A common concern for dog owners is trying to figure out how much to feed their dog, especially when switching to a raw or home cooked diet.
How much food to feed your dog can vary and the total daily diet consumption depends on the dog’s age, weight, metabolism, and size.
A common concern for dog owners who are feeding a home prepared diet is whether or not it is ‘complete’. People worry that it won’t be nutritionally balanced and that their dog will miss essential nutrients that can only be found in commercial dog food.
One of the most common questions asked when changing diets, either to raw, home cooked, a mixture of raw and home cooked or adding fresh food to kibble, is how to maintain balance in the diet.
Let’s look at the meaning of the word ‘balance’. Most commonly it is referred to as the calcium/phosphorus ratio in the diet. Phosphorus is quite abundant in all foods. Calcium, however, is harder to find in foods. Commercial pet foods add calcium to bring the calcium/phosphorus ratios into balance. In the wild, dogs will consume bones from their prey which gives them the additional calcium needed.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL! Lew Olson and B-Natural's would like to say 'Thank You' to all of our customers for their continued support throughout the year. Improving nutrition for our dogs is a common goal we all share. The best way to achieve this is by feeding fresh foods to your dog. With the New … Read more
B-Naturals Newsletter – July, 2009 – Benny’s Story By Lew Olson, PhD Natural Health This month’s article is a special story about Benny, a Great Dane puppy who was near death before he was surrendered by his owner. We’d like to offer our thanks to Sarah Hamilton and Benny’s new owners, Jillian Morin and Phil … Read more
Protein is found in most foods, including carbohydrates. But dogs are carnivores and the best source of protein for them is found in animal products. This would include meat (pork, beef, poultry, lamb, rabbit, fish, dairy and eggs, just to mention a few). Animal based proteins contain a complete amino acid profile needed by carnivores. Plant based proteins are missing important amino acids, including taurine and carnitine. Both of these are important for heart and organ health.
The anatomy and digestive process of dogs are designed to most easily digest animal fat and protein. Dogs perform best on animal based products. Studies have shown you cannot feed a dog too much protein.
Most of us look to improve our dog’s health and want to learn to feed the best diet we can. This may include switching dog food brands, trying new supplements, adding fresh food to their dog’s food or taking the ‘plunge’ into a home cooked or raw diet. This month, we will look at all of these options to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Weaning and Raising Puppies On a Raw Diet By Lew Olson • March 2007 Newsletter The information contained in this newsletter should only be used as a guideline. Always make sure you have a correct diagnosis from your veterinarian before proceeding and always follow their directions and protocol. Weaning and Raising Puppies On a Raw … Read more
Putting It Together (Raw) By Lew Olson • May, 2006 Newsletter If you have read been reading the last eight articles in the series on Nutrition and Canines, you are ready to learn the basics of putting together a raw diet. For those who may have missed these, they are: April 2006 – Putting it … Read more
Fresh Food Diets for Dogs By Lew Olson • February 2003 Newsletter The idea of fresh and raw foods for dogs is not a new idea. As a matter of fact, it is the commercial processed dog foods are the relatively new concept! Prior to the concept of commercial pet foods, dogs were fed table … Read more
