why kibble is a bad word

ok, so plain and simply, kibble is gross. do you even realize what you are touching? do you know what is in it? it's gross because of the low quality ingredients and fillers in yet. and what is even worse is you humans are being convinced that it is a decent diet (not even close, actually).

 i get fed raw because mom knows that it is the most nutritious thing for me in addition to some supplements. it's what i was made for. because...if you did not know...i am a savage.

while a lot of you folks out there are busy tracking macros and making sure to eat Paleolithic foods....what about us! how come our needs do not fall in line with how important nutrition is to you? instead you just believe all that marketing on tv (or the vet, yeah i said it) thinking those companies spend more on their actual products than they do on marketing. did you ever think WHY a vet is the only one to sell the prescription diet? why most are really not educated on much else? you realized that processed foods may be no good for you....but for what reason did you believe they were OK for us? have you ever thought to research a diagnosis? double checked to even make sure a diagnosis was accurate? checked to see what may be causing simple issues and how it can be fixed with proper nutrition (oh yeah, sort of like a human). 

let's face it. commercial pet food companies spend a lot more on sales and marketing and care more about the sales of their product than the actual food itself. how come you do not see raw food in the big box stores? maybe because perhaps they have a different mission? 

just take a look at the ingredients in your kibble. carbs, fiber, fillers....and crappy proteins. kibble simply remains around for convenience (oh yes, and not to mention all the $$$ that is in the industry). 

so, take a look at what is in your kibble today. and we will explore more about kibble. 

Settler prepping for dinner. 

settler's secrets: pumpkin

ok guys, i get it, i am a dog. i know we're always hungry and if food is available we want to eat it. that does not mean we should be overfed! now i don't really like talking about bowel movements (although mine happen to be nice, small, and smell-free) but overfeeding is a reason that causes diarrhea! 

lucky for you i will share a secret that should be well-known. you can eat plain canned pumpkin to help firm your stool back up. half a teaspoon for dogs weighing up to 30lb, one teaspoon for dogs between 30-60lb, and two teaspoons to one tablespoon for big guys!

be sure not to give too much though...or you may get the opposite result!

now go tell everyone about this! save time and money and stay away from the "prescription" canned food your vet will give. however, your human needs to make the call depending on your stool (how long it has been runny, or perhaps if there is blood in it) if veterinary assistance is needed. 

but what do i feed?

pork, pork kidney, pork liver, pork heart, ground pork bone. beef tripe. supplements. raw goat milk. 

today i am embarrassed. i dunno why she made me do it but i had to wait to be a savage this morning and devour the food in my bowl. in the mean time my salivary glands are going and im drooling. i mean, hey, a guy like me can't help it. 

we've already learned that you can follow the feeding chart as a guideline of how much to eat...but we really know it should go off looks and feel. more importantly...WHAT goes in the bowl! 

the staples of the diet: muscle meats and organ meats. muscle meat does not have bone and makes a great source of protein. organ meats are full of vitamins and nutrients and should not exceed 5-10% of the diet. think about kidneys and livers as organ meats. yum!

in addition to the muscle and organ meats don't forget about those raw meaty bones. those are what really make me feel like the savage carnivore that i am...ripping...tearing! oh i just love that. 

let's review. feed 2-3% of your body weight. divide that of course, so you get a meal in the morning and a meal in the evening. you have your muscle meats, organ meats, and raw meaty bones. vary the diet. different flavors...oh so many choices.

the calcium: phosphorus ratio is also something to consider. a diet with 40-50% RMB is just what you need to maintain being big and strong!

so what are you waiting for. get some scraps and start feeding!  stay tuned for more on supplements. buy hey, i will make it easy and just let you know that fish oil is a good start regardless of what you're feeding. one 1,000 mg capsule daily per twenty pounds of body weight.

Sources:
Olson, Lew. Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs: The Definitive Guide to Homemade Meals. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic, 2015. Print.

but how much?

ok dogs...if you want to be big and strong like me...your human just has to know the proper amount to feed you. i see so many dogs being overfed. pooping so much! i think to myself, wow can you believe what just came out of that little dog? and then i think about the ingredients some of you four-leggers are being fed. yuck!

so what is the rule? how much food? (don't worry we will get into the variety of meats another day).

for those of you used to scooping kibble using cups, we can convert. us dogs generally need 2-3% of our total body weight per day to maintain. now of course that may alter if weight loss or weight gain is needed. 

let's take me for example. i weigh a proud 55lb (or so). mom takes 3% of my body weight because i am very athletic and active (and pretty lean)...and i am still in-tact. i am a young male! that = 1.65lbs per day (and really it gets rounded up to about 2lb per day for me). now if you have a food scale you could split that in two (because all dogs should at least be fed twice per day), but lets make even easier and figure out about how many cups that is. (even though weighing would be most accurate).

Two chicken backs mixed with some tripe and a fish oil pill. Oh, the variety.

1.65lbs = 26.4 ounces. now take yourself back to what you humans call math (or google...i hear you can google anything these days). 8 ounces = 1 cup. in 26.4 ounces there is 3.3 cups. that is 1.65 cups per meal. (would be most accurate to weigh a cup though for accurate numbers)

but again...all a guideline. when she looks at me and tells me i am looking lean i get more (and maybe some extra carbs like sweet potato or something). i am a lean, mean, fighting machine.

for those of you interested in raw you could start with the pre-made "complete" patties. then once you are feeling brave you can get real creative (and save money) by buying in bulk or just getting 5lb logs of meats in many flavors.  

"Primal Pet Foods: Wholesome Raw Food for Dogs and Cats." Primal Pet Foods: Wholesome Raw Food for Dogs and Cats. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 March 2017.

raw meaty bones

so let's face it. i am a savage. i have a big powerful jaw meant for ripping and tearing meat. it's what i do. do i make a bit of a mess on the floor eating the bone...well of course i do. but mom cleans up and we move on. it is all part of this raw diet thing. 

lemme break it down for you. us dogs are carnivores. through raw meaty bones (RMB) we get a natural form of calcium which will help you get big and strong like me. calcium is also very important to skeletal health. 

the best part about RMB is you CAN eat the whole thing. the bones are "soft bones" and don't splinter which makes them safe for us. on the contrary, don't let your human feed you a cooked bone. when bones are cooked it changes the structure of it making them hard to digest and more prone to splinters.

the ground rules

ok, so let's get a few things straight. my name is settler and my motto is obvious; if you ain't first you're last. survival of the fittest! and to be first...you have to take care of yourself. mind, body and soul. and let me tell you, my mom has done a nice job when it comes to researching nutrition for us four-leggers. and to make it easy i am going to start sharing with you what i call 'Settler's Secrets'....from the kitchen. 

well, let me tell you something else. i know i am incredibly handsome. i'm told i have a nice physique, that i am physically fit, intelligent, and pretty much good at everything i do (okay, maybe a bit arrogant too). but that all comes with health and wellness.

i think it's important we crack the first myth: that a raw diet is challenging for the human. it's not challenging. it is quite simple actually. if you know how to semi-balance a diet for yourself it is essentially the same for your dog. oh, i know what some of you are thinking. you have no clue how to balance a diet for yourself. ok, i guess i agree...i have seeing some of the foods you humans eat...and drop on the floor for that matter. some i do not even want.

i am healthy. if there is something wrong my mom always likes to thoroughly research to see what is going on and what the best approach is. does it really make sense for our people to pump us full of drugs (when we don't even really have an exact diagnosis) just to try to "guess" to fix something....when in reality the problem could become worse?