As many doctors and veterinarians will tell you, diet is the cornerstone of good health. What happens on the inside has everything to do with what you see on the outside!We take our dog's health and wellness very seriously, and for that reason we feed our dogs a species appropriate raw diet.

BARF is the diet "buzz-word", and the acronym has two meanings...the original acronym meaning "Bones and Raw Food", and the second being "Biologically Appropriate Raw Food". Either meaning can be used, and both are equally correct in describing the diet that we feed our pets and breeding animals, though we prefer the phrase "Species Appropriate Raw Diet" as we feel it is a better description of our diet regimen.

We have found through much trial and error with both our dogs, our friend's dogs and our clients dogs that boxers seem to better with a diet that is slightly different than they traditional "raw food diet". We have found that our boxers do best when they are fed a diet that consists of 1/3 raw meaty bones, 1/3 veggies and/or tripe, and 1/3 organ meat and red meat. You can read more about the diet that we feed at our diet website, www.rawboxers.com Please feel to contact us if you have any questions about the diet that we feed.

Feeding a raw diet is not for every family, and we strongly recommend that potential puppy owners research this way of feeding so that they have a better idea what is required. While we are more than willing to help first time raw feeders work out the "bugs" in their diet regimen, it's always better to have some background knowledge before you begin. You can find some information and a suggested reading list at www.rawboxers.com

I am also concerned about the potential harm that over-vaccination is doing to our pets. Many veterinarians and most veterinary schools in North America now agree that annual vaccinations are not necessary and may indeed be causing harm to our animals. I am currently researching alternatives to traditional vaccination schedules with the use of:

• nosodes (homeopathic)
• titres to determine immunity
• a slower vaccination schedule (fewer shots, farther apart, no combination shots)

I encourage all dog owners to research the pros and cons of vaccination and to use the plethora of information that is available to make your own decision about this procedure. I am willing to work with you to learn and understand about this very controversial subject.