Blog

Natural Diet for Dogs

7 January 2009

A lot of my clients ask me what I feed my dogs, being that one of them is 11 and still bounds around like a Puppy with even the vet commenting on her amazing teeth and lust for life, I thought I would share what they have both being eating all their doggies lives. The first think to take in mind is that we feed our dogs as close to what they would naturally eat in nature as possible. The problem with most dogs’ foods is that the first ingredient is wheat, rice or some other grain. Do you think your dog is off to the rice fields? Of course not, so why feed them grains? Grains fed to dogs and cats are highly inflammatory and contribute to diseases like eczema and arthritis. The bulk of your dog’s diet should be meat and bones that is what they eat in nature. We give our dogs raw meat, again this is how they would eat it in nature, dogs naturally have a high acid production in their stomachs which kill off bacteria found in meat, so cooking is not necessary and just oxidises the good fats that occur in meat into bad ones which can contribute to heart disease and cancer. If you’re introducing raw meat or changing your dogs diet this should be done slowly. If your dog has been on dog foods the chances are that it has naturally lowered digestive enzyme function, by changing your dogs food slowly you minimise the risk of stomach pains and diarrhoea. The next thing that all dogs need are bones. Again this is what they would be eating in nature. Always give raw bones and never cooked ones. The bone should be larger than the size of your dogs head to prevent obstructions; small bones are likely to be swallowed and could cause real trouble and a big vet bill. The final thing to add to your dog’s diet is raw vegetables and fruit. In nature dogs would graze off berries and vegetables on the forest floor. We give our dogs a variety of grated or blended vegetables and fruit making sure we change the combination daily.

Daily Feed guide

Breakfast: Sardines, mackerel or Salmon with grated zucchini, carrot and blueberries Dinner: Meat – Chicken, Lamb, Rabbit, kangaroo or goat with vegetables like cos lettuce, zucchini, carrot, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and apple. Vegetables should be grated or put into a blender to aid in digestion. We also give our pets supplements but these should be created individually for your pets. Good general supplements to add include: Flax Seed oil, Cod liver oil, Liquid B vitamins, Dolomite powder, and Kelp. Make sure you follow the instructions on dosage going upon your dog’s weight. There are a few foods you should NEVER feed to your dog these include: Chocolate, grapes, macadamias, onions, mushrooms, milk and dairy products.