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Peke A Tzu Rescue

Nutrition
All of the Peke A Tzu Rescue Pupsters are eating Oma's Pride raw food. We have seen tremendous results in overall health and vitality. For this reason, Peke A Tzu Rescue has become a distributor for Oma's Pride Raw Food. All proceeds from Oma's Pride raw food sales go directly to the Pupsters food and vetting needs. Please contact Jan at info@pekeatzurescue.com for more information.

Benefits of the Raw Diet
  • Nutritional needs are met

  • Affordable and easy to feed

  • Less dog poop & less poop odor

  • Dog does not need to drink as much water, so less urinating

  • Helps dogs suffering from allergies

  • Best diet for dogs with Kidney Disease, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Arthritis & Cancer

  • Improves doggie breath and lessens frequency of dentals needed

  • Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes are in the raw diet

  • A healthier dog easily repels fleas.

  • Human grade ingredients, so no threat of toxic ingredients in commerical dry or canned food

  • Dogs love the raw diet! Their enthusiasm eating the raw diet is a joy to watch.


  • Raw Food Diet
    For years, veterinarians and other experienced dog nutritionists have been telling us to feed our dogs a raw diet. We thought it would be messy, expensive and difficult to feed the dogs. We were WRONG.

    As guardians of our precious pets, we OWE them the best care that we can afford. Feeding a raw diet to your pet is the very best thing that you can do for their health and longevity. There are many raw diets available and we recommend that you discuss your options with your veterinarian or a canine nutritionist.

    We feed our dogs Oma's Pride Mix raw food, made by Miller Foods Inc, a meat processing company for the restaurant industry. It is a pre-prepared frozen raw food with meat/bone products; such as Chicken, Turkey, or Beef, which are made with USDA inspected meats that are the exact same meats sold for human consumption. The mix includes fresh vegetables that are quick blanched then flash frozen. This process breaks down the extremely hard to digest initial cellulose layer, kills any bacteria, salmonella and also allows the dog to absorb the maximum amount of nutrients.

    The Oma's Pride mixes include 70% ground meat/bone, 10% organ meats (liver/hearts/gizzards) and 20% vegetables. Oma's Pride mixes do not include grain as they are unnecessary carbohydrates. In the wild, a dog will only eat that amount of pre-digested grain that is found in the intestines of a "prey animal". This is an extremely tiny amount of the dog’s overall diet. To simulate the "prey animal" in the diet of your dog, this would mean that only a very tiny amount of over-soaked grain could be included in the diet. Considering the very low nutrient value of protein in the grain and because grain is not a natural part of the dog's diet, grain is omitted from the diet. In addition, the chronic consumption of grains will lead to a condition known as hyperinsulinemia which has many far-reaching effects. Many dogs are hypersensitive to grains (allergic to corn, soy or wheat), and we have found when omitting all grain from the diet, our dogs’ skin and ears greatly improved in a very short period of time. The raw diet is a great diet for dogs with cancer as cancer feeds off of carbs which is present in dry dog food kibble. Vegetables do have some carbohydrantes, but it is an insignificant amount.
    Dogs are carnivores. They have teeth designed to rip and tear meat, not to crush and grind plant material as needed for a omnivore. They do not have an enzyme in their system that lets them digest plant material. Their intestinal track is too short to digest plant material which must sit and ferment in the stomach and intestines in order get any nutritional value out of it. That is why dogs poop so much. All that poop is the veggies and fiber (grains) passing through the dog without any nutritional value. A raw fed dog probably poops 75% less than a dog fed dry dog food kibble.

    Muscle meats, fish, bone and organs provide all the nutrition, vitamins, minerals, etc. a dog could possibly need. Research has shown that the main reason dogs now have more health problems than they did many years ago is because of the unnatural diet (commercial dry and canned dog foods) they are fed.

    The recommended portion of food is based on the dog's weight. 2% of the total body weight is fed each day, divided into two meals. A highly active dog may require about 3% of his body weight per day. Dogs who come into the rescue malnourished and puppies are fed a higher percentage of food for their weight. Oma's Pride is convenient to feed and easily affordable. Examples below reflect the monthly cost to feed your dog based on our retail sales prices:
  • A 5 lb dog eats 0.8 oz twice daily - the monthly cost is $5.76.

  • A 10 lb dog eats 1.6 oz twice daily - the monthly cost is $11.52.

  • A 15 lb dog eats 2.4 oz twice daily - the monthly cost is $17.28.

  • A 20 lb dog eats 3.2 oz twice daily - the monthly cost is $23.04.


  • Raw meat of any type can include bacteria, but our dogs’ digestive systems were designed to effectively deal with such bacteria. With very strong stomach acids and a short digestive tract, contaminates such as e. coli, salmonella and listeria are not a threat to a healthy dog. In over 20 years of experience, Dr. Pitcairn, in his book "Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats", states that he has never seen an actual case of salmonella poisoning in the dog. Likewise, according to Dr. Billinghurst, another noted veterinarian who has many years of experience with the raw diet, he too has never witnessed a case in all of his thousands of patients who feed a raw diet.

    When discussing the raw diet with your veterinarian, you may find that he has little or no experience with the raw diet. Some veterinarians may even oppose a raw diet, but this is generally due to their lack of research and education. If so, understand that ALL veterinarian schools only teach a few HOURS on canine nutrition. The material for the class is paid for by the dog food companies like Science Diet and Purina. We have found that the veterinarians who have taken the time to educate themselves on dog nutrition, totally agree with the raw diet.

    Variety is important as different raw foods may contain different levels of nutrients. If you always feed the same protein source, any nutritional deficiencies or excesses present in that protein will affect your dog over time. Your dog is also more likely to develop food allergies if fed the same food all the time. It takes time for an allergy to develop, typically months to years. Dogs that are fed the same food for extended periods of time can develop allergies to one or more of the ingredients in that food.

    Because there are several raw diets, we encourage people to do their own research. We have provided a few websites to help you get started.

    Raw Learning
    RawFed.com
    Myths About Raw Feeding
    Wikipedia- Raw Feeding (Objective info - excellent list of resource links for raw food)


    Raw Food Companies
    Barf World
    Bravo
    Nature's Variety
    Northwest Naturals
    Oma's Pride
    Paw Naturaw
    Primal Pet Foods
    Stella & Chewys
    Steve's Real Food

    Home Cooking
    If you can not buy the frozen pre-made raw dog food or follow an approved raw diet formula, the second option for feeding your dog a nutritious and healthy meal is to cook for your dog. With the latest scare of the industrial chemical melamine and cyanuric acid in the wheat gluten from China, we decided to share our home made dog food recipe with others. One of the main concerns in home cooking is to balance the calcium and phosphorus. Dogs need fatty meats, a certain percentage of organ meats and bones; therefore, incorporating these into the diet is mandatory.

    Variety is important as different home cooked recipes may contain different levels of nutrients. If you always feed the same protein source, any nutritional deficiencies or excesses present in that protein will affect your dog over time. Your dog is also more likely to develop food allergies if fed the same food all the time. It takes time for an allergy to develop, typically months to years. Dogs that are fed the same food for extended periods of time can develop allergies to one or more of the ingredients in that food.

    Our Recipe
    Below are websites that have home cooked recipes designed for dogs.
    Healthy Adult Diet
    Cooked Diet



    Commercial Canned Dog Food
    If you can not feed your dog a raw or a home cooked diet, the third best choice for nutrition would be commerical canned dog food.
    There are several reasons why canned food may be a better choice than dry dog kibble if you are feeding your dog a commercial food. First, canned foods contain far fewer chemical additives than dry foods. Artificial colors and flavors are much less common, and preservatives are unnecessary due to the canning process itself. This also means that canned dog food will quickly spoil if left out at room temperature.

    Second, canned foods generally have much less grain than dry foods. Kibble must be at least 50% carbohydrates in order to be extruded without gumming up the machinery; canned foods have no such requirement. Fewer carbs also means more protein and fat, both of which are good for dogs.

    Third, canned food has more moisture, which makes it easier to digest and better for the kidneys. You can achieve the same result with kibble by soaking it first, but remember that soaked kibble will also spoil quickly if left out at room temperature.

    Variety is important as different canned dog foods may contain different levels of nutrients. If you always feed the same protein source, any nutritional deficiencies or excesses present in that protein will affect your dog over time. Your dog is also more likely to develop food allergies if fed the same food all the time. It takes time for an allergy to develop, typically months to years. Dogs that are fed the same food for extended periods of time can develop allergies to one or more of the ingredients in that food.

    Below are websites to help with your research on commerical canned dog food.

    Holistic Canned Dog Foods
    Toxic Pet Food

    Commercial Dry Dog Food
    Dry dog foods were invented for the convenience of the human guardian and not for the dog's health. Dry dog food is the least expensive and is the most widely fed form of dog food. However, the dog will have more medical issues and veterinarian visits as a result of the poor diet.

    Variety is important as different dry foods may contain different levels of nutrients. If you always feed the same protein source, any nutritional deficiencies or excesses present in that protein will affect your dog over time. Your dog is also more likely to develop food allergies if fed the same food all the time. It takes time for an allergy to develop, typically months to years. Dogs that are fed the same food for extended periods of time can develop allergies to one or more of the ingredients in that food.

    After years of thoroughly researching commercial dry dog foods for the best holistic brands, we have found a few dry dog foods that provide nutrition and necessary supplements. We personally do not feel that commercial dry dog food provides our dogs with the necessary nutrition. Carbohydrates that are often 50 percent or more of dry dog foods are harder to digest than animal proteins and can lead to inflammation in the body, weight gain and allergies.

    If your vet insists on keeping your dog on dry food because it will help remove tartar from their teeth, your vet is an idiot. That is equivalent to humans eating chocolate chip cookies to clean our teeth. Brush your dog's teeth and provide him/her with raw bones to keep his/her teeth clean. Add water to your dry food and wait 15 minutes, the goop you see is what is sitting on your dog's teeth 24/7. Plus add the pesticides and toxic chemicals added to the dry food, and your dog is constantly trying to fight off toxins.

    Please read the ingredients on your dog's dry food and note all of the grains and chemicals. Ingredients are listed in order of content weight. If you are feeding your dog Iams or any dry food that can be bought from a grocery store, we beg you to change to a raw diet, home cooked diet or canned food. But if you refuse to stop feeding dry food, at least do the research and buy a holistic dry food.

    To begin your research on commercial dry dog foods, below are some websites that will help you decipher the ingredients and learn more about the product you are feeding your dog.

    Pet Food - What's In It? by Andrew Weil, MD
    Toxic Pet Food

    Special Needs Diets
    Dogs with arthritis, diabetes, hypothyroidism, heart, kidney or liver disease need a special diet designed to control the disease. Senior dogs also have special diet concerns. In the past, a low protein diet was recommended for seniors and dogs with liver disease, but research has proven that this is incorrect.
    Is a Low Protein Diet Necessary?

    Below is a great research source from canine nutritional consultant, Linda Arndt. It includes links for many health concerns.
    Linda Arndt's Nutritional List

    Please take time to do the research and give your dog the diet and nutritional supplements they deserve.

    Arthritis
  • Diet & Supplements for Arthritis


  • Cancer
  • Diet & Supplements for Cancer


  • Heart Disease
  • Diet & Supplements for Heart Conditions
  • Hawthorn and Dandelion help strengthen & support your pet's heart


  • Hypothyroidism
  • Diet & Supplements for Hypothyroidism


  • Gastrointestinal Disease
  • IBD, IBS & other Gastrointestinal Disease


  • Kidney Disease
  • Diet & Supplements for Kidney Disease

  • Kidney Disease in Dogs


  • Liver Disease
  • Diet & Supplements for Liver Disease


  • Epilepsy & Seizures
    Dogs with Seizures Diet

    Senior Dogs
  • Diet & the Older Dog


  • Yeast Infections
  • Diet & Supplements for Yeast Infections


  • Supplements
    We highly recommend the following supplements and suggest that you research your pet's individual health concerns to find their supplemental needs. Variety is important with supplements just as it is with the dog's diet. We recommend that you rotate the supplements. For example, we may add kelp to the diet for two months and then add Kefir for the next two months and take a break on the kelp.
    To get you started on your supplement research, we suggest B Naturals, our favorite holistic supplement website. They also have an archive of excellent articles including one on Vitamins and Supplements.

  • NuVet Plus vitamins

  • Glucosamine such as NuJoint Plus

  • Alfalfa - helps arthritis, gastritis, cancer & liver disease

  • CoQ10 - excellent for heart or kidney disease

  • Digestive Enzyme - aids digestion of protein, fat & carbohydrates

  • Garlic (1/4 to 1/2 clove of raw garlic a day) - for bacterial & fungal infections & arthritis

  • Kelp for Iodine source

  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Salmon Oil) along with 200 IUs vitamin E - for heart disease & arthritis

  • Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (unfiltered is best) 1/2 tsp per day

  • Probiotics or Kefir

  • Vitamins - B complex, E, C, A & calcium (vitamin link info below)

  • Supplements for Home Cooked Diet

    Healthy Dog Treats
    We do highly recommend feeding your dog raw chicken wings or raw chicken necks. You may be nervous the first time, but as you research on raw diets, you will see that this is very healthy for dogs. The important thing is to remember that cooked bones are dangerous. NEVER feed your dog cooked bones. They can splinter and do damage to your dog.

    Wheat gluten found in dog treats, comes from overseas. This is a danger to our precious pets. We recommend the following nutritional treats to give your little angels. Our vet has approved each of these fruits and vegetables, but please discuss with your veterinarian before giving to your babies. Remember that some veggies and fruit do break down to sugars, so feed these treats in moderation. We also recommend that you carefully wash all veggies and fruits before giving to your dog.
    Apple slices
    Banana slices
    Peach slices
    Pear slices
    Cantaloupe
    Honeydew Melon
    Watermelon without seeds
    Papayas
    Mangoes
    Berries
    Baby Carrots
    Green Beans
    Cauliflower
    Sweet Potato
    Yellow Squash
    Zucchini
    Cabbage
    Raw Beets
    Brussels Sprouts
    Turnips
    Bok Choy
    Rutabaga
    Celery
    Cucumbers
    Broccoli (in moderation)
    Spinach (in moderation)

    Do NOT feed your dog citrus fruits such as grapefruit, oranges or lemons. Do NOT feed your dog grapes, raisins, onions, macadamia nuts or chocolate!

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