Natural Rearing Diet Background
The most nutritional food that can be fed to the canine is the Natural Diet!
The following diets have been obtained from Topmast's Newfoundlands and we highly recommend feeding your puppies and adults these diets.
(click on the links to review individual diets)
MEAT FEEDING
The dog is of the family carnivora and was a flesh eating beast in the wild state. Well-preserved skeletons of wild or semi-wild dogs show that they were superbly healthy. Therefore, first and foremost, the dog is a meat-eater. Its entire body is adapted for a meat diet, from the teeth fashioned for tearing and crushing, the powerful jawbones and muscles, the very small muscular stomach and the short intestines; and above all, the very powerful digestive juices peculiar to the carnivorous animals. In health, the dog's juices, both of the stomach and mouth are strongly antiseptic and thus high meat and even flesh from diseased animals can be eaten without harmful effects.
The digestive capacity of the dog is very small when compared to that of other animals approximately the same size, i.e. ; a goat. Consequently, the general rule for the dogs is small amounts of highly concentrated foods of which raw meat is one of the foremost.
Finally, how the meat should be fed. The foremost law is, ALWAYS RAW. The cooking of meat is more mischievous in its results than the mere killing of the life forces which are present in all organic substances. Cooking semi-digests (artificially), the substances so treated. In this unnatural breaking-down of the tissues, the rightful work of the stomach, intestines and digestive juices, having already been undertaken before the food is fed to the dog, these organs are left improperly exercised, will soften and atrophy and in time will be unable to cope with their natural work. Frozen meat must be thawed out.
Dogs fed habitually on cooked food diets (many are deprived altogether of meat) are host to a multitude of worms, failing of the kidneys and eye-sight as well as hearing. They often have an unpleasant body odor and bad breath from the filthy brown tartar deposits on the teeth. They also have a tendency to mature too quickly, putting extra stress on their systems and which also causes aging well before their time. Beef, horse meat and mutton are excellent. Head meat, (cheeks, tongue, etc.) is usually reasonably priced. Whole fresh rabbits can be fed, hair, skin and all. Hairy skin prevents any danger from bone-splintering and puncturing of the stomach or intestines. Moose and deer meat are also excellent.
Give lean muscle type meat to puppies under six months; liver, other organ meats and fat are too rich for the younger puppy and will cause loose stools. Long killed rabbit or poultry flesh needs some quick softening in a little water. Meat can be fed in egg size chunks to older puppies and adults.
LIVER:
The dog's natural craving for this organ of the animal body is explained by its energy vitamin content and the rich source of minerals found in this organ. Only feed liver when it is known beyond all doubt that it came from a healthy animal, and even so, liver is a common cause of diarrhea in dogs and cats; therefore feed sparingly not more than twice a week. Twenty percent of the meat diet can be made up of liver, heart and kidney as well as cut up tripe.
TRIPE:
This is a suitable food when raw, fresh and tender. It has to be cut up in quite small pieces. Once frozen or cooked, it becomes indigestible.
BONES:
When fed raw they are a canine's toothbrush. Through exercise they also improve the jaw structure and promote length of jaw. Soft bones are best for this (for puppies) such as ribs. The hard marrow bones are apt to wear new puppy teeth down unduly, but are fine for fully dentured adults. Bones which splinter and bones small enough for the dog to swallow whole, as well as poultry and sharp fish bones, should be avoided. Never feed bones on an empty stomach. Shank bones with the meat left on are excellent, providing exercise for the teeth and jaws as well as nutrition.
EGGS:
Eggs are a rich source of mineral salts and vitamins. The shells given in small amounts, pounded in a blender are a good form of giving natural calcium to the dog and are a fine aid to the building of well-textured bone. Eggs must be fresh, as staleness renders them indigestible. They should be fed raw, as cooking causes them to adhere to the digestive tract. Feed one egg on alternate days to adult dogs and puppies.
CEREAL FEEDING
Cereal feeding is of far less importance than meat feeding, but it is important enough, for it is on cereals the carnivorous life relies for most of the essential minerals as well as a majority of vitamins, including the vital fertility vitamin, E, present in the germ of the cereals, especially in wheat and maize.
The immense feeding value in cereals can be understood when one stops to think upon the magnificent health of a bull or stallion, raised on a vegetable diet. Dog owners who feed only meat and exclude cereals altogether are making a dietary error and the animals so fed cannot possibly enjoy total health; their diet being too one-sided will like wise have one-sided health. Equally bad is the feeding of popular white-flour cereals, for the food value of such is almost nil; all essential minerals, vitamins and cosmic forces which are all the reasons that the dogs need the cereals, are totally lacking in white flour, which merely forms a gluey paste in the stomach, the cause of the prevalent canine gastric disorders and general deficiency diseases, including rickets. It should be remembered that the dog always obtained some of the semi-digested cereals in his diet. His first action in killing his prey was-- and still is-- to rip open the abdomen and devour the grains and vegetable matter contained in the intestines of their usually herbivore prey.
Such grains obtained in this way would be semi-digested by the prey before its death, so some preparation of the cereals is required for dogs. The best method is flaking or rolling of the cereal by passing it through heated rollers as it is done at the mills. The flaked cereals should then be soaked in sour milk or cold vegetable stock overnight.
OATS:
Flaked or rolled they are a vital canine food. Being a very good source of iron, they also cleanse the blood and the intestines of impurities. They are a proven vital food for stud dogs and brood bitches. Border Collies of Great Britain and Scotland known for their stamina and resistance to cold are raised primarily on Oatmeal. Packet oats are already pre-cooked during flaking or rolling, so no further cooking is necessary, merely soak them overnight in sour milk or cold vegetable stock or buttermilk. Large flake or slow cooking oats are best. Quick oats soaked overnight get gummy. If quick oats are used, perhaps soak a few hours.
BARLEY:
This is a great aid in dog rearing because of the medicinal properties apart from its considerable food value. It is rich in antacid, magnesium, and it is an excellent blood cleanser and blood cooler in the hot weather.
RYE:
The rye must be fed as a whole grain. It is its outer coat that contains the fluorine, responsible for the formation of good teeth and strong nails. Being low in carbohydrates and fats content, it is good to feed to overweight dogs and it is also good to feed to miniature and toy breeds, as it keeps them tiny.
CORN:
This is a wonderful cereal and is the only cereal to sustain life for many months as a sole food. It is usually fed to the dog pre-cooked and flaked. One handful of flaked corn is sufficient daily ration for an average sized dog. (spaniel size) Winter only!
MILK FOODS
CLABBERED MILK:
Sour or "clabbered" milk has worm removing properties. The secret of making good clabbered milk is to keep the milk aerated during the making. The milk should stand in a warm place, or in the sunshine and be topped with thin paper or cotton to keep the flies and dust out. Do not sun heat above tepid. The standing milk should be stirred briskly with a fork morning, afternoon and night.
BUTTER:
This being an unnatural food, it should be used sparingly, as it is apt to cause liver problems in dogs and cats, despite their enjoyment of this food.
CHEESE:
Fresh white cheese or cottage cheese is a good food which most dogs enjoy. Solid yellow cheese is indigestible.
ROOT VEGETABLES
TURNIPS:
or parsnips, sweet potatoes and artichokes all are nutritious and rich in vitamins and minerals. They should be baked in an oven or sliced for quick boiling in a little hot, salted water. They are best fed mashed into the cereal. DO NOT feed the common potato; it is too watery for a canine food and also causes stomach gas and colic. Broccoli and cabbage are also excellent.
CARROTS:
Carrots are a root vegetable rich in vitamins and minerals. They are an excellent supplement for the canine cereal feed and are blood cleansing and worm removing. Prepare as advised for the root vegetables. Also feed a little raw, grated. That way carrots are likely to expel worms. Carrots also aid in the formation of good teeth enamel.
MISCELLANEOUS
HONEY:
Honey is the greatest of the natural energizers, a nerve tonic and a supreme heart tonic. Indeed it is the best known heart stimulant which is not a drug. Predigested by the bees, it is absorbed immediately into the bloodstream.
SEAWEED (KELP):
Is without a doubt, unequaled as a source of natural iodine. Adequate iodine insures luxuriant hair and skin health; lack gives rise to a very dry skin and loss of hair. Increased iodine intake permits better digestion and assimilation of the fatty elements in foods. The kelp also enhances the skin pigment and color tremendously.
COD AND HALIBUT OILS:
is further food value especially during the winter months. The main value of these fish oils is their power to combat rickets. Care should be taken that the oils are raw and unrefined. Use these oils sparingly, one teaspoon daily in the winter months is sufficient. DO NOT use during hot weather. Halibut oils are milder than cod, but as it spoils easily, it is best given in capsule form. Both oils should be kept from strong light and stored in dark bottles.
TOBASCO SAUCE:
One drop on dogs meat meal every once in a while is a good worm fighter, serving to make the intestines a hostile place for worms to get into the mucous lining and multiply.
