I'm holding onto the end so he doesn't gulp it down.
Showing posts with label barf diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label barf diet. Show all posts
Friday, September 10, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Saturday, December 5, 2009
5 Dogs Equal a Whole Lot of Food
Boomer, Phoebe, Popeye, Reese & Miko = almost 5 1/2 lbs of meat and 2 lbs of veggie mix per day
That's Miko chewing on a chicken frame. She takes her sweet time nibbling on whole bones. Wish all the dogs ate as slowly as she did. We'd never have to grind. Instead, everyone else is a gulper.
Popeye with a chicken foot. Yum.
That's Miko chewing on a chicken frame. She takes her sweet time nibbling on whole bones. Wish all the dogs ate as slowly as she did. We'd never have to grind. Instead, everyone else is a gulper.
Popeye with a chicken foot. Yum.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Elimination Diet
Foster Mum's pooped so I'm boss for the day. All right, just for the next hour.
It's been almost a year and I'm still itching a bit. Some days are worse than others and usually it's not that bad. Still, Foster Mum wants to see the itching go away completely. Nobody's been able to really pinpoint exactly what it is I might be allergic to, though popular opinion has been some kind of inhalant. Right now, Foster Mum's experimenting with the theory that it might be dust mite, which she read is one of the most common allergens for dogs.
Even though she doesn't really think it's food-related, that's still a possibility. And it could always be a combination of food and inhalant. Foster Mum's been resisting the idea of putting me on an elimination diet. That's basically where she cuts out every food I've ever had and feeds me a brand new food and only that food for 8-12 weeks.
One of the reasons she's been resisting is that it's hard to find something I haven't had before. Foster Mum is a proponent of a varied diet so I've had chicken, turkey, lamb, beef, venison, not to mention a bunch of fruits, veggies, treats, and supplements.
Another reason she didn't like the idea is that some foods (like lamb) don't agree with me and give me loose stool or diarrhea. Not very pleasant to clean up. There's the risk that the new food won't agree with me either and Foster Mum doesn't want any surprises.
And lastly, it's just hard to feed nothing but the elimination diet. Imagine, no treats! I protest!
But after months and months of putting it off, Foster Mum has finally decided to bite the bullet. I've got a dermatologist appointment later this month and Foster Mum anticipates they're going to recommend the elimination diet first, so she might as well just deal with it now.
SO . . . .
After much research and planning, Foster Mum found a source for fresh duck, something I've never had before. Yes, that means you, Daffy and Donald. She drove an hour to pick it up and 1.5 hours back. And she decided to take us dogs along for a joyride. I think she might have regretted it. This is why.
I am actually hardly ever destructive. But while she was loading the trunk, I saw a dog outside, and that combined with the knowledge that all that yummy yummy food was for me, well, I couldn't contain my excitement. My mouth sometimes has a mind of its own. Sorry, Foster Mum. If anyone has any simple suggestions on how to repair that, she might be convinced to let me tag along on future joyrides.
But anyway, look at all the Pekin goodies.
And it's all mine.
Duck hearts and liver.
Duck wings.
Duck feet.
Duck carcass.
Duck necks.
Did I mention it's all mine?
Foster Mum doesn't trust us not to gulp down the necks and wings so she always grinds them. This time she used the big boy.
It's over 50 pounds. We call it the MFer.
After just a few minutes, voila.
All mine. Sorry, Phoebe, no duck for you! You and Boomer have to stick to that boring chicken. If you want Pekin duck, then you need to develop some of your own possible food allergies.
It's been almost a year and I'm still itching a bit. Some days are worse than others and usually it's not that bad. Still, Foster Mum wants to see the itching go away completely. Nobody's been able to really pinpoint exactly what it is I might be allergic to, though popular opinion has been some kind of inhalant. Right now, Foster Mum's experimenting with the theory that it might be dust mite, which she read is one of the most common allergens for dogs.
Even though she doesn't really think it's food-related, that's still a possibility. And it could always be a combination of food and inhalant. Foster Mum's been resisting the idea of putting me on an elimination diet. That's basically where she cuts out every food I've ever had and feeds me a brand new food and only that food for 8-12 weeks.
One of the reasons she's been resisting is that it's hard to find something I haven't had before. Foster Mum is a proponent of a varied diet so I've had chicken, turkey, lamb, beef, venison, not to mention a bunch of fruits, veggies, treats, and supplements.
Another reason she didn't like the idea is that some foods (like lamb) don't agree with me and give me loose stool or diarrhea. Not very pleasant to clean up. There's the risk that the new food won't agree with me either and Foster Mum doesn't want any surprises.
And lastly, it's just hard to feed nothing but the elimination diet. Imagine, no treats! I protest!
But after months and months of putting it off, Foster Mum has finally decided to bite the bullet. I've got a dermatologist appointment later this month and Foster Mum anticipates they're going to recommend the elimination diet first, so she might as well just deal with it now.
SO . . . .
After much research and planning, Foster Mum found a source for fresh duck, something I've never had before. Yes, that means you, Daffy and Donald. She drove an hour to pick it up and 1.5 hours back. And she decided to take us dogs along for a joyride. I think she might have regretted it. This is why.
I am actually hardly ever destructive. But while she was loading the trunk, I saw a dog outside, and that combined with the knowledge that all that yummy yummy food was for me, well, I couldn't contain my excitement. My mouth sometimes has a mind of its own. Sorry, Foster Mum. If anyone has any simple suggestions on how to repair that, she might be convinced to let me tag along on future joyrides.
But anyway, look at all the Pekin goodies.
And it's all mine.
Duck hearts and liver.
Duck wings.
Duck feet.
Duck carcass.
Duck necks.
Did I mention it's all mine?
Foster Mum doesn't trust us not to gulp down the necks and wings so she always grinds them. This time she used the big boy.
It's over 50 pounds. We call it the MFer.
After just a few minutes, voila.
All mine. Sorry, Phoebe, no duck for you! You and Boomer have to stick to that boring chicken. If you want Pekin duck, then you need to develop some of your own possible food allergies.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Meat
Yesterday was meat pick-up day at the local raw co-op. The dogs' freezer is once again stocked with chicken (wings, feet, liver), turkey (necks, liver, hearts), and lots of stinky green tripe.
I had a messy grinding fight with the chicken wings.
But I eventually won. 40 lbs.
Can't forget the veggies -- although I often do as I don't find them very necessary in a raw diet. But they are a great way to fill the dogs up without piling on the calories. Plus, I can get it at a discount.
This is Preference from The Honest Kitchen, straight out of the box. Dehydrated alfalfa, sweet potatoes, cabbage, celery, apples, spinach, organic kelp, coconut, bananas, zucchini, and honey.
Just add water and wait 5-10 minutes. Very similar to the meals I normally prepare for myself. I usually make a large enough batch to feed the dogs for 4-5 days and refrigerate the unused portion.
Breakfast this morning. Ground chicken wings (except for Popeye who got ground turkey necks instead due to possible chicken allergy), green tripe, Preference, and turkey liver. Yum.
By the way, those Durapet slow-feed bowls really do work to slow the dogs down when eating. The key is to get a bowl that is small enough for your dog. If your dog is able to put his entire muzzle in the bowl (and therefore gulp his food), then likely it's too big. I got size small for all 3 dogs. Popeye, being only about 30 lbs and with a narrower muzzle, is still able to get his food faster than Boomer (70lbs) and Phoebe (55lbs). Boomer and Phoebe have to use their tongue more to lift the food out of the bowl, which slows them down. If the bowl came in an XS, I would've gotten that for Popeye.
Pros: does work to slow dog down as long as appropriate size bowl is used; easy to clean; lightweight; stackable
Cons: can be messier, especially with small bits of food like the Preference veggies, since the dogs are flicking their tongues more. (But when it comes to food, the dogs clean up after themselves at our house.); being so lightweight, bowl does shift if the dog pushes against it. If you have a wussy wuss of a dog like Phoebe is, where every strange movement of an inanimate object scares her, then it'll take some time for the dog to get used to it.
"Please sir (spoken in a British accent--didn't you know the dogs were bilingual?), we want some more."
(That's Sugar in the background. She doesn't like to stand too close to Popeye cuz she says he's got cooties.)
"What? No more? Then we shall feast on the pitbull instead!"
I had a messy grinding fight with the chicken wings.
But I eventually won. 40 lbs.
Can't forget the veggies -- although I often do as I don't find them very necessary in a raw diet. But they are a great way to fill the dogs up without piling on the calories. Plus, I can get it at a discount.
This is Preference from The Honest Kitchen, straight out of the box. Dehydrated alfalfa, sweet potatoes, cabbage, celery, apples, spinach, organic kelp, coconut, bananas, zucchini, and honey.
Just add water and wait 5-10 minutes. Very similar to the meals I normally prepare for myself. I usually make a large enough batch to feed the dogs for 4-5 days and refrigerate the unused portion.
Breakfast this morning. Ground chicken wings (except for Popeye who got ground turkey necks instead due to possible chicken allergy), green tripe, Preference, and turkey liver. Yum.
By the way, those Durapet slow-feed bowls really do work to slow the dogs down when eating. The key is to get a bowl that is small enough for your dog. If your dog is able to put his entire muzzle in the bowl (and therefore gulp his food), then likely it's too big. I got size small for all 3 dogs. Popeye, being only about 30 lbs and with a narrower muzzle, is still able to get his food faster than Boomer (70lbs) and Phoebe (55lbs). Boomer and Phoebe have to use their tongue more to lift the food out of the bowl, which slows them down. If the bowl came in an XS, I would've gotten that for Popeye.
Pros: does work to slow dog down as long as appropriate size bowl is used; easy to clean; lightweight; stackable
Cons: can be messier, especially with small bits of food like the Preference veggies, since the dogs are flicking their tongues more. (But when it comes to food, the dogs clean up after themselves at our house.); being so lightweight, bowl does shift if the dog pushes against it. If you have a wussy wuss of a dog like Phoebe is, where every strange movement of an inanimate object scares her, then it'll take some time for the dog to get used to it.
"Please sir (spoken in a British accent--didn't you know the dogs were bilingual?), we want some more."
(That's Sugar in the background. She doesn't like to stand too close to Popeye cuz she says he's got cooties.)
"What? No more? Then we shall feast on the pitbull instead!"
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Breakfast for 3
Today's doggy breakfast menu consisted of:
- ground Diestel turkey necks
- ground Diestel turkey meat
- Diestel turkey hearts
- Petaluma Poultry chicken liver (not for Popeye though, as I'm testing out the theory that he might be allergic to chicken)
- Preference dehydrated fruit & veggie mix from The Honest Kitchen
- probiotics (for Popeye & Phoebe because they were on antibiotics recently)
- wild salmon oil (excellent for skin and coat)
- liquid glucosamine (to maintain healthy joints)
They don't always get such a wide array in a single meal. Sometimes they just get 1 or 2 things. Every meal is different.
A lot of people feel overwhelmed when first reading about raw feeding (or BARF, which stands for Bones and Raw Foods or Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods). There is a lot of information out there. I was so overwhelmed that I decided not to switch to raw the first time I looked into it.
The concept of raw feeding is very simple. Aim for about 50-75% raw meaty bones (chicken wings, thighs, backs, lamb breast, turkey necks--you get the picture) and the remaining can be anything else such as boneless meat, offal (that would be the organs like liver, kidney, heart), veggies, eggs, whatever. That's it. Just like our own human diets, there are no exacting recipes and an infinite different ways to go about it.
An easy way to transition into raw feeding and still feel confident your pet is getting a balanced diet is to do what I did. Buy a mix like any from The Honest Kitchen or Sojos (I would recommend grain-free). Then just add some raw meaty bones. You can go to the supermarket meat section or get pre-packaged ground, such as Small Batch if you're in the Bay Area. Voila. Instant raw diet.
BTW, if you prefer a kibble diet, at least make sure you are getting a good quality brand. If you've seen a commercial for them, then chances are they are not good quality brands. That includes Pedigree, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet (yeah, I don't care what your vet says). Most high quality brands are small names and more obscure. Pet Food Express carries many of them. You can look at the ingredients and decide for yourself. Here's how to interpret them: http://dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html#commercial. That link also provides a list of the top 20 commercial foods recommended by Whole Dog Journal. Notice that none of the major brands are on that list.
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