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Em's Goldens

Em's GoldensEm's GoldensEm's Goldens
Home
The Pack
Contact Us & Pricing
Puppies
  • Current Puppies
  • Planned Litter's
  • Adopt a puppy
  • How we raise our puppies
Info
  • Raw Diet
  • Puppy care
  • Vaccines & pest control
  • FAQ's
  • Training
  • Spay & Neuter
  • Exercise
  • Health
  • Groomong
More
  • Home
  • The Pack
  • Contact Us & Pricing
  • Puppies
    • Current Puppies
    • Planned Litter's
    • Adopt a puppy
    • How we raise our puppies
  • Info
    • Raw Diet
    • Puppy care
    • Vaccines & pest control
    • FAQ's
    • Training
    • Spay & Neuter
    • Exercise
    • Health
    • Groomong
  • Home
  • The Pack
  • Contact Us & Pricing
  • Puppies
    • Current Puppies
    • Planned Litter's
    • Adopt a puppy
    • How we raise our puppies
  • Info
    • Raw Diet
    • Puppy care
    • Vaccines & pest control
    • FAQ's
    • Training
    • Spay & Neuter
    • Exercise
    • Health
    • Groomong

Raw diet

What is a raw diet?

Are bones ok for dogs to eat?

What is a raw diet?

Raw diet is raw meat, bones and organs it may also include raw or slightly processed fruits, veggies, seeds and nuts.

Why feed raw?

Are bones ok for dogs to eat?

What is a raw diet?

There are many benefits to feeding raw including but not limited to cleaner teeth, fresher breath' less doggie odder, smaller less smelly stool's, healthier skin and coat, less likely to get common dieses like cancer, heart dieses, diabetes just to name a few.

Are bones ok for dogs to eat?

Are bones ok for dogs to eat?

Are bones ok for dogs to eat?

Cooked or smoked bones are prone to splintering and are NOT SAFE for dog's. Raw, size appropriate bones are not only safe but  also very beneficial for dog's.

How much do you feed a day?

What about salmonella and bacteria?

Are bones ok for dogs to eat?

A good starting point is 2-3% of a dog's ideal adult body weight. This is just a starting point. Some dog's are more active and require more while others may have a slower metabolism and require less.  My dogs typically eat 1.2-2lb a day depending on how active we are that day and the individual dog.

Can you feed kibble and raw?

What about salmonella and bacteria?

What about salmonella and bacteria?

  There are no studies proving that it is bad to feed kibble and raw in the same meal. Even if you can only provide fresh food for half of your dog's diet you will be increasing there health dramatically. 

What about salmonella and bacteria?

What about salmonella and bacteria?

What about salmonella and bacteria?

18% of all dog's carry salmonella are part of their gut flora. Dog's are designed to eat raw meat and God gave them the good bacteria and stomach acid to handle raw meat. With that said I would never feed my dogs bad or rotten meat.

Dog's dietary needs

 
Although dogs are believed to be descendants of the gray wolf most recent DNA studies have shown that the gene used for processing carbs is higher in canines than in wolves.
I believe this is all part of the evolution of dogs just trying to survive.
For the last 100+ years most people have fed their dogs a high starch high carbohydrate diet (kibble). Just like any living thing their bodies are trying to adapt to their environment.
Dogs have the amazing ability to be able to survive on almost any diet but that's not good enough for me. I want my dogs to thrive! I want them to feel the best they can every day of their life.
When we look at a dog's digestive tract it is much shorter than that of say a cow or a human.



There are four parts to a dog's digestive system


  • First is the mouth.  A dog's jaw is designed to chew/rip food just small enough to fit down their throat. They have a scissor bite meaning the teeth do not line up together but instead sit just to the side of each other when the jaw is closed. This is unlike a cow or a human whose back teeth line up to each other when the jaw is shut. Unlike dogs humans and cows have to chew their food several times before being able to swallow. 
  •  Second is the stomach.  A dog's stomach is extremely acidic, designed for breaking down raw bones and meat turning this into a liquidy slump. Appetizing I know.
  •  Third is the small and large intestines.  The small intestine uses enzymes and hormones from the liver to break down the liquidy slump separating and absorbing the nutrients. The large intestine absorbs excess moisture and any nutrients missed by the small intestine. 
  •  Fourth is the colon.  I feel this is pretty self-explanatory:)


  •  A dog's microbiome is very different than humans but like humans it can be affected by diet, environment and stress.  A recent study on humans has proven that the less diverse your microbiome is the higher risk you are for obesity, diabetes and cancer just to name a few. If you are feeding your dog the same thing everyday their microbiome will be significantly less diverse than if you were providing a variety in their diet. 

More specifically Golden Retriever's dietary needs

 

  •  Unfortunately golden retrievers are very prone to cancer. 

Today one out of every two dogs dies of cancer. The largest canine cancer study being done on Golden retrievers has discovered that only 10% of cancer is genetic. 90% of cancer is caused by environmental factors such as exposure to toxins, diet and vaccines just to name a few. They have found that 30% to 40% of cancers can be prevented with diet alone. Cancers feed off sugars. Carbohydrates are turned into sugars after being consumed. For this reason it is better to avoid feeding starches and carbohydrates to our goldens. A study done in Norway on 7,000 pets found adding fresh food to their diet increased their lifespan by up to 50%. Keto pets in Texas adopted stage 4 cancer dogs and found by moving them onto a keto diet they were able to inhibit the cancer or completely halt the cancer.  The University of Purdue did a study on two groups of Scottish terriers. The first group was fed a normal kibble diet. The second group was fed a kibble diet but three times a week they replaced a handful of the kibble with leafy green veggies, yellow veggies and red veggies. They found that the second group was 90% less likely to get cancer.

  • Golden's also have a tendency to be deficient in taurine. Taurine can be increased by feeding fresh raw meats in particular turkey hearts.
  • Sadly obesity is very common in Golden retrievers. This can cause lots of health issues such as hip and elbow dysplasia, diabetes and heart disease just to name a few.
  • Although not specific to Golden's DCM can be caused by diet. "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued an alert about reports of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs eating certain pet foods containing peas, lentils, other legume seeds, or potatoes as main ingredients"

Feeding a raw diet

  To feed a balanced raw diet you will need some freezer space for about a month's worth of food. You also need to wash bowls (I think this should be done no matter what you feed), wipe counters and possibly floors after each meal. If you have young children I recommend feeding the dog away from where your kids play and keeping your pup/dog separated from your kids for about a half an hour after they eat. Basically use the same caution when preparing your dog's meal as you would use handling raw meat for your family. 

There are many versions of this diet including BARF, whole pray or Franken prey just to name a few. The key to feeding a raw diet is truly balance. 

Although nobody is sure where it originated, most raw diets are based off of a 80% muscle meat 10% edible bones (uncooked!) (Cooked bones will splinter and are a huge choking hazard what size appropriate raw bones are great for your dog/puppy) 5% liver and 5% other secreting organs.  Like I mentioned earlier the more variety in your dog's diet the better his/her microbiome will be. Most raw diet feeders recommend a minimum of five different proteins within a week. (By proteins I'm referring to chicken is a protein, beef is a protein, turkey is a protein).Some versions of these diets will add vegetables, fruit, seeds and nuts while others will avoid them. The most important thing to remember with this diet is choosing what works best for you and your dog. I also want to mention that you do not need to feed as much food when feeding a higher quality food that contains more meat and fat. 

Three ways to feed a balanced raw diet

Pre-made

  First is purchasing a pre-made version. While this maybe more expensive, when purchasing from a reputable source you will not have to worry about making sure it is balanced or preparing meals. These meals are typically packaged individually or in patties. I do want to caution you that not all pre-made supposedly balanced raw diets on the market are actually balanced. Here are a few companies that I would recommend.  

answers pet food
Vivaraw
The bones & co
vibrant k9

Follow a Recipe

The next option is purchasing a recipe from a raw feeding coach and putting the meals together yourself. This is as close to DIY as you can get while still ensuring you get a balanced diet. I recommend purchasing three or more recipe's containing two or more proteins so that you can alternate them and be sure to get the variety in your dog's diet that they need. 

Here are a few people I would trust to provide a balanced recipe for you.

perfectly rawsome
the healthy dog workshop
raw feeding 101

D.I.Y.

 The third option is completely DIY. While this is the most inexpensive it also requires the most time to prep. IDO NOT recommend doing a DIY plan until you feel comfortable and confident that you understand your dog's dietary needs.


Sourcing ingredients

 Where you source your ingredients is just as important as the ingredients. For example if you purchase your meat from a grocery store it has most likely been injected with a saline solution to extend its shelf life. Although I do not know the extent of how this could damage your dog's body I do know it can cause diarrhea and upsets tummy. Some raw feeders will offer to take freezer burn meat from hunters. While I don't think this will hurt your dog you're definitely not getting as many vitamins and minerals as you would with more fresh un-freezer burnt meat.

Ideally you would be able to find grass-fed organically raised meat that was processed and Frozen with no preservatives added.

With that said I do believe a balanced raw diet of freezer burnt non-organic meat is still better than any kibble!


Interesting fact:

Studies have shown that a organically raised chicken breast has 38+ more types of omega-3s then a commercially raised chicken breast.


 Here are a few resources to help you find ingredients. Please note I have not purchased from all of these so they are not necessarily my recommendation just something to get you started. 

raw food co-op's

NOTE

 No matter what diet you are feeding it is a great idea to do a blood test to ensure you are providing your individual puppy/dog with all the nutrients he or she needs. I recommend doing a CBC and a CHEM PANEL one to two times a year.  


It is good practice to put a golden on place or in a kennel for 30-60 min of quiet time after a meal. This will greatly reduce the risk of bloat.

Want to learn more

I highly recommend the book give  dog a bone by Dr Ian Billinghurst.

Give your dog a bone

Learn how I feed my pack

Healthy Weight

Letting your dog get over weight especially while he/she is still growing can put strain on the growing bones and joints. This could potentially cause hip dysplasia and/or elbow dysplasia even if the puppy comes from a great blood line that has no history of dysplasia. It can also put stress on their organs potentially causing life threatening problems with their heart, thyroid, or pancreas just to name a few.      

Keeping your dog at a ideal body weight will allow his/her body to function the way it is meant to.

 It will also allow your dog to live a longer, happier, more fulfilling life.

You should be able to easily feel ribs but when you run your hand over their back they should not feel spiny. 

:NOTE It is better for a dog to be slightly under weight than over weight.

If you can see your dogs ribs and hip bones he/she is under weight. 

This can put strain on hes/her organs and his/her body may try pulling nutrition from his/her muscles and bones to try to survive.

If you have increased his/her calories and he/she has not gained weight there may be something not working properly and you should seek advice from a reputable vet.

PLEASE NOTE

Please note we are not veterinarians.  

 The information we provide is based on our experience and knowledge, and is intended to help our puppy owners provide the best possible life for their Goldens .

Em's Goldens shall not be held liable for any damages or loss incurred due to the information we provide.

 Please consult with your veterinarian before practicing our information.


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