For completeness of Lightning’s journal, I thought I’d mention that Lightning is on a raw diet.

In terms of quantity, that means that Lightning is getting about the same items in the same amounts as Laddie, which seems amazing to me since Laddie is is an active, full-grown Golden. Of course, at one time Laddie ate several times as much as he does now when he was still growing, and I guess Lightning will do the same in the future. But for now, they both get about a pound of raw meat and about a half-bound of raw chicken per day.

The raw meat is any single protein, such as duck, rabbit, beef, perk, or turkey, ground with bones, organ meat, eggs, and a small amount of veggies. For Laddie, the chicken is drumsticks, while for Lightning at this stage, it’s wings.

For Laddie, everything is frozen solid straight from the freezer. For Lightning, it’s thawed in the refrigerator ovenight, then cut up into bite-sized pieces.

Eating raw seemed to be quite a change for Lightning when he first arrived, but he devours his four meals per day hungrily now.

I’m not currently doing a lot of clicker training so I’m not using much in the way of treats. When I do, I’ve had best luck with deli meat such as sliced turkey.

Lumi and Laddie lived without grain their entire lives. I suspect that will be the case with Lightning as well. Dog store cashiers offer them treats and I say it’s OK, but they usually spit them out. Maybe they should offer a piece of Braunschweiger instead of a dog biscuit. :0)