Every morning when I wake up, I ask myself “What can I learn today? What knowledge can I acquire?

When I open my mind to everything I can conceivably absorb, I gain knowledge. But I don’t stop there. There are too many opportunities to broaden my horizons, gain new skills, expand my insights, share knowledge, make a difference and enjoy life more.

In a world that is in a constant state of flux such as ours, it is important to me to keep my mind open (but not so far that my brains fall out!). I am as positive and considerate of new and old ideas, philosophies, and theologies as I can be.

I have an insatiable curiosity and a passion for sharing and I strive to learn by doing. I try to set a good example. I want to spark a desire in others to learn and to question. I want to learn from others experiences. Learning is a never-ending way of life for me.

Doubt arises out of a lack of confidence, the absence of certainty. For me, doubt is a good thing! I know it has served me well. Doubt has given me reason to question, investigate.

When I blindly accepted what I was told without exploring, questioning, I nearly lost Magic. It was a tough reminder that I was wasting away. I believe that I now have the clarity to know what I know and know what I do not know. This distinction has been grounding.

So, I continue on my quest to learn, discover, question, doubt and gain knowledge. To remain open to what I see, hear and feel. It makes me feel young! Naive even! But the rewards are great and I am never bored.

So, how do we keep our canine fur-kids safe and sane?

DO NOT…

… take your dog with you to watch the fireworks!

… tie your dog up!

… leave your dog in the car!

… baby your or coddle your dog. (They will think you are concerned too)

DO

… take your dog for a walk, run, hike or swim! (A tired pooch will fare better)

… let your dog out to relieve himself before the festivities begin.

… keep your dog inside, and, if they are crate trained, in their crate.

… close all dog doors.

… empower your dog with encouraging words and body language.

… use natural calming agents such as lavender, Rescue Remedy or Tranquility Blend.

… turn on the TV or a radio, normal volume, and close doors, blinds and drapes.

… have your dog identified with a microchip and tag!

AAFCO label regulations require ingredients on pet food labels to be listed from heaviest to lightest before they are cooked into kibble. The order of ingredients has NOTHING to do with their quality or their processing, just their weight.

So, with this in mind, consider the grocery store and mass market dog foods for a moment. If they contain meals, they are pre-rendered meals whose sources are unknown. Today, however, you will usually see them touting those whole meat ingredients. Whole meats are wet and these wet-state proteins contain approximately 70% water and approximately 12% protein. This makes them heavier than their dry-state counterparts and allows grocery and mass market pet foods the ability to place meat at the top of their ingredient list. In reality, meat is not the main ingredient in these foods. These whole meats weigh more than the grains in the foods before they are cooked. After the moisture is removed, they weigh less, making grocery and mass market pet foods grain based, not meat based.

The meat meals used by the natural, independent, American dog food companies are custom ground meat meals whose protein source is always identified (ie. Chicken Meal, Beef Meal, Buffalo Meal, Salmon Meal, etc.)  These meat meals are extraordinarily nutrient dense and very expensive, not inexpensive substitutes or fillers. With moisture content between 5% and 10%, the protein content is 70%! These meat meals are made through grinding, cooking, and drying meats into a granular powder, adding superior nutritional qualities to the end product. When meat meals are cooked into the kibble, the protein is not diminished, and the food remains a meat based diet. When a whole meat meal is listed as the first ingredient, you can be assured that it is really the largest ingredient in the food.

Since foods are composed of protein, fat and carbohydrate in varying combinations, reducing carbohydrates necessitates increasing either protein and/or fat. Many, if not most, diet or weight loss/management pet foods are low fat, high fiber diets. Ironically, many dogs get fatter on these foods. The increase in carbohydrates, though fat free, are calorie dense, and these excess calories are not burned off, they will be converted into fat and stored. If you are nutritionally savvy, you understand that this is contrary to the dietary requirements of carnivores. Your dog may be physiologically full, but cellularly and chemically they are starving and malnourished on these types of foods. A chronically hungry dog can become irritable and anxious.

So, what is the best way to facilitate weight maintenance and loss? First, consider feeding a raw or home cooked diet. Cans are another good option. If you want to continue with kibble, get one over 28% protein.

Weigh your dog weekly. Be sure your fur-kids weight is going in the right direction. Weight loss for a 100# dog should be about 1-1.5# a week. A fifty pound dog shouldn’t lose more than half a pound. Small dogs are going to only need to lose a few ounces a week.

How much to feed? Use the feeding guidelines for your fur-kids IDEAL weight, not their current weight. If you are feeding a healthy, natural, quality food who put ingredients before income, use the lowest end of the feeding recommendation. If your fur-kid is seriously overweight, inactive or older, you may want to cut back another 15-30%. Your fur-kid will need to be fed a calorie deficit to lose weight.

Don’t forget portion control Use a REAL measuring cup, level or scant, to measure kibbled dog foods. Buy a scale to weigh raw and home cooked foods. If the bowl looks empty, buy a smaller food dish. It will help you mentally if the dish looks fuller. Don’t forget to factor in treats and table food! Add treats into the measuring of your food, then set them aside. If you like to feed table food, reduce the amount again.

Add exercise. If you are good at this, weighing will be important. You may have to increase the amount you are feeding if they are burning off additional calories. However, exercise is not a walk around the block. It needs to be aerobic/cardio vascular exercise. You need to get your fur-kids heart rate up for 20 minutes consistently to reap real benefit.

If you have recently had your dog spayed or neutered, it will reduce their metabolism. So does aging. The amount fed will need to be reduced too.

If you are doing these things and your dog is maintaining or gaining, it is time for a visit to your vet. Endocrine disorders may be contributing. Ask your vet about this.

And don’t forget: Water, water, water. Filtered water. This can help with satiety, absorption and elimination.

YES. You CAN cook for your dog and have a healthy, thriving canine fur-child.

Let me start with the K.I.S.S. version of cooking for your dog. Feed a wide variety of meat meats, organs, eggs, fat and green tripe. You can feed any cooked muscle meats. ~Antelope ~Beef ~ Buffalo ~Chicken ~Duck ~Elk ~Herring ~Lamb ~Mackerel ~Pheasant ~Pork ~Quail ~Rabbit ~Salmon ~Sardine ~Tilapia ~Trout ~Turkey

You can use any part of the animal, including bones for cooking. Remove ALL cooked bones prior to feeding. ~Backs ~Breasts ~Brisket ~Eggs ~Feet ~Filets ~Ground ~Heart ~Hocks ~Legs ~Necks ~Ribs ~Shanks ~Shoulders ~Steaks ~Tails ~Tongues ~Wings

And try these yummy organ meats! ~Gizzard ~Green tripe ~Kidney ~Liver ~Sweetbreads (thymus gland and/or pancreas)

If you like, you can add veggies and fruit. Though they are not necessary, many dogs love their sweetness, and they are great filler for those dogs who can’t get enough to eat!

Now, take your choices, put them in a crock pot, and let them simmer, simmer, simmer. You can make a week’s worth if you want, but remember variety is key!

Now, for the add ons. I don’t recommend cooking these into the food. Mix these in with room temp food prior to feeding: ~Calcium. You can make your own by grinding egg shells take empty shells, boil, dry, and then grind in coffee grinder or use mortar/pestle. Use 1tsp per pound of food. You can also use steamed bone meal – ½ Tbs per 15# of dogs weight, but never exceed 2Tbs. OH! You can also feed non-weigh bearing bones as a treat! ~Essential Fatty Acids. I generally recommend animal sources such as sardine or salmon oil. Algae can also be an excellent source of EFAs. Coconut oil is another good option, as is cold pressed olive oil. Like food, give some variety with the EFAs

YES. It can be that simple. No recipes. No slaving over a hot stove.

Now for the no-nos and don’ts.

~No COOKED bones! If you cook whole carcasses, ribs, or anything else with bones, remove them before feeding.

~No nightshade veggies. These include, but are not limited to tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, egg-plant, and hot peppers. Think I am crazy? They are related to bella donna and tobacco!

~Fruit pits and seeds.

~Onions. (Maybe garlic, but that is still being debated.)

~Grapes and raisins.

~Chocolate, coffee, caffeine.

~Sweeteners

Create your own recipes or modify your family’s secret recipes.I know that when I cook for my family, I make sure that it is safe for my dogs to eat too. Though I am a franken-prey feeder, we do treat the dogs to family favorites, like meatloaf (I make mine without tomato and onion, substituting sweet potato or pumpkin) stews, and roasts!