Blackwatch Feed Program for Medium Breed - Adults

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Champion "Sugar"
Owner: Connie DeGiorgis - Cavalier King Charles

Although people generally think of me as the Great Dane Lady, I also have Pugs and a Sheltie. I feed my small and medium sized dogs the same diet as my giant breeds, except the amount is significantly less!! Here is a program for all medium breeds or mixed medium breed dogs.

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This program is comprehensive and consists of 6 major components and they are all available in a "supplement kit #4" or you can purchase them separately .

1. Dog Food - Natural/Holistic Super Premium - kibble and canned

2. 4 in 1 Probiotics & Digestive Enzymes - beneficial bacteria - Digestive enzymes

3.MSM- nutritional sulfur, a nutrient often absent in processed/homemade diets.

4. Nzymes - Dietary enzymes - missing in all commercial foods - antioxidants

5. Ox-E-Drops - help keep proper pH in the gut

6. Liquid Health Level 5000 - joint support supplement

Optional - Variety - canned meats - raw options - fruits and vegetable

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Click Here for: DAY TO DAY CARE -ears, eyes, teeth, skin, healthy treats, fleas etc.

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1. DOG FOOD -Precise Plus Line - locate retailer at this website

If Precise and Precise Plus is not available in your area,

Here is my backup brand of pet foods that I recommend .

2. FOUR-IN-ONE PROBIOTICS & DIGESTIVE ENZYMES - beneficial bacteria, digestive enzymes, Vitamin C & Barley Grass www.firstchoicenaturals.com

3. MSM - Nutritional Sulfur - to replace important sulfur that is missing in homemade processed or stored foods. www.firstchoicenaturals.com

4. NZYMES - dietary enzymes - in chewable Pet Treat or Granular (goes further) www.nzymes.com

5. OX-E-DROPS - antibacterial, antiviral, antifungus - keeps pH of the gut healthy www.nzymes.com

6. Liquid Health Level 5000 - joint support supplement (glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and herbs). www.firstchoicenaturals.com

Optional: FOR VARIETY ADD - fruits & veggies & Precise canned meats. For a safe, balanced raw option use Honest Kitchen dehydrated raw - info below.

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Section B.

DO NOT SOAK KIBBLE AND LET SET, OR USE HOT WATER ON YOUR KIBBLE IT WILL DESTROY THE INTEGRITY OF THE NUTRIENTS AND PROBIOTICS - YOGURT LIKE CULTURES ON THE FOOD.

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2. Dietary Enzymes - in pet treats or granular (multiple pets)

Nzymes - is Dietary Enzyme in a chewable healthy pet treat or in granular form. Nzymes put the "living component" back into a cooked, processed, stored dog food. Enzymes are heat sensitive and lost in processing/cooking of all commercial foods or making home cooked diets. As owners we must put dietary enzymes back into the diet, in order to maintain proper wellness and not deplete the body of this important resource. This can be done by the addition to your diet with a product called Nzymes, a chewable pet treat, or granular form which can be sprinkled on the food to replace what is lost. In other words, Nzymes provide the body with the right nutrients to allow the body to make the chemicals necessary to detoxify (clean out) the body and repair itself.

Nzymes helps with the following:

• Allergic reactions
• Natural anti-inflammatory ~ so you can avoid risky medicines like Rimadyl
• Arthritis
• Orthopedic problems ~ HOD, OCO, Pano, Wobblers, Hip Dysplasia, ACL
• Epilepsy and Seizures - due to vaccine reactions
• Vaccine reaction prevention
• Cleanses residual toxins from medicines, flea and parasite preparations.
• Boosting the immune system
• Reduces shedding
• Itchy ears
• Yeast infections
• Bladder infections
• Hotspots
• Reduces healing time from injury, surgery (cropping/bloat/c-sections)
• Reduces recovery time from anesthesia.

Nzymes are from sprouts (food) so they do not conflict with diet or any medications. I have used the Nzymes for 28 years for my animals and I take the human product and have seen remarkable changes our health. By incorporating Nzymes into the diet, you are putting back the "living component" into the modern processed and cooked diets. This gives the body the tools it needs for repair and good health.

Website to order : http://www.nzymes.com/

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3. MSM - Nutritional Sulfur - MSM is found in most natural, unprocessed foods, but because of its volatility/fragility, MSM is readily lost when fresh food is processed and/or stored, therefore making it beneficial to supply it to the diet. In research studies, joints affected by osteoarthritis have lower sulfur content. And in a preliminary double-blind trial with patients with osteoarthritis, they found that MSM reduced pain after six weeks.

“It is my personal experience using MSM in canine feed trials over the years, there was a definite increase in mobility in those animals with arthritis and I have seen significant benefits to using MSM for in large/giant breeds prone to digestive upset and bloat and gastric torsion.”

There are many brands on the market but the one with the longest track record is the Vita-Flex brand that has been around for 25 yrs. MSM Corrects malabsorption of other nutrients such as minerals which helps with the pain and inflammation relief associated with developmental orthopedic diseases. www.firstchoicenaturals.com

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4. Ox-E-Drops

Ox-E-Drops is clear a safe liquid that will kill pathogens: bacteria, fungus and virus. When feeding raw meat it is particularly important to use Ox-E-Drops to help prevent problems with the pathogens in raw foods. An added benefit is that Ox-E-Drops Drops does not kill the good bacteria of the gut and helps to encourage the growth of friendly bacteria. I believe Ox-E-Drops is very important component to a diet in the possible prevention of bloat and systemic fungus infections, toxic and leaky gut syndrome, because if it's ability to help keep the proper pH balance in the gut which is important in breeds that have a tendency to bloat.

Ox-E-Drops can be use diluted (1 cup of distilled water + 1 teaspoon of Oxy-Drops) for a solution to clean out ears, eyes, to spray on skin or use as a colonic. It is very beneficial in systemic yeast infections as well.

Dosage - 1-2 drop per 20 lbs of body weight. Use daily on food, mix with a little water and your canned Eagle meat and use as a gravy. During times of illness - double this dosage.

To order: www.Nzymes.com

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5. Probiotics and Digestive Enzymes

4 in 1 Probiotics - This is a combination 4 friendly yogurt like good bacteria, 4 digestive enzymes, Vitamin C - in and Ester C form and Barley Grass. It fills the "holes in every diet", processed or raw. Do NOT add more Vitamin C to your dogs diet it is already this product.

First Choice Naturals 4 in 1 Probiotics contains:

• Yogurt Cultures - friendly bacteria in the form of Acidophillus and other cultures

• Fruits - Vitamin C in the form Ester C-50 - 500 mg per dose based on weight

• Digestive enzymes, needed when using processed or raw diet.

• Veggies - Barley Grass -your daily salad.

To order: 765-287-8288 Website: ~ http://www.firstchoicenaturals.com

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6. Joint Supplementation

I have used Liquid Health Level 5000 joint supplementation with great success on my dogs. It is particularly noticeable when you introduce it to an elderly dog diet - they respond very well to joint nutritional supplementation. The amount of glucosamine in better dog foods is barely a maintenance level dosage, which is why I supplement my dogs. Whereby it is beneficial for all breeds ages and sizes, the large and giant breeds are particularly vulnerable due to their size, rapid development as a puppy and later tendencies toward bone cancer - normally of the long bone or growth plate.

I believe most of these cancers can be prevented with a comprehensive diet and joint support during development. If a dog has had HOD, OCD or Pano as a young dog, I feel it is very important to use the Nzymes product and other "functional foods" with anticancer properties as part of the daily diet, in the hopes of preventing bone cancer as they age.

I start my puppies on joint supplementation at 10 - 12 weeks of age and continue throughout their adult life. With the large/giant breeds their joints have added stressed, so any thing that can help support them as they age, is a positive step in the right direction.

SHIPPING OVERSEAS - Canada, Mexico, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom - more added daily so check with the company to see if they ship to your country.

For more complete information and ordering go to this website: Liquid Health Level 5000

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Options: For Variety - Meats - Fruits - Vegetable

I use Precise canned dog foods* for variety (beef, chicken, liver, lamb, duck, fish, puppy). I mix a couple of tablespoons of canned meat with tepid temperature water and make a gravy. Then I top dress with one of the HONEST KITCHEN - an organic dehydrated raw meat /fruit/veggie mixe. I use about 10% of this in combination with my Precise kibble.

*Do NOT use grocery store brand of canned food they are full of preservatives and 4D meats (dead, diseased dying and disabled) and they give the dogs stinky gas and are full of unhealthy fillers. NO homemade concoctions of meat/rice combinations that you make up at home, they are very unbalanced in their calcium and phosphorus levels and can cause growth problems.

The Honest Kitchen dehydrated raw dog food is what I use to provide a 10% raw component to my dogs Eagle kibble. It is balanced in calcium and phosphorus ratios which are very important in growing and elderly dogs!

I use the EMBARK which has a raw organic turkey, fruits and veggies and sometimes I will use PREFERENCE, which is strictly fruits/veggies and herbs.

EMBARK 29% protein - 16% fat - Organic Turkey, Flaxseed, Potatoes, Celery, Spinach, Carrots, Coconut, Apples, Kelp, Eggs, Sesame Seeds, Bananas, Cranberries, Rosemary.

PREFERENCE: 12% protein 5 % fat - Alfalfa, sweet potatoes, cabbage, celery, apples, spinach, organic kelp, coconut, bananas, zucchini, and honey.

One- 4 lb bag will make up to 17 lbs of moist meat/fruits and veggies and if used to top dress your kibble you can see it goes a long way. The Honest Kitchen dog food and Eagle Pet Foods are endorsed by the Whole Dog Journal.

To order call 765-287-8288 ~ and to order online go to www.firstchoicenaturals.com

Amounts I use of Honest Kitchen :

8-10- weeks - 1 Tablespoon each meal
11-16 weeks - 4-Tablespoons divided AM and PM meal
5 - 6 mo - 1/4 cup AM and PM
7 - 8 mo 1/4 - 1/3 cup l AM and PM meal
9 mo - Adults - 1/2 daily - 1 cup Divided AM and PM

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IF you want to do your own fruits and veggies here are some suggestions

FRUITS &VEGETABLE: This is a list of recommended foods to use in moderation:

yogurt, buttermilk berries melons, apples, banana, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, oranges, squash, sweet potato, green beans, zucchini - minced/diced/raw/cooked - they love frozen berries and melon balls!! Pulverized fresh veggies are best for digestion. NO raw onions, grapes or raisins, macadamia nuts.

Linda's Very Veggie Soup - 2 large cans of chicken or beef broth - (low sodium for heart or elderly dogs- or homemade). Add LOTS of veggies - carrots, green beans, wax beans, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and couple cloves of garlic. The idea is to use this as the filler so you want it to be hearty and filling.

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HOW I MIX MY DOG FOOD -

When introducing these to your adult dog, add each thing 3 days apart to make sure they are used to it before you add the next thing.

• Put Eagle kibble in a bowl -
• add Nzymes (dietary enzyme) - AM
• add 4 in 1 Probiotic/Digestive enzyme - AM
• add Liquid Health Level 5000 AM
• add MSM - PM

I make gravy of tepid temp water and Eagle canned meat and add the Ox-E-Drops to this mixture. (1 drop per 20 lbs of weight).

Top dress with Honest Kitchen mixture (at least with one meal a day) or your own fruits and veggies.

WATER ON KIBBLE - 1/3 - 1/2 cup water + 3-4 tablespoons canned meat. You want the food moist but not floating and sloppy (this is for large/giant breeds, reduce amount for smaller breeds accordingly).

Do not microwave, soak or use hot or very warm water on your kibble. It will destroy the integrity of the friendly yogurt type cultures and the fragile vitamins/minerals and amino acids on the food.

Water On Food:
Commercial foods need to be fed with moisture so dogs don't over consume water after a meal, and so the kibble does not pull moisture from the dogs system in order to break down properly. Use "tepid" temperature water never hot or warm and never soak your food as it breaks down and destroys nutrients. Mix up and feed immediately. I use approximately 1 to 1-1/2 cups of water for adults per each meal. Adjust accordingly for puppies. If they have loose stools, you may be using too much meat or water than necessary. Adjust that before you panic and think they are sick.

Drinking Water:
It is very important to NEVER withhold water from your dog. This can lead to over consumption and bladder infections. Use common sense, do not let them drink excessively after exercise or dinner. Like a horse, let them cool down and then drink. I have found if I have water available in several places, they never overdo it since they know it is available to them when they need it. That way they drink less amounts of water, but more frequently.

Withholding water for fear of bloat is a myth. Stress is the cause and bloat/torsion is the response. It is much more complicated that simply saying water is the cause of bloat.

(See my article on Bloat and Torsion for details) (See On My Soapbox)

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