Dog Food, and Health
We have been getting a lot of questions about feeding Raw, and about dog food in general. Dog food and health go hand in hand.
The truth is that dogs can get by on almost anything. I know hunters and regular dog people who feed the cheapest dog dry dog food and their dogs do just fine.
There are also other areas concerning health, fresh air, water, greens and exercise. Keeping the extra weight and fat off the dog is also a big benefit to health. Keeping our dogs happy and fit goes a long way as well. Also don't forget that we need to keep our dogs free of internal and external parasites
We also need to watch out for things like coccidia and Giardia.
When it comes to such matters we very seldom all agree. I wanted to put my two cents in and if others do the same than the readers can maybe come up with something that works for them.
I believe that good dog food, fresh air and water, and keeping the weigh down will pay off, especially the older the dog gets.
So this is how we do it. Since we have so many dogs we feel that we are able to evaluate the results quite well.
We do feed dry, cooked, raw and a combination. The dogs live in a pack and not a kennel, they sleep in the house in a comfortable environment. They have plenty of room to run and play and have a swimming area as well. We have workers that work with the dogs everyday with us. I figure that they play thousands of hours in their life time and I can't help but think this leads to a longer healthier life.
The Gang as we call our pack go on a lot of outdoors Outings where they can max out their cardiovascular system when they run at top speed. They get a lot of swimming as well.
Many people don't really understand how much vegetation dogs eat if they can get to the fresh stuff. People think if the dog is eating grass then the dog is doing this for one reason or another, not just because they like it. Ours love this wild bush called a brittle button brush. They just love it and graze on it every time they go out. It's not uncommon to see 8 or 10 dogs grazing on the leaves. Young and old just love it.
We are very lucky not to have fleas or ticks. I'm not a big fan of either, and it's just one less thing to worry about. We have a preventative program for worms, cocidia and giardia. Every once in a while a dog will get fat and we send him or her to the fat farm. Cut down on the food and exercise. We keep a close eye on all the dogs and also get worried if someone is too skinny, which can happen as well.
The cheeped dog food will run about 50 cents a pound, and the best about 2 dollars a pound. Chicken will cost about 50 to 80 cents a pound if you get the 10 pound bags from Wal-Mart. Veggies can be more expensive but you don't feed as much, so you can make what I think is a better dog food for less than the most expense dry.
We feed all our pups, pregnant and nursing moms and often the gang this basic Raw feed. Main ingredient is chicken. We start with 20 pounds, 80 to 90 percent of the finished food will be raw or cooked chicken. We grind up the legs, thighs, and half back that come in each piece of chicken in a powerful grinder. Most feeders of raw give them this without grinding. We don't because it is harder to regulate with so many dogs, also pups have a harder time with it. I feel that if helps with the digestion, and no splintering of bones to worry about. I also believe that it helps the puppies bones and joints, like the hips get off to a good start. I posted the theory of raw food and better hips.
We start with 20 pounds of raw, ground chicken, my wife likes to start with 30 pounds of chicken, she is in-charge of feeding the pregnant and nursing mothers. We add 2 pounds of ground uncooked veggies, almost anything will do. We like Spanish, cumbers, tomatoes, pretty much anything. Then we add some fruit, such as apples and oranges one each is good.
Two other items that we use that are very inexpensive are carrots and potatoes. Smart and Final has both of them. A 50 pound bag of potatoes will be from 10 to 12 dollars and 25 pounds of carrots will be around 5 to 8 dollars. Brown rice will cost about 23 dollars for a twenty five pound bag. Both the potatoes and rice will have to be cooked.
Remember I have a guide in my head. It's kind of a 90 to 10 percent ratio. So if I start with 20 pounds of chicken then I only add the other items in 1 to 2 pound ratios. It's really that simple. I also can add any additives such as vitamins, etc. in small amounts.
Our 5 main ingredients are Chicken, liver, eggs, fish, and vegetables. So a finished batch might look like this.
I am often asked what to do if my dog is losing weight? My simple answer is just feed the dog more.
Many dry dog foods have peas, rice, etc. and these are often around the 1 dollar per pound range. Often having a meat source as the first ingredient. The cheaper dry dog food has corn first and a meat source second. Some of the most popular and I would say very good dog food have a meat first and a corn 2nd. Often people think corn in neither good or digestible for a dog. I don't think this is true. Meat is digested as a protein and corn, rice, etc. as a carbohydrate.
I don't know for sure, we always keep dry dog food out for the dogs to free feed. Very seldom do we have one that over eats. Seems like if it's always there and they are active than they don't eat to much.
We often mix things up, because that's what we do. I might grind the chicken and boil it in a big pot with a lot of water. They love this. Boil 25 pounds of potatoes with the chicken, then add the other items. I might add a gallon of tomato sauce as well.
There are many ways to make good dog food. It however is time consuming, and very seldom the cheapest way to go, but is arguably the best food for your dog. There are many books on the subject, and tons of information on the web. There are many facebook groups that are dedicated to making a raw food diet for your pet. Good luck and hope this helped.
We have been getting a lot of questions about feeding Raw, and about dog food in general. Dog food and health go hand in hand.
The truth is that dogs can get by on almost anything. I know hunters and regular dog people who feed the cheapest dog dry dog food and their dogs do just fine.
There are also other areas concerning health, fresh air, water, greens and exercise. Keeping the extra weight and fat off the dog is also a big benefit to health. Keeping our dogs happy and fit goes a long way as well. Also don't forget that we need to keep our dogs free of internal and external parasites
We also need to watch out for things like coccidia and Giardia.
When it comes to such matters we very seldom all agree. I wanted to put my two cents in and if others do the same than the readers can maybe come up with something that works for them.
I believe that good dog food, fresh air and water, and keeping the weigh down will pay off, especially the older the dog gets.
So this is how we do it. Since we have so many dogs we feel that we are able to evaluate the results quite well.
We do feed dry, cooked, raw and a combination. The dogs live in a pack and not a kennel, they sleep in the house in a comfortable environment. They have plenty of room to run and play and have a swimming area as well. We have workers that work with the dogs everyday with us. I figure that they play thousands of hours in their life time and I can't help but think this leads to a longer healthier life.
The Gang as we call our pack go on a lot of outdoors Outings where they can max out their cardiovascular system when they run at top speed. They get a lot of swimming as well.
Many people don't really understand how much vegetation dogs eat if they can get to the fresh stuff. People think if the dog is eating grass then the dog is doing this for one reason or another, not just because they like it. Ours love this wild bush called a brittle button brush. They just love it and graze on it every time they go out. It's not uncommon to see 8 or 10 dogs grazing on the leaves. Young and old just love it.
We are very lucky not to have fleas or ticks. I'm not a big fan of either, and it's just one less thing to worry about. We have a preventative program for worms, cocidia and giardia. Every once in a while a dog will get fat and we send him or her to the fat farm. Cut down on the food and exercise. We keep a close eye on all the dogs and also get worried if someone is too skinny, which can happen as well.
The cheeped dog food will run about 50 cents a pound, and the best about 2 dollars a pound. Chicken will cost about 50 to 80 cents a pound if you get the 10 pound bags from Wal-Mart. Veggies can be more expensive but you don't feed as much, so you can make what I think is a better dog food for less than the most expense dry.
We feed all our pups, pregnant and nursing moms and often the gang this basic Raw feed. Main ingredient is chicken. We start with 20 pounds, 80 to 90 percent of the finished food will be raw or cooked chicken. We grind up the legs, thighs, and half back that come in each piece of chicken in a powerful grinder. Most feeders of raw give them this without grinding. We don't because it is harder to regulate with so many dogs, also pups have a harder time with it. I feel that if helps with the digestion, and no splintering of bones to worry about. I also believe that it helps the puppies bones and joints, like the hips get off to a good start. I posted the theory of raw food and better hips.
We start with 20 pounds of raw, ground chicken, my wife likes to start with 30 pounds of chicken, she is in-charge of feeding the pregnant and nursing mothers. We add 2 pounds of ground uncooked veggies, almost anything will do. We like Spanish, cumbers, tomatoes, pretty much anything. Then we add some fruit, such as apples and oranges one each is good.
Two other items that we use that are very inexpensive are carrots and potatoes. Smart and Final has both of them. A 50 pound bag of potatoes will be from 10 to 12 dollars and 25 pounds of carrots will be around 5 to 8 dollars. Brown rice will cost about 23 dollars for a twenty five pound bag. Both the potatoes and rice will have to be cooked.
Remember I have a guide in my head. It's kind of a 90 to 10 percent ratio. So if I start with 20 pounds of chicken then I only add the other items in 1 to 2 pound ratios. It's really that simple. I also can add any additives such as vitamins, etc. in small amounts.
Our 5 main ingredients are Chicken, liver, eggs, fish, and vegetables. So a finished batch might look like this.
- 20 pounds of raw chicken, ground.
- 1 pound of raw liver.
- 1 to 2 pounds of raw ground vegetables.
- 1 orange, and one apple.
- 12 eggs, ground or blinded in a blender, shells and all.
- 1 pound of ground carrots.
- Cup of sour cream.
- 1 oz of Red Cell.
- 1 oz of joint supplement.
- 2 tablespoons of powdered vitamins.
- 1 cup of fish meal.
- 1 oz of fish oil. A gallon cost abut 25 dollars.
- 1 oz of apple cider vinegar.
- 1 whole ground fish (whole tilapia ground from Walmart).
- Or a pound or two of any kind of fish. We can get salmon heads by the 40 pound box. They are super good.
I am often asked what to do if my dog is losing weight? My simple answer is just feed the dog more.
Many dry dog foods have peas, rice, etc. and these are often around the 1 dollar per pound range. Often having a meat source as the first ingredient. The cheaper dry dog food has corn first and a meat source second. Some of the most popular and I would say very good dog food have a meat first and a corn 2nd. Often people think corn in neither good or digestible for a dog. I don't think this is true. Meat is digested as a protein and corn, rice, etc. as a carbohydrate.
I don't know for sure, we always keep dry dog food out for the dogs to free feed. Very seldom do we have one that over eats. Seems like if it's always there and they are active than they don't eat to much.
We often mix things up, because that's what we do. I might grind the chicken and boil it in a big pot with a lot of water. They love this. Boil 25 pounds of potatoes with the chicken, then add the other items. I might add a gallon of tomato sauce as well.
There are many ways to make good dog food. It however is time consuming, and very seldom the cheapest way to go, but is arguably the best food for your dog. There are many books on the subject, and tons of information on the web. There are many facebook groups that are dedicated to making a raw food diet for your pet. Good luck and hope this helped.