Snowy Beach

Okay, not to do with Raw Food Diets but might be of interest. Earlier in the winter when it snowed we had a wonderful walk down to the beach. It was very strange seeing our beach covered in snow. Gemma had to have her coat on which she is never very impressed with although I think she quite enjoys being warm and snug in it. Last winter she went to go for a paddle in her favourite pond at Hengistbury Head but it had iced over so she had to learn to ice skate very quickly. She almost made it to the other side before the ice cracked and she had a wee dip. She loved it all and is so confident now it is great to see.

Saturday

Went to Nurturing by Nature today to get Gemma's next step meals. Frozen minced lamb (with some chicken). Also dried sprats for low cal treats (yum but stinky!). She has her first day today without any 'dog food' at all. To lose weight she can only have about 90 to 100gms of food all day. This will be a bit of a shock but hopefully the extra taste might counterbalance the small portion. Will keep you posted. She starts on the lamb mix on Wednesday, a week after beginning the new regime.

The Transition

Breakfast: vege fruit delight and frozen minced chicken.

After reading quite a few different viewpoints about how to best introduce your pet to a Raw Food Diet I decided to try what Netty from Nurturing by Nature suggested. One idea I read began with a 24 hours fasting and I wasn't keen on that one (neither was Gemma). We came home from Nurturing by Nature with a large bag of frozen raw minced chicken, frozen packs of mushed up veges and fruit, and of course a variety of healthy treats. Gemma began this morning with about a tablespoon of the chicken and the same of the vege mix. She was slightly concerned that her cereals didn't appear but showed enthusiasm towards the new morning delights. It wasn't long before it was gone. Later in the morning I gave her a fish jerky treat to make up for the tiny breakfast.

Tonight she will get her usual dinner including biscuits. She will have the chicken and vege mix for breakfast for another 2 days but doubling the amount each morning. On the 4th day she will have the mix for breakfast and dinner. It'll be interesting to see how she reacts to no 'dogfood' in her plate. She will finish the week off with this diet and then we will go back to Nurturing by Nature for more advice on where to go from there. The next step will be the whole Raw Food Diet, bones and all. I am quite sure that Gemma is going to love it. She just loves bones but she hasn't had many because we have believed all horror stories about bones being bad for dogs.

Wednesday 24th February
Gemma moves onto the next stage of the transition to Raw Food. We introduce minced frozen lamb mixed with the raw chicken. I think she is going to love that. She still really enjoys her meals and is looking so bright and bouncy. It's lovely to see. Also her coat is getting softer and softer. I guess this is due to the extra fat and oils she is getting. Her treats now are dried sprats or fish chews instead of dog biscuits.

Gemma's arrival

When we first got Gemma we took her to the Poole Pound Puppy Rescue reunion BBQ. She won first prize for the dog who the judge would most like to take home. We were so proud. She looks so tiny in this picture. She was quite timid and didn't really know what to do with herself. She has learnt so much since this picture was taken.

Welcome to Gemma's pages

Gemma is a JRT who is between 6 to 8 years old and she is my first dog. We adopted her 3 years ago without any of her history. We have taught her to play, go for long walks and to chew tasty treats. She has learnt quickly and enthusiastically. She has Patella Luxation or 'trick knee' which she usually copes with well but a few days ago she lost her bounce. Anyone who knows Jack Russells know that they are normally full of bounce. The verdict from the vet is that it is her knee playing up with a bit of arthritis and also being a bit overweight. To help her with this we have decided to try her on a Raw Food Diet. I have got advice from the woman at Nurturing by Nature in Ferndown and Gemma starts her new diet tomorrow morning. It will take 3 days until she can go onto the diet exclusively. Her goal is to lose 2 kgs. I was also advised that she should only have moderate exercise which I find surprising as she is so energetic but we will moderate her walks and see how she responds.

I've included a picture of Gemma and I on the little boat going over to Christchurch from Mudeford Spit. I've inlcuded me in the picture in honour of Max who I have read about on Honey the Great Dane's blog. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading Honey's blog and that is where I was introduced to the idea of the raw food diet.