07/22/2005: "Norman? Is That You??"
I'm Waiting!
I'm Waiting for Norman!
It's almost 6:00 pm. I'm sitting here with my paws crossed waiting for Norman!
Who's Norman?
Norman is our neighbour. He's a butcher , (boy was I glad when Mom made friends with his family)
Norman promised to bring us a BIG bone tonight, so I'm sitting here waiting and waiting.
Is this Norman??
Nope.... that's not Norman.. That's Steve. aka BIG TOE Taylor, the other neighbour. He is NOT a butcher. He came over, didn't bring any bones with him, so we tossed him out and tied him to the other side of the fence. Maybe he'll learn a lesson for the next time... no bones.... no come in !!
Oh Boy What's This??
Hey... wowzie.... !
I just got out of my swimming pool from my evening swim, and low and behold... check out this HUGE knucklebone! WOW.... the Bone Fairy must have dropped by!! Neat-o !
Wow..
Thank you Bone Fairy.
Merlin.... you are really silly
Merlin.... bones don't come from *Bone Fairies* you idiot.... everyone knows that bones grow on *Bone Trees* .... honestly... you chows sometimes...........
=====================================
RMB (Raw Meaty Bones)
or BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Diet)
or NRD (Natural Raw Diet)
Meaty Bones are an integral part of our every day diet. We're into RAW feeding.
That means all of our food is raw... completely raw. NO KIBBLE FOR US HERE at this house.
We think that many if not most, commercially made dog foods are poison to us.
Maybe you'd like to read this link called: What's Really In Dog Food
We don't only eat bones to keep our teeth and gums in optimum condition,
we eat RMB - or Raw Meaty Bones because they are a staple part of our daily diet.
Did you know that dogs brought up on raw diets NEVER, EVER develop plaque on their teeth?
Here is a sample diet for me and Merlin. This is what we eat:
========================================
X A M P L E M E N U Geared to OUR Shar-Pei and Chows
========================================
Our meat to bone ratio that works for us is 80% meat - 20% bones
Also, I use canned trope from SOLID GOLD and serve that 3 times a week.
Natural green tripe is available at most butchers, or they can order it for you.
If you don't want to handle tripe, the canned one seems excellent in quality and has no additives whatsoever.
Day 1:
AM: half chicken carcass, or duck or quarter goose or turkey wing
(raw & thawed)
PM:
salmon heads, parts, or mackerel part with skin or Sardine bellies for (EFA/Omega 3 and 6)
hunk of some kind of meaty carcass (if available, or pieces of meat)
Day 2:
AM: (1-cup) hunk of fish or several types fish (raw & thawed with
head, fins and eyeballs, etc.)
PM: half chicken carcass, or quarter goose or half duck, or strip of
pork ribs or beef short ribs etc.
Day 3:
AM: 1 lamb neck or turkey neck - or turkey wing (raw & thawed)
PM: (I add about 60 grams of liver, heart or
other organs to this)
Day 4:
AM: 4-5 inch raw large meaty bone (usually beef or calf or
pork or deer or moose)
PM: 1 cup fish chunks, OR several marrow bones with meat on them
Day 5:
AM: 1 cup of raw fish (cod, whitefish, turbot, sardines, herring,
mackerel, head, eyeballs and fins attached.)
Day 6:
AM: (1-cup) hunk of fish or several types fish (again, with heads,
etc.)
Day 7:
AM: Fast
PM: Fast
I also alternate with rabbit, deer, moose, pork if and when
available and any other meats that crop up at the abbatoir.
Also my diet tends to be a bit "lighter" in the Summer months
and "heavier" in the Winter months.
We live in the Northern hemisphere.
Not mentioned above but also used in my diet.
Any organ meats as long as raw
Also pig trotters, ears, oxtail, pigtail, etc.
Mommy Notes:
My Menu is for MY chowdren not for YOUR Chowdren.
**Merlin the chow tends to get more meat than MeiMei, who gets more
fish.
It is only offered as an example, please do not consider this diet
adequate for your own dog. The goal of raw feeding is to match Mother Nature's original design.
We try to follow total prey model feeding and do not believe in supplementing artificially and feel it should be considered a last resort. Of course not everyone can get their paws on entire animal carcasses, so in some cases, supplementing is necessary. BE CAREFUL - oversupplementing can be very, very dangerous, in fact, more dangerous than under supplementing. In our view, ALL vitamins and minerals can be found from natural food sources, foods that are part of a properly served and prepared NATURAL RAW DIET. We don't believe in over-the-counter prepared raw diets either. How difficult can it be to open your fridge, and pull out some meat??
Here's a great link for anyone considering switching to raw feeding.
This site should answer many of your questions.
RAW LEARNING
Please READ the BOOKS before switching to RAW diets- Please DON"T experiment with your beloved dog and LEARN what the daily nutrional requirements are for your dog!
Your own raw menu will depend on climate, size of dog, breed, level of activity or if
pregnant bitch or growing puppy.
Also, please be aware that there are many different factions of raw feeders out there.
There are raw feeders that believe in adding dairy and vegetable matter, there are those, (like myself) who strive to emulate a pure raw canine diet the way Mother Nature intended. Personally I stay away from pre-made raw totally. Good in a pinch, but totally un-necessary as a daily plan and expensive.
BOOKS ON RAW- Recommended Reading
(in order of my own preference)
Raw Meaty Bones Promote Health (P)
by Tom Lonsdale
Work Wonders: Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty Bones
by Tom Lonsdale
Books On Raw: Raw Dog Food
by Carina Beth Macdonald
Shock to the System:
The Facts About Animal Vaccination, Pet Food And How to Keep Your Pets Healthy
by Catherine M. O'Driscoll
Books On Raw: Dr. Ian Billinghurst
Give Your Dog a Bone
Books On Raw: Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats
by Kymythy Schultze
==============================================
RAW FEEDING LINKS
==============================================
Also here are some EXCELLENT raw food e-groups which focus on raw feeding the way Mother Nature intended it to be:
RaW Meaty Bones
http://www.rawmeatybones.com
Rawfeeding
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding
Natrual Raw Dog
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturalrawdog
Also we have an online links database with more links to other raw sites.
(If YOU have a website or dogster page, please feel free to add it as well)
Go to: Merlin's Links