by Pat Merewether

Created on: November 03, 2008   Last Updated: January 04, 2009

Dogs metabolism slows as they age, just like ours does. They burn less calories and need a little more exercise in order to maintain a healthy weight.

It's best to know your breed and discuss their diet with your vet or their breeder. Our neighbor's Bouvier must be kept on a very strict diet as this breed tends to have digestive problems and cannot tolerate any rich or fatty foods. Learning as much as you can about your dog is the first step in keeping your dog healthy.

We feed our dogs raw meat, vegetables and a little dairy. George, our 7-year-old Beagle and Gracie, our 10-year-old Great Dane/Lab mix have been at their ideal weight and optimum health for the past five years, since we switched their kibble for a raw meat diet. Another plus with this diet is their poop is considerably less and their poo is firm, which makes yard cleanup easier.

Check the ingredients on your kibble label if you'd rather give them commercial dog food. Some brands contain a lot of corn, which is difficult for dogs to digest and adds extra calories. Corn is a high-sugar and carbs, which also adds extra weight to dogs (and people). A higher protein, lower carb diet takes the extra weight off of your dog and he'll have more energy.

Limit your dog's treat size. Instead of giving them a large dog biscuit, give him one made for a small dog, or offer a piece of kibble. Your dog will get the 'good dog' message and be happy, but won't be eating too much in the process.

We have underground fencing and a large back yard, and the dogs have made their own oval race track around my flower garden. They love to chase each other around their 'track' so get plenty of exercise and have fun too. I believe that a key to a happy healthy dog is another dog to play and run with and plenty of room to exercise then there is no one willing to walk them. I was in an auto accident and unable to walk the dogs for several months, but their back-yard track kept them fit.

Here is a list of foods we feed our dogs:

BREAKFAST:

This feeds 2 dogs for 3 days:

3 pounds of ground turkey (Aldi's frozen is cheapest)

1 large carton of Cottage Cheese

3 Cans of vegetables (green beans, spinach, pumpkin, potatoes, squash or carrots)

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon of natural (raw) honey

1 tablespoon of parsley (fresh when I can get it)

EXTRAS: I sometimes add a fresh egg or two or stale bread, leftover rice or pasta - but only a couple of cups to the whole batch.

DINNER:

Gracie (large dog) - 1 Chicken Leg Quarter (with the bones in) RAW. Never give cooked bones of any kind to your dog.

George (medium size dog) - 1 Chicken drumstick - (with bone) raw.

When I first started feeding the dogs chicken parts they took a long, long time to chew them, but eventually their jaws became stronger and now the chew them quite quickly!

I give them healthy dog biscuits once or twice a day, a glucosamine tablet at night and a doggie vitamin once a day.

We noticed that they don't drink as much water on the raw meat as they do when they eat kibble.

We find that feeding the dogs twice a day works best.

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