As you may already know, I have been breeding and showing German Shepherds for over 20 years. I personally feel that to really, consistently produce top quality animals, selecting and breeding only the best is important, but just as important is to feed your breeding stock correctly. What is the best way to feed your dog? How do you know it's the best? How do you decide what's best for your dogs?

The subject of Raw Food Diets has received much controversy over the years, but many pet owners and breeders all over the world can tell you their stories and why they will continue to feed a Raw Food Diet.

What do you feed your dog? Most likely you have discussed what brand of dog food is best, either with your veterinarian, your breeder, a friend or someone in your pet feedstore. You have been exposed to loads of advertising at dog shows, on TV, in the press, all telling you the reason you should feed their food. Like most people ,we are programmed by advertising and trust that the claims the different companies make are true. So how do you choose?

What do you think dogs and cats ate before processed commercial pet foods became available? Nature designed dogs and cats to be Carnivores. Their systems have been designed to get the maximum nutritional benefits from raw foods, including muscle meat, bones, organs and stomach contents.

Having spent more than 20 years in the Animal Care Field, I have seen dogs and cats get sicker and sicker, younger and younger. Their bodies simply cannot handle the onslaught of highly processed, cooked food (everything in a bag or a can has been processed and cooked). The use and overuse of vaccinations and steroids have also taken a toll on the well-being of our companion animals.

The tragedy is our cats and dogs are displaying symptoms of disease that simply go unnoticed or are so prevalent that they are accepted as normal. For instance, if your animal has fleas, their body is telling you their immune system is low (fleas are parasites and cannot live on a healthy system) or that they are deficient in sulpher. Sulpher is the third most abundant mineral in the body and naturally repels fleas.

You want to see dark brown or black stools. Yellow, tan or grey colored stools are an indicator that the pancreas or liver may be compromised or malfunctioning. The signs are there, but are we watching?

All canines and felines were designed to eat RAW food. Cooked food is dead. Everything in a bag or can is cooked. Raw food is alive- biologically available to your animal’s body. Raw food is the *ultimate* source of life. It is the best way and fastest way to living disease free.

So-called "premium" or "natural" dog food brands claim they are healthy for your animal. Some companies add herbs to their formulas as a selling point. However, vitamins, vegetables, meat and herbs lose their bioavailability when baked, boiled, heated, processed, etc. Even those companies that claim to have human grade ingredients the food is still cooked (dead) and therefore not biologically appropriate for dogs and cats. The bottom line is your animal is cheated out of terribly important nutrients everyday. I am seeing animals on dry and canned food as young as 6 months old with cancer, irritable bowel syndrome and kidney and liver problems.

After all the years that I spent experimenting with various diets , I have come full circle, and have come to the conclusion that what breeders fed in the fifties and sixties - and of course long before that, all the way to the beginning of recorded history - is the best diet for dogs - Natural Raw Food!

It's so simple, so "common sense" and yet this simple concept is very difficult to convince dog owners to follow. If you just think about it for a few moments - what does a coyote, wolf or wild dog eat? Not cooked and processed food in a bag or can - but all of the prey it may have killed, whether it is a rabbit, rat, sheep, deer or bird. Wild carnivores are also known to eat berries, fruit and roots, as well as the predigested grass in the stomach of a deer, as an example.

So "common sense" told me to imitate this diet of the wild carnivores as closely as I could, and I must tell you, it has been a great success. Not only do my dogs look and act better than ever, but they are never sick. Their coats glow, their eyes sparkle and their energy is abundant. They don't get hip dysplasia or any other bone weakness (bruised and dislocated knees are a common problem with large breeds, this completely disappeared). Nor do I experience the many skin and ear problems that seem to be common with many pets today. They live a long and healthy life, and it shows.

So for the last 13 years we have fed lots of raw meat. Our pups are weaned on RAW MEAT mixed with raw fresh milk. Then of course, they get all the other organ meats like heart, tripe, kidney etc. all ground up together. AND BONES, don't forget bones RAW! We give every dog, including puppies starting at 6 weeks old raw knucklebones at least 2- 3 times a week. Not only is it great for their teeth it also keeps them sparkling white. Bones are loaded with calcium, minerals and the trace minerals. Plus of course, chewing keeps them busy and entertained and the puppies will leave your valuables alone, they will prefer a raw bone to your new shoes.

To complete the diet, you need to give vegetables, small amount of grains, vitamin supplement, and a good digestive enzyme. I urge you to read the book "The Complete Herbal Handbook For Dogs and Cats" by Juliette de Bairacli Levy. This book is excellent - written by the "Mother" of Natural Rearing For Animals. If you read this book and the book "The Barf Diet" by Dr. Ian Billinghurst, you will have come a long way in understanding the nutritional needs of a dog.

After reading these two books you will see that lots of people all over the world feed raw meat and bones with great success. I also urge you to add a basic multiple vitamin on a daily basis, as well as Vitamin C. We guarantee our dogs to be free of hip dysplasia, and if they do not clear OFA at two years old we will give a free pup on the condition that the puppy buyer follows our diet which is raw-meat,--raw bones, vegetables, some grains and a good multi vitamin, and Vitamin C. If you follow this diet, and give your dog plenty of exercise, you'll be amazed how quickly hip dysplasia and many other health problems disappear. Of course there are all the diehards who blame every thing on genetics. I wish they would give this a try. I did and it has amazed me what a difference it makes.

In every family, dogs or people, there are many things we may be predisposed to like a heart attack at an early age, cancer, arthritis etc. That does not mean we'll get them, if we use "common sense" and prevent them with good nutrition, plenty of fresh air and exercise. I certainly have proved it with my dogs and very rarely have health problems. Nothing is 100% - but isn't 95% pretty good?

Dogs have filled my life with love, excitement, friendship, companionship, everything one can ask for. Now I feel it is my turn to speak up for them and share my experience in feeding successfully. Your dog will love it and be so grateful for that raw bone - it will be like Christmas for him every day. I promise you'll see improvement in all areas - longer life span - no stiffness and arthritis in young or old dogs - shinier, healthier coats - no skin and ear problems, etc. You'll find it is easy and fun to feed and you will soon appreciate why it is so important for your best friend to eat live food full of enzymes and not just processed food.

If you seriously want to improve the health of your dog, increase his life span, prevent arthritis and cancer, please read the books I have discussed. If you are interested in more information we have a health pack that we have put everything together - exactly how we feed our dogs with good results. I'll be happy to send it to you - just give us a call or drop us an e-mail.

All Of Our Dogs Are Raised.......NATURALLY!!