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Thursday, April 17, 2014
From the desk of Sharda Baker.
Hi and welcome everyone!
This is Sharda with a wonderful newsletter about dog food.
Here we go!
The other option aside from high quality commercially purchased dog food is making it right at home.
This option has become more and more popular over the past few years as it allows owners to choose directly what is going into their dogs bowl.
Another option, which is also very popular, is the BARF diet.
The BARF Diet is suitable for many dogs but it takes time and dedication on the owners part.
While there are noticeable differences between the BARF diet and a diet based on commercial and quality dog foods, the purpose of both diets is to provide the dog with the best nutrients possible.
Commercial dog foods are scientifically formulated to meet the dietary needs of your dog without the fuss and muss needed for the BARF diet.
In this section, the BARF diet will be explored but readers should note that the BARF diet is not always the best method of feeding your dog and it takes a great amount of time to prepare and research the foods. Conversely, commercial brand dog foods have undergone several tests to insure that they are compatible with the dietary needs of the dog.
Basically, a dog will receive just about the same benefits of the BARF diet if he remains on a commercial diet and may even receive more nutrients that way.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what’s right for your dog.
MORNING MEAL:
About 1 pound (0.5 kg) of raw meaty bones 4-6 raw chicken wings; or 2-3 chicken backs; or 1-2 turkey necks
EVENING MEAL:
cup of veggie slop and about 1 pound (0.5 kg) of raw meaty bones and/or muscle meat (combined) same or similar raw meaty bones as fed in the morning; and/or ground meat (beef, ostrich, turkey, lamb, whatever) with egg shell powder or calcium supplement; and/or whatever other types of meats or meaty bones that are cheap – chicken feet, emu, fish, lamb, etc.
and/or offal (exclusive of liver) weekly; and/or whole egg with shell a couple times a week and essential fatty acids, avocado; or flax seed oil; or (sometimes) canned sardines or fish oil and supplements vitamin C; and probiotics; and trace minerals; and (every few days) vitamin E
Offal is animal organs such spleen, intestine, brain, lungs.
Veggie slop is pulped vegetables that typically consist of any combination of: various lettuces, celery, carrots, squash, cucumber, sprouts, kale, spinach, broccoli, etc.
You can throw in apples and garlic in the summer. Each batch can be different, and you can make large quantities and freeze.
SNACKS:
- Fruit
- marrow bones
- freeze dried liver
- freeze dried salmon
- any commercial treat that is healthy
You’ll note the word avocado is bolded in the above example sample BARF menu because the American Veterinary Medicine Association, and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Centre advises that avocados (fruit, pit, and plant) are toxic to dogs and contain a compound called persin, which can damage heart, lung and other tissues.
They are high in fat and can trigger stomach upset, vomiting and even pancreatitis.
Symptoms of toxicity include difficulty breathing, abdominal enlargement, and abnormal fluid accumulations in the chest, abdomen and sac around the heart.
The amount that needs to be ingested to cause signs is not known.
Of course, not all BARF diet samples or actual diets fed will have avocados in them, nor does this mean they are fed on a daily basis. However, it does highlight the need to do your research very carefully before you try the BARF method.
I hope you learned a lot from today’s dog food newsletter.
I will be back for more!
Warmest regards,
Sharda Baker