Hello again

I’m sure that you’re aware that among those who really care about what their dogs eat; there’s much debate about whether we should cook the dogs food or whether we should just leave it raw?

There’s even a really successful and popular system called BARF (Bones and Raw Food) that focusses on Raw exclusively! This remarkable system developed by an Australian Dr Ian Billinghurst has a lot of dedicated followers who swear that BARF is the ONLY way to go – and I must admit it has some great advantages for the dog.

But it is not the only way to go – and a recent article found that the meat proteins were slightly more digestible in meat that had been cooked; compared to raw. It was only a slight difference though!

If you choose raw (our opinion) – leave OUT the big bones part and give the dogs something SAFER to chew on to clean their teeth. We’ve heard quite some stories where there has been either dog or owner errors; allowing a bone to cause issues with gut obstructions or worse!

But it makes sense to us that since wild dogs, foxes, dingoes, coyotes, wolves, jackals etc do not have portable stoves – they have been designed to eat raw food exclusively.

Notice that I did not say raw meat exclusively! That’s because are not true carnivores (meat eaters), they are selective omnivores; meaning they will eat a range of foods.

In the wild dogs actually range and forage for all types of food – and while a lot of that will be meat, from rabbits, possums, lizards and insects – some will also come from bush foods and wild fruit – even fruit from man made orchards and vines!

This is why recipes for home made dog food – and our Top Dog Easy Ultra supplement (see Ebay here) should all feature a wide range of natural food components to ensure proper nutrition.

If you are not already feeding your dog a natural diet (whether raw or cooked) I would suggest that you should try it – the quality difference in a natural real food diet can make real differences in your dogs health.

We used to cook all of our meals – but the workload for cooking for 5 dogs once per month was higher, particularly in summer – when the extra heat made it more of a chore. Now we alternate between cooked and raw ourselves – and our dogs love it!

We use exactly the same Top Dog Easy Ultra supplement that is featured in my Ebay store, so you know that it’s quality and exactly what we choose to feed our own special family – and believe me; we loves ‘em!

OK – that’s it from me this time – till next!

Cheers

Steve

For many years, dog owners around the world have given oils to their dogs to improve a dull, dry coat.

More recently doctors have found that a component of some oils—fatty acids, play important roles in human health too, from treating skin conditions, like eczema, and dermatitis, to aiding in the prevention and treatment of depression, for the control of inflammation, and as a preventative for heart disease. It is clear that these oils are essential in maintaining human health.

Our knowledge of the benefits of these oils is now also being applied to pet health.

So – what are fatty acids?

Simply put they are specific types of polyunsaturated fats. The two main classes are omega-3 and omega-6.

Why do pets need fatty acids in their diet?

Animals can produce some, but not all of the fatty acids they need. What they cannot produce themselves, MUST be obtained through diet, hence the name essential fatty acids (or EFA).

But what is essential for one species, is not necessarily essential for another, e.g, the fatty acid, arachidonic acid is essential for cats but not for dogs.

In some diseases, the enzymes that convert fatty acids to another type may be deficient, or the animals ability to absorb fatty acids from the intestine may be reduced.

And pets with poor quality food—like much of the lower quality commercial food sold in stores —simply lack the essential fatty acids in their food to provide the basis from which to make the others!

Additionally—fatty acids, like many nutrients; are subject to destruction, particularly by overcooking, which can destroy them and also by oxidation — commonly called rancidity.

Because of these factors it has become essential to provide these essentials to your dog — to maintain optimum health!

Richard and Susan Pitcairn, had the following to say in their book Dr Pitcairns Complete Guide to Natural Health For Dogs and Cats —

“Without adequate quantities (of EFA) come many health problems, including significant skin eruptions, loss of hair, skin that won’t heal from wounds, liver and kidney degeneration, increase susceptibility to infections, heart and circulatory problems, weakness, retarded growth, spontaneous abortions, sterility, impairment of vision, loss of ability to learn, symptoms similar to arthritis, and more. We can see from this list that these nutritional components are aptly named essential fatty acids.” Dr Pitcairns Complete Guide to Natural Health For Dogs and Cats pg 55

Ratios

There has been some discussion over the ideal ratios of Omega 3 to Omega 6, currently the range is suggested at between 5:1—10:1 Omega 3:Omega 6. Suffice to say that all of the evidence would suggest that they should be added to the diet, if not occurring naturally.

Key Essentials

Now I don’t want to turn this into a complex chemistry lesson, but it is important to a degree that you understand the basics as far as these essentials are concerned;

Omega-3

Omega-3 fatty acids include:

* Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)

* Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)

* Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)

You will often hear them abbreviated down to ALA, EPA, DHA .

ALA can be converted into EPA, by your dog. EPA is the most essential of the omega-3 fatty acids, because it is a critical part of cell membranes or cell walls.

Omega-6

Omega-6 fatty acids include:

* Linoleic acid (LA)

* Gamma linolenic acid (GLA)

* Dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA)

* Arachidonic acid (AA)

Doglovers Oil — Recipe

To make a great oil mix follow this recipe:

500 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

125 ml Cod Liver or Fish Oil

125 ml Flax Seed Oil

250 ml Sunflower Oil

If you are in the USA or similar — the following is an approximate conversion of the above recipe!

17 ounces Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4.25 ounces Cod Liver or Fish Oil

4.25 ounces Flax Seed Oil

8.50 ounces Sunflower Oil

Mix all oils together in a large glass bottle and shake well. Store this and any remainder from the original bottles in the fridge.

Use one teaspoon for small dogs, two teaspoons for medium dogs and 3 to 4 teaspoons for large dogs — sprinkle over their food once or twice per day.

Steve

Has your dog just been diagnosed with Diabetes or Pancreatitis? Wondering what to do? It’s not a death sentence, you can manage this condition, through a proper home diet and insulin – and it is not as hard as you would think!

About seven years back, Alex our Australian Terrier/Silky Terrier X suddenly became ill. We found her; lying outside on the cold pavement, in the middle of winter – panting heavily! We were unsure just why she appeared to be so hot, but we knew something was seriously wrong!

A rush to the Vet revealed high blood sugar and the diagnosis of Pancreatitis. But there was hope – Diabetes or Pancreatitis IS NOT terminal!

Initially we were told though that it would be very difficult to manage her condition, that medication would be expensive and that there was still the likelihood that we would lose her! The general attitude of the Vet was that we should just have her put down – to this day, we are amazed at how cold and uncaring they were!

We did not give up on Alex! We committed to a simple routine – monitor her meal sizes and very importantly – fat in her diet ( plus her blood sugar from time to time) and give her insulin injections twice daily.

All Natural Home Made Dog Food - ready to eat

She survived another SEVEN YEARS (until 2009) – and we became quite experienced in managing this condition. Let me say, no matter what you are told – diabetes in dogs is not that hard to manage!

About the only difficulty we ever had, was once when we were out (with her) and very late getting home and therefore feeding her, her blood sugar dropped quite low. She started getting very lethargic and drowsy, we actually had to buy a piece of cake and feed her a bit, just to get her blood sugar levels up. But within 10-15 minutes, she was her usual self!

We attribute her long survival to a home made dog food diet; one that was low-fat and high protein – despite all of the doomy and gloomy predictions of our local vet at that time – she thrived!

You CAN, and WILL cope with canine diabetes, it’s very easy to do and your dog can have years added to its life! It will only take a few minutes and a few dollars per week, and you get to keep your dog.

Click Here!

You don’t have to lose your dog now – go ahead and try the simple combination of home made dog food and professional (but optimistic) veterinary care, I sincerely believe that you’ll be GLAD you did!

Steve

Twenty years ago when I first started home made dog food i wanted to make the food as tasty as I could for my friend and happily added about one or two onions to every batch of meat that I cooked up for him (his name was Caesar). I never noticed any particular issues with him, though he would go “off” his food at times.

I’ve since learnt that onions are actually quite bad for dogs and that I may have (in ignorance) been harming him. You see there’s an ingredient called Thiosulphate in onions (and garlic to a lesser extent) that in sufficient quantity can attack red blood cells and cause a lack of oxygen carrying capacity in the blood; leading firstly to loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhoea, later to breathlessness – and eventually if given a large enough dose or small doses over time; even to death.

Thankfully I must not have used sufficient onion in my recipes, because Caesar was OK – until the day someone let him out the back gate and he was never seen again! Read more on onions (and garlic) and lots more things that can be harmful for your dog including chocolate – Here.

Steve