Ask Muddy
The Dog Who Knows What's Best For Him
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Diet & Nutrition
There's a lot of information, so click on the hyperlinks below if you'd like to go directly to a specific section. On this page:
Food:
Our progression to a Raw Meaty Bones diet
Feeding calculator for pre-made foods
Willie Before and After
Raw Meaty Bones Diet
Recommended Reading for Raw Meaty Bones Diet
Dogs are Carnivores
Feeding calculator for RMBs
Traveling with Raw Food
Joanne Keenan's Home Prepared Diet for Dogs
Convenience foods
Green Tripe
Supplements:
Joint Health - Cosequin, Dasuquin, Sea Jerky, Hip Flex
Digestive Health - Probiotics (Pro-Bi), Digestive Enzymes (Prozyme)
Omega 3 Oils - Lifeline
MOVING TO A RAW FOOD DIET. Since adopting Muddy in 2001, we have been on a progression toward Willie and Tarka's current Raw Meaty Bones diet. Dogs are carnivores and we believe this is the best possible diet for them. There's more information about feeding RMB below. Whether or not you're ready and willing to shop for and feed hunks of raw goat or rabbit meat, or unusual parts of a pig, you may be interested in learning how we got to this point, as well as reading about some healthy alternatives to kibble.
Muddy's digestive system was a testament to the power of raw food. When we first adopted Muddy he was on a regular, commercial kibble - one that claimed to be good quality (before we knew better). Poor Muddy had frequent bouts of diarrhea - at least once a week. He must not have felt very good much of the time (though, being a stoic Sammie, he didn't show it); no wonder he wasn't very interested in food. And anybody with white furry dogs knows how tired you get of cleaning dirty rear ends; the dog doesn't appreciate it either.
Tarka too! Tarka also arrived extremely underweight at 33 lbs. He has filled out nicely, and has stabilized at a lean, muscular 45 lbs (he was 33 when he was neutered in October, 2009).
RAW MEATY BONES. Pre-made foods are often excellent quality and provide good balanced nutrition for dogs. But they are expensive, and they don't have the wonderful benefits that dogs get from chewing on a good raw bone: the ripping, tearing and chewing of meaty bones helps keep teeth clean and gums healthy; it also strengthens jaw, neck and chest muscles, and stimulates the flow of brain chemicals which benefit hormonal and immune systems. We have now adopted this model full time.
Dogs are carnivores: their digestive systems don't process grains well, and many experts believe dogs don't actually need fruit or vegetables in their diet either. Tom Lonsdale (see below) says it's enough just to give them some table scraps every now and then. Willie will eat some pureed raw vegetables mixed with a little meat, but Tarka completely refuses to eat anything except meat or fish. Their meals might be a beef rib, chicken drumstick, pork neck bone, tail, foot or rib, a hunk of rabbit, lamb or goat, beef trachea, green tripe, beef or lamb hearts, and liver once a week. We also feed fish occasionally and usually give them that frozen for more chewing fun! Here's a video of both boys enjoying turkey drumsticks (though we watched them carefully and have been warned that, unlike most raw bones, turkey drumsticks can splinter). Dogs do best with a wide variety of protein sources; in Chicago we have ethnic butchers who carry "interesting" cuts of meat, as well as wholesalers in the meat packing district. We also buy from My Pet Carnivore, which is in Indianapolis but delivers to Chicago and many other places once a month. Muskrat was our latest exotic purchase from them!
To find suppliers in other parts of the country, you may want to join a Yahoo Group called CarnivoreFeed-Supplier as a good starting point.
There are many excellent sources of information on how to feed raw.
Here's a great primer from Dogs Naturally.
Dogs are Carnivores: http://www.thewholedog.org/artcarnivores.html
Raw Meaty Bones: http://www.rawmeatybones.com/
Calculating RMB Feeding Amounts: http://doggybytes.ca/raw-meaty-bones-secret-knowing-feed-fido/5121/
Tom Lonsdale's books at Amazon:
Muddy's digestive system was a testament to the power of raw food. When we first adopted Muddy he was on a regular, commercial kibble - one that claimed to be good quality (before we knew better). Poor Muddy had frequent bouts of diarrhea - at least once a week. He must not have felt very good much of the time (though, being a stoic Sammie, he didn't show it); no wonder he wasn't very interested in food. And anybody with white furry dogs knows how tired you get of cleaning dirty rear ends; the dog doesn't appreciate it either.
We then discovered Flint River Ranch, which is a high-quality kibble made with human-grade ingredients. It comes in various flavors and we tried most of them. Muddy's health greatly improved on this food, but he still had tummy troubles about once a month. Their formulas all contain some grains, which are indigestible for some dogs and may also contribute to allergies.
Finally, in March of 2005, on the advice of our friend Emi Kooyman, who is tremendously knowledgeable on canine nutrition, we started using ready-made, frozen raw foods. These are quite expensive but very convenient - just defrost and serve. The effect on Muddy was extraordinary: not only were we able to switch him over to it cold turkey (appropriately enough!) instead of transitioning gradually as you have to with most food changes, but Muddy never had diarrhea again in the remaining four-and-a-half years of his life. Muddy was not a particularly food-oriented dog (sometimes we had to play with him to get him to eat), but he certainly enjoyed this food. Of course, being Muddy, he always insisted on dining al fresco, and we provided him with "room service" delivery of all his meals in the yard, or on the porch if it was raining. Muddy was on raw food for the rest of his life, and Willie and Tarka started on it as soon as we adopted them.
HOW TO FEED RAW FROZEN FOOD. Feeding is easy: simply defrost in the refrigerator (try to plan ahead so you don't have to microwave, since you don't want the food to cook at all) and serve. Muddy used to have his raw food mixed with canned pumpkin (to provide bulk and hide his supplements).
HOW MUCH TO FEED: Using the example of a food we used, Rawthentic Beef & Salmon, the food contains 48 calories per ounce (varies by meat type), and you can calculate the appropriate amount to feed your dog with the following formula:
First, convert your dog's ideal (not necessarily actual) weight in pounds into kilos by dividing by 2.2.
Then multiply that number by 30 and add 70. Divide the result by the calories per ounce (48 in this case) for your dog's daily requirement. Very active dogs may need more, and couch potatoes less, of course. And remember to account for treats too.
Example. Willie, who has recently grown into a giant furry beast, would benefit from being a little lighter due to his arthritic knee. We're aiming for 75 lbs so that's the number we use to calculate his portion sizes:
75 / 2.2 = 34.09
34.09 * 30 = 1,022.72
1022.72 + 70 = 1,092.72
1,092.72 / 48 calories per ounce = 22.8 oz per day
Whatever food you're giving your dog, you can usually find the calorie content at the company's website and do the above calculation.
Willie is also witness to the quality of a raw diet. When he arrived in April of 2009 he weighed about 55 lbs - terribly thin for a dog with his large frame - and had quite a poor coat. Once we got the parasites cleared up, he started to gain weight and you can see the transformation in the photos below. As our vet said: "you don't grow a coat like that if you're not healthy"!
Before: Skinny Willie freshly groomed by Todd Orthmann when he first came into Playing Again Sams rescue. Todd does wonderful work rehabilitating PAS dogs, and generously provides others in the community with advice on training and behavior issues. In addition to the grooming, the two "before" photos are courtesy of Todd Orthmann.
After: Willie in October-November, exploring in the autumn leaves in the park, and posing on our back porch.
RAW MEATY BONES. Pre-made foods are often excellent quality and provide good balanced nutrition for dogs. But they are expensive, and they don't have the wonderful benefits that dogs get from chewing on a good raw bone: the ripping, tearing and chewing of meaty bones helps keep teeth clean and gums healthy; it also strengthens jaw, neck and chest muscles, and stimulates the flow of brain chemicals which benefit hormonal and immune systems. We have now adopted this model full time.
Dogs are carnivores: their digestive systems don't process grains well, and many experts believe dogs don't actually need fruit or vegetables in their diet either. Tom Lonsdale (see below) says it's enough just to give them some table scraps every now and then. Willie will eat some pureed raw vegetables mixed with a little meat, but Tarka completely refuses to eat anything except meat or fish. Their meals might be a beef rib, chicken drumstick, pork neck bone, tail, foot or rib, a hunk of rabbit, lamb or goat, beef trachea, green tripe, beef or lamb hearts, and liver once a week. We also feed fish occasionally and usually give them that frozen for more chewing fun! Here's a video of both boys enjoying turkey drumsticks (though we watched them carefully and have been warned that, unlike most raw bones, turkey drumsticks can splinter). Dogs do best with a wide variety of protein sources; in Chicago we have ethnic butchers who carry "interesting" cuts of meat, as well as wholesalers in the meat packing district. We also buy from My Pet Carnivore, which is in Indianapolis but delivers to Chicago and many other places once a month. Muskrat was our latest exotic purchase from them!
To find suppliers in other parts of the country, you may want to join a Yahoo Group called CarnivoreFeed-Supplier as a good starting point.
There are many excellent sources of information on how to feed raw.
Here's a great primer from Dogs Naturally.
Dogs are Carnivores: http://www.thewholedog.org/artcarnivores.html
Raw Meaty Bones: http://www.rawmeatybones.com/
Calculating RMB Feeding Amounts: http://doggybytes.ca/raw-meaty-bones-secret-knowing-feed-fido/5121/
Tom Lonsdale's books at Amazon:
TRAVELING WITH RAW FOOD. It takes some planning, but it's possible. In winter it's quite easy for us. We travel with a rooftop cargo box, and just leave the food in there, where it stays frozen. We can remove as much as we need to defrost each day and thaw it in our motel room - or inside the car, if we're on the road - and we take along a plastic container or sturdy freezer bags for this purpose.
In summer, we pack the food in a cooler with lots of ice packs and keep it inside the car with the air conditioning, instead of in the cargo box. Hopefully we stay overnight in a room with a working refrigerator and can refreeze the ice packs overnight. If not, we buy a bag of ice and empty it into the cooler. If you're on the move, this works quite well and you can probably make the food last five or six days. If you're staying in one place for a few days, try to get a room with a refrigerator; if that's not possible, the food in your cooler will last quite well in an air conditioned room as long as you top up the ice supply. One caution: if the cooler spends any time in a parked (i.e. hot!) car, the meat will thaw much faster. Carefully managed as above, you can make it last three or four days, but on a recent overnight camping trip where the cooler had to stay in the car on an 85 degree day, I had meat go from frozen to bad in 24 hours.
When you run out. If you feed Raw Meaty Bones, it's easy - head to a nearby grocery store and buy some chicken quarters or drumsticks, beef ribs or "soup bones" (in most grocery stores these are usually neck pieces), oxtails, pork ribs, turkey wings - any grocery store will have something you can feed even if it's not the cheapest option. If you're feeding a pre-made frozen raw food, it's a good idea to check out the store locator pages of your brand to see if it's available en route or at your destination. Then call ahead and let them know how much you'll need, because some places carry very little stock. Some companies like Stella and Chewy's and Nature's Variety also make freeze-dried versions of their frozen food, which is lightweight but extremely expensive. If you feed premade but can't find what you want, you could buy some stewing or ground beef or turkey at a grocery store and feed that for a couple of days. You can buy some frozen mixed vegetables and stir those in too. If you do this, you may want to carry a calcium supplement and add it to the food, because the phosphorus in raw meat depletes calcium. Or, much easier, give your dog a raw meaty bone as above!
While not raw, another nutritious and easy to carry option for emergencies is canned sardines in olive oil (which Willie and Tarka love), though you will want to dispose of the smelly cans somewhere other than your car!
HOME-PREPARED DIET. Towards the end of Muddy's life, he became a rather picky eater and I cooked for him from time to time. Our friend Joanne Keenan has been kind enough to write about how she provides her dogs, Hillary and Summit, with balanced, home-prepared meals. While dogs don't actually need grains, and some dogs don't digest or tolerate grains well, Joanne and others like to provide this variety, and her dogs do well on it. In the photo below right, Summit and Hillary know they're about to get something good to eat!
Here's what Joanne says about her feeding routine:
Brother and sister Samoyeds, Summit and Hillary, have been on a combination home-cooked, natural, raw diet since they were 5-6 months old -- and they are now 9 years old. They have maintained consistent adult weights of 55 and 75 lbs which is ideal for their frames.
Their diet consists of raw chicken legs, necks and wings, marrow bones and beef rib bones, rice, pasta, grains, lentils, legumes, oatmeal, pureed veggies (from the juicer), yogurt, cottage cheese, raw hamburger, fish, eggs and liver, canned tuna and sardines and peanut butter. I keep plenty of small marrow bones frozen for an instant treat. Every time I try something different (like lamb or pork) I do a walk around of the yard and everything seems to be rather, errr, ummmm ---- firm and minimal.... shall we say.
Plus -- there is no fear about their food sitting in their bowls and bacteria taking over. The food is gone as well as part of the lining of the bowl. They love their food and leave little memory of it so there's no time for bacteria.
Freezing is key. The key to serving a raw diet is to freeze the meat for 36 - 48 hours to kill airborne bacteria. I began doing this and because summer was at hand, I simply gave them frozen bones as "pupsicles". Took them longer to chew and they were cool and refreshing as well. I still give them most of these things in their frozen state. For those concerned about chicken bones, it is the cooking process that causes the bones to dry out and become brittle. They have much more elasticity in their raw state. Try snapping a cooked bone vs. a raw bone and see the difference. I buy chicken legs by the dozen, marrow and beef bones and spread them on a baking sheet and freeze, then pop them into bags so I have a supply that lasts about 2 weeks.
A Supportive Vet. I also found a supportive, holistic vet who does a physical exam of the dogs. The results are consistent: clear eyes, ears, mouth—and only minute traces of tartar on their teeth after 8 years! That’s true testimony to the value of a good diet. In addition, yard clean-up is a breeze--only a small handful each to clean up--and these are considered large breed dogs. That means the food is being digested not excreted. My vet has suggested giving them a multi-vitamin (human grade is fine, by weight). Their bloodwork is normal. When Summit showed a high fat content, I started giving him skinless chicken and that brought it right down.
Each breed has different needs but in the end, it’s not hard – if you eat it, they can eat it (apart from the obvious exceptions like chocolate, onions, grapes, etc. For a full list of foods that are toxic to dogs, please see More Useful Stuff). As a northern breed, Samoyeds can tolerate a lot of fish as well as grains needed to keep their bodies warm in cold climates. With two large dogs, I am able to keep 3-4 days of meals on hand. I always have a bowl of rice or other grain and cooked frozen veggies or pureed veggies in the fridge, and dried beans and cans of legumes in stock. I use a rice cooker for all of the grains as well the legumes. I just fill it and it does all the work. Two cups of uncooked rice in the cooker lasts about 4 days for 2 dogs of this size!
For Joanne's easy one-page primer on home-cooking for dogs, click on The Summit and Hillary Diet.
On the left, Hillary and Summit, glowing with health and fitness, wait patiently to eat their breakfast bones.
CONVENIENCE FOODS. Most dog owners who feed Raw Meaty Bones are passionately committed to this feeding model. While we've chosen to feed raw, we recognize that others prefer the convenience of dry food, or perhaps just don't have the stomach for raw! Fortunately there are some other options. Three companies that make dehydrated foods to which you just add water, are The Honest Kitchen, Sojo's and K9 Natural. These are excellent options and very convenient for travel.
We don't really advocate kibble feeding. Dry dog foods are highly processed and retain very few nutrients. However, if you absolutely must, please don't feed commercial brands, or the ones the vets sell, which are just as bad. Do your research on ingredients. Some companies don't list ingredients on the bag, so you will have to go to their website. Then pick one with a named meat as its first (i.e. largest) ingredient, preferably grain free, without fillers (corn gluten, bran, beet pulp, etc.) and with no artificial colorings, flavorings or preservatives. It's really important to do your homework, read ingredients and make sure you're choosing a more nutritious kibble. To learn more about often misleading dog food labeling and ingredients, see The Dog Food Project, especially the section on Ingredients to Avoid.
In summer, we pack the food in a cooler with lots of ice packs and keep it inside the car with the air conditioning, instead of in the cargo box. Hopefully we stay overnight in a room with a working refrigerator and can refreeze the ice packs overnight. If not, we buy a bag of ice and empty it into the cooler. If you're on the move, this works quite well and you can probably make the food last five or six days. If you're staying in one place for a few days, try to get a room with a refrigerator; if that's not possible, the food in your cooler will last quite well in an air conditioned room as long as you top up the ice supply. One caution: if the cooler spends any time in a parked (i.e. hot!) car, the meat will thaw much faster. Carefully managed as above, you can make it last three or four days, but on a recent overnight camping trip where the cooler had to stay in the car on an 85 degree day, I had meat go from frozen to bad in 24 hours.
When you run out. If you feed Raw Meaty Bones, it's easy - head to a nearby grocery store and buy some chicken quarters or drumsticks, beef ribs or "soup bones" (in most grocery stores these are usually neck pieces), oxtails, pork ribs, turkey wings - any grocery store will have something you can feed even if it's not the cheapest option. If you're feeding a pre-made frozen raw food, it's a good idea to check out the store locator pages of your brand to see if it's available en route or at your destination. Then call ahead and let them know how much you'll need, because some places carry very little stock. Some companies like Stella and Chewy's and Nature's Variety also make freeze-dried versions of their frozen food, which is lightweight but extremely expensive. If you feed premade but can't find what you want, you could buy some stewing or ground beef or turkey at a grocery store and feed that for a couple of days. You can buy some frozen mixed vegetables and stir those in too. If you do this, you may want to carry a calcium supplement and add it to the food, because the phosphorus in raw meat depletes calcium. Or, much easier, give your dog a raw meaty bone as above!
While not raw, another nutritious and easy to carry option for emergencies is canned sardines in olive oil (which Willie and Tarka love), though you will want to dispose of the smelly cans somewhere other than your car!
HOME-PREPARED DIET. Towards the end of Muddy's life, he became a rather picky eater and I cooked for him from time to time. Our friend Joanne Keenan has been kind enough to write about how she provides her dogs, Hillary and Summit, with balanced, home-prepared meals. While dogs don't actually need grains, and some dogs don't digest or tolerate grains well, Joanne and others like to provide this variety, and her dogs do well on it. In the photo below right, Summit and Hillary know they're about to get something good to eat!
Here's what Joanne says about her feeding routine:
Brother and sister Samoyeds, Summit and Hillary, have been on a combination home-cooked, natural, raw diet since they were 5-6 months old -- and they are now 9 years old. They have maintained consistent adult weights of 55 and 75 lbs which is ideal for their frames.
Their diet consists of raw chicken legs, necks and wings, marrow bones and beef rib bones, rice, pasta, grains, lentils, legumes, oatmeal, pureed veggies (from the juicer), yogurt, cottage cheese, raw hamburger, fish, eggs and liver, canned tuna and sardines and peanut butter. I keep plenty of small marrow bones frozen for an instant treat. Every time I try something different (like lamb or pork) I do a walk around of the yard and everything seems to be rather, errr, ummmm ---- firm and minimal.... shall we say.
Plus -- there is no fear about their food sitting in their bowls and bacteria taking over. The food is gone as well as part of the lining of the bowl. They love their food and leave little memory of it so there's no time for bacteria.
Freezing is key. The key to serving a raw diet is to freeze the meat for 36 - 48 hours to kill airborne bacteria. I began doing this and because summer was at hand, I simply gave them frozen bones as "pupsicles". Took them longer to chew and they were cool and refreshing as well. I still give them most of these things in their frozen state. For those concerned about chicken bones, it is the cooking process that causes the bones to dry out and become brittle. They have much more elasticity in their raw state. Try snapping a cooked bone vs. a raw bone and see the difference. I buy chicken legs by the dozen, marrow and beef bones and spread them on a baking sheet and freeze, then pop them into bags so I have a supply that lasts about 2 weeks.
A Supportive Vet. I also found a supportive, holistic vet who does a physical exam of the dogs. The results are consistent: clear eyes, ears, mouth—and only minute traces of tartar on their teeth after 8 years! That’s true testimony to the value of a good diet. In addition, yard clean-up is a breeze--only a small handful each to clean up--and these are considered large breed dogs. That means the food is being digested not excreted. My vet has suggested giving them a multi-vitamin (human grade is fine, by weight). Their bloodwork is normal. When Summit showed a high fat content, I started giving him skinless chicken and that brought it right down.
Each breed has different needs but in the end, it’s not hard – if you eat it, they can eat it (apart from the obvious exceptions like chocolate, onions, grapes, etc. For a full list of foods that are toxic to dogs, please see More Useful Stuff). As a northern breed, Samoyeds can tolerate a lot of fish as well as grains needed to keep their bodies warm in cold climates. With two large dogs, I am able to keep 3-4 days of meals on hand. I always have a bowl of rice or other grain and cooked frozen veggies or pureed veggies in the fridge, and dried beans and cans of legumes in stock. I use a rice cooker for all of the grains as well the legumes. I just fill it and it does all the work. Two cups of uncooked rice in the cooker lasts about 4 days for 2 dogs of this size!
For Joanne's easy one-page primer on home-cooking for dogs, click on The Summit and Hillary Diet.
On the left, Hillary and Summit, glowing with health and fitness, wait patiently to eat their breakfast bones.
CONVENIENCE FOODS. Most dog owners who feed Raw Meaty Bones are passionately committed to this feeding model. While we've chosen to feed raw, we recognize that others prefer the convenience of dry food, or perhaps just don't have the stomach for raw! Fortunately there are some other options. Three companies that make dehydrated foods to which you just add water, are The Honest Kitchen, Sojo's and K9 Natural. These are excellent options and very convenient for travel.
We don't really advocate kibble feeding. Dry dog foods are highly processed and retain very few nutrients. However, if you absolutely must, please don't feed commercial brands, or the ones the vets sell, which are just as bad. Do your research on ingredients. Some companies don't list ingredients on the bag, so you will have to go to their website. Then pick one with a named meat as its first (i.e. largest) ingredient, preferably grain free, without fillers (corn gluten, bran, beet pulp, etc.) and with no artificial colorings, flavorings or preservatives. It's really important to do your homework, read ingredients and make sure you're choosing a more nutritious kibble. To learn more about often misleading dog food labeling and ingredients, see The Dog Food Project, especially the section on Ingredients to Avoid.
GREEN TRIPE. Ah, the wonderful aroma of green tripe. It will probably make you gag. Dogs? They love it.....to them it's doggie caviar.
Tripe is the stomach of ruminating animals (such as cows, sheep, deer), and "green" refers to the fact that it's unbleached and unscalded. It's full of essential fatty acids, amino acids and "good" intestinal bacteria and is a terrific health food for dogs. You can substitute it for part of your dog's regular food or serve it as a full meal every few days.
It's also invaluable at disguising supplements for picky eaters, because they can't smell the pills or powder.
You can buy it fresh or frozen if you have a good source of raw meat (we get ours frozen from My Pet Carnivore), but we also use canned Tripett for convenience. It comes in beef, venison and lamb formulas (lamb pictured below) and Tripett uses all-natural, human-grade ingredients, with no preservatives or other additives.
You can buy it fresh or frozen if you have a good source of raw meat (we get ours frozen from My Pet Carnivore), but we also use canned Tripett for convenience. It comes in beef, venison and lamb formulas (lamb pictured below) and Tripett uses all-natural, human-grade ingredients, with no preservatives or other additives.
So, hold your breath and dish it out. Your dog will be thrilled!
JOINT HEALTH. Most people know that giving a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement is beneficial, not just to dogs
that already have joint issues or osteoarthritis, but also to younger, healthy dogs as a preventative. Glucosamine helps rebuild new cartilage in the joints, while chondroitin acts to prevent further breakdown of cartilage. With the popularity of this supplement, there are hundreds of different products available, most claiming to work miracles. Many such products have not been thoroughly tested, and often when they are tested, they do not contain the active ingredients they claim.
that already have joint issues or osteoarthritis, but also to younger, healthy dogs as a preventative. Glucosamine helps rebuild new cartilage in the joints, while chondroitin acts to prevent further breakdown of cartilage. With the popularity of this supplement, there are hundreds of different products available, most claiming to work miracles. Many such products have not been thoroughly tested, and often when they are tested, they do not contain the active ingredients they claim. CAccording to most vets, the gold standard for canine glucosamine & chondroitin is Cosequin DS, made by Nutramax Laboratories. This is because it's been thoroughly researched and tested and is a very trustworthy product - hence the reason that most vets carry it.
You can buy it online, usually more cheaply than through your vet, but beware - there are some counterfeit products on the market. To be safe, we suggest buying the first container from your vet, and then making sure that the product you buy online is identically packaged. Look, in particular, for the gold Nutramax seal on the back. Nutramax's website also lists some stores and on-line retailers, which presumably carry the true product. We usually buy through Amazon/EntirelyPets, and here's the link:
We also like Dasuquin, which is made by Nutramax too. It contains MSM as well as Glucosamine and Chondroitin, for more comprehensive joint support. The addition of MSM worked well for Muddy and seems to help Willie too. It's sold by Flea Doctor on Amazon: For dogs over 60 lbs:
For dogs under 60 lbs:
SEA JERKY TREATS. These jerky sticks, made by Coastside Bio
Resources, probably belong on the Treats and Snacks page, but they are a
nutraceutical treat that was recommended to Muddy by our animal
chiropractor, Dr Sig Hansen, to help Muddy's bad hips. The jerky contains the
company's patented sea cucumber product, Sea Chondroitin, plus
Glucosamine HCL (from shrimp and/or crab shells). As
with other forms of glucosamine and chondroitin, these products act
synergistically to lubricate joints and nourish cartilage and connective
tissue; Dr Hansen told us that sea cucumber is a particularly effective
form of chondroitin. Muddy loved getting these treats last thing at
night from Marc! We like the beef jerky flavor, which contains as Active Ingredients 1200 mg of Sea Chondroitin®*, 400 mg of Glucosamine HCL, 75 mg of MSM, and 4mg of Green Tea Extract. The product comes in two sizes: we buy the bulk size, which contains 90 sticks, and comes in a very nice airtight container that can be put to good use, or you can opt for the one month supply, which is a 15 oz bag containing 30 sticks. We carry both sizes in our store.
CLICK ON THE JERKY STICK TO ORDER
OVERBY FARM HIP FLEX. This
treat is
actually sold as a supplement, but the dogs think it's a treat so we've
put it on the Treats and Snacks page too! Overby Farms, based in the
middle of tart
cherry country in Michigan, learned that tart cherries are used by many
(human) alternative health practitioners for conditions involving
inflammation and pain, such as arthritis, gout, muscle pain, back pain,
diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. Both sweet and tart cherries
contain phenolics, naturally-occurring plant compounds that have
anti-inflammatory, antioxidant effects. The main type of phenolic in
cherries is called anthocyanins2. In general, the darker the cherry
color, the higher the anthocyanin content. Anthocyanins have been found
to block two enzymes, COX-1 and COX-2, which play a role in the
production of inflammatory compounds called prostaglandins. Aspirin and
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)3 such as naproxen and
ibuprofen also work this way. In test tube studies, cherry anthocyanins
have been found to protect neurons from damage by oxidative stress.
Overby Farms decided to create dog treats and supplements using tart
cherries. The delicious soft
chews contain Tart
Cherry Concentrate, as well as blueberries, cranberries, flax seed and
glucosamine.CLICK HERE TO BUY HIP FLEX SUPPLEMENTS.
LIFELINE OMEGA 3 FISH OIL. This is another well-known and highly effective product. Omega 3 oils, whether for humans or dogs, provide many benefits, supporting the heart, the skin, the coat, the joints, and the vision, as well as strengthening the immune system.
Some people just give their dogs the same Omega 3 capsules they (the humans) take. But my dogs spit out the capsules; you can puncture them and squeeze the oil onto their food, but that's tedious and you may get an eyeful, which is unpleasant. I usually manage to get some on my hair and then I can smell it all day.
So we use fish oil in liquid form. There are several good products available at pet boutiques; our favorite is Life Line Premium Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil. Their oil comes from wild Alaskan salmon, so we aren't concerned that it may contain antibiotics which are fed to most farmed salmon. They use freshly caught, sustainably harvested salmon, and produce the oil using a cold extraction method which preserves the quality of the oil. You can find more detail about the purity and quality of Life Line salmon oil on their website.
DIGESTIVE HEALTH. Occasionally dogs' digestive systems need some help. When Willie joined us, he had been a stray on a very poor diet. He was very thin, riddled with parasites; he also had a urinary tract infection and tested positive for Lyme Disease. After several rounds of deworming medicine and antibiotics, he recovered from these ailments. But the stray dog diet, the parasites and the antibiotics all take their toll on digestive health. Antibiotics kill bad bacteria; but they also kill "good" bacteria in the gut, needed to maintain a healthy balance of digestive flora. Probiotics can restore the proper balance of bacteria in the digestive tract and can be effective in preventing and treating intestinal disorders caused by poor digestion, such as diarrhea, vomiting and gas. It's a good idea to use probiotics if your dog has taken antibiotics for any reason, and if they have diarrhea or other gastrointestinal disorders.
We also use digestive enzymes to aid digestion in these situations. Food naturally contains enzymes which support digestion, but cooking or heating food reduces the enzymes available to the body, and malabsorption of nutrients can result. Digestive enzyme supplements help dogs absorb more nutrients from their diets, especially senior dogs, or dogs that may be stressed, or have a gastrointestinal disorder of any kind. Raw food diets also deliver more digestive enzymes than kibble or other cooked dog foods, as high temperatures destroy food enzymes.
The products pictured on the right are Pro Bi, a probiotic administered in liquid form, and Prozyme, a digestive enzyme powder. Both products are recommended by our holistic vet, Dr Julie Mayer. Probiotics are best taken away from food, and preferably first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. You can give Pro-Bi drops straight on the dog's tongue or nose (they will usually lick it off), or, if they object, in their water bowl. I usually put a few drops in Willie and Tarka's water bowl every morning. Prozyme powder can be sprinkled on (or mixed in) to their food.
