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LIFE WITH ROUX #002: Natural Dog Care 101

August 14, 2017 //  by Jenn//  Leave a Comment

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Reading Time: 9 minutes

Since we live a holistic, natural lifestyle, it only made sense for us to give this same life to our new fur-family member! We discovered that it doesn’t take much effort on our part to give this life gift to our dog because we already have everything we need to feed her. We don’t buy treats; we give her things we already have if it’s a whole food item: meat, berries, veggies, etc.

Luckily, we found a holistic veterinarian, and we brought Roux for her first check-up. I didn’t even know that holistic veterinary practice existed! Dr. Sagrera was amazing. She was extremely informative, and I could tell that she was very passionate about the proper “natural” care of our dog.

Who is Roux? Read Life with Roux #001: Our Milestone Dog.

At Roux’s first visit, it was determined that her nutrition was not well-balanced. First of all, we were unknowingly feeding her adult food instead of puppy food… duhhh, first mistake! Her ribs started to show some, so she was tested for parasites, which thankfully came back negative. We were informed of exactly which foods to feed her and also how to feed her a raw diet. I’m going to share a little of that information here below, and also show you how to use eggshells for calcium in your dog’s food!

My favorite resource for natural pet care information is Healthy Pets with Dr. Karen Becker.

The first amazing fact that I learned about domestic dogs is that they are 99.9% genetically the same as wild dogs. This means that they are naturally meant to eat the same foods that wild dogs eat – raw meat, organs, skin, bone, and even small amounts of the berries and vegetation in their home environment. It’s how they were designed to survive.

Wild dogs – wolves, coyotes, dingoes, and African wild dogs – have all been documented to sample their environment. They may eat some berries and some grasses. Kitties, certainly, will occasionally nibble on grasses. But hands down, 95 percent of their diet is whole prey. That means skin and fur for fiber; tendons, muscles, and ligaments for additional fiber; whole protein in terms of muscle for energy source.

The contents of the GI tract of prey provides predigested vegetable sources, as well as an abundant source of gastric juices, plus vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

But also remember the head is consumed… They eat the pineal gland, pituitary, liver, spleen, heart, and kidneys. All of those glands provide a whole food source that makes a perfect nutritional package for that particular species. Canis lupus, the wolf, is 99.9 percent genetically identical to the domestic dog. There really is no genetic differentiation between a wild wolf and a domestic dog… That gives us some idea how we should be nourishing our pets. ~Dr. Becker

Unfortunately, we will not find these vital ingredients in today’s dog food. Even though you may read “meat as the first ingredient,” this doesn’t mean that the food is balanced properly with calcium (bone) and organs in order for our dogs to develop like they were designed. Almost all dog food sold in stores is made with meat waste products and lots of man-made chemicals that we can’t even pronounce.

The only pet store approved dog food by our vet was the Wellness brand, and said that as a puppy, she would need puppy food along with a raw diet if we so choose. Other than that, there’s a quality pet food store here in our town called Waggin Tails. They have healthier pet food and products that you most likely won’t find anywhere else.

Dr. Sagrera taught us how to feed Roux raw meat. First off, you cannot give a dog raw meat without the bone. The bone is where the calcium is, and without that particular balance of nutrients, a dog’s bone structure will never develop properly. It was the craziest thing I ever did see at our first vet visit when one of the assistants gave Roux a raw chicken neck. She chewed it up and swallowed it like she hadn’t eaten in two days. Never before have I EVER saw a veterinarian feed my dog raw anything. This was great. I knew we were in the right place.

Dr. Sagrera informed us that if we feed our dog raw meat, it MUST be meaty bone – meaning, the meat must contain bones. No worries, your dog will be able to chew it. Their teeth were designed to pierce right through flesh and bone in the wild. But there is a rule of thumb – don’t give your dog a bone bigger than the size of their head. Although, Dr. Sagrera did tell us that we could give Roux a large beef rib to chew at night to keep her busy and to keep her from eating her poop in the middle of the night when she was a small puppy.

There has been a myth going around for ages – “Never feed a dog a real bone!” I’m sure you’ve heard that before as well.

That statement is true and false. We should never give our dog a cooked bone, as it can produce bone splinters and rupture her intestines and other organs. We should feed our dogs raw meaty bone to give them the most nutritious diet that they were designed to eat.

It was very strange to me at first, to learn all these “new” things about feeding dogs raw meat. Although it’s new to me, it really is nothing new. Dogs have been eating raw meaty bone since the day they were created by God. I had questions like, “Can’t they get salmonella from chicken? Will it make them sick?” Roux has yet to be sick from the dozens of raw chicken and turkey necks, pounds of chicken fat and skin, and raw beef steak and ground meat that she’s been fed. Actually, the only time she got sick was when she ingested a tiny piece of a Fels Naptha laundry soap bar.

Dr. Sagrera also informed us of a natural way to add calcium to Roux’s diet if it does not contain bone, since her meat diet MUST contain calcium. Detailed instructions for that process are listed below with images. Save your eggshells!

Life with Roux #002: Natural Dog Care 101

Before you start feeding your dog every raw meat in sight, there are some guidelines to follow and precautions that we’ve always taken. Whether this is too cautious, I’m not really sure (I’d rather be safe than sorry), but this is what we do and don’t do:

  • The only raw meat we feed is chicken, beef, and wild game. As instructed by our vet, wild game MUST be frozen for 6 months before feeding it to our dog. This is because wild game here in a warm climate may contain parasites. USDA approved meat bought from the grocery store is safe for your pet and does not need to be frozen first.
  • All other meat such as pork and fish, we feed cooked, with added calcium (eggshells).
  • If the raw meat does not contain bone, we add calcium (eggshells).
  • No meat in our house goes to waste. All raw fat and skin that may be cut off from chicken or beef that I would normally throw away – instead, it is fed to Roux.
  • We also feed cooked bone, as long as it’s cooked down so much (such as in bone broth) that it can be pierced with a fork, and blended in a blender down to nothing (instructions below).
  • IMPORTANT: When feeding raw bone, you must wait at least 8 hours between the next feeding of dry dog food. This is because they use a specific enzyme to breakdown bone and a different enzyme to breakdown dry dog food. Our vet told us that we could go completely raw once Roux is 7 months old. We still supplement with dry dog food, and she gets a raw meal a few times per week.
  • I also mix up raw, fresh chicken eggs into her food sometimes.
  • Carbs are kept to a minimum. Dogs do not need carbs in order to survive. Too many carbs will make them overweight and may contribute to future health problems. Again, check their dog food ingredients.
  • I add nutritious raw veggies like spinach to her food sometimes. Carrots seem to give her diarrhea, so we don’t give carrots anymore.
  • For treats, we give her tiny pieces of bananas, blueberries, and dehydrated sweet potatoes.

Just like I preach about human food, the same goes for dog food. By reading the labels, you will find that most dog treats on the market contain dyes and chemicals, which are KNOWN toxins and have caused tumors in clinical trials.

Another thing I’ve learned about is diarrhea. If your dog has diarrhea, more than likely he or she is not getting enough bone in their diet.

If your dog does not already eat a raw diet and you would like to start, please read this article before switching. There is some important information you must know before starting a raw diet. Your current veterinarian may not know too much about feeding a raw diet in the same way that most human general practitioners do not teach much about the truth of proper nutrition to prevent disease in humans – they are heavily educated in treating disease with pharmaceuticals. You are more than welcome to bring it up at your next vet visit, but be forewarned that they may not be all too thrilled to assist you in this new adventure. And then again, they just might be.

If you would like to start caring for your dog naturally, I highly suggest finding a holistic vet in your area. If you are in our area, I highly recommend Dr. Segrera in Metairie, LA. It’s an hour drive to her office from our house, but it’s not like we go to the vet often. It’s worth the drive for us.

As for flea prevention, according to our vet, there is only one product on the market that is safe for human children to be around – Vectra. All other flea medication is in question for possibly causing leukemia in children. You can do what you want, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. We found it locally at Animal Kingdom Veterinary clinic in Houma, but I’m sure other vets sell it as well. For heartworm prevention, she recommended Interceptor every 3-6 months, not monthly.

To supplement calcium in Roux’s food, we use a method that our vet taught us. Otherwise, you can buy calcium powder. The method we use is much more cost efficient.

As we use eggshells, I rinse them off to get all the “slime” off.

Life with Roux #002: Natural Dog Care 101

Life with Roux #002: Natural Dog Care 101

Once I have enough saved, I place them on a cookie sheet and bake at the oven’s lowest setting for about 20 minutes until completely dried out. Once completely dried out in the oven, put into a food processor and blend until finely broken.

Life with Roux #002: Natural Dog Care 101

Life with Roux #002: Natural Dog Care 101

Store in a container. For every cup of raw meat, add 1 tsp of eggshells, as shown below.

Life with Roux #002: Natural Dog Care 101

Life with Roux #002: Natural Dog Care 101

Life with Roux #002: Natural Dog Care 101

As you see above, this is all the fat pieces (also with meat pieces) that I cut off of the chicken breast we had for dinner. Check out this delicious chicken recipe here.

Like I said before, sometimes I mix it up with spinach as well. If I don’t have enough for one meal, I also add dry food. You CAN feed dry food with raw meat and eggshells, but you cannot feed dry food with raw meaty bone. Again, dry food must be given 8 hours before or after you feed raw meaty bone.

FEEDING COOKED BONE: Advice from our holistic vet

After making bone broth, I take all the cooked bones and skin/fat that have cooked down to nothing and put it into a blender. It’s so soft, the blender has no problem. Scoop into ice cube trays and freeze, then pop out and store in freezer bags. Two whole chicken carcasses used for bone broth filled up 2 1/2 ice cube trays. Add it as part of a daily meal, or for treats (defrosted).

Life with Roux #002: Natural Dog Care 101

Some other natural things we use for Roux:

  • One drop of peppermint oil in her water when she has an upset stomach.
  • Real elk antlers for chewing and dental hygene. Follow instructions for precautions on the packaging.
  • Virgin Coconut oil for teeth brushing.
  • Spray a mixture of lavender essential oil and water on her bedding for a natural anti-microbial and freshener.
  • Witch Hazel for ear cleaning. Soak a cotton ball with witch hazel and clean out ear canal until all debris is removed.

If you have any tips to share as well, feel free to comment below!

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Category: Blog, Life with RouxTag: holistic dog food, natural dog care, natural dog food, real dog food

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Creative Cajun Mama | Jenn

Thanks for stopping by! I’m Jenn! I’m a wife and mom of 3 who wants you to know that a simpler, less-chaotic life can exist in this modern world. I like to talk about things like life’s victories & struggles, faith, family, food, and getting better with our money habits.

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I love connecting with you!
I use my
I N S T A – S T O R I E S
pretty often, so if you want to get to know me better and see what
Creating More Life with Less
looks like #INREALLIFE,
that’s where you’ll find me!

Instagram post 2171183460520181834_452106066 Advice for your youngin’ (and us adults too!).⠀
I’m a mama who’s concerned about our son in middle school and making sure he has the tools he needs to succeed in this world.⠀
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I’m currently reading “Planet Middle School,” by Dr. Kevin Leman, and I just wanted to share this excerpt with you. Give it to your child to read for himself, or save it for later. Sometimes when you’re a teenager, advice from other adults sink in a little deeper than words from your own parents. ⠀
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#PlanetMiddleSchool #teenagers
Instagram post 2170516047115619452_452106066 Did you know?⠀
We don’t have a very big refrigerator, so we save space by using fresh eggs because unwashed, fresh eggs can remain at room temp for at least a week. Simply wash off as you’re ready to use.⠀
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They’re also a part of the #functionalDecor in our kitchen.⠀
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Thanks to @dedie72 we get fresh eggs whenever we can, and they come unwashed.⠀
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Who else in here keeps your #freshEggs out at room temp for a little while?
Instagram post 2168256219117132197_452106066 Which hand soap do you prefer?⠀
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FOAMING -or- LIQUID⠀
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I love the foaming ones! What about you?
Instagram post 2167521352234413548_452106066 I had an IDEA💡⠀
Create 3 reachable Goals for the month, specifically this way:⠀
1. Daily Goal⠀
2. Weekly Goal⠀
3. Monthly Goal⠀
⠀
The way to reach BIG things is by tackling the SMALL things EVERY DAY.⠀
⠀
1️⃣ #DailyGoal :: Track expenses every single day. I know that sounds over-the-top, but let me elaborate - If I wait to do it once per week and that gets pushed back a few days or another week (because life), it takes LONGER to catch up, which in turn makes me not want to to it at all. If I spend a few minutes per day doing it, I won't get behind (because yes, even I get behind). I'm super excited to now have Every Dollar Plus, which will definitely save me time also. Want to learn how to budget & track successfully? I have a course for that! I also have lots of free info on my website. Link in profile (@creativecajunmama)⠀
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2️⃣ #WeeklyGoal :: Meal planning is something I've always done, but when LIFE & WORK gets super busy, I slack in this area & by 3 pm I still don't know what's for dinner. It's been happening too often lately. Sometimes the last thing I want to think about is preparing dinner, even though I love to cook, it gets old at times & I'd rather be doing something else productive. We try our hardest to only eat out once/month, so this is requires planning. Dining out is one of Americans' top budget busters. We have major financial goals up ahead, and this is an area that we CAN control if we put in the effort.⠀
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3️⃣ #MonthlyGoal :: Do something extra for myself. Yeah this is one of my biggest struggles. While this should be really easy, I struggle with treating myself. It just doesn't bother me to go without or put myself last. Reality is that we should be caring for ourselves FIRST so that we have the capacity and the energy to care for others. Plus, I never liked spending extra money on myself when I feel like it could be used for something so much more meaningful or on someone else. Did you hear that nonsense? How would it feel if you spoke to another person like that? We need to stop the negative internal language to ourselves. Treat yo-self. Not because you "deserve" it, but because it deserves YOU.⠀
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Like this idea? Let me see YOURS! 👇
Instagram post 2166857221332527376_452106066 Y’all see that stick of butter sitting on top of that wrapped-up dough? Let me tell you a little story about not giving up...⠀
This can apply to anything, but I just want to encourage you in the kitchen today. Just because you mess something up, burn something, or ruin dinner, it doesn’t mean you “can’t.”⠀⠀
⠀⠀
As the old saying goes, “You can do anything you put your mind to.”⠀
Yes, I do believe that, but it should end with “...if you don’t give up.”⠀
*You can do anything you put your mind to... if you don't give up.*⠀
⠀
We were blessed with some homegrown sweet potatoes, and a friend gave me the idea to make some sweet potato hand pies. This is something I never made before, but I knew my grandma had a good recipe for that. The potatoes needed to get used soon, so I had to make time somehow to get them cooked.⠀
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But we had an out-of-town wedding to attend over the weekend, so I had to figure out what I was going to do to not waste these potatoes. Solution -- bake the potatoes, skin them, and then make the dough. On Monday, I'd have it all ready to make the pies. So that's what I did.⠀
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I felt good about myself Friday night after I made the dough, wrapped it and put it in the fridge. Then, I remembered...⠀
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I forgot one stick of butter because originally I was halving the recipe🤦🏼‍♀️. Now how I'm supposed to add a stick of butter to already made dough? Oh geez. Just laugh at myself.😂 ⠀
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Figured it out on Monday, added more flour, etc. But still... It took MORE extra time - the time I was supposed to be SAVING making things ahead. I saved the potatoes, the recipe, they came out amazing, and the kids devoured them (and I put some in the freezer). Total of 40 pies plus some.⠀
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Point is --> I still mess stuff up all the time, even though I seem to have it all together in the kitchen. So to those of you who feel like you just "can't" #cook or #bake or whatever -- you really CAN. Just don't give up.⠀
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I can do the things I do because I'm not a giver-upper, and that's the truth. I don't have special powers. This blog exists to make you feel like you can do it, so pick yourself up and try again :)⠀
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#CreativeCajunMama #foodblogger #CajunRecipes
Instagram post 2164692162780618241_452106066 "Mom! That looks like cinnamon!" ⠀⠀
But it's not! It's a DRY roux (oilless roux), and it was a success! I loved it! Thanks to the tips from a friend's Facebook post, I gave it a try.⠀
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This is a 7-quart black iron pot. I was trying to brown enough flour so that I'd have some for later use (about 3 cups total). I used this particular roux to make a stew, or "fricassee," and I have about 1 cup left to use later for a gumbo 🙌🏼.⠀
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The great things about this:⠀
1) No extra oil or butter to make my stomach upset⠀
2) Easy storage in the pantry for later use! Win!⠀
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You simply put the flour in the pot, and cook on medium to med-low heat until browned to desired color (color of cinnamon works perfectly!). Stir continuously just like a standard roux. It took me about the same amount of time as a roux with oil.⠀
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*NOTE:The usage of the dry roux is a little different from a standard roux. Typically, with a standard roux, you would add your onions to brown with the roux once the roux was done. With the dry roux, you must cook your veggie seasonings and meat first, add the liquid, THEN add the roux as needed until you get the desired flavor and consistency. ⠀
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It's pretty simple, but just like trying anything else different, you must test it out for yourself to get it how you like it best. For a great Cajun gumbo recipe using healthier ingredients, check out my Gumbo recipe on the blog👇🏼⠀
Link in profile (@creativecajunmama)⠀
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#Roux #OillessRoux #CajunFood #Fricassee #Stew #Gumbo #allweatherisgumboweather
Instagram post 2161111894542110302_452106066 On one hand, we think we don't serve money, yet on the other hand, we tend to depend on this world's system of financial success.⠀
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What if we depended on the Biblical system of handling money and being good stewards as we’re taught in scripture? Would we need to borrow money anymore?⠀
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The world's system says you need a good credit score to be successful with money. It doesn't matter how much money you actually have, just that your credit score is good. A credit score is NO indication of your wealth. It only enables us to “look” good, even if we can’t afford it. And how do you get a credit score? Take on debt. ⠀
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Debt sends your income out the door every month with someone else’s name on it. But what if there was another way, a way that you really could live without it?⠀
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Budgeting money successfully sorts out every single dollar of our income, and forces us to be good stewards. We literally tell our money where it’s going to be spent before we get paid. Bills are taken care of, Groceries are planned out, and unexpected expenses ARE expected. ⠀
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Wait what? Yes! ⠀
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Doesn’t that sound much better than flying by the seat of your pants every week?⠀
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THIS is exactly how we don’t let money control us ⠀
—> W E  control  I T <—⠀
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THIS is exactly how we don’t serve it:⠀
—> I T serves U S <—⠀
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👉🏼 with a B U D G E T!
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When we make money behave and serve us, we can fully focus on serving God and have the capacity to do what we’ve been called to do. Because let’s face it, it’s hard to make choices sometimes when our money is out of control.
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What budget questions can I answer for you today?
Instagram post 2157387370037749577_452106066 Happy Friday! It's been a while since I've shared a little about myself, so I figured now was the time!⁠ (I hate talking about myself btw... but it’s for my blog 🙃)⠀
⁠⠀⠀
My name is Jennifer Bourgeois (BOO-jshwah), and I'm the face behind Creative Cajun Mama. I'm a wife, mom, and graphic artist. My husband and I paid off a lot of debt in a few years, also while growing our family and developing a healthier lifestyle.⁠⠀
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I feel like I'm FINALLY in my element because I've combined my creativity and my love for teaching others with my passion for better money habits & health, while keeping the Bible as the center. I now work full time to help people just like you stick to a budget, pay off debt, get healthier, and save money doing it.⠀
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If you've been following my blog for a while - THANK YOU. You're why I do this. If you just started following, I hope you learn, grow, laugh, and teach me some things, too. I'm always trying to make this blog better, and I love answering questions 💛⠀
⁠⠀⠀
And just for fun, here are 3 things you might not know about me:⁠⠀⠀
1. I LOVE LOVE Sweets. Sometimes I eat dessert before the meal 😆. You can fully enjoy it with an empty stomach, right?⠀
2. I enjoy living a simple life, and I could definitely live without a TV. If it was up to me alone, we wouldn't even have one.⠀
3. I edit the wording on my posts an average of 15 times before I share (ugh).⠀
⁠⠀⠀
I'd LOVE to hear one thing about you! Let me know something about yourself in the comments 👇
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