Cooking For Your Dog » Nutrition

Brisket bones for Dogs

admin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:54:31 +0000

To solve the mistery first waht actually a brisket bone is – see picture on the left Where does it come from?! I didn’t really know before I found this blog: my dog parlance According the the authors butcher, and I’m sure he knows what he is talking about, a brisket bone isn’t a bone at all. It’s cartilage and connects the two sides of the chest. So if you have a look at the picture you can see that it doesn’t look very hard and it isn’t. Definitely one of the advantages of those bones that aren’t bones… If you are concerned about your dogs teeth than it is a great alternative to the big bones. That doesn’t change anything on the fact that I think most dogs are fine with the big bones – except from the really little ones… Anyway – back to the brisket bone! It is a fatty one. Which turns it into a really bad snack for already overweight dogs. But if your dog is extremely active – go for it!!! I walk my dogs everyday 2-3 times and we go running and skating and some days he goes to doggie day care which means he plays for 10h non stop so I think he deserves up to 3 brisket bones a week. As usual that is only I recommendation I can make by using my common sense and looking at my dog. If you want to feed your dogs brisket bones just look at your dog and then make a sensible decision…

rawhide VS real bones

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:06:55 +0000

I have been asked if I give my dogs rawhide bones and the answer is yes. But let me explain… Rawhide comes in a variety of forms including rawhide bones in all sizes, compressed rawhide, rawhide chews in different shapes and sizes… I agree with the manufacturers that rawhide dog bones are good for the teeth and that they help to remove plaque. Besides they are a great choice if you need to keep your dog occupied inside on a rainy day or if you live in a apartment. However I think that raw bones are the better choice! It certainly is messier and you obviously can’t feed a raw meaty bone to your dog on the living room carpet but outside it is all good. So I think if you have the outside space you should feed fresh raw bones but if you don’t, rawhide bones are a good alternative – when it comes to your dogs dental hygiene. When we are talking about dog nutrition I would say nothing is as good as a fresh, raw meaty bone!

Rawhide chews...

Raw meaty bone - obviously...

Potatoes for Dogs

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:55:46 +0000

I personally don’t give raw potatoes to my dog too often. They just don’t strike me as a very healthy plant eaten raw. (Correct me if I’m wrong!) But even for humans – nothing seems to be out there. I had a good google and the only thing I found was this BLOG POST from a girl who only eats raw food by the look of it. Which is not really something I would prefer for myself but heh – each to their own. I also like the way she writes a lot so I might just add her blog to my blog list…

So back to the raw potatoes for dogs… As I said before I don’t feed them too often but if I make potatoes for myself I usually put a quarter or a half into the blender for my dog. I also think that cooked potatoes – if you cook them without salt of course – are ok to put in your dogs bowl. You know I’m not a fan of cooked stuff for dogs but a treat like that can’t hurt…

IMPORTANT: green potatoes are definitely bad for your dog and for yourself because they are poisonous. So don’t keep them for too long or store them away from light…

Green Vegetables for your dog

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:39:56 +0000

A friend of mine told me that her vet advised her on feeding her dog more green vegetables and asked me what she should get… Her vet said green is better for the dog as much as it is better for us. He is probably right there but unfortunately he was also talking about cooked vegetables Your dog gains no benefit whatsoever from cooked vegetables of any colour. So if you want to feed your dog something green it should be raw and put in a blender before you give it to him or her. I must admit I don’t feed as much green stuff as uncooked it contains a health risk. The cabbage family (cabbages (of course), broccoli, cauliflowers, brussel sprouts etc.) fed in large amounts over a long time can depress the functioning of the thyroid gland. The same goes for beans of all sorts and peas. Those green veggies also have something in thenm called prussic acid which isn’t very healthy. For “human food” if you cook the veggies you destroy the prussic acid. For dogs – just feed green in moderation. Personally feed only very small amounts of the cabbage family and a bit more spinach. So at the end of the day it is all about the right amount and what how much that is I can’t tell. Everything I have found during my research said either: cook it or be careful… Not very helpful – heh?! But one thing is for sure – my puppy is happy and healthy despite the beans and broccoli And I would say he get’s a hand full a week mixed in with his carrots and apples.

A successful day…

admin — Sat, 23 May 2009 05:04:27 +0000

I just went for a walk with my dog and met a lady with 2 Labradors. That was great for 2 reasons – my puppy had someone to play with and I had someone to talk to After chatting about almost anything concerning dogs (the usual dog owner conversation: my dog does, my dog doesn’t, I always, a friend of mine… it’s like having kids, really!) we came to the dog food topic… My favorite one! And she was great to talk to as she actually believed what I said. She admitted it makes sense! Oh, how much I love talking to open minded people! She said, that she feeds her dogs EUKANUBA at the moment and spends approximately 200 bucks a month on it. Same thinking as I had: most expensive dog food = good quality = doing my dog a favor. She also gives her dogs vegetables and the dogs apparently love it. That showed me that she wants to do the right thing for her dogs and that she is someone who would listen. So the first thing is that veggies are really good for your dog. In fact they need them but in order for them to digest them, all veggies have to be blended. Only then your dog will benefit from the vitamins. But there is nothing wrong with giving your dog a carrot or apples! If they like it as a snack – let them chew it! Just always add blended veggies to their lunch/dinner.
Next, the meat! She just lives around the corner so I promised her to buy a kilo of heart-mince for her dogs so that she can try it. I feed my dog organic heart-mince as PART! of his diet. That is human grade (even if we wouldn’t eat it) and affordable. It has nothing added to it and is fresh! She thought it smells really badly – nah. It doesn’t. Maybe a bit stronger than other meats but not too bad. The dogs eat it in a second anyway…
So we will see how she goes and if she wants more after the first try!
Mission accomplished for today. Hopefully I helped 2 more dogs on their way to a healthy lifestyle!

PS: never change your dogs diet straight away. It takes some time to go from dry food to raw…

What’s left from the last burglar…

admin — Sun, 17 May 2009 09:25:57 +0000

One if the reasons why I feed my dog big FRESH bones are burglars. Why? Well, if I was a burglar looking over the wall of a potential house to break in and would see big, half rotten bones I would choose the neighbors house… Whatever is eating those bones must be big!
Not necessarily. Dogs of every size should get bones. It is important for their diet because their whole system is designed to eat bones and therefore needs them to function properly. So it doesn’t matter what size your dog is, small or big – it needs bones!!!!!! Never forget that! Also age doesn’t matter, as long as there are teeth there should be bones.

People often ask me what I do in summer when my dog doesn’t eat the whole bone in one go…
There are a few options here:
1. I give him smaller bones, like lamb shanks, that he will eat in one go
2. If you don’t mind the smell of a “half rotten” bone, your dog doesn’t either! They are scavengers, they eat everything and have the means to digest it. But anyway – in summer I never leave it out there for more than a couple of days in winter (talking of the Australian winter here) 4 to 5 days.
3. Chicken wings! They are great for your dogs diet, bones and meat all in one! And no dog will not eat that at the spot…

Feeding dogs is easy!

admin — Mon, 04 May 2009 00:00:17 +0000

It is actually quite easy to feed your dog if you know a few things about dog nutrition and use your common sense. (The common sense is almost the more important thing!) Unfortunately nowadays we are constantly told, by the pet food industry and sometimes by vets, that feeding our dogs is such a difficult thing and getting it right can only be done by feeding commercial dog food. Personally I think that is wrong – commercial dog food has nothing in it that resamples a wild dogs natural diet and will lead, eventually and over the years, to an unhealthy dog. So why it is so easy to feed your dog? Well, there are only two things you need to know to start with: feed your dog raw, meaty bones (about 60% of the diet) and enough crushed vegetables and fruit to balance it out.

What did I “cook” for my dog last night?!

admin — Sun, 03 May 2009 00:33:16 +0000

He got some organic heart-mince from the butcher, some fresh, blended carrots and a raw egg – all mixed together = done! You could decorate it with some parsley, if you wish … Ok, seriously: a dinner like that contains lot’s of good things for your dog. Especially the carrots. Most people forget about the fact that a dog is an omnivore – they will east anything! Ergo: they need everything and they need it RAW!!!!! So rule NO.1 (many shall follow): don’t feed them any cooked meat or veggies. It might not necessarily be bad for your dog but it isn’t good either. Only raw food gives them the minerals and vitamins they need.