Sept 19

AM

Rhys- 6 chicken backs, pieces of smoked beef pancreas, 2 tbsp ground doggie veg (gazpacho)

Topaz- 3 chicken backs, pancreas, 2 tsp veg

Bhindi & Splash- 2 chicken backs, pancreas, 2 tsp veg

MID

Rhys- 2 turkey necks

EVE

Topaz- rack of 4 pork ribs

Rhys- whole baked yam, sliced// 1 cup buttermilk// 2 pork ribs// 1 tbsp fish oil & canola oil

Splash- small turkey neck

Bhindi- large turkey neck

THAWING- bag bison bones, ARUSHA 2 lb bag ground bison meal

THAWING

It is always a good idea to take something out to thaw or to ensure you have the next meal thawed when you are feeding.  This way, feeding the dog is quite low-maintenance and second nature.  I use large yogurt pails from my pet sorbet business to thaw larger portions for 4 dogs, and later for 9 puppies as well.  You can use large plastic containers, or a big bowl.  I don't recommend plastic bags or ziplocs unless they are in other containers, as they become quite messy when thawed.  Trays are also too shallow and some of the juices can overflow the sides.

NEVER NEVER NEVER use your microwave to thaw your dog's meat.  The nuker begins to cook the bone contents immediately and cooked bone is gravel to your dog's digestive system.  May as well throw it out.

OPTIONS IF YOU HAVE NOTHING THAWED

Either

  • immerse the meat in a sink of coolish water & wait 1/2 hour
  • feed something else (canned tripe, cottage cheese & canned fish, backup quality dry dog food, etc.)
  • feed it frozen.  A Toller can eat a frozen chicken leg, and even finds it quite enjoyable
  • skip the meal (hey sometimes you skip a meal don't you?  It's no big whoop.)

Saturday Sept 18

AM

Rhys- 3 large raw sardines, rack of 6 pork ribs

Topaz- 6 pork ribs

Bhindi- 6 pork ribs

Splash- 1 pork rib, 1 raw sardine

THAWING- chicken backs

BAKING- large sardines, yams

PM

Topaz- 1 whole baked yam, sliced, 1 baked sardine

Splash- 1/2 yam, 1 sardine

Bhindi- 1/2 yam, 1 sardine

Rhys- 1 whole yam, 4 chicken backs

Rhys also got a dish of buttermilk with honey at lunchtime

AM

Rhys- 2 turkey necks, handful of thawed frozen green beans, 1/2 cup beef/bone/organ

Splash & Bhindi- 1 turkey neck, handful of thawed frozen green beans, 1/4 cup beef mix

Topaz- 1 1/2 cups beef/bone/organ mix, handful of thawed frozen green beans

Why use frozen vegetables?

The freezing and thawing process ensures that the vegetables' cell walls have 'burst' and are therefore more digestible to the dogs, who cannot chew their fresh fruit and veg enough to break down the cellulose.  I do not COOK the frozen veg- just thaw to room temp & serve with the meat.

THAWING: tripe chunks & frozen sardines

AM

Splash, Topaz and Bhindi are all gnawing on elk leg bones while Rhys is having a mix of ground beef, cottage cheese, ground kelp and powdered alfalfa, along with the blood from the elk bones.

PM

Splash, Topaz and Bhindi got ground beef, alfalfa, cottage cheese and kelp while Rhys got 1 cup of Orijen Lamb and Apple dry food with cottage cheese and buttermilk.

Thawing:

turkey necks for the girls

ground beef & bone for Topaz

pork ribs

The dogs have been getting chicken backs and a K9 Choice Lamb Mix for the past 2 meals.

Topaz- 1 chicken back, 1 cup lamb mix

Rhys- 4 chicken backs, 1 cup lamb mix

Bhindi- 3 chicken backs, 1/2 cup lamb mix

Splash- 1 chicken back, 1/2 cup lamb mix

I am trying Topaz on a bit of chicken again, as he clearly wants to eat it.  And he did not react from the one he had the other day.  Fact is, he might not have a complete poultry allergy- it was TURKEY that set him off.  So we will see.

Bhindi has been tearing it up lately, running like a deer in the woods and swimming her little heart out so I am upping her portion once in awhile to make sure she's replacing all the calories she's burning.  Being that Splash is almost 12 years old and her metabolism is slowing down, she is a very 'efficient' eater.

DINNER

Each dog got about 1/2 cup ground beef, 1/2 cup green beans (grocery store brand frozen cut pieces, thawed to room temp), 2 cod liver oil capsules, 1 tsp of liquid vitamin C, 1/2 tsp digestive yeast, and a pinch of garlic powder.

Rhys also got a lunch of 1 cup of FISH- orijen dry dog food, 1 raw egg with some shell, and 1/2 cup buttermilk.

we're back to 2 meals a day

There is no reason why a dog should eat at the same time every day, nor should they ALWAYS eat once a day or ALWAYS twice.  Mine do very well on unpredictability and change!

Since the weather has gotten colder I am back to feeding twice a day, one time in morning (any time) and another in the evening (whatever works for me.)  The dogs don't beg at a certain hour and are quite pleased to get their meals when they get them.

AM

Topaz- 1 lb ground lamb with bone, organ and veggies, 1 tbsp greek yogurt, 1 chicken back taken from Splash's dish.  sigh.

Splash & Bhindi- 3 chicken backs, 2 tbsp doggie gazpacho, 1 tbsp greek yogurt

Rhys- 5 chicken backs, 2 tbsp doggie gazpacho, 3 tbsp greek yogurt

Rhys

1. full can of tuna, 1 cup of buttermilk, 6 dog cookies

2. 4 Portuguese sardines (about 6-8 oz each) raw

3. 4 raw chicken drumsticks, 3 more raw sardines, 1/2 lb raw hamburger

Splash & Bhindi

1. 1.5 oz doggie frozen yogurt, 2 dog cookies

2. 1 chicken drumstick, raw & 1/4 lb raw hamburger

 

Rhys had 4 raw Portuguese sardines (about 8 oz each) for breakfast and wolfed them back faster than I have ever seen her eat.  She also ate half a slice of buttered organic sprouted grain toast.

S and B got 1/2 slice of buttered toast too.

DINNER

Splash and Bhindi each got about 8 oz. of a raw roast beef I cut up and a healthy tbsp of Urban Carnivore Cold Water Fish Oil.

Rhys got the same, plus 1 cup of buttermilk.  Buttermilk doesn't cause stomach upset as regular milk does, and gives Rhys the fat and calories she needs to stay healthy during nursing.

Rhys- breakfast- 3 raw chicken drumsticks, 2 cans of sardines packed in water, 2 raw eggs with some shell, 2 tbsp plain greek yogurt, 2 tbsp doggie gazpacho

Splash/Bhindi- 1 chicken drumstick

Topaz- 1 cup Acana Lamb and Apple kibble with 1 raw egg (including some shell) and 1 tbsp greek yogurt

DINNER

Rhys- 3 drumsticks, 1 veal marrow bone

Splash/Bhindi- 1 drumstick, 1 veal marow bone

Topaz has gone to Pikkinokka for a few days so he is eating over there now-

 

Girls- 2 turkey necks and 4 oz of beef liver

Topaz- rack of 3 pork ribs, beef marrow bone

Rhys-in addition to 2 turkey necks and some beef liver, 1 raw egg beaten with yogurt and a rack of 3 pork ribs.  She will be getting a lot of high-calcium foods to prevent calcium depletion as she is nursing.

While she is nursing she will also get double to triple portions daily to keep up her weight.

Today started with a chunk of ripe banana each, and then a 1.5 oz frozen bacon and cheddar yogurt.

Tonight's meal was kind of a mish-mash, "what's left over in the fridge?" type of night.

Each dog got the following: 2 tbsp doggie gazpacho, 1 tsp liquid vitamin C, 2 cod liver oil caplets, raw free-range egg with the shell (smash 1 in each dish), large pinch of kelp granules.  It's funny because the dogs love the raw egg but didn't eat any of their own shells.  After they each ate, they all went to one another's bowls and ate the other dog's shells.  LOL.  Shells are an excellent source of calcium.

Meat

Rhys- liver, chicken leg (grocery store) , 2 chicken necks (Urban Carnivore from Tailblazers)

Splash and Bhindi- 5 chicken necks each

Topaz- rack of 3 pork ribs (grocery store)

Topaz had a very severe allergic reaction last winter and we have narrowed his issue down to poultry so he never eats chicken or turkey, which is why he always gets something different than everyone else.

 

3 meaty pork ribs for all tonight.  The bones were soft enough to devour.  Rhys got her liver too. 

After a run at the lake and in the woods and full bellies, all are damp-coated and resting in their beds.