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'Satin Balls': for dogs needing to gain weight/or raw diet

Karlin

Administrator
Staff member
I know, I know; there aren't many cavaliers that need to put ON weight but this is sometimes the case if a dog has been poorly or for other reasons. This is a well known recipe that I've often seen discussed and shared (there are variations on it of course) but I thought I'd add a link to keep it as a resource as every now and then, someone goes searching for it:

http://www.njboxers.com/satin-balls-recipe.htm

I would NOT ever let a cavalier eat all it wants of this if fed as a regular diet (see note at end of quoted portion below)!! They will gorge and gorge and turn into butterballs. Also note the comments at the end are not necessarily form people with small dogs! I doubt anyone would feed a quarter pound of this as a supplement to the regular diet of a cavalier, in one meal! :yikes

Note that you can feed this all the time as a raw diet (with restraint on portions) or could mix with kibble on a regular basis.

The following recipe was sent to Wellpet by Diana Carreon, R.N.,C. It quickly became one of the most requested posts on Wellpet.

Ingredients

10 pounds hamburger meat [the cheapest kind]
1 lg. box of Total cereal
1 lg. box oatmeal
1 jar of wheat germ
1 1/4 cup veg oil
1 1/4 cup of unsulfured molasses
10 raw eggs AND shells
10 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together, much like you would a meatloaf.

Divide into 10 quart freezer bags and freeze.

Thaw as needed and feed raw!

Uses

"I take a frozen pack to dogs' shows with me, kept on ice, and never have had any trouble with it spoiling, even in the heat of Texas summers..."

"All my dogs go crazy over this stuff...but you have to be careful, it will put weight on the dogs pretty fast if you feed enough....I feed a pack a day...half in am , half in pm."

"When I want to increase the weight on a dog, I feed more; so far I haven't got to the point where they won't eat anymore, and believe me, Satin has eaten a lot at one setting. It will put on the weight, make the coats soft and blue black (on black dogs at least, that's all I have)."

"The dogs stop all the itching and chewing at their coats/skin, their eyes get this bright look and the energy level goes out the roof (not that Belgians need any more energy)."

"The bitch that I got this recipe for is a picky eater, but when she in on the food (I long ago stopped trying to "bury" it the other food; they just hunt it down to eat first, and making a mess trying) she eats much better. It seems to whet her appetite."

Comments

Per the information received after having the Satin Balls recipe checked by several vets/labs:

Satin Balls is a total canine diet. It can be feed by itself or as a supplement, for however long you wish. My dogs have been on Satin Balls for over a year; the only time that I have fed it alone is when I had a sick dog needing to be built up or an underweight dog that I plan on showing.

The only problem with feeding it by itself is figuring out the amount. It will put weight on a dog in a few days...that's why it is so great to feed just before a show. If you have a dog that is in good weight, but you just want to build coat/endurance, you would have to figure out how much to feed (cal per kg), or you would end up with a fat dog in a very short time. At one point, I let Satin eat as much as she wanted, just to see how much she would consume. I never got to that point! After a pound pack, she was still looking for more, so I stopped. I have been told a dog will stop eating when full on it, and that you can then gauge the amount needed to maintain weight!

I just find that per the pocketbook and ease, my dogs do very well on it as a supplement. I give about a 1/4 pound each night to maintain beautiful coats, energy level, and a full appetite...no picky eaters here.

Just don't try to hide it in the kibble...they will make a mess throwing out the kibble, digging for the Satin Balls! My dogs have never gotten sick on Satin balls...not even when I am at a show and feed only that. I feed less kibble, so I save money there. There is also less stool to pick up as the dogs are able to digest all of the Satin Balls.

I have been playing with the recipe. I now use the Knox Joint Gelatin instead of the plain Knox unflavored gelatin. Since this is high in Vitamin C and protein, and is good for the joints, it would be good for the dogs. They don't seem to mind the added flavor.

I am also adding Flaxseed oil. They probably don't need the added oil, but so far I have not seen it hurt anything.

Fix some up and let your dogs enjoy. They will love you forever and forever!
 
Special K or cheerios or similar could be substituted for Total for those living in Ireland or the UK. I've never seen Total over here. You basically want a fortified breakfast cereal.

Hamburger is mince.

Molasses is available at health food stores and even supermarkets like Tesco.
 
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