What we are eating around here

I realized the last post I made about what we ate around here was this.  At the time I was really trying to get the puppy just to eat anything but for it to be the only post about what we eat here is a little unfortunate.  Cause dinner prep around the DogInTheDesert household looks a whole lot more like this these days-

 

Before I go on about what we feed I would encourage everyone to do their own research.  I read two great books Feed Your Pet Right by Marion Nestle and Pet Food Politics also by Nestle.  I also did lots of research online.  In the end I settled on a diet of 70% muscle meat, 10% raw edible bone, 10% organ and 10% veggie mix.  It has been going well for us for a little over a year now.  Unlike some people I know out there I really believe any way you make a diet (prey model raw, BARF, home cooked, some mix of them all) is better than commercial kibble as long as you do some research and make sure you offer lots of variety.

We accomplish our diet with veggies from the farmers market, Cornish game hen and chicken for some meat and nearly all bone, beef, venison, and goat for meat and organ.  I also throw in the occasional egg or odd meat we get here or there.  For supplements I use a multivitamin, a green lipped muscle product for omega 3's because Copley can't handle fish oil and occasionally coconut oil.

I find that diet is one of the biggest hot button issue when it comes to dogs.  At the vet practice I go to half of the vets seem to be all for my raw feeding and half of them are very leery about it.  On the internet some people would call me a total traitor because we keep some high quality kibble around for vacations or the occasional meal when the kitchen is really busy.  Some say I am killing my dog by not feeding them enough veggies, some would say I am slowly killing them by giving them any veggies at all.

In conclusion I have some messages for the people out there-

To the crazy-die-hard-only-natural-foods-everything-else-is-killing-you-and-your-family-and-by-the-way-modern-medicine-is-a-conspiracy-to-end-the-human-race-people:  Be happy I feed a whole foods diet and shop at a farmers market but for real sometimes I need to go on vacation and it is not always sanitary to camp with a cooler full of raw meat.  A meal of kibble here or there is not going to kill my dogs.  You already won me over with the natural diet, now get a grip on reality and get off my back.

To the ALL-CHICKEN-BONES-KILL crowd:  Google it.  Also have you ever heard of mass wolf die off due to bowel perforation?  Me neither.  Cooked chicken bones kill, raw ones build strong joints.

To the but-only-kibble-can-possibly-provide-a-complete-and-balanced-diet-people:  You could live off of nothing but ensure and total cereal.  Instead you eat a variety of foods, maybe take a multi vitamin, and if you are really snazzy you read a book on nutrition once.  And guess what?  You are still alive and a lot of you are healthy.  P.S. I bet that book on nutrition told you to eat lots of whole fresh food with minimally processed ingredients.

To the raw-meat-makes-your-dog-viscious-taste-of-blood-and-all-that-people:  Do wolves eat each other?  Does a piece of kibble look any more like a cow than a steak?  If you were one of the people who "warned" me that because of raw feeding Copley would eat the puppy please comment because I really don't know what to say here.  A lot of you were educated normal people I want to know what you were thinking.

Finally for the vast majority of people out there who feed commercial dog food- you are not evil.  For reals.  This raw feeder does not bite (or jump down your throat).  Good quality kibble can keep your dog healthy and happy. Just do your research on the brand you choose and maybe throw in a home cooked meal every so often. 

In conclusion I am won over.  Nothing could get me to go back to full time kibble after the results I have seen.  Not even the rather hardcore and somewhat off putting members of the raw feeding community themselves.

Final Disclaimer:  Don't use this page alone to decide what to feed your animals.  Do a little research, don't believe everything you hear, demand proof , e-mail me if you want to chat with another real life raw feeder, and use common sense.