Raw Diet -
First I want to say that creating a healthy diet for your dog cannot
be taken lightly, and nutritional education is a must. A dog fed
exclusively on muscle meat will not be a healthy animal. Nor would a
human being subsisting on one type of food. Variety is important in
order to ensure a proper balance of vitamins, macro minerals, and micro
minerals. All foods should be human grade (I prefer organic, grass fed,
free range,or wild meat proteins.)
I use a muscle meat pre-grind that contains
10% soft raw bone, and 10% organ meat, whole items, and a very small amount of assorted
appropriate vegetables and fruits. I puree the vegetables and fruit to make them easily digestible and to distribute them
evenly throughout the meat mix. I give some things as treats.
Using a
vitamin and mineral chart will keep you on track with regard to making
sure your dog is getting everything they need in a balanced, healthy
diet.
The reason we see added vitamins and minerals in the
ingredient list for prepackaged dog food, is because it's been depleted
of many things while being processed, or it's the wrong kind of protein,
etc... Empty calories.
You should use a kitchen scale to ensure each dog is getting the right amount of food.
This is what I'll make each day, and include a majority of these ingredients throughout each month;
Raw muscle meat pre-grind containing 10% ground soft bone, 10% organ meat
beef, elk, chicken, pork, turkey, duck, lamb.
Organ;
Kidney, spleen, pancreas, liver, gizzard, heart.
Fish;
sardines, white fish, smelts, herring.
Vegetables;
kale, broccoli, spinach, Swiss chard, bok choy, pumpkin, squash.
Fruit;
blueberries, apples
Other proteins;
kefir, eggs, green tripe, yogurt, cottage cheese.
Bone;
chicken feet, chicken necks, duck necks, beef rib bones, trachea, meaty beef neck or lamb bones, split knuckle bones.
FortiFlora (Probiotics)
Vitamin and mineral chart -
Vitamin A - Carrots, spinach, liver, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, fish oil, eggs, turnip greens
Vitamin D - Marine fish oil, fatty fish, egg yolks, dairy products, liver, beef, cottage cheese
Vitamin E - Plant oils, leafy green vegetables, seeds, liver
Vitamin K - Liver, leafy green vegetables, milk, fish
Vitamin C - Fruits, vegetables, organ meats
Vitamin B - Liver, beans, green vegetables, nuts, dairy products
Macrominerals -
Calcium - Milk, yogurt, sardines with bones, raw bones, bok choy, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower
Phosphorous - All animal tissues, eggs, fish, milk
Magnesium - Spinach, broccoli, green beans, beans, seafood
Potassium,
Sodium and > Fruits, vegetables, milk
Chloride
Microminerals -
Zinc - Spinach, broccoli, yogurt, beef, poultry, vegetables
Sulfur - All protein foods (meats, fish, poultry, eggs, legumes and milk)
Iron - Red meats, fish, poultry, shellfish, eggs, legumes
Iodine - Iodized salt, seafood, dairy products, kelp
Selenium - Seafood, meat,vegetables
Copper - Seafood, nuts, seeds, legumes
Manganese - Nuts, leafy vegetables
Chromium - Lean meat, vegetable oils, brewers yeast
Cobalt - Liver, kidney, fruit, vegetables
Fluorine - Available in water
Molybdenum - Organ meats
Silicon - Vegetables, beans and peas