IF YOU DON'T LISTEN TO ANYTHING I SAY, AT LEAST BUY AN ALL NATURAL DOG FOOD THAT IS GRAIN FREE!
Here at Wing And A Prayer our goal is to provide you with the healthiest puppy possible. That starts with really good quality nutrition for our adult dogs. I encourage you to please do your research on the health benefits of a raw diet. Please click the above video for a detailed explanation of why raw foods are so healthy. Our adult dogs are fed raw chicken leg quarters (ten pound bag for .59 a pound) everyday. The raw chicken bones provide much needed calcium and minerals necessary for a healthy bones. Raw bones are chewy and not brittle. Please note, NEVER feed your dog cooked chicken bones! In addition to the raw chicken, they do get dry dog food. We highly recommend Wellness Core Dry Dog Food. Only Wellness Core is grain free (not Wellness regular). For half the price of Wellness Core and still an outstanding dry dog food, I recommend Costco's brand Natures Domain Salmon And Sweet Potato dog food. Our adult dogs are fed this great food. See below for a link.
Did you know ounce for ounce chicken liver is quite possibly the healthiest meat in the world? Once a week we buy chicken liver and add it to our dogs diet till we run out. They each get one piece a night. When a dog or cat has severe diarrhea, intestinal problems etc. it is very common the vet will prescribe Science Diet ID. Very expensive... Do you know the #1 ingredient to this canned food is liver? Even vets know the health benefits of liver!
Essential fatty acids are very important for brain development, healthy skin and coat, and boost the immune system. We feed our bitches one 15 oz can of human grade Chicken Of The Sea Canned Mackerel during pregnancy and lactation. The cost is only $1.50 a can at Walmart in the tuna isle. Drain most of the water in the can to reduce sodium. One can of Mackerel provides 15 grams of essential fatty acids and 60 grams of protein!
Some benefits of the raw diet include:
- cleaner teeth
- shinier coats and healthier skin
- no bad breath
- lots of energy
- less fat, and more muscle
- bright eyes
- smaller, firmer, less smelly stools
- less health problems and less vet bills
AN OVERVIEW OF BARF (Bones and Raw Food)
Welcome! If you are just starting your research on the BARF diet you may want to take a moment to review this information. It will give you the basics for the feeding programme. I also encourage new members to read and learn all they can before beginning to feed their dogs this way, but be sure that what you learn comes from a reliable source that understands the concept of evolutionary nutrition!WHAT YOU FEED IN THE BARF DIET... Raw Meaty Bones (RMB)
The most important thing you need is a supply of raw meaty bones for chewing but more importantly for eating. These form the basis of the diet. Most people feed chicken or turkey wings, necks, backs or carcasses. These pieces consist of bone, cartilage, fat and a little bit of flesh. The optimal RMB is 50% meat to 50% bone. Other meaty bone sources should be evaluated for the required balance of these components according to the needs of the dog being fed. White meats seem to be healthier for dogs than red meats. This may be because they are higher in essential fatty acids unlike red meats which are higher in saturated fats and associated with degenerative conditions such as arthritis. However, it is important to try and feed variety, so try to incorporate other meat (beef, lamb, pork...ostrich) several times a week. Raw meaty chicken bones can be fed to all sizes, shapes and ages of dogs. For example, raw chicken wings can form the basis of a small dog's diet whereas large dogs might be fed turkey necks, wings, chicken backs or even an entire chicken on occasion! Lamb shanks, including breasts, chops, legs and ribs are also valuable and should be fed on the bone. Not a lot of people feed pork or rabbit, but it can be used to provide variety in the diet. Beef is very popular as dog meat, however as the bones are very hard they are usually not as easily consumed by smaller dogs as is poultry. Most beef bone cuts are better utilized for eating exercise and teeth cleaning. Besides these smaller eating bones, your dog will need larger, less meaty bones. These bones provide eating exercise, they clean the teeth, massage the gums and satisfy a psychological need that dogs have. Bones are your dog's most important source for minerals, especially calcium. They provide quality protein, fats, fat soluable vitamins and cartilage. Are bones dangerous? Perhaps. However, dogs have evolved to eat bones and it would be rare that a problem might arise. If fed raw, they are soft and chewable. It is NOT recommended that cooked bones be fed as they become brittle and have the potential to splinter. If you prefer to NOT feed whole RMB, have a dog that is missing teeth, who does not eat carefully, or has difficulty digesting whole bones, then it is recommended that the RMB be ground. The same benefits will be obtained.
Meat & Fish
Any ground muscle meat is acceptable such as beef, lamb, rabbit, deer...An all meat diet has the potential for disaster, however a meal of pure meat is fine now and again. Fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel) can also form a part of the weekly balanced diet. If a lot of fish is to be fed, then the whole fish should be used and vitamin E should be supplemented.
Offal
Organ meats are a small part of the BARF diet, about 10 - 15%. They should be fresh, raw and include liver, kidney, heart, brain, tripe... In its raw state it is nutritionally valuable food with first class protein, essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins.
Healthy Oils
The BARF diet requires that a health promoting oil be included as a source of omega3 and omega6 essential fatty acids. These oils are vital for your dog's health. What you will be looking for is flax oil or salmon oil. You will also need cod liver oil. When feeding these oils, appropriate antioxidants must also be used — such as vitamin E. These healthy oils must be kept refrigerated or frozen in order to maintain their integrity. Ordinary vegetable oils from the supermarket are not recommended.
An optional requirement - Grain?
The short and simple answer is that grains did NOT figure as part of our dogs [or cats] evolutionary diet. On that basis, grain is not biologically appropriate for our pets. The only way grains may be used in the diet is when they are freshly sprouted and then processed along with the other vegetable matter.
How Much To Feed?
The amounts required will depend on the age, activity level and metabolism of your dog. The adult dog that has reached maturity may be fed approximately 60% raw meaty bones. The other 40% of the diet would consist of meat, fish, fruit or vegetables, organ meats, an occasional porridge meal plus supplements and a very small percentage of left-overs.
Approximate Guidelines for Average Dog @ 1/2 lb per 25 lbs
Weight of dog 60% RMB — whole or ground 40% Vegetable Mixture
| 10 lbs | 2.5 oz | 1.5 oz |
| 25 lbs | 5 oz | 3.5 oz |
| 50 lbs | 10 oz | 6 oz |
| 75 lbs | 15 oz | 10 oz |
| 100 lbs | 24 oz | 16 oz |
About Bacteria...
A dog's immune system is designed to handle bacteria such as Samolella, E.Coli and Campylobacter jejuni. It is much more adept at this than the human body. If dogs are fed nothing but heat sterilized food, you are depriving them of the opportunity to develop an immune response to these and many other organisms. Handling raw foods for your dog requires the same care as your 'human' food does. Raw food will spoil if left unrefrigerated for an extended period of time. Excess food not eaten, should be refigerated for the next feeding or discarded. Keep raw meat separate from other foods; wash working surfaces, utensils and hands with hot soapy water after each feeding. Simple!
How to make the switch?
Some owners just go 'cold turkey' and never look back. Some dog's may have a looser stool for a day or so...some just blend into the change like they have always eaten this way... others are so excited about eating now they will follow you around begging for more. Depending on the history of your dog, you may have to make a more gradual change or simply make the switch and go with what ever comes from it — literally! When you are ready to begin take it slowly. Try to keep the diet simple at first. This is particularly important for older/middle aged dogs that have been eating a cooked diet for most of their life. Start with chicken or turkey necks or backs only for the first couple of days and remove any excess fat. The only other thing you might add at this point would be some yogurt or a probiotic supplement. Keep meals small to begin with and don't overfeed. Once the dog is digesting the raw meaty bones, add some veggies with a bit of lean ground meat. After a week or two, you can start adding the other foods like eggs and offal (leaving a little bit more fat on the chicken if necessary) and then start adding supplements if you want to. Don't do it all at once. I would also suggest that with dogs new to the BARF diet that you stay away from the harder or fattier bones for awhile. Give them time to re-develop their digestive system first.
You can do it!
Lots of people watch their dog deteriorate on commercial foods simply because they either don't know what else to feed, how to feed it or that they do need to feed something better in order to obtain or maintain optimal health. When dogs are switched to bones and raw food, health problems either improve or disappear. By making such a remarkably simple but profound change in your dog's diet you will quickly discover what so many other dog owners around the world already know.
Keep it simple! Chose your favorite grain free dry dog food, and add one chicken leg quarter and one chicken liver a night! Always freeze raw foods that you're not going to use that day! Your efforts will show in the health of your puppy/dog!
PUPPIES
Puppies are not fed raw bones. At the age of 4 weeks, your puppy is introduced to chicken and canned salmon ground in the blender, cooked, no bones. This is why your puppy has such a soft coat, healthy skin, and plenty of muscle tone. All good breeder's know an extra fast growth spurt may increase the risk of structural health problems for your puppy. A grain free diet is a must for puppies! Grains, just like in humans, create fast weight gain in dogs/puppies. Do you know dogs have diabetes issues just like humans? Reduce this risk with a grain free diet! After they have a full mouth of teeth, I then introduce them to dry puppy food. This is a slow transition. Chicken is still added to their food. By the time they go home, they are on 100% dry puppy food. Please click the link below for information regarding Wellness.
SWEET POTATO DRY DOG FOOD (approved for all stages of life)
