Dog food

[Guest The Hob]

Hi lads after having a read of some of the previous threads the last few days I've decided to change from complete dry food to fresh food. Thought the dry food would be more of a saver on the cash side as it would last me a month at least, But after reading them threads I'm well shocked at how much SHIT goes into complete dry food and how much of it has no nutritional value at all .

So I've decided to go for fresh food, My only concern is going to be 'Am I giving her all the required vitamins and minerals she requires, and am I giving her too much of one and not enough of another'.????

I know this sounds petty but I'm well shocked at the amount of CRAP in complete food, I've just boiled up four chickhen quarters (the missus will go nuts, they were for a meal in the week :realmad: :realmad: )

a Rabbit, A shed load of pasta added some gavy granuals, Four tbl spoons of cod liver oil, four tbl spoons of olive oil and half a t spoon of garlic puree.

I've seen on these threads SA 37 mentioned what is it and what does it do ???????? Will I need to give this to the dog now I'm changing her food ?????????

 

All help and information on this will be well and truly appreciated............

 

Thanks The Hob

 

Just to add this food I've made will be introduced over the next week or so and not given to her as a straight change

[Simoman 110]

Feeding raw will be the best move you make but don't boil your chicken, the bones become softer and dangerous. I feed mine 40% minced meat, either lamb & veg mix or beef and 60% raw meaty bones, chicken wings. I also regularly give the dogs fruit, pigs trotters and knuckle bones. Add a little omega 3 fish oil and your dogs will be in the best physical condition, the dogs also enjoy eating meat and bones rather than biscuit.

 

PM me if you want the name of a supplier who will deliver

[Rainmaker 7]

I agree with Simoman

 

Well done for deciding to switch to raw, you won't regret it The only thing I'd mention is that you really don't need to cook the food. First, cooked chicken bones are really dangerous - they splinter badly.

 

Every time you hear someone say "Oh you can't feed your dog bones!" they're actually referring to COOKED bones (even if they don't know it yet lol)... Raw bones are a natural food for dogs.

 

The gravy and all that other stuff you cooked isn't gonna offer anything except flavour. In one end and out the other mate :sick: Not knocking you, I'm applauding you for taking the first step. Now you're gonna have fun learning all about this raw lark

 

Try Raw Meaty Bones and Work Wonders, both books by Dr Tom Lonsdale. You can have the second one (the one that actually tells you what and how to feed on raw) for FREE on Dr Lonsdale's site www.rawmeatybones.com ). Click on Work Wonders, and then Full Text PDF.

 

Don't worry about vitamins and supplements. They do much more harm than good. You don't worry about whether your kids are getting enough selenium and vitamin b12 do you?! Follow the parental example with your dogs! Just give them a variety of fresh carcases, raw meaty bones (emphasis on meaty), offal etc. No need for fruit, veg, gravy, mash, vitamin powders etc etc.

 

Good luck Email me if you get stuck, I check that every day but don't necessarily get chance to get on here all the time.

 

Lee

[socks 32,253]

just to clarify .... boiling bones WONT cause them to splinter its cooking in an oven that causes splintering ........

[sandymere 8,263]

on you hob for looking to do well by your dogs

 

cooking meat alows the dog to utilise more of the nutrients as the cooking process starts the breakdown. remember that protein (meat) and fat are in the main turned into carbohydrate by the dogs body (glucneogenesis) to be used as fuel. with carbohydrate sources such as vegtable matter then the cooking again alows more of the nutrients to be utilised.

 

its common sense a balenced diet is best for man or beast.

3 food types:

1 fat used for repair, growth, storage and energy.

2 protein used for repair, growth, storage and energy.

3 carbs (suger) the main energy source. the 2 above are the spare parts for the car carbs are the petrol.

 

i'm sure i've read that before somewhere!

 

i'm a great beliver in a balenced diet is better although some believe otherwise. you don't see many top athletes eating whole animals and a few roots they have dug up! i expect a lot from dogs and so i am willing to put a lot in, it would be easy to throw them a rabbit once a day but a little time spent learning about what happens to the food once it's past the mouth might be a good investment it costs a lot to keep a working dog so a little learning might optimise the investment.

[Rainmaker 7]

on you hob for looking to do well by your dogs

 

cooking meat alows the dog to utilise more of the nutrients as the cooking process starts the breakdown. remember that protein (meat) and fat are in the main turned into carbohydrate by the dogs body (glucneogenesis) to be used as fuel. with carbohydrate sources such as vegtable matter then the cooking again alows more of the nutrients to be utilised.

 

its common sense a balenced diet is best for man or beast.

3 food types:

1 fat used for repair, growth, storage and energy.

2 protein used for repair, growth, storage and energy.

3 carbs (suger) the main energy source. the 2 above are the spare parts for the car carbs are the petrol.

 

i'm sure i've read that before somewhere!

 

i'm a great beliver in a balenced diet is better although some believe otherwise. you don't see many top athletes eating whole animals and a few roots they have dug up! i expect a lot from dogs and so i am willing to put a lot in, it would be easy to throw them a rabbit once a day but a little time spent learning about what happens to the food once it's past the mouth might be a good investment it costs a lot to keep a working dog so a little learning might optimise the investment.

 

Sorry mate, but that's not exactly right. A human isn't a carnivore therefore his diet is based around a variety of fruits, vegetables, and animal proteins. We aren't MEANT to be eating whole animals, you're right.

 

But for dogs, not only do they not use carbs as their "main energy source" or as "petrol" but actually the reverse is true. A dog's main energy source is FATS, and they have absolutely ZERO requirement for carbs in the diet at all.

 

I'm sorry my friend, and I'm certainly not starting a ruckus, I'm just pointing out where you might want to read up a bit. Cooking does not make nutrients more bioavailable for a canine designed to eat raw prey. It actually alters the physical structure of fats and proteins making them LESS digestible and potentially carcinogenic (fats).

 

There are dozens of textbooks and papers on canine dietary requirements which will confirm all of this. Feed raw whole carcases and you'll be giving the dog the best nature can offer.

 

I too expect a lot from my dogs, but I don't expect junk food to provide the best for them, just like your athlete won't eat McDonalds every day. There's no way a bag of second rate grain byproducts, sugar beet, and rendered animal leftovers and restaurant fat is going to offer a good diet, and especially not for a carnivore.

 

Even the manufacturers who try to argue dogs are omnivorous (which is bollocks, ask any scientist or taxonomist, including the Smithsonian), will tell you cats are truly carnivorous... so why is cat "food" mostly grain? Since dogs are carnivores too, that applies equally for them.

 

Commercial kibble is health destroying junk food with ample scientific evidence to prove it (even Waltham/Pedigree Chum's labs will tell you that 85% of dogs fed kibble etc are full of periodontal disease by the time they're only THREE!)

 

it would be easy to throw them a rabbit once a day but a little time spent learning about what happens to the food once it's past the mouth might be a good investment it costs a lot to keep a working dog so a little learning might optimise the investment.

 

Quite so... Can I suggest the veterinary textbook "Small Animal Clinical Nutrition", which will explain all about how dogs metabolise fats and don't need carbs?

 

I KNOW you weren't referring directly to kibble and so on, but it all ties into my pet subject nicely so there hehe Seriously, you're right, raw IS very easy... so why make things harder when it works wonders? Nature has used it for millions of years, don't you think she would have changed the recipe if it didn't work?

 

 

Good thread lads No offence meant with this, just education. It's all too easy to get sucked into the pet food myth. Manufacturers LOVE you to think dogs are meant to eat grains, and can utilise carbs well etc... it makes their food cheaper to make for them, and that means bigger profits on that £40 bag of Hi-Brand (seeing as grain is about 30 a ton and dog food is about % grain!)....

 

Lee

[socks 32,253]

rainmaker you beat me to it ...........

[Kye 77]

Hi Hob,..

I live in the desert south west of america, so feeding/keeping flesh here is hard...we only have a small freezer, so we can only feed flesh in the winter/fall...we will be moving to the Mid-west anytime know though, and me and the wife are planning on getting a walk in freezer for the dog food...very exspensive, but my dogs are the world to me.

The difference is amazing in the dogs condision...and there performance is realy enhanced buy a good diet (as is the case with humans!)..

Ive never worried about bones, and have never had a problem...i have even fed the dogs fish, but not very often, as i have heard to much can be bad for a dog..

When i move, the dogs will be getting plenty of fresh meat and bones, mostly venison, as i hear there is a very good game dealer where im going to be!..

All the best..

Kye..

[Guest The Hob]

Thanks lads for the advice, Spoke to my old boss yesterday he's a butcher so he's keeping me scraps, meaty bones, Hearts, kidneys liver etc. and my old man works down the local fruit and veg market so he's gonna get me the veg. So i've sorter got it sorted :ok: :ok: . Just got to make room for all this extra food now. The kids frozen meals are gonna suddenly disappear I think :whistle: :whistle:

 

Cheers lads