Have you ever seen a dog cook?
I know I sure haven't! In the wild, a dog will catch it's food and devour nearly all of it...the flesh(good source of protein), fat (a good energy source), bone (high in calcium and helps keep teeth clean), muscle and organ meats, and the stomach contents (filled with plant material consisting of herbs and grasses).
The philosophy behind the idea of Natural Rearing is to try and reproduce the way in which dogs feed in their natural state. Natural-Rearing diets are based on fresh foods such as raw meats, raw bones, raw vegetables and herbs. Because dogs in the wild would not eat every day, 1 day of fasting (only for adult dogs) per week is also part of the Natural-Rearing diet. This allows the animal to cleanse it's body of toxins.
I have put together a small "database" of herbs and supplements that are a must for anyone following the practice of Natural Rearing. If you wish to check it out, please click here: Herb/Supplement Database
We raise our dogs on a very natural diet of raw meats, vegetables, grains and herbs. Mostly, our dogs are fed green tripe...that is the raw, uncleaned, unbleached stomach of the cow...sometimes we feed them sheep tripe too. Green tripe has been fed by breeders in europe for years, especially by some of the top racing greyhound kennels in England and Ireland.
In a recent analysis performed by a Woodson-Tenant Lab in Georgia, it was found that tripe does have the perfect calcium:phosphorous ratio of 1:1, the overall pH is on the acidic side which is better for digestion, protein is ~15, fat ~12 and of course, it contained the esssential fatty acids, Linoleic and Linolenic, in their recommended proportions of 3:1. What was surprising to find, was the presence of Lactic Acid Bacteria. Lactic Acid Bacteria, also know as Lactobacillus Acidophilus, is the good intestinal bacteria and it is the main ingredient found in probiotics.
I have written 2 articles regarding my experiences with feeding green tripe. The first was published in the The Afghan Hound Review and Dogs in Review. The second article, an updated version of the first, has been published in the vdOM Newsletter #24: