Rossi gal's Latest Challenge : The Poussin

According to Wikipedia, the Poussin is a young chicken of less than 28 days old at slaughter, with a weight not exceeding 750g. Poussin is also an alternative name for the Cornish Hen in the United States.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poussin_(chicken)

The poussin I got for Rossi gal is heavier than the Cornish Hen that she had  previously. The cornish hen weighs approximately 510g, while the poussin weighs between 600-740g. The latter is visibly larger than the former too.

 

A video of her enjoying her poussin. I love how she manipulates the chicken to her advantage.

She finished 3/4 of the chicken before she was willing to call it a day. Shortly after, she dozed off & slept quite soundly. It must have been a physically & mentally challenging exercise for her.

Rossi gal & Her First Oxtail

More changes are coming our way. The upcoming weeks are gonna be packed for us, as we embrace & adjust to these changes.

But for now, I would like start off my first post of March with darling's first attempt with the oxtail. 

Since she started on beef, her meals have become more interesting. My meat shopping has also become more fun. ;p There are more cuts to choose from, thus she gets to eat more varied meals. I do get a share in her beef too, but of course, I eat it cooked (medium rare). The addition of beef to her diet is the best thing that has happened since moving out. Thank God for the change in Daddy. :)

As usual, I get her beef supplies from my favorite regular butcher. Majority of darling's main meat supplies are from them (unless they dun carry the item/s I want.)  For her dehydrated treats, I get the meats from them too. I have been getting meats from them for as long as she is on raw.

Darling does very well on their red meats; lamb, venison and now, beef. I enjoy shopping at their store too, as they are very friendly, attentive and always willing to answer to my queries & concerns. 

I know I have been talking about them from time to time, but I must say again that I'm very happy with them, especially when I see darling enjoying her meals, as well as the significant improvements in her. Rossi is really a very sensitive gal. I have tried giving her red meats from other places, but she just doesn't seem to do as well. (*Note: In this context, I'm referring only to my Rossi.)

Ok, enough said. Now, back to her oxtail.

I chose the biggest and most meaty pieces I can find from the lot. I wanted to get bigger and meatier ones for her, so that she can have a more satisfying workout (chewing and grinding).

Here's a video of darling working on her very first oxtail yesterday evening. :p 

She spent two hours working on it. She could have taken longer than this, if not for the call of nature. Ya, she needed a visit to the toilet. That's when I took the  oxtail away. I was sitting there with her throughout the 2-hour session & I was getting hungrier with each bite she took. ><

Next round, I guess I will give her the oxtail during the weekend, instead of on a weekday, whereby I can only feed her after my work in the evening. Weekend would be more ideal too, as Daddy & I can take turns watching over her as she eats.  

Darling really enjoyed her oxtail. The above is what's left of it after the session. 

She seemed kinda tired after that, as she dozed off in my lap while I was having my dinner. Nothing pleases me more than to see her enjoy her food. ^_^

Rossi gal & the Whole Quail

On day 2 of CNY, I bought Rossi gal a new treat. Other than beef, this is another item that I have been looking forward to get for her.  

I like it that she can eat the quail "whole prey". It is a small bird, so she can handle it quite easily. On the 4th day of CNY, she had her first quail. Nothing wasted, she finished up the whole bird. :p

Last night, she had her 2nd quail. I topped it up with some lamb & beef to make it a heartier meal for her.

Time to get more quails for darling. But before that, here's a short clip of her enjoying her quail. ;p

New New New

A New year begins, therefore it's only right that my Rossi gal gets New stuff.

As the title goes, there are 3 New additions to her treasure box to start off the  year of 2013! ;p

1) New Beef Cuts

 

I'm in the midst of exploring new cuts of beef for Rossi gal. There is a good variety of beef cuts available & from different countries, like Australia, USA, New Zealand and Japan available at the butcheries.

I'm looking at only grassfed beef for her. The level of omega 3 in grassfed meats is higher as compared to grainfed meats, which is more nutritious & beneficial for her. (*I get grassfed lamb for her too. Her staple meats now are lamb & beef.)

As much as possible, I get organic or HA-Free meats for her, as I strongly believe that the quality of meats in her diet plays an essential role in contributing to her well-being.


Organic chuck tender

Free Range NZ beef striploin 

Veal liver

2) New Treats

 

My first time dehydrating beef for Rossi gal. Her first time getting beef treats. :p 
(*I dehydrate her treats with meats bought from the butcheries. I do not use market meats.)

 

Organic beef rump for dehydrating

Dehydrated Beef Treats

3) New Dehydrator

 

We already have an existing 500W dehydrator, but Daddy wanted to upgrade to the 1000W one. He said that with the upsized dehydrator, he can make more treats for Rossi gal at one go. :P The other one will be kept as a spare/backup. Daddy has no intention of selling it off.

 

 

That's all for now. More new things are coming her way. Till then. :p

Her First Beef Meal

Just wanna share Rossi gal's first meal with beef here. :) 

I'm so happy that beef is added to her raw diet. The sight of the beef makes me crave to eat it myself. ;p

And Rossi gal loves beef just like her mummy does. Yay! :D

Settling In & Getting Beef for the First Time

It had been a busy time for us, with the shifting and adjusting to the new environment.

Rossi gal did better than I have expected. Intially, I was concerned that the change of environment would stress her out. I was worried it would affect her appetite & potty routine too. But to my relief, she is still pretty much her usual self...still engaging us in play the way she always does, eating her meals, loving her treats and her pee/poo is ok too. Thank God.

Darling is still in the midst of adjusting herself to the unfamiliar noises and exploring the new 'smells' in her surrounding. Daddy and I know she is a good gal and is trying her best to blend in. At the same time, we ourselves are also getting accustomed to the whole new environment. But I know me, daddy and Darling will settle in nicely in time to come.

Last Sunday, it was my first time getting beef for Rossi gal. And of course, I got it from my favorite butcher. I have always admired the variety of beef cuts at their counter every time I go there to replenish her lamb supplies. Finally, now I can make my beef purchases and feel them in the flesh! ;p

Here it goes, my first beef purchase for Rossi gal :D

I started off with the leaner beef cuts, as I wanted to let her get used to eating beef first. Eventually, I will get other cuts of beef for her. As compared to lamb, the variety of beef cuts available seems more extensive. The beef section also looks bigger than the one for lamb.   

Those who know me, would know that I dun give Darling beef. It used to be a house rule set by Daddy due to some personal reasons. Other than beef, Daddy is supportive of her raw diet and is fine with red meats like lamb, pork, venison and kangaroo. She still has a good variety of meats and most importantly, Daddy believes in the benefits of the raw diet.

Then one fine day, Daddy told me, Darling can take beef when we move out. Why the change? Why is it only when we move out that she can start taking beef?

The answer to the first question: His perspectives have changed. It is hard to believe, even I myself find it too amazing to be true, but it is true. God changed him. I won't be elaborating on this. But in a nutshell, after being in touch with God, he has changed.

Knowing Daddy for a decade and a half, he had always been very rigid on the No-Beef rule in the house. The rule applied to me as well. I cannot eat beef within the confines of the house too.

But the rule is lifted! Now both me and Darling can eat beef in the house. Yay! ;D

As for the second question: There is a personal reason involved. To me, it doesn't matter that Darling can only start eating beef at the new place. The only thing that matters to me is, Darling can eat beef now. This is something I can never imagine Daddy saying yes to. Thank God.

Hope Rossi gal will enjoy eating beef as much as I do. :)


Zzz-ing at our new place ;p

Lamb Shoulder Rack

Recently, I got the lamb shoulder rack for Rossi gal.

I have seen other butcheries selling it at their counters, but I prefer to get it from my regular butcher.

As they did not display this cut at their counter, I had to ask the butcher if they have it. He said yes, then went into his meat processing area and took out a huge chunk of shoulder bone-in meat. I told him I wanna get it and he proceeded back to the area to cut up the huge chunk for me.

After processing, it looks as above. There are a total of 5 pieces.

Some pictures of her enjoying the rack. I took them when she was finishing up the remainder of the rack. Didnt expect her to finish it up, but she did. :)

P.S. I'm so looking forward to feed her beef! So excited! ;p

One Meal a Day

Currently, I'm in the midst of switching Rossi gal to 1 meal a day. Over the past 3 & a half years, I have been feeding her 2 meals daily, so what led to the decision to change?

In a way, it is Rossi gal, who "decides" she wants 1 meal instead of 2. I notice that she don't really have much of an appetite in the morning. She would still eat her breakfast when I feed her, but she would eat it kinda hesitantly. Then when it comes to dinner, she would anticipate her food and eat it up heartily, without hesitation.

Anyway, I have always observed that her appetite is much better after an exercise session (play or walk) & during the evening at dinner time, as compared to the morning. A reason why I hesitated to switch her to one meal all this while, is cos I'm afraid she would feel hungry during the day when daddy & I are at work. Therefore, since her kibble & homecook days to her current raw diet, I have been sticking to 2 meals a day.

I have read in various raw sites that it is recommended to feed 1 meal a day, though feeding 2 meals is fine too. Reasons for feeding 1 meal include; provides the opportunity to give a bigger & more challenging meal, provides the furkid with a more satisfying & "fuller" meal, easier to control food intake & *convenience. I do agree with them.

The thought of giving her 1 meal a day has always been at the back of my mind. As I continue to observe her having a lesser appetite in the morning, I decide to change her to 1 meal.

Till date, Rossi gal has been on 1 meal for a week. Her body is still in the midst of adjusting to having a meal a day, which is expected when there are changes in the diet, especially knowing that she is the sensitive type.

Based on what I observed during this one week, I do feel that that 1 full meal works better for her than 2 smaller meals. She has this satisfied look after her meal, an expression I dun really see when she was on 2 meals.

My usual practice every morning, is to leave a bowl of treats for her before I go off to work. For now, I increased the amount of treats for her, as she adjusts to the change to 1 meal. (Other than the amount shown in the bowl, I do give her abit more by hand. More treats needed during this time, which means more work for the dehydrator. LOL.)   

Then I also take note not to give her too much in one meal at this transition stage. I would eventually work up to the desired quantity I wanna feed her. At the same time, I also feed her a higher/heavier bone content to help in her transition to 1 meal.

There are different ways to transit from 2 to 1 meal. For example, a way is by decreasing the amount of food fed in the morning, while increasing the amount fed at night. Another way is by feeding 2 meals closer to each other then eventually becoming 1 meal (read it somewhere, but not sure how its exactly done). One more way is by switching cold turkey.

My way trends towards cold turkey. Some might not agree with how I do it, like the giving of treats or going cold turkey, but that's my choice. Well, I must say I really hate to be questioned for my choices or my way of doing things.

Feeding one meal a day enables me to feed a big meal like this:

This whole leg is much bigger than as shown in the picture. After she finished this meal, she looked so satisfied & dozed off shortly. ^^

*No doubt feeding 1 meal a day is convenient, but convenience is never a reason for my wanting to change her to 1 meal. No matter how busy I am in the morning, rushing for work or wat, I will make sure I prepare the meal for her before going to work & I have been doing so from day 1 till now. Even when she was on homecook, I wake up earlier just to re-heat her food & feed her in the morning before going to work. I do not make excuses like I gota rush for work or it's too rushing for me to prepare her food in the morning. At times, when I really need to go out at night & daddy is not able to come home in time to feed her, I will go back home just to give her dinner & go out again for my appointment thereafter. I believe it is a matter of whether the pawrent/owner is willing to make the effort for the furkid.

Signing off with a cutie pic of my darling. :P

Meat Shopping

Ever since I started raw feeding Rossi gal more than 2 years back, I have fallen in love with meat shopping.

I enjoy meat shopping much more than my own shopping. In fact, I find my own shopping quite boring. >< Call me crazy, Call me insane. Yes, I love to meat-shop for my darling, especially when I know she enjoys her meats.

Meat shopping exhilarates me. I love to view the display of meats before me, taking in the different cuts, smell, texture & colour etc...while in my mind, imaging how Rossi gal would enjoy eating them. It has sort of become an 'obsession' for me. 

My one constraint in getting meats would be freezer space. We share our freezer with Rossi gal. Her meats takes up around 3/4 of the freezer. Space for her food takes precedence over ours.

During my shopping trips, I always have the urge to get more meats than I initially intended as I browsed through the meat counters. However, I have to remind myself of the freezer space & restrain myself from getting overboard with my purchases.

Besides, I wouldnt want to overload my freezer or store my meats for too long. Rossi gal wont be able to finish up all the meats that fast too. Daddy joked that our next fridge gota have a big enough freezer  to accomodate my 'obsession'. @@ 

During the 2+ years of raw feeding, I have been to various butchers to get meats for her. There is one particular butcher, who has become my personal favorite, for their warm & friendly service, as well as another important reason, Rossi gal does very well on their meats.

*Among the different butchers I buy from, Rossi gal does best on the meats from this butcher. I witness positive results/improvements in her & I am happy with what I see. So, I like to get my meat supplies from them.  

In fact, when I was still doing home-cook for Rossi gal, I have already been getting meats from this butcher and I continue doing so after I switch her to raw. Looking back, I have been buying meats from them for quite some time. 

My darling is a sensitive gal, so I do take note of what I get for her. And what matters to me most is this: she must do well on the meats I get for her. This is of utmost importance to me.

If there is anything that she doesnt do well on, I will stop feeding it & not get it for her again. If she doesnt do well, there is no point in me getting it at all, waste of time & effort.

*Please note that this is with regards to my Rossi gal only, based on my observation & understanding of her. Every dog is different. One would have to observe what their own dog/s do well on.

Just wanna share my favorite butcher here:
http://www.meatthebutcher.com.sg/

Concluding my post with a pretty picture of my darling. ^^

♥Can't help, but think my darling looks so pretty♥

Rossi gal Vs the whole Cornish Hen

During Rossi gal's first year on raw, I got her a Cornish Hen once. At that time, I bought it out of curiousity & I thought it looked cute, as it was a small chicken, unlike those usual sized chickens I was used to seeing.

Back then, I chopped it up into pieces instead of giving the whole hen to her, as I didnt think she could handle it. She was still new to raw.

In the recent months, I watched a video of my fren's dogs tackling the whole cornish hen. I was very inspired by the video & it made me wanna get the cornish hen for Rossi gal to eat it whole.

So, in the next shopping trip, I included the cornish hen in my must-get list. I got the hen from my usual butcher. The packaging has changed from the previous time I bought it, but it's still the same thing.

Though the hen is quite small, just 18oz (510g), I was expecting to help Rossi gal with it, as she had never eaten this way before & also, when it comes to feeding her bones, like lamb rack, chicken drum/wing (the usual ones I feed), she would usually need me to hold the bone for her to start her off. Then after some tearing+chewing, I would release it for her to finish up on her own.

However, to my surprise, when the hen was presented to her, she sniffed at it  & started digging in on her own without hesitation & without any help from me! ;p I was both surprised and delighted!

Here is a video of her working on the whole cornish hen. =)

I enjoyed watching her work the hen. I can't help, but think my darling looks so cool tackling the hen. LOL. *proud mummy syndrome* @@

She didnt manage to finish up the whole hen in one sitting. She finished ard 3/4 of it & stopped eating, so I stored the remaining carcass back into the fridge and gave it to her for breakfast on the next day. 

*I kept thinking she ate ard 1/2 the hen, but on closer look as I wrote this blog post, it looked more like she finished ard 3/4 of it! LOL. *blur me* x___x  

Nothing wasted, the whole hen is devoured by my darling. :) So this is it, the cornish hen will be included as part of her diet.

My darling resting on the sofa, after her hen meal. I like the satisfied look on her sweet face. ^^

Her Pinky Head Band

Rossi gal has long ear fringe. Whenever she eats her bone, her fringe would touch or stick on to it, as she maneuvers it with her mouth. This set me on the look out for a clip of some sort for clipping up her ears.  

With the recommendation of my frens & seeing one of their cute pics wearing the head band, I decided to get it for darling. I updated Daddy about the head band, with pics to show & he headed off to buy it. I had thought of getting it during the weekend, but daddy acted much faster than me. ;p

I opened up the package and let her use it that very evening, as she was having bone for dinner. Initially, she had thought it was a toy and kept biting onto it, wanting to play tug-of-war with me as I tried to put it round her head.

Eventually, I managed to put the head band on her. I took a couple of nice shots and gave her dinner after that. As she was having her bone, I took another few shots of her eating with the head band for the first time.

My darling looks so sweet in her pinky head band. *Proud Mummy* :D 
(Pink is mummy's fave colour too.)

It is also very useful when she eats her bone, as her ear fringe is kept back neatly & it doesnt stick on to the bone when she eats. (Dual purpose: can be used as an accessory & for her meals. LOL )

*Thanks Milo ma (for showing me cute pics of milo wearing the head band) & Coffee Daisy for the good recommendation.  

Her Diet: Organs' Intake

A proper raw diet consist of meats, meaty bones and organs. I totally agree with this. However, lately, I realised something.  

(Whole prey would be ideal, but it's not so possible to obtain locally. What I mean by whole prey here, is animals with eyes, furs etc intact.) 

After 2 years of raw feeding, I realised my Rossi gal do not take well to organs. 

Organs, though a very small part of the raw diet, are an essential part of the diet. The recommended organs' intake is 10% of the diet (5% liver, the other 5% other organs like kidney, spleen, sweetbreads etc).

I did not consider the possibility of her not taking well to organs, as they are an integral part of the diet and the quantity required is very small. Besides, I was only feeding her slightly under 5% of organs (liver+kidney), which is very little actually. I feed her mainly lamb & organic pork liver, along with lamb kidney, as treats in the frozen form. I have also fed her organs from rabbit, duck and chicken before.  

How did I realise she does not do well on organs?

Well, Rossi gal still gets hot spots/rashes every now and then. There are various factors in which hot spots/rashes could occur (which I would not go into). For Rossi gal, hot weather could also be a contributing factor. Furthermore, she has very sensitive skin since young & is more prone to hot spots/rashes too.

Then one day, she had another bout of hot spots/rashes & each time she had them, I found that they took quite a while to subside. Just recently, she experienced some runny poo, my bad. She had not eaten Venison for a long time. Usually, when I introduce a new meat or give her a meat that she had not eaten for a long time, I have to include the meat slowly in the diet & let her adjust to it. But this time, I was too ambitious, I gave her quite a big portion of Venison into her meal, thinking she could take it. I was wrong. It resulted in her having runny poo.

Thus, I had to stop all her organs for the time being. I only gave her usual lamb meat and her chicken & lamb bones. Within 1+ week of stopping organs, daddy and I began to notice her hot spots/rashes subsided significantly. Those areas that she was prone to having hot spots/rashes, had much lesser hot spots/rashes. I find them healing much faster than before too.

All these while, I have been wondering why she kept having recurring hot spots/rashes. And now, by stopping her organs' intake, her hot spots/rashes' condition improved significantly, which led me to think if she does not do so well on organs.

This incident also caused daddy to remind me of a much earlier time when he told me to stop her organ intake for some reason, which we could not recall. And for that period of time when her organs intake was stopped, the hot spots/rashes on her skin also subsided quite fast. The hot spots/rashes on her were minimal too.

Therefore, after rounds of discussion and analysis with daddy, as well as some conversations I had with a couple of frens, daddy & I are pretty sure that our Rossi gal do not take well to organs.

There are likely to be fellow rawbies out there, who would not agree with our observation and state that this is just not possible. why would there be dogs who are unable to take organs? I guess, they would say, their dogs are having raw organs & they are doing fine...organs are a must-have in the diet, non-negotiable...*try organs from other animals...Blah blah blah.

Well, what's not possible? Anything is possible. Every dog is different. I do believe there are exceptional cases, whereby there are certain stuff that some just dun do well on, but it seems the most of the others do just fine on it.

Some dogs can take much organs without issues, but mine just cannot. It's just like  how some dogs can just take meats from any sources without issues, but my Rossi gal cannot. I have tried on several occasions, feeding her lamb meat from other butchers and she just does not do well on it. But when I feed her lamb meat from her usual butcher, she is fine.

With these said, I would not stop her organs' intake totally. I would still give her organs, just that the quantity & frequency would definitely be significantly lesser than before. And I would have to monitor her skin at the same time, to determine the quantity and frequency more suitable for her.

I will do whatever works for my Rossi gal & not what anyone else thinks I should do for her. I will do things in the way I feel is best for her, not in the way anyone else thinks I should. What works for your dog, might not necessarily work for mine.

*In the local butcheries, I see mainly beef, pork, lamb & chicken organs (liver & kidney). There are also rabbit and duck organs, but the whole thing would have to be purchased to obtain their organs. Rossi gal cannot take beef, but she has tried the others though.

Rossi gal munching her Raw Chicken Feet

Rossi gal had her first raw chicken feet for dinner last night. 

HA-free Chicken feet with boneless lamb meat.

Feeding chicken feet alone is too little for dinner, so I added some lamb meat. It would be good to add some meat too, as the feet is quite bony.

  

Rossi gal waiting to start her dinner.

A video of her crunching up the feet. :P  Enjoy!

Raw Chicken Feet

I have been looking to get chicken feet for Rossi gal, but not just any chicken feet. I didnt want those from the markets.

I had wanted to get organic feet for her, but it wasnt available. Even when I purchased the whole organic chicken, the feet is not attached to the chicken, where it should be. Strange. Where have all the feet gone to?

I guess, it's quite unlikely to find any organic chicken feet here. I dun think I would be able to get any organic feet. Thus, my next option would be *HA-free chicken feet.

*HA-free: Hormones & Antibiotics-free

I have often wondered why is it that at the markets, the whole chicken always comes with the feet & head intact. However, when it comes to the organic whole chicken, the head and feet are always non-existent. Strange.

Anyway, lately, I heard from my rawbie frens that the butcher I go to, does sell chicken feet. One of them bought some chicken feet there lately. I know they do sell HA-free chicken in parts & whole, as well as, organs & gizzards, but I didnt know they also have the feet. Therefore, during the past weekend, I decided to go over and check it out.

Yes. They do sell chicken feet and they are HA-free. The feet is packed and sold in the frozen form. According to the butcher, each pack consist of feet from 10-12 chickens, which add up to 20-24 pieces. 

I got a pack from them. They look pretty nice & the nails are trimmed off neatly too. My pack of chicken feet has a total of 20 pieces. (As per what the butcher told me. :P) 

The chicken feet is also a good source of natural glucosamine and collagen. Something good for Rossi gal to have, especially for her joints. Hope she likes it. :>

Rossi gal working on her Lamb Shank

A video of Rossi gal having her raw lamb shank for breakfast.

She took much longer to eat her lamb shank, as compared to her other meaty bones, like lamb rack and chicken wing/drummie. The lamb shank is significantly bigger and meatier.

She didnt manage to finish up the shank bone, but that's ok. I didnt expect her to finish it, as the bone is actually quite thick.

I give her the shank more for the 'workout' aspect. The shank is good for providing a good workout for her teeth and in maintaining her dental health.

Lamb fore shank

Rossi gal & her shank


 Begins to work on her shank

Gnawing on the shank

 More gnawing.

Rossi gal tackling her Chicken Drummie

A video of Rossi gal eating her raw chicken drummie for dinner. 

Some still shots of her intently tackling her drummie.

Rossi gal working on her Chicken Wing

A video of Rossi gal eating her raw chicken wing.

It is interesting to watch the video of her working on the raw lamb rack,  well, at least to me. I watched it several times. LOL. ^^

Why had I not thought of taking videos before this? Hmm...it's not too late to start taking them now, ya. :D

This time, I also took some still shots of her eating the wing. Here's a couple of them.

I like this one. 'Fierce'. ;p

Rossi gal working on her Lamb Rack

A video of Rossi gal eating her raw lamb rack.

This is the very first video that I have taken of her eating a raw meaty bone. I enjoy filming the process and watching the video. It makes me happy to see her enjoy her food too. :) 

What I love most, is the sound of her crunching the bone, it's like music to my ears. Call me crazy, but that's the way I describe it. :p

Her Supplements Now

I have stopped many of the supplements that I used to give Rossi gal. As I continue her raw feeding, I find that I'm starting to do away with her supps one by one.

These are the three remaining supps that I'm giving her now. 

From left to right:
'Nordics Fish Oil', 'Hyaflex' & 'Sang Hwang Lingzhi'

In the raw feeding sites I've been to, it is said that a good raw diet does not necessarily require supplementation, other than, perhaps a good fish oil for the omega 3. 

In order to obtain the desired level of omega 3 from raw fish, much fish would have to be fed, which could take up a substantial part of the diet and this is not ideal. The raw diet should ideally consist mainly or a large part of red meats, as our dogs thrive on them. As much as possible, it would be good to include more red meats (for eg. lamb, beef, pork, kangaroo & venison) to the diet.

Hence, the addition of fish oil to the diet would be a good way to obtain the omega 3 requirement. Feeding grass-fed meats is also another way to obtain omega 3. For Rossi gal, she gets her omega 3 from fish oil, grass-fed meats and an occasional serving of raw salmon.  

While I agree that a good raw diet is the main source of nutrition for our dogs, I believe there could be times, where some form of supplementation might be needed to give an added boost. Like for my Rossi gal, she has a joint condition, "Luxating Patella (grade 2)", so I give her a joint supp (Hyaflex) to aid in lubricating and maintaining her joints.

As for the Lingzhi, I have been giving it to her eversince that time, when she's diagnosed with demodectic mange. This is a supp I would continue giving her for general health maintenance, as well as the immunity boosting and cancer fighting properties. 

Concluding my post with an adorable pic of my Rossi gal, taken this morning. :D

 

A Peek into Our Freezer

Here's a peek into our freezer, shared between Rossi gal & us. :>

Upper deck: The left half with ziplog bags are Rossi gal's meats. The other half  with the 'unhealthy' stuff in sight, yes, it's ours...quick meals with a ding :x and a few packs of our meats (for cooking) stashed beside & behind the quick meals.

Lower deck: More bags of her meats & raw meaty bones, with 2 boxes on the left containing liver and kidney respectively. She eats her organs frozen . I freeze her organs in bite sizes in these boxes and feed them like treats on alternate days.

Below shows the side compartment of the freezer, which also functions as the freezer door.

Upper compartment: Our stuff. Herbs and such.  

Lower compartment: Her stuff. From left to right, the first 4 bags contain her organs (liver & kidney) and the 5th bag is another one of her meats.