American Alsatian... a lamb in wolf's clothing.™
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American Alsatian... a lamb in wolf's clothing.™

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PostSubject: Turkey Day 2006   Turkey Day 2006 Icon_minitime25/3/2010, 17:23

Originally posted by Akelasmom on November 24, 2006.



Akela got to eat turkey scraps in her dinner tonight! Wow! She gave new meaning to the words "Gobble, gobble, gobble"!
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PostSubject: Re: Turkey Day 2006   Turkey Day 2006 Icon_minitime25/3/2010, 17:24

Originally posted by shepaluteprez on November 25, 2006.



Hey Akelasmom-

I'm so glad that Akela had a good Turkey Day! Our dogs got to have some turkey, too! They love that. You know, I was reading on some other websites about the "BARF" diet for dogs. I hadn't heard about it before, but I wonder what others think. "BARF" is...Bones And Raw Food. The supporters of this dog diet feel that a dog's diet should be as close to nature as possible. They get real meat from the butcher and feed there dogs every four days with this raw meat, bones and all. Talk with you soon.

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PostSubject: Re: Turkey Day 2006   Turkey Day 2006 Icon_minitime25/3/2010, 17:24

Originally posted by Akelasmom on November 26, 2006.



There are occasions that Akela will gorge on food with a high meat content, then not eat much for the next 24 hours. This was a worry at first, then I discovered this is natural behavior for her. The meat seems to "stick to the ribs" and satisfies hunger longer. I've also noticed if I don't put in enough meat, she is hungry more often.
The laws of nature are designed that the fittest shall survive; however I am not in a position to gamble with Akela; I would be concerned about splintering bones in the BARF diet. Whether this occurs, or not, I don't want to take a chance it might.
As a proponent for this type of diet, my Mother raised German Shepherds in the 1950's. Kibble wasn't invented yet. She fed only horsemeat that she cooked in a huge pot, including the bones for the marrow. She also gave her dogs bones from the butcher. Her dogs were beautiful, and healthy.
As Akela is only 18 weeks old, she is requiring food at least twice a day. With her kibble(Blue Buffalo), she gets cooked meat in the morning. Ground Elk, or a blend of beef with bone dust and cartilage. I like to cook the meat just enough to release the juices as it mixes better with the kibble. She is not hungry for a big lunch anymore; but she gets some cottage cheese and a hard boiled egg anyway. She has kibble for dinner. She gets cartilage bones from the butcher.
She must be nearing 60 pounds. I can't lift her anymore to check! I'll need to use the Vet's scale.
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PostSubject: Re: Turkey Day 2006   Turkey Day 2006 Icon_minitime25/3/2010, 17:25

Originally posted by Akelasmom on December 1, 2006.



Watched "Wolf Battlefields" on DiscoveryChannel. They said wolves can load up to 35 pounds of meat in their stomachs at one sitting, to be digested over a period of a couple of weeks. Similar behavior in our Shepalutes.(unlike my Dachshund, who thinks she should eat 35 pounds of food EVERY DAY!)
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PostSubject: Re: Turkey Day 2006   Turkey Day 2006 Icon_minitime25/3/2010, 17:26

Originally posted by shepaluteprez on December 2, 2006.



That is interesting that your mom raised dogs on this natural diet. I did feed a lot of meat and wet dog food to Citara when she was growing much more and now I'm feeding her kibbles only. But, I've found that she eats more often when she eats kibbles, just as you have. She eats less, though. Both of these dogs could stand to gain some weight. Especially during the winter. It's elk and deer season up here. I wonder where I'd go to get this stuff cheap. There must be a butcher around here somewhere. I guess I'd just ask for all the left-over stuff. Have you checked the cost as opposed to dry dog food? Do you know if it's cheaper to buy from the butcher? Citara is Odessa's height now and I wonder how much so weighs. Your pup looks heavier than mine, though. It will be interesting to compare weight and height of the two even though I believe they are two weeks apart or so.

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PostSubject: Re: Turkey Day 2006   Turkey Day 2006 Icon_minitime25/3/2010, 17:26

Originally posted by Akelasmom on December 12, 2006.



I haven't done a cost comparison. I'd feed her the same way, irregardless of cost, anyway. I don't know if a butcher business would take the time to put your scraps in a seperate bucket that you provide. It's worth asking, though. Better yet, find a friend who hunts and does their own butchering. I suppliment her kibble now with a dog food blend from Copeland Family Farms called "Complete". It contains lamb, beef, goat whey, bone dust. Friday, I will take Akela to town and get her weighed(I can't lift her any more!)and will let you know, as well as how tall she is.
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PostSubject: Re: Turkey Day 2006   Turkey Day 2006 Icon_minitime25/3/2010, 17:27

Originally posted by shepaluteprez on December 13, 2006.



Yeah! I can't wait to hear how much she weighs and how tall she is now. Her face is so beautiful and her eyes are real light. Are they yellow? They look like it. Citara's eyes are light amber, but not yellow. I'll be looking forward to hearing about her visit to the vet. Thanks for the info on what you get from Dusty. Do you think she'd ship out to Colorado?

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PostSubject: Re: Turkey Day 2006   Turkey Day 2006 Icon_minitime25/3/2010, 17:30

Originally posted by shepaluteprez on December 20, 2006.



I called the local meat packing store near my house and they said that it would be $2.49 a pound. That's a lot. Do you get your meat cheaper than that?

Perhaps if I go directly to a cattle farm.

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PostSubject: Re: Turkey Day 2006   Turkey Day 2006 Icon_minitime25/3/2010, 17:30

Originally posted by Akelasmom on December 22, 2006.



I don't know what I paid...I knew I had to have it regardless of cost! It didn't seem like much, though. And it goes a long way. I add about a half a cup once a day to her kibble.
I don't think you could get a blend like this at a butcher shop or cattle farm. The blend I use has bone dust, cartilage, goat whey, lamb and beef. It is all human grade, and organic. No hormones. Designed for growing pups.
My laptop crashed, so I may not have the correct address, but if you try CopelandFamilyFarms.com you can see the selections. They do ship. If you cannot access them, try googling raw dog food, and see where that takes you.
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PostSubject: Re: Turkey Day 2006   Turkey Day 2006 Icon_minitime25/3/2010, 17:31

Originally posted by Akelasmom on January 1, 2007.



I'm getting a shipment of dog food meat tomorrow from Copeland Family Farms. I'm paying 2.50 a pound, and it is well worth it. It lasts quite a while, with the scraps I glean from home. I went to a friend's Christmas dinner and they served Prime Rib. Yes, of course I asked them to bag up the scraps for Kela! She's been eating them all week!
Akela weighed in at 68.6 pounds at five months. I took her to a different vet two weeks ago and she weighed 66 pounds. I know she didn't lose weight, so it's important that whatever scale you use, make sure its calabrated correctly. I'll weigh her again in a week for her 6 month check up.
Her coat is beautiful, and like Citara, makes her look bigger than she really is. The hair on her hips is wavey, which makes her look taller in the hind end. I give her a bath and her wet hair reveals a trim puppy with not much of a chest yet. She's very active here on the farm, and doesn't have an ounce of fat on her.
She's 23 1/2 inches at the shoulder.
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PostSubject: Re: Turkey Day 2006   Turkey Day 2006 Icon_minitime25/3/2010, 17:32

Originally posted by shepaluteprez on January 21, 2007.



Akela has really grown since this message just a while ago. It looks like from the photos that she has the yellow eyes, is that so? I found 25 pounds of brisket at the grocery store of all places for 1.50 a pound. I grabbed that up and everybody who sees it in my cart laughs at how much meat I'm buying. IOh, well. They can think what they want. The truth is, I'm a vegetarian, so it's quite a sight.

I really like adding the real meat. The dogs love it, of course, and they eat much better. Citara is a small eater, though. She only eat about 3 cups a day of food, even with the meat added. She eats the meat part first, though. Smile
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