Re: [PyrNet-L] Floating Pyr

["Tracy Bassett" <espinay@dynamite.com.au>]

<<Ok I have to ask has anyone else feed there guys broccoli and if so did
you have to make a run for the bunker after letting them out to do there
thing ? >>

It is probably not a good idea to feed too much of the 'nightshade'
vegetables. These are things like tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum, broccoli
etc.  Can't remember the exact reason, but it is apparently better if these
ones are fed more infrequently.  Better veggies to start with are things
like carrots, apples, leafy greens like spinach, carrot tops, outer leaves
of the cauliflower, brussel sprouts (Clondike knows all about this one :-D),
pumpkin, squash, bananas, melon etc.  They are better digested too if they
are wizzed into a pulp in a food proceessor or juicer (more like eating the
contents found in a stomach of a prey animal etc).

Do you feed veggies very often?  Often dogs switched onto a raw/natural diet
will take a little while to get used to it as their stomach often does not
have the natural bacteria to cope with it straight away.  Many dogs
undergoing this change also go through a 'detox' phase which, depending on
the dog, may show up as diarreha or a flaring up of some problem such as an
ear or skin infection.  This usually clears up in a day to a week or so
(depending on the problem), and generally does not reoccur. Many people who
are unsure about making a change can get scared off at this stage, and
rather than sticking with their plan, go back to what they were doing
before. :-)


<<I still worry about the right balance of vitamins feeding them cooked or
raw.>>

It is a lot easier than you think :-).  although I have found from a natural
diet list I am on that people in the US tend to worry a lot more about it
than the Aussies! :-) (sorry about that, but it is a topic that is much
commented on and joked about on that list!).  Basically cooking food removes
a lot of the vitamins etc which you then have to put back.  Raw food tends
to retain a lot of this 'goodness', although I still add a few extra
supplements like kelp, vits C and E, brewers yeast , flaxseed oil etc once
and a while.  If you are worried, a supplement like 'Missing Link' pretty
much covers all the bases no matter what you are feeding.

If you are worried about residue on veggies, you can wash them first (no
worse than eating a salad ourselves though) or buy organic.  As for meat -
its personal choice I guess, but I personally believe in feeding raw.  I buy
from human meat suppliers and follow basic hygene practices for the storage
and handling of the meat/bones.  Just the same as if I were preparing sushi
or steak tartar for myself (both of which I love!).

Just my thoughts :-)

Tracy Bassett
Canberra, Australia
espinay@dynamite.com.au
visit my webpage at http://members.dynamite.com.au/espinay/index.htm

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