- How can I be sure the diet is balanced?
That answer is easy enough! Just make sure to add 900 milligrams of calcium to the diet. You can use carbonate, calcium citrate or ½ teaspoon of ground eggshells per pound of food fed to your home-cooked meals. Design the recipes to be at least 75% animal-based protein and 25% low-sugar (low-glycemic) cooked and mashed carbohydrates.
For raw diets, feed half the diet in raw meaty bones and half in animal protein with a slight amount of liver or kidney added.
- How much cooked or raw food should I feed my dog daily?
For adult dogs, we feed 2% to 3% of their body weight daily. For puppies, we feed 5% to 10% of their body weight daily and feed multiple meals (3-4) per day until age 4 to 6 months.
- Are all meat types safe for my dog or are there some I should avoid?
Most meats are fine for dogs. I use USDA approved meats or pre-made frozen raw diets. However, there are a few exceptions. One of these includes pork. Pork is fine for dogs, but it does need to be frozen hard for three weeks to kill the trichinosis parasite. ALL meat suppliers in the United States do this before it ever hits the grocery shelves, so there is no problem with store-bought pork. HOWEVER, there are some meats that cannot be fed. You CANNOT feed dogs raw wild boar or bear as these can contain the trichinosis parasite. If you choose to feed these meats, you MUST make sure they have been hard-frozen for at least 3 weeks prior to feeding OR they MUST be fully cooked. In addition, salmon from the Northwest must be cooked before feeding due to flukes that they can sometimes harbor. Just cook first or offer canned salmon, which is fine because it has been cooked prior to canning. When feeding venison, avoid the spine and the head (brain).
- What are the benefits of feeding a raw or home cooked diet?
The benefits are wonderful! The first is smaller and less odor stools. The second is a lack of, or VERY LITTLE, tooth decay, plaque or tartar. Carbohydrates (grains, starches and fruit) cause Tartar. Third, there is NO DOGGY ODOR! This simply goes away on fresh food diets! Lastly, you will find your dog has better muscling and far less fat!
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.- How do I start a raw or home cooked diet?
The first thing is to get good directions and recipes. My book is a good way to start, “Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs”. It contains detailed directions and recipes. Or, you can purchase my excellent videos! There are three of them. One is on Home Cooked Meals. It is $60 and contains lists, ideas, recipes and videos to help you prepare meals. The second is on Raw Diets, also $60. This video will help you with recipes and instructions on buying and preparing food for adults, puppies and toy breeds. Also available is my full seminar video for $199, “Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs”. This video not only includes the Home Cooked and Raw Diet Videos, but also has chapters on the History of Dog Food, History of Feeding Dogs, Anatomy and Digestion of the Dog, Use of Supplements and How to Understand them, and two bonus chapters on Feeding Dogs with Cancer and Feeding Dogs with Renal Disease. These videos are on the Teachable site and there for you to use and view as long as you would like! The videos will help give you the confidence and courage to proceed and make sure you are successful!
I would also like to suggest you join K9Nutrition on Facebook where I, and several others, are available to help you with all your individual questions and concerns.
Once you get started, you will find out in a very short time how easy it is AND how fast you start to see the rewards! YOUR DOG will appreciate because fresh food is far tastier and healthier and they LOVE the variety! You will enjoy the smaller stools, no doggy odor, less vet visits and a calmer and more athletic dog! So GET STARTED TODAY!
