What to feed your new Frenchie

What to feed your new Frenchie on.

We have fed all of our dogs on a raw diet since we met Grant and Mandy Saggers at Leonmoor Leonbergers and started our current pack with Ella. Our previous dog, the gorgeous Bob the Bullmastiff, was fed on dry kibble and he succumbed to cancer aged 7 years. We did a lot of research and the links between dry food and banned in human food E-numbers and the higher incidence of various cancers and never looked back. Have a look at their website and you will see the benefits of raw diet clearly demonstrated in the photos of their amazing dogs. This link takes you to their website and the pages dedicated to educating owners about the importance of the food we give our furry family members regardless of their size. The best book we read about this diet is The Dog's Dinner Revisited by Ann Ridyard - link left.

Before we start, it is important to state that we have no deals to promote these foods or companies, we are first and foremost owners who want to do the best for our pack. We expect prospective owners of Claytonmoor dogs to be just as serious about the health and diet as we are.

We have stuck with our faith in the raw diet since and when we acquired our first Frenchie he went straight onto it and (touch wood) have had minimal issues with allergies or skin conditions. Our latest addition, Betty, who as I write this is 9 weeks old, was introduced to the diet at 5-6 weeks old and is thriving. Our dogs always attract attention when we are out and we believe that the positive impact of the 80/10/10 (80% meat, 10% bone and 10% organ)

meat from Raw Treat Pet Food company diet has on their shiny coats, bright eyes, excellent teeth and bundles of energy prove we are on the right track. This food is available from Clear Day Raw Foods - link on the left - and consists of 80% meat, 10% bone and 10% offal of which 5% is liver. This gives the dog the perfect balance in every meal. All of the dinners come in sealed 500g packets which are easy to store and a handy size depending upon the size of your dog. It makes the practicality of dealing with raw meet far more hygenic, and similar to making a Spag Bol or Chilli with beef mince. Word of warning though, Tripe is brilliant for the digestive system, but it absolutely reeks! Deep breath and put it in the bowl and our lot are usually straight into it, the smellier the better!!!

There are times it isn't for the squeamish; watching your dog chew a chicken foot is quite challenging but they are brilliant for the dogs joints and wouldn't be wasted in the wild if the dog had killed the bird. Bones are an integral part of the diet, and the 80/10/10 food contains ground up bone for the calcium. However, although we do feed raw chicken wings, turkey and chicken necks to all of our dogs, the key is that they can NEVER be cooked. EVER. Cooked bones are brittle and will potentially crack and splinter as your dog chews on them and the shards can be lethal. Raw bones are still pliable and also help clean the dogs teeth far more effectively than processed chews.

Cost wise, it works out as roughly the same as if you use one of the expensive brands of dry kibble, especially if you can buy in bulk. We invested in a large chest freezer and take out the next days supply before we go to bed. Obviously, the use of raw meat presents hygiene issues for humans and all the preparation surfaces

We do supplement our raw meats with dry food, but only ever use Eden Holistic dry food. Their 80/20 original cuisine dog food is excellent and helps make the meat last that bit longer. From their website, it has: