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GREATDANELADY.COM Linda Arndt ~ Canine Nutritional Consultant Email:  |
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Blackwatch Feed Program for Large & Giant Breed Puppies |
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HANDBOOK FOR FEEDING YOUR PUPPY
Willowrun Great Danes - 10weeks ABOUT THIS PROGRAM This feed program is used by many of the top breeders in large and giant breeds in the USA and overseas. This program has 25 years of success in helping to prevent and correct developmental orthopedic diseases (HOD,OCD, Pano). You must follow this program exactly because each component has a job to do - deleting one of these components compromises the integrity of this program. Do NOT add your own raw meats, rice or calcium supplements, I will provide quality raw options that are balanced in their calcium and phosphorus ratio. This information is not to be used in lieu of veterinarian advice, diagnoses or treatment. Blackwatch
Feed Program Supplement - In Kits *BREEDERS KITS are sold at wholesale prices and must be purchased in bulk - minimum of 3 kits, the kit can go home with the puppy and the new owner establishes a pattern of "wellness" your puppy. Breeders kit orders must be called in 765-287-8288. If you don't want to purchase a kit you can buy supplements individually, information below in program. MY
NEW PUPPY This program is comprehensive
and consists of 6 major components and this is it
in summary form. Detailed info to follow below.
Where
To Order Products
1. DOG FOOD - Precise or the Holistic Precise Plus line of foods- it is a family owned company that has their own manufacturing plant and it has 100% safter record for 20+ years. 2. FOUR-IN-ONE PROBIOTICS & DIGESTIVE ENZYMES - beneficial bacteria, digestive enzymes, Vitamin C & Barley Grass 3. MSM-Nutritional Sulfur - not all MSM is alike - important for large breed dogs that often have issues with metabolic nutrient malabsorption of their diet. 3. NZYMES - dietary enzymes - in chewable Pet Treat or Granular (goes further) www.nzymes.com 4. OX-E-DROPS - antibacterial, antiviral, antifungus - keeps pH of the gut healthy www.nzymes.com 5. COLOSTRUM -also known as mothers milk, contains important nutrients to boost immune function in young animals. 6. Liquid Health Level 5000 - liquid joint supplement, highly absorbable by the body. OPTIONAL FOR VARIETY ADD - fruits & veggies & Eagle Holistic canned meats www.eaglepack.com For a safe, balanced raw option use Honest Kitchen dehydrated raw - info below. Section B. Description
of Program
1. CORE FOODS - PRECISE (USA) - Overseas use Precept Plus & ANF I am no longer feeding or endorsing Eagle Pet Foods. The original company is now under new ownership and managment. For more information on what to feed: PRECISE FORMULAS Stage 1 Growth - Blackwatch Suplement Kit #1 - 8 weeks - 4/5 months Stage
2 Growth - Blackwatch
Supplement Kit # 3 - 4 months - 12 months HOW MUCH DO I FEED?
SUPPLEMENTS IN THE BLACKWATCH
PUPPY KITS
1. Dietary Enzymes
2. MSM - Nutritional Sulfur -
there are many brands on the market but the one with the longest track
record is the VitaFlex brand that has been around for 25 yrs. MSM
Corrects malabsorption of other nutrients such as minerals whose imbalance
relate to problems such as osteochondrosis (HOD, OCD, Pano). It also
helps with the pain and inflammation relief associated with developmental
orthopedic diseases. To Order - www.firstchoicenaturals.com 3. Ox-E-Drops - always use diluted in water Ox-E-Drops is clear a safe liquid that will kill pathogens: bacteria, fungus and virus. When feeding raw meat it is particularly important to use Ox-E-Drops to help prevent problems with the pathogens in raw foods. An added benefit is that Ox-E-Drops Drops does not kill the good bacteria of the gut and helps to encourage the growth of friendly bacteria. I believe Ox-E-Drops is very important component to a diet in the possible prevention of bloat and systemic fungus infections, toxic and leaky gut syndrome, because if it's ability to help keep the proper pH balance in the gut which is important in breeds that have a tendency to bloat. Ox-E-Drops can be use diluted (1 cup of distilled water + 1 teaspoon of Ox-E-Drops) for a solution to clean out ears, eyes, to spray on skin or use as a colonic. It is very beneficial in systemic yeast infections as well. Dosage - 1 drop per 20 lbs of body weight. Use daily on food, mix with a little water and your canned Eagle meat and use as a gravy. During times of illness - double this dosage. To order:www.firstchoicenaturals.com 4. Probiotics and Digestive Enzymes 4 in 1 Probiotics - This is a combination 4 friendly yogurt like good bacteria, 4 digestive enzymes, Vitamin C - in and Ester C form and Barley Grass. It fills the "holes in every diet", processed or raw. Do NOT add more Vitamin C to your dogs diet it is already this product.
5. Colostrum (Kit#1 Only) Colostrum is referred to as the "first milk" of a mammal and it contains the important nutrients to boost immune function to protect the newborn. Because the immune function develops over time and peaks during adult years, I feel it is important to use Colostrum for the first few months of a puppies life, especially during the vaccination process. Not all colostrums are "first milking" which is why I use Dr. Wagners Colostrum, because he knows his source of colostrum is not only organic it is from the first initial milking of bovine colostrum. Colostrum is not only beneficial to young puppies, it is very beneficial for those with diabetes and cardiomyopathy. To Order: 765-287-8288 or order online at www.firstchoicenaturals.com 6.
Level 5000 Joint Supplementation Liquid
Health Level 5000 is a concentrated formula for healthy joints
with 5200 mg of Glucosamine per ounce*, plus MSM, Perna, and Shark
Cartilage. Level 5000 also includes several powerful antioxidants
such as Ester-C and Grape Seed extract, digestive enzymes, as well
as Cat's Claw (an herb) and Manganese to enhance it's benefits for
your pets. To Order: 765-287-8288 or online: Level 5000 Joint Supplementation Options:
For Variety - Meats - Fruits - Vegetable The Honest
Kitchen dehydrated raw dog food is what I use to provide a
10% raw component to my dogs Eagle kibble. It is balanced
in calcium and phosphorus ratios which are very important
in growing and elderly dogs! NOTE: The Honest Kitchen dog food and Eagle Pet Foods and Wellness
Pet Foods are endorsed by the Whole Dog Journal. HOW I MIX MY DOG FOOD Introduce all your supplements apart so the system in not overwhelmed. If they get a loose stool stop and reintroduce slower.
I make gravy of tepid temp water and a little Eagle canned meat and add the Ox-E-Drops to this mixture.Top dress with a little fruit or veggie or the Honest Kitchen mixture at least with one meal a day. . WATER ON KIBBLE - Puppies 8-10 weeks use 1/8 - 1/4 cup water + 1 tablespoon canned meat. You want the food moist but not floating and sloppy. For older puppies and adults I will use 1/2 cup of water per meal along with my Eagle canned meat. Do not microwave, soak or use hot or very warm water on your kibble. It will destroy the integrity of the friendly yogurt type cultures and the fragile vitamins/minerals and amino acids on the food. Commercial foods need to be
fed with moisture so dogs don't over consume water after a meal, and
so the kibble does not pull moisture from the dogs system in order
to break down properly. Use "tepid"
temperature water never hot or warm and never soak your food as it
breaks down and destroys nutrients. Mix up and feed immediately. If
they have loose stools, you may be using too much meat or water than
necessary. Adjust that before you panic and think they are sick.
Drinking Water: Withholding water for fear of bloat is a myth. Stress is the cause and bloat/torsion is the response. It is much more complicated that simply saying water is the cause of bloat.
Can I Feed The BARF Diet to My Puppy? I do not promote raw diets
or grainless diets on growing
large and giant breeds (Dogs that mature at 50+ lbs - includes any
dogs of the "bulldog type" those broad body, massive fronts,
because the nutrients and caloric intake are very difficult for a
new pet owner to calculate, and they inevitably end up contacting
me to try to "fix" their dogs growth problem. DO
NOT USE Grainless diets on large/giant breeds until 10 months of age
because they are very high in calories and calcium/phosphors and not
appropriate for breeds in which we want a slow even growth with no
OCD in the future. There reasons are far too many to discuss in this brief commentary,
but you will notice I do have a safe and balanced
raw option in all my feed programs. You can increase the amount
of raw used as the puppy get older and past the drastic growth stages
at 10 months of age. Editorial comment: There is some talk of feeding raw at
a different meal than with kibble. Personally I used to recommend
this but over they years of observing my own dogs and, well let's
face it....here we feed them better than we feed ourselves -- and
if given the chance, right after that holistic dinner of the best
raw, kibble and holistic supplements - they will drink out of the
toilet, scour for fresh cat doodies, then go outside and toss around
frozen poopsicles and scrounge for dead stinky things to roll in and
chew on. So I am not so darned sure it makes any difference whether
you fed the raw with kibble, I think if they are healthy and on the
program, they adapt - they are after - Nature's
Trash Cans! OTHER THINGS FOR MY PUPPY'S CARE FOR
DAILY CARE: ears, eyes, teeth, skin,
healthy treats, fleas Fleas - Heartworm
Support Information - Required Reading LEARN WHY GIANT BREED GROWTH IS DIFFERENT THAN OTHER CANINES: Understanding & Preventing Developmental Bone Diseases - Large/Giant breed Puppy Growth PUPPY CARE GUIDELINES: is part two of this important information for your puppy. Click on link and print out. For information on appropriate crates, toys, bedding, collars, shots, ear taping, vaccines, puppy health issues etc. Puppy Care Guidelines - this is Part 2 to this program and a MUST to read. COMMON SENSE TRAINING: Where to Buy and How to Use a Crate Read this: Does My Vet Understand Nutrition? Common Puppy Problems hiccups- demodectic mange - puppy acne - vaginitis - picky eaters etc. When do I spay or neuter? Cropped Ears Or Natural Ears? If you have a puppy and intend to have have it cropped, make sure you read these articles. Should I Crop My Dane Puppy? and Anesthesia Guidelines For Cropping. If your dog is already cropped, here is info for taping and aftercare. Vaccines There are several articles and photos of vaccine reactions at this website. You need to know how to prevent vaccine reactions, because vaccine reactions in some breeds will kill your dog in a slow agonizing death known as Immune Mediated Response, which is always misdiagnose as HOD. So, here is info:
Special Alert - Antibiotic Reactions in Great Danes and Other Breeds.
AMOUNTS
TO FEED LARGE/GIANT PUPPIES
This chart is base the assumption that a dog may be
crated or less active during the day while the owner is at work. Use
this guideline to help prevent growth diseases in puppies. The most
sensitive time for growth problems is from 10 weeks -6 months of age.
Giants (Danes, Newfies, Pyers, Irish Wolfhounds etc.), start with
the low - mid range amounts to start with - this is a guide- but I
have found it is pretty accurate. Note: Large
breeds such as (Labs, Boxers, Collies, Goldens, Shepherds, Dobes,
Rotties etc.), should be fed the
low end amounts on chart up to 5 months, then at 5 months and up they
tend to hold around 5-7 cups of food, unlike the giant breeds - so
hold in this range of 5-7 cups -increase or decrease according to
activity levels. You want them well covered, but with the last rib
showing slightly.
2 months 2-4 cups per day - (divided into 3 meals
daily)
3 months 3-5 cups per day - (divided into 2 meals daily) 4 months 4-6 cups per day - (divided into 2 meals daily) 5 months 5-7 cups per day - (divided into 2 meals daily 6 months 6-8 cups per day - (divided into 2 meals daily) 7 months 7-9 cups per day - (divided into 2 meals daily) 8 months 8-10 cups per day - (divided into 2 meals daily 9 months 9-11 cups per day - (divided into 2 meals daily) Puppies: These amounts are based on
a moderate caloric food (350-385
Kcal per cup). This is only a general guideline so
they do not consume too many calories before 6 months of age,
disrupting their growth patterns causing accelerated growth
and potential bone
problems. Keep the puppy lean, but not skinny. On a dog
with a smooth coat, I want to just barely see the last rib
if the dog is standing. That is the perfect weight for growth.
If he is too lean, feed 1/2- 1 cup more per day. You have
plenty of time to get muscle on them as the mature - show
people are the worst at wanting them heavy to get them in
the show ring. Just relax, you can't force an acorn to become
and Oak tree over night.
NOTE: If your puppies seems
absolutely starved on these amounts you can add a
little more food as long as their legs don't start
to turn left/right or bow out..or you can a homemade
veggie soup component to the diet and it will not
add too many calories.
Adolescents: Young adult male great Danes may want to eat as much as 12 cups per day until mature. If this is so, you should switch up to a higher protein for example use a 25% protein 15% Fat and they will have to process less food and if you can, divide their meals into 3 times a day, they will utilized the calories better. Once they are over 10 months of age you can move to and adult food of 24% + protein levels. Adults: I feed my mature bitches(giants)
approximately 5- 6 cups per day and mature males approximately
6- 7 cups per day. Older dogs and bitches approximately 4-6
cups per day.
Why do they go off feed? For a couple of reasons - Hormones play a big role in your
dog backing off their food - coming into season, the false
pregnancy, teething around 5-7 months of age, and inactivity
all have a hand in them backing off eating. Food consumption
can be directly related to the amount of free exercise your
dog gets on a daily basis. I have 2 Great Danes at home
right now, 3 and 4 yrs of age - intact male and spayed female.
Normally, the female at 125# eats 5 cups total a day of
Eagle Adult Food, divided AM and PM. The male is 165# and
in good weight on 6 - 7 cups a day. On my adults I also
rotate Eagle Foods (Chicken, Duck, Fish etc). I open one
bag, finish it out then switch to another, just because
I want them to have variety. I also use the Eagle canned
foods for this as well and added fruits and veggies. A pet owner writes:
"If we try to offer more food, it
just gets left behind and they don't eat all of it."
As long as your dog is not running a fever,
lethargic, vomiting, distressed or has diarrhea and you KNOW
they are not sick, then it is normal for them to back off
on their feed regardless of weather. This is natures way of
telling you they do not need it - regardless of their weight,
they are eating a nutrient dense diet and they need to take
a break from it. Remember, in the wild, dogs would never
eat on a daily basis, so they are telling you.."Mom,
I don't need it - take it away!". They are not usually
food driven like people who eat for a variety of other reasons;
celebrations, misery, nervousness, pleasure etc. ...well,
that is most dogs aren't. My Pug on the other hand, well that
is another story!
How I Handle This: Every week on one day I cut back on the amount
by 1/2 cup each meal or 1 cup per day total - IF THIS IS A
DOG THAT SELF REGULATES INTAKE and starts walking away from
their food you may have to do this more frequently. My male
is like clockwork...once a week he turns his up his nose and
I would have to throw out half his food, if I didn't cut back
once a week...then the next day he is ready to eat again.
Weather is a Factor:
Right now is July and we are in the heat of
the summer (Indiana) which means humidity and horseflies,
so my dogs are only out long enough to do their "business"
a few times a day, then they come right back in the house
until the sun sets.
Although they live in an in air-conditioned
environment my male will drop down from 7 cups a day total
to eating only 5 cups a day total --- and female will
normally eat 6 cups a day total, will drop down to only 4
cups a day total consumption. This is because they do not
get the free exercise they would normally get in good weather,
so their intake is directly related to the enegy they expend.
Less exercise means they need less food intake.
The only real exercise they get in the dead
of summer is at night when the sun goes down, out the go to
play. Their actual expenditure of calories is not as great
in the heat or the dead of winter for that matter because
of the decrease in exercise - so if you just remember that
their intake is directly related to how much exercise they
get you will realize you need to cut back at certain times.
If you don't remember they will let you know..they
will walk away from their food. During this kind of weather
it is not at all unusual for my males to eat half rations,
by his own choice, for about 3 days, then back on full rations.
This tells me he did not need the calories due to the fact
that he is not expending much energy in extreme weather.
Lite or Low Protein Diets
Older dogs and growing puppies
should NEVER be placed on Low Protein or a lite or restricted
protein/fat diet. The only time an animal should be fed a restricted
protein or fat diet is due to a specific disease. Cut back the
amount you feed rather than switch to a lower protein and lower
fat. They need the nutrients and their brains, organ functions
and coats will suffer dramatically.
Special Alert:
For Collie/Sheltie/Aussie and Sighthound Owners
For those people who own Collies, Shelties, Sighthounds,
Aussies, Border Collies, any breeds with Collie background or
mixed breeds with any of these dogs in them, it is critical that
you know there are certain medications your dogs CAN'T take. Do
not leave it up to your vet to know this..YOU must print this
out and know it - it is a matter of life or death.
These dogs have a sensitivity to Ivermectin (Heartguard Heartworm medication. Only use Interceptor. Other related drugs you can not use on these breeds or there will be neurological damage. Other related drugs you can NOT use:
Metronidazole (which is used for diarreah and
giardia)
Flagyl Torbutol Butorphanol Morphine Acepromazine Ivermectin - Heart Guard There are many different types of drugs that have
been reported to cause problems in Collies, ranging from over-the-counter
antidiarrheal agents like Imodium® to antiparasitic and chemotherapy
agents. It is likely this list will grow to include more drugs
as our research progresses.
Drugs that have been documented, or are strongly
suspected to cause problems in dogs with the MDR1 mutation:
Ivermectin (antiparasitic agent)
Loperamide (Imodium®; over-the-counter antidiarrheal agent) Doxorubicin (anticancer agent) Vincristine (anticancer agent) Vinblastine (anticancer agent) Cyclosporin (immunosuppressive agent) Digoxin (heart drug) Acepromazine (tranquilizer) Butorphanol (pain control) Potential Problem Drugs The following drugs may potentially cause problems
when given to dogs that have the mutation. Biochemical studies
have shown that this gene has the potential to act on over 50
different drugs.
Ondansetron
Domperidone Paclitaxel Mitoxantrone Etoposide Rifampicin Quinidine Morphine Washington State University College of Veterinary
Medicine
Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology Laboratory PO Box 2280 Pullman, WA 99165-2280 (Phone/FAX 509-335-3745) VCPL@vetmed.wsu.edu Here is the link for more drug information
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