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Before We Start

I do not advocate feeding a "homemade" raw diet that you make from scratch, due to dealing with so many unbalanced diets and growth problems in young dogs. However, here are some quality options for raw diets that I have listed below. These are easy, balanced, tasty and healthy options for wellness and longevity!

A Little History

The real pioneer in animal nutrition and feeding raw is Dr. Randy Wysong. If this is the direction you want to pursue, go right to the source, which is backed up with scientific research and not just "theory".Dr. Wysong has many research articles he has written on nutrition and they are available to you at his website. He is a visionary in this field so become a "student" of this method, before you attempt to feed it. There are as many opinions and theories on feeding raw out there on the internet, as there are hairs on a dog. Do it right, or don't do it at all is my suggestion. If you use a commercially prepared raw diet the calculations and work has been done for you, so you know you are not going to ruin your dog's health due to unbalanced nutrition or possibility of pathogens.

The Blackwatch Adult Raw Program

PART 1

This feed program is comprehensive and consists of 4 major components.

The Blackwatch Feed Program CORE 4 Supplements

The Blackwatch Feed Programs have been used by breeders and owners for the past 25 years with great success. But dealing with large and giant breeds for 36 years, I have come to realize through my own feed trials that the large/giant breeds have special nutritional needs. Based on my years of personal and university research, and feed trials on giant breeds, I have developed THE BLACKWATCH CORE 4 philosophy which means that I feel all dogs/cats (and humans) regardless the method of feeding; kibble, homemade or raw, do much better in the long run when the CORE 4 supplements are included into their daily routine.

Probiotics
Digestive Enzymes
Dietary Enzymes
Ox-E-Drops

To purchase your CORE 4 Kits (there are 4 options to choose from).

Part 2 - Holistic Raw diet

http://www.darwinspet.com Diets can be used as a stand alone raw diet or you can use it to top dress your kibble. This is why I use http://www.darwinspet.com Diets RAW MEATS.

Mission Statement: At http://www.darwinspet.com Diets™ our mission is to provide pet-lovers the option of feeding their pets a health-enhancing, life-prolonging, easy-to-feed food that is carefully formulated based upon the most advanced science and principles of raw food diet preparation. We believe in the premise that biologically appropriate food improves the quality of life for pets. It is our mission to play an active role in the development of healthy companions, regardless of size or activity level.

USDA Inspected Ingredients
Grain Free
Quality Guarantee
http://www.darwinspet.com Diets™ is the original raw nugget diet with an improved formulation including: the addition of raw ground bone.
http://www.darwinspet.com Diets™ is manufactured in a quality controlled fully certified USDA human food plant.
http://www.darwinspet.com Diets™ is a food that is developed and manufactured by a team that has a combined 15 years of experience in raw natural pet-food manufacturing.
http://www.darwinspet.com Diets™ uses a unique freezer burn control method in addition to flash freezing to preserve the integrity of the nutrients.
http://www.darwinspet.com Diets™ is convenient and easy to use.
http://www.darwinspet.com Diets™ offers unsurpassed quality and customer satisfaction guarantees.
http://www.darwinspet.com Diets Inc. uses fresh ground bone for an organic calcium source.

How to Make a Homemade Diet with Raw

If you want to make a homemade diet it must be balanced and people just do not know how to do this properly. Therefore this is a terrific way to feed your pet that is balanced. This is what I use to top dress my kibble and for owners with many large breeds it is a way to incorporate the benefits of fruits/veggis and the benefits of raw meat.

Recipe: HONEST KITCHEN PREFERENCE -FOUNDATION FORMULA (which is meatless yet balanced and complete) and add to it 20%-50% http://www.darwinspet.com Diets balance and complete raw meat diet. A perfect homemade raw diet!

You can also combine http://www.darwinspet.com Diets and your own fresh fruits, veggies, yogurt, eggs etc. for variety, with any other of the Honest Kitchen formulas as well.

Company	Website	My Comments
http://www.darwinspet.com Diets	http://www.rawnaturalpetfood.com	I use these products, a family owned plant - USDA Inspection info very impressive - terrific quality! Morash Meat Company - I love their nuggets and bars for easy thawing. Dogs love taste and quality I can count on for my pets.
The Honest Kitchen	www.thehonestkitchen.com	Dehydrated Raw - use their Preference Foundation Formula with http://www.darwinspet.com Diets meat, a great homemade diet that is balance!

Commercial Kibble and Adding Raw Meat

You Can Add 10% - 20% balanced http://www.darwinspet.com Diets raw meat fruit and veggies to a high quality kibble to give your dog the best of both worlds.

List of Better Kibbles.

I recommend Precise/Precise Plus Kibble.

Optional: Joint Supplementation

If you are looking for a high quality glucosamine joint support product,
Liquid Health Level 5000 is the one I have used for some time. I have used it with great success on my dogs and my elderly dogs respond well to joint nutritional supplementation. The amount of glucosamine in better dog foods is minimal, helpful nonetheless, but minimal, so a good joint supplement is ideal especially for a

Drinking Water:

ny age or breed. I start my dogs during growth stages and continue throughout their adult life. With the large/giant breeds their joints have added stressed, so any thing that can help support them as they age is a positive thing in my opinion.

It is very important to NEVER withhold water from your dog. This can lead to over consumption and bladder infections. Use common sense, do not let them drink excessively after exercise or dinner. Like a horse, let them cool down and then drink. I have found if I have water available in several places, they never overdo it since they know it is available to them when they need it. That way they drink less amounts of water, but more frequently.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.

(See my article on Bloat and Torsion for details) (See On My Soapbox)