July/August 2010 - Dogs Naturally Magazine

y: Lucy Postins
Part II: Embarking On A Home-
Made Diet For Your Dog
If you’ve fed a kibble diet for a long pe-
riod of time, it can be a daunting prospect
to make the switch to fresh fare.
Some animal guardians are especially
intimidated by switching to 100% raw
foods and there are some concerns
about combining kibble and raw food
together since they digest at different
rates and this can increase the risk of
illness from bacterial contamination.
One option is to begin combining some
fresh vegetables and fruits plus lightly
cooked meats, organs and fish as well as
plain yogurt or cottage cheese, with your
dog’s regular food. Several companies
provide premixes or ‘base diets’ or supplements
to be used as the base of a
homemade diet and these can be helpful
in making the transition as well as ensuring
an adequate array of nutritional components
to the diet.
Following is a list of suggested ingredi-
ents to include in your dog’s homemade
meals, or to combine with a premix as
you gradually make the move away from
kibble, to a varied healthy diet:
Ground meat such as chicken, turkey,
beef, and buffalo, which can be
served raw or cooked depending on
what you’re comfortable with.
Raw Meaty Bones such as chicken
necks or backs. It’s a good idea to grind
bones to begin with, to allow your dog to
get used to them. Your butcher may be
able to do this for you, or you could invest
in a good quality meat-grinder capable
of grinding bone. Never feed cooked
bones!
Raw (or lightly cooked) organs and
other muscle meats.
Raw or lightly cooked white fish such
as cod, sole and haddock as well as oily
fish like salmon, sardines and herring
(salmon should be cooked because of the
possible risk of parasitic infestation in
raw salmon) as well as low sodium
canned fish.
Root vegetables such as sweet potatoes,
yams, pumpkin, parsnips (these
vegetables should be lightly steamed or
pulped to aid digestibility), plus other
fresh vegetables such as zucchini, green
beans, kale and celery.
Plain yogurt, cottage cheese, kefir
and eggs – these can be lightly scrambled
if preferred but are perfectly acceptable
raw for most dogs. Some raw feeders
also include the finely ground shell as a
great natural source of calcium.
Fresh or dried fruits like melon, blueberries,
cranberries & pitted peaches.
Fresh herbs such as parsley, nettles,
watercress and dandelion leaves.
Ground nuts such as almonds and seeds
like shelled sunflower, pumpkin or
ground flax, also make an interesting
addition.
Ingredients to Avoid
Chocolate
Grapes
Raisins
Macadamia Nuts
Onions
What are the challenges of preparing
your pet’s food, yourself?
It takes some homework to prepare
balanced, nutritional meals but it's not
much more difficult than providing ourselves
or our human children with wholesome
& healthy nutrition, when a broad
array of foods is offered throughout the
week.
Homemade meals can be time consuming
to prepare, and messy as well.
Some regimens for homemade food re
Dogs...Naturally! July/August 2010