All our dogs & puppies at Calmholme are fed on a mixture of meat, offal & raw meaty bones. We did for many many years feed our dogs on a quality complete kibble with no expense spared, deciding to take the plunge and change their diet was a very big deal for us. We spent many hours researching a more natural diet for our dogs & having made the change some years ago have never looked back.....the benefits are amazing!

Raw natural feeding means just that....all meat & bones are fed raw NOT cooked.

The benefits of raw feeding are endless. For those of you who remember the 70's....dogs lived alot longer back then and pre 70's. That was before the huge supermarkets took hold, commercialism then went mad. Back in the 70's all we had was the local corner shop and certainly not the huge choice of dog food we see today. Dogs were fed on the odd tin of wet canned dog meat and mixer but for the main part of their diet it was table scraps and raw meaty bones from the local butcher...that's all that was availble for our companions back then but one thing is for sure they lived well into their late teens with hardly ever a trip to the vets. Allergies in our dogs were almost unheard of. Dogs years ago didn't need a tooth brush to clean their teeth, their teeth were always cleaned the natural way by chewing on bones...no need for trips to the vets to get those teeth de-scaled and no gum disease either. Much less stools are produced being firm and turning white and chalky after 24 hrs or so. A raw fed dog is replicating what it would be doing in the wild, the modern day dog has exactly the same digestive tract as a wolf. It takes your dog alot longer to eat when fed on a natural diet thus giving him time to get those stomach acids moving to help digest the food properly. It's now accepted that the modern day dog that is commercially fed suffers from bad breath & brown teeth. Pancreatic insufficiency is considered almost standard for some breeds as is irritable bowel syndrome. Dying far too young from cancer, kidney and liver problems , runny tummies and in the large deep chested breeds gastric dilation appears to be a common problem - it's a rare occurance in naturally fed dogs.

The above reasons for us is enough alone to feed our dogs the natural way. Gleaming white teeth, no gum problems, well muscled bodies. No allergies or irritations seen. No anal gland problems. No hyperactivity. More energy in our older dogs. Much less poo to clean up (a naturally fed dog utilises much more of it's food, therefore less waste). They seem never too fat or too thin.....all our dogs are extremely content, happy and healthy.

When puppies are fed a complete comercial kibble they do tend to grow at a much faster rate than those puppies who are raw fed, we have seen this for ourselves. Puppies that are raw fed grow much more slowly & quick growth spurts are avoided, thus giving their bones chance to develop properly. Raw fed pups don't go through that "leggy stage"...they grow at a slower rate, just as nature intended. Some people worry about their dogs choking on bones, this is very rare and there are far more incidents with dogs choking on kibble.

Commercial dog food, even the most expensive kibble contains upto 50% grains, grains are one of the biggest sources of allergies in our dogs. Dogs are carnivors and do not have the digestive system to cope with grains. Grains make up the majority of dog food company food sources. Yes our dogs are domesticated but this just means simply that their behavior has changed not their digestive tract......this remains the same despite what your vet might tell you. When feeding a young puppy on commercial kibble it's all very confusing as there are different ranges of food for different ages of puppies. The good news is for your raw fed puppy is they are fed the same regardless of age.
I am often asked "how much do I feed my dog"... my answer to this question is look at your dog and if he/she feels a little porky reduce the amount of fat on the meat you are giving them i.e remove the skin on the chicken for a short time..basically like with yourself and your own diet give them less, cut down a little, it's all down to common sense.

WHAT WE FEED OUR DOGS.....
All our dogs are fed a wide range of raw meat and bones. We have a fantastic supplier who supplies our dogs with the very best quality meat, bones and even joints of pork,lamb, chicken breast, chicken carcasses, rabbit, liver, kidney, hearts & huge boar heads which they love!! Some people are horrified to learn that we feed our dogs AND puppies raw chicken. They claim that the chicken bones will splinter and cause choking. This is a total myth, it's COOKED chickens bones that will splinter. Chicken when in it's raw form bones are soft and very easy to chew. Our dogs also enjoy a range of raw fish & tinned fish, raw eggs including the shell & partly cooked veg(fed every other day).The proof that raw feeding is good for your dog is evident within our website....take another look around, all our dogs enjoy being fed the natural way....RAW.
Our dogs are happy on occasions to eat their food straight from the freezer....especially in the summer months. If your not happy doing this take what you need from the freezer the day before and allow it to defrost. In the summer months be aware of flies!!!! Only give what your dog will consume and once he shows no more interest in his food, take it away and offer it later. All our feeding areas are power washed and disinfected on a daily basis, this should be standard practice.

Please be prepared to carry on feeding your Calmholme puppy a natural diet. Our puppies are fed various minced meat (including the bone) chicken wings and tinned fish. All new owners are advised to invest in a nice big freezer!! Source out butchers/supermarkets and farm shops for quality meat and bones. We do not recommend meatless bones, sometimes your butcher may offer you scrap bones, all your bones should have plenty of meat on them. Try the telephone directory for local farm shops and butchers and ask the question. There is also pet food establishments that now supply and deliver fantastic quality raw meat and bones for dogs and most deliver too!!

If you are reading this and have an older dog who has been fed on dry kibble much of it's life...why not give it a try. It may take a little time for your dog to get used to the texture of raw meat but I'm sure once he has a taste for it there will be no going back for both of you.

I do hope this small insight into the natural diet has been of some help. Do your homework, then source a supplier. It's true what they say..."Fit as a butchers dog"!!!!

This is just a small insight into feeding your dog the natural way....as nature intended. I will over the coming weeks add more reading to this page....but in the mean time..give it a go!

Check out the links below.........