Re: Weston Price for dogs

[Guest guest]

>> I am new to the list and I learned about Weston Price about 4 months

ago. I would like to also feed my puppy this way. I have been

feeding her a commercially-prepared raw food diet.

What do you feed your dogs? Do you give them cod liver oil or raw

milk? <<

Hi, Caroline!

I do give puppies raw goat's milk, but I don't give milk too often to my dogs -

just now and then. I do give them other dairy, mostly yogurt.

I started feeding my dogs and cats a raw, home-prepared diet in 1986, so it's

been over 17 and a half years. I started out with the recipes in the first

edition of Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats,

later switched to the recipes in the 1992 revised edition, and then phased out

all grains in favor of raw and cooked, food-processed veggies. I later changed

my dogs to a more " prey animal " approach, feeding them according to the plan in

" Grow Your Pups with Bones " by Ian Billinghurst, an Australian veterinarian.

I have since modified this a bit, although still quite consistent with Dr.

Billinghurst's plan. I feed my dogs one meal that is meat (grass fed beef and

lamb mostly, goat and venison when I can get them), yogurt, a small amount of

cooked and/or raw food processed veggies, supplements, raw egg, yogurt, and

organ meat, and one meal that is some kind of meat on the bone, such as lamb

breast, a whole rabbit or chicken, or turkey necks. My cats get whole raw ground

rabbit as well as chicken necks sometimes, but are still mostly on a grain-free

version of Dr. Pitcairn's " Fatty Feline Fare " diet.

Supplements include cod liver oil, kelp, nutritional yeast, vitamins C and E,

fish oil capsules, and, for my older animals, a glucosamine, chondroiton and

manganese supplement called Cosequin. I use bone meal in my cats' diet, as

called for in the recipe, but for my dogs I do not, as they get frequent bones.

I have a lot of information on this on my website at http://www.caberfeidh.com,

including links and book suggestions.

If you want to read a sort of NT/NAPD for dogs, I would recommend The Herbal

Book of the Dog by tte de Bairacli Levy. You can find info on it on my

website at http://www.caberfeidh.com/Books.htm

Good luck!

Christie

Caber Feidh ish Deerhounds

Holistic Husbandry Since 1986

http://www.caberfeidh.com/

[Guest guest]

I have 3 dogs and 2 cats that are old (average age is 12 years) and

always fed kibble and very little (extremely little) scraps! I would

like to feed them raw but think it might be too late to change. I am

also concerned that I can not afford it. Can you give us some kind of

amount of food a dog and/or cat needs on a daily basis by weight and

age? I tried to make them some dog food with the bones of my chicken

stock (made sure every bone was soft) and they got diarrhea!

Thanks,

~Del

> >> I am new to the list and I learned about Weston Price about 4

months

> ago. I would like to also feed my puppy this way. I have been

> feeding her a commercially-prepared raw food diet.

>

> What do you feed your dogs? Do you give them cod liver oil or raw

> milk? <<

>

> Hi, Caroline!

>

> I do give puppies raw goat's milk, but I don't give milk too often

to my dogs - just now and then. I do give them other dairy, mostly

yogurt.

>

> I started feeding my dogs and cats a raw, home-prepared diet in

1986, so it's been over 17 and a half years. I started out with the

recipes in the first edition of Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to

Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, later switched to the recipes in

the 1992 revised edition, and then phased out all grains in favor of

raw and cooked, food-processed veggies. I later changed my dogs to a

more " prey animal " approach, feeding them according to the plan

in " Grow Your Pups with Bones " by Ian Billinghurst, an Australian

veterinarian.

>

> I have since modified this a bit, although still quite consistent

with Dr. Billinghurst's plan. I feed my dogs one meal that is meat

(grass fed beef and lamb mostly, goat and venison when I can get

them), yogurt, a small amount of cooked and/or raw food processed

veggies, supplements, raw egg, yogurt, and organ meat, and one meal

that is some kind of meat on the bone, such as lamb breast, a whole

rabbit or chicken, or turkey necks. My cats get whole raw ground

rabbit as well as chicken necks sometimes, but are still mostly on a

grain-free version of Dr. Pitcairn's " Fatty Feline Fare " diet.

>

> Supplements include cod liver oil, kelp, nutritional yeast,

vitamins C and E, fish oil capsules, and, for my older animals, a

glucosamine, chondroiton and manganese supplement called Cosequin. I

use bone meal in my cats' diet, as called for in the recipe, but for

my dogs I do not, as they get frequent bones.

>

> I have a lot of information on this on my website at

http://www.caberfeidh.com, including links and book suggestions.

>

> If you want to read a sort of NT/NAPD for dogs, I would recommend

The Herbal Book of the Dog by tte de Bairacli Levy. You can find

info on it on my website at http://www.caberfeidh.com/Books.htm

>

> Good luck!

>

> Christie

> Caber Feidh ish Deerhounds

> Holistic Husbandry Since 1986

> http://www.caberfeidh.com/

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>> I have 3 dogs and 2 cats that are old (average age is 12 years) and

always fed kibble and very little (extremely little) scraps! I would

like to feed them raw but think it might be too late to change. I am

also concerned that I can not afford it. Can you give us some kind of

amount of food a dog and/or cat needs on a daily basis by weight and

age? I tried to make them some dog food with the bones of my chicken

stock (made sure every bone was soft) and they got diarrhea! <<

I have switched dogs and cats of every age and physical condition. Some require

a transition period of cooked foods (NEVER give cooked bones, by the way!) and

some don't, but all accepted the change just fine. I wouldn't worry about their

age.

As to affording it, just as eating well can be more expensive for us, it can be

more expensive for our animals, too. We usually make up for it by saving on our

vet bills, although with older animals who have been on a lifetime of processed,

starchy foods, that may not be too significant.

I have 7 dogs, 6 of whom are giant breeds, and two cats. I have had as many as

11 giant breed dogs and 6 cats, plus sometimes puppies. Believe me, I understand

the affordablilty issue! I have a freezer and buy my meat from a co-op, thus

saving a great deal of money. Once you settle on a way of feeding that works for

you and your animals, and know what supplies you need, you can generally find

co-ops and bulk buying sources that make this affordable. I spend about $400 a

month feeding approximately 600 lbs of dog - and that is the BEST quality foods,

including only grass-fed meats and organic ingredients. I could cut that in half

if I were willing to use the quality of foods that are in the best kibbles, and

if I were willing to feed the quality of foods that are in the worst kibbles, I

could probably cut it by an additional quarter or more.

A general rule of thumb for fresh foods is that you feed an adult dog or cat 2

percent of their ideal body weight a day. This should help you calculate how

much food, by weight, you should be feeding them (fresh foods only - obviously

dehydrated foods such as kibble don't fall under this rule).

If the dog becomes too fat or too thin on this amount, adjust up or down as

needed.

Christie

Caber Feidh ish Deerhounds

Holistic Husbandry Since 1986

http://www.caberfeidh.com/

[Guest guest]

Obviously, I have a lot to learn before I start trying to switch! I

sure thought the bones were supposed to be cooked and soft. You surly

don't want the bones to splinter inside them so there must be certain

bones that are not used and certain ones that are best.

You get grass-fed meat from a co-op?? How does that work...there is a

group of you and you buy together for yourselves and your pets?? How

great is that!! What state to you live in? I would sure like to find

bulk buying and a co-op. I have a sourse for all my meat (beef,

bison, rabbit, veal, chicken and lamb) delivered to my door. I have

to travel 2 1/2 hours once a month for the raw dairy. I get my

organic produce from local farmers and some from the health food

store. Eggs from a local farm. I wouldn't mind turning that into bulk

buying and co-op buying, but how? I need a group of people wanting

the same.

Thanks for being so specific about how much to feed. I have been

thinking about this for awhile, but cannot do it until I know I have

the food every day! What... do you just give a dog a whole raw

(frozen or fresh) chicken or do you do something like use a grinder

to grind it all up and then separtate into amounts (freeze?)Maybe I

should move over to that website you gave in another post for further

discussion...

Thanks a lot,

~Del

--- In , " Christie

" <christiekeith@e...> wrote> >> I have 3 dogs and 2 cats that

are old (average age is 12and

> always fed kibble and very little (extremely little) scraps! I

would

> like to feed them raw but think it might be too late to change. I

am

> also concerned that I can not afford it. Can you give us some kind

of

> amount of food a dog and/or cat needs on a daily basis by weight

and

> age? I tried to make them some dog food with the bones of my

chicken

> stock (made sure every bone was soft) and they got diarrhea! <<

>

> I have switched dogs and cats of every age and physical condition.

Some require a transition period of cooked foods (NEVER give cooked

bones, by the way!) and some don't, but all accepted the change just

fine. I wouldn't worry about their age.

>

> As to affording it, just as eating well can be more expensive for

us, it can be more expensive for our animals, too. We usually make up

for it by saving on our vet bills, although with older animals who

have been on a lifetime of processed, starchy foods, that may not be

too significant.

>

> I have 7 dogs, 6 of whom are giant breeds, and two cats. I have had

as many as 11 giant breed dogs and 6 cats, plus sometimes puppies.

Believe me, I understand the affordablilty issue! I have a freezer

and buy my meat from a co-op, thus saving a great deal of money. Once

you settle on a way of feeding that works for you and your animals,

and know what supplies you need, you can generally find co-ops and

bulk buying sources that make this affordable. I spend about $400 a

month feeding approximately 600 lbs of dog - and that is the BEST

quality foods, including only grass-fed meats and organic

ingredients. I could cut that in half if I were willing to use the

quality of foods that are in the best kibbles, and if I were willing

to feed the quality of foods that are in the worst kibbles, I could

probably cut it by an additional quarter or more.

>

> A general rule of thumb for fresh foods is that you feed an adult

dog or cat 2 percent of their ideal body weight a day. This should

help you calculate how much food, by weight, you should be feeding

them (fresh foods only - obviously dehydrated foods such as kibble

don't fall under this rule).

>

> If the dog becomes too fat or too thin on this amount, adjust up or

down as needed.

>

> Christie

> Caber Feidh ish Deerhounds

> Holistic Husbandry Since 1986

> http://www.caberfeidh.com/

>

>

>

>