The Raw Diet

The time has come to switch Zeus from his kibble diet to the raw food diet we have Ares on and I feel it is important to blog about this because there is so much info and opinions on the internet about this kind of food for dogs. Honestly, it is not as scary or as bad as people say, our Dane Ares has been on it for years and he has been nothing but healthy. We make sure he gets yearly vet visits and blood tests to make sure all organs are functioning properly and we couldn't be happier to know exactly what kind of food he is getting and where it is from. As long as you are sanitary about it, understand that this diet does take a bit more time to prepare and clean up after, and to do your research about what you are feeding your dogs, it is very easy to embrace. Just as you would want the best food for your kids, I want the same for my dogs. Perhaps a bit of a back story to start us off and to let you know how I ended up with this choice of food.

Years ago when we had our two Danes, Titan and Ares, we had them on what we thought was a good quality kibble. Titan had been on Blue Buffalo for years and he seemed to do fine on that, but he was very picky and often I would have food left out for hours or would have to add things onto his food to get him to eat it all. This got very tiring and frustrating, especially when he would go days without eating unless it had mostly our food in it. When we adopted our second Dane Ares he came to us with an even better quality food called Arcana, which was a little more expensive but nothing was too good for my boys. We decided to switch Titan over to see if he would like that one and if we could get him back on track with his diet. Once again our picky Titan would not eat his food and now we had a second dog so we couldn't just leave food out for Titan to free feed. We tried to entice him with other things added in, but it got to the point that our picky Titan just would not eat his kibble at meal times. We had even contacted the vet, but all his blood work and tests results came back okay. One day Titan hurt his leg and had to have surgery and afterwards we were having the worst time trying to get him to eat so I reached out to some friends online. They told us about the raw diet they feed all their dogs (what their dogs considered steak, yum!) and it sounded too good to be true, so I started my own investigation and reached out to some raw food suppliers in our area. We ended up deciding to try Titan and Ares on the raw diet from a place called Country Lane Pet Resort and Raw Food (https://www.clpr.ca/raw-food.html) to see how he liked it and if he would start eating again. When I first went to Country Lane for food I was new to it all and very overwhelmed with all their choices but the ladies that were helping us were very knowledgeable and took their time explaining everything to us. Unfortunately, Titan ended up with cancer and he never was able to get onto the raw diet (a previous blog post you can read about on here or his own blog I started for his ACL tear turned cancer blog here at: https://titanthegreatdane.blogspot.com/2016/11/we-found-out.html

After having to do lots of research and talking to people who were currently on the raw diet we decided to continue forward with Ares and try him on it. Our beautiful boy ate his raw food right up, even all the little vitamins and veggies I added, and he really seemed to go for the healthy stuff once I made it into a smoothie to add on top. He ate like he was getting a steak every meal and the results of his new diet showed within the first few weeks. His fur was softer and shiner, his teeth were cleaner, his ears were cleaner, his poops were smaller (and as a Dane owner that is a big deal!), he had more energy, he was losing weight in a healthy way and we had wanted to get him trim so he didn't hurt his legs too. Everything that I thought was too good to be true was happening and we haven't looked back since.

You can see how shiny his fur is here and how fit he is looking

When Mike and I first brought Zeus home we were sent with the kibble he had been on at the breeders. They fed the pups Royal Canin for Bulldogs which Zeus seemed to like but he would always try and eat Ares' food over his kibble. I decided to add a little bit of the raw food to see how Zeus liked it and to see if there were any allergies to it, just a small bit here and there. There was never any reaction even with the veggie/vitamin smoothie he would sometimes get a little bit of. We decided to wait a year until Zeus was at his full grown mark (or close enough to) so that we would have an easier time with measuring out how much food he would need. Also, because he had been getting small bits for a while it was very easy to switch Zeus over. When you first start the raw diet it is recommended to have your dog off food for 24 hours to make sure their system is empty. Then, they recommend to start the diet with just chicken for the first bit to make sure there is no reactions. If everything is going well slowly add in the tripe or beef organ cubes. If there are still no reactions, you can start adding in other things and trying different flavours. We already knew that Zeus had no reactions to anything we wanted to feed him so we were able to dive right into the raw diet. The only down side so far having Zeus on the raw diet is that we are going through our food twice as fast. We pay roughly $300 for 2-2.5 months worth of food but that is still cheaper then buying a large bag of kibble every 1-2 weeks that costs roughly $100. Now, one thing I always wondered about was if having Titan on kibble was part of what caused him to get cancer and almost age before his time because there are added chemicals and fillers, recalls, and people kept finding things in the kibble. I decided to add in some extra veggies, fruits, digestive aids, and vitamins - all things that I knew were natural and healthy to help try and keep cancer at bay and help with digestion and joints.

This brings me to what foods we put into the meals for the dogs. The main part of the diet of course is the meat. We usually switch between the 3 lbs tubes of chicken and 3 lbs tubes of triple blend (50% Chicken, 25% Turkey, 25% Lamb). We also get a 25 lbs bag of the ground organ meat cubes (40% tripe, 40% lung, 20% liver/heart/kidney/spleen mix, cut into 2.5” x 2.5”). These items we usually stock up on as we bought a freezer specifically so we wouldn't have to run out to Bowmanville as often. After we stock up it usually lasts us a few months but there is raw food calculator (https://bigcountryraw.ca/getting-started/cost-portion-calculator/) that you can use to figure out how much you should be feeding your dog and how much you would need to buy at a time. It all depends on the weight you want your dog to maintain and how active they are. For Ares we want him at 160 lbs so he should get 3 lbs a day. Because our Ares is a little over weight we have been feeding him a little less to get him to his goal weight (he is currently 170 lbs) so he currently gets 2 lbs a day. Zeus we want at 70 lbs so we feed him 1 lbs a day. To help us make sure they get the right amount we have a scale that we use to measure out the dishes and we found that the 3 lbs tubes of meat work perfectly for our two guys, so we go through one tube a day. They also get one cube of organ meat a day, which we break down into a half a cube each meal. The dogs love this part the best so I like to make sure it’s in each meal to make them happy.. Because we add the beef cube and healthy smoothie on top of the main meat source they are slightly over their 3 lbs and 1 lbs mark a day, but not by much, so it just means we give them a bit more exercise to help balance their weight out.

The Beef Organ Cube - 1 of these per day for each dog

The 3 lbs tube of meat - 1 of these a day to feed the two dogs

Beef cube and tube meat measured out for the meal

Next up is the smoothie I add into their food once a day. I found that trying to feed my Dane Ares just straight veggies and fruit wouldn't work, he would eat around them so I would blend all the veggies, fruit, and extras together, pour it on top, and then Ares would eat everything. I decided to just keep this same format for Zeus as he already seems to love it. I start the smoothie off by adding spinach, Ares of course getting a bit more then Zeus because he is a bigger dog. The reason I feed them this is because leafy greens are good for dogs and spinach has vitamins A, C, K, calcium, iron, and potassium, and leafy greens are also a good source of fiber. Much like humans, dogs get the most nutrients when the veggies are uncooked so I just add the pre-washed baby spinach right into the blender.

Next up is the blueberries. and again Ares gets a bit more more then Zeus. A big reason I wanted to feed the boys this is because of all the antioxidants blueberries boast and that they are one of the foods that help fight cancer. After everything I went through with Titan I am very hopeful this will help add some years onto my dogs.

Next I add in some plain yogurt which has probiotics to help aid in digestion and is a good source of calcium. The dogs also really like the taste and think they are getting a treat in the food as well. I measure out how much the boys get with a teaspoon based on their weight.

Next we mix in some pumpkin to help with digestion and it adds a bit more fiber. One thing dog owners hate but need to be aware of is anal glands and how to prevent them from getting clogged resulting in vet visits. We used to have issues with Ares and his getting clogged but since adding the pumpkin and switching to raw food we haven’t had any more issues in the gland department, so a must for the diet. Again, I measure this out with a teaspoon.

Next up is a mineral supplement. I like to use something called Trimineral Boost from Thrive and I usually find it at Ren's (https://www.renspets.com/products/thrive-trimineral-boost-250-g) or PetValue (http://petvalu.com/). It contains organic kelp which is good for enhancing immune function, helping with healthy skin and coat, is a rich source of iodine which aids in gland function - especially the thyroid gland, and aids in healing and better coat pigmentation. The boost also contains alfalfa which is a great source of vitamins and trace minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, betacarotene, vitamins A, B12, C, D, E and K, and is high in the antioxidant chlorophyll. Alfalfa is also a good for helping to fight arthritis and contains cancer fighting agents. The third supplement in the boost is called Spirulina which is a microscopic algae that has a very high concentration of beta carotene, vitamins B-1,2 and 3, iron, trace minerals, and the rare essential fatty acid GLA (gamma-linolenic acid). It has been shown to help with strengthening the immune system, improve gastrointestinal health, aid in detoxification, and reduce the rate of cancer. There is a measuring guide on the container but I found it just easier to measure with the teaspoon.

The ratio on the back

The next thing I add is the daily oil. I have fish oil and coconut oil but I rotate every other day which one they get. The fish oil is great because the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil acts as an anti-inflammatory. It will help with any condition that causes inflammation of the heart, kidneys, skin, and joints—such as arthritis. It also reduces dandruff, itchy dry skin, reduces shedding, promotes a healthy coat, helps with brain and eye development, and in some studies it has slowed the growth of cancer. The coconut oil is good because it elevates the metabolism, provides a higher level of energy and vitality, helps protect your dog from illness, speeds healing, improves skin, coat, and digestion. Again the measurements are on the back of the product, but I convert to teaspoons so it's easier.

Herring Oil - good omega 3

Ratio on the back

The dogs love this brand

And lastly is the whole egg, shell and all. It's best to hard boil the egg first as you don't need to add any extra ingredients and it's great source of protein; it helps build muscle, strengthen the hair, and repair tissue. The shell is good to add in as well because it is a good source of calcium and protein for your pet and helps with strong bones and teeth. My guys like having the eggs added in as they think they are getting a treat with their meal if you just sprinkle it over top.

All of these lovey healthy items are mixed up in a blender and poured out on top of the meat and beef cube. Then each dog is asked to wait nicely as I put their food down, Ares getting his first because he is alpha. The dogs eat everything right up and even lick the bowls clean. They are happy to be getting "steak" and I am happy they are getting all the right foods for a healthy life.

A yummy dog smoothie

The meat with the smoothie poured on top

After the boys are done eating I make sure to clean their dishes and eating areas so the raw meat, if any has spilled out of the bowl, doesn't contaminate anything and we don't have to worry about salmonella. And once that is done I make sure to use a wipe and clean the dogs faces from their lovely green smoothie. We are onto a good routine and the boys know if they eat all their food they get a little milk bone for dessert. Yes, they are very spoiled doggies.

Some dogs are messier then others after eating, but he loved his lunch

There are a lot of different raw diets out on the market and I encourage everyone to research them to see what would work best for your dog and lifestyle and don't be scared to try the switch. I haven't looked back since we tired the raw diet and it's so nice knowing my guys are happy and healthy and eating food that I feel good about.

Happy and Healthy