Healthy Natural Dog Food - Grant Your Dog A Longer Life

Healthy Natural Dog Food – Grant Your Dog A Longer Life

Healthy Natural Dog Food – Grant Your Dog A Longer Life

A few years ago, we changed our two dogs' diet from Kibbles to home-cooked and then raw food. This healthy natural dog food prolonged our older dog's life by a few years. She passed away at the age of about 17. She was a rescue, and we did not know her exact age.

Cloe, our younger dog, has been on this healthy natural dog food diet for almost all her life. She is 12 now, still full of energy and very beneficial. She does not need antibiotics or any other medications. In the next paragraphs are some ideas for ingredients and recipes for the healthy natural dog food we are using for our dog and, very recently, our cat.

Update: Cloe passed away at 13 years old. She was active and energetic until only a few days before she left us.

I feel that natural food is good for humans and our four-legged friends. There are no illnesses like cancer, inflammation or stomach bloats in nature, and you don't find any obese wild animals.

Rideau And Cloe sleeping
Rideau and Cloe sleeping beside my chair in the office. Cloe has been on natural dog food almost all her life.
Rosie Silky/Cairn Terrier Mix
Rosie, our older dog

Sadie, our new family addition, is now 4 1/2 months old. She is a Bernedoodle. We have had her on this healthy diet since joining our family.

Princess, our neighbour's puppy is on the same recipe as Sadie. They both love the food.

Update: Princess and Sadie are now almost 9 months old and love playing with each other. They both thoroughly enjoy our homemade raw dog food.

Variety Is Very Important In Healthy Natural Dog Food

It doesn't have to be variety every day. However, they should get the following over two to four weeks.

Cloe Westie/Bichon Frise Terrier Mix
Cloe, our 12-year-old dog

Our Healthy Natural Dog Food Contains The Following Ingredients:

Meat 50% Of Your Dog's Body Weight

Preferred meats are chicken, turkey, goat, rabbit, sheep, lamb, camel, kangaroo and venison.

Beef, bison and buffalo are not recommended because they contain too much acid, which causes inflammation. The dogs are not doing well on these large animal meats.

In nature, they do not hunt large animals. They kill and eat the small ones.

Cloe, our 12 year old dog
Cloe our Bichon-Westie terrier mix

Bone 20-25%

Our dog, approx 16 lbs, gets mainly lamb bones from the local farmer's market. We purchase a bag of them at a low price and freeze them. Cloe gets a defrosted bone when I am outside doing garden work. She loves them. You can also feed your dog goat bones.

Large bones with marrow are not good for them. They are too hard and may damage your dog's teeth. Chicken bones or whole chicken wings are good for them, too, as long as they are raw. We add crushed chicken bones to their food.

Remember: Keep an eye on your dog while eating bones, to make sure he or she does not choke on them.

Please do not feed your dog cooked chicken bones. They splinter easily and get stuck in their intestines.

Healthy Natural Dog Food Should Contain Approx. 15-25% Vegetables

Cloe sitting on hard flooring
Cloe, our 12-year-old dog

Vegetables should be raw, except for squash, yams and pumpkin, which have to be steamed or cooked. The ideal is

  • 50% leafy greens, like dandelion leaves, lettuce, spinach, arugula, beet or carrot tops, basil, parsley, cilantro, mint, sprouted seeds
  • and 50% sweet vegetables, for example, zucchini, celery, green beans, green peas, red beets, yams, squash and pumpkin.

They have to be finely ground or puréed. In nature, dogs eat predigested veggies. Vegetables like squash, yams, and pumpkin have to be cooked.

Do not feed your canine the following:

  • Nightshade plants, like potatoes, tomatoes (greens are highly toxic), peppers and eggplant
  • Onions, avocado, carrots, and cruciferous, like broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower, are very heavy to digest.

You can include 5% fruit or less in their diet. Feed only local and organic fruit.

Note: You should feed fruit 1 hour before feeding meat because it takes a lot less time to digest and will cause bloating if fed with meat or after a meal. This is the same for humans.

  • The following fruit is good for dogs: apples, pears, melons, watermelon, bananas, blueberries, blackberries and cucumbers.
Sadie Sitting On Ottoman - November 6, 2021
Sadie, our 15-week old puppy sitting on the ottoman

Please do not feed your pooch

  • citrus fruit or pineapple because they are too acidic.
  • Grapes, raisins, currants and hedgerow berries are toxic for dogs.

Organs 5%

Good are heart, lung, tripe, small and large intestines. We feed them chicken hearts, which contain lots of taurin needed by the cat for heart health. They both love it.

Please note: Liver is not good for them because it contains too many toxins and vitamin A. So please do not feed them the very popular liver treats.

Our Own Healthy Natural Dog Food Recipe

Tiny cat eating healthy dog food out of a huge bowl
Our tiny cat is eating dog food out of the large bowl!

We make our food approximately every four to six weeks and freeze it in glass containers. We don't use plastic containers or bags because plastic is toxic and bad for the environment. We use organic vegetables and meat from a local farm whose animals are pasture-fed.

Below are two batches we made recently. Since we just changed our cat's food from cans to raw food, we wanted him to get used to the vegetables first. Therefore, we used fewer vegetables in our July batch. As you know, cats are a lot fussier in terms of food than dogs are.

July 25th: We put the following ingredients through the meat grinder:

  • 3.5 kg (7.5 lbs) rump roast
  • 2 kg (4.2 lbs) chicken thighs with bones and skin
  • 300 g (10 oz) mixed greens
  • approx. 300 g (10 oz) of baby spinach
  • 1 small zucchini
  • basil and mint from our garden
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 6 whole eggs
  • 1 butternut squash cooked and mashed

August 29th: This time, we put the following ingredients into our healthy natural dog food and put it through the meat grinder:

  • 2.4 kg (5.2 lbs) of rump roast
  • 1.4 kg (3.0 lbs) lamb (both from our local farmer's market)
  • 5 kg (11 lbs) chicken thighs
  • 300 g (10 oz) field greens
  • 600 g (20 oz) baby spinach
  • 300 g (10 oz) baby arugula
  • 2 heads of iceberg lettuce
  • 2 bunches of kale
  • 450 g (16 oz) of brown mushrooms
  • 1 bunch of parsley
  • 12 eggs
  • Some celery
  • 1 butternut squash cooked from frozen and mashed

This time we had to make 2 batches since it was a lot more meat and vegetables. I think this food will last approximately 2 months. Both our pets, cat and dog, love it.

We will use less beef for our next batch and add other meats like goat, venison, turkey and maybe camel meat, duck, kangaroo, pheasant and goose. These meats are all available locally and are either organic or pasture-fed. They don't contain pesticides or antibiotics. I also want to add some organs like lungs, tripe, intestines and chicken hearts,

Sadie, our puppy at 12 weeks old
Sadie, our 12-week old puppy. She has been on our natural dog food ever since she arrived here.

Update: Our Latest Batch Of Healthy Natural Dog Food We Made On November 02, 2020:

  • 2.4 kg (5.2 lbs) chicken thighs (boneless and skinless from a local farm) (next time we have to make sure that bones and skin are in)
  • 834 g (2 lbs) chicken thighs (boneless and skinless, grain-fed and air-chilled from a store)
  • 1.35 kg (2.9 lbs) rabbit (whole with bones from a local farm)
  • 2.7 kg (5.8 lbs) venison (bottom round roast from a local farm)
  • 312 g (10 oz) baby spinach
  • 284 g (9 oz) baby arugula
  • 540 g (1.2 lbs) red dandelion (1 bunch)
  • 426 g (14 oz) field greens
  • 950 g (2 lbs) iceberg lettuce (1 1/2 heads)
  • 365 g (12 oz) kale (1 bunch)
  • 20 g mint
  • 119 g (3.5 oz) parsley (1 bunch)
  • 1.7 kg (3.7 lbs) red beets with tops (2 bunches)
  • 604 g (20 oz) celery
  • 12 eggs
  • 1 butternut squash cooked from frozen and mashed

We made two batches of this food, which will last us approximately 2 to 2 1/2 months.

Update: Our Latest Batch Of Healthy Natural Dog Food We Made On March 12, 2022:

  • TOTAL MEAT: 21 KG
  • Chicken (2 large whole): 4,3 kg
  • Chicken or turkey hearts (8 packs): 3.6 kg
  • Lamb (8 packs, ground, lean): 3.5 kg
  • Rabbit (2 whole): 3.1 kg
  • Turkey (8 packs, ground, lean): 3,2 kg
  • Veal (4 packs, ground, lean): 1.7 kg
  • Venison (4 packs, ground, lean): 1.6 kg
  • LEAFY GREENS (ORGANIC IF POSSIBLE)
  • Herbs – basil, dill, cilantro, mint, parsley, etc.: ~250g
  • Baby arugula: ~600g
  • Lettuce, mixed: 650g
  • Mixed baby greens: ~600g
  • Baby spinach: ~600g
  • Baby spring mix: 900g
  • SWEET VEGETABLES (ORGANIC IF POSSIBLE)
  • Celery stalks: 1-2 bunches (depending on the size)
  • Squash (butternut): 2 cubed and cooked
  • Turmeric: 8 roots (2 per batch)
  • Zucchini: 8 = 1,8 kg (2 per batch

We divide this mixture into 4 batches and freeze them in glass containers.

Note: We are making food for Princess, our neighbour's dog (10 lbs) and Sadie, our Bernedoodle (36 lbs). Sadie gets approx. 360 g of our food a day. We make double the quantities we used to make, which lasts about 6 weeks.

Dr. Peter Dobias's Supplements

We add Dr. Peter Dobias' vitamins, minerals, probiotics, and omega3 to each mixture serving. I highly recommend them. We have been using them for many years and our dog, now 12 years old, is very healthy. Please check out his website for more details. He also has a wealth of information about keeping your dog healthy.

SoulFood® – certified organic multivitamin for dogs

Certified organic, naturally fermented multi-vitamin and organ support. Gentle on the stomach, good for dogs from puppies to seniors.

Dr. Peter Dobias - SoulFood

 

GreenMin® – All Natural, CalciumRich Mineral Superfood

All-natural, plant-based mineral and amino-acid-rich superfood to refuel and energize your dog's body.

GutSense® – Probiotic for dogs

All-natural, non-dairy pre and probiotic formulated with canine-specific strains. Supports healthy digestion, bowel movement and immune system function.

FeelGood Omega® – Pure and Sustainable Omega-3 Oil

A pure, sustainable Omega-3 (EFA) calamari oil. Tested toxin and heavy metal-free.

Note: The cat also gets Taurin, which he needs for his heart health.

 

Princess, our neighbour's puppy
Princess, our neighbour's puppy, at 12 weeks old. She is on our natural dog food as well.

Conclusion

I am convinced that healthy natural dog food is much better for our carnivorous pets than kibbles.

Kibbles are sometimes stored for months and years. They contain lots of filler products and low-quality meats. Our pet population provides a place for recycling in the human food industries, i.e. grains that have failed inspection, un-inspected parts leftover from the seafood industry, restaurant grease, deceased farm animals, and animals that died along the road. Large pet food companies buy these products, process them at high temperatures and sell them to us for a lot of money.

Wouldn't you want to feed your beloved four-legged friends and family home-cooked or homemade healthy natural dog food instead of store-bought kibbles?

Our cat and dog sleeping on our bed.

Our 12-year-old dog has been on this healthy natural dog food diet almost all her life. She is full of energy and very beneficial. I highly recommend feeding your dog this raw diet.

Update: On September 27, 2021, we had to put our beloved dog Cloe to sleep. I guess it was her time to leave this world.

Update: On October 12, 2021, we got our 11-week bernedoodle puppy, Sadie. We started feeding her this diet from day one. She loves it.

We will feed her this natural dog food all her life. It will save a lot of money on vet visits and medication. I firmly believe in eating species-specific foods and loved writing this article.

I trust you enjoyed this Healthy Natural Dog Food article – Grant Your Dog A Longer Life. Please stay tuned for more blog posts to come shortly. Take care!

JeannetteZ

 

 

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Thoughts? Ideas? Questions? I would love to hear from you. Please leave me your questions, experience, and remarks about this article on Natural Healthy Dog Food – Grant Your Dog A Longer Life in the comments section below. You can also reach me by email at Jeannette@Close-To-Nature.org.

 

 

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2 Comments

  1. A very good description of healthy food for the Pooch.

    1. Thank you for your comment. Yes, we have been feeding our dogs this food for almost 10 years. Our 4-months-old puppy loves it.

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