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One of the reasons (in fact the biggest reason) I started a program of making homemade dog food was because of a book I read entitled Dog Food Secrets by Andrew Lewis. Andrew wrote the book after his dog, Noble, died. Like any of us, he loved his dog very much.

In his book, Mr. Lewis recounts how he held Noble in his arms as the vet gave the animal a lethal injection. Andrew watched, and felt, Noble’s life slip away as he held him close to his chest. He wanted Noble to know he was with him until the end.

As I read about Andrew and Noble, it struck a chord with me. I went through a similar situation with our old and trusted family friend, Maggie. The one difference, however, is that I opted out at the end.

I took Maggie into the examination room. I cried shamelessly and held her and hugged her. But when it came time for the shot, I had to turn around and walk out.

I just couldn’t stay for the final scene.

Maggie was 13 years old. She was a fairly large dog and had lived out her allotted years. She had a good life. At the end she was nearly blind and incontinent and frequently angry because she was in pain.

She hadn’t always been that way.

Maggie was our family dog for 13 years. Each of our three sons claimed her as “his dog.” And each of them was right. Maggie watched them grow into tall, strong young men. She had played with them, slept in their rooms, and watched over them.

She was there when they were sick, she licked their wounds, and she commiserated with them when they were sad. She made them laugh and she protected them.

These strong young men weren’t so strong when it came time to accompany her on that final trip to the vet. Each came and took ten or fifteen minutes with her, alone, to say their goodbyes. Not a one of them had dry eyes.

But I was alone on the drive to the vet.

Looking back, that drive was the hardest part. I kept stroking her head and telling her, as I had many times before, “It’s okay, Maggie.”

I felt guilty trying to comfort her because I was betraying her. I told her everything was going to be alright — but, of course, it wasn’t.

Most importantly, though, I thanked her sincerely, and from the bottom of my heart, for being such a good dog.

And I meant it. She had been, and was, a very good dog. There could be no greater compliment paid her.

I have to remind myself that Maggie really did enjoy a good life. We live in the woods so she had the freedom to chase squirrels, wild turkeys and deer.

She loved the freedom to run when she was younger, and liked to spend autumn afternoons outside laying in the sunshine on the warm driveway as she aged.

She had a family that loved her very much and she knew it.

To this day, when we are all back together, we still tell Maggie stories. Perhaps I will share them in another post on another occasion.

But back to Andrew Lewis and Noble. Noble’s situation was different.

You see when Noble died, he was only four years old. A few months prior to his death Noble had appeared healthy, energetic and playful. What happened? Noble was poisoned.

Now before you assume it was a fanatical neighbor or a mean-spirited teenager pulling a ghastly prank — let me tell you that it was neither of those.

Noble’s kidneys were failing. The vet told Andrew the condition was caused by preservatives in the dog’s diet. Andrew fed Noble commercial dog food. Not cheap commercial dog food, mind you, but “natural” commercial dog food he bought at one of the big box pet supply stores that sells the pricey stuff.

Noble’s death was the catalyst that catapulted Andrew on a mission that would last three years: Find out why the commercial dog food he fed Noble was deadly. He spent that time doing research, traveling, and paying for lab tests. He spent twelve thousand dollars of his own money.

What Andrew Lewis found was horrifying and his story is the reason our dog no longer eats commercial dog food.

Why did Mr. Lewis go to all that effort and spend all of that money? If you are a dog lover, you understand why. If you aren’t, I can’t explain it to you — except to say that sometimes it’s not enough to do the right thing.

Sometimes you have to make someone pay for doing the wrong thing.

When you read the book, this will all become very clear to you.

The book will make you laugh and it will make you cry. The damning documents and the graphic photos you’ll see will make you very mad. All in all, it is the most enlightening book (or article or paper) I have ever read on pet nutrition.

The book is named Dog Food ecrets. It will change the way you feed your dog and your dog will thank you for it.

And as an added bonus, you will add many years to your dog’s life.

CLICK HERE to VIEW “THE DOG FOOD SECRETS”

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The film Marley and Me opened on Christmas Day, 2008. In four days time it had grossed over
$100,000,000 in the United States alone!

Why?

Could it be because it struck a nerve? All I know is that my wife and I both sobbed shamelessly at the
end. We would have been embarrassed, but the packed audience was too busy to notice — they were all
crying too!

Now I have to be honest. It doesn’t take much to make me cry at a movie. Heck, I cried at the end of
Charlotte’s Web even though spiders give me the willies.

When Bambi lost his mother? Oh, man, I hate to think about that one. Suffice it to say, I was completely
humiliated. Especially considering the fact I watched it with my whole 6th grade boy scout troop.

But those were both just mere warm-ups for the end of Marley and Me. I haven’t sobbed as hard at the
end of a movie, since, well now, let me see — oh, I remember — since the end of Old Yeller.

The point is, we love our dogs. The big, floppy, furry, lovable creatures are our friends, our
companions, our shoulder to cry on, our ego builders, our, our — well — our family members.

Indeed, man’s best friend is part of the family.

Our family.

Now, before you start thinking I’m the kinda guy that throws paint on women in mink coats or breaks
into science labs to free all the lab rats, let me assure you I am not.

I know dogs are dogs. I know dogs are not human.

But I still maintain they are part of the family.

And when you own a dog, you assume a sacred trust: You agree to take care of your pet: to keep her safe
and to train her and exercise her, and feed her healthy food. She depends upon you for these things.

Now I know you can see where this is headed.

Natural homemade dog food.

Why would we make this the main subject of a blog?

The answer is because the alternative is commercial dog food.

What is wrong with commercial dog food?

As I mentioned earlier, it was the book Dog Food Secrets that opened my eyes and made me   such a believer in making my own dog food for our pet.

So, we have dedicated this blog to sharing information about healthy habits and diets for our four legged family members. As the facts are revealed to you, you will reach your own conclusions.

In the meantime, welcome to our site! We have some healthy recipes for you!

Oh! One other thing: The “Doggy Stuff” over there in the right hand column is how we pay our bills around
here. We don’t endorse any products.

Endorse? Heck — unless we write about some specific product — we don’t even have an opinion on any of
them.

The products are fed into us by category — in this case dogs and dog-related things. There might even
be some excellent products over there. But that’s for you to decide.

I will be honest. I spend some time roaming about over there because it’s all new to me, too — and it
is canine related. I have even found and purchased three or four pretty cool things.

But there are a number of things I probably wouldn’t buy — just so you understand.

If you are going to spend a little time with us, click on a link or two when something catches your
eye. You may find something you really need or are looking for. I hope you do, because, if so — we get
a little cut.

Good for us!

Anyway, whether you like the products or not, it’s fun to shop for things you enjoy. And if you are on
this site, you must enjoy dogs!

OK. We are going to send you on your way now to enjoy learning about the healthy way to care for
your pet with natural homemade dog food.

WELCOME!

by Jaime S. McKittrin

Did you know there are good proteins for your dog that are essential for your dog’s health? And there are proteins that are practically worthless to your pet?

Is your pet among the more than 30 million dogs in America’s that is getting an inferior diet because they eat commercial dog food that contain inferior proteins?

The good proteins for your pets include muscle meat, eggs, organ meats and dairy products such as yogurt and cottage cheese.

The inferior proteins come from vegetable sources such as soy, rice, wheat and corn. These vegetable proteins cannot be easily digested by your dog. If his diet is made up of vegetable proteins he will likely develop hormonal imbalances and other health problems.

How does protein affect a dog’s body?

The muscular building blocks of protein consist of twenty-three amino acids. A normal healthy dog produces thirteen amino acids internally. The other ten must be obtained through the food the dog consumes.

If a puppy is denied these ten outside amino acids it will simply fail to grow and develop and will die.

An adult dog that develops a deficiency of these essential amino acids will grow weak and may develop symptoms such as slow growth, weak or deformed bones, chronic ear infections, skin infections, tumors, aggression or timidity, spinning and tail chasing and cancer and epilepsy.

Protein is very important for your dog’s coat, skin and nails. Without protein, his coat will dull and and he will eventually start losing hair rapidly.

The immune system relies on proteins to continue to protect the body from diseases and infections. Without a properly developed immune system, a dog is more susceptible to chronic diseases that can bring early death.

For this reason the United States requires all commercial dog foods guaranty that their product contain a minimum of 9% protein. That figure, by the way, is probably too low to sustain vibrant health but has been established as the required minimum nonetheless.

Manufacturers of commercial dog food often satisfy this guaranty by filling their product with nutritionally inferior vegetable proteins. Why? Because vegetables are much cheaper. The manufacturers can then meet the government requirement and still keep their profits high!

That dog food companies sacrifice the health of your animal for profits should not be surprising. One investigator took a list of 68 requirements for a safe, nutritional dog food. She then compared every dog food manufactured in North America to her list.

What were the results? She discovered only 9 commercial dog food brands that met the 68 point criteria.

At first glance this may seem a stretch. But, then, how was it that thousands of our pets were poisoned in the dog food scandal of 2007? Why are more dogs dying at an earlier age from cancers and other ailments?

Protein for dogs is an essential part of their diet. Do you know if your dog is being fed with good proteins or inferior proteins? Is his diet safe or unsafe? Your pets depends on you to keep him or her safe!

We recommend 9 dog foods in “The Confidential Dog Food Report”, which have been researched and we know contain all the high quality protein your pet needs.

“The Confidential Dog Food Report” is contained in the Gold Package. Find out more by clicking here.

by Beth McKittrin

Wow! Jaime and I have been flooded with requests for a recipe book! Naturally we wanted to make it filled with free dog food recipes. More importantly, we wanted it to be filled with natural homemade dog food recipes!

Sorry to say we haven’t fully prepared our own yet, but knew of a book that was prepared by a trusted friend of ours, Mike Mullins. Mike, dog lover that he is, told us we could go ahead and offer it to you on our blog. And, because Mike is such a dog lover, he told us we could give it away for free!

So that’s what we are going to do!

You can download your free copy of Pamper Your Dog – 130 Recipes for Your Canine Friend right now….with one proviso.

Jaime and I have been working on a newsletter. For right now it will start out as a mailing list that we can use to send you great information about your dog’s health, training, and any great news related items that will affect your pet.

We know everyone who visits our site will want to join this list! Then Jaime came up with the genius idea of offering you Mike’s book when you join our list. Sort of killing two birds with one stone (what a horrible analogy for an animal lover’s website!)

So that is what we have set up. Join our list by adding your first name and email address, below, and, once we confirm your email address (done instantly), you can download this great free dog food recipe book that includes 130 homemade goodies for pooch! These are all natural homemade dog food recipes!

Remember, when you make these recipes, get your kids involved. They will love doing something good for their pet and it will bring you closer together as a family. Don’t forget — it’s their dog!

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by Jaime McKittrin

Nobody likes a rude dog.  Do you find your dog jumping on people who come to visit to be a humiliating experience?

Would you like to put a stop to this bad habit and train your dog not to jump on people?

If so, the discussion below will save you future grief  and hopefully keep you from losing friends because of Fido’s “faux paws.”

If your dog loves visitors as much as ours does, you too must be constantly asking yourself how to go about solving this behavior flaw. I’m sure you’ll agree it’s a mixed blessing. Jumping on people — friends and strangers — is a sign of our pet’s exuberance and love for humans, which is a good thing.

But it’s also just plain rude – and nobody likes a rude dog.

No matter how well intentioned your pet may be, your guests should not have to be subjected to an assault on their person(s) every time they want to see you in your own home. This is especially so when it is a guest who does not share your enthusiasm for those of the canine persuasion — and believe it or not, there actually are people out there who are not fond of dogs.

So, what can you do to stop your dog jumping on people?

First, a brief explanation as to why dogs jump on people in the first place

No doubt, if you have spent even a short period of time with your own beloved pup, you have discovered on your own just how much dogs crave attention and love from their humans. They keep it no secret.

They don’t know the meaning of subtle.

Dogs are completely “in your face” when it comes to expressing their adoration for you — wet tongue and all. But they don’t reserve this honor exclusively for you — their master and meal ticket. No. It is a gift they may bestow upon any two-footed creature who happens to enter their world (i.e., your front door).

So, attention is the key. And how do you make sure Fido has the attention he needs to prevent him from ambushing every visitor who crosses your threshold?

Painful as it may sound, your first step to curbing his enthusiasm is to show him absolutely no attention when you first walk in the door. If he jumps on you, turn your back on him immediately and make no eye contact with him.

Another technique: When your dog jumps up, grab his paws and hold them tightly. Don’t squeeze them so you hurt the animal, but don’t let go when he tries to pull away, either. This will let your dog know you are the alpha partner in your relationship. Do this a few times and he will get the point!

Once the dog has all four paws on the ground and is calm, you may then kneel down and greet him with a calm pat or a hug on his own level, but at your bidding. He will soon come to expect such a greeting.

Dogs are creatures of habit, after all. He’ll soon realize that if he wants your attention, he must give you a proper greeting. Your friends and other guests will soon start coming back, knowing they will not be toppled like ten pins the minute they enter your home.

This is but one of the many useful tips I picked up from Daniel Stevens,  probably the best dog trainer I have ever known.

If you are humiliated by your dog jumping on people, you’ll appreciate the many other outstanding tips Daniel teaches.

You will get help with, among others, these behavior problems:

• Training your dog to stop jumping on people
• Teaching your dog to stop barking for attention
• Train your dog to sit quietly for children
• Teach your dog to stop biting when he plays
• Training  your dog to stop chewing
• Teaching  your dog to calm down (hyperactive dogs)
• Train your dog to diffuse his aggressive behavior
• And much, much more.

Wait until you see Daniel in action — he will have you acting like a pro and training your dog like a pro after just a few minutes instruction for each behavior.

Before you try the simple suggestions we have outlined, do yourself a favor and download the best dog training course ever

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by Jaime McKittrin

A recent report on the news got me thinking about substances that are toxic to our pets; you know – the foods dogs should not eat.

The subject of the report was xylitol, the active agent in TicTacs™, as well as many other sugar-free candies. Apparently, a woman’s black lab had a propensity to sneak tasty morsels out of his master’s purse, including TicTacs™ and Tums™.

Now, I don’t know about your four-legged friends, but I know for a fact that if I stuck a handful of Tums™ in my 90-pound Briard’s food dish, she would turn up her aristocratic little French muzzle at me and walk away – no doubt muttering under her less than fragrant doggy breath.

Or, er, the doggy equivalent of muttering.

The idea of a dog wolfing down (no pun intended) a container of breath mints might seem humorous until you consider this particular dog almost died as a result.

Apparently xylitol, which is a natural substance and quite acceptable sugar substitute for humans, can adversely affect a dog’s insulin levels, as well as his liver.

Although I am not in the habit of slipping Allie breath mints of any kind, tempting as it has been at times, I have to admit I wasn’t aware of the dangers – so I wanted to pass it along to you.

If you suspect your pet has ingested xylitol, contact the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) at 1-888-426-4435. This information is recent enough, even your vet may be unaware of the danger.

After hearing this news item, I decided to research other edibles that are toxic to our canine companions. I’m sure most dog owners are well aware of the dangers of chocolate to a dog, as well as onions. But maybe a few on the list of foods dogs should not eat will be new to you.

Here they are:

• Alcoholic Beverages — goes without saying, right?
• Avocado — those Omega-3s are great for your heart, but don’t give avocado to your dog!
• Coffee / Chocolate — caffeine, caffeine, caffeine!
• Macadadamia Nuts  — my favorite, but not for Fido
• Grapes and Raisins — can cause kidney failure within 24 hours!
• Garlic and Onions in the raw form — worse for cats than for dogs
• Salt
• Yeast Dough
• Moldy and/or spoiled food — goes without saying
• Raw Salmon — if you your pooch eats raw food, NO SALMON

This is a pretty basic list. Please feel free to add to it if you are aware of other foods that can be fatal to a dog. Just leave a comment.

After all, the welfare of our pets is what this blog is all about.

Here is a video of Martha Stewart discussing this very subject with a veterinarian on her show.  It’s worth a look:

A FEW OTHER THINGS DOGS SHOULD NOT EAT ARE:

1. Old Flea Collars
2. Putrid flesh of other dogs and cats
3. Road Kill

You probably think this is a joke in poor taste (no pun intended).

Actually, it isn’t. This is what your dog is eating with most commercial dog food brands. Don’t believe me?
Look here.

Here are some very basic natural homemade dog food recipes. Recipes like these will make up a large portion of the food you prepare for your pet.

Remember, making homemade dog food can be great fun and can be a family project.

Family meal time is the perfect time to set aside food for your dog. Extra food set aside during food preparation saves time later. After you’ve eaten your meal, keep the scraps (no bones) in a sealed container in the refrigerator. These scraps will become the basis for tasty meals for the furry member of your family.

Some notes on these recipes:

All meat we recommend is cooked. A limited portion of beef fat is fine and can promote a healthy coat. If your dog is overweight, however, it is best to restrict calories — substitute a tablespoon of olive or canola oil.

Fowl (turkey, chicken, etc.): all meat should be off the bone. Cooked turkey and chicken skin is fine.

Many of recipes call for specific vegetables. Not all dogs like all vegetables. If you are hand blending, your dog will let you know her the vegetables she doesn’t like by not eating them (however if you prepare her meals in a blender she’ll never know).

On these basic recipes we have called for mixed vegetables. In fact you can use any green or yellow vegetables (except onions). Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, when called for, will be specifically named in the recipes.

We love to use a blender or food processor. Chop up the food, divide into meal size portions, feed your dog one portion, refrigerate portions for another two days, and freeze the rest. It is best to not prepare meals more than a week in advance. And remember each night to take the next day’s meals and thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Portions vary by size of dog, and you will want to experiment with this. Recipes in recipe books will be more specific and will give you nutritional information such as calories, etc.

We have listed the actual recipes on the sidebars in order for them to stand out and be easily copied.

Okay. Are you ready? Here we go — have a ball!

Don’t forget to let your kids take part in the preparation. Your pet may be the family dog. But she’s your kids’ dog first! Let them feel the satisfaction of doing something good for their dog!

UPDATE: Now we have a free book of 130 Natural Homemade dog food recipes that you can download immediately!  Click here to go to the download section.

Before you go….think you could teach this pooch to roll over?  The task appears to have him a bit challanged!