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Dogs and cats deserve a wholesome raw meat diet

Is Feeding Chicken With Bones A Good Source of Calcium, Iron and Potassium?

Is bone–in chicken ground in a meat grinder a good source of calcium, iron and potassium?

Jesse's Answer

What you need to worry about is the calcium to phosphorus ratio.

Unfortunately, all bone is high in phosphorus and so when you feed meat and bones, you are still getting more phosphorus than calcium.

Bones should be considered a mineral supplement, not a calcium supplement.

In nature, the best source of calcium for our pets is the blood. In lieu of blood, we use ground egg shells which are high in calcium and low in phosphorus to help balance the calcium to phosphorus ratio.

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The following are testimonials shown in random order. In addition to reading these testimonials, you may also want to read The Sick Pet Project.

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Shining Bright

2005-03-10

Wynnie's coat shines like I have never seen it shine before. She also had a bowel condition that flared up every 1 to 2 weeks. Now these flare ups are 2 months apart. Her water consumption has been cut by more than two thirds. In closing, there are no words of appreciation that can express how thankful I am for your dedicated interest in the nutrition of dogs and cats.

— Heather and Wynnie

Rocky's Comeback

2008-09-14

I took on a dog that was very, very skinny, extremely stressed, and sick with a major cold and diarrhea caused by an intestinal parasite that he picked up at an overcrowded animal shelter. That was August 22, 2008. He was only the second dog I've had, and I didn't feel all that equipped to handle him (I'm still learning!).

I was scared to death he was going to die on my watch. But I immediately ditched all commercially prepared food and started feeding him by hand, scrambled eggs, rice, and cheese. I started doing research and found your book, which I enjoyed and printed. I've employed its recipes (for the most part — I still have a cultural need to just sear the meat before serving, still mostly raw, and I still include rice), but the results have been phenomenal. I bought a $20 food chopper at Wal–Mart to chop the vegetables and the organ meats, and for most things it works just fine. I use cheese as training treats. And this was while he was on medication, which as we all know can hinder weight gain.

Now he's a happy bundle of energy, more than I can handle, actually. We go out for long, energetic walks and today I bought my first set of running shoes in over 15 years. We may wind up saving each other here!

Because of his poor health, I took pictures of him every day to examine his progress in detail to make sure I could tell for sure whether he was improving or getting worse. They wound up being great before and after testimonials for the power of healthy food for your dog. These pictures are only 10 days apart! Except for the last, which is 3 weeks from the first, I think. I'm allowing him to stay lean and energetic, and we're working on building up muscle.

Thank you for your very helpful website – Nancy

Rocky Rocky Rocky Rocky

Soft Fur, Shiny Fur, Bright Teeth

2006-02-20

Our dogs fur is very soft and shiny, their teeth are getting whiter, and they are so much more relaxed. Seeing them play again with each other like puppies is the most wonderful endorsement.

– Ms. Weber