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PREY-MODEL RAW
DOG FOOD DIET
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for a print out of the information below:
Brief Introduction
Why is a raw diet recommended?
The Smithsonian Institution has taxonomically
classified dogs as Canis lupus familiaris; this classification is a
subspecies of the wolf (Canis lupus). Scientists have named at
least 32 different subspecies of wolves. This means that the dog (Canis
lupus familiaris), the timber wolf (Canis lupus nubilus), the
Mackenzie or Tundra wolf (Canis lupus occidentalis), etc. fall under
the genetic umbrella of the gray wolf, Canis lupus.
Animals have two types of DNA, nuclear (nDNA) and mitochondrial (mtDNA).
Nuclear DNA is found in the nucleus of a cell. The genes coded for by
nDNA are responsible for external or phenotypic characteristics and for behavior,
while they
also have important regulatory functions inside the cells.
Mitochondrial DNA is separate and distinct from nDNA and is found in the
mitochondria of the cell. The gene coding here is primarily regulatory
for
cell metabolism, including those responsible for the conversion of food to
usable energy.
So, how closely does our canine partner’s mtDNA match that of a wolf’s?
Robert K. Wayne, Ph.D., a canid biologist and molecular geneticist from
UCLA, stated: “The domestic dog is an extremely close relative of the
gray wolf, differing from it by at most 0.2% of mtDNA sequence. . . . In
comparison, the gray wolf differs from its closest wild relative, the
coyote, by about 4% of mitochondrial DNA sequence.” (“Molecular Evolution of
the Dog Family,” Theoretical and Applied Genetics.)
Physiologically wolves are carnivores and
since 99.8% of a dog's mtDNA is wolf, then that means that dogs are
carnivores. As such, then it becomes abundantly clear that a dog's
diet should mimic the diet of a wolf. So here's how to feed the best
diet to your domesticated wolf:
How to
Get Started on the Prey-Model Raw Dog Food Diet
·
Sign up as a
member on the Yahoo Rawfeeding Group:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/.
·
After signing up,
you will receive by e-mail some website links which have informational
reading material. Read every single page on every website that is sent to
you. This is where you will get a good overview of the diet. This will
probably consume several nights of reading, but be committed and read it
all.
·
Read the daily
posts to the Yahoo group for at least a couple of weeks. A lot of the
questions will be repetitive, but this will just reinforce what you are
learning.
·
Calculate your
dog’s dietary needs by weight. By weight, most dogs need from 2% to 3% of
their ideal adult weight. If older, start at 2%, if young and energetic
start at 3%. Smaller breeds start at 3%. Then adjust as needed.
·
Feed 80% meat;
10% bone; and 10% organ (with 5% of the organ being liver). Bone is what
firms the stools. Too little bone and you get loose stools; too much bone
and stools are white and hard.
·
Remember that the feeding regimen
motto is “balance over time.” So, every meal doesn't have to be
perfect.
·
First start by
feeding just raw meat and raw bone. Once this is well tolerated for a
couple of weeks without loose stools, then slowly start adding a little
liver, organ, and other meat variety.
·
Do not feed “weight-bearing”
bones from ungulates. These “weight-bearing” bones could cause teeth damage.
·
Do
not buy meat labeled "plump and juicy" or
"broth added." Your dog does not need sodium or chemicals.
·
Do
not go overboard on feeding fat or fatty
skin. After all, the meat from a kill by a wolf in the wild would generally
be lean meat.
·
You no doubt are eager to see the rewards of raw feeding. Raw feeding
can be a powerful tool to improve your dog’s health. So powerful that
you may see signs that your dog is going through a detoxification process.
So, for older dogs, sick dogs, and constitutionally weak dogs, transition to
raw slowly. You want the detoxification process to be
gradual—something that their system, in its weakened condition, can handle.
·
Finally, think--"What
would a wolf eat?"
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