Dietary advice for the Adult Dog

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Diet recommendations for the adult dog based on ‘The Barf Diet’ by Dr Billinghurst.

In order for the adult dog diet to be balanced I have summarized Dr. Billinghurst's recommendations below into a table, which shows how meals can be put together using a variety of foods.  It is important to note that balancing of nutrients is achieved over several meals rather than in each and every meal.

Meat and Bones	Fruit and Vegetables	Offal	Other nutritional additions
60% raw meaty bones	20% crushed fruit and vegetables	10% offal	10% other additions including supplements
Chicken necks	Spinach	Kidney	Eggs (mostly the yolk)
Chicken wings	Broccoli	Heart	Yoghurt
Chicken carcass	Corn	Liver	Grains
Lamb bones	Sweet potato		Legumes
Large recreational bones	Pumpkin		Seafood (fatty fish)
	Carrots		Cottage Cheese
	Apple		Brewers yeast or multi B Vitamins
	Capsicum peppers		Vitamin C
	Banana		Vitamin E
	Berries		Kelp powder
			Essential fatty acids (cod liver oil, flaxseed oil, salmon oil)

The nutritional table is an example of which foods can be mixed and matched to ensure a healthy balanced diet over time.  There are many other fruits, vegetables and other additions which can be included such as mangos, kiwi fruit, zucchini, squash, garlic, parsley, organic brown rice, digestive enzymes, alfalfa, spirulina, pre-soaked porridge oats.  I have found from experience that by adding some plain yoghurt to unpopular vegetables, they are consumed much more readily by fussy dogs. 

My cats benefit enormously from digestive enzymes mixed into their food.  Not only do digestive enzymes improve food absorption and metabolism, they improve overall health due to the increased number of nutrients getting from the gut and into the blood. (Goldstein et al 2005)

In addition to following the guidelines for this diet, Dr. Billinghurst, has five principles for dogs to achieve ultimate health, longevity and a high quality, disease free, balanced lifestyle.

Principle 1

The main bulk of the diet should be made up of raw meaty bones, which provide protein, minerals (including a natural balance of calcium and phosphorus) and most of the essential fatty acids.

Principle 2

Dogs should be given a wide variety of food which includes: eggs, cottage cheese, offal, beans, legumes, grains, fruit, vegetables and dairy produce such as plain yoghurt.

Principle 3

The majority of the overall diet should be made up of raw, unprocessed produce.  

Principle 4

A balanced diet is achieved over time rather than in each and every meal.

Principle 5

The ideal body weight should be aimed for, achieved and maintained. This is crucial for healthy organs, joints and for quality of life. (Billinghurst 1993)  I find the most annoying habit by well meaning friends and relatives, is when they give your dog food that you haven’t agreed to.  Cooked sausages, biscuits, left over pasta, bread are all bad news for dogs.  A dog should never be used as a human dustbin for high fat, low quality leftovers.

In summary, the diet should mostly consist of raw meaty bones, lots of crushed/pulped fruit and vegetables, a small amount of grain and starch, some eggs, oil, diary produce, offal once a week and a regular addition of brewers yeast and kelp. (Billinghurst 1993)

According to Dr Goldstein author of, 'Natural Care for Cats and Dogs,' for the adult dog to lead a healthy disease free lifestyle we should stop feeding commercial pet food and offer our cats and dogs a 'living diet.'  In line with Dr Billinghurst's advice our pets require antioxidants, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, phytonutrients and living enzymes.  A raw diet with several important supplements can achieve all of these requirements.  The foods to avoid or minimize are carbohydrates, processed foods, preservatives, saturated fats and indigestible protein (found in low quality pet food).

In addition to a healthy diet, in order for our pets to reach an old age, pain free, healthy and still active, we should make it part of our routine to look for the following signs and symptoms so that, if necessary dietary adjustments can be made to avoid possible degenerative diseases later in life:

•   Increased thirst or urination

•   Weight loss or gain

•   Change in appetite

•   Apathy, depression

•   Diarrhea, constipation

•   Vomiting

•   Dull, greasy coat

•   Bad breath, drooling, inflamed gums

•   Excessive panting Breathing difficulty

•   Mobility

•   Sleeping patterns

We should also look for behavioral changes such as restlessness, pacing, difficulty lying down or getting up and confusion.  I carry out these checks on my older cat on a regular basis and after only a couple of weeks I became very familiar with his breathing pattern, his normal gait, how well he moves.  I now know when he needs more vegetables in the diet due to strained elimination in the litter box.  He certainly sleeps more, which worried me at first, however in waking state he appears alert, inquisitive and still remains relatively active.

As our adult cat or dog enters the senior years we can take several holistic, home-prepared preventative actions such as:

•   Protect the joints by adding glucosamine, chondriotin and MSM to the diet (a 6.5kg cat dosage is 250mg per day)

•   Joints can also benefit from 'superoxide dismutase' (a 6.5kg cat dosage 125mg per day)

•   To maintain healthy teeth and gums an enzyme-based toothpaste can be rubbed onto teeth and gum area with a gauze wrapped finger or as I prefer, a make up brush is perfect fro the job, especially on cats.

•   To maintain vision or treat cataracts, we can give our animals an eye strengthening juice made up of carrot and apple juice diluted with water.

•   To assist senility and any cognitive dysfunction, we can increase circulation to the brain by including the herb 'ginkgo biloba into the diet (6.5kg cat dosage of 15mg per day).

As an example, when my cat was suffering from ear mites, during his treatment (ear cleaning and several days of mineral oil mixed with vitamin E to kill the mites and heal the skin in the ear canal) he scratched the skin around his ears and made the skin very sore and inflamed.  However this was easily cleared up with a solution of strong black tea and a dissolved aspirin dabbed on the area 4 times a day to dry the area.  I then rubbed some fresh aloe vera gel straight from the leaf onto his skin. (Jones 1996)  It cleared up very quickly as too did the ear mites.  It's so incredibly rewarding when home treatments work so effectively and veterinary drugs can be avoided.  In this particular case, using natural home treatments worked really well without having to use drugs with toxic side effects, which always place strain on the kidneys and liver.

Other things we can do to extend and improve the life of our pet is to minimize stress, use bottled water, lower exposure to environmental toxins such as treated lawns and chemical sprays on plants and try to look for natural solutions to problems rather than the heavy reliance on veterinary drugs.  (Goldstein et al 2005)

References

Allegretti, J. & Sommers, K D.V.M. 2003, ‘The Complete Holistic Dog Book, Home Health Care for our Canine Companions.’ Celestial Arts, USA.

Billinghurst, I. 2001, ‘The Barf Diet.’ SOS Printing Pty Ltd, Australia.

Billinghurst, I 1993, ‘Give your dog a bone,’ Warrigal Publishing, Australia.

Goldstein, R.S. V.M.D. & Goldstein, S.J. 2005, ‘The Goldstein’s Wellness & Longevity Program Natural Care for Cats and Dogs.’ TFH Publications USA.

Coscia, J. A, 2005, ‘The Holistic Cat, A Complete Guide to Wellness for a Healthier, Happier Cat.’ North Atlantic Books, USA.

Hodgkins, E.H, 2007, ‘Your Cat, Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life.’ Thomas Dunne Books, USA.200

Jones, A. 2009, ‘Veterinary Secrets Revealed,’ Four Paws Online Ltd, Canada

Khalsa, D. 2009, ‘Natural Dog, A Holistic Guide for Healthier Dogs.’ Bowtie Press, California.

Lonsdale, T. 2005. ‘Work Wonders, Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty Bones.’ Rivetco P/L, Australia

MacDonald, C. B. 2004, ‘Raw Dog Food.’ Dogwise Publishing, USA

Messonnier, S, 2001, ‘Natural Health Bible for Dogs and Cats’ Three Rivers Press, New York.

Olson, L 2010, ‘Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs, The definitive guide to homemade meals.’ North Atlantic Books, USA.

Pitcairn, R. H. & Pitcairn, S. H, 2005, ‘Dr. Pitcairn’s guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats.’ Rodale Inc, USA.

Poveromo, M. 2010, ‘To Your Dog’s Health.’ Poor Mans Press, Canada.

Puotinen, C.J. 1999, ‘Natural Remedies for Dogs and Cats.’ Keats Publishing, USA.2006)

Zucker, M 1999, ‘The Veterinarians’ Guide to Natural Remedies for Cats.  Three Rivers Press, New York.