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Chinese medicine teaches that high quality food is a key part of your dog's health regimen.
Commercial dog foods containing low-grade meat and additives can be the source of many chronic health problems. These foods often end up damaging the digestive system rather than providing dogs with the quality of nutrition necessary to be energetic, healthy, and vibrant. We recommend that anything you feed your dog is "human grade" food.
The best thing you can do for your dogs diet is to prepare homemade meals with fresh ingredients. Click here for some of our recommended recipes for hearty and delicious meals.
Many holistic vets recommend the BARF (Bones and Raw Food) diet for dogs. . Click here for more information
If you don't have the time to prepare custom meals, here are some links to companies which make both wet and dry dog foods with human grade ingredients:
Flint River Ranch – www.flintriverranch.com
Wysong – www.wysong.net
Nature's Variety Prairie Dog Food - www.naturesvariety.com
Recipes
Ingredients
• 3 cups brown rice
• 8 cups water
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 whole head garlic
• 2 cups ground chicken (or chicken gizzards and livers, chopped chicken necks, or chopped backs)
• 4 cups mixed vegetables made up of a combination of mushroom, green pepper, yam, green bean,
pumpkin, squash, onion, mustard green
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1 cup grated carrots
Directions
In a large pot, bring brown rice, water, canola oil, and garlic to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 60 minutes. Add chicken, vegetables, and ginger. Cook for another 10 minutes. Add grated carrots. Cool and serve.
Freeze leftovers in portion size containers. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Before serving, pour hot water over food to bring it to room temperature. Avoid feeding dogs cold meals as they can be harsh on the digestive system.
Ingredients
• 1 cup brown or green lentils
• 1 cup rice
• 7 cups water
• 3 Tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 cup ground turkey
• 1/2 cup yellow squash, chopped
• 1/2 cup eggplant, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chopped seaweed (available at health food stores and Asian markets)
In a large pot, soak rice, lentils and water for several hours or overnight. When ready to cook, add peanut oil and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add ground turkey, squash, and eggplant. Continue to cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in seaweed. Cool and serve.
Freeze leftovers in portion size containers. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Before serving, pour hot water over food to bring it to room temperature. Avoid feeding dogs cold meals as they can be harsh on the digestive system.
Ingredients
• 2 cups millet (hulled – for human consumption)
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup pork chop meat, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup spinach, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrot, chopped
Directions
Add millet, water, and olive oil to large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Add pork, spinach, and carrot. Continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes. Cool and serve.
Freeze leftovers in portion size containers. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Before serving, pour hot water over food to bring it to room temperature. Avoid feeding dogs cold meals as they can be harsh on the digestive system.
Ingredients
• 1 cup barley
• 1 cup brown rice
• 6 cups water
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped chicken livers
• 1/2 cup yams, chopped
• 1/2 cup green beans, chopped
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Directions
In a large pot, bring brown rice, water, and olive oil to boil. Cover pot, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add barley, cover, and continue to simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Add chicken livers, vegetables, and sesame oil. Cook for another 10 minutes. Cool and serve.
Freeze leftovers in portion size containers. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Before serving, pour hot water over food to bring it to room temperature. Avoid feeding dogs cold meals as they can be harsh on the digestive system.
Ingredients
• 1 cup barley
• 1 cup millet
• 6 cups water
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 cups shrimp
• 2 cups pumpkin
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
• 3 Tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon chopped seaweed (available at health food stores and Asian markets)
• 3 Tablespoons cod liver oil
Directions
Add barley, millet, water, and canola oil to large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Add shrimp, pumpkin, parsley, green pepper, and ginger powder. Continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes. Stir in pine nuts, seaweed, and cod liver oil. Cool and serve.
Freeze leftovers in portion size containers. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Before serving, pour hot water over food to bring it to room temperature. Avoid feeding dogs cold meals as they can be harsh on the digestive system.
The BARF diet can stand for Bones and Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods. Proponents of the diet say that feeding animals raw bones, meat, and vegetables returns them to their natural evolutionary eating habits. This gives them the same fresh foods that an animal in the wild would eat.
Before beginning the BARF diet we recommend that you consult a holistic vet and educate yourself about the details of preparing balanced meals. The following books are a good place to start –
The BARF Diet, by Dr. Ian Billinghurst
Raw Meaty Bones, by Tom Lonsdale
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