Sometimes I really do wish I had forethought to take "before" pictures but the thought usually doesn't occur till the "after" happens and there ain't no going back. ... This might be an exception though, but I may have to be descriptive to make up for it. You've been warned.
Elvis is huge. We know this. He's averaged around 130 pounds since adulthood, and you know what? That's a lot of dog! Over the course of 7+ years with me, his diet has evolved right along with my knowledge of dog food. We didn't come from "Ol' Roy" beginnings.... hmm, thinking back that far, I'd say that Iam's was his food to begin with. Then we migrated over to Taste Of The Wild about 4 years ago. Then came TOTW mixed with cooked chicken & vegies which we've done for about a year. And now we're partly raw. Still a bit of TOTW, but more pressure-cooked chicken, fresh herbs & steamed vegies/fruits and raw red meats.
You've no doubt seen humongous doggie poops at some point in your life. Elvis's were huge. Huge! When we changed over to Taste Of The Wild (TOTW) his poop size reduced by a good 1/3 or a bit more. A significant change... because I noticed, right? I expected it, so it wasn't like a huge surprise... more like a really nice perk.
Then Elvis became a diabetic and soon after I got bit with a "feed him really healthy" bug. I buy chicken quarters and pressure cook them bones and all along with fresh carrots and a sweet potato. Vegies, fruits & herbs are steamed to preserve their nutrients & fibrous qualities. Organ meats are always cooked....'cause the doggies just don't dig it raw. Doggies tastes differ, just like humans.
Once we made the "almost completely home cooked food" switch, the fecal size has gone down yet again! Elvis's body is using more of what he's given. From mini-pachyderm sized poops down to very acceptable sized doggie poops of firm, well formed consistency. Yep, I'd guess that his waste has been reduced by HALF of what it was when he was on commercial dog food alone.
Half. ..... That's a significant change!
Coat texture is amazingly improved and shedding has been greatly reduced. Granted, I do feed my kids herbal additives. I add dried catnip and either "Tranquility" or "Seaweed & Rosehips" dried Hilton Herbs to their food at preparation time .... not added during the cooking process. Home grown herbs that are added during cooking include: mint, rosemary, sage, curled parsley, bee or lemon balm, dandelion leaves and (when it blooms) we'll add chamomile.
More on Home Cooked Food
Being a cost conscious human.... I have always had this mistaken belief that making your own dog food could not possibly be anymore cost effective than buying a bag of kibble every few weeks. Ha! I was oh-so wrong! I used to purchase a $45 bag of food every 2 weeks when we were on kibble alone. That's $90/month in kibble alone for 3 dogs. So, that roughly amounts to $20/week in food. There's no way I can purchase $20 in fresh foods.... it doesn't even come close! My average fresh food cost per week is roughly $10 to $15. Here's what I typically get: A HUGE bag of chicken quarters for $5... that lasts a full week easily as I only pressure cook 3-4 quarters per cooking session. Then there's ground pork, beef, lamb, turkey, chicken, etc.. One or two trays of those per week along with a container of livers. Frozen vegies are inexpensive and easy to store if you have the space. 1 or 2 sweet potatoes, apples, pears and a couple heads of broccoli (the good parts for us humans.... the cast off's get saved & cooked for the doggies). Inexpensive makings and easy to fix and a considerable amount less than the kibble.... plus you know where it came from.
So, every 5 days or so my kitchen goes doggie for a couple hours:
Pressure cook: 3-4 chicken quarters + 1 medium sweet potato (chopped), garlic, organ meats (chopped), salmon skins (cut up - if I have 'em) and anything else that needs more than steaming. I pressure cook for 2+ hours. Cool. If the chicken bones do not easy break with a spoon, cook for another 30 minutes or so. Cool.
Steam: vegies and herbs. Corn is a carbohydrate... do not use. Steam till tender. Cool.
** I save the tinted water to add to their food that night (full of nutrients).
Optional: Bake: organ meats. Just different texture than pressure cooking and possibly tastier. I sprinkle garlic powder on 'em prior to baking. Bake 350 till cooked through (about 20-30 minutes). Cool.
Raw: 1 package any ground meat. Egg - optional. If you're not using fresh herbs, this is where you add DRIED herbs**.
Combine everything and refrigerate. I use a large 2 quart Tupperware-type plastic container.
How much to feed? If a human tummy is the size of a loosely closed fist, relate that analogy to your dog. It's less than you think, especially compared to kibble. But, do monitor your dogs' weight till you find the appropriate amount to feed. Elvis either has to go to the vet to be weighed, or with his thin coat I monitor by body feel. If I have doubts/questions I get a weight. This is especially important with his diabetes. If his weight changes, his insulin dose changes.
** Fresh vs Dried Herbs
Fresh herbs have significant more potency than their dried counterparts. Adding dried herbs to the dogs food after cooking preserves their nutrients.
Fresh herbs worth adding to your garden for yourself and your dog include: mint, catnip, rosemary, parsley, chamomile, sage. All are relatively easy to grow and provide a valuable resource to your dogs overall health... and your own.
Dandelion leaves are edible for both humans and dogs... it just doesn't please me to eat something I pick out of my lawn. I use a hand full of dandelion leaves for every cooking for the doggies.
Catnip & mint (both in the mint family) make great ground covers.... meaning they can be invasive. Both grow well in container gardens to prevent spreading. Catnip was historically used to treat colic in babies. It's a great tummy tamer and I use a healthy dose both fresh and dried in the dogs food. I even recommend eating a fresh leaf or two when your own tummy is upset. It works better than Tums. Catnip is easy to get at any garden center and some pet stores.
My chamomile is young and not yet in flower. The flowers are what we put in the dogs food, or dry and make teas for ourselves, or the dogs. I am told it is a serious calmer for reactive dogs. I will be giving this a try and will report.
Speaking of trying new things: I have been using Hilton Herbs for well over a month now. Herbs (of any preparation) take about a month to begin producing results. In our "fix it now!" society, this can be a challenge. But if you want to go drug free and see lasting results, you must be patient, Grasshopper. Here's my results on Hilton's Herbs thus far:
All three dogs show positive coat change. Nestle shows the most change. He had frizzy, dry hair that would not grow. He looked more like a wire haired Dox than a long haired in some respects. His coat was thin and nearly bald in places and his skin was very dry, tender and itchy. Again, wishing for that coveted "before" picture. Now his coat is thick, curly, luxurious, growing longer and the bald spots are filling in. His skin is soft with no dryness, flakes or itchies. Because his coat is no longer dry and brittle which visually looks much lighter in colour, his coat now appears much darker and richer in colour.
Jazz's coat is simply thicker, richer and amazingly softer. She had no coat issues going in like Nestle did. Shedding is much reduced. She is my only double coated dog.
Elvis's coat is also thicker, richer, softer. All three shed less. They still shed.... it's just less. Less is good. Elvis had a couple nasty bald spots going in. One is filled in completely with new hair, the other is still in the slow process of improvement. Being diabetic and having healing issues, this does not surprise or alarm me. His "licking" is much reduced, thus less tongue stained fur or resulting irritations that took forever to heal.
To date the dogs have been receiving the "Tranquility" or "Rose Hips & Sea Weed" Hilton Herbs. Jazz takes CDRM solution drops for her degenerating hip. Results thus far with her hip? A LOT less favoring. She would typically carry that leg when descending stairs. Now, I notice her do that "rarely" and only briefly when she does. Her bolts of racing around the yard at high speed have dramatically increased suggesting less discomfort.
I am deeply impressed with the results thus far in going (mostly) raw with the doggies diet and the addition of herbs. Less poop is only the tip of the ice burg in the perks one can look forward to when making these simple diet changes.... it's just happens to be the most immediate perk.
Less crap is good.
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