Until approximately 50 years ago, most people fed their dogs meat and vegetables. Some gave their dogs table scraps. Others on farms fed the remains of animals they had slaughtered plus garden vegetables. After World War II, TV dinners and convenience foods became popular for people. What would seem more convenient than a packaged food for dogs? However, as with Kraft dinner for people, not all dogs thrive on such a diet.

In recent years as people began to think about healthier diets for themselves, including organic vegetables and meats, they started to wonder if the packaged foods were the best they could offer their dogs. Even the best kibbles are more similar to a highly processed Macaroni and Cheese Kraft dinner than they are to a steak and veggies dinner.

Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF) is a term coined by Dr. Ian Billinghurst. He felt that raw meaty bones and raw ground vegetables were preferable to a packaged diet.

Raw or homemade alternatives to BARF?
There are many schools of thought on raw or home made diets for dogs. Juliette Bairacli Levy predated Dr. Ian Billinghurst with her version of raw feeding. Many people follow her philosophy.

Dr. Richard Pitcairn, DVM author of Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, is a DVM and homeopath who favors raw meats, grains and raw ground fruits and vegetables for dogs:

"...When I began to suggest the feeding of raw meat I found animals becoming more healthy even without other treatment. Indeed, I have frequently had the report that people find their animals become healthy when they make this change and diseases for which they were hoping to have treatment (on a waiting list) have disappeared. Since that time, other veterinarians have told me similar things about the use of raw meat. I do not have numbers but I think the veterinarians recommending raw meat in the US are in the hundreds. My experience, albeit clinical and not based on studies, is that my patients have improved health on a raw diet. Furthermore, I have not seen significant parasite problems. Dogs and cats, being carnivores by nature, are meant to eat raw meat and do not have a problem doing so."

"Although we have come to accept commercial foods as being normal or natural ways to feed animals (and indeed ourselves), in fact they are not. They are simply what we've gotten used to in the last few decades. But nothing we can produce commercially ever can rival those mysteriously complex foods manufactured for eons by nature itself."
- Dr. Richard Pitcairn, DVM

Kymythy Schultze is a nutritionist who is another proponent of species appropriate food and author of several books on the subject. Another website on home made pet diets with copious alternatives is www.pet-grub.com.

Is it safe?
Do you cook chicken or beef in your own kitchen? If so, you are already handling raw meat. Meat for your dog should also be human food grade. You would not be exposed to any new bacteria in preparing dog food. As far as ecoli, salmonella, or other germs, because the dog's digestive tract is shorter than a human's, any germs or bacteria go through the gut before they are metabolized.

What about your exposure to germs and bacteria the dog has eaten? Whether you feed kibble or raw, your dog sniffs and licks his own and other dogs' back ends, then touches you and probably licks your hands and face. It's not sanitary either way. If you have a dog you accept that there will be hair, germs and aromas in your environment.

Disinfectant
Use three percent hydrogen peroxide, in a new, clean, spray bottle and plain white or apple cider vinegar, in another spray bottle. For fruit and vegetables, spray them well with both the vinegar and the hydrogen peroxide, and then rinse them off under running water. You can spray with the vinegar then the hydrogen peroxide, or the other way around. In tests run at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pairing the two mists killed virtually all Salmonella, Shigella, or E. coli bacteria on contaminated food and surfaces, making this spray combination more effective at killing these potentially lethal bacteria than chlorine bleach or any commercially available kitchen cleaner.

Is it expensive?
The better commercial dog foods are now costing from $1 to $3 per pound, depending on the size bag you buy. This would be Eagle Pack, Innova, Wellness, California Natural, Canidae, Royal Canin, Natural Balance, Sensible Choice and a few others. If you only have one dog and you buy a prepared food that has no preservatives, you should only buy what you are going to use in a week or you should re-bag and freeze anything over that quantity. If you add a good canned food to the kibble, you are paying at least $2 per 12 ounce can.

From various local meat packers, human food grade raw ground chicken, beef and turkey are comparably priced and healthier than processed kibbles. Altogether, with supplements, your cost of fresh raw food works out about the same as a commercial dog food. But, YES, feeding raw is more time consuming that dishing out of a bag of prepared kibble.

I'm currently buying organic raw ground beef and raw ground buffalo raised locally by Yorston Farms in Quesnel, BC for $3 per kilogram (about $1.50 per pound). It has the right proportions of organ meats and offal already ground in so I don't have to fuss and measure.

What are the benefits?
The main benefit of fresh home made food for your dog is that you know everything that is in it. We are getting to the point where we wonder about our food. How good is it? Is it healthy? What can we do to improve our diets? Some dogs are allergic to additives in commercial foods. For example, the skin and ear problems that cause many Vet visits can be caused by food allergies or toxins in the prepared foods. Dogs on raw food with no grains don't have the huge smelly poops that those on kibble produce.

Grain allergies
Many dogs are allergic to corn, some are allergic to wheat, and others to all grains including rice. This may cause itching, ear or eye irritations, or skin eruptions called hot spots, or obsessive feet licking. Many dogs that itch from rice in their food would be okay with oatmeal. Others tolerate no grains.

Flax oil, Brewer's Yeast, Beets
While flax oil, flax seed and brewer's yeast (torula nutritional yeast aka hydrolyzed nutritional yeast) are healthy for most, some dogs do not tolerate them. Many commercial dog foods now use these ingredients because they are in vogue. Beets and beet pulp that many dogs do not tolerate are commonly used in the new natural kibbles. Symptoms of allergies are itching, feet licking, the dog biting at the small of its back or tail.

Omega oils
Skin and coat will benefit from adding a small amount of Omega 3 and 6 balanced oils. Udo's Choice Ultimate Combination 3-6-9 Oil is good but contains flax seed oil. You can also alternate between Wild Salmon Oil and a combination cold water fish oil.

How do you get started?
Buy a book. Talk to a friend who feeds raw. Check the internet websites. Take your pet to a holistic care practitioner. Get on one of the lists on the internet where people discuss raw. Many people want to help you!

Monica Segal is a raw foods consultant whose website and publications can help you get started.

  

Raw beef ribs and raw chicken, both excellent meaty bones for dogs.
Unlike cooked bones, raw meaty bones are rubbery and do not splinter.

Morning meal
1/3 to 2/3 cup raw thawed ground meat (beef / turkey / chicken / buffalo)
every few days substitute canned sardines (water pack) for ground meat
1 tablespoon raw ground veggie mix* (optional)
1 teaspoon yogurt
1 Tablespoon squeeze of organic apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon of ProZyme (digestive enzyme)
1/4 teaspoon sprinkle of spirulina (Vita Health Hawaiian Spirulina) OR
1 teaspoon of my supplement powder (kelp powder, ground flax seed and lecithin granules)
I don't feed grains like oatmeal, rice or other cereals.
*Notes:
1) I rarely feed vegetables anymore. It has been demonstrated that veggies are superfluous.
2) the ground meat I get contains organs ground in correct proportions. If you can't get your meat with organs, give part portion cut up heart, liver, kidney, tripe in rotation

Snack
1 raw chicken neck, wing, drum or
raw beef knuckle or marrow bone
or a small handful of Chicken Liver Treats (see below)

Evening meal
1 to 2 raw chicken backs, legs, thighs whole, or
1 to several raw racks of pork riblets

Treats
Zara's Chicken Liver Doggie Treats or Rod's Show Bait** (see recipes below)
bits of premium kibble (eek!)
puppy size Darford liver hearts
dried salmon snacks
small cheese cubes
small Roll Over cubes.

Rod's Show Bait
Cut up raw beef liver into palm sized pieces
Put into 2 quart sauce pan
Cover with water
Boil for 20 minutes
Drain and spread out on waxed paper
Sprinkle heavily with garlic powder
Flip and cover the opposite side
Let dry overnight
Store in baggies in freezer
Dogs will do ANYTHING for this stuff!

Excellent training treats!
Zara's Chicken Liver Doggie Treats

2 to 4 pounds raw chicken livers (and/or hearts)
1 cup wheat germ (or more)
3 cups oatmeal (or more)
1 cup flax seeds
1 cup Ultra Kelp meal (for dogs or horses, it's the same)
2 eggs
1/4 cup molasses
1 Tablespoon garlic powder or 1 clove raw pureed garlic
1 teaspoon Vitamin C crystals (about 5000 milligrams)
1 Tablespoon thyme (dried - sprinkle)
Olive oil

Optional Supplements
Brewer's yeast (some dogs are allergic)
Solid Gold Nupro Powder (vitamins & minerals)
Barley or rye flakes
Oat bran
Nutritional bone meal

Directions
Puree chicken livers (and hearts) in the food processor. Grind flax seeds in blender to a powder. You might also grind the oatmeal in the blender for a finer texture. Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Keep adding oatmeal and wheat germ until the dough is stiff. Lightly oil cookie sheet with olive oil. Press dough on cookie sheets about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Bake at 200F degrees. After approximately 60 minutes, take pan from oven and cut into one-inch (or smaller) squares. Put back in oven and continue baking until very dry (about 3 hours). Store in freezer. Will keep for several days without refrigeration.

For more information, email me or go to www.groups.yahoo.com and join one of the many Raw Dog, Natural feeding or BARF lists.

Azarel Shelties - Raised Naturally

Azarel Shelties eat a biologically appropriate raw diet
a healthy balance of raw meats and raw bones,
rare seasonal fruits and veggies,
no grains, no chemicals or pesticides.

For optimum health, we treat our Shelties with love,
one puppy vaccination (distemper / parvo)
and minimal "medical" intervention.

Azarel Shetland Sheepdogs
Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada