mORIGINS

Nature's way
is the only way!

How To Make The Switch For Healthy Dogs

Things To Buy ~~~

Two gallon freezer bags or...
a Tupperware "Produce Manager"
Ziploc sandwich bags or plastic wrap
Heavy Duty Knife (I use The Chicago Cutlery BT 43)
Knife sharpener
A high quality food scale

What to do with your first roll of meat ~~~

Place the roll of meat in the refrigerator for 10 to 12 hours. It should still be frozen, but thawed enough to cut into smaller pieces.
Using your baggies, cut the roll into pieces that will serve your dog/dogs needs for 2 days. The per Dog "rule of thumb" to start is:

Large (50# plus) - 1 Tablespoon
Medium (20-50#) - 1 Teaspoon
Small (5-20#) - 1/2 Teaspoon

In other words, you are starting back slowly to a natural diet by mixing the meat with the dog's existing food.
Cut the pieces so you are doubling the amount of meat every two days until you get to 100 percent.

Place all the baggies, except the smallest one, in a two gallon freezer bag (or Tupperware Produce Manager) and stick it back in your freezer.

The First Meal ~~

If regular food is dry, soak in hot tap water for five minutes, then drain off water. You can just thoroughly mix in the meat or you can help with the transition by mixing in cooked white rice to slow down the digestive tract. If you decide to use rice, add three times the amount of rice to meat.
This is not nutritional by any means but it will slow down the digestion if this becomes an issue. If you are adding one Tablespoon of meat add three Tablespoons of cooked rice. Decrease the rice gradually as you get to 100 percent meat.
We suggest giving dogs plain lowfat yogurt (Dannon's or any with an active culture) to increase the good bacteria.
If you have never fed yogurt before, try it alone on the original food for a few days before starting on the meat diet. Your dog may be intolerant.

The amount of yogurt to use on a daily basis is ...

Large (50# plus) - 1 Tablespoon
Medium (20-50#) - 1 Teaspoon
Small (5-20#) - 1/2 Teaspoon

Feeding Schedule: ~~

Healthy adult dogs eat once a day after they get to 100 percent meat.
Puppies should be fed on their normal schedule.

Once a week adult dogs fast ( their wild brothers don't eat everyday, more like once every 2 or 3 days).

We give ours nonweight bearing bones (necks or ribs) and fresh water. Large knuckle bones, the ends only, seem to work best for large breeds or aggressive chewers. For smaller dogs, the middle bone of a lamb leg or a rib bone works well. When contemplating bones, think Soft and Digestible.

Puppies can fast too. Just skip a meal.

The first time you feed the bones, remove most of the fat or bone marrow. It is very rich and takes some getting used to. Some dogs with pancreas issues can't even handle bones that have no fat or marrow.
IF YOU CANNOT FEED BONES --try feeding the diet nearly frozen in a large chunk. This will help in keeping the teeth clean.
Dr. Pitcairn (Natural Health for Dogs and Cats) explains the benefits of fasting in his book.

Gradually increase the meat as you correspondingly reduce the commercial dog food and/or rice.
After about two weeks our dogs were at about 50/50.

Feed dogs in separate bowls, if you have more than one, in their crates or far apart to avoid arguments.

Wash all utensils and bowls in soapy hot water after each meal.

Recommended portion is 2 to 3 percent of the adult dog's body weight per day, once you get to total meat. However, we suggest you go over your dogs every few days to determine the right amount to feed.
For example, We have two collies who are about two pounds apart in body weight. One needs 1 pound a day and the other requires 8 ounces per day.
MANY FACTORS (coat, metabolism, weather, etc.) effect dietary requirements.

Puppies grow best if they are kept lean, only 1/8 inch of fat over their bones! But they can consume much more than 2-3% while growing!!
The key is to get in touch with them and their needs rather than relying on a set percentage.

You will also find that many months after you start this diet they begin to require less food. They begin to catch up nutritionally and may even refuse a meal at this point.

We have taken several hundred dogs over to a natural diet using this method. We have had two who initially vomited because the smell was new and different.
Even older dogs with multiple and severe problems have done better by making the change.

Call us if you have problems.
Do not give up!

If you want to do other food groups

Veggies -- NOT RECOMMENDED but if you insist...Think "above the ground"! Think Herbivore!
Alfalfa sprouts, broccoli sprouts, wheat grass, parsley, spinach, dandelion leaves (before they bloom or they are too bitter), dark green leafy stuff.

Wait until you are 100% on diet before adding veggies or you may get a loose stool

Chop and put in the blender with some purified water. Turn it into a "green mush" and pour over the meat.
Do not exceed 5% for most dogs.
(HINT: we don't feed any but we do fast our dogs.)

Cheese --- The best training treat. Lots of flavors and varieties. Stick with white in color.

Fruits --- Sure! At first they will often eat anything, but they don't stay that way.
We like to give fruit on a fast day.

Grains --- See our write-up on "Is Raw Better". Do not feed any grains after your dog is switched to a natural range fed diet! After several months on the diet they all seem to get loose stools or just pass the grains out whole anyway.

As with any diet, commercial or raw, monitoring your animal's health with the help of a veterinarian is essential.

Trouble Shooting

Loose Stools --

- Over feeding, especially if this problem is intermittent.
- Too much veggies, fruit or grains.
- Using cooked meats for bait in training (no food enzymes)
- Overuse of supplements. We use to use lots of supplements for coat, etc. when the dogs were on commercial food. No More!
- Food enzyme deficiency. For one month use Prozyme.
Gradually taper off Prozyme. The body should pick up and start making it's own once you are off the commercial food.

Stools should be dark and come out in a few long pieces. The color indicates 100% utilization.

Partial Use --

Many people choose to use the meat in conjunction with commercial food to keep costs down. Some experts claim you can cause illness by providing too much protein if you do this.
This bears watching as there are no long term studies to guide you here. The amino acid supplements that are routinely added back to commercial foods are not detailed in terms of the amounts and they are not from whole foods. Supplemental amino acids are absorbed by the body whether they are needed or not. In humans it is recommended that they are only used for a maximum of three months and never taken with real food. Best to pick a commercial pet food that does not contain any of them (examples are Lysine, Methionine, Taurine).

The Healing Crisis --

About a month after we put our four month old puppy on the diet, we observed angry red pimples all over his chin.
In a few days they disappeared on their own. Even though he was on a premium all natural commercial food, toxins just poured out of his body.

Dr. Pitcairn goes into more depth in his book on the "healing crisis".

Be aware that you may see some strange happenings on your way back to nature.

WATER: Though dogs don't drink much water on a diet of mORIGINS, we recommend that only spring or filtered water be given with the diet to minimize the harmful effects of flouride and other chemicals/contaminants/lost nutrients found in tap, well, and distilled water.

You may have to modify what we recommend for your pet. Every animal is different.

Remember to Go Slow and don't quit!

Rocommended Reading:
David Mech's book "The Wolf", available at Amazon.com

For more information contact .....

Call of the Wild, Inc.
Cleveland, OH
(419) 368-3945

Consults by telephone with us are free

Shipping Is available to most areas
Please include City, State & Zip Code when inquiring.

Email ... morigins@juno.com

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