Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Water: An Essential Nutrient

By Jocelynn Jacobs, DVM

As owners of performance dogs, we know how important nutrition can be for both health and performance. We take time evaluating pet food labels, talking about nutrition with other competitors, and seeing how well our dogs actually do on various foods. However, there is one nutrient that dog food alone can’t supply enough of—water!

Monday, June 10, 2013

Beginners Guide To Feeding A Raw Diet

Feeding your dog a meat-based diet has never been easier. NUTRITION or a machine to work properly, it requires the manufacturer's recommended fuel, lubrication, and maintenance. The same is true for our dogs (and ourselves). In the wild, every creature will find and choose the foods most suitable for its evolutionary development. Our dogs evolved to eat - mostly - other animals. Their strong jaws were designed to crush bones, and their sharp teeth to tear raw meat. So say the innovators who developed so-called " BARF " diets for dogs. BARF is an acronym that stands for either Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, or Bones And Raw Food; the terms are used interchangeably. There are thousands of dog guardians who feed their dogs homemade BARF -based diets, buying all the ingredients and preparing their dogs' meals from scratch. People who utilize home-prepared diets are happy to discuss the many benefits of this feeding method for their dogs, including clean, tartar-free teeth; fresh breath; strong bones, muscles, and joints; a glossy coat; a healthy amount of energy and a balanced temperament;and overall vibrant good health. For all the people who have made the leap to a homemade, meat-based diet for their dogs, however, there are many more who would like to make the change, but who are intimidated by the challenge of "getting it just right." Some are afraid of failing to present their dogs with a balanced array of nutrients; others fear bacterial contamination from handling raw meats.

Schnauzers Of Taylor is in the process of feeding a parital raw diet to our adults. They love RMB (raw meaty bones). We feed morning meals of chicken necks or backs and in the afternoon a muscles meat or fish with organ meat. More info to follow.

http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm