If you are going to have the very best, feed them the very best.
Many breeders are
switching to the raw food diet, also known as the BARF (Bones
And Raw
Food or Biologically
Appropriate Raw
Food) diet by Dr. Ian Billinghurst
(Australia. Dr.
Billinghurst's e-mail - ian@drianbillinghurst.com.
Dr. Billinghurst advocates feeding this diet for maximum health benefits. This
diet does NOT consist of cooked food products. We
feed our dogs a raw food diet. We started adding various types of raw foods
and oils to their kibble dog food, years ago. After attending a Dr. Ian Billinghurst
seminar back about 5-6 years ago, we really considered raw the route to go.
However, it took my husband a bit of convincing to feed completely raw. We switched
over completely in 2001. The dogs love it and their coats are fabulous. If one
of the dog's is offered kibble dog food now, he will take his bowl and knock
it across the floor. It is almost as if he is saying, "Are you really trying
to feed me that #@%& again, I don't think so".
As well as feeding our adults a raw food diet, we have been weaning our puppies onto a raw food diet for sevral years. A puppy can only be grown once. Their hearts, lungs, muscles and bones need the best possible vitamins, minerals and nutrients in order to develop properly. So we feed them raw food from the start. It is amazing to see how young puppies can tell the difference between a healthy raw diet and a processed kibble diet. They always prefer the raw and gobble it up fast. Unfortunately, the puppies that are going to homes that will not be feeding raw, we have had to switch to kibble before they go home. They really do not eat with as much enuthiasm and vigor as with the raw diet.
The raw diet should consist of a variety of raw items (different meats, fruits, vegetables and bones). Raising Dalmatians on a raw diet can be a bit tricky to get the right balance in order to make sure they maintain enough body fat but do not develop stones.
Many dog owners have food
feeding a raw diet has helped their dog's (Dalmatians and non-Dalmatians alike)
arthritis, allergies and reduced their incidence of seizures if they were a
seizuring animal. Overall most raw feeders see an improvement in attitude and
energy level.
Give Your Dog A Bone (1993) - Dr. Ian Billinghurst
Grow Your Pups With Bones (1998) - Dr. Ian Billinghurst
The Barf Diet (2001) - Dr. Ian Billinghurst
K9 Kitchen Your Dog's Diet: The Truth Behind The Hype - Monica Segal
Raw Meaty Bones - Dr. Tom Lonsdale VetMed MRCVS
Switching to Raw - By Susan K. Johnson (Birchrun5@aol.com). Price per book - $13.95. Shipping & handling in U.S. - $5.00 for first book, $1.50 each additional book. Add 7.25% sales tax for Texas residents. Send check or money order, payable in U.S. funds to: Susan K. Johnson - Birchrun Basics, P.O. Box 215, Lavon, TX 75166
The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog - Wendy Volhard and Kerry Brown, DVM.
The Ultimate Diet: Natural Nutrition for Dogs & Cats - Kymythy Schultze, A.H.I.
The Nature of Animal Healing - Martin Goldstein, D.V.M.
Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats - Dr. Richard M. Pitcairn
Home Prepared Dog & Cat Diets - Strombeck, DonaldSeminar with Dr Billinghurst lecture notes
Dr. Ian Billinghurst website - Info. about the doctor, his books, seminars, etc.
BARF Email Lists
Yahoo BARF Lists
BARF FAQ
BARF Dog Directory
B-Natural - Lew Olson's website for information on holistic, natural supplements for dogs and cats.
Willowglen - Information and Sources on the Bones and Raw Foods Diet and other healthy stuff for pets.
If you decide to try this diet it is highly recommended that you purchase several books on raw diets, join several email lists or work closely with someone else who is a raw food feeder. Many of the foods or supplements need to be used in conjunction with each other to ensure proper utilization and the health of your dog.
Various resources for books
Dogwise or call 1-800-776-2665
Naturally Pet - Holistic Pet Care Products & Information
The List of Foods Suitable For Feeding Normal Healthy Dogs
Animal Products
- Raw meaty bones from chicken, lamb beef rabbit, pork
- Muscle Meat from chicken, lamb, beef, pork
- Organ Meat - liver, kidneys, brain, heart, gizzards (Organ meats not recommended for Dalmatians)
- Eggs, especially the yolk
- Cheese & cottage cheese, yogurt, kefir, goat's milk
- Seafoods - any fatty fish, herring, salmon, sardines, etc.
Plant Products
- Fresh, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, outer leaves of lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, etc.
- Corn, sweet potatoes (the yellow ones), pumpkin, squash, etc.
- Mushrooms Root vegetables, potatoes, carrots, etc.
- Fresh and dried fruits (any of them)
- Legumes - peas and beans, baked beans, etc.
- Whole grains including brown rice and oat flakes, wheat germ, wheat bran wheatmeal bread.
Miscellaneous
- Brewer's Yeast (Not recommended for Dalmatians)
- kelp powder or tablets
- molasses
Oils
- Cod liver oil, corn oil, soybean oil, wheat germ oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil , peanut oil
Note: Because of vitamin E's (e.g. for a 25 kg dog. give 3 to 4 ml daily) role in keeping fats in the body from going rancid, it is absolutely essential that it should be added as a supplement whenever you add polyunsaturated fats such as cod liver oil or flax seed oil to the diet.
Permission granted to post info. by Ian Billinghurst
Very Healthy Patties For Your Dogs
Note.....totally.....RAW
(c) Ian Billinghurst
These patties were devised when one of Dr. Billinghurst's dogs would not eat vegetables.
- Patties can be fed at night
- Feed the raw meaty bones in morning
- Feed your dog Cod Liver Oil every day, e.g., for a 25 kg. dog, give 3 to 4 ml daily
To make one kilogram or two pounds of basic patty mixture Take at least a half a kilogram or one pound of vegetable pulp (RAW CRUSHED vegetables)
Vegetables such as carrots, celery, spinach broccoli, etc. (Check out the purine content for appropriate veggies for dals). Use whatever fruit is in season or whatever you can get your hands on mangoes, bananas, etc.
The other half consists of a kilogram or two pounds or less of lean mince (beef, chicken, lamb, pork)
To which we add such things as:
Yogurt (low fat and plain) - Half a tub Eggs (Preferably free range - feed raw) - About 3 Flax Seed Oil - 2 or 3 dessert spoons Liver (Raw) - (Not recommended for Dalmatians) Garlic - 2 or 3 cloves Kelp Powder - Up to 4 teaspoons B Vitamins - A teaspoon C Vitamins - A mega dose (See chapter five in Give Your Dog A Bone)
Note: Any dosage of vitamin C should be very closely monitored for dals.
You may add other healthy food scraps in small amounts:
- Cooked veggies
- Rice
- Cottage cheese
These should make up no more than 25% of the total patty mixture.
Purine-Yielding Foods
4 week old puppies enjoying raw knuckle bones and a drumstick
For more information on Yogurt/Kefir, etc. Please see our Tips From Breeders section on the Breeding page of our site.
If you are only going to feed a commercial diet, one with 22% protein or less is preferable for a Dalmatian. Use one like California Nautral or something with the least amount of ingredients.
Vitamins & Minerals
Vitamins and Minerals can be fat-soluble or water-soluble. Fat soluble vitamins can be absorbed only in fat and are stored in the body. Fat soluble vitamins include A, D, E, and K. Water soluble vitamins include B-complex, C, biotin and folic acid, niacin, and pantothenic acid and choline.Search the USDA Nutrient Database
Nutrients
Foods TOXIC To DogsOnions (any kind - fried, breaded, etc.)
Chocolate
Moldy Cheese - Can cause allergic reactions.
Potato Skins - Eating the green buds or any green part on a potato.
Apple Seeds
Cherry Pits
RhubarbLarge amounts of Garlic may also be toxic, as it is derived from the onion family.
Chocolate can be toxic for dogs
The following information is taken from: Kirk and Bistner's Handbook of Veterinary Procedures and Emergency Treatment (6th edition) (a very useful book):
The active ingredient in chocolate is theobromine:
The half life in the dog is 17.5 hours
The Toxic dose in the dog is 100-150 mg/kg
The concentration of theobromine varies with the formulation of the chocolate so:
Milk chocolate has 44mg/oz (154mg/100gm): toxic dose for 60 lb dog - 60 oz of milk chocolate.
Semisweet chocolate has 150 mg/oz (528mg/100gm): toxic dose for 60 lb dog - 18 oz of semisweet chocolate
Baking chocolate 390mg/oz (1365 mg/100gm): toxic dose for 60 lb dog - 6 oz of baking chocolate
Thus a dog eating one oz of baking chocolate would have to eat almost 3 oz of semisweet or 10 oz of milk chocolate to get the same dose of theobromine.
The theobromine in sweets consisting of chocolate that is coated over some other substance - as in filled sweets , will be more dilute than that in pure chocolate bars and solid chocolate sweets.Obviously the chocolate in milk chocolate is quite dilute and this is why many dogs can eat a piece here and there and seem not to show toxic effects - after all, how many dogs would get ahold of 50 oz at a time? This is not true of the more concentrated forms however. Dr Sue Bank's experience was that she had two dogs, a 95 pound one and a 60 pound one. They got ahold of 2 one pound bags of Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate pieces (a bag each). The 95 pound dog survived but the 60 pound dog ingested a toxic dose.
The problem with feeding a dog milk chocolate as a treat is that it develops a liking for chocolate and since dogs do not seem to be as sensitive to bitter tastes as humans - it may then eat the more concentrated, and thus quite toxic, baker's chocolate if it gets a chance or it will consume a toxic amount of milk or semi-sweet chocolate if it can get into a improperly stored supply.
Treatment which is best administered by someone with medical training follows the same strategy as treatment for caffine overdose:
Support Respiration
Support cardiovascular function, control arrhythmias, control electrolytes and acid-base balance.
Control CNS excitation.
Emesis
Gastric lavage
Cathartic
Activated charcoal
Administration of an activated charcoal slurry is a major component of the treatment and needs to be administered by a verterinarian - it is not a home treatment.This article by Bonnie Dalzell, MA is dedicated to the memory of her friend Sue Bank's Borzoi, Windhound's Jai Java
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