A journey from kibble to fresh food

by Marina Chang

When my very first puppy arrived after a three-day road trip, I dashed out to see a little silver creature with a long thick neck resembling a hyena, but with a wolf-like, long, bushy tail, and salt and pepper coat. He looked around, stood for a minute, and crumpled into a little heap. Not quite four months old, he was severely dehydrated, ran a 105.8°F temperature, refused to drink, eat, or lift his head. Three days and $1,000 in veterinary bills later, we finally learned that he would live. However, we still needed to work on the digestive issues of a four-month-old Australian Cattle Dog, who also walked, when not crawling on his belly, with a pronounced limp.

Feed, fast, or tea?

My little guy, Tater, was now eating again, but what came out of the back end was alternately explosive and runny. I felt certain that antibiotics played some role in Tater’s inability to recover his gastrointestinal (G.I.) balance.

I recalled the advice of friends who traveled extensively through India. One could count on getting a case of the trots at some point, and a few doses of yogurt or a lassi was always an important part of the cure to restore normalcy. However, I had also been advised by other dog owners that dogs are lactose intolerant, and should never be fed any dairy products. Several persons I know are lactose intolerant, but can consume yogurt and milk containing Acidophilus spp. and other probiotic cultures to assist in digestion of dairy products. Yogurt with beneficial live cultures works for humans, so why not for lactose-intolerant dogs?

As I weighed whether to try probiotic powders or plain yogurt with live cultures at the supermarket Roger Wilco, an employee volunteered one of the best cures I know for canine runs. It was as simple as feeding a big scoop of cooked white rice and a little scoop of cottage cheese. I purchased Nancy’s brand cottage cheese. Its six varieties of live beneficial cultures made it a "two-fer." The probiotic powders and capsules were at least four times the price. If I use any other brand of cottage cheese, I stir in a dollop of plain yogurt for its infusion of live cultures.

Under the advice of my dog-mother-guru, who employs nutritional supplements, herbal, and homeopathic remedies for both the canine and human members of her family, I also purchased a copy of Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. Dr. Pitcairn recommends fasting to help stop a case of loose bowels. His theory is that fasting allows the intestinal tract to rest and purge itself of the offending substances. The practice consists of feeding an animal plenty of water, vegetable juices or broth but no solid food. Tater’s veterinarian confirmed that my newly-found recipe of a bland diet of white rice and cottage cheese essentially performed the same function. It changes the intestinal environment and allows the digestive tract a chance to recover by processing ingredients that are easily digested. To help restore fluids to his system, I also began stirring chicken broth into the mixture, serving it almost as a porridge.

After Tater’s second bout with G.I. distress, I learned about Whole Dog Journal, a Monthly Guide to Natural Dog Care and Training. Serendipitously, the current issue contained an article about canine Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The majority of the symptoms matched what my boy was experiencing: diarrhea, abdominal pain, labored bowel movements, and mucus discharge, among others. The article contained a formula for a tincture that assists in relieving the symptoms of G.I. inflammation by lubricating and promoting the healing of the intestinal lining, and alleviating the diarrhea. I modified it into a "tea" and mixed about a tablespoon of the viscous liquid into Tater’s dog food. This herbal brew has become part of my stable of remedies. (See sidebar for article information and recipe.)

Tater develops a taste for…

At the time that our new pup was familiarizing himself with our grounds we had a semi-resident population of deer. It became clear that Tater’s chief goal was to mine for deer droppings. He would devour small piles of deer Jujubes, fresh or dried, as if they were the finest delicacies.

Having very recently nursed Tater’s digestive system to normal, we were quite concerned about his favorite snack choice. At first we thought we might curtail his deer-Jujube snacking by scooping up the freshest, most delectable, droppings. We soon realized the laughable futility of this activity, when his keen nose managed to regularly divine out the hidden morsels we missed. I decided to continue adding a dollop of yogurt to his meals as a last-ditch effort against whatever harmful microorganisms he was introducing into his belly.

All our research on this matter resulted in the same answer. Many dogs eat deer or other animal feces, often motivated by a hunger for some element missing from their diet.

At this point, Tater’s nutrition history consisted of the canned food that the veterinarian had fed him, and the most economical brand of dry kibble, and a turkey hot dog every morning as a breakfast treat that his original owner fed him. In comparing notes with other dog people, it seemed that most veterinarians recommend commercial food as the best way to assure that animals consume a balanced diet of necessary ingredients and nutrients. Therefore, after Tater’s digestive system stabilized, I transitioned him to a combination of canned and dry food. The two were simple enough to prepare, and he seemed to enjoy this combination.

During this period, the idea of preparing fresh food for my dog never entered my mind. I had no clue regarding dog nutrition or balanced dog diet requirements. Thinking that my only options were canned or dry foods, I sought my dog-mother guru’s advice about dry foods with the best ingredients and least amount of artificial additives. As a good guru, she helped me within the parameters of my questions. She told me what she knew, finally adding that since she cooked for her dogs, she did not know all that much about dry dog foods. Say what?! Details! I needed details!

As her student, I followed her example exactly. I browned meat of any type, mixed it with equal portions of cooked brown rice, and vegetables, stirring in fresh raw garlic at the end. I always added a medicinal dollop of yogurt at mealtime. After approximately a month on this diet, I noticed Tater passing up opportunities to scarf down his favorite deer-flavored Jujubes. Since deer are herbivores, I surmised that his system had been missing whatever he was now receiving in his vegetables. We were on our way to becoming the picture of health.

Today, I continue with an assortment of vegetables and fruits in his meals. His dish will include some green ones, usually chopped parsley, green beans, broccoli, peas, or edamame; and some orange ones, most often sweet potatoes, sometimes pumpkin or shredded carrots. I now also add fruit, mostly rotating between apples, bananas, pears, and plums when in season. These selections are based on availability and how well my dog accepts them (he does not seem to like blueberries).

Although I was feeding my dog whole foods, I knew that he still would not receive a full complement of vitamins and other nutritional elements for a growing pup or adult dog. I chose to supplement each of Tater’s meals with a teaspoon of Dr. Pitcairn’s Healthy Powder recipe. Once or twice a week, I might also include a half-teaspoon of cod liver oil for Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A and D, and the contents of a 400 I.U. vitamin E capsule (d-alpha tocopherol, non-synthetic form).

The meat of the matter

I chugged along as a budding dog cook for a month or so. One day some former neighbors came for a stay with us. Observing the home-cooked vittles that I fed to Tater, my ex-neighbor said that for a time she cooked wonderful "stews" containing meat, potatoes, grain, and vegetables for her dogs. She stopped this practice altogether after her veterinarian advised that although the canine system is capable of effectively digesting raw animal fats, this no longer holds true when those fats have been cooked. The cooking process alters the fat molecules and their digestibility. Her veterinarian admonished that a continued diet of dog stews could lead to pancreatic disease. Those words ended my friend’s explorations as a dog chef. If her veterinarian is correct, I wondered why he was not equally concerned about the cooked fats and oils in commercial dog foods.

This conversation prepared the ground for the next major alteration in my dog’s diet. I then had several personal encounters that convinced me to try feeding Tater his meat raw.

We had one of these encounters as my husband and I walked Tater in downtown Santa Rosa. We met a couple with a very playful and energetic collie mix. She had bright, clear eyes, a wonderfully soft and shiny coat, with the movements and exuberance of a puppy. I would have guessed that she was close in age to our boy, who was 20 months old at the time. My eyes bulged out in disbelief when the couple said she was 12 years old, and immediately asked if they fed her anything special. Their answer was, yes, raw meat. Of course, the sample size of my personal encounters is not exactly scientific, but when I compared the vitality and overall appearance of animals on a diet of raw meat with those whose lips I know have never touched the stuff, I found the difference to be astonishing.

I found a wealth of information on various websites about the Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF) diet. Much of it made sense to me. However, I had a few concerns about bacteria and the dangers of my dog crunching up bones.

I read enthusiastic testimonials by BARF advocates who allow their dogs to eat entire raw chickens, bones and all, dismissing the dangers of perforation or intestinal blockage from sharp or large pieces. I experimented by letting my dog crunch a raw turkey leg bone and a few types of raw beef bones while I held the other end each time. While they did not splinter into ‘toothpicks,’ as would cooked bones, they looked suspiciously similar to the museum specimens of sharp edged tools and arrowheads that primitive man used to kill and cut up his prey.

I decided to extract the extolled benefits of the BARF diet, but in a form that also addressed my concerns. I feed raw meat, sans bones, and met Tater’s daily canine calcium needs by supplementing each meal with Dr. Pitcairn’s Healthy Powder recipe, which includes bone meal powder.

Despite reading testimonials by raw meat advocates that the canine stomach is strong enough to handle any bacteria harbored in raw meats, this continued to be an issue for me. Since we have no real idea where any given piece of meat has been, Escherichia coli bacteria on the surface of red meat is my biggest worry. For this reason it makes me feel safer if I first parboil or blanch the exterior of a hunk of meat by dipping it in boiling water for a few seconds before cutting it up.

For poultry, Salmonella is a concern, not as much for my dog, as for us. Since our food is prepared using the same counters, cutting boards, and implements, I decided that continually slopping raw poultry around the kitchen would heighten the risk of human illness through contaminated food. For this reason, I lightly boil the chicken and turkey that I use for my dog food.

Purchasing fresh meat for your pet is a relatively expensive proposition in itself, even if buying in bulk. I have found that organ meats, such as beef or chicken hearts and livers are an excellent buy at approximately a dollar per pound. You can find beef heart and liver in the butcher sections of some Mexican supermarkets. Although it would be best to choose organic meats from animals that have not been treated with hormones or antibiotics, this would likely double or triple your meat cost.

Making it work for you and your dog

My best advice for you who are seeking the correct choice for your pet is to wade through all the advice, then take from each the information that best suits both of you. While I may have the wherewithal to ‘cook’ for my dog, most are too busy or cannot justify the cost. There are numerous excellent dry and canned food choices in today’s market. Supplementing fresh ingredients with a bit of dry or canned food helps keep costs lower, while still giving your dog some extra benefits from fresh food.

In the two-plus years that I have been a dog owner, I have quickly journeyed from following the advice of veteran dog owners who say that dry food is the only way to go, to preparing fresh dog food from scratch. It was a journey begun by necessity rather than whim or nutritional obsession. Since we started Tater on fresh food and raw meat, friends have commented on a sparkle in his eyes that, as a puppy, had been absent. Strangers frequently stop in their tracks to ask about our silver apparition with a jaunty walk and proud tail. They are consistently amazed by the shiny appearance and softness of his coat.

As my dog ages, I am sure we will explore new foods and ingredients to address his diet and nutrition. After all, the oldest living dog ever recorded was an Australian Cattle Dog who lived to be 29 years old. We have many more miles left to travel in the world of nutrition if we are going to beat that record.