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“Melange du Matin” (otherwise known as “Breakfast Slop”) (makes about 40 – 3 oz. meals; preparation time: approximately 20 minutes)
• 5-6 lbs ground meat or ground chicken bones (if using the ground bones, omit eggshells and cut way back on raw meaty bones for the dinner meal)
• 2-3 cups of pureed veggies/fruit – high % dark green
• 2 ozs. of organ parts - liver, hearts, gizzards
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, preferably organic
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2-3 tbsp. ground kelp
• 2 eggs with ground shells
• a handful of fresh parsley
• 2-3 tbsp. of natural coconut oil
• 1 large can of pure pumpkin (not the pie-filling kind) or equivalent in fresh/frozen form
• plain no-fat yogurt (containing active bacteria), or kefir
Put all ingredients except ground meat bones and yoghurt through a food processor and when mixed, combine well with meat. Freeze in individual portions. My pugs (weighing approximately from 13 to 23 lbs. each) get 3 oz. each morning. I adjust their portions according to whether they need to gain or lose weight . Add a dollop of yoghurt to each portion when serving.
Here are the benefits of the ingredients:
• meat/poultry is the staple of the diet and a protein source
• fruits and veggies are a source of fibre, vitamins & minerals and antioxidants. Green leafy veggies are high in vitamin E
• garlic helps prevent blood clots and adds flavour. It should be used in moderation in a canine diet
• apple cider vinegar contains trace minerals; see
http://www.lacetoleather.com/wonderdrug.html• no-fat yoghurt contains Lactobacillis Acidophilus, a good bacteria for the stomach and bowel
• kelp provides iodine which helps the thyroid; omit it if your dog has hyperthyroidism. Kelp is also an antioxidant and source of thyroxine and riboflavin and many other vitamins and minerals.
• eggs with shells: shells are a wonderful source of calcium (carbonate); add them ground (I use a coffee grinder). The ground bones are also full of calcium so omit the eggshells when using them.
• parsley: see
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=100 • coconut oil: see
http://www.mercola.com/2001/mar/24/coconut_oil.htm To this mixture, you can, if you think necessary, add supplements such vitamin B, vitamin E, cottage cheese, yucca, Wobenzym, slippery elm, bee pollen, calcium carbonate powder (not if using ground bones), grapefruit seed extract, probiotics, etc. I grind with mortar and pestle and add separately whatever each dog needs. The kelp, coconut oil, bee pollen and vitamins can be bought at health food stores and, in some cases, in grocery or big box stores. Note that freezing damages vitamins B and E (and yoghurt). Yucca and Wobenzym are for arthritis. Vitamin B and bee pollen are to boost the immune system. Slippery elm powder is a stomach remedy. Calcium carbonate powder is a necessary calcium supplement if the diet contains predominately phosphorus–rich foods (such as ground meat, poultry, fish and organ tissues) and is deficient in digestible bones. Grapefruit seed extract is for systemic yeast problems. I do not add supplements unless I think necessary for the particular dog. In fact, once stabilized, my dogs get supplements very infrequently.
I used to supplement with fish oil but have stopped since using coconut oil. If you prefer fish oil, you can pour the contents of a 1000 mg capsule of Salmon/Wild fish Oil over their portion about 3-4 times a week for an Omega-3 boost. It is cleaned of contaminants which are so often found nowadays in various fish, including farmed fish. Fish and vegetable oils contain long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids that are prone to oxidation in the body and use up vitamin E to prevent that. So if you do add fish oil, also add Vitamin E as replenishment. Coconut oil, on the other hand, is a saturated fat consisting of short- and medium-chain fatty acids, and does not oxidize easily in the body, so extra vitamin E is not required if there is an adequate amount in the diet. Coconut oil actually enhances the absorption of vitamin E.
Be watchful for allergies such as lactose intolerance (cottage cheese, yoghurt, cheese) and grains (flaxseed, wheat germ, alfalfa etc.). Introduce new ingredients gradually or be prepared for throw-ups/diarrhea/constipation for a while as the stomach adjusts to becoming more acidic. By the way, pumpkin (not the pie filling kind) or slippery elm powder is great to regularize bowel movements and is fantastic overall for dogs.
Raw meaty bones (digestible and either whole or ground up) should make up about 50-60% of the total diet (for high calcium content). The key word in this phrase is “meaty”. Another way to look at it is to imagine how a wild dog or wolf eats. They will kill or find prey and devour the whole carcass – meat, bones and innards. You can think of what they eat in these terms – approximately 10-15% is digestible bone and 10-15% is offal (organs); the rest is meat. Don’t try to overthink the proportions. Just try to mimic what they would eat in nature, with the emphasis on raw meat. Don’t overdo the organs or you will have loose bowel problems. If you feed ground bones in the morning meal, they don’t need much bone for evening meals, perhaps a chicken thigh or duck neck once or twice a week.
Dogs don’t need carbohydrates in their diet and their digestive tracts are not designed to process them. I avoid grains completely because of their allergenic properties. Some raw feeders claim that fruit and vegetables have no part to play in canine nutrition. While not absolutely necessary, partly digested vegetables and fruit are found in the stomachs of prey, and I believe that they are a good source of fibre in the diet, contain vitamins and minerals, and provide cancer-fighting antioxidants. And the dogs love them – ever watch a dog rooting around for rotten fruit under an apple tree? I use fruits and veggies (or dehycrated liver) instead of cookies as treats.
Every batch of slop is different (depending on what’s on sale or in the house) but each contains a high proportion of green leafy stuff. The veggies I choose from for the pureed mixture include romaine, spinach (preferably organic), Swiss chard, bok choy, collards, green beans, peas (not many), carrots, celery, cucumber, parsnips, sweet potato, squash, bean sprouts, etc. You can also use potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers (capiscum) unless your dogs have arthritis, respiratory problems or any signs of inflammation, swelling or mucous. I also avoid beets (too much sugar, which encourages yeast ). Don’t overfeed cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, watercress, radishes, rutabagas/turnips) as they can lower thyroid function. Fruits can be melons, peeled apples (not too much – acidic), bananas, blueberries (not too many to avoid diarrhea), cranberries (not too much, but good for the urinary system) and pear. Not grapes nor raisins as these are toxic to dogs. If your dog has thyroid problems, I would avoid fruits and veggies until you know which ones are okay; most of them aren’t.
Pureeing veggies and fruits enables the body to absorb the nutrients so all those vitamins and minerals don’t end up on your lawn. My pugs only poop once a day, occasionally twice, because their bodies are processing the food efficiently. The only solid veggies and fruit I serve are for treats and are frequently dehydrated (a slice of sweet potato, turnip, apple or pear). I NEVER give dog biscuits as most contain grains, to which many dogs are really allergic, and sugar. Occasionally I treat with dehydrated chicken livers (maximum 2 because they are rich and too many will cause diarrhea). Instead of rawhide chews (which cause intestinal problems and choking), I give them strips of dehydrated white tripe; they don’t last as long, but they’re better for them. I avoid Greenies like the plague.
I pour the breakfast slop mixture into containers and freeze. Serve defrosted. In the morning, when I take their breakfast out of the fridge, I move another batch from the freezer to the fridge so it’s ready for the next day. I do the same with the evening meal – as I’m serving the meal, I get the next night’s meal out of the freezer so it can defrost in the fridge for 24 hours.
DINNERFor dinner, the dogs get meat, poultry, fish or green tripe (usually mixed with something). Raw meaty bones (e.g. raw chicken drumsticks, duck necks) account for some of these meals. Make sure they get a wide range of meats/poultry/fish – choose from chicken, beef (freeze at least 72 hours to destroy bacteria), pork (same), lamb, rabbit, turkey, duck, goose, deer, venison, goat, bison, oxtails, etc. Ethnic butchers are good sources for the more “exotic” meats. Avoid uninspected venison (i.e. direct from hunters) as there is a parasite in many deer in Ontario; also, it is illegal to buy from unauthorized sources.
Some dogs are allergic to some meats/poultry – it’s trial and error. But don’t assume that they are allergic if they throw up a food for the first time; it takes a while for the stomach to develop the different digestive enzymes necessary to process raw foods, if they’re not used to it. Dogs are not vulnerable to bacteria such as salmonella unless their immune system is highly compromised; just think about them burying and digging up bones weeks later! However, because of human vulnerability, make sure you use proper hygiene practices when dealing with raw meat. And I don’t let them kiss me right after a meal, especially if it contains tripe!
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