It’s day 3 of the What are You Feeding Your Wolf series, and today we’ll look at a couple of different raw feeding philosophies, how to feed a raw meaty bones diet and the benefits of feeding a raw meaty bones diet.
“Such is the audacity of man, that he hath learned to counterfeit Nature, yea, and is so bold as to challenge her in her work.” ~Pliny the Elder, The Natural History, translated by Philemon Holland
The two most influential men in the raw feeding movement are Dr. Tom Lonsdale author of Work Wonders: Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty Bones and Dr. Ian Billinghurst of Barf fame and author of Barf Diet : For Cats and Dogs. Both are enlightened veterinary surgeons from Australia.
While Lonsdale and Billinghurst are both proponents of raw feeding, they have slightly different takes on what a raw diet should consist of.
Lonsdale believes raw meaty bones (more meat than bone – specifically the “deer prey model“), should make up most of the diet and can be supplemented with table scraps. He contends that dogs like wolves, are carnivores, and therefore do not require carbohydrate (carrots, celery, broccoli etc.), in their diets, but does acknowledge that a small amount of vegetable matter will not harm them, and may in fact be beneficial.
Dr. B’s camp disputes that dogs are carnivores calling them “omnivorous carnivores”, and while his diets contain meat and bone, he also advises they be comprised of 20% fruit and vegetables combined.
“Barf proponents dispute that dogs are carnivores. Instead they claim that dogs are ‘omnivorous’ and, according to them, should consume large quantities of vegetables and fruit.” – Tom Lonsdale Work Wonders: Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty Bones.
“Pitty the pet dog fed ground raw concoctions – no teeth cleaning for them. Pity the dog owners who swallow the ‘omnivore’ marketing hype.” – Tom Lonsdale Work Wonders: Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty Bones.
Here’s a third point of view –
Dr. L. David Mech, who is an expert on wolves and often quoted by raw feeders, commented during a seminar on September 24, 2005, that “What scientists do know about wolves is that they are opportunistic omnivores. Left to their own devices, they will eat whatever they can whenever they can.” This is not to say that Dr. Mech has suddenly decided that wolves are not carnivores; however, it does illustrate the point the Dr. Billinghurst and Dr. Lonsdale have made – canines are carnivores that also eat omnivore foods.) Source: Newcastle Boxers
Dr. B explains the BARF diet in the Youtube video below. I’ve included three additional Youtube videos showing different size/breeds of dogs (and a cat), eating raw meaty bones, to illustrate that eating RMB’s are not just food for big dogs, but small dogs too – and even cats!
Cue & Eh!
Q. Which Raw Feeding Method Should I Choose?
A. Ultimately that’s up to you. In the beginning as with many new things, there may be some trial and error involved in getting it right.
Q. Should I include raw meat?
A. Yes, yes, yes!! Did I say “yes”? Raw meat sources can be from chicken, turkey, fish, beef, green tripe, bison, lamb, venison, pork – pretty much anything. Meats are a great source of phosphorus, iron and B Vitamins.
Q. Is including bone really that important?
A. Yup, uber important!
Bone contains calcium, which along with phosphorus are important for bone and dental health. When I’m talking about bones here, I’m referring to completely edible, raw bones. i.e. turkey & chicken bones. Recreational bones (marrow bones & knuckle bones), can break teeth in a hurry. Bone is also a great stool hardener! Have you ever had to take your dog to the vet to have his anal glands expressed? Good times eh? With adequate amounts of bone in his diet, his firmer stool will express his anal glands naturally as nature had intended. Viola, no more scooting!
Q. What about vegetables?
A. My mother always made me eat them! =( Oh, you mean for your dog! Again, up to you. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. I don’t believe (like Tom Lonsdale), that they are required for good canine health, but every now and the I’ll add them in, usually as part of a premixed veggie/meat package from a reputable raw food retailer.
Q. How much should I feed my dog?
A. This will probably take some experimentation based on your dog’s individual metabolism requirements and activity level. When a dog is at its ideal bodyweight, viewed from above she should have a definite waistline. Most commercial raw food packaging recommend’s feeding 2% per day of the dog’s body weight. This guide will give you a good starting point.
Q. Should I add supplements when feeding a raw food diet?
A. Not that long ago I would have recommended adding at least a good salmon oil product. After doing some research on green tripe and learning that it contains naturally occurring EFA’s within it, I’ve dropped the salmon oil, at least from supplementing it on a regular basis.
A dog’s evolutionary diet was a varied one, largely dependent on their environment and seasonal availability of their preferred foods. My point is that it’s probably better from a biological standpoint to include some of these supplements now and then, but not on a consistent basis.
Q. I know in the wild dogs wouldn’t eat every day. Should I maybe fast my dog once in a while?
A. Good call! Here’s what Tom Lonsdale has to say about that. “I suggest that on one or two days each week your dog may be fasted — just like animals in the wild.” – Tom Lonsdale.
Actually I did try and fast Zeus and Sweety this week. I say “try”, because while I was out on Saturday night, Zeus managed to knock a whole cherry pie off the counter and onto the floor where he happily devoured it. I was really looking forward to having some cherry pie when I got home too! :/
"Zeus" Having Chicken for Breakfas
"Sweety" Having Chicken for Breakfast
Benefits of Feeding Raw Meaty Bones
- Better dental health which means fewer visits to the vet. Translation – a happy healthy dog and more $$ in your bank account that would otherwise end up in your vet’s bank account. Excellent!
- Smaller, harder stools. No need to have your vet express your dog’s anal glands.
- A shinier, healthier coat.
- Fewer or no skin problems.
- Fewer or no ear problems.
- Lower chance of arthritic problems.
- No doggy breath.
- More energy. Ok, for some of you that may not be a good thing. :/
- Dogs love it! Adding tripe will knock the ball out of the park for you dog, but be warned, it is SUPER stinky stuff! om nom nom.
- Longer life! <—- Isn’t that worth the price of admission right there?!
There’s a lot of information in this post. If you’re considering starting your dog on a raw meaty bones diet I urge you to do some research on your own, perhaps pick up one or both of the books mentioned in this post to help you in your quest for raw knowledge. Questions? Leave a comment below.
In tomorrow’s post I’ll talk about how to go about switching your dog over to a raw diet. It’s easier than you think.
Recommended Reading
Work Wonders: Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty Bones – Tom Lonsdale
Barf Diet : For Cats and Dogs – Ian Billinghurst
Web Resources
Diet Guide for Domestic Dogs and Cats – http://www.rawmeatybones.com/diet/ExpDiet.html
R.A.W. BARF – http://www.barfaustralia.com
True Carnivores – http://truecarnivores.com
Red Dog Deli – http://reddogdeli.com
Barf World – http://barfworld.com/blog
Image Credit: Dexell1827 on Flickr
I'm a dog guardian to Sweety, my 15 year old Border Collie & Zeus a stray American Pit Bull Terrier that I rescued in October of 2009. I write about canine health and nutrition focusing mainly on topics relating to feeding a raw meaty bones diet.
