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A Healthier Way To Feed Your Pet
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by Ludene Balke-Smits
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Most of us do not think about what we are feeding our pet until they develop a serious health problem such as cancer, heart disease, allergies, skin problems or obesity. This paper provides you with the opportunity to think about your pet's diet when you & your pet are not in a health crisis.
Two years ago I began to consider the impact diet was having on the health of our dogs. We switched to a premium food and within a month noted improvements in skin and coat. As my research continued I became more interested in a home-prepared diet as an alternative to the overly processed & chemically enhanced food we were feeding. Did you know that each year the commercial pet food industry spends billions of dollars on advertising to convince us that the best food for our pets comes in wax lined paper bags and tin cans? The containers, labeling, food color, shape & smells are all designed to attract and convince us that our pet's health depends on our feeding a particular brand of food. If you were to read the labels on your pet's food containers, you would find cereals/grains, meat meal, meat by-products, poultry meal, and poultry by-products along with added fat, vitamins and minerals. This does not sound too terrible until we stop and think about what these words could really mean. What part of the grain? What are poultry or meat by-products? How effective are fat, vitamins and minerals that have been processed at high heat and preserved with chemicals? Could it be that these by-products are those grain and animal parts that are not fit for human consumption? What exactly is in meat meal or poultry meal? What impact do the preservatives have on our pet's health? Only the manufacturer of the dog food knows for sure and they are not telling us. After doing some careful research I decided that we would feed our dogs a home-prepared raw diet. Another option is to prepare home-cooked foods for your pets. You will need to decide for yourself, whether a high quality dog food with human grade ingredients, a home-cooked or a raw diet are best for you and your pet. After studying all the facts some people do not feel they can prepare their pet's food, while others decide that a home-prepared or a raw diet is the only way to go. It is up to you to decide which is best for you and your pet. We have been feeding a biologically appropriate raw food diet to our dogs for a year. As a result, we have seen fewer health problems, increased vigor, lean and muscular bodies, clear eyes, wonderful skin & coats, no doggie odor, no doggie breath and a significant decrease in stools. The dogs are also drinking less water as their food is naturally high in water and does not contain added salt as a flavor enhancer. The biologically appropriate raw food diet is also known as the bones and raw food diet and is often termed B.A.R.F. This Is How We Do It: We are feeding an eight-year-old chow, an almost two-year-old golden retriever, a ten-month-old elkhound and a three-month-old chow pup. The senior chow weighs 80 pounds, the golden 73, the elkhound 53 and the puppy 15. The recommended feeding rate for an adult dog is 2% to 3% of its body weight. Thus, the three older dogs are each fed 1.5 lb. of raw
food a day, split between two meals. The senior chow is the least
active and will sometimes leave food in his dish or skip meals. The golden and elkhound are more active and need the higher amount of food. The chow pup gets one pound of raw food split into three meals. As the puppy grows the amount of food will be adjusted to meet her energy level & body weight and she will be fed twice a day as well.
Our main food is raw chicken necks and backs that we buy in 40 lb. cases. This is then packaged into 5-gallon freezer bags and frozen. The chicken takes a day or two to thaw in the refrigerator and is served at room temperature. Room temperature is obtained by rinsing the meat with warm water. To make feeding quicker, we sometimes package the chicken in single serving size bags, or after thawing, weighed it out and package in reusable containers.
We also feed ground beef heart, pureed beef liver, and beef neck bones. Raw beef bones are given for recreational chewing. Bones are wonderful for your dog or cat as long as they are raw. Cooked bones are dangerous, in that cooking dries them out and as a result they can splinter. Never, ever feed cooked bones to your pet!
Pureed vegetables (known as veggie mush) are fed every 3rd or 4th meal along with some ground meat, cottage cheese and raw eggs. Once a week raw beef or chicken liver is added to the veggie mush. In order for the dogs to digest the vegetables, it must be pulverized. I have gotten veggie pulp from a local juice bar, used a blender & food processor and a juicer. The juicer is a wonderful addition to making this diet workable, but not necessary. By getting veggie pulp from the juice bar, half the work is done for us at little cost. All we need to do is purchase some green vegetables, pulverize and add them to the carrot/celery/beet pulp from the juice bar. We make up large batches of veggie mush and package into 1.5-cup containers and freeze. By preparing the veggie mush ahead, little effort is needed at the time of feeding. If time allows we prefer to prepare the veggie mush fresh.
It is best to use fresh organically grown vegetables, organically raised meat and eggs from free-range chickens. But remember any fresh human grade meat and produce is better than what your pet would be getting in commercially prepared food. Because you are preparing the meals, you know exactly what your pet is eating and can adjust it to meet their individual needs.
We use the same common sense food handling practices that we use when preparing family meals. Hands are washed frequently, counter tops are washed well before and after with a kitchen cleaner that contains bleach and only clean containers are used. Supplements: Not all people who feed a home-prepared diet have chosen to supplement; some supplement on a daily basis, some hit and miss, and some in an effort to support a special health condition. Because our pets live in the same contaminated world that we do, we have chosen to supplement their diet with the following. (Note: except for the digestive enzyme, we use only human grade supplements obtained from a reliable source)
Apple Cider Vinegar is added to the drinking water at the rate of 3 TBS per gallon. We use raw pasteurized ACV that contains the mother. You can also add it to the pet's food, but our dogs did not like it that way. We began with ¼ tsp. per gallon of water and slowly increased it until reaching the desired level.
Vitamin B Complex is given once a day or so at the rate of 50 mg. We have chosen to use yeast free capsules and sprinkle it on the raw meat or mix with the veggies.
Ester C with Bioflavonoids is given to bowel tolerance. We prefer the powdered form. Some folks use other forms of vitamin C as well. Each dog's dosage is split in half and sprinkled on their food.
Vitamin E is given at the rate of 400 iu once a day or so. We use mixed d-alpha tocopherols.
Zinc is given a couple of times a week at 25 mg, hidden in a small amount of cottage cheese.
Kelp is given in powdered form once or twice a day. We usually give 1 tsp. per dose and sprinkle on the meat or mix with the veggies or cottage cheese.
Alfalfa is used in a powdered form at the rate of 1 tsp. per dose mixed along with the kelp.
Flaxseed Oil or Salmon Oil are given at each meal, sprinkled over the meat or mixed with the veggies or cottage cheese. Each dog gets 4000 - 6000 mg of oil a day.
Cod Liver Oil is given to the adult dogs once a week opposite the meal that contains liver. We use 250-mg soft gels.
Digestive Enzyme, such as Prozyme or Dog Formula should be used when switching dogs to a raw or home-prepared diet. Be sure to use a species-specific digestive enzyme, as our pet's digestive system is different than humans.
Just because these are the supplements we have chosen for our dogs, does not mean that they would be the right supplements for your pet. Please make an individual determination as to what supplements, if any, you choose to give your pets. Cost: We spend between $20 and $30 per month per adult dog to feed the above diet and supplement as illustrated. By purchasing chicken in bulk and taking advantage of sales on the beef, produce and supplements we have been able to make this way of feeding very cost effective. Some BARF feeders have worked out deals with their grocer for left over produce and meats that are at the end of their shelf life. Our family garden is designed to provide vegetables for the dogs as well as the humans.
Effort: Feeding a home-prepared diet takes more time and effort than purchasing a bag of kibble and pouring it into you pet's food bowl. However, within three months of feeding this diet, we had it down to a system that is time efficient & that provides our dogs with healthy wholesome foods. Setting up a meal for our four dogs takes about fifteen minutes. The secret for us was to buy in bulk, prepare & freeze the veggie mush ahead and to package the meat meals in single serving containers.
Local Places To Shop: We order the chicken backs and necks directly from Wright's Broiler in Shawano at .25 cents per pound in 40 lb. cases. Orders must be placed by Wednesday for Friday pick-up.
The pureed beef liver, ground beef heart & non-weight bearing bones are special ordered from Maplewood Meats on Hwy 29 west of Green Bay. Again, these are ordered ahead and stored in our home freezer until needed.
The Urban Frog in Green Bay has been willing to save veggie pulp for us. We usually are able to get 2 five gallon pails with a two-day notice. You need to request that it be refrigerated until picked up. I buy a couple of large glasses of juice to add back in along with the green veggie pulp I have made at home. A great time and cost saver.
Purely Natural Produce on Hwy. 29 in Pulaski is a great source for organically grown vegetables. They carry a complete line of Nature's Sunshine brand of supplements and have sources for free-range eggs and organically raised beef and chickens.
Keune Organics located in rural Seymour, on county road C, is another excellent source for organically grown produce, eggs, chicken, and beef. Sources For More Information Books: Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Richard Pitcairn, D.V.M. , Ph.D. and Susan Hubble Pitcairn.
The Nature of Animal Healing by Martin Goldstein, D.V.M
Foods Pets Die For by Ann Martin
**The Ultimate Diet: Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy R. Schultze, A.H.I.
**Give Your Dog a Bone by Ian Billinghust, V.V.Sc (Hons.) B.Sc.Agr., Dip.Ed.
Grow Your Pups with Bones by Ian Billinghust, V.V.Sc (Hons.) B.Sc.Agr., Dip.Ed.
** Recommended reading before starting BARF Internet Resources: Discussion lists are available on the Internet that address pet health including raw diets. A BARF Message Board is located at: http://www.njboxers.com/discus/
This paper was prepared by Ludene Balke-Smits in an effort to introduce you to the concept of feeding your pet a natural diet. It is not intended to replace your own research or as medical advice. Please listen to your pet and use your personal judgement to determine which diet is best for you and your pet. Feel free to contact me at balke@itol.com you would like to talk BARF. |
