WHAT TO FEED YOUR DOG
The best source of food is a natural diet, homemade by you.
Meat should be cooked unless you know it to be from a reliable source and parasite free. Raw organic meat is an option if your dog is strong and has good digestion. There are safety precautions to help protect from parasites and bacteria in raw meat; a good hard freeze for 48 hr and brazing the outer surface where bacteria accumulate. Cook cereal grains, however, most vegetables and fruit can be served raw. Be creative and use a variety of food sources. Batch cook and prepare the food and store in the refrigerator or freezer. AVOID salt, preservatives, food coloring and processing. For further information, refer to Pat McKay’s “Reigning Cats and Dogs”, www.barfworld.com, or www.volhard.com.
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HOW TO SELECT A COMMERCIAL DOG FOOD:
Here is a checklist to make sure your choices measure up:
Must not contain food coloring, unnatural preservatives, sugar, of sweeteners, or artificial flavorings.
Must show a date of manufacture and be fresh.
Should offer puppy, adult and geriatric versions.
Must be made by reputable company that can’t afford or make an inferior product. Please avoid generic pet food. Yes, they are cheap. But so are the ingredients. What you save in food expenses will be spent on veterinary care for gastrointestinal disorders, dental disease, skin problems and behavior problems.
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AT THIS TIME WE RECOMMEND THESE BRANDS:
| DIET |
AVAILABLE AT |
SOLID GOLD
NATURAL BALANCE
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Garners Natural Market
60 E. Antrim Dr./G’vile/242-4856
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PET GUARD
ONE EARTH
LICK YOUR CHOPS (By order only) |
Market For Life
2801 Wade Hampton Blvd./G’ville
268-9255
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SOLID GOLD
NATURE’S BALANCE
WELLNESS
INNOVA
CALIFORNIA NATURAL |
Paws and Claws
8 McPherson Ln.
G’ville 242-3738
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SOLID GOLD
ONE EARTH
PET GUARD |
Nature’s Health Shop
109 W Main St
Easley/855-3773 |
PET GUARD
SPOTS STEW
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Health Pharm
405 College Ave Unit 120
Clemson/654-2777 |
INNOVA
PETGUARD
NEWMAN’S OWN
LICK YOUR CHOPS
CALY NATURAL
SOJO |
Earth Fare
3620 Pelham Rd/G’ville
527-4220 |
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FEEDING PROPERLY
We do not recommend feeding free choice. Leave food out 10-20 minutes and then remove the uneaten portions. It is important not to overfeed. Avoid snacks, especially sweets and chocolate. Chocolate can be toxic to many animals. It is preferable for adult dogs to eat in the evening hours. Feed small puppies 3 meals per day, and young adults twice a day. Healthy adult dogs can benefit from a once a month fasting to cleanse their intestines. On the fasting day withhold solid foods but insure they have plenty of water and/or clear broth. A large chew bone should be offered. Avoid chicken bones, rib, steak, pork chop, and fish bones at all times. For safety, if you are giving bones to your dog for the first time watch the dog closely to insure he does not attempt to swallow the bone to get it lodged in his throat.
HOW MUCH
Amount will vary according to body weight, metabolic rate and exercise level. Healthy dogs are lean and muscular. Fat dogs are generally fat because they are overfed. Feed enough to maintain food strength but not enough to cause obesity, or foul smelling, soft stools. As a rule of thumb, a 25lb dog would eat about ½ - 1 ½ cups of premium food, whereas a 50lb dog might require about 1-3 cups daily. Feed puppies twice that and older and/or sedentary dogs less.
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DOGS SHOULD NOT EAT LIKE PEOPLE
Offer the food in a non-plastic (some dogs are allergic to plastic) bowl in the same calm, special area each meal. Develop a feeding ritual that involves you being dominant. Make it happy and loving. Put your dog down or in sit – stay and do not allow him or her to begin eating until you give a release command such as “OK”,”Get It”, etc. This is the best way to clip nails, brush hair, or give pills (before eating). If food is constantly available, it will weaken your love-bond with your dog. (S)he needs to see your role in his or her well being everyday. Feeding is an extremely important time of loving interaction. Dogs are much less willing to obey if food is constantly available. Free choice feeding is almost always the prevalent feeding style of households that have serious dog behavior problems.
Also, if food is constantly available, dogs frequently eat out of boredom, competition or anxiety. This results in overeating, thus higher food bills, more stool to clean up, flatulence, and an unhealthy intestine which has no time to rest and heal itself, and cannot expel toxic wastes. Food left out for any length of time, especially if moistened with saliva, frequently becomes spoiled and may cause food poisoning or rejection by your dog. Keep your food supply in a cool, dry, dark, sealed container. Try not to buy more food at a time than will be consumed in 2-3 months.
Continual nibbling causes a build-up of food particles on the teeth and changes the pH of the saliva. Both of which lead to plaque formation, bad breath and tooth loss due to gum disease.
The wild canidae from which our domestic dogs descended are almost exclusively nocturnal. They have weak digestive juices during the daylight hours and food consumed during this period may be improperly digested. It makes sense to follow the natural body-clock as much as possible.
We feel that dry food is the better choice for dogs that eat commercial food. It usually has fewer harmful additives; it is less rich and fattening; it has higher fiber content so it helps keep the teeth clean and the gums healthy; and it is more stimulating to chew and may be more similar to a natural diet than mush or plastic burgers.
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