Nutrition

A Healthy Pup is a Happy Pup

At Puppenschnoodles, we are devoted to making your pet Happier and Healthier! Not surprisingly, one of the most significant factors affecting the over-all health and well-being of companion animals is their diet. A poor diet can lead to allergies, obesity, hyperactivity, hair loss, liver and kidney problems, diabetes, cancer, behavioral problems, and even premature death. Many people just do not have the information or the time to adequately evaluate all of the choices available to them. Dog food companies, with very large advertising budgets, are well aware of this fact and spend a great deal of money to 'help' you make this choice. Most often though, the choice they want us to make is not the best choice for our pets. This is why Puppenschnoodles' diet consultations and nutrition seminars are so helpful! They specifically focus on educating you and providing you with the most up-to-date, accurate, and appropriate information available (and take it from us, there's a lot!) so you can feel good about the decisions you make for your pet.

As a Canine Nutritionist, Anna is frequently approached by people who want to know what's 'best' to feed their dog. This is an easy answer—RAW WHOLE FOODS. There is not one manufactured 'dog food' out there that can provide the 'complete' and 'proper' nutrition needed by your dog. On this page, we will try to dispel some of the common myths and answer some of the most frequently asked questions. If you are interested in feeding an appropriate RAW diet, we highly recommend that you attend one of the upcoming Seminars to further research this diet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a RAW or 'prey model' diet?
It is certainly not complicated! It is based on the natural diet of wild wolves and dogs for thousands of years. In short, it is comprised of meaty, bone-in, whole pieces of various raw meats. Things such as tripe, eggs, and fish are added as well and are beneficial in raw form.
But my Vet says that RAW feeding is bad?
Unfortunately, the average veterinarian receives very little training in canine or feline nutrition. We firmly believe that unless your Vet has holistic practices or uses Eastern Medicine, that you do not seek them out for nutritional advice. Veterinary schools offer one course in nutrition (that's total, in all their years of schooling), and the biggest corporations in the dog food industry provide the course materials and textbooks used in this one course. This nutrition course is completely flawed, biased, untrue, and potentially hazardous to your pet's long-term health. Veterinarians deal in the diagnosis and treatment of illness, there is nothing 'preventative' about the way they work at all! We have been studying proper canine nutrition and helping people make better choices for their animals for over eight years. In that short amount of time, we have been able to see the very direct and powerful changes that an appropriate diet can make in the well being of an animal. Through my rescue work, I have successfully switched cats as well as dogs—from a 10-pound Pomeranian to a 250-pound Fila Brasileiro!
Can I just buy a prepackaged food to feed?
While pre-packaged RAW diets are FAR superior to any kibble, we do not recommend them. Your dog can easily gulp and slurp these up and they skip the powerful and beneficial act of chewing, ripping and tearing. When dogs are required to chew up large pieces of meat, they release saliva that carries enzymes to help keep their teeth pearly white! They also massage gum lines and exercise their jaws, all of which in necessary for good dental health! Anna's eight year old Neapolitan, Eros, has never had his teeth cleaned or brushed either professionally or at home.
But, aren't bones dangerous?
No! They are not—dogs and cats were made to digest bone; their stomachs are highly acidic and can break down even fairly large pieces of bone quite well. That being said, if bones have been cooked, then they are VERY dangerous—never, ever give your dog cooked bones! They can splinter, puncture and cause blockage! The rule of thumb when feeding RAW is to feed BIG pieces. Make the dog work through it so they have to chomp bones and are not able to gulp big pieces! Working on large prey is better for them anyway, do not cut it into smaller pieces, when bones are cut, they have a higher incident of splitting. You don't want the dogs to be chomping twice and gulping! Give them something big enough that they have to really work at it, you can always pull up what's not eaten and refrigerate it until feeding time tomorrow.
Is this Complete Nutrition?
I think this is the hardest part for most people—BECAUSE WE BELIEVE ADVERTISING AND MARKETING SCHEMES AS WELL AS OUR VETS. It bears repeating that there is not ONE pre-made dog food on the market that provides true 'complete nutrition' as the dog food industry claims - not one! That's scarier to us! With RAW you know exactly what goes into your dog. Eros, Anna's eight year old Neapolitan does NOT get any variance from his RAW diet, because Anna knows firsthand how important this diet is to keeping him healthy. Eros gets NO grains, NO veggies, NO treats, NO fillers, or other unnecessary junk in his diet, not even a bit of cheese or yogurt, etc. He is fed an appropriate RAW diet and dehydrated liver when training... yum! If you wish to vary your meat, give fish, eggs & organs from time to time - you are covering all your bases and you dog's body will work efficiently (as it was designed to work). Here are a couple of examples of vitamins and minerals that are vital to a healthy dog and the foods they are found in:
- Biotin—Eggs, Liver
- Choline— Egg Yolk, Organ Meats
- Cobalamin— Meat, Fish and Poultry
- Vitamin D— Liver, Egg Yolk, sunlight
- Vitamin A— Fish Oils, Liver
- Vitamin K— Fish, Liver
- Riboflavin— Organs
- Niacin— Meat
- Pentatonic Acid— Liver, Kidney
- Calcium— Bone, Meat
- Phosphorus— Meat, poultry, fish
- Magnesium— Bone
- Sulfur— Meat, poultry, Fish
- Copper— Organs
- Zinc— Liver, Dark Poultry, Egg Yolk
- Manganese— Meat, Poultry, Fish
- Cobalt— Fish
So, is the RAW diet healthy? Heck, yes!
It seems like so little food.
A RAW fed dog generally will eat about 1%-3% of it's total adult body weight. It's hard, at first, to think they can survive on so little food. However, their bodies are now effectively using what's put into them and so they need to consume less and in turn, make less waste as well. Definitely don't worry about 'messing up' or not giving enough food. In NO time, you'll be able to 'eyeball' it. Just watch their weight and adjust as needed. Since their bodies are working more efficiently, having more to eat one day and less the next day is not an issue. It will all work itself out and it is supposed to work that way! We do recommend a 24-hour fast every so often (with plenty of water and little to no exertion). Fasting will help their bodies adjust and cleanse. Don't worry about anybody's weight before a fast either, as a fast is not designed for weight loss.
I'm worried about germs—what if they lick me?
Germs are everywhere—we can't avoid them. Want to hear a really scary fact? There's more bacteria in most manufactured dog kibble than in fresh raw food—and dog's with plaque and tartar (from eating that kibble) carry more of these germs and bacteria in their mouths! So, have your dogs' been licking your face all along? Then don't worry because your face has already been covered in bacteria! You just got an upgrade! Dog saliva carries the enzyme, lysozyme, that kills bacteria (after all, wild dogs will feed off of a rotting carcass for DAYS—they can't afford to get salmonella or anything else nasty). Generally speaking, dogs' tongues are very 'clean.'

As far as cleaning up the house after a meal—vinegar works well as an all purpose cleaner and can be applied to almost every surface. Wet a paper towel with it and wipe up after feeding.
People whom I respect have told me negative things about RAW foods.
Our hope is that people will educate themselves about RAW and not be so quick to judge others, whatever their choice may be. Here's our best advice: Agree to disagree. As long as YOU know you're doing what's best for YOUR dog(s)—then whatever anybody else has to say about it really doesn't matter. If people start to let into you, you can calmly say, "I've done my research and I know what's best for my dogs." That's it! Most of the time, people haven't done their research and their comments are based in ignorance. This is a favorite quote of mine that was passed onto me by a dear friend, and it couldn't be truer:

"Being on a learning edge can be signaled by feelings of annoyance, anger, anxiety, surprise, confusion, or defensiveness. These reactions are signs that our way of seeing things is being challenged. If we retreat to our comfort zone, by dismissing whatever we encounter that does not agree with our way of seeing the world, we lose an opportunity to expand our understanding."
Adams, M; L.A. Bell; and P. Griffin. Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice: A Sourcebook. pg 68.

Knowledge is ALWAYS power!

Although we strongly encourage people to feed RAW whole foods to their animals, we understand that some people are not comfortable with the idea, or simply do not have the means to accommodate this lifestyle. We urge these people to do their research and educate themselves on the choices available! We offer seminars to help you with this decision and also have a great Guide to Ingredients to help you get started!

If you would like more information about a Training Course or about any of our Premium Services, please don't hesitate to email or call us today!