MEAT - (Beef, Chicken, Mutton, and Fish) do not feed only one type of meat to your dog. On different days alternate the meat type.
Meat alone is not enough for any animal, even in the wild; dogs will eat the fur, bones and the stomach and contents. Meat contains NO calcium and very little Vitamins and minerals. The minerals are in the bones.
The Vitamins are in organs and stomach contents (vegetables).
Cooking the meat with rice / pasta and vegetables improves taste and kills worms if the offal you use has not been inspected.
Cooking the meat also destroys the nutritional value, to the extent you have to feed twice as much.
Feed good fresh raw meat. It is o.k. Providing it is palatable to the dog (i.e. some dogs get upset stomachs if the meat is raw).
Feed any type of meat: beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish (sardines, tuna) and rabbit.
It is best to VARY the meat type as they differ in fat content and the type of essential fatty acids.
Commercial tinned foods are convenient but expensive and can contain up to 70% water.
Although canned food for dogs is well balanced with vitamins and minerals it can affect some dogs with flatulence and diarrhea. Offal should only be added to the meat in small amounts.
Vary the type of offal and don't give it to your dog too often, because it is rich in vitamins which should not be over fed. e.g. the liver is high in vitamin-A.
Offal is a good appetite stimulant for convalescing dogs and fussy dogs as it is very strong in flavor, added to their meal.
CEREALS - (Puppy or dog biscuits, human cereal biscuits).
These supply a crunchy texture to the dog's meal that the dog enjoys.
It also adds a new flavour to it's meal. Biscuits are a concentrated balanced food source, which can be the entire meal if nothing else is available or when physical demands require it. But remember it is concentrated so it is very fattening to under-active dogs. If kept airtight it will last, stay fresh, is readily available and is a reasonably cheap dog food for large breeds.
Make sure the dry food that you buy is of a reputable name and has been researched. Some brands are just full of bulking rubbish. Added to your dogs diet of meat, vegetables, rice and raw bones. 'Biscuits' are a well-balanced tasty treat for your dog.
PUPPIES
At 4-5 months of age a pup is losing its puppy teeth and getting its adult teeth, it's gums may be too tender to crunch up the dog biscuits.
It helps if you soak some of the puppy biscuits to soften them while it is teething.
EGGS
Egg Improves the coat and is a good source of protein, biotin, vitamins D and B12, iron, chlorine and sulphur.
Eggs can be fed whole and raw.
Eggs can also be fed with the white removed. i.e. yolks only!
One or two eggs mixed with the meal once a week is good for your dog's coat and a very good protein and vitamin source.
(Raw egg white contains an enzyme that destroys the biotin in the yolk, cooking the egg destroys the enzyme!)
Biotin is needed for strong healthy bones and cartilage.
Eggs contain an excess of biotin in the yolk. This is said to compensate the biotin loss from then enzyme in the white.
VITAMINS AND MINERALS
These are required if feeding meat only.
Or dogs, which have high-energy needs and may not be getting all it needs from the main diet.
i.e.: working farm dogs, breeding / lactating bitches and puppies-especially large breeds.
Most dry foods contain a well-balanced meal with all the necessary vitamins and minerals but have a higher caloric value than tinned foods. Dry food should be avoided or severely limited for obese dogs.
Vitamins can be added to the diet in the form of drops or powder.
They are available from vets, pet shops and stock feeders.
If you are feeding a diet containing meat, vegetables, rice, raw bones and dry dog biscuits then an average dog will not require any additional vitamins.
Vegetables add vitamin A and most of the B group vitamins.
Eggs improve the coat and are a good source of protein, vitamins D and B12, Iron, chlorine and sulphur.
Water-soluble vitamins will simply pass through the dog if they are not needed.
These are: (B Group vitamins, Vitamin C (Ester C not Ascorbic C).
Fat-soluble vitamins can cause illnesses if too much is given. These are: (A, D, E and K).
Mineral supplements can also do more harm than good if not given in a balanced amount. If you regularly feed raw bones you don't need a mineral supplement for your dog.
VEGETABLES
Green vegetables such as peas, spinach, broccoli, beans, cabbage, carrots and cauliflower. Allow one / or more extra person(s) at your table and add to the meal.
These add Vitamin A and most of the B group vitamins.
You can use any vegetable except onions! Onions cause ANAEMIA. Green vegetables such as peas, beans, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, carrots, squash, cauliflower and potatoes ANYTHING!
But, be cautious of the amount of vegetables you use that are high in carbohydrates, like potatoes, because your animal may gain excessive weight if it cannot burn it off.
Also too much cabbage does cause flatulence.
The easiest way to arrange the vegetables for you dog, is when you prepare your own vegetables add an extra persons portion to your table for every dog you own. Adjust the amount according to the dog's size.
Then just mix it in to his / her dinner. Vegetables can be given raw as long as they are blended up into small bits.(pulped, minced or pureed).
Cooking vegetables softens them up and makes them more palatable, but over cooking destroys the vitamin content in them.
Vegetables are cheap and also a good bulking food for large and overweight dogs.
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