Feed a raw diet for maximum canine health

 

Acknowledgement: Much of the following material can be attributed to Dr. Ian Billinghurst B.V.Sc.{Hons}, B.Sc.Agr., Dip. Ed. and his books "Give Your Dog A Bone" and "Grow Your Pups With Bones", both of which I recommend most highly. All text presented in Italics comes directly from one of these books.

The topic of what to feed your dog is one that is sure to incite an argument. It is not my desire to do that here. I would like to present my method including the reason I feed this way as concisely as possible. The information is yours then to do with as you will.

  1. Your dog, when it comes to food, is a Carnivore, a Vegetarian, a Scavenger, a Hunter and an Opportunist.

  2. The modern canine is, therefore, an omnivore, just like a wolf or dingo. Modern dogs are no different internally than their wild cousins. That is the entire digestive system, and the way food is utilised for growth, maintenance, repair and reproduction, is fundamentally the same as it’s wild ancestors. A study of the wild dog’s diet will then provide us with an idea of what the modern dog would choose if we were not pulling the strings.

  3. The wild dog eats meat, bone, skin, hair, liver, kidneys, heart, brains, stomach, intestines, lungs, stomach contents, grass, faeces, vomit, after-birth, rotting meats, fruit, vegetables and eggs. This leads us to the four principles in feeding dogs.

· A dog’s diet should be based on raw meaty bones

· Most of a dog’s diet should be raw

· Apart from raw meaty bones, a dog should be fed on as wide a variety of foods as possible, and those foods should reflect the types and quantities of foods wild dogs eat.

· The diet should be balanced over a number of meals. Each meal does not have to be balanced in itself.

But what do I actually feed my dog??

60% to 80% of a dogs diet should be raw meaty bones. These could be chicken wings, legs, frames or lamb off cuts from a butcher. Beef, buffalo, chicken, rabbit, turkey, lamb, pork and kangaroo can also be fed to your dog. Remember that they should be meaty bones not bony meat. More bone less meat is the key.

Approximately 30% of the diet should be vegetable and fruit pulp. These could include silver beet, spinach, celery, members of the cabbage family, carrots, sugar beet, tomatoes, apples, oranges, mangoes, grapes, bananas. These are best pulped in a food processor so they resemble the stomach contents of an animal. To this add an egg and a small amount of vegetable oil.

The remaining 10% of the diet should consist of offal. This can also be put through the food processor and added to the vegetable/fruit pulp for added flavour.

Remember you don’t have to have a balance in each meal just a balance over time. For example you could feed raw chicken frames for five consecutive days, then feed the vegetable/fruit/offal mix on the sixth day. The seventh day could be a fast. Fasting from time to time is beneficial to dogs. Refer to Dr Billinghurst’s books for more detail on fasting.

How much should I feed my dog??

Excess weight is unhealthy for dogs just as it is for their human masters. A lean dog is a healthy dog. All dogs are different just as their masters are. There is no set amount of food that is the correct amount to feed each and every dog. To maintain your dog in a lean and healthy condition requires the specific quantity of food that prevents excess weight gain and provides sufficient energy.

 

There is a simple rule of thumb way of gauging if your dog is at the correct weight.

  1. When the dog is standing look down at his/her back from above. You should be able to see a distinct ‘waist’ between where the ribs end and the pelvis begins.
  2. When your dog is standing run your hand over the ribcage on the side of the body. You should be able to easily feel each rib as your hand bumps over them. You should not be able to see the ribs.

 

So, your dog should have a waist and you should be able to feel the ribs but not see them.

All you need do now is adjust your dogs diet so that he/she passes these tests.

There is one other point to remember. Dogs that live outside most of the time require a little more food during the winter months. Additional food is necessary to provide your dog with the extra energy needed to maintain a normal body temperature.

I have used these guidelines and the information contained in Dr Billinghurst’s books to feed the Labradors that I breed. The glowing health of my dogs and the fact that vet visits are only made for reasons such as hip scoring or annual vaccinations is testimony to the benefits of this type of feeding philosophy.

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