Many dogs are having difficulties these days with allergies - most often diet related. The phone calls I receive on this subject alone have increased ten-fold in the last 2 years. Of course owners have no where to turn but their veterinarians. Unfortunately, most dogs are then put on a prescription diet and drugs (steroids) with very limited results. These dogs rarely ever look healthy and vibrant. Of course we worry too about long-term use of these drugs on our dogs overall health and longevity.

The detox diet below can be used short or long-term. It can be time consuming. I often recommend it to wean dogs off of prescription diets and medication which will usually take about 2 to 4 weeks. Then, you can keep your dog on it, if need be, or gradually switch to one of the prepared premium dog foods I recommend. You can even use both. The choice is yours. See our dog food recommendations below the recipe.

Detox Recipe

Poultry (or lamb) and Rice Diet

1. 1/2 pound organic poultry or lamb meat (raw weight), cooked (lamb may be lightly cooked and raw on the inside)
2. 2 cups organic brown rice, long-grained, cooked (cook with organic, low sodium meat broth for flavor)
3. 1 cup lightly cooked mashed organic vegetables (carrots, peas, green beans, summer squash, broccoli) Suggestion: Grate carrot and peas into rice when cooking
4. 1 teaspoon Flax Oil (Boorleans)
5. 1 1/2 teaspoon Pure Bone meal

Optional - 1/2 cup organic grated apple, raw carrot or 1/4 cup thawed frozen blueberries - add into rice during last 10 minutes of cooking.

Supports the caloric needs of a 50 pound dog. Adjust accordingly.

You may also use Chicken, Turkey, Eggs, Lamb, Beef, Liver (once or twice a week OK), or Cottage Cheese for protein. (Organic of course)

Why Organic

It has been my experience that many dogs who have been allergy tested and have had a positive result to being allergic to chicken or beef, when fed organic, have had no problems. It could be that some dogs are sensitive to antibiotics and steroids. Who knows for sure. With organic, you are getting food sources free of these things as well a pesticides! So, don't skimp during detox - it is well worth it.

Things to know

Please understand that during detox your dog may look worse before he/she looks better. Flushing out your dogs liver is a wonderful thing but for some time now it has been overtaxed. Changes will take place. Hang in there. However, if your dog begins excessively vomiting, has diarrhea for more than two days, stops drinking water for more than a day, or experiences seizures,  please consult your vet right away. These are highly unusual circumstances but you should be aware of them just the same.

Information provided on this site is not a substitute for veterinary care. See your vet before you begin a complementary natural health care plan. The statements on this Web site have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration/Center for Veterinary Medicine, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

After the Detox

As I stated previously, you can keep your dog on this diet, switch to a kibble or raw food diet, or do a little bit of both. While I do not normally recommend feeding any other diet with raw, with the detox diet you can mix as long as you undercook the poultry or lamb. Leaving it mostly raw will aid in digestion when mixed with a raw diet.

Their are a few thing to avoid when making the switch to a kibble diet. I never recommend you feed your dog anything but a premium, wheat-free, human-grade brand. The commercial brands you find in the pet stores will not usually fit the bill. My recommendations are the following:

• Flint River Ranch Lamb/Millet/Rice
• Flint River Ranch Trout and Sweet Potato
• Life's Abundance Premium Holistic Dog Food

Also, snacks and training treats should be wheat-free, preservative free and as organic or human-grade as possible. Believe or not, treats are often a major contributor to allergy flare-ups. A frozen, raw marrow bone is perhaps one of the best treats to give your puppy or power chewer. They can be found at any of the natural food store chains.

BARF

Biologically Appropriate Raw Food

The best guide to feeding dogs is to think about what they would eat in the wild, and then to try to reproduce that as closely as possible with the ingredients we have available. Wolves eat whole animals, from mice to caribou, and supplement their diets with other things that they find, like over-ripe fruit that has fallen to the ground, grasses, seeds, nuts and vegetable matter.  Very little grain would be found in the diet of a wild carnivore, and they would avoid the moldy, toxin-ridden grains that comprise the majority of commercial pet foods. Despite the fact that there is no evidence showing that dogs & cats require carbohydrates in their diets, that is what makes up most commercial foods.

Suggested Reading

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	Flint River Ranch Dog Food, Chews and Biscuits		Flint River Ranch Cat Food and Treats		Life's Abundance Dog Food, Treats
	Life's Abundance Cat Food, and Treats		Canine Zone Weight Loss Food for Dogs		Dr. Billinghurst's BARF Frozen Raw Diet

Barf Feeding Guideline

How Much Should You Feed Your Dog? At A Dr. Billinghurst seminar when he was lecturing in the USA in 1998, he answered this question by showing a slide. One side showed a drawing of a dog with her ribs sticking out. Under this drawing it said, "Feed More". The other drawing on the slide was that of an extremely obese dog and the caption said, "Feed Less." This is the simplest way to decide: let your animals tell you by how they look and feel. A healthy dog should have just the hint of visible ribs. For those who need figures, 2-3% of body weight has been suggested for adult dogs with 6 to10% for growing puppies.

Each patty weighs 1/2 lb.