Your new Puppy’s Nutritional Needs

Nutrition – Benefits of Incorporating a “Raw Diet”

We do not believe that kibble should be the mainstay of dogs’ complete nutrition; rather, incorporating “raw” into their diet will be beneficial to his overall health in the long term. Beverley Manners/Rutland Manor has some very helpful information on a Raw diet and we have excerpted some of that here below.

Feeding Raw and Fresh is Quick, Simple and Inexpensive
(by Beverley Manners)

There is no need to weigh or measure the food you give your Dog or Puppy.

If he’s hungry, give him more, if he leaves some, give him less. Their appetite varies from day to day just like our own does. If he doesn’t want his yogurt today, don’t assume that he doesn’t like yogurt, take it away and offer it to him again tomorrow or the day after.

Dogs eat what they ‘know’ they need on any given day. Often, dogs are thought to be ‘fussy’ because they refuse the same kind of food that they loved for the past week. Trust your dog’s judgment. He knows what he needs better than we do. Variety is the key to good health and dogs instinctively know it.

The physiology of the dog is quite different to that of humans. They are built for ‘feast and famine’ and the human concept of ‘three balanced meals a day’ does not apply. Essential nutrients may be spread over the course of a week.

PLEASE GIVE YOUR YOUNG PUPPY AS MUCH AS HE/SHE WANTS TO EAT AT EACH MEAL TIME. They are not generally greedy dogs and will only eat as much as they need. RAW MEATY BONES are excellent for dogs.

COOKED MASHED PUMPKIN, fresh or canned is a miracle worker for diarrhea or constipation provided there is no bacterial or viral infection causing the problem. It’s good to try first before rushing off to the vet.

COLD PRESSED Flax Seed Oil is fabulous for skin and coat, and is a natural anti?inflammatory. It contains the essential Omega 3 Fatty Acids that most other oils do not have.

One Tablespoon for a large adult dog, or a teaspoonful for a little dog or puppy, given two or three times a week provide essential Omegas and boost the immune system. It isn’t necessary to give it every day to a healthy dog.

Once or twice each week as you’re preparing the vegetables and leafy greens for the family, put some aside into the blender.

Add water or stock and blend until it’s a sloppy mixture then mix it through some chopped or minced beef or lamb from the butcher. A teaspoon of Vegemite or other beef extract will add some flavour if your dog doesn’t immediately love it, but I think you’ll find that he will. A raw egg ,shell and all can also be added into the blender.

This meal mimics Nature just like the stomach contents of the wild dog’s prey. For treats, instead of using those highly processed dyed, preserved, coloured (and expensive) items, try using LITTLE PIECES OF CHEESE. Practically every dog loves cheese.
COOKING VEGETABLES FOR THE FAMILY?

Put the raw choppings scraps into your blender, add a little water or stock and blend to a sloppy consistency then mix it through your dog’s minced or chopped meat. EASY!
This is a handy meal in which to add herbs such as milk thistle (don’t give to pregnant females) and nettle. Both are great blood purifiers and tonic for liver and kidneys.

BOILING OR SCRAMBLING EGGS FOR THE FAMILY? Just pop an extra one in for your dog. Easy!

GOT SOME TOAST LEFT OVER FROM BREAKFAST? Give it to your dog! Easy!
(they love peanut butter and it’s good for them too)

BUY SOME CUBED CHEESE AND USE IT FOR TREATS. Easy!
Dogs love cheese and it’s good for them too!

COOKING CHICKEN FOR THE FAMILY?

Get into the habit of buying an extra piece or two and give to your dog —caution: NOT cooked with the bone. WHY? Because dogs have powerful hydrochloride acid stomach juices which dissolve RAW bones. Cooking changes the molecular structure of bones and the dog is not able to digest them. Cooking makes them brittle and serious damage (even fatal) can be done to your dog’s insides if you feed cooked bones of any kind.

We all probably know someone who says they have fed cooked bones to their dog for years and nothing has happened. This may be so, but do you really want to take the chance?

BUT I am noticing that although my own dogs rarely have serious illness, those I send elsewhere sometimes do! In searching for a common denominator, I have found that dogs fed purely on commercial dog food are most often the ones who can develop a lifestyle disease caused by diet or over vaccinating
I have never believed that dogs are carnivores, but that they are omnivores, meaning that they eat not only meat, but benefit from and like, raw vegetables and fruit in small quantities and dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, eggs and lactose free milk.

At Rutland Manor we do feed a small amount of holistic dry kibble. Firstly because we realize that some people will feed their new puppy on kibble so their little systems need to recognize this as ‘food’. Secondly, so that if we are traveling with our own dogs they too will recognize this as food and not be upset by the temporary change.

CAUTION: Pet food labeling legislation is slack. “Natural” doesn’t necessarily mean what we may think. That ‘plump chicken’ on the packet could be feathers and ground up claws and beaks – it’s not illegal to misrepresent it that way. ‘Meatmeal’ can and often is, rendered down road kill, or even deceased animals sent from laboratories or vet clinics to commercial dry food companies that render it down into a powder which can then legally be called ‘meatmeal’. Ghastly, but true.

AVOID: Pet food which has listed as ingredients, Corn, Wheat, or Grains. Wheat and Corn and their by-products are known triggers for skin problems, hot spots and allergic reactions in dogs.
There ARE a few ‘Do’s’ and some ‘Don’ts’

• NO grapes or raisins
• NO chocolate
• NO cooked bones – ever

Dogs have powerful hydrochloride digestive juices that nature designed to dissolve raw bone so that it doesn’t splinter inside the dog. Cooking bones changes their molecular structure in such a way that the dog’s digestive system can no longer dissolve the bone. It is then brittle and can splinter inside the dog, and cause horrendous injury even resulting in death. You may get away with it a hundred times – but is it really worth the risk?

There are many good books on the market about the Raw Food Diet for Dogs. Susan K Johnson is our favourite author on these. Try ‘Switching to Raw’