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Franzi Corman 30243 S.W. Heater Rd. Sherwood Or. 97140 503 625 6588 |
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FEEDING AND HEALTH CARE |
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I was brought up with a holistic point of view, and was taught that how you treated your body and what you put into it would determine how well it functioned. It is therefore difficult for me to discuss foods and feeding separately from health issues in general. In 1992 my first beloved Norfolk, Jessie, was diagnosed with a heart problem when she was only 6 years old. I did what my veterinarian recommended and put her on a veterinarian recommended “Heart Diet”.....a specific dry food kibble designed to address her heart problem. She was also on medications. Two years later she was significantly worse. She was slow, quiet, flabby and listless. I knew I would loose her before long and felt desperate. A friend came to visit and talked about the homemade diet her Norfolk was on.....basically brown rice with cooked meat and vegetables. I love to cook and felt it would make me feel better and that Jessie would love it, and that it was too late to worry about diet anyway. Jessie always went to work with me and 3 weeks later my clients began to wonder if it could possibly be the same dog in my office, who was more lively, more alert and clearly happier, and slimmer. For the next year I often joked with people and said... “Doesn’t it make you wonder what’s in dog food?” But I really did not clearly think about it...I fed all my other dogs the dry dog food that was “the best thing for them” as I had been taught. Until one day a pet shop owner responded to my question by handing me the book that changed our lives....... FOOD PETS DIE FOR by Ann N. Martin Newsage Press Troutdale, Oregon J For a condensed discussion of the problems of commercial dog food, take a few minutes to read an article called TRINA’S PLACE at http://www.nowak.on.ca/trina/article1.html I believe that most commercial dog food is made to provide a rich profit to the dog food industry and not to maintain the health of your pet. Unfortunately the manufacturers of a leading brand of this food, also provide information on nutrition to veterinarians in training. This is the food most veterinarians believe in and sell to their clients. Read the label when you are in his office. It’s amazing. But there was also the consideration that if a doctor suggested that there was a “complete” food in a bag that you could feed your children and family 3 times a day...everyday, for life, would you? Dog food producers have sold this nation on this madness and they are benefiting from it. Our dogs are not. |
essie lived to be 11 1/2 years old, and started me on an exploration into health and nutrition for my dogs that led to my current philosophy of feeding.
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Norfolk Terriers are prone to heart disease and our National Norfolk Club is considering the genetic implications. Yet on radio, TV and magazines we are reminded daily that what we eat and how we exercise and remain slim and fit will affect our hearts and general health. I see no reason to believe it would be different for our dogs. The first change I made was to switch to a premium brand of dry dog food.. WYSONG, which my dogs did well on. This food is thoughtfully and carefully produced by
If you feel compelled to feed a dry packaged dog food, this is the one I recommend. As I read more and learned more I began supplementing their dog food with fresh meat, vegetables, eggs, etc. either raw or cooked. I eventually discovered that the less grains and cereals I gave them, the more fit and healthy they appeared. The following books influenced me to pursue the path I am currently on. |
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I cannot say enough about the clarity of presentation of the issues in Kymythy Scultze’s book. This book is clear and easy and enjoyable reading and very informative. Like many people I had been put off from time to time with the experts who scare us with threats of ecoli, salmonella and neurological disorders. This book renewed my resolve to try a totally natural raw food diet for my dogs. What seems to be true is that feeding a raw food diet is a practice that is growing rapidly among dog people, and it is growing because it works!! It is the most natural way to feed dogs according to what is biologically appropriate to them. The benefits have been most readily apparent in the development of my puppies, and in a renewed vigor and better condition in my older dogs. |
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Presently there are more and more possibilities to purchase fresh frozen raw meat with bones. Some are more affordable than others, but if you own one or two Norfolk Terriers that eat 1/2 to 2/3 cup of food daily, this probably will not be a major consideration. What you spend on food you will likely save on vet bills in the future. Following is a list of a few of the available frozen raw foods on the west coast, and one that is available nationwide. STEVE’S REAL FOOD 1-541-683-9950 www.stevesrealfood.com Steve’s is very available in health food stores and pet stores on the west coast, and is very easy to feed, and comes frozen in cubes which can be removed from the freezer a few at a time. It contains meat, ground bones, vegetables and fruit. It comes in beef, chicken and turkey. It is also available freeze dried for traveling. GRANDAD’S 1-650-208-9546 Grandad’s is free ranging hormone free chicken and bones, available in 2# chubs at some feed stores and pet stores in California, Washington and Oregon. You will need to add some raw grated vegetables. COLUMBIA RIVER NATURAL PET FOODS 1-360-834-6854 www.columbiarivernaturalpetfoods.com This is what I now feed my dogs exclusively. It is the best quality, best variety and best price of any raw dog food I have tried. It is available in 2# chubs of duck, chicken, chicken with organ meat, turkey, guinea hen, rabbit, venison and lamb. They also sell grated frozen in season vegetables. I am a distributor of this food for people who live in my area. www.landmarknorfolks.net BARF Biologically Appropriate Raw Food or Bones and Raw Food http://www.barfworld.com This is the only food that I am aware of that has a national distribution. Their web site is very informative and includes a comprehensive list of distributors. RAW ADVANTAGE www.rawadvantagepetfood.com The advantage here is that it is healthy and appealing and comes in #l Pkgs. |
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All my pups are weaned and my dogs are raised on fresh, raw food. In addition, every week or 10 days, they get canned mackeral with cod liver oil added, and also occasionally scrambled organic fertile eggs with sweet potatoes. I supplement daily with CALL OF THE WILD..(a Wysong product designed to supplement raw food)...Powdered vitamin C, and Flax Seed Meal . An adult Norfolk should be fed once a day and will eat between 1/2 and 2/3 cup of food daily. This includes ONE small snack in the AM or PM, depending on when you feed the main meal. Eating several times a day is not natural to a dog and not beneficial, and leads to begging and obesity. Under no circumstances should your Norfolk be obese. Each dog’s energy level is different. Watch your dog like a hawk and cut back if he shows signs of getting chunky. You should be able to see a shape when you look at their bodies. A definition behind their ribs and a tuck up in their tummies. They are not intended to look like sausages. You should be able to feel their ribs under a comfortable amount of flesh. Being bone thin is not healthy or desirable either. Most of my Norfolks weigh from 11 to 13 pounds. I cannot emphasize this enough. Obesity will drastically shorten your dog’s life. Obesity is caused by too many snacks, too much cereal , and too much food in general. A raw meat with veggies diet is the easiest way to control your dog’s weight and appetite.
This very talented Norfolk needs to cut back a little on his food intake. |
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OTHER HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS Once upon a time when I was young, dogs chewed happily on bones we got them from our butcher. Today dog owners are advised to avoid them as dangerous. And an entire industry has grown to provide our dogs with “safe” products to chew. Most popular are the raw hide bones which can cause choking or intestinal blockage. The Natural Corn Starch products have made some of my dogs violently ill. Read the label of the ingredients. These products contain no food and probably nothing you would be willing to put in your mouth. Nylon and Plastic are not intended to be ingested, so why do we give our dogs plastic bones to chew? In general we know nothing about how various animal body parts provided for our dog’s chewing pleasure are processed or preserved. These products are obviously processed with chemicals and dyes, as well as preservatives, and the manufacturer is not required to provide this information. I give my dogs 3” marrow bones....the leg bones of beef. It keeps them busy for hours cleaning out the center. Later you can stuff the center with other intriguing and healthy treats. These bones are fairly indestructible. It is wise to consider that toxins are everywhere and effect an 11 pound immune system more profoundly than they impact yours. Additives and chemicals in food, chew toys, lawn sprays and fertilizers, insecticides in any form, household sprays and cleansers as well as second hand smoke, challenge the immune system. When the immune system gets overloaded it breaks down and we have “dis-ease.” Then you will see skin problems, behavior problems, and allergies...and eventually your dog becomes vulnerable to cancer, heart problems and other ailments. The current progressive thinking in veterinary medicine is to be more conservative with vaccines. Vaccines are essential and do protect against ravishing diseases, but how often to vaccinate and whether to give vaccines in groups of several at a time.... e.g. DHLPP, Corona, Rabies and Bordatella at one visit.... is now being questioned and reviewed. Vaccines have been shown at times to contribute to immune mediated diseases. If you alert the immune system to too many possibilities it can loose its ability to protect against the unexpected. It is my wish that every Norfolk puppy that is born, raised and loved here, will go to a home where both his physical and emotional needs are met so he is able to live a long and healthy life.
For more information on these and other topics I recommend
WDJ is an interesting and informative monthly newsletter about all aspects of dogs. |
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