From day one, Vlad has gotten 6 different types of raw meat rotated (Duck, venison, beef, chicken, quail, green tripe); various vegetable & fruits in a puree (
w/kibble meal); a couple of tablespoons of yogurt or cottage cheese; raw eggs; a puppy vitamin to make the vet happier so that he knew "for sure 'the holes' are being filled in"; coconut oil when he was 16 weeks old and started "puppy acne"--breakfast and lunch.
We started out with Wellness for kibble, then Taste of the Wild, then went to Nature's Variety Instinct when Taste of the Wild was recalled--for their supper w/the vegetable puree.
When Vlad was between 5-6 mths old and had his shoulder injury, his breeder sent me to The Great Dane Lady's site and told me to read the OCD info and get those supplements she suggests. So we started him on the supplements in this blackwatch protocol:
http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/feed_program_for_ocd_repair.htm No, at that point, I didn't worry about grains being the carbs, and his vet wasn't worried either when we went over the GDL protocol.
We MIGHT follow GDL's regime altogether from day one if we ever have to get another large guard and wait till it's older to start raw, but I WILL follow the large-breeder rule and not let it run at all until it's at least 18 mths old because it helps prevent things like OCD. No BRT seems to have problems being fed the Russian way (
only had processed foods over there between 20-30 years now, so many of their dogs still eat the way I've fed Vlad) if the dog is prevented certain activity. This woman is Russian, one of the original importers of BRTs to US & I went by what she says:
http://www.russianguard.com/diet.htm when deciding how to feed Vlad. I talked to her and she contends that a lot of dogs that were over in Russia lived 2-3 years longer over there than large dogs over here do, and she believes that diet plays a big part in it.
I will continue to veer from the strict predator-diet and give fruits and vegetable puree because I believe there are antioxidants in those that help with things like cancer. Maybe it's just my dogs, or the fact that I make puree, but I don't see anything in their poop that says they're not digesting it. After 3 cases of cancer in a row, I'm sick of it, so now we're doing everything we can think of to stay away from it, and fresh antioxidants are going to be part of it.
Kibble ended altogether last year when we found out Barkly would eat Dr. Harvey's Grain-free Oracle Beef, so that's what we keep for emergency food now and don't have to keep them eating kibble anymore. Don't ever stop kibble if you want them to keep on eating it. They've been offered plenty of samples in the pet stores since I quit it, and they turn their noses up at it.When Vlad was 18 mths, after talking to his breeder, I switched his GLD recommended digestive enzymes for:
http://www.entirelypets.com/caplvi1ta.html (
Barkly has also gotten the enzymes & glucosamine, since Vlad had to start them, and vitamins since he's also raw-fed.) The Canine Plus; human brand Glucosamine Sulfate; and Coconut oil are the only supplements they get now.
At this adult age, they still get 3 meals a day, 2 meats at breakfast and supper and 1 veg/fruit puree at lunch, but they get 3 meals only because I want them to have the veg/fruit. If I didn't, they'd only get two.
Edit: I forgot that they get a piece of liver, gizzard, beef heart, or some other organ meat at each breakfast too.