Optimal Dog Care, Part 2; A balanced diet.

The idea of the perfect diet is left very open for discussion as the different varieties of foods available is tremendous. What l see as important to consider is the preservatives in the foods available as l mentioned in the first E-zine l sent out.

l have used an all natural diet for my dogs (Doberman’s, German Shepherd’s & Malinios) but l have used dry foods over a period of time also but in small amounts and at that time only for my convenience. The balance l believe is the key and close observation of your dog at all times as early detection of a problem (skin irritation,ear infections, bad breath or teeth) it’s then able to be cured quickly.

For the adult dog (let’s say over 12 months old) what do l consider a well balanced diet! Remember an overweight dog is not a healthy pet also, so your portions must be controlled. l do not leave food out for my dogs to come back too, they are not cows & a dog that is hungry for it’s food, metabolizes it better & will be healthier.

Once again l must mention that l consider RAW the best for any dog. Why? because when it’s cooked it changes the enzymes of the meat, so this is unnatural for the dogs stomach, bacteria etc has to change ( a little more complex than stated). The meat that l choose for a healthy dog is beef, chicken, Kangaroo and organ meats. The fat on these meats is beneficial for our dogs, do not cut it off, this is Not what makes them fat, this is their energy source & how they get their omegas. Raw bones during the week is also very good.

The balance of the meal has either a natural muesli (wet) or cooked brown rice (this is a filler with no nutritional value) and l always have added a level teaspoon of crushed garlic (smaller dogs less). They have any raw vegetables grated & blanched mixed in with it and once a week adding a whole egg. Not potato, but sweet potato yes & even pumpkin skin & the seeds crushed.

Vitamins and minerals can be added if desired and what l look for is ascorbic acid (c-vitamin) vitamin e and maybe a good multivitamin and mineral supplement for dogs. When using the muesli l don’t add these but when l change to the rice l use a health booster powder.

l always put in the meal either chicken necks, a frame or wings as this hopefully makes them chew which is essential for them to produce gastric juices in the stomach that aids in the digestion of the food.

Plenty of fresh water must be available at all times. Another point to consider is the fasting of your dog once a week. This aids the animal in ridding as much out of its body as possible and allows a rest on the intestines and helps the dogs metabolism to function a lot better. l only feed once a day & make sure they have at least 2 hours rest after exercise before feeding & after feeding don’t exercise for at least 2 hours.

This is only a guide for you to consider as l know there is plenty of other meats and foods available. For a dog that is not well in some way a special diet would have to be formulated to get it back to good health.

When choosing what is the best for our dogs l refer to what is really natural. Cooked, processed & preservatives verses Raw.

What suits your pet best over it’s life may be a lot different, so as long as they stay healthy that’s what matters.

l am re-sending this again as l have found that people do try a raw diet with great results! BUT time & time again l find that people go back to a commercial food & then wonder why they encounter problems, saying that they haven’t the time to do a raw diet or only use a small amount of dry.

Mixing raw meats with dry food creates the problem of 2 different gases in the stomach which leads to slower metabolism & can create problems.