Spratt is a young, very smart Jack Russell terrier but he appears to be in poor condition, and has a particularly dull and flaky haircoat. Spratt is fed dry kibble from a bag.
Here’s the problem. Bagged kibble lacks the amount of fats required for optimum condition of skin and hair because fats can be costly and they are very difficult to keep from going rancid. When preservatives are used, some have proven toxic in the past. Adding a tablespoon of corn oil to the ration can help provide the missing fat. If you exercise your dog regularly or if the dog is actively working on the farm, he may need even more corn oil to support his energy needs.
One teaspoon of corn oil provides 35 calories. You may use any kind of oil including cod liver oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, and peanut oil and omega 3-6-9 oil. Too much oil too quickly, however, may cause loose stool. Other sources of fat are meats, fatty pork, chicken skin, bacon fat, cream, butter or lard.
Keep a bowl in the fridge to hold all the bits of fat that you can spare from your cooking and food preparation activities. The fat will make the kibble taste and smell better (especially bacon fat). You will watch that the dog does not suffer from excessive weight gain, of course, by giving him just enough fat to keep him healthy but not obese.
Raw bones of any animal are chock full of fat and protein. They also take time to eat. Spending time over a raw bone gives the dog ample opportunity to feel that he is satiated ... full. Any adhering muscle and all of the marrow are especially nutritious.
Kibble in a bowl is consumed so quickly that all of the ration, even if it is too much, will be consumed by the dog before he realizes he has overeaten.
Organ meats such as liver (beef or chicken), kidneys, heart, and egg yolk are also necessary to assure good health. Raw foods that have not been processed contain anti-oxidants that promote good health, strong joints, and long life. Cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, milk and, sardines are all good.
Take a moment to focus on what you are tossing into the garbage. That bacon fat, those last few nuts, the removed raw wing tips of the chicken that you cut off prior to preparing your famous buffalo wing flamers you make on game day. Your guests won’t eat those but Spratt will love them raw. And then there are the leftovers: vegetables, grains, potato, rice, carrots, gravy, cereal, and beans.
Find the fat and feed it to Spratt. Just like that old kids’ rhyme, “Shiny, healthy Spratt ... ate enough fat; his wife, she only ate lean. Her coat was dry, dry, dry, Spratt’s had a sheen ...”
Ravinn O. West is kennelmaster and trainer at Ravendale Kennel and Training Centre at Cochrane, Alberta. Her latest book, The Tao of Dogs is available from www.ravinnwest.com You may send questions or comments to her via [email protected]
