feed garlic as it is part of the onion family and can be harmful in large doses.DESSICATED COCONUT:
Coconut is used as roughage and to help clear out worms. Four tablespoons a week is plenty.OILS:
A couple of tablespoons of oil once a week is ample. Use vegetable oils such as safflower or olive.VITAMINS:
Vitamin C is an excellent anti oxidant and helps to keep the immune system healthy. Please use Ester C powder or any other non acidic Vit C so it won’t irritate the dogs stomach. About ¼ level teaspoon per meal.
Other foods that are great are raw honey and dried fruits as treats.
All meals should be served at room temperature. Never give frozen bones, make sure they are completely defrosted.
Sounds rather daunting doesn’t it??!! It is really quite simple when you get into the swing of things.
Lets start with a “mush” meal.
Cook some rolled oats, 4 minutes in the microwave, add some mince meat ,vegies, coconut, apple cider vinegar and garlic, powder mix , Vit C and top with some yoghurt. Mix well and serve. Vary the ingredients over the week to include eggs, cottage cheese, offal etc.
We feed our adult dogs once a day. We alternate their meals by one day feeding the mush meal and the next feeding just raw meaty bones. The bones meal is convenient for weekends when activities inhibit food preparation. If the dog has 2 bone meals in a row that’s fine and 2 mush meals in a row is also OK. The idea is to feed a fairly even amount of both meals spread over a month.
If necessary meals can be made in bulk and frozen in daily portions. Best when doing this to add the Vit C and powder at time of serving.
Just cook up the grain add all the bits and pieces mix and freeze.
YOUNG PUPS 8-20 weeks. 2 Meals a day. Dogs should be fed 2 meals a day until they are 10-12 months old.
NEVER LEAVE YOUNG PUPS TO EAT UNSUPERVISED
Young pups, because they are growing so quickly, need just that bit more nutrition. In these first 5 mths we like to feed a mush meal every night and a bones meal for breakfast most mornings. Chicken necks (separate skin from neck), wings or carcases are great for these bone meals and disappear pretty quickly so there is no waiting around for pups to finish their meal. Also for breakfast every couple of days give the puppy a heart chopped up with some yoghurt and rolled oats. This ensures the puppy gets the best start in life and lots of goodies to grow healthy and strong.
Bones are vital to a young pup as they need the calcium to build their own bones. Offal or heart should be fed with at least 5 meals a week, either breakfast or dinner to give much needed iron.
When adding the supplements to young pups meals just a pinch of everything building up to the adult amount at about 6-7 months.
Once pups leave their mother they don’t need any extra milk. Yoghurt and cottage cheese supply all these needs.
THINGS TO AVOID:
Chocolate can be toxic to dogs. Please avoid all foods containing colorants and preservatives.Sugar and salt laden foods are a hazard for dogs, so not too many biscuits or smiths chips!!
EMERGENCY MEALS:
Keep a couple of tins of Tom Piper sausage and vegetables or braised steak in the pantry. A quick meal can be made from some in an emergency but shouldn’t be fed as a matter of course.eggs scrambled in the microwave and added to a can of soup. Some vegemite or peanut butter toast (no butter). These meals are OK
BOWLS:
We recommend stainless steel bowls for food and water.
We are available at any time in the dogs life for help with anything that will ensure our dogs are happy and healthy. Please don’t hesitate to call us. Good luck with this bundle of love. Your heart will never be the same.
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This page last updated: 12 September, 1998.
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