Diet

As mentioned many times before, a home prepared diet is a must for your dog if you want him to heal from heart disease. Simply put it is part of the program, if you are not willing to prepare your dog’s meals, you might as well not do the program. I am not being harsh but that is the simple truth. The medical community is just catching up to what natural healers have known for a very long time. Many doctors are now reversing human heart disease, which was considered incurable not too long ago, with food as their medicine. Medical Doctors like Dr. Dean Ornish are curing people of heart disease without drugs or surgery, but by simply changing their diet. Dr. Gabriel Cousens of Arizona is curing people of Diabetes with… you guessed it, Whole Live Foods. Diet is the foundation of any true healing. Herbs are foods and many people forget that, they are actually super concentrated foods that hold God given properties that can help your dog heal itself of disease.

Organic whole natural foods create health and vitality. Processed foods foster and create disease. This is a common fact everyone knows in their hearts. Go ahead and try it, eat macaroni diner, hot dogs, hamburgers, white bread, etc for a week then try eating whole grain pasta, homemade sauces from scratch, whole grain bread, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds etc, and guess which week you will feel better. The same goes for your dog. Even though the ingredients in your dog’s kibble may look good and wholesome, that food has to sit on shelves for months to years so they have to be processed at high temperatures which destroys any viable nutrients it may have started with then they have to add very poor grade supplements to have it approved and add more chemicals (yes they are chemicals) to further preserve it so it won’t go bad before it is purchased and fed to pets by well meaning owners. If that is not bad enough, the majority of foods on the market are made from ingredients that do not meet the requirements to make it into the human food supply chain, therefore they are used as ingredients in pet food. This is true for Prescription diets sold by many Veterinarians as well. Prescription diets are commonly over priced foods that contain low quality, overly processed and extremely refined ingredients that are formulated to “manage” your dogs condition, not support his body in the healing process.

Food in its whole state is our number one medicine, it has been since we all were created and always will be.

Do your best to use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Below are some recipes to help you get your dog started on his road to recovery. There are three options Home Cooked, Raw and Transitional. Please note that the Transitional diet is excellent when changing from feeding kibble to home prepared cooked or raw food. It is also great for dogs who are not eating on their own as it is easily pureed to a fine consistency so it can by syringe fed. This recipe has proved to cause the least upset to the digestive system i.e. loose stools, diarrhea, gas, etc. It is also great recipe for intestinal problems including irritable bowel and colitis. Feed this diet for a week or two then you may switch to the Cooked Meat recipes, Raw diet or you are welcome to continue long term with the Transitional recipe if your dog likes it.

WARNING: Do not add any salt to your dogs diet. Added salt can compound a number of problems, not limited to Edema (fluid retention in the lungs or elsewhere in the body and high blood pressure). The naturally occurring sodium in fresh fruits and vegetables and that which is in our Dog Greens is not an issue as it is not refined. All our recipes have Dog Greens added to them to ensure complete nutrition.

Home Prepared Diets for Canine Heart Disease

Amounts to feed will vary according to the metabolism and activity level of each individual dog. Let your dog’s appetite and weight be the ultimate gauge, remember a dog on the leaner side is always healthier than an overweight dog especially when dealing with heart disease.

Smaller meals fed often are easier on your dog’s system than large meals. While a healthy dog can easily be fed once daily, you may want to divide your dog’s daily amount of food into two or more smaller meals.

Chicken and Rice

This diet is broken down below into 10 pound increments.

Find your dog’s weight below and the recipe will be a TWO day supply of food for your dog’s weight.

10 Pounds

1 1/2 Cups Cubed cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
1 1/3 Cups Cooked long-grain brown rice
1/2 Cup Pureed fruit and vegetables (minimum, please feel free to increase fruits and veg)
2 Teaspoons *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

20 Pounds

2 1/2 Cups Cubed cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
1 3/4 Cups Cooked long-grain brown rice
1 1/3 Cups Pureed fruit and vegetables (minimum, please feel free to increase fruits and veg)
1 1/2 Tablespoons *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

30 Pounds

3 1/4 Cups Cubed cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
2 1/2 Cups Cooked long-grain brown rice
1 2/3 Cups Pureed fruit and vegetables (minimum, please feel free to increase fruits and veg)
1 3/4 Tablespoons *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

40 Pounds

4 Cups Cubed cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
3 Cups Cooked long-grain brown rice
2 1/4 Cups Pureed fruit and vegetables (minimum, please feel free to increase fruits and veg)
2 Tablespoons *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

50 Pounds

5 Cups Cubed cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
3 1/2 Cups Cooked long-grain brown rice
2 3/4 Cups Pureed fruit and vegetables (minimum, please feel free to increase fruits and veg)
2 1/2 Tablespoons *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

60 Pounds

5 1/2 Cups Cubed cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
4 Cups Cooked long-grain brown rice
3 1/4 Cups Pureed fruit and vegetables (minimum, please feel free to increase fruits and veg)
3 Tablespoons *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

70 Pounds

6 1/4 Cups Cubed cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
4 1/2 Cups Cooked long-grain brown rice
3 3/4 Cups Pureed fruit and vegetables (minimum, please feel free to increase fruits and veg)
3 Tablespoons *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

80 Pounds

7 Cups Cubed cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
5 Cups Cooked long-grain brown rice
4 Cups Pureed fruit and vegetables (minimum, please feel free to increase fruits and veg)
3 1/2 Tablespoons *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

*any organic plant based oil blend that says 3-6-9 omegas preferably with DHA, UDO’s makes a very nice one.

Raw Food

A basic rule of thumb for feeding a raw diet is to feed 2% of your dog’s body weight. So if you have a 50 pound dog, they would be fed 1 pound of raw food per day.

Unless you plan on buying a heavy duty meat grinder and grinding your own chicken necks and backs, a wonderful source for a complete 100% Organic Raw Chicken Diet is a company called Nature’s Variety. Their frozen diets can be found in select Pet Food stores across the US and Canada. The company has a store locator for on their website. Should you wish to prepare raw food yourself for your canine companion, there is endless information available online as well as many books on RAW food and BARF diets for Dogs.

There are many companies that prepare and sell raw meals for dogs, but one of the only ones I have found that prepare an exclusively 100% Certified Organic line is NaturesVariety.com, I am sure there are other companies out there who make organic raw food, but make sure it is just that, ORGANIC. I have seen many companies who state they use “Organic ingredients when available”, which I do not trust. Natures Variety Organic Raw chicken comes in small 1 oz medallions which are great for small breeds and is also available in 8 oz patties for larger dogs.

Make sure if you decide to go with a store bought raw food you don’t forget to add more fresh raw pureed veggies and of course your Dog Greens!

Transitional Diet

This recipe is easily pureed so it can be syringe fed to animals whose illness has caused them to lose their appetite. While animals will instinctively fast when they are ill which is natural and can be helpful in healing, it is important not let them go without food for more than a few days.

Below you will find recipes broken down into Daily Amounts based on your dog’s weight.

10 Pounds

1/5 Pound (90 grams) Organic Extra-Firm Tofu
1/2 cup Organic Bean Mixture (2 parts chick peas (garbanzo beans), 1/2 part pinto beans, 1/2 black beans)
1/2 cup organic veggies
1/2 Teaspoon soaked nuts/seeds (Raw Sunflower no shell, Raw Brazil nuts, Raw Almonds)
1 Teaspoon *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

20 Pounds

1/4 Pound (113.5 grams) Organic Extra-Firm Tofu
3/4 cup Organic Bean Mixture (2 parts chick peas (garbanzo beans), 1/2 part pinto beans, 1/2 black beans)
3/4 cup organic veggies
1 Teaspoon soaked nuts/seeds (Raw Sunflower no shell, Raw Brazil nuts, Raw Almonds)
2 Teaspoons *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

30 Pounds

1/3 Pound (150 grams) Organic Extra-Firm Tofu
1 cup Organic Bean Mixture (2 parts chick peas (garbanzo beans), 1/2 part pinto beans, 1/2 black beans)
1 cup organic veggies
1 1/2 Teaspoons soaked nuts/seeds (Raw Sunflower no shell, Raw Brazil nuts, Raw Almonds)
1 Tablespoon *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

40 Pounds

1/2 Pound (227 grams) Organic Extra-Firm Tofu
1 1/2 cups Organic Bean Mixture (2 parts chick peas (garbanzo beans), 1/2 part pinto beans, 1/2 black beans)
1 1/2 cups organic veggies
2 Teaspoons soaked nuts/seeds (Raw Sunflower no shell, Raw Brazil nuts, Raw Almonds)
1 1/4 Tablespoon *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

50 Pounds

2/3 Pound (302 grams) Organic Extra-Firm Tofu
1 1/2 cups Organic Bean Mixture (2 parts chick peas (garbanzo beans), 1/2 part pinto beans, 1/2 black beans)
1 1/2 cups organic veggies
2 Teaspoons soaked nuts/seeds (Raw Sunflower no shell, Raw Brazil nuts, Raw Almonds)
1 1/2 Tablespoon *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

60 Pounds

3/4 Pound (340.5 grams) Organic Extra-Firm Tofu
1 3/4 cups Organic Bean Mixture (2 parts chick peas (garbanzo beans), 1/2 part pinto beans, 1/2 black beans)
1 3/4 cups organic veggies
2 1/2 Teaspoons soaked nuts/seeds (Raw Sunflower no shell, Raw Brazil nuts, Raw Almonds)
1 1/2 Tablespoon *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

70 Pounds

1 Pound (454 grams) Organic Extra-Firm Tofu
2 cups Organic Bean Mixture (2 parts chick peas (garbanzo beans), 1/2 part pinto beans, 1/2 black beans)
2 cups organic veggies
1 Tablespoon soaked nuts/seeds (Raw Sunflower no shell, Raw Brazil nuts, Raw Almonds)
1 3/4 Tablespoon *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

80 Pounds

1 1/4 Pound (567.50 grams) Organic Extra-Firm Tofu
2 1/2 Organic Bean Mixture (2 parts chick peas (garbanzo beans), 1/2 part pinto beans, 1/2 black beans)
2 1/2 cups organic veggies
1 Tablespoon soaked nuts/seeds (Raw Sunflower no shell, Raw Brazil nuts, Raw Almonds)
2 Tablespoons *Oil Blend
Add a dose of Dog Greens to each meal as recommended in daily program schedule immediately before serving.

Preparation Instructions:

Soak beans in filtered water until re-hydrated (approx. 8 hours), soak nuts/seeds as well in a separate bowl. Both can be soaked in the refrigerator. Strain beans, get a crock pot (slow cooker) and put the beans in and cover with about an inch or two of fresh water. Turn on low and let cook overnight. In the morning when beans are fully cooked (soft) let cool, chop up some fresh organic fruit and veggies (greens, baby greens, red pepper, tomato, carrot, zucchini, sprouts, etc.) add them to the crock pot with the cooked beans along with the soaked and drained nuts or seeds then add enough water so you can blend it all up with a hand blender (immersion blender) until it is pureed.

Scoop out enough for your dog’s meal based on his weight above, crumble or chop tofu and mix in along with the a dose of Dog Greens and the Oil Blend. Store the remaining bean mixture in fridge for future meal(s). Feel free to cook larger batches of the beans and freeze unused portions for later use. Beans can also be cooked in a pressure cooker, this way is very fast but you must watch carefully. You may also cook the beans in a regular stainless steel or glass pot on the stove but this takes much longer and must be monitored.

*any organic plant based oil blend that says 3-6-9 omegas preferably with DHA, UDO’s makes a very nice one.