Well it took a while before I came across this concept though I have been practicing naturopathy for years. When my first great dane died my kids picked another puppy from the internet. Apollo became my little man.

I took him for his puppy shots like a good (brain dead) dog owner. Within 24 hours he was in on iv fluids. Within three he was hospitalized for parvo. When I brought him home a week later he was so weak and limping. I thought it was from being in the cage at the vets. Well after that I discovered he came down with mange.

After studying all I could I discovered mange are caused by mites. Mites are on all living being but when the immune system is compromised they take over and create a problem. This began my my path into natural rearing.

Natural is feeding a species appropriate diet which compromises of raw meat. The best is to strive for prey model (which because we don't have access to whole carcasses is tough). What I do is to try and feed various parts of animals to vary the type of animal and parts eaten. A good varity of meats are used. We rotate rabbit goat lamb pork chicken beef and buffalo. We also feed raw green tripe eggs fish.

As for vaccinations, I do not give any anymore. He developed vaccinosis resulting in a thin mylein sheath around his heart causing fear to strange things because his nerve endings are raw. Much like autism in humans (don't get me started as I have two autistic children and one normal one. The normal one did not have shots) He also developed a mild case of vaccine induced HOD.

Through proper diet and naturally boosting his immune system we have worked though most of these issues. He has trouble getting up because his back legs are affected and due to his size it pains him a little (he was 140 lbs at 16 months) but once he is up he is fine. A little clumsy but other than that normal.

A great group to learn more about feeding raw is
rawk9s

Please note that everything in this lens is for dogs only. Not cats. Cats can not metabolize essential oils and some foods.

I know we all worry about little critter infesting our home and our pets. Since I practice natural rearing I do not give shots (looking for a vet that will waiver Apollo for rabies since he has a mange breakout after his last show from a suppressed immune system) or use products the vet gives you as these are no more than poisons and I choose not to put these on my dog.

Luckily nature gives us everything we need to treat ourselves and our dogs if we know where to look.

There are many different things you can use to prevent fleas. Garlic and brewers yeast added to their food makes your pets blood un appetizing to fleas.

Garlic brewers yeast

For ticks Rose geranium works as a wonderful natural repellent. Plant some around your yard and get beautiful flowers along with a tick free yard. a couple of drops of rose geranium essential oil on your dogs collar works when you are out.

Rose geranium

If perhaps you do happen to pick up fleas ticks (or in the case of a dog with a weak immune system ) mange I make an all natural soap made from only certified organic ingredients.

Ogganic dog soap

There are many myths behind raw feeding. Some are old wives tales with just enough based in fact to make people afraid. Some are perpetuated by kind but really ignorant vets who are supposed to have your pets best health in mind.

Did you know vets only on average take one course on nutrition and that is mostly sponsored by the pet food industry. Just look around the office and which brands do you see?

Now feeding your dog is really easy but before I get into it I want to talk about the pet food industry. Most foods contain things that are not appropriate to canines. Things like oatmeal rice and the worst one of all corn. These things are used to bulk up the food making it cheaper to produce. Many dogs develop allergies because of the food itself. Vegetables and fruits are also not appropriate. In order for your dog to get any value or nutrition from these they need to be pulped mashed or cooked. Otherwise they come out the same way they go in. My vet will tell me they need grains for carbohydrates and veggies and fruits for vitamins and that your dog will eat them so they must need them. On that theory your dog must need chocolate and antifreeze after all they will eat it. Again more brainwashing. I think I will save the process of making pet food for a different module as it can get quite gross and lengthy.

Are dogs the same as wolves. Here is another way they try and tell us we need to feed kibble aka death in a bag. Dogs may look different structurally by breeding them for certain traits but they are truly wolves at heart. They need meat and bones to thrive. Yes some use the argument that they can survive on a vegetarian diet. The key word is survive not thrive. To thrive they need meat and bones and organs.

Another fear factor is it is too hard to feed your dog. The pet food makes a complete balanced meal that is too hard for us normal people to do.

Balance is achieved over time. When was the last time you ate a complete balanced meal every meal every day. By varying the meats and organs balance is achieved.

What is the best way to feed your dog. I love this website because it really is that easy.

raw feeding

Fortunately or unfortunately my brother in law drives for the stockyards delivering meat to butchers and restaurants. This is where we get our meat and food for Apollo. Apollo only eats human grade meat as he is part of our family so therefore eats what we do.

When we first started feeding Apollo a more natural diet we started talking about what goes into pet food. The myth that eating raw meat will make him aggressive and more. I do not tolerate food aggression or possessiveness any more than I would tolerate it with kibble. Apollo may not be happy but he will tolerate any of us taking his food away from him even right out of his mouth when he is in the process of chewing it.

So we started talking about how kibble is processes and what it is actually made from. When you read a bag of dog food and it looks good (chicken lamb beef as main ingredients) we think we are making a healthy choice for our pets. We are lulled into a false sense of security. But really sit down and think about it. If lamb is the main ingredient how expensive is lamb. Do we really think a big old juicy lamb leg or shank is what is going into this food.

No what really goes into this are leftover scraps and bones. Very little meat is actually in this as the butcher cuts every usable scrap of meat off to sell to his customers. The scraps bones and sludge off the floor are put into huge dumpsters. Into this also goes sick and diseased animals as well as euthanized pets.

Still have an appetite? Anyway these dumpsters get picked up by the pet food industry. But not daily. They are allowed to sit till they are full. Imagine a nice sunny 90+ day or days. Where all this contaminated food sits and stews (and I use that term loosely) all the meat (what little of it there is) cooks and rots and mingles. Who boy does that smell yummy.

Anyway the time comes to pick this up and it gets to ride in hot steamy trucks further stewing away. At the plant (often times generic as well as premium foods are made of the very same thing in the same plant but with a different machine to provide a different but it is all the same (my husband is an electrician and all sorts of generic and premium human food does the same. Yup you pay more for the same thing with a different brand name)

Then come the inappropriate foods. Grains (and not whole grains more like left over chaff that is not fit for human consumption) rotting veggies and fruits and whatever supplements they add. These all get cooked into hard pellets effectively killing any nutrition which is left. To top it all off it is sprayed with rancid fats to make your pet love it.

Yummm O *grins*