Simple Ways to Improve your Dogs Diet

Adding fresh food to your dogs meals can give huge health benefits and help in the prevention of many serious diseases .

Not everyone wants to feed raw or home cooked food and the vast majority of dogs still eat tinned food or kibble. When manufacturing kibble or muesli type food it requires a very high temperature and many of the nutrients are lost in the cooking process which are then replaced with synthetic vitamin and mineral supplements.

Adding a few of the following fresh foods at least 3 times a week will supply the dog with vitamins, minerals, omega 3 fatty acids, anti-oxidants, amino acids, glucosamine and micro nutrients that they can easy absorb and utilise within their body.

Here are a few ideas of simple ways to increase the nutritional value of any meals and add variation:

Bone Broth: Packed full of glucosamine, chondroition, hyaluronic acid, amino acid & minerals. Great for joint and gut health.

Tinned Pilchards or Sardines : Omega 3 fatty acids & DHA for coat and skin health and anti-inflammatory effects. Choose the ones in tomato juice or spring water

Eggs: Either raw or very lightly cooked, high quality protein and fat good source of biotin

Medicinal Mushrooms:  Such as Reishi, Chaga, Turkey tail, Shiitake etc have an abundance of health giving qualities and are believed to help in cancer prevention and to boost the immunity

Dandelion leaves: Contain vitamin C, B6, thiamin, calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, copper and a flavonoid called zeaxanthin which is crucial for protecting the retina and an effective anti-oxidant. Pick from areas free from chemical sprays & pollution.

Berries: Blackberries when in season, blueberries and raspberries are packed full of vitamin C and rich in anti-oxidants

Fresh leafy greens: Either lightly steam or as I prefer, making vegetable smoothies for the dogs is a great way to add an abundance of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants to their meals. It has also been proven to reduce the risk of some cancers just by adding a small amount of vegetables to processed food. Avoid the starchy veg and go for kale, broccoli, spinach, beet tops, dandelion leaves, Parsley, courgette etc plus a few berries.

Herbal Blends:  Feeding a high quality herbal blend such as Greens, Seeds & Superfoods provides lots of nutrients in a form the body can fully utilise. Containing, Organic Wheatgrass, Kale, Chlorella, Dandelion, Nettle and pumpkin seeds, it is a convenient and easy way to boost nutritional value of any food it is added to https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/products/greens-seeds

Natures Bounty is not only created to naturally repel fleas & ticks but also contains an organic seaweed which is nutrient dense and can be combined with the other blends or used as part of the seasonal rotation with the Spring and Autumn blend when they become available in the year https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/products/natures-bounty

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Eggs are great for our Dogs !

Either fed raw or lightly cooked, eggs are a valuable addition to our dogs diet.

Eggs provide a high quality, complete source of amino acids which are the building blocks of protein.

A good source of vitamin A, B12, Riboflavin, Iron, Folate, Zinc, Selenium, Fatty acids, Choline, Fat soluble vitamin E,D and K and provide the ideal ratio of calcium and phosphorous, if the shell is also fed.

Just one egg will provide 13 essential vitamins and minerals, including lutein which is essential for eye health. Egg whites contain a substance called avidin which affects the uptake of biotin, but the egg yolk has high levels of biotin. So, unless you are feeding just the egg whites on a regular basis rather than the whole egg there shouldn’t be an issue.

Egg shell can be used as a calcium supplement, and the inner membrane of the egg contains an abundance of nutrients to support joint health. This opaque membrane will provide collagen, elastin, glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronic acid.

Feeding a selection of eggs including chicken, duck, quail and guinea fowl will offer a broader range of nutrients. One thing that is essential, is that the eggs must be free range and preferably organic as these are higher in animal welfare as well as offering higher levels of the anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fatty acids. These free range birds will have benefitted from a natural lifestyle of foraging, had sunlight on their backs and lived a more relaxed life.

The eggs pictured are from a local farm shop where the hens & ducks can be seen roaming free. The eggs are higher in nutrition as the birds have access to a natural lifestyle of foraging and I know that the shells haven`t been sprayed with chemicals unlike many supermarket eggs, which is important if you are going to feed the shells.
Duck eggs have a larger yolk to white ratio and are higher in protein, fat and contain more Omega 3.

Quail eggs although tiny, have large amounts of vitamin B1 and 5 times as much iron and potassium as hens eggs. Their protein value is 13% where as hens eggs are 11%. Quail eggs rarely cause allergies or sensitivities so worth considering if eggs normally cause problems.

Your dog will benefit from eating free range organic eggs 2-3 times a week.

Eggs can be offered whole, either raw or lightly cooked or broken onto your dogs usual food. If you would rather cook them then a scrambled or boiled egg very lightly cooked will be well received.

There are almost 200 different breeds of chickens in the world, and one hen will lay anything between 250 and 300 eggs a year !

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