AVALYDE FIELD SPANIELS
Breakfast-Adults
Dinner-All
Breakfast-Puppy
Lunch-Puppy (until 6mos)
Veggies/Schedule
Other quality dry foods I can recommend are: Evo (mfr-Innova), California Natural and Hund-N-Flocken (mfr-Solid Gold). The best system with the dry food would be to rotate between 2 or 3 regularly, since no food is complete or perfect. My dogs have had no problem with doing this rotation regularly. Note that for improved digestibility, ideally ALL dry foods should be soaked in water for about 15 minutes prior to serving. Note that we don't usually use puppy food. All puppies are weaned onto adult dog food & raw meats & veggies. In researching dry or canned foods, you can simply follow the recommendations of the Whole Dog Journal. They publish an annual list of the better dry & canned foods. There are many excellent choices available.
For biscuits, I like California Natural or Wellness. Canidae has a good one too, but they come in a block & when you break them up, they crumble.
For store bought training treats, I like the Solid Gold products. These are available in several different meat flavors.
If your tap water contains chlorine or fluoride or salt, your dog should be given only bottled water. Wash ALL veggies (including frozen) in mix of dish soap or veggie wash combined with a few drops of organic apple cider vinegar. All food/water dishes should be either stainless steel or ceramic, provided that the decoration on ceramic dishes is lead-free.
(Revised 2/07)
Fresh Chopped Garlic-1/2tsp-1x daily
Fish Oil-3x weekly-I'm currently using herring oil. Would also recommend wild salmon oil, which is more expensive.
Vit.E Complex-200iu-3x weekly with oil
Vit.C (as Calcium Ascorbate)-500mg-3x weekly
Biotin-300mcg-3x weekly
MSM-1000mg. -4x weekly, 500mg per meal
Goat Yogurt/Organic Yogurt (not low fat)-about 2tsp-1x weekly
Organic Apple Cider Vinegar-1tbsp per gallon water bucket
Canidae-3/4 to 1 1/2 cups, depending on the individual
Raw chicken backs or drumsticks or thighs plus about 25% organ meat/muscle (beef/chicken heart, gizzard, liver) (10-12oz total) with about ¼ cup pureed veggies, or 10-12oz other raw meat (beef/lamb with bone) with veggies. I have used lamb breast for bone instead of chicken. Ideally the meat portion includes about 25% organ meat (organ meat/muscle-heart/kidney). For puppies-initially chicken necks are preferred, with 50% organ meat/muscle. 3-4x weekly, I'll include an egg (raw or cooked) every other day. If you're using organic eggs, you can include the shells. If using a prepared raw diet, such as Bravo or Oma's, the addition of chewable bone most days, (4-5x weekly), is vital for maintaining healthy teeth/gums. Substitute 10-12oz canned mackerel, sardines in water or other "affordable" fish source-at least 1x weekly-but NEVER tuna, because of mercury content or salmon (unless wild, because of PCBs). Bumblebee and Geisha brands canned salmon are wild.
For canines, leaner isn't "better." (You can use fatty chopmeat & mackerel is a fatty fish.)
1 cup Canidae dry + ¼ cup raw goat's milk (until age 4mos)
1 cup Canidae dry with ¼ cup goat's milk or a little water
Dinner-raw food as above
Baked (peeled) yam-approx 1x weekly, depending on availability-either chopped broccoli florets, pureed raw stringbeans, pureed raw spinach, pureed raw beet greens, steamed pureed brussels sprouts, pureed raw carrots, boiled pureed beetroot, pureed cauliflower, pureed raw romaine/red/green leaf lettuce or other available greens, or other imaginable/obtainable raw veggies, usually pureed, or baked squash (acorn or butternut). Note: root/"sweet" veggies like yam, carrot, squash & beets should be fed sparingly, once or twice a week. In general, quantity of veggies is 1/4 cup per dog. Use defrosted pureed frozen veggies, NOT canned veggies, as substitutes for fresh veggies. Wash ALL veggies (including frozen) to eliminate pesticides. Before pureeing veggies, I prepare a 4 cup rinse of a few drops of organic cider vinegar and either a veggie washing solution or dishwashing soap and rinse the veggies in clear water afterwards.
For travel/convenience: canned foods to substitute for the meats, in order of my personal preferences: Evo, California Natural Lamb & Rice, Wellness (assorted flavors), Canidae (assorted flavors), Solid Gold (assorted flavors). If you are using these canned products, note the ingredients carefully, as some contain rice or other caloric ingredients. If this is the case, they are more fattening, so keep your eyes open & cut back on the amount before your dog starts to look too tubby. Also, please note that I have, to date, never purchased the Solid Gold canned products, so I can't personally recommend them. (I have read the ingredients listed on the labels.)
Your general guidelines are that you want the first ingredient to be some type of HUMAN GRADE meat or fish. You want to avoid foods containing corn, soy & wheat, as they are highly allergic & are of questionable nutritional value to canines.
Also, for anyone who doesn't mind spending bigger bucks to feed their dog, there are several premixed raw diets sold frozen: Steve's Real Food, Oma's Pride & Bravo, to mention just those with which I'm familiar. Please note that if you're using one of these prepared raw diets, although they contain chopped bone, you still need to provide chewable bones several times weekly as part of the diet, since chopped bone doesn't help to clean teeth/gums. Beef marrow bones are NOT "chewable" bones. They are for recreational chewing only, since the dog cannot chew them up. All bones MUST be raw or they are brittle & dangerous.