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| By Lew Olson • October 2007 Newsletter |
| The information contained in this newsletter should only be used as a guideline. Always make sure you have a correct diagnosis from your veterinarian before proceeding and always follow their directions and protocol. |
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FAQ on Home Made Diets B-Naturals Newsletter October 2007 By 
Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs, Revised: The Definitive Guide to Homemade Meals! Lew Olson's newly revised book is filled with an abundance of new topics and information. Whether you are new to home feeding or a seasoned raw feeder, have a senior dog or a new puppy, a pregnant mom or a toy breed, this book presents all the information you need to make the best nutritional decisions for your dog.Lew Olson, PhD Natural Health, LMSW-ACP FAQ on Home Made Diets Blackwood The Green Mile, (Bean) July 9th, 2002- August 4th, 2007
1. How much food do I feed my dog? Answer: The general rule of thumb is to feed 2% to 3% of the dog’s “ideal” body weight. For instance, if you feel your dog needs to weigh more, use this percentage for the weight you would like your dog to weigh. If you think your dog needs to lose weight, feed to the percentage that meets that goal. Example: One pound equals approximately two cups. 100 lb dog = 2 lb to 3 lb daily, or two meals of 1 to 1-1/2 lbs each meal. 2. How often should I feed my dog? Answer: Two meals per day are recommended. However, many dogs do fine with one meal per day. If you are feeding two meals per day, it is suggested you feed one raw meaty bone meal and one muscle and organ meat meal. If you are feeding a raw meaty bone diet and only feed one meal per day, you may want to feed raw meaty bones one day and muscle and organ meat the next. Do not fast a dog, unless medically indicated, as dogs need to eat every day, just like we do. 3. What kind of diet is better? A raw diet or a home cooked diet? Answer: Both are fine. It is a matter of deciding what is easiest for you and what you are most comfortable feeding your dog. Each diet has its own pro’s and con’s. Raw diets don’t involve cooking, which saves time, and they have their own calcium source (the bones) already in place. Cooked diets can be made in advance, put into individual servings, and are ready to feed once thawed. Both offer the benefit of serving your dog unprocessed, fresh food. 4. What are the benefits of a fresh food (raw or home cooked) diet? Answer: When I first started feeding a raw diet, it was for a specific health reason. The side effects were not only unexpected, but a welcomed surprise. Some of these included loss of ‘doggy’ odor, clean skin, sweet breath and clean teeth. And lastly, the stool size decreased, along with the odor. My dogs have leaner, more muscled bodies and their energy levels and endurance are better in the show ring, performance ring and home at play. Nothing beats the nutrients from fresh food. A home made diet, either raw or home cooked offers better nutrition than a processed, commercial diet. 5. How will I know if my dog is getting a balanced meal? Answer: A Balanced diet is a commercial food issue. When a dogs diet consists of only a particular brand and flavor of one commercial dog food, that food must be complete and balanced. When you serve home prepared meals, you offer variety in those meals. The variety of foods you feed help to give more nutrients to your dog for a more nutrition packed menu. What we do need to ensure with home prepared diet is proper calcium to phosphorus ratio. In home cooked diets (no bones added), you need to add about 900 mg of calcium carbonate or calcium citrate to each pound of food served. When using raw meaty bone meals, you would make 40% to 50% of the diet in raw meaty bones and the other portion in muscle meat and organ meat (about 5% to 10%). You can add to this meat meal pureed vegetables, dairy and eggs if preferred. To both of these meals, you can add EPA fish oil capsules (for the omega 3 fatty acids, at about one per 20 lbs of body weight daily), vitamin E, vitamin C and B complex. You can find these vitamins in the Bertes Daily Blend and the Bertes Immune Blend). 6. Won’t a diet change upset my dog’s digestive tract? Answer: Normally, dogs make the transition to a raw or cooked diet pretty easily. Some dogs, however, if they have been on dry food for a long time may react to the fat in the home cooked or raw diet. Because of this, I generally advise people to use lower fat foods (remove the skin from the chicken, use low fat cuts of meat, low fat or non fat dairy) in the beginning and start the diet by either mixing the new food with their kibble or start the new diet in smaller, more frequent meals. Most dogs do not have any upset at all. The two main causes of stomach upset come from feeding too much food (it isn’t hard to give a dog too much of something they like!) or feeding too much fat in the diet. 7. What can I do if my dog gains too much weight? Answer: One way to tell if a dog weight is too much is to check his ribs with your fingers. If you have to ‘dig’ to find the ribs, the dog weighs too much. Ideally, you dont want to see the ribs, but you dont want to have to ‘dig’ to find them. To take some weight off your dog, you can cut meal portions by 10% and reduce some of the fat in the diet. You do the opposite if your dog is losing weight. If this is the case, increase meal portions by 10% and add more fat to the diet. 8. What about bacteria in home made diets? Dogs have a short and simple digestive tract, which is very different than ours. Their digestive systems are designed to eat raw meat and bones. It is always important to use USDA approved meat, and of course, use sensible handling of raw food. This includes proper refrigeration; using clean containers and practicing good clean up procedures. Remember, dogs handle bacteria much differently than we do. They walk on the dirt, sniff and lick each others private parts, drink pond water, grab and eat long dead things on the road and many even eat stool. Store bought meat is much cleaner than these. For more information on safety of raw meat, please read Christie Keith’s article, here: http://www.caberfeidh.com/Safe.htm. I have been feeding as many as 15 18 dogs of my own, plus rescue dogs a raw diet for over 10 years and I have never had issues with bacteria or parasites from meat. And note here that the number of dogs I have fed is more than the numbers needed for laboratory research testing. 9. Are parasites a concern in raw or cooked meat? Answer: No. As long as you are using USDA approved meat, it is fine. Pork had concerns with trichinosis some years ago, but this rarely seen. Cooking or heavy freezing (as is done before pork ever hits the grocery selves) is fine. Most parasites are found in the stool, and can be a concern in some wild game meat, such as wild pigs. 10. Are there special considerations for Puppies and Senior Dogs? Answer: Puppies adapt very easily to a raw or home cooked diet. We do feed puppies a higher quantity of food (approximately 5% to 10% of their body weight daily) and feed the more frequently – four meals a day. For more on puppy diets, you can read the newsletter at this link: Senior dogs actually need more protein than an adult dog, so the high bioavailability of a fresh food diet is ideal for them. Sometimes we need to feed a diet lower in fat to our seniors, but keeping them active with regular exercise such as frequent walks and play time, also helps with weight control. For more information and additional reading, please read the following newsletters: Here is a newsletter that includes recipes and instructions for home cooked diets for dogs: This newsletter is about Raw diets for dogs and includes recipes: I hope everyone is enjoying the seasonal changes of Fall, I know my dogs are enjoying the cool, crisp weather! Don’t forget to give all your dogs a big kiss and hug today! I will see you next month! Lew
No Specials in September. Newsletter Notes Please make sure your SPAM filter allows emails from rotts4life@comcast.net. If you have missed any of the previous newsletters, you can view them in their full context in the Newsletter Directory of the B-Naturals website. If your email address has changed and you would like to continue receiving the B-Naturals Newsletter, please send us your new email address and your old email address to the B-Naturals Newsletter. If you have suggestions on how we can make the B-Naturals newsletter better, please send them to B-Naturals Newsletter B-Naturals 1-281-392-3935 — Lew Olson Click this link for Orders, Shipping and Product Updates bnaturals1@aol.com DotBravo Co. You have permission to copy and distribute this newsletter to others provided it is not distributed for profit, proper credit has been given by the author and the article has been copied and distributed in its entirety. TO UNSUBSCRIBE: You have been put on this email distribution list because you have previously contacted Lew Olson or B-Naturals for either consultative advice or product information. If you feel you are on this list in error or you would like to be removed from this distribution list, please send an email to B-Naturals Newsletter to unsubscribe to this newsletter. |
| © Copyright 2007 Lew Olson, All Rights Reserved |
