In This Issue:
- New Dawgs
- Raw Food
- Kelly
- Dawg Blawg Ideas
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In each newsletter we like to welcome our NEW DAWGS to the pack…. here we go! A big WOOF to: LEXIE (Spaniel mix), BAILEY (Shar Pei / Australian Shepherd mx) , BRAEDEN (Foxhound / Dane mix), QUINCY (Pointer mix), PEARL (mix), CROGA (Shepherd mix), MIDNIGHT (Lab / Retriever mix), MOMO (Standard Poodle), REMY (Spaniel mix), SHINO (English Springer Spaniel), BAILEY (Boxer), HAILEY (Jack Russell Terrier), PALOMA (Aussie mix), and LIZZIE LOU (Terrier mix). Thanks for joining up!
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Have you ever wondered what’s in your dog’s food? Dry, processed dog food has most of the basic ingredients dawgs need for a healthy diet, but there is a significant movement toward a RAW FOOD DIET that we’d like to explore a little in this post.
Why consider switching to a raw food diet? Here’s a good starter list from one of the best raw food sites:
A raw diet provides a range of benefits that commercial dog diets can never hope to even closely match.
These benefits include:
- no doggy odour
- naturally cleans teeth – no need for toothbrushes, de-scaling jobs, or gum disease
- the time it takes for a dog to chew a raw meaty bones give their stomach adequate time to get the acids moving
- much less stools produced – and they are firm, and turn chalky after a couple of days
- decreased or non-existant vet bills (your dogs are healthier!)
- less cost for dog food – commercial dog foods are ludicriously expensive
- mirrors what a dog would be getting in the wild – and certainly even the modern day dog has a digestive tract exactly the same as a wolf
- puppies develop at a more appropriate rate – and quick growth spurts are avoided. A GOOD breeder will want to stop fast growth in any pup.
- the ripping and chewing involved in eating raw meaty bones develops the jaw, neck, and shoulder muscles of the dog. Commercial dog foods will never assist in this important muscle development.
Good, right? The raw food diet is most commonly referred to as a BARF diet (really!), which stood originally for Bones and Raw Food (coined by it’s creator Australian veterinarian Ian Billinghurst), then it sort of morphed into Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, but most people just call it raw diet now.
Check out Dr. Billinghurst’s site here: http://www.barfworld.com/index.shtml
So what exactly IS a raw food diet? What’s in it? Here’s a good description of ingredients that also outlines the basic philosophy behind raw food:
You feed it the diet that it evolved to eat. … Artificial grain based dog foods cause innumerable health problems. They are not what your dog was programmed to eat during its long process of evolution. A biologically appropriate diet for a dog is one that consists of raw whole foods similar to those eaten by the dogs’ wild ancestors. The food fed must contain the same balance and type of ingredients as consumed by those wild ancestors. This food will include such things as muscle meat, bone, fat, organ meat and vegetable materials and any other foods that will mimic what was those wild ancestors ate.
Most people who switch their dawgs to a raw food diet report dramatic improvements in health, coat, and even temperament. Most also report a lot fewer vet visits, fewer allergy symptoms, and even better breath!
Of course, making the switch takes a little research and work, as you find the right recipes, ingredients and suppliers, and make room in your fridge or freezer for storing the prepared meals. But these things become routine soon enough.
There are lots of options, too: several companies provide prepared raw diet meals and raw diet food elements like proteins for purchase, so that can take some of the work out of it – you don’t have to do it all yourself!
Here are some good sample raw diets from scratch:
http://www.doggiesparadise.com/rawdiet.shtml
http://www.goodpet.com/library/recipes.html
http://www.rawfoodlife.com/Raw_Pets/Raw_Pet_Recipes/raw_pet_recipes.htm
Here’s an example of pre-prepared raw diets:
http://www.naturesvariety.com/raw_info
And some good general resources on raw food diets:
http://www.medicinenet.com/pets/dog-health/dietary_concerns_benefits_and_risks_or_raw_dog_food.htm
http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-nutrition/raw-food-diets.aspx
We were inspired to do a little research on this topic because we have several clients who are preparing the raw food diet for their dawgs, including Guinness and Emma, Harley, and most recently, Raleigh made the switch.
This would be a great place to start a discussion! Let’s hear from you about the raw food diet!
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Kelly
We recently lost a dear old pal. KELLY was profiled in our Spring 2009 newsletter when he was diagnosed with cancer. Kelly’s mom continued to work with vets as Kelly’s cancer came and went, and finally reappeared as a large mass inside his sinus. With no real hope for a surgical solution or easy recovery, Kelly went to the big squirrel chase peacefully. We will miss you very much, big guy.
http://dawghousedogdaycare.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/dawg-house-spring-2009-newsletter/
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Got any good ideas for the Dawg Blawg? Send em in!
We could use a few ideas for articles, topics, rants, and other good stuff for our Dawg Blawg, so send em in! Want to do an editorial? Share a funny dawg picture? Want us to cover a particluar daycare, health, training or behavior topic? Let us know and we’ll get right on it!
Send em to: contact@dawghouse.biz
thanks!
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Happy Valentine’s Day from all us Dawgs!
http://kitschy-koo.blogspot.com/2007/02/weiner-dog-valentines.html
The 
That doesn’t mean they might not get it, eventually, so normal precautions should be taken if you have any sort of illness in your home. Viruses compromise immune systems in all living organisms, so you want to be careful when sypmtoms arise in you or your pets. Many of the sites we visited for research on this topic recommend that at home you should be washing your hands, covering your face when you sneeze and cough, and if you are ill, you should try to keep your pets from sleeping in your room or on your bed (if that’s possible!)
Each year we try to outline some of the holiday-related toxins that dawgs should stay away from. It’s tempting to give our pets lots of treats (especially when we’re getting so many!), but the fact is, certain people foods (and other holiday items) can be hazardous to their health! 
Dawg House Boarding
Dawg House is Moving! After almost five years in our original building, Dawg House is moving to new digs. Don’t worry – we’re not going far – just a few blocks north of our present location.
Raleigh and his little brother Bo both passed their AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Test this month! Awesome! 
Humane Society of Southern Arizona Event! 
