Newsletter - November 2011

The News at Home

Tori's diet is a combination of cod, yogurt, rice and carrots. That may not sound exciting to you, but she thinks it's spectacular and we do as well. Our excitement stems from the fact that Tori is allergic to every single protein source I've ever tried to feed her and here's the interesting part: there's a common enzyme in fish, so a dog that's allergic to one type is very likely going to react to all types of fish. I'd tried three varieties in the past and all failed miserably which wasn't a surprise. We just happened to have cod (a new fish to her) in the freezer this time and when Tori's liver values began to climb, I was desperate enough to bake the cod and cross my fingers. Typically, she reacts to any novel protein sometime between days 10 and 14, but not this time. I'm not sure why this surprises me. Chances of a dog tolerating one type of fish over another are slim to none, but Tori's always been that one in a million, so this is just one more example of her breaking the rules. A friend of mine calls her Bon Tori and the name has stuck. She is rock star material after all!

Raw Diet Dog Food Recipe

Although I wrote a booklet that contains many raw diet recipes for dogs and the K9Kitchen book that provides more of these as well as cooked diet recipes, people continue to ask for more. I've been on the fence about this since my personal belief is that generic recipes can never be as good as one that's been formulated to meet the particular requirements of one dog, but with so many unbalanced recipes on the internet, I'd rather offer a balanced diet plan. Looking for a cooked diet raw food recipe? There's a simple one on my Blog.

This diet is meant to be fed over a one-week period and should support the weight and nutrient requirments of a 58-62 pound dog with moderate activity. It provides approximately 1,080 kilocalories that break down as 30% from protein, 15% from carbohydrates and 46% from fat.

The diet should not be changed i.e. halved to provide calories for a 30 pound dog, nor doubled for a 120 pound dog. Please keep in mind that a dog's nutrient requirements are not linear to bodyweight.

Substitutions of foods are not permissible if the diet to remain balanced.Supplements are not optional.

This diet is for healthy adult dogs only, and provides more than 250% of the fat content that NRC recommends. Do not feed it to dogs with gastrointestinal diseases or pancreatic problems.

32 oz chicken backs

38 oz ground beef, 15% fat

32 oz ground turkey

7 oz beef heart

4 oz beef liver

12 oz sardines with bones, canned in tomato sauce

2 large chicken eggs

48 oz sweet potato

2 egg shells

2 tsp kelp

15 mg manganese

1 capsule vitamin E 200 IU

70 mg zinc gluconate (10 mg daily)

1 ¾ tablets vitamin B compound (1/4 tablet daily)

3,500 mg taurine (500 mg daily)

You may choose to feed different foods on different days, or combine all foods and divide the mixture into seven daily servings. Whatever works best for your schedule is fine, so in this sense, the diet is flexible.

Supplemental B vitamins can be tough on an empty stomach. Best bet: tuck ¼ tablet in hand-held food to be fed a treat after a meal. Don't skip a day of supplementing B vitamins. Your dog wouldn't be in serious trouble if you did that, but neither would s/he be receiving optimal nutrition. B vitamins are water soluble and with the exception of vitamin B-12 which circulates in the body for about one month, they're excreted in urine. The roles of B vitamins are outlined below and you'll understand my insistence that you don't skip a day of supplementation by reading further.

Disclaimer: Readers acting on this information do so at their own risk with full knowledge that a veterinarian should be consulted for advice. The author holds no responsibility or liability to any pet, person, or entity with respect to damage, loss or in jury caused or said to be caused directly or indirectly by the information and diet provided herein.

The Roles of B Vitamins

B1: Brain function, digestion, energy, appetite, carbohydrate metabolism

B2: Enzyme functions, healthy skin, metabolism of fats, proteins, carbohydrates

B3: Enzyme functions, healthy skin, function of nervous system

B5: Energy metabolism, fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism

B6: Hormone regulation, taurine and carnitine synthesis, activation of genes, immune response, glucose generation

B-12: Cell formation, supports nerve structure, enzyme function

Monica

"Your dog always makes time for you. No excuses, no lies and no broken

promises"- author unknown