MEAT – (Beef, chicken, lamb and fish) do not feed your dog with only one type of meat. On different days alternate the type of meat.
Meat alone is not enough for any animal, not even in the wild; dogs will eat the skin, bones, and stomach and contents. Meat does NOT contain calcium and very few vitamins and minerals. The minerals are in the bones.
Vitamins are found in the organs and stomach contents (vegetables).
Cooking meat with rice/pasta and vegetables improves flavor and kills worms if the offal you use has not been inspected.
Cooking the meat also destroys the nutritional value, to the point of having to feed twice as much.
Feed him good fresh raw meat. It’s fine, as long as it’s palatable to the dog (ie some dogs get an upset stomach if the meat is raw).
Feed any type of meat: beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish (sardines, tuna) and rabbit.
It is best to VARY the type of meat, as they differ in fat content and type of essential fatty acids.
Commercial canned foods are convenient but expensive and can contain up to 70% water.
Although canned dog food is well balanced with vitamins and minerals, it can affect some dogs with flatulence and diarrhea. Offal should only be added to meat in small amounts.
Vary the type of organ meats and do not give them to your dog too often, because they are rich in vitamins, so they should not be overfed. for example, liver is high in vitamin A.
Offal is a good appetite stimulant for convalescent dogs and fussy dogs as it has a very strong flavor added to their food.
CEREALS – (Cookies for puppies or dogs, cereal cookies for humans).
These provide a crunchy texture to the dog’s food that the dog enjoys.
It also adds a new flavor to your food. Biscuits are a balanced and concentrated food source, which can be the complete meal if nothing else is available or when physical demands require it. But remember that it is concentrated, so it makes less active dogs very fat. If kept airtight, it will last, stay fresh, be readily available, and is a reasonably inexpensive dog food for large breeds.
Make sure the dry food you buy has a reputable name and has been researched. Some brands are just full of bulky junk. Added to the diet of your dogs meat, vegetables, rice and raw bones. ‘Biscuits’ are a well-balanced tasty treat for your dog.
PUPPIES
At 4-5 months of age, a puppy is losing his puppy teeth and permanent teeth are coming in, his gums may be too tender to chew dog biscuits.
It’s helpful to soak some of the puppy biscuits to soften them while teething.
EGGS
Egg Improves the coat and is a good source of protein, biotin, vitamins D and B12, iron, chlorine and sulfur.
Eggs can be fed whole and raw.
The eggs can also be fed without the white. that is, yolks only!
One or two eggs mixed with food once a week are good for your dog’s coat and a very good source of protein and vitamins.
(Raw egg white contains an enzyme that destroys the biotin in the yolk, cooking the egg destroys the enzyme!)
Biotin is necessary for strong, healthy bones and cartilage.
Eggs contain an excess of biotin in the yolk. This is said to make up for the loss of biotin from the enzyme in the egg white.
VITAMINS AND MINERALS
These are necessary if you are only feeding meat.
Or dogs, which have high energy needs and may not get all they need from the main diet.
ie: working farm dogs, breeding/lactating bitches and puppies, especially large breeds.
Most dry foods contain a well-balanced meal with all the necessary vitamins and minerals, but have a higher caloric value than canned foods. Dry food should be avoided or severely limited for obese dogs.
Vitamins can be added to the diet in the form of drops or powder.
They are available at veterinarians, pet stores, and livestock feeders.
If you are feeding a diet that contains meat, vegetables, rice, raw bones, and dry dog biscuits, an average dog will not need additional vitamins.
Vegetables provide vitamin A and most of the B vitamins.
Eggs improve the coat and are a good source of protein, vitamins D and B12, iron, chlorine and sulfur.
Water soluble vitamins will simply pass through the dog if they are not needed.
These are: (Vitamins of group B, Vitamin C (Non Ascorbic Ester C).
Fat-soluble vitamins can cause illness if taken in excess. These are: (A, D, E and K).
Mineral supplements can also do more harm than good if they are not given in a balanced amount. If you regularly feed raw bones, you do not need a mineral supplement for your dog.
VEGETABLES
Green vegetables like peas, spinach, broccoli, beans, cabbage, carrots, and cauliflower. Allow one or more additional people at your table and add them to the meal.
These add vitamin A and most of the B vitamins.
You can use any vegetables except onions! Onions cause ANEMIA. Green vegetables like peas, beans, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, carrots, squash, cauliflower, and potatoes ANYTHING!
But be careful how many high-carbohydrate vegetables you use, such as potatoes, because your animal can gain excess weight if you can’t burn it off.
Also too much cabbage causes flatulence.
The easiest way to organize vegetables for your dog is when you prepare your own vegetables and add an extra serving to your table for each dog you have. Adjust the amount according to the size of the dog.
Then simply mix it into your dinner. Vegetables can be given raw as long as they are mixed into small pieces (pulped, chopped or pureed).
Cooking vegetables softens them and makes them more palatable, but overcooking destroys their vitamin content.
Vegetables are cheap and also a good bulk food for large and overweight dogs.
