When we lived in the beautiful mountains of sunny California, our dogs had almost year round access to lush green grass, weeds and bushes. Our first Spring here in Idaho when the snow began to melt I noticed the dogs desperately looking and digging to find grass. The first sprig of a green bush or grass blade to appear was quickly gobbled up.
Read moreBenefits of Bone Broth
Bone Broth!
Why it’s a must!
Prior to moving to Northern Idaho, I used bone broth when my dogs were sick or coming out of a surgery. Our first winter here, I noticed that the dogs did not seem to drink enough water on a daily basis. I started serving them warm bone broth every morning to get through the chill of winter. Since my adult dogs only eat one meal a day, in the evening, I now give them each a cup of bone broth along with one egg every morning.
The benefits of bone broth are many. It’s not just for occasional use, but a great addition as a regular part of your dogs diet. It assists in:
Joint health - it is a great source of collagens and glucosamine
Detox for the Liver - no matter how hard we try, our dogs are still exposed to toxins more often than we think. Grass, carpet, vaccines and much more
Gut health - bone broth is full of gelatin which assists the gut in digestion. It is especially good for dogs with leaky gut syndrome.
Dogs that are ill or coming out of anesthesia. Bone broth is just plain ole’ good stuff!
My recipe is loose and varies with each batch, be creative!
Bones - at least one large marrow or joint bone. In addition to that, feet are great along with any other bones you have (they can even been from your cooked meals).
Veggies: Celery, Carrots, Garlic, Herbs (there is a link below that has some herbal suggestions)
Apple Cider Vinegar or Lemon Juice - this is important as it draws out the minerals in the bones
Cook at a low temp for a long period of time. I go 24-48 hours.
In the slow cooker above, you see a hog head and a few hog knee joints that I picked up free from the local butcher shop; carrots, kale, parsley, oregano all from my garden, celery, and an apple (because I didn’t finish eating it). ACV was added in the amount of 3/4 cup. When it’s done cooking, I strain it, toss all the ‘stuff’ and chill the liquid. The next morning, skim off the fat on the top and you are good to go!
Switching Your Current Dogs to RAW
Many people getting a puppy from us want to follow our holistic approach with the dogs they currently have in their home. Switching to RAW can be scary, but there are some great guidelines in the article link below. Don’t give up! You’ll see a big difference in your dogs overall health and wellness no matter the breed!
Resourcing RAW
Knowing where to look for your RAW foods is probably the most difficult part of RAW feeding. Once you have that down, it becomes a simple part of your household chores.
Many families order their food by the case and pre-package meals one month or one week at a time.
· Here in North Idaho, I order many proteins through the butcher counter at my local grocery store (Super 1). These include:
Chicken: leg quarters, legs, breast, backs, necks, feet, hearts (I do not use chicken livers)
Beef: Kidney, liver, sweet breads (thymus gland)
Pork: tails, cushion meat, liver, kidney, sweet breads, feet, brains
Turkey: wings, necks, feet, gizzards
Fish: whole mackerel, smelt
· You may have access to Asian or Mexican Markets in your area where you can get organs, feet, heads, etc.
· Wild Game butcher or Small, local butcher shops.
Here we have a small butcher shop that caters to farmers and hunters. They do not sell meat to the public, but we can go into their scrap freezer and take anything we want for free. Some of the things I have been able to get are:
Lamb bones with scraps attached
Organs from various animals
Large beef bones that I use for making bone broth and recreational chewing.
· Ranchers. When we lived in Mariposa, we had rancher friends that would call us if they had cattle that they couldn’t take to auction. We gave them a small monetary amount and we would butcher it ourselves or send it to a butcher. We have raised our own hogs as well and love using that meat for ourselves and the dogs.
· Local ads and local social media groups
Put out an announcement about taking peoples freezer clean out, ranchers’ scraps, etc. You’ll be surprised at what you might get!
Think out of the box! Take a chance, ask where you might not otherwise. Feeding your BB is in art and can be tailored to whatever you can get your hands on.
Balancing Calcium and Phosphorus
The most common scare tactic vets will throw at new puppy owners regarding RAW feeding is that the puppy will not get the proper balance of calcium and phosphorus. The article link below will walk you through the ins and outs of how RAW provides a better balance than commercial foods. This article includes the break down of bone percentages and how to calculate if your dog is getting enough.
https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/bone-food-values-for-raw-feeding-dogs/
Feeding 2-5 month Olds
10 oz. meals
Guidelines: Remember that balance over time is the best method of feeding. Your BB needs a variety in protein sources but it’s not necessary to give that variety all in one day. Think of the variety over a one week period. Purchase for that week and take an hour of your weekend to prep the meals for that week. Once you get the hang of it and the pup goes to two meals a day, you can prep for a month at a time for ease.
Week 1 you might use beef and chicken, with fish 2 days of the week; Week 2 you might use chicken and pork. You can switch out the chicken for turkey anytime.
Bone sources for the young pup will mostly be Chicken thighs, legs, feet. Duck feet work well too. As the pup matures they will handle larger bone such as pork, lamb, goat ribs, pork feet, chicken leg quarters, small turkey necks, ect.
Wild Game: freeze for 3 weeks before using, but this is a great resource that’s typically free.
I no longer give fish oil, but use whole fish instead. Fish oils can go rancid. I add phytoplankton for Omega 3's a few times a week. 1/4 tsp. for adults.
I still use Joint Health Chewables for all of my dogs!
Sample Menu
5 Days of the week:
Breakfast: Chicken leg, chicken hearts, liver
Lunch: Ground beef, Egg w/shell
Dinner: Chicken thigh or leg, choice of excreting organ
2 Days of the week.
Breakfast: Chicken leg, hearts
Lunch: Beef or Pork, Egg w/shell
Dinner: Whole fish such as sardines, mackerel or smelt, can use any ground meat to fill up the ounces.
Print the chart below and take into your local butcher to see what they can order for you!
Small Butchers
Sourcing RAW
One of the best resources for RAW that you can find is 'small' butchers. These are butchers that process wild game and farmers livestock. They have many different animals that they process and therefore a variety of bones and scraps available. We visit our local small butcher weekly, going through their waste which is kept in a freezer room until taken to the landfill. Last week we scored on about 50 lbs of organs, meaty scraps and bones. I tend to look for the small animal bones for consumption....lamb, goat, hog, deer...….while using the larger animal bones for bone broth and recreational chewing. This is a huge boost to our RAW feeding budget!
RAW Charts
Here are a few charts to help you navigate RAW feeding! Keep in mind "Balance over time". There is really no need to weigh bone separate from meat, ect.
Teeth Cleaning
It seems that every vet office is now offering teeth cleaning for your pets which involves putting them under sedation. There's a better way...…….
Read moreVariety Is The Spice of Life
We typically stick to the variety over time method and so my dogs don't get all these proteins at once on a regular basis, but my freezer is empty and so I gathered all the little bags of 'stuff' lying around in there. Hen turkey necks, venison, goat or lamb (free from butcher bin, so not sure which), beef, beef liver and a bit of chicken. Each bowl is weighed to the individual dogs need with the exception of the puppy's as she is fed 3x per day. Nzuri = 2.8 lbs. Johari = 2.4 lbs. Bu = 3 lbs. Ki = 2.5 lbs. Ama = 2.5 lbs. Tomi = 2.5 lbs. Puppy Viper - 16 oz.
