Carina Beth Macdonald - Raw Dog Food: Make It Easy for You and Your Dog

Raw Dog Food:

Make It Easy For You

and Your Dog

by Carina Beth MacDonald

Dogwise Publishing

Wenatchee, Washington U.S.A.

www.dogwisepublishing.com

Raw Dog Food:

Make It Easy for You and Your Dog

Carina Beth MacDonald

Published by Dogwise Publishing

A Division of Direct Book Service, Inc.

403 S. Mission St

Wenatchee, Washington USA 98807

509-663-9115 / 1-800-776-2665

www.dogwisepublishing.com

email: info@dogwisepublishing.com

Indexing: Elaine Melnick The Index Lady

Graphic Design: Anderson OBryan, Wenatchee, WA

2004, Carina Beth MacDonald

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request from the Library of Congress.

ISBN 1-929242-09-3

Printed in U.S.A.

Dedication

To dogs everywhere, and the people who serve them meals.

Too many people to name gave me advice and encouragement you know who you are and THANK YOU!

When Dogwise Publishing set out to publish a book on the raw dog food diet we knew we wanted a book that focused on how-to-feed rather than the science of canine nutrition. We wanted a book that de-mystified the topic and made it accessible and do-able for the busy dog owner. To that end we chose an enthusiastic raw-feeding layperson with a humorous and earthy writing style, Carina MacDonald, to take you by the hand and be your mentor.

Along the way we learned that the topic of whether to feed your dog a home-made, raw food diet incited the passions of both its proponents and opponents. We found that no matter what our author had to say, there was always another way of doing it right. Therefore we offer you this book as one right way to feed raw. We remind the reader that the purpose of the book is to educate and entertain and that neither the author nor the publisher shall have liability or responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information contained in this book.

Our author has been cooperative, patient and diligent in her work on this project and a delight to work with. We hope you enjoy and benefit from her efforts. Read on!

Charlene Woodward, Dogwise Publishing

CHAPTER 1

This is the tale of how a raw dog food neophyte Me began to feed Phoebe, my senior citizen German Shepherd mix, Dutch and Daphne, the rescue Rotties, several fosters and Cooper, my Rottweiler pup RAW chicken bones along with other RAW food and they LIVED! Better yet, they THRIVED! I had always fed my dogs a better kibble, select table scraps as well as raw marrow and rib bones to clean their teeth. For years I felt quite smug about what a good and devoted dog-mommy I was. Little did I know that there was a better way.

Dog People Love to Talk

Then, a few years ago, as I was planning to get a new Rottweiler puppy, I began to hear about breeders who instead of feeding dogs a commercial dog food were using a diet based almost exclusively on raw meaty bones and other fresh foods. Hmmm! After kibitzing with about every serious breeder in the Rocky Mountain West, I had not only located my future bundle of fluffy joy, but had learned a new concept BARF! B ones A nd R aw Food or B iologically A ppropriate R aw F ood ... raw food diets for dogs that consist of Raw Meaty Bones (RMBs), muscle and organ meat, pulverized vegetables and fruits and miscellaneous scraps instead of commercial food. The BARF diet has been championed by Australian veterinarian Ian Billinghurst in, Give Your Dog A Bone , Grow Your Pup With Bones and The BARF Die t, Kymythy Schultze in Natural Nutrition for Cats and Dogs: The Ultimate Diet , Tom Lonsdale in Raw Meaty Bones among others. It made sense!

A Coyote with a Brain the Size of a Kumquat

I reasoned that if a coyote with a brain the size of a kumquat can figure out how to feed himself without running extensive lab tests, conducting longitudinal studies on other coyotes, or analyzing the molecular structure of oats, it shouldnt be difficult for me to figure it out! Yet I found myself, like many others, intimidated by all the information available, much of it excellent yet often confusing or contradictory. But I continued to read, research and reason.

We always hear that the best diet for people is one based on fresh foods with lots of raw fruits and veggies with minimal preservatives. Yet here we are giving our dogs highly processed food, day in and day out. Or in my case, premium kibble supplemented with select table scraps and raw marrow bones for chewing. Now I was being presented with the information to take the logical next step actually feeding dogs a total diet of real fresh food. It made so much sense! Why didnt it occur to me years ago?

Skeptic that I am about fads and sure fire solutions to lifes many challenges, I did my own research on the topic. In person and on the internet I met successful dog breeders and owners who told me again and again that a natural, raw, grain-free diet would yield benefits from the elimination of skin problems to curing cancer to little odorless poops. These were not Earth Shoe wearing weirdos who sipped spirulina for breakfast. These were serious dog people, who taught obedience and agility classes, raised champion conformation and working dogs and deeply cared for their furry companions. While I wasnt buying into all the amazing testimonials, I was becoming convinced that this might indeed be the best diet for my dogs.

Someone to Watch Over Me

A very kind and patient Rottweiler breeder mentored me as I started to feed raw first to my adult dogs, then to the new puppy Cooper when he came home. She was someone I could relate to as one Dog Person to another. We were just people who were simply trying to improve the life and longevity of their dogs.

As part of my education I read all the books on raw feeding available at the time. Although approaches and styles differed, the basic theme was the same building a prey animal for your dog to eat (Schultze see Resources). This means lots of raw meat and bones and some organ meat. It means vegetables and fruits pulverized to simulate the partially digested stomach contents of the prey animal. Other foods eggs, yogurt, fish, nuts and seeds may also be fed to ensure a wider range of nutrients. Supplements may be added, either for general health maintenance, or to address specific problems.

What the books didnt tell me were answers to the day-to-day questions I had. Whats with these peculiar poops? Where can I find cheap supplies? Raw fish bones ARE YOU KIDDING!? How come he wont eat his vegetables? Can I feed shrimp? Is beef heart organ or muscle meat? It was really nice to have a mentor to ask silly, nervous questions, especially when my vet was initially skeptical, and my friends were aghast at what I was feeding my dogs. I also turned to the internet. It can be a wonderful resource, but the open forum nature of the net means you have to check and double check what you read.

Why I Wrote This Book

I know what its like to be terrified at the idea of feeding raw chicken bones and to go through the anxious phase of trying to micromanage my dogs diets. I was ready to give it up and go back to kibble! I know how confusing the information is in a single raw food book let alone when comparing several books on the topic!