Intestines Archives - Edie MacKenzie

Benifits of Raw Food For Dogs

September 1, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

If you have ever watched a nature show about predators, you probably noticed (if they showed this part) that after the kill, the alpha male took first eating rights. This is true with the big cats, wolves, coyotes, and wild dogs. Did you notice what the alpha male went after first? Not the lean meat of the muscles, but the internal organs, heart, liver, intestines, etc. That is the food that provides the most nutrients, and the alpha goes after those because he has to be the fittest in the pack. You may also have noticed that the pack does not build a fire and cook their catch. Of course they cannot start fires, but even if they could they wouldn’t because cooking changes the composition of the proteins and does not provide the same nutrients as raw fare does. Shouldn’t you take that into consideration when planning your dog’s foods? These organ meats are good for them, but you do not want to make entire meals of just organ meats. You should feed your dog a percentage, approximately 10%, of his daily diet with some organ meat, liver, kidney, heart, or unbleached intestines if you can find it. The following is a list of items that you can include in your dogs menu: If it runs in the woods you could probably feed it to your dog. Chicken will probably be the staple because it is more abundant and cost effective but experiment to see what your dog likes. • Chicken – whole or backs, necks, wings etc. • Turkey – whole or necks, wings etc. • Cornish game hens • Beef – almost any. It is not recommended to give them femur bones or the like as they may be too hard and could possibly chip their teeth. • Oxtail • Rabbit • Pork – ribs, neck, feet etc • Buffalo • Venison – just make sure the buck shots are all out • Fish – fresh is best, talapiah etc. • Organ Meats – kidney, liver etc. If they have been eating kibble, gradually introduce raw foods. Any dramatic change in diet may not do well with your pup. Add a little raw food to start and each day increase the portion so that in about 2 weeks they are entirely on raw foods.

The recommendation for feeding is 1.5-3% of body weight daily. Larger dogs seem to need less, but once they get used to the food they will only eat what they need. My 2 Huskies get a half pound of raw food mixed with some veggies, and scraps from our dinner. They also receive a treat of chicken necks or backs, or (put in the link to Mercola’s Bones). The very best fresh meats for you and your pup will be Grass-Fed Beef, pork, or lamb, Pastured Chicken, and some wild caught fish. In case you were not aware, cows flourish best on grasses, not grains, and chickens normally eat grass and bugs that feed on grass. A cow or steer has a double stomach to properly digest grasses, but grains do not require the second stomach, and the steers get fat quickly. Grass fed animals do not need antibiotics or steroids to help get them to market. The very essence of food is that which grows in the ground and is green. This is an oversimplification, but this type of meat is at the top of the chain nutritionally both for humans and our furry friends. Are there real, noticeable benefits for our dogs? You bet there are, whether you get grass fed meats or commercial meats, the benefits are outstanding and you will notice the difference almost immediately. First off, you will be giving you pet human quality food, not something that has been processed, and contains ingredients that we cannot even pronounce, from sources; well, who knows? One of the first things you will notice is they drink less water. Because the food has higher moisture content your dogs will probably drink less water. Not that it is a major concern but be aware. The moisture content is much greater in live whole foods then the processed variety, and thus they will not feel the need to drink as much water.

We have noticed that difference between 2 of our dogs who have been raised on raw food since we adopted them and their siblings who dine on commercial wet and dry food. The poop also turns white if left overnight and will eventually turn to powder, the white stool is because of the excess calcium from natural sources. The stool helps determine if you dog is digesting the food well. Less poop that is firm usually means that you pup is digesting well and absorbing all the natural vitamins and minerals. If it is softer you may need to either lessen the carbs if any are given and/or add more raw meaty bones. Another great benefit is bones help clean their teeth. Any uncooked bones can be given for their enjoyment. Do give any cooked bones as the cooking process changes the composition of the bones, and they may splinter and harm your pet. Cleaner teeth the natural way also keeps their mouth healthy and well cleaned. One of the first major things noticed from the raw feeding was that there was a signifigant decrease in dogs gas. One of us has not had this problem, because our dogs have always been on a raw diet and they produce very little gas unless they get too many carbs. The other had that problem, but got used to it, and actually it was his mother’s observation that the dogs were not stinking up the house. Now, they do occasionally let one fly but not even close to what it was before. So the house smells nicer.

More energy The best benefit for our dogs, is their overall health. The main reason people try the raw food diet is because there is some exisiting problem with their pet and it usually stems from they way they eat. We as caring owners and friends want our dogs to live full, happy and healthy lives and we are now seeing that the raw food diet, in most cases, seems to do that for our dogs. Sugars, preservitives, additives etc that are commonly found in kibble and processed foods are just not what nature intended for them to eat, and this may be a major source for canine disease and illness. A raw diet also does not require much supplementation. If you use Grass fed meats about the only supplement will be a Pro-Biotics a few times a week to keep their stomach flora in tip top shape. As long as you include some organ meats and a little veggies, your dog will be healthy and happy. If you use grocery store meats, you might want to consider adding a fish oil supplement too help balance the omega 6 and Omega 3. This little supplement will really give their immune system a real boost.

Dedicated to helping Dogs owners get the best from their companions. For more Informations Please visit our Raw Food website.

Shocking Diets & Dangerous Eating Habits That Could Literally Kill Your Dog

June 2, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Once you see where your dog’s mouth has been ? or what’s been in it ? you may never want it kissing you again!

Feces are high on the list of disgusting things dogs love. Horse dung and cat feces are absolute favorites. Rather than butt your head against the wall trying to change your dog’s culinary tastes, it’s far easier to simply keep these delicacies out of reach from your pooch.

However, dog feces is another story; nobody knows what compels some dogs to eat their own (or other dogs’) poop. The best cure and prevention is diligent feces removal. Adding hot sauce to the feces may deter some dogs, but others just gobble it down and run for water. Commercially available food additives can make the feces taste bad ? or least worse ? and will dissuade some dogs.

In some cases the dogs appear to exhibit a compulsion to eat feces; these dogs may be helped with drugs used to treat obsessive-compulsive behavior in dogs. See your veterinarian behaviorist if you’re not sure why your dog eats feces.

Dogs also eat other non-food objects, such as fabrics and socks, sometimes causing obstructions that require surgical removal. Prevent this by diligently removing objects from the dog’s reach. You may also need to supplement it with drug therapy for obsessive-compulsive behavior and training that focuses on rewarding alternate behaviors.

Then there is clothing! More than one dog owner has paled as their dog dragged underpants into the room while company looks on. Without the owner’s interference, the dog would gladly chew them up. Socks are another favorite. They’re less embarrassing but potentially more dangerous.

Swallowing stockings and long socks can lead to intussusceptions, a potentially fatal condition which the intestines accordion upon themselves, requiring surgery. Again, prevention is the best means of control, so pick up your clothes!

What your pup decides to chew might not be just gross ? it can be dangerous. Chewing electrical cords can lead to shocks and electrocution. Eating drugs and poisons has led to the death of many dogs.

Although eating paper currency is an expensive habit, it ‘s not life threatening. However, swallowing a single penny can be much more expensive. Unless it is removed, the penny may stay in the stomach and release zinc, which results in zinc poisoning.

My local veterinarian was telling me a story just recently, about treating a Border Collie that gulped down a 3-inch metal anchor bolt. And 2 weeks prior she treated another dog that seemed to have lost its appetite and was loosing weight rapidly. It turns out the poor pooch had an abscess on its back, which turned out to be a 6-inch bamboo skewer that the dog must have eaten a month before. The skewer had migrated through he dog’s digestive tract and into its lumbar muscles, where it caused the abscess.

Understanding Your Dog’s Chewing Problems

April 19, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Chewing is usually a developmental phase that puppies pass through to relieve the itch and pain of cutting new teeth. The majority of dogs stop chewing everything in sight once their new teeth are fully erupted, at about 9 months old. The few dogs that do not cease chewing by age 1, either have acquired the habit of chewing from boredom, anxiety, and frustration, or have acquired an unusual gourmet appetite.

Regardless of the reason a dog chews, the behavior of chewing can be very expensive and very dangerous to the dog’s physical well being. Correcting chewing, or any other behavior problem, requires that someone be present to catch the dog in the act. Showing the dog a shoe that was chewed several hours earlier and yelling at him may make you feel better, but there is little chance that he will connect the correction with the idea that chewing shoes is wrong. An unsupervised puppy left to roam the house may develop a taste for dangerous chew toys such as electrical cords, cleaning supplies, and other toxic items. The landscaped yard filled with possibly toxic plants, or rocks and wood that can obstruct the dog’s intestines is a similarly dangerous environment for the unsupervised puppy. Dogs that chew and swallow rocks or other sharp objects often require costly and risky emergency surgery.

To avoid mishaps when you cannot keep a watchful eye on the dog, confine him in an area where only appropriate chew items such as dog toys, rawhides, or knuckle bones are available. You must exercise caution in which chew toys are left in the crate, because dogs have been reported to choke on some toys and rawhides. If you confine your dog to a crate during unsupervised periods, you don’t have to worry about him chewing up prized possessions and furniture, or doing himself harm. You may choose to dog proof the house by removing any prize possessions until the dog has passed through the chewing stage. Products such as Bitter Apple or Tabasco sauce may be sprayed on furniture and possessions to keep the dog from chewing, but check for staining before using them. Ninety-nine percent of the dogs find the taste of these products repulsive, but a few dogs think they are a gourmet delight.

One product that may not be attractive to any dog is ammonia. Be careful not to spray the ammonia when the dog is close by; it could damage his olfactory system and eyes. Read the instructions carefully to determine what is safe to spray on valuable possessions. Your dog should be well supplied with acceptable chew items such as old socks, safe dog toys, rawhides, chew hooves, and knuckle bones. Only knuckle bones are safe; other bones will splinter and get caught in the dog’s throat or intestines. If you are worried that your dog will not discriminate between an old chewable sock and a new sock, you may want to take time to play fetch with the dog and an old sock so the item will become his favorite toy. The old sock will carry the scent of the dog, whereas the new sock has your scent. The dog quickly learns the difference between the socks when you praise him for playing with and chewing the old sock and reprimand him for chewing on socks with your scent.

Dog Supplements May Not Be Necessary After All

April 18, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

If you use a good quality meat-meal based food you usually do not have to supplement your dog’s ration. In fact, it is very easy to throw the formulation of some of the specialty foods out
of kilter if you play with supplements. Unfortunately, adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that is a cultural mentality handed down from the time when pet foods weren’t complete
and needed supplementation. Breeders often advocate supplements and many send their clients home with long lists of additives – vitamins, minerals, dairy products, oils and other
lotions and potions. Many breeders will turn an absolutely deaf ear to entreaties from veterinarians or canine nutritionists who suggest a good basic ration and a minimum of supplementation.

Supplement supporters aren’t usually thinking along behavioral lines and, since they themselves rarely have difficulty house-training their dogs, don’t realize that not everyone is so knowledgeable and over-supplementation can easily produce loose stools and make good control difficult for the dog. Coat conditioners, for instance, can easily be withheld from the diet until the puppy is house-trained. The puppy doesn’t need them if he or she is eating a good quality food, and (in most breeds) the puppy coat has to grow out naturally anyway. Oils and people foods, especially those high in fat (like steak trimmings) easily “oil up” the intestines and in many cases cause stools to “slide out” quite unexpectedly.

If your breeder or pet store operator gives you a list of supplements and binds you under pain of mortal sin to use them, start asking some questions. Ask whether these supplements are necessary if you use a high-quality specialty food. Ask how these supplements will affect your house-training progress. Ask if it is absolutely necessary to add the supplements right away or if this can wait until house-training is accomplished. For instance, although the jury is definitely out on the relationship between mega doses of vitamin C and hip dysplasia (a congenital ailment that plagues many larger breeds), many breeders are routinely recommending giving the vitamin. Whether or not the vitamin helps ward off hip dysplasia, we do know that it can have a diarrheic effect on many dogs, complicating the house-training process.

Dairy products are also dangerous additives and produce runny stools in some dogs. People food should be avoided as a matter of good behavioral policy, lest the dog turn to begging at the table, but it should be especially taboo during house-training. Dog treats that are full of preservatives or dyes (often to keep a “meat center” bright red) can also throw many dogs’ innards for a loop and complicate cleanliness. Good general advice is to stay away from supplements during the house-training process and use only minimal or no additives later on, but do use a quality daily ration.

Puppy Safety: When Decorations Kill

July 8, 2009 by admin Leave a Comment

A puppy’s approach to the world, outside the box he was born in, is quite simply, to eat it! This includes shoes, toys, sofa cushions, and just about anything else he can put into his mouth. If the object is too big to fit, the puppy will whittle it down to size with his pin-like baby teeth and make it fit.

While this imp-like behavior is destructive, it can also prove fatal for the puppy. For example, one good-sized bite out of a bar of soap containing harsh chemicals and the odds against making it to the vet in time before the puppy convulses and dies are ten to one.

The fat-soaked trussing cord from the turkey has been known to become entangled in the intestines of a puppy. In most cases, the owner is not aware that the puppy has gotten to the turkey or leftover bones until it is too late. An unsupervised puppy is like an unsupervised infant crawling around on the floor.

Puppies are also very attracted to decorations and ornaments, which includes magnets, pins, and needles. Splinters of wood, glass, and plastic are equally dangerous – for all are dagger-like and can puncture your puppy’s throat or become lodged in the intestines.

Some of the old-fashioned Christmas tree ornaments were manufactured using radium to make them glow in the dark. In a puppy’s stomach, this is a lethal poison.

Soft rubber of the type found in bath toys is also extremely dangerous for puppies. Veterinarians report that rubber is one of the most common causes of surgery in puppies and young dogs. The soft rubber tears easily and can stick to the puppy’s insides causing total blockage of the intestinal track.

And right after Christmas time, just about the time you feel you have everything picked up and out of harm’s way, your puppy could be gnawing on a string of tree lights. A 110-volt jolt to the mouth can be lethal.

The secret of surviving the holidays (or any other time of celebration with decorations around the house) and all your decorations for that matter, without harm coming to your puppy is supervision. Keep in mind that it only takes a second for a puppy to choke on a gift wrap ribbon, or be strangled by a small ball lodged in his throat.

In one town, what started out as a happy time during one lovely Christmas turned into a tragedy when the rubber band on a paddle-ball toy broke. The puppy reached the loose rubber ball before the child, and within a few seconds, the ball was firmly lodged in the puppy’s throat.

There’s no use in saying “No” to a puppy in a roomful of Christmas decorations. No amount of scolding will make the puppy less curious. It may temper him for a moment, but the temptations to a young pup will overcome all of your “No-nos”, no matter how emphatic. A puppy’s stomach is a strong organ and can digest a lot of strange things, but aluminum icicles and rubber bands are not included.

Shocking Diets & Dangerous Eating Habits That Could Literally Kill Your Dog

May 20, 2009 by admin Leave a Comment

Once you see where your dog’s mouth has been ? or what’s been in it ? you may never want it kissing you again!

What your pup decides to chew might not be just gross ? it can be dangerous. Chewing electrical cords can lead to shocks and electrocution. Eating drugs and poisons has led to the death of many dogs.

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