A beautiful text about feeding taken from a long-time breeder, Helena Chocholoušová, borzoi.izironk.cz: When you buy a borzoi, you must first of all realize that it is a large breed demanding quality food, especially (but not only) during growth. The first year is crucial in this regard, however, the borzoi matures and develops up to three years. If at that time something is missing or remains in his diet, it will probably have an irreversible effect on his appearance and health. The Borzoi is generally a very healthy breed with an absolute minimum of hereditary diseases. However, during the growth period, poor-quality or insufficient food can cause damage to the skeleton, especially the musculoskeletal system, which cannot be “caught up” later and which, at best, will complicate the dog’s life and forever close your chance for success on the show field, at worst, they will cost you thousands at the vet and the dog’s pain and suffering. Whether you decide to feed pellets or meat, the main thing is that the diet is high-quality and balanced. If you decide on granules, it is definitely worth investing in quality. For good granules, the price is at least around 1,500 – 2,000 CZK for a 15-kilo bag. Of course, you need to buy the type “Large breed (large breed)”, or “Large breed – puppy (for puppies and young dogs)”. If I had to choose, I will choose such feedings that respect the latest trends in this field and preserve feeding in a natural way using a minimum of chemical ingredients (in the sense of unnatural, synthesized). It is a question whether the increasingly widespread food allergies, tumors, etc. are caused precisely by the long-term exposure of dogs to this “cosmic diet”. Once it was very fashionable to switch to “the only balanced diet – pellets”, today it is the opposite and many people are returning to nature and meat feeding. It turns out that, just like in the past, a large breed is able to grow healthily even on a cooked or even raw diet. In this regard, the direction called BARF (bone and raw food… but you can also find another interpretation of this abbreviation) is interesting. It is a feeding based on what a dog would like as a beast in nature. The daily ration consists of a proportion of raw meat, bones, offal and vegetables and is continuously supplemented with various supplements that supply the necessary vitamins and minerals – eggs, herbs, oils, etc. The dog’s stomach is adapted to being fed raw food and the pH in the stomach of a dog fed raw food is 0.7-0.9, which is comparable to acid (pH in a human stomach is 4-5), which reliably destroys salmonella, harmful bacteria, fungi and parasites… You can find more about this feeding method HERE. feeding with meat is cheaper than pellets (or at most the same), when I calculate that an adult dog eats about a 15-kilo bag of pellets per month. Regarding BARF, I would like to add a little to the bones – there is an accepted and to some extent true opinion that feeding a dog’s bones is dangerous for its digestive tract. However, this danger only applies to cooked bones, which are hardened by the heat and when bitten form sharp splinters capable of piercing the intestines. The raw bone softens and deteriorates due to the action of very strong stomach acids of the dog. In addition, the intestines of a meat-fed dog handle the passage of bone better than the lazy intestines of a dog on kibble. Another danger is “clogging” the dog with too many bones. It is of course ideal to feed bones covered with meat – chicken skeleton, thigh, wing, and in proportion to the size of the dog (even a small dog will welcome this natural component in its diet! It just does not eat a kilo of skeletons in one sitting. It is also important whether the dog is a “granulator” and gets the bone in addition, or whether his digestive tract is “started” for this type of diet. Bones are above all a huge source of natural calcium, and the dog (not only) of a large breed needs a large amount to grow. I have had the experience that when around the fourth month of age they start to grow to start the puppy’s hind legs (he gets X-rays), there is nothing better than enough chicken skeletons (or necks) and quality joint nutrition (I used GAG and later Chassoton). , later I divide it into smaller parts with chopped bones inside and only when they get used to it (and their teeth grow), I give the whole skeleton. After all, it’s great fun for them and it cleans their teeth beautifully. I fed the BARF method from about 3-4 months, both of our younger borzoi and I have confirmed that this is the right path for us. The dogs are healthy, they have strong, healthy skeletons and lots of energy, beautiful straight legs, good quality fur and their digestion runs like clockwork. The waste produced by a dog fed raw meat is solid, small in quantity and not very smelly.
