Winter Play

Rupert got to see his first real snow fall this year, as last year we had but a dusting. Watching him rump in the snow was hysterical as he did the bunny hop from it being a foot deep.
This got me thinking about pets that are not as lucky as he is in the amount of mobility he has. Many dogs suffer from arthritis or forms of joint pain. It can make getting up hard, going to the bathroom painful, or even the cold can cause pain from stiffness.

Why Feed Raw?

Why feed raw when you can scoop and go? In a society that barely cooks food for their families it is no wonder people shy away from raw feeding their pets. With Vets pushing prescription diets, the commercials on TV with their marketing dollars, and people believing there is no way they could balance their pet's food through a raw diet would be one of the reasons kibble is in most homes. Through the years as I have talked to people about raw feeding I can remember the look on their faces as I started the conversation, but I also remember the look when they had the light bulb go off. That moment that they get it, it truly is priceless!

Rupert's April Menu

Rupert gets a variety of foods every month to make sure he gets all his nutrients from his food. This month's menu is a mix between grinds and raw meaty bone pieces. His supplements will stay the same as last month. His meats are from Hare Today and from Whole foods when we go and stock our freezer from there this month.










Grinds:
Whole Rabbit including Fur
Green Tripe

Meats:
Beef Trim
Turkey Hearts
Chicken Gizzards

Meaty Bones:
Rabbit Pieces

Organs:
Chicken Liver
Beef Kidney
Beef Organ Blend

Bones-Edible:
Chicken Necks

Snacks:
Chicken Feet (Glucosamine)
Thread Herring (Omega Source and Glucosamine)

Greens:
Romaine Lettuce Hearts
Green Beans
Zucchini
Dandelion Greens
Green Peas

Supplements Petwellness Blends:
Omega 3 Gold
Canine Joint Works

Get them here Petwellness Blends

Rupert's March Menu

                                                      
Rupert gets a wide variety of meat proteins, organs, and greens.
This month's menu comes from Hare Today and Whole Foods.
Since I decided to feed a few days of each package then move on to the next it made prep much easier as all I needed to do was split up the organs in the amounts he needed per day.

Breakfast For Rupert

This morning's menu is stew meat, chicken necks, chicken liver, beef kidney, turkey hearts, organic unrefined coconut oil, Canine Joint Works, Omega 3 gold, GLM, romaine hearts, celery leaves, dandelion leaves. The supplements are from Pet Wellness Blends

No More Bugs On Me!!

Here we are in the south with winter, or lack there of coming to an end. What most do not think about is the bugs that are about to follow come spring, or for us here very soon since our temperatures and dampness is a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and fleas. A lot of times people do not think about the pest until it is to late and they already have an infestation. Usually they reach for some chemical to kill them, but from what I have seen those chemicals are not only harmful they just do not work. Our pets suffer the most because we have bought into the hype of you must have flea protection and heartworm protection or you are a bad pet parent.
Go to any vet office and you will see the little display they have of the heart with the worms crawling through it. Almost like a horror movie on display. How could you not buy into such a visual? Yes I know heartworms can be a scary thing, but only because we are blindly led to believe this.

Supplements For Rupert's Raw Food!

What you do not see is the supplements I add to his food. I change his supplements up each month so he gets a great rotation of healthy add-ins to his raw food. Rupert gets  Canine Joint Works and Omega-3 Gold, both are from Pet Wellness Blends and also Organic Raw Coconut Oil from Whole Foods.

Every few days he gets a raw organic egg mixed in and also some raw kefir depending if I have not drank all of it!. He also enjoys yogurt with me in the mornings. Whole Foods, Whole Supplements, Raw Foods, and Meaty Bones, for a happy healthy Rupert.

Here is a link (Pet Wellness Blends) to all of the Pet Wellness Blend products for Dogs, Cats, or Horses.









 

All Cut-Up and Ready- Part 2

All the meats have now been cut up and all the bones have been weighted and sorted. The bones I prepackaged so they are ready to pull out with each meal I am serving for that day. I weighed out my organ mixture and froze that ahead of time as well. Ground meats were weighed and frozen as well so they could be added to the containers.This way I had bones and organs already to go. Once I weigh out my meat I will then add in the portioned organ to that container. Once you get a system down it will be easy. The prep work that you see in these videos gave me 26 days of food and treats. The Thread Herring and the Trachea will be used as treats and supplements.

Setting Up To Portion It All Out!

Things you will need to get ready before cutting up your meats and getting them ready for the freezer.
Also there are a few great places if you have limited access to source from. I will post links to the 2 that I am using.
Baggies/Containers-Labels/Markers-Digital Scale-Sharp Knifes-Calculator-Paper with amounts written down and % of the bones you are using.

Rupert's Raw Feeding This Month-January 2017

Rupert is now 6 mos old and moving from grinds to raw pieces and parts. After sourcing from a few places we are ready to portion out his foods and get them ready for a month worth of feeding.

He is currently eating 32oz. of Raw Food per day. This is his breakdown
Meat 80%=25.6 oz.
Bone 10%= 3.2 oz.
Liver 5%= 1.6 oz
Organ 5%= 1.6 oz.

Bones this month will breakdown as follows:
Chicken Backs 44% Bone
Duck Necks 50% Bone
Turkey Necks 42% Bone
Duck Frames 75% Bone
Turkey Backs w/skin 41% Bone

Meats this month are:
Port Chops-Pork Cushion-Boneless Turkey Thighs-Bottom Round Roast-Beef Heart-Beef Lung-Ground Beef-Trachea-Beef Cheeks-Green Trip Chunks

Organs are a mix of:
Liver-Turkey Hearts-Pancreas-Beef Kidney

I weigh each bone and figure out the % of Meat and Bone, then take the meat content and add to his meaty pieces to give me his 25.6 oz of meat. Also if one is a little more that is fine. With Adult dogs you can balance over a few days, with a puppy you just need to be close. Also adjust bone amounts according to your dog's stool.