Feeding Your New Cocker

It is much easier to make food in large batches, freeze in plastic containers, and thaw as needed by putting into a sink of warm water (do not use microwave). Use plenty of water in making the food. You want it to have a slushy consistency. When the dogs get liquid from their food, they do not tend to need much other water throughout the day.

Oil Supplement
3 parts cold-pressed sunflower, safflower or olive oil, to 1 part Cod Liver Oil. Keep refrigerated.

Powder Supplement
Udo’s Choice Pet Essentials OR
Missing Link for Dogs

EFA Supplement
1 tsp Flax Seed Oil OR
1 Salmon Oil or fish oil capsule

Calcium Supplement
Dogs require a certain calcium:phosporous ratio. When serving meat, must serve also plenty of raw, meaty bones (RMBs). Otherwise, must supplement with human grade bonemeal or ground egg shells.

Garlic
The addition of garlic to food helps to fight infections, helps prevent cancer, expels tape-worms, makes animals less attractive hosts to parasites (both internal and external), and prevents blood clotting.

Protein Sources
Raw beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, small amounts of organ meats (beef heart, chicken giblets, chicken liver, calf liver, lamb kidneys, sweetbreads) raw fish, if fresh. Eggs, raw milk, cottage cheese, and yogurt are also good sources of protein.

Veggies
For best results, use fresh seasonal veggies. Vegetables must be pulped for dogs to be able to digest them, as they do not have the enzymes to break down the outer cell wall. It is easiest to do this with a juicer, food processor or blender. I always use carrots, broccoli, spinach, and garlic to which I add some seasonal veggies.

Fruits
Apples, pears, blackberries, mangos, bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, plums, dates, avocados.

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
ACV normalizes acid levels in the stomach, improves digestion and the assimilation of some nutrients, reduces intestinal gas and fecal odors, reduces common infections, increases resistance to disease, helps prevent bladder stones and urinary tract infections. Add ACV to food or drinking water. 1 tsp/15 lbs body weight.

RMB (Raw Meaty Bone) MEAL
3-4 raw chicken wings or 5-7 raw chicken necks

MEAT MIXTURE
2 cups Ground Beef*
2 cups pureed fresh raw veggies & garlic

Mix the above with oil supplement. We occasionally add raw eggs pureed with their shells, and/or cottage cheese or yogurt into the mixture. Serve into 1 cup servings. Sprinkle on powder supplement and add a capsule of fish oil or Salmon Oil.

*Substitute Meats
Instead of Ground Beef, can substitute:

(a) Ground Turkey;
(b) Ground Lamb;
(c) Ground Chicken;
(d) Canned Mackerel or Salmon;
(e) Fresh fish; or
(f) Chunks of beef;

Combine one of the substitute meats with the shredded veggies and oil supplement. We occasionally add raw eggs pureed with their shells, and/or cottage cheese or yogurt into the mixture. Serve into 1 cup servings. Sprinkle on powder supplement and add a capsule of fish oil or Salmon Oil.

ALTERNATE MEALS
1 Turkey Neck

These are very large and can serve as the only item fed that day.

DOGGY TREATS
Chunks of carrot, bananas, or apple

Rationale for Feeding Raw
There are enzymes in fresh raw foods that are necessary for the continued good health of all living creatures. Just as it is important for us to eat fresh fruits and veggies, dogs require the same, but additionally need the enzymes in raw meat and bones.

Please take time to learn the rationale for feeding different foods so that you understand what the addition of each food adds to the oerall diet.

The following is an easy method of making many different batches of wet food at one time. Remember that 50% of your dog's diet should be a meat meal (listed below) and 50% should be RMBs (raw meaty bones such as chicken necks or wings).

Begin with 3 large bowls . . .

Meat:         Into the 1st bowl, add 2 cups of ground beef; into the 2nd bowl, add 2 cups of ground turkey; into the 3rd bowl, add 2 cans of canned mackerel.

Veggies:     Puree some veggies, always using carrots, broccoli, spinach, garlic. If you use the blender, add water so that it does not burn up. If you use a food processor, you will need to add water later. Each time you make food, add different seasonal veggies so that each batch of food is different. Add 2 cups of pureed veggies into each bowl.

Oil Supplement:     Take a jar, pour it 3/4 full with either sunflower, safflower, or olive oil. Add 1/4 cod liver oil. The ratio is 3:1. Pour some of this mixture into the meat & veggies. You want it to coat the mixture, not saturate it. Keep the remainder in the fridge until the next time you make food.

Thoroughly mix the contents of each bowl with lots of water so that you get a slushy consistency. To mix it, I use a potato masher, many people use their hands. Divide the contents of each bowl into containers labeled with a B(eef), T(urkey) or M(ackerel) and freeze the containers. It takes approximately 2-3 days to thaw so as you start using one container, begin thawing the next container in the fridge.

When you serve the dogs their wet food, think "chocolate sundae;" i.e., a scoop of wet food with powdered supplement (Udo's Pet Essentials or Missing Link) sprinkled on top and a squirt of flax seed oil (or Salmon Oil capsule).

One-Meal Per Day Items:
Because of the caloric content of the following items, give only one and it should be the only item fed that day:

Turkey Neck or
Chicken Leg Quarter

Know that there are enzymes in fresh raw foods that are necessary for the continued good health of all living creatures. Just as it is important for us to eat fresh fruits and veggies, dogs need the same, but additionally need the enzymes in raw meat and bones.

Alternate meals include a scoop of cottage cheese or yogurt, cubed chunks of beef heart, a fresh egg or two pureed with its shell.