Feeds and feeding…

The title of the post is a takeoff from a Veterinary Technician course I had to take. It had to do with feeding livestock. I didn’t pay much attention in class because I didn’t think it would relevant. After all, I was going to work with small animals, not large animals. Well, guess what?! The first job I had was in a practice that consisted of 95% ranch cattle! Not that the ranchers would have listened to some young female just out of school! Guess it really didn’t matter that I paid only enough attention to get the grades… 

Susan sent the following, which may be of interest to some of you:

Do you by any chance find that the dogs need a bit more food as the
weather gets cooler?  Seems that my three are acting hungrier since the
season changed….
It took me a while to get Sammy to not be overweight, so I don’t want to
run any risks of overfeeding, but I also don’t want to be abusing them
if they need more to keep warm….

Your thoughts would be appreciated.
By the way, per your recommendation, they are on a fully raw diet now. 
Something called Nature’s Variety.  Each dog gets 1/4 patty twice a day,
which I think is 2 oz twice a day.  In the mornings they share 2 chicken
strips;  after breakfast they share 1/2 of a Jumbo Flossie; and at
bedtime they each get 1/2 of a dried chicken liver….

Oh, and they get a vitamin pill crunched up on their dinner and 1/2 of a
Synovi G3 (glucosamine, MSM, etc) soft chew with their breakfast

Timer just went off….their dinner is ready.
Thanks
Susan

Excellent! They’re all eating a raw diet. After reading Katy’s comments on the Budwig post, I bet you’re happy with the choice. And, I’m sure the dogs are! It’s great that we, as dog owners, have available products like Nature’s Variety and Oma’s Pride.

Also excellent that you’re aware of keeping their weight at an appropriate level. Too many of my grooming clients – the dogs, I’m referring to, not the owners 🙂 – are overweight. I simply don’t understand this. We control how much food our dogs get. Reduce the portion/s if the dog is putting on the poundage! I joke about starting a weight camp for dogs. Mostly it’s a joke… A good rule of thumb regarding each dog’s weight is to be able to feel the dog’s ribs. And, no poking through the fat to find the ribs doesn’t count! Place your hand over the dog’s back and move your hand back and forth. You should feel the backbone and the ribs with some ease.

My dogs do eat more as summer turns to fall. Over a week ago, I began to increase their portions, along with ‘cooking’ for them. Although I prefer a raw diet, this is not always practical in my situation. My dogs usually eat a combination of kibble and meatloaf from Oma’s Pride, mixed with any leftovers, including the water left from steaming vegetables. This way, if I’m gone, the dogs’ transition to a kibble only diet is easy. During those times, the dogs have kibble available throughout the day, taken away in the late afternoon. This is a manageable routine for Samantha, my kennel help. And, there’s not a huge transition for the dog when going to a forever home, no matter the new owner’s choice in feeding. During the impossibly busy weeks of August/September, I feed only kibble simply because of my time. Last weekend, I made the transition back to ‘cooking’. It’s perfect timing with the season change.

Dr. Johanna Budwig

Gail sent this information, which is of great interest.

Dr. Johanna Budwig

Dr. Johanna Budwig’s Diet and Protocol

Learn how to make the mixture