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NATURAL DIETS: WHAT TO FEED | I have been asked by many concerned bull terrier owners what I feed Daisy and Seven and what I fed Cyd when her bad health started to improve. So here's my dog diet. This is not set in stone. It may not be right for your dog. Please use this information as a guide only and keep researching the subject. Thank you. Hannah

If your dog is eating manufactured foods then you need to mix the natural foods gradually and introduce them over a number of weeks so they don’t upset the dog’s stomach. Try bland things first like some cooked brown rice and grated carrots etc. Mix in a little more each day and withdraw the manufactured food until they are eating a wholly natural diet.

What follows is the food I feed my girls but you might not want to follow this exactly for another dog. Please remember my two are small females. Daisy is about 18 kg and Seven is about 23 kg fully grown. Their dinner bowls are just over a 2 litre capacity. I use pyrex cake mixing bowls - don't use a plastic food bowl as it can leach toxins into the food. The bowls are well-filled with food each night plus they get a small snack for breakfast. I used to give them a proper breakfast but they got a bit porky and I like a lean, fit dog. When they are elderly I will feed them two smaller meals morning and evening.

breakfast: for breakfast mine share a large banana (or other fruit if I run out) and get two Bonio (dog biscuits) each. That's it until dinner time. I don't feed them any snacks during the day. Not because I'm mean but because this seems to stop them scrounging in anticipation of a treat every time the humans are eating.

dinner: the bowl is about two-thirds / three-quarters filled with veggies just cooked for a minute. Raw is supposed to be ideal but mine don't really like them raw. I only steam them briefly just to soften them very slightly; they are not properly cooked as this would remove a lot of nutrients. You can literally give them anything...I try and give a mix of root and green veggies...potatoes, turnip, carrot, swede, sweet potatoes and cabbage (green and they love red), cauliflower, leeks, courgettes...aubergines...anything... 

It's great because you can give them stuff you would otherwise throw away...leaves off cauliflowers, peelings from human's potatoes, green bits off the leeks, cooking apple skins, frozen veg, tinned tomtatoes etc etc. Anything that's looking a bit limp for people to eat just give to the dog. I usually use between three and five different veggies each night just to give a variety. 

Depending on what protein I'm feeding I might make up a little (human) instant gravy and mix it through the veg. Don't use stock as it's too salty. With every evening meal they get WOW powder from Herbaticus - very important for vitamins and minerals - plus any other herbal supplements they may be taking. Daisy also gets a handful of bran because without it she gets a stinky bum.

protein: I don't feed my dogs a lot of protein. There is some debate that too much protein makes them aggressive, fat and makes the kidneys work harder. You will learn what protein / veg ratio works best for your dog through trial and error...s/he won't fade away while you experiment a bit. There's no doubt that factory farmed meats and fish contain a lot of chemicals and hormones not to mention possible antibiotics etc which is why I don't feed this kind of thing. That's my choice. You might feel differently. 

If you can get organic free-range meats that's great. These will have been naturally fed and raised and should be free from artificial additives. They are expensive. But you don't have to give them every day. So let's look at possible proteins to add to the veggies. You don't have to follow this precisely or stick to my choices but it will give you a feel for the kinds of thing you can feed your dog. 

1. Organic free range chicken thighs or drumsticks. Get the best, freshest quality you can find and feed them that day. Just chuck 'em on raw and let the dog crunch up the bones, skin, fat and all. To be honest I was petrified the first time I tried this, thought the dog would choke in front of my very eyes, but I promise your dog will LOVE them. Just remember raw bones are not harmful to a dog but NEVER FEED COOKED BONES as these can splinter, the consequences of which can be fatal. My two get one chicken thigh or two drumsticks but you might want to give a big male dog double this at least. 

2. Tinned sardines - yummy - stinky - again your dog will love 'em. Buy them in tomato sauce or oil but not brine (too salty). The little 125g tins are dirt cheap in cheap-o supermarkets. I buy 50 at a time! I give my two one tin each per night; a big dog might like two. Swill the tin out with warm water for instant gravy to stir through the food. You can give tuna or wild salmon (surprisingly cheap but usually in brine so the odd time I give it I rinse it very well). Frozen white fish is also very cheap and I'd warm this through before giving. 

3. Very, very occasionally I will buy mine some best quality minced lamb or beef. This I cook gently before giving it to them. Chicken is the only meat I feed raw. I'm not sure why...some advocates of raw food say it's okay to feed all meats raw...after all a dog wouldn't cook it in the wild. I fry this type of meat gently in some olive oil before adding to the veggies. Swill the pan with some warm water and, again, instant gravy to stir through. 

4. Grated cheddar cheese. They love this. Not sure how to advise on quantity 'cos it grows when it's grated but just grate a load up and stir through the veggies. Dogs love it. I also sometimes buy a large carton of cottage cheese and share it between my two as an alternative. Some say you shouldn't feed dairy products to dogs but no-one has adequately explained why. 

5. When I've run out of other stuff I occasionally share a tin of baked beans or bean salad between my two. Excellent protein source. A large dog would eat a whole tin I am sure. 

6. Again, very occasionally, once every three or four weeks or so, I share a tin of good quality dog food (preferred brand Denes) between my two. I'm not kidding myself that it's particularly good for them but they love it and I do it because they are very healthy otherwise.

7. Eggs. A good source of protein. I tend not to feed mine eggs because they make Daisy sick and they made Cyd sick oddly enough. Seven is fine with them but because I feed them the same she doesn't really get them. You'd need to experiment with your dog...s/he might like three eggs scrambled in olive oil mixed with the veggies. 

In a seven day week I'd probably be giving tinned fish for four or five nights and two or three other things off that list. 

carbs: I nearly always just feed veggies and protein but you can add some cooked brown rice or wholewheat pasta if you like. The pasta takes 10 minutes to cook so I get that boiling in a big pan whilst chopping the veggies then thrown them in, or steam over the top, for the last few minutes. Even a slice of wholewheat or granary bread with dinner is fine. Don't give anything white though as it's rubbish.

aperitifs: lastly, but very importantly in this household, while I'm preparing the dinner veggies my two get a whole raw carrot aperitif (or two). I'm not sure how this habit started but they come and sit by the veg cupboard waiting for them now. They love them. Daisy runs off to her bed to eat her carrot but Seven just makes a mess on the kitchen floor. A very healthy snack and good for their teeth too.

...uh oh...poor carrot...she's going for the neck...decapitated in one bite...

"I, on the other hand (paw?), am a much neater eater."

Okay, that's about everything I can think of. There's probably nothing you can't feed a bull terrier. If you have human leftovers don't bin it...give it to the dog. Bull terriers are like walking compost heaps. Very environmentally friendly. Okay quite a lot comes out of the other end (more than if you feed dried food) but contrary to what people think they hardly fart on this diet...even when they get lots of cabbage! It just seems much healthier.

drinking water: always make sure your dog has plenty of fresh clean drinking water. I know lots of people who swear by apple cider vinegar and put it in their dog's drinking water. It's meant to have lots of health boosting properties but I couldn't get it past my two! From my observations bull terriers, as a breed, don’t seem to drink a lot of water which is another reason why you should never feed dried food. It will ruin their kidneys eventually.

cost v benefits: does a natural diet cost more than convenience foods? Well, yes, it probably does but the balance is healthy dog = no vets bills. It's no bother at home but do you do have to think about it if you take your dog away for a night or two. We always manage though even if ours end up eating chopped apple and carrot with a couple of chicken and salad sandwiches on brown bread for a night!

downsides: there are three potential downsides to this regime that I have experienced. (1) The quantity of pooh that exits the dog's rear end is quite large! I take this to be a healthy sign (mean, dried kibble usually result in mean, dried pooh) but be prepared to be a responsible dog owner in public places and scoop the poop perhaps with greater regularity than previously, (2) the diet is quite wet (again, a good sign, as the kidneys don't have to work so hard) but this can lead to plaque on the teeth so keep an eye on that and (3) the nutritious diet and herbal supplements can cause fast nail growth which means you should also keep an eye on your dog's claws and trim or file if necessary.

alternatives: many pet owners swear by the BARF diet, the most famous advocate being Dr Ian Billinghurst who coined the acronym. The "Bones And Raw Food" or "Biologically Appropriate Raw Food" diet is meant to replicate what undomesticated dogs would eat in the wild. I have never fed a dog on a pure BARF diet but it has many dedicated fans. Why not search for the subject on the 'net and see what you can find.

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