Dosages blueberry powder and barley grass juice powder:

[JudithB]

Dosages blueberry powder and barley grass juice powder: Our dog is Dobbie, 3 yrs old, miniture dachshund, female, not castrated. Her BEAM is good on all points. Currently about 10 days pregnant and weighing 6.8 kilos. She receives food that is a mixture of dry manufactured that is organic and homemade mashed potatoes and carrots mixed in with the dry food. Basis of dry food is lamb. I joined this site on the recommendation of Medical Medium. Anthony says he gives his dogs blueberries everyday and also said in his pets podcast that barley grass juice powder is really good for dogs. I am wondering about dosages? I chose to give our dog blueberry powder instead. Is that ok? I mix it with a little bit of banana. @Dr. Jeff

 

[GinnyW]

I would like to say only that variety MAY be one of the most important factors in diet...I'd like to see you branch out a bit, feeding different meat sources, and those being fresh, raw - and including organ meats. "Dry" can imply all sorts of not-so-nutritious parts, but even the best are lacking in fresh factors. The same is true of any vegetables you choose: starch and sugar-heavy ones are not the best option: fresh greens such as kale, parsley, celery, leafy lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, etc. can be added to the diet in small quantities, but she is a dog, and designed to eat and benefit from meat. Sugars and carb-heavy veggies, on the other hand, are not necessary, and can cause issues fed in quantity.
If you are feeding real raw food, "dosages" are not important. Just offer up all sorts of things and she what she prefers. Just as with humans, she may experiment and choose one or another item on different days, and this would be ideal. Make sure also that she gets a source of Omega 3 oils, from fish or other sources, and stay away from seed oils. This oil would be about the only supplement I would use regularly. I wish you both well through her pregnancy.

 

[NancyK]

I would like to say only that variety MAY be one of the most important factors in diet...I'd like to see you branch out a bit, feeding different meat sources, and those being fresh, raw - and including organ meats. "Dry" can imply all sorts of not-so-nutritious parts, but even the best are lacking in fresh factors. The same is true of any vegetables you choose: starch and sugar-heavy ones are not the best option: fresh greens such as kale, parsley, celery, leafy lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, etc. can be added to the diet in small quantities, but she is a dog, and designed to eat and benefit from meat. Sugars and carb-heavy veggies, on the other hand, are not necessary, and can cause issues fed in quantity.
If you are feeding real raw food, "dosages" are not important. Just offer up all sorts of things and she what she prefers. Just as with humans, she may experiment and choose one or another item on different days, and this would be ideal. Make sure also that she gets a source of Omega 3 oils, from fish or other sources, and stay away from seed oils. This oil would be about the only supplement I would use regularly. I wish you both well through her pregnancy.

I love this post. I couldn't agree more, however I was also thinking that it would be critical to include a good source of calcium and other minerals, especially since she is pregnant. Ideally this would come from raw meaty bones, however, many feeders of homemade tend to leave out the calcium source. I would think bone meal would be the next best option if bones are not fed. Of course, the dry food may already contain a calcium source. Anyway I just wanted to make sure this critical ingredient is not overlooked.

Nancy

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks for making your first post, Judith. And welcome to HA!

Thanks as well for the great posts, Ginny and Nancy.

As I wrote to you earlier Judith, my focus would be on feeding fresh vs. dry/processed food. And definitely mixing it up as Ginny mentioned and as our webinar speaker on Monday discussed.

Variety is the spice of life and helps foster a strong and balanced microbiome.