We all want our dogs to live long and healthy lives. There is truly no better way to promote health and longevity than by feeding our dogs a healthy, fresh food diet of species appropriate raw meat, bone and organs! Choosing to feed a raw food diet is one of the most important decisions we can make when it comes to keeping our pets healthy.

When it comes to raw feeding, learning exactly what to feed and how to balance meals can be intimidating and difficult. That's where Iron Will Raw comes in! Iron Will Raw is a raw pet food company located in Ontario, Canada that provides pet parents with safe, balanced, nutritious raw meals for dogs and cats!

Iron Will Raw pet food is produced in a HACCP Certified facility, focusing on safety and quality. Their focus on creating the highest quality food and on product safety was one of the reasons I decided to make the switch to feeding my dog Iron Will Raw food.

Iron Will Raw comes in a wide variety of proteins, and two types of formulas. One formula contains only meat, bone and organs. The other formula contains meat, bone, organs and vegetables!

In my first delivery from Iron Will Raw, I selected the Basic Beef raw food for my dog who does extremely well on red meat. The basic beef formula is nutritious and wholesome, containing beef meat, beef heart, green beef tripe, ground beef bone, beef liver, beef kidney, and beef spleen.

The Original Beef formula contains beef meat, beef heart, green beef tripe, ground beef bone, beef liver, beef kidney, and beef spleen. They are also nutritionally boosted with kale, spinach, parsley, and kelp to provide all of the vitamins and minerals dogs require to thrive.

Their balanced raw pet foods are full of high quality meat and a variety of organs. Good organ variety is vitally important because each organ provides different nutrients. Including multiple organs means your dog is getting  the complete prey model nutrient spectrum they require. By rotating their proteins (such as beef, chicken, pork, turkey, lamb, etc) you will be able to provide your dog with a highly nutritious, highly digestible balanced diet.

My dog Hunter has been eating Iron Will Raw exclusively for over a month now, and I can happily say that he is doing amazing. He has been struggling with some allergy issues, and has made significant improvements on Iron Will Raw's Basic Beef food. We were struggling with a lot of eye discharge every single morning. Ever since he started eating the Basic Beef, we have had no trouble with his eyes! On top of that, he is pooping much less! He went from 3 (sometimes 4) times a day down to once or occasionally twice a day.

In general, he seems much more comfortable in terms of his skin and coat. His coat condition has improved quite a bit, and his fur is thick and glossy. Overall, he is doing extremely well. Out of every commercial raw food company out there that I have tried, Iron Will Raw seems to be the best of the best.

I am extremely picky about what goes into Hunter's body in terms of food and treats - and I have total confidence in this company to provide high quality raw food. I am beyond excited to share this information with you all and spread the word about them!

If you have any questions, please feel free to visit Iron Will Raw's website. They have an amazingly informative blog, and tons of resources for people new to feeding a raw food diet!

You can also visit their store locator if you'd like to know the closest place to get your dog or cat some Iron Will Raw pet food!

With Iron Will Raw, you get the comfort of knowing the raw food is safe, carefully produced and packaged. You will  know without a doubt that you are getting the convenience of balanced and packaged healthy, fresh food without the effort and trouble of preparing and balancing raw food yourself.

We LOVE our dogs, with all of our hearts. They are family to us, not just animals sharing our living space. We want them to live long, happy lives. We want many happy years together, and as low of a risk of illness and diseases like cancer as we can possibly get! With nutrition, we can make a significant impact on the health of our furry family members. Instead of simply surviving, we can help our dogs truly THRIVE in this life!

Every species on earth has evolved to eat a specific diet that will fuel their physical body and maintain their health and wellness, allowing them to thrive in their native environment. Dogs, as a species, are quite special. They have evolved to be able to take a lot of abuse in terms of poor nutrition. They may not die immediately, but they will absolutely experience a decline in vitality and experience degenerative changes that will make them much more susceptible to illness and disease. Dogs can survive on a poor quality food, but most of them will not live as long as their real food fed counterparts, and will be much more susceptible to disease.

The University of Helsinki in Finland (click here to visit them) has a research group called DogRisk that has been actively studying diet, environment and disease in the domestic dog. They have been busy collecting data that proves dogs are healthiest when fed a raw food diet... food that is not processed, is high in fat and is low in carbohydrates.

Dogs are omnivores only because we are forcing them to be omnivores by completely controlling what they eat. If you want to know what they should be eating, look at their digestive tract. If you look at the teeth of the dog, you will see the teeth of a wolf. Canis lupus familiaris (the dog) and Canis lupus lupus (the wolf) share more than their scientific nomenclature, they share 98.8% of their DNA. That includes their digestive tract, and such, their diet and nutritional needs. Both species, although different through our selective evolution of the dog, have identical dietary needs. Dogs are facultative carnivores, they are primarily meat-eaters, but can survive on plant material alone if necessary. It is important to note that surviving is very different from thriving.

Humans are the only species on earth that cook their food, and they are the only species that eats highly processed food. Facts don't lie... 1 out of 4 dogs will develop cancer, and those risks simply do not exist in other species. The only factor that is different between dogs and other animals, is the fact that we force a diet on them... a diet that does not promote health or wellness based on their natural dietary requirements.

Rather than forcing an unnatural diet on our dogs, we should be both understanding and respecting what they need to eat based on the reality of their digestive system, and what they are biologically designed to eat.

WHAT IS A RAW FOOD DIET?
A raw food diet is non-processed food that consists of raw meat, raw edible bone, and raw organs. Raw food can also contain dog-safe fruits, vegetables and supplements (such as fish oil, seeds, and other supplements to fill nutritional gaps). A raw food diet is successful when it is nutritionally balanced appropriately, which takes some research, learning and attention to detail. It can seem intimidating at first, but once you understand how a meal is balanced it gets MUCH easier!

Our dogs are suffering. Cancer, obesity, diabetes, allergies, and so many more diseases are plaguing our beloved four-legged family members. Now more than ever, dogs are getting sicker and sicker. Research is coming out that proves a raw, fresh food diet is the greatest tool in your toolbox to help your dogs THRIVE instead of simply survive.

The power is in your hands to make a change to your dogs diet and promote health, longevity, and disease resistance. You can make a difference, just by changing what goes into your dogs body. It's easier than you think!

If you cannot afford to completely make the change to a fresh food diet, or you are interested in starting slowly... Remove 25% of your dog's kibble from their bowl, and replace it with fresh food like sardines, meat, mussels, or vegetables (such as broccoli, red cabbage, kale, spinach, red pepper, carrots, etc) and it WILL make a difference!

There are far too many sick dogs in this world and it is time we start questioning how they got this way. Whether they are plagued with allergies, prone to illness or afflicted with various medical conditions our best friends are suffering more and more these days. Most dog owners are simply unaware of the fact that they can take control of their pets' fate and help guide them into an existence of health and well being.

There are several things we need to focus on in order to bring our dogs to optimum health. While we cannot cure all disease and prevent any sickness or injury, we can absolutely strengthen our dogs' bodies and give them everything they need to fight off illness, ward off disease and prolong their precious lives as a beloved member of our family.

There are several things we must focus on in order to create balance in health and wellness. By addressing all of these things, we provide our dogs with the opportunity to thrive.

NUTRITION
Diet and nutrition is the key to nourishing the body, providing the utmost bio-availability of nutrients on which our dogs can thrive. When we feed our dogs every day, we put food into their bodies meant to nourish and fuel them. Food helps living things grow and survive and a high quality species-appropriate diet can mean the difference between sickness and health. If we feed our dogs a poor quality diet that their bodies are not designed to thrive on, they will become weak and susceptible to sickness and disease.

A raw food diet for dogs is the most nourishing, species appropriate diet we can offer to our dogs. If you are unable to feed raw, the second best option is a homemade diet for dogs. Next in line is grain-free, high protein, whole food kibble. The following links will provide you with the in-depth knowledge I have to share on the topics of raw feeding, homemade diets and high quality commercial kibble diets:

• The Incredible Raw Food Diet for Dogs
  
• Dogs and Wolves: Why dogs are designed to eat raw!
  
• Raw Feeding Frequently Asked Questions
• A Guide to Raw Feeding eBook
• The Best Dog Foods
• Homemade Dog Food Diet Recipe eBook

• The Truth About Pet Food: Bad Ingredients

Provide only wholesome treats and snacks for your dog. Read the ingredient list on the back of treat packaging and be aware of where the ingredients are sourced from and where the treats are made. Read this article to learn more about selecting the right dog treats for your dog: How to choose healthy treats for your dog! Also consider making your own homemade treat recipes! I provide many healthy, easy and inexpensive treat recipes here on my blog under the "homemade treat" category!

Supplements are another excellent way to provide extra nutrition. While they are not necessary, they can provide a fantastic nutritional boost and target key problems that could occur in your dog. For example, supplementing your large breed dog with a joint supplement such as glucosamine can help prevent or alleviate joint issues at any point in the dogs' life.  A multivitamin such as Nupro Gold, Solid Gold Seameal or Carmspack's Feed-sentials can promote overall general health.

PREVENTION
There are several things you can do to help prevent disease and illness in your pet, all of which are simple concepts to implement into your dogs' healthcare.

The first thing is to attend your dogs' annual veterinarian check-ups, allowing a general examination to be done yearly to be vigilant over your dogs' health. When you allow a veterinarian to examine your dog yearly, your veterinarian can establish what is normal for your dog so that if problems arise they have a foundation to work with!

A minimal vaccine schedule is an excellent way to prevent bombarding your dogs with toxic substances, harsh chemicals and potentially useless anti-bodies that will overstimulate and greatly stress your dogs' immune system. Studies show that immunity from vaccines can last anywhere from 3-7 years for pets, sometimes longer, and giving your dog vaccine boosters annually is both unnecessary and potentially dangerous. The minimal vaccine protocol established by the highly reputable Dr. Jane Dodd includes vaccinating ONLY for parvovirus, distemper and rabies. After the initial set of puppy vaccinations for only those three diseases, dogs should be titered every three years to check levels of immunity in the body before making the decision to re-vaccinate.

Heartworm treatment and flea and parasite preventive/removers are harsh pesticides that veterinarians recommend be administered every month. There are two important things to understand about those monthly pills or topical treatments: The first thing is that these are pesticides your dog is ingesting monthly, while they can prevent parasites they work by effectively killing parasites, whether or not it is or isn't present in the animal's body, at every dose. This is very, very hard on the dogs' body and the chemicals present in the treatment are not exactly supportive of health in our dogs. The second thing to remember is that the heartworm/flea industry is a multi-billion dollar industry - reality is that they may not have your pet's true well-being at heart. It is important to do your own research, determine if your area has a high incident of heartworm, and use these treatments at your discretion. Many treatments don't need to be used every month, but can be extended to every other month. Use all-natural treatments where you can and just be aware of what is going into your pets' body. Voice your concerns with your veterinarian and bring research and an informed opinion to the table when it is time to discuss it.

When it comes to vaccines, heartworm treatment, and parasite prevention you should do your research, decide what will work for your lifestyle, your dog and your budget - then make informed decisions on whether or not to use any of the methods of prevention. The important thing is to be informed about what is done to your pet.

EXERCISE
Exercise will help keep your pet in good physical condition, while promoting mental stimulation and happiness. There are many different activities you can enjoy with your pet to keep them fit, help energize the body, drain energy and promote emotional wellness.

Consider long walks, running or jogging, bicycling, trail hiking, or off leash hiking (only in appropriate areas, and only if your dog has good obedience and will come when called!).

Dog sports and training such as obedience, agility, flyball, dock diving, herding, Schutzhund/IPO, tracking and rally-o are fantastic ways to stimulate your dog's body and mind, while creating a strong bond between dog and handler. Giving your dog a "job" or "sport" to do will be very fulfilling you both you and your best furry friend!

Simply including your dogs in your everyday activities, especially with the family, can provide your dog with the love and enjoyment that will nourish their spirit.
You can influence your dogs' health substantially by providing proper nutrition, being an active and informed advocate in their health care and by providing healthy exercise and mental stimulation. Let's not forget love and companionship... the greatest gift we can give the dogs who give us all of their unconditional love is to welcome them into our homes to enjoy the warmth, comfort and happiness of our family.

Please do your research and never stop learning. Cross reference information and ask questions!

If you have any questions, are seeking guidance, or would like to schedule a nutritional consultation with me please visit my contact me page or click here to e-mail me.

Angel
K9 Instinct
www.k9instinct.com

Natural remedies have been used for hundreds of years and are quickly becoming a well known method of treatment in people and animals alike. The best part about using natural remedies is that you're avoiding the use of harsh chemicals and drugs to treat various ailments and conditions, which ultimately helps your pet achieve optimum health while helping keep harmful toxins and substances out of their bodies.

While some people claim that natural remedies do not work, my extensive research and experience tells me otherwise. While not every dog responds the same way to any form of treatment, whether that be traditional or alternative, I have found that many dogs can enjoy the full, safe benefits of natural remedies and be successful in treating various conditions.

At K9 Instinct, my goal is to provide the world with safe alternative methods of caring for their furry best friends. I strongly believe proper nutrition can help heal the body and that natural remedies have a place in our world alongside traditional medicine. The natural remedies I support are safe to use, and I encourage everyone to at least TRY them and give nature a chance to help create health and balance in your canine companions.

This is part one of my 'natural remedies series', so keep watch for future blog posts with new remedies!

Don't forget to like K9 Instinct on Facebook to get new blog updates and news! Click here to learn more about diet and nutrition, or visit my web store for informative eBooks!

Angel
K9 Instinct
www.k9instinct.com

There is truly no better diet choice for your dog than a species-appropriate raw food diet. Much like their ancestors the wolf, our domestic dogs are biologically designed to thrive on a diet of raw meat, raw bone and raw organ. Wolves and dogs share 99.8% of their mDNA sequence, which also means that they share an identical digestive system and require the same type of raw food diet their carnivorous canine cousins enjoy in order to reach a state of optimum health.

The domestic dog, much like the wolf, is biologically designed to eat a nutritious raw food diet. Dogs have the same attributes that their carnivorous ancestors have that help us identify what kind of food they need to eat in order to thrive in life. You may be wondering what exactly makes a dog a carnivore and how we can identify their dietary needs based on their basic anatomy and physiology. You can learn more by reading one of my previous articles, Dogs and Wolves: Eat like a wolf and live a long and healthy life!

A raw food diet is the most pure, wholesome nutrition you can provide your best four-legged friends with. Raw food is full of living nutrients and enzymes that cannot be matched by any other diet. Commercial kibble diets and even homemade diets involve cooking the ingredients which inevitably destroys a lot of the nutrients and all of the essential enzymes. The additives and chemicals in many commercial kibble diets also have a negative effect on our pets bodies over time.

The benefits of a raw food diet are amazing. Dogs with medical issues, allergies, skin conditions, digestive disorders and other ailments can find relief and the potential for a complete recovery by switching to a healthy, clean raw food diet. Switching your dog to a raw food diet can prolong their life and reduce the frequency and intensity of illness throughout their lifetime; This works by providing proper nutrition to strengthen the body and keep chemicals, additives and junk food from their system. A longer, healthier life is the result of dogs being fed raw food.

The sky is the limit when it comes to ways in which dogs can benefit from a raw food diet. What we know for sure is that we do see positive changes in dogs who are fed raw. One of the most evident changes occurs with physical condition. Our dogs coats becomes thick and shiny while fur becomes soft to the touch. Color pigment in the coat is also enhanced, which for example can make red fur rich and deep. Raw fed dogs shed less and lose that signature "dog smell" that many pet owners complain about. Raw fed dogs tend to have little odor due to the overall health of the skin and coat when coupled with eating a clean diet free of chemicals and junk ingredients.

A raw fed dog's eyes suddenly become clear and lose the dullness you didn't even realize was there to begin with. Their irises become more crisp and the color intensifies. With that, we see a revitalized spirit shining through their loving gaze.

Another wonderful benefit of feeding raw is dental health. Dogs that are fed raw have fresher breath, and their teeth are kept clean and white. The act of crushing and chewing bone scrapes the teeth and stimulates the gum line. A commercial kibble meal is mashed up between the teeth and crumbles in the mouth. That chewed up kibble mash sticks to the teeth and gets caught between teeth and under the gum line (often the source of bad breath). The raw diet provides nothing that can get caught in and around the teeth; There is no residue to cause a tartar build up and gum disease.

My eBook "A Guide to Raw Feeding" 3rd Edition is now available in the K9 Instinct online shop! This is an electronic book delivered in .PDF and mobi formats that you can conveniently read on your computer or eReader.

This eBook covers everything you need to know about feeding your dog a raw food diet. I explain the details on why a raw food diet is the very best food option for our canine companions, while discussing the benefits of a raw food diet and how dogs are biologically designed to consume and digest raw meat, raw bone and raw organ.

You will learn exactly how to feed this diet, where to buy your meat, how to feed your dog cheap (for less than $1 a day!) and how to calculate exact food amounts per meal. Everything you need to know to feed this species appropriate, balanced diet is available in this eBook!

Click here to visit the K9 Instinct Shop to learn more about this informative how-to eBook!

Don't forget to follow K9 Instinct on Facebook to get blog updates and news!

Angel
K9 Instinct
www.k9instinct.com

Nature's own miracle food! Raw green tripe is one of the best additions you can make to your pet's diet. Whether or not you feed a balanced raw food diet, homemade meals or commercial kibble; there are many amazing benefits to this smelly, healthy food!

Raw green tripe is the stomach organ of ruminant animals such as cattle, elk, bison, lamb and venison. Raw green tripe is unbleached and full of living nutrients, unlike the white honeycomb tripe you find in your grocery store. That white tripe has been bleached, sterilized and has had all of the digestive enzymes and nutrients destroyed. White tripe has no benefit to dogs, but raw green tripe has tons!

Raw green tripe is lower in fat, is an excellent source of protein and has a calcium to phosphorous ratio of 1:1, which is perfect for dogs! Raw green tripe is full of living digestive enzymes and healthy probiotics, too!

Some of the many incredible benefits of feeding raw green tripe include an improvement to skin and coat condition, reduction in allergy symptoms and skin conditions, cleaner teeth, improved digestion and absorption of nutrients, a reduction in digestive disorders and problems, and overall improvement to general health. That is just the tip of the iceberg, this canine superfood is proving to be an essential part of a truly healthy diet.

The only downside? The smell! Raw green tripe smells absolutely terrible, but luckily the benefits of feeding this food are so great that most pet parents are willing to sacrifice their appetite to include this in their dog's food bowl.

Green tripe is so beneficial to dogs that it is something they can eat every single day, and can be fed as a muscle meat as part of a dog's raw food diet.  Tripe can also be used as a food topper for finicky dogs and would be an excellent addition to a sick dog's diet.

Interested in switching to a raw food diet or switching to a high quality food? Visit my Diet and Nutrition page or Contact me for more information! Online consultations are available, making it easy to change your dog's life forever through all natural, balanced nutrition!

Angel
K9 Instinct
www.k9instinct.com

One of the most common questions I receive is regarding seemingly healthy dogs vomiting at some point during the day. The description is almost always the same!

"My dog is vomiting this foamy white or yellow stuff! What is wrong with my dog?"

Since a dog's stomach is highly acidic, an empty stomach can cause nausea in many dogs. These "hunger pukes" are most common in raw fed dogs, since raw food is digested in approximately 4 hours as opposed to kibble fed dogs. Kibble takes approximately 8 hours to digest, which is why raw fed dogs tend to vomit in the morning before they get to eat breakfast.

The solution is easy! You can increase the amount of food your dog eats in a meal or offer a snack mid-day. You can also split the meals into three times a day instead of two, or feed your dog's last meal right before bed.

Adding extra fibre to the meal can help keep dogs full longer; Pumpkin, sweet potato or green beans help bulk up food! A handful of dehydrated raw treats or a kong full of frozen pumpkin and yoghurt mixture can also curb hunger and prevent that foamy bile from ending up on your floor.

This type of vomiting is not dangerous, but the important part to remember is that your dog is hungry and either needs more food per meal or needs a snack to hold them over until dinner. Providing more food should stop the vomiting immediately.

If the vomiting is accompanied with other symptoms such as fatigue and diarrhea, you'll need to see a veterinarian since there could be a more serious problem at hand.

Dog saliva does not contain digestive enzymes, saliva acts only as a lubricant for dogs to swallow their food. Human saliva contains Amylase, which is an enzyme designed to break down starch. Amylase is entirely absent in dog saliva. So on a physiological level, dogs are not prepared to easily digest starch and grains. Grain allergies are very common in dogs!

In terms of anatomy, dogs have the generic structure of a canine carnivore. They are impressive in terms of structure, being muscular and agile hunters. They are capable of chasing prey over long distances, and eventually taking down and subduing animals many times larger than they are. While the dog has been domesticated to suit our needs, those base needs and instincts are still intact.

Everything noted above are traits that have allowed the creatures of the order Carnivora to thrive on a carnivorous diet for over 60 million years - long before the appearance of the human. The meager (less than) 100 years since the invention of dog kibble is an insignificant speck of dust in comparison to the ageless raw food lifestyle of mammals across planet earth since it's dawning days.

So in conclusion, why should you feed your dog raw? You should feed your dog a raw diet because that is exactly what they are meant to eat. A raw diet lifestyle will allow them to achieve the optimum level of health and well being possible - instead of merely surviving, they will thrive. You will absolutely find better overall health, less illness in their lifetime, and longer and healthier years of life when all is said and done on a raw diet. That is only half of the incredible benefits dogs enjoy when they are fed raw food. Raw fed dogs have brighter eyes, beautiful skin and coat, white teeth and fresh breath, minimal if any allergic reactions and sharper minds.

Learn more about the incredible raw food diet by reading my other article here!

If you are interested in learning how to properly feed a balanced diet of raw meat, raw bone and raw organ, K9 Instinct can help! Visit my Diet and Nutrition page or contact me for more information. Online nutritional consultations are available online!

Click here to check out my eBook: A Guide to Raw Feeding!

Angel
K9 Instinct
www.k9instinct.com