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Originally Posted by Herschel  Does anyone have any raw food recipes? |
I have a book called, Reigning Cats and Dogs, by Pat McKay. She clearly explains her perspective on feeding your dogs and cats raw food and goes through the percentages of protein and grain that is necessary, depending on the age and type of animal it is. She says to always feed egg yolks raw, but ALWAYS cook the white of the egg, or it will cause a loss of biotin in your pet. I also read in another book, The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable that teeth rot because of the lack of enzymes found in raw food, not whether the food you feed your dog is crunchy or soft. So, I will give you a little recipe that is found in this book, but if you really want the whole meal deal, you should consider checking it out from the library or purchasing it (I own my copy). Vegetables and grains must be rotated every day or combine them, like oats, barley, rye and three kinds of wheat. Millet and rice are also exchanged every few days. All grains must be processed, so soak for rolled oats or flaked grains, put them in lots of water, then bring to a boil and let cool. She has a chart for how much water to cook the other grain in and for how long. She says they must be cooked to a mush. She says not to mix fruits for the dog. Some love fruits, but only one type should be fed at a time and that should be done on an empty stomach because they go through the digestive system really fast. One fruit that can be mixed with vegetables is apple and is good for diabetic dogs because it slows the absorption of sugars. If you feed bananas, they should be speckled on the peel, or they will be difficult to digest. Banana is good for treatment of diarrhea and colitis. One Yorkie owner told me about a product called Balanceit and I think I would use that for the nutritional supplements because they base it on your particular animal/age, but this book does go into each vitamin and mineral and the dangers of giving too much or not at all. She says to add bone meal to your meat because "it stimulates acid production in the digestive system and aids in calcium absorption" (McKay, 1992. pg 91) Don't use the kind that is for gardens! Aloe vera juice or gel is added to every meal, 2 teaspoons for cats, puppies and a tiny dog. For proteins, she says to NEVER feed an animal pork because the diseases their raw meat can carry. Always soak your raw poultry in a solution of food grade hydrogen peroxide or grapefruit seed extract to avoid samonella poisoning. Add 1 Tblsp of 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide or 4 drops of grapefruit seed extract liquid concentrate to 6 ounces of pure water and pour over one pound of ground poultry. Mix the liquid with the mean until it is completely absorbed into the meat. If you want to marinate it instead, pour it over the pieces of poultry and refrigerate for an hour. Don't throw away the marinade, but use it to mix in with the meat and grains and vegetables because it helps your animal's system. Do not use regular hydrogen peroxide found in grocery stores! It has been treated with chemical stabilizers. You would have to look for it at a health food store. The grapefruit seed extract should be available there, too. More is not better, so do not decide to add more than is recommended! Any dairy products should be raw, but is not recommended past 4 months old. Raw butter is good, though. Also, don't feed much soy, like tofu, etc. Raw vegetables should be put through a food processor until the pieces are the size of the head of a pin. If you choose sweet potatoes, leave the skin on, but if you are feeding winter squash, you will have to peel the hard rind off first.
The ten minute meal:
Run veggies through food processor
Pour 6-8 ounces of water over ground meat and mash water into the meat to make it easy to mix with grains and vegetables. If it's poultry, add one tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide (food grade!) or 4 drops of grapefruit seed extract to water before mixing.
Puppies: 50% meat, 25% veggies, and 25% grains
Dogs: 30% meat, 35% veggies, and 35% grains.
After combining meat, veggies, and grains, keep adding water until the good is thick chili consistency. If you can form a meat ball, it is too thick. You can occasionally put in chunks of raw meat, if you wish. Do not allow a free feeding schedule with raw food diet! Puppies should have 3-6 meals a day and dogs will need a maximum of 2 meals a day. The cost is equivalent to prepared foods in the store, probably a little less.
I hope this helps. Sorry for the length.