Nutrition is a key factor in promoting good health, performance and longevity. It is also an important part of disease management. Eating the correct nutrients helps your dog's body rebuild and repair vital organs, muscle, bone and their immune system. Give your Fila a good start by providing them with a healthy diet.

The evolution of Philo's diet
We started Philo on Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice. We fed him the puppy formula, and then switched to the adult. Some people recommend switching to an adult formula early with such a large dog, to slow down the rate of growth. We mixed the dry food with some Chicken Soup. We also gave him an egg yolk every other day with his food when he was a puppy. We then switched Philo to Solid Gold Hundenflocken, and continued to give Philo the soup. The reason we switched to Solid Gold was that we had become concerned with the ingredients in most dog foods and were looking for a more natural diet. It became very difficult to get the Solid Gold food, though, so I had to switch again. I started Philo on Innova dog food, and I still supplemented it with some cooked foods and some raw fruits and vegetables. But I wasn't done yet!

The BARF diet
My quest for the "ultimate diet" has finally ended with the BARF diet. (I know it sounds gross!) BARF stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (or Bones And Raw Food). This diet is based on a dog's true natural diet (think wolves). The diet is comprised mainly (60%+) of raw, meaty bones (RMB). The rest of the diet consists of meat, organ meat, vegetables (pulverized to be able to be digested), fruits and various other goodies. The basis of Philo's diet is chicken and turkey necks, backs and wings. I try to use a variety of different vegetables and fruits. If I miss something one week, I will put it in the next. Here is a sample week's diet for a dog Philo's size:

Sunday
Morning meal: RMB - 1.5 lbs. raw chicken necks/backs
Evening meal: RMB - one large raw turkey wing (about 1.5 lbs)

Monday
Morning meal: RMB - 1.5 lbs. raw chicken necks/backs
Evening meal: Veggie meal - about 1 1/2 cups veggie mix (mustard greens, sweet potato, zucchini, parsley, mint, garlic put through a food processor) with a few pieces of beef, 1 egg and vitamins/supplements added

Tuesday
Morning meal: RMB - 2 lbs. raw pork neck bones
Evening meal: RMB - one large raw turkey wing (about 1.5 lbs)

Wednesday
Morning meal: RMB - 1.5 lbs. raw chicken necks/backs
Evening meal: Veggie meal - about 1 1/2 cups veggie mix (mustard greens, carrot, zucchini, parsley, mint, garlic put through a food processor) with some ground beef, yogurt and vitamins/supplements

Thursday
Morning meal: RMB - 1.5 lbs. raw turkey necks
Evening meal: RMB - 1.5 lbs. raw chicken necks/backs

Friday
Morning meal: RMB - 1.5 lbs. raw chicken necks/backs
Evening meal: Veggie meal - about 1 1/2 cups veggie mix (greens, apple, zucchini, parsley, garlic put through a food processor) with beef, cottage cheese and vitamins/supplements

Saturday
Fast day
I will sometimes give him a recreational bone to chew (beef knuckle bone) and always make sure he has plenty of clean water.

Everything is fed raw to provide the maximum amount of nutrients. This information is only shown as an example of what I did with Philo (and later with our Akita Baku). If you are interested in learning more about the BARF diet, or want to try it for yourself, you should read one of the following books: Give Your Dog a Bone and Barf Diet: For Cats and Dogs by Dr. Ian Billinghurst or Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schultze. These and others can be ordered through Philo's Book Store.

Frequency of Feeding
Puppies should be fed three or four smaller meals a day and should have fresh water available at all times. As your dog gets older, you can eventually reduce this to one or two meals a day. Dividing the total amount of food into smaller meals helps prevent bloat. Bloat is not as much of a worry on the BARF diet, but I continue to feed Philo twice a day.

Snacks
Snacks can also be a nutritious part of your dog's diet. Fruit, such as apples or bananas can make great treats for your Fila. Philo likes bananas. I recently found out that he LOVES papaya and mango. Chewing on a raw carrot can help clean your dog's teeth as well. Some people even make home made jerky treats for their dogs. Treats and snacks don't have to be bad for your dog.

Vitamins/Supplements
Your dog's diet can also be supplemented with vitamins. Vitamin C is widely thought to help prevent hip dysplasia. We gave Philo 500mg of Vitamin C every day until he was 4 months old and 1000mg of C a day after 4 months of age. For more information on the importance of Vitamin C, read this article. Philo also took K-Zyme, which is a complete Vitamin-Mineral supplement. When we switched to the Solid Gold food, we also switched from the K-Zyme to SeaMeal Powder, a supplement made to go with the Solid Gold food.

On the BARF diet, I continue to give Ester C. I also give Vitamin E, Flax seeds (ground up or give Flax Seed Oil), Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic, Alfalfa and Kelp.

See below for information on where you can order vitamins for your dog. Please check with your veterinarian to see which, if any, supplements could help your dog.

Ordering information:

Nutrition Headquarters
One Nutrition Plaza
Carbondale, IL 62901
Fax: (618) 529-4553
Products available: Vitamin C, complete line of vitamins and health products (mainly for people)

Solid Gold
Distributors located all over the U.S. and the World
Phone: 1-800-DOG-HUND
Products available: Dog food, cat food, supplements, many other products. You can request a free catalog from their web site.

UPCO
3705 Pear Street
P.O. Box 969
St. Joseph, MO 64502
Phone: 1-800-254-UPCO
Fax: (816) 233-9696
Products available: K-Zyme, many other vitamin and mineral supplements and general dog and pet supplies

©1998-2005 Yvette Ogresovich