I started feeding a species appropriate raw natural diet in
1997. I wouldn't feed my dogs any other
way. You can see a difference in their health, the shine of the their coat
and their overall energy. A species
appropriate diet has been coined BARF, bones and raw food or biologically
appropriate raw food. It
essentially means that what we feed our domesticated dogs mimics what their
ancestors ate in the wild. All dogs
are descendants of wolves and have the same digestive systems.
The more research I did the more I realized that feeding dogs an “all
in one completely balanced” dry kibble was not the way nature intended.
People are encouraged to eat as many raw fruits and vegetables and
unprocessed foods as possible so it makes sense for our dogs to have raw
unprocessed foods also. The more
research I did on what goes into commercial dry kibble and how it is processed
seemed very unhealthy. Dogs are not
as healthy as they used to be, they are getting more cancers, diabetes,
seizures, autoimmune disorders and other life threatening diseases more than
ever before. Life spans are shorter
and with modern veterinary techniques their lifespan should be getting longer.
Encouraged by my friends who were already feeding their dogs
raw foods, reading lots of books both by veterinarians and animal nutritionists,
I made the switch to feeding a natural raw diet to my dogs.
It is not hard to do and it does not have to be expensive.
You just have to do it. There
are many recipes for you to make your own food or you can buy premade raw food.
All food is always fed raw. Raw
meaty bones make up about 60-80% of my dogs diet, which means meat and bones
that they can completely consume as a meal. These types of bones include chicken
wings and necks, turkey necks and lamb breast.
Recreational bones are considered those types of bones that they chew on
but do not eat entirely as a meal. The
other part of their diet is a mixture of meat, organ meats and processed
vegetables. I also include in their
diet a few supplements such as Vitamin C, Flax seed oil and a kelp/alfalfa
vitamin mix. There are many
theories and recipes but one thing is for sure that dogs are much healthier on
raw foods.
Going along with keeping my dogs healthy I also found that
annual vaccinations are not what they seem to be. Direct relationships between vaccinations and diseases are
being made. Most of the veterinary
schools are recommending not vaccinating on a yearly basis anymore.
People don’t get vaccinated every year so why should our pets.
It is worth a thorough investigation before the next time your pet is
scheduled to have his “cocktail” of vaccinations.
My health and feeding practices for my Papillons is as
natural as I can get. I do not use hazardous chemicals and poisons on or
around my dogs or home. For flea control I use beneficial nematodes in my
yard and boric acid powders in my home. I have a wonderful holistic
veterinarian that helps me with kinder and gentler methods treating my dogs for
any ailments they may have. I also have a valuable and necessary
relationship with an allopathic veterinary clinic. Both types of vets
support and encourage my natural feeding practices.
Provided below are many links for your consideration.
Drug and commercial dog food companies make millions of dollars every
year. I am certainly not convinced
that they have our pets’ best interest in mind.
Many veterinarians are very skeptical to what others are saying about
commercial pet foods and vaccinations because they don’t want their practice
to dwindle. They are kept alive by
getting you in for those annual vaccinations.
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