Home of Noble Vestal Labradoodles

Feeding Biologically-Appropriate Raw Food

At Noble Vestal, we are feeding our dogs based on what is often called the BARF diet -- Biologically
Appropriate Raw Food. The diet that you will choose for your own Labradoodle will be your personal
choice, but we want to inform you of how we are feeding the puppies, and why.

The basis of the raw diet is that the acids inside a dog's stomach are strong enough to digest raw
bone, but generally highly inefficient at digesting grain. If you look at a bag or can of prepared dog
food, you'll see that one of the main ingredients is some form of grain product. Yet when you look at
the diet of a wild wolf (the genetic predecessor of the domesticated dog), you see that they eat animal
carcasses (bones and all), and no grain at all.

Deciding to feed raw is a very personal decision. The supporters of the raw diet feel that it makes for
much healthier dogs, and dogs that are much less prone to illness and disabilities like arthritis and
diabetes. Dogs fed on "raw meaty bones" also will never need to have their teeth cleaned, as the
process of chewing raw bones leaves their teeth sparkling white, and their gums a wonderfully
healthy pink in color. They also don't have that typical bad "doggy breath" that can be so unpleasant.

Another benefit of feeding raw is that the feces are small, do not smell much, and turn white and
into powder within a day or so. Most folks are aware that they can tell when their dog has eaten
premium dog food rather than regular dog food by the quantity of poop that results. The less the
food is digested, the more that comes out the other end. This applies even more to dogs fed on the
raw diet.

There is plenty of research you can do for yourself on the raw diet via the internet. We've given some
links down below. You should be aware that there are variations of the diet, from folks who grind up
vegetables (dog's stomachs need the vegetable fibers ground to digest them) to add to their dog food,
to those who feed their dogs entire rabbit or even deer carcasses.

We feed primarily raw chicken (backs, necks, wings, thighs and legs), organ meat, beef, fish like
sardines, tuna, salmon and mackerel (for the omega oils necessary for brain development), plain
yogurt, ground up fruit and vegetables.

Please remember, however -- we are NOT feeding COOKED BONES -- only RAW BONES. Cooked
bones get brittle, and it is the brittle splintered bone ends that can cause internal damage.

Some of the books and web sites that you can read are:

Give Your Dog A Bone
by Dr. Ian Billinghurst

http://www.drianbillinghurst.com/

http://www.switchingtoraw.com/

http://www.rawlearning.com/

http://www.drianbillinghurst.com/

Example of a raw meal would be as follows
1 lbs. ground beef
3 eggs with shells
1 cup yogurt (any flavor)
1 can tuna
1 cup of pured vegetables
2 cups steam rice
2 tbs. wheat germ
2 tbs. brewers yeast
2 tbs. kelp
3 tbs. flaxseed oil

Mix all items well, spoon into muffin pan, freeze for 20 minutes and transfer to a storage container
in the freezer. Thaw 2 patties over night.

Your dog will need to be fed 2% of its body weight. (Feed a 50 lbs dog 1 lbs of raw a day)







Kendra Vestal C ontact Us Noblesville, Indiana (317) 770 7418