Woman puts dog on a RAW diet and makes him do intermittent fasting

A devoted dog owner has revealed that she has put her pooch on a raw food diet that includes chicken feet and fish eyes – and even makes him do intermittent fasting – because she insists it has given him a healthier, happier life.

Nathalia Silveira, 31, from Rio de Janeiro, is determined to give her nine-year-old Golden Retriever Theo nothing but the best, and has even consulted with a nutritionist to ensure his diet is up to scratch.

The student feeds the sweet pooch a totally raw diet consisting of meats like chicken feet, whole quails, full raw fish, chunks of liver and kidney and a mix of supplements, vegetables, fruits and herbs.

Fad? Nathalia Silveira, 31, from Brazil, also gives Theo a range of supplements with each of his meals, and makes him do intermittent fasting, a trend used by many people to lose weight

Benefits: The dog owner claims that the very particular diet has dramatically improved her pup’s health and wellbeing, helping him to lose weight, and feel ‘happier and calmer’

Devoted: ‘Theo is my companion and I love him unconditionally,’ Nathalia said

4/4 SLIDES

Nathalia picks up the goods from her local butcher and supermarket, spending between $40 and $60 a month – less than good kibble costs in many shops.

And the benefits extend far beyond budgetary gains; the pet owner insists that her dog’s health has seen extraordinary improvements since he started following a raw food diet – which also includes intermittent fasting, a trendy fad that many humans use to lose weight.

‘Theo is my companion and I love him unconditionally,’ she said.

‘I believe feeding dogs real food is one of the best things you can do for them.

‘I’ve noticed benefits like an increase in vitality in Theo, less hair loss and an improvement in his oral health.

‘He’s even lost weight and his hair looks brighter.

Positives: Theo has lost weight since being on the raw food diet, and Nathalia says his fur is also ‘brighter’ as a result of the strict regimen

Expert: Nathalia worked with a nutritionist to put Theo’s food plan together, and says it is specifically tailored to his breed, age, and weight

Famous! Nathalia began posting pictures of Theo and his food bowls on Instagram, where he quickly amassed a dedicated following of more than 53,000 fans

3/3 SLIDES

‘Theo is calmer and happier since eating this way – even his feces is smaller and smells less.’

The raw diet is prescribed by his nutritionist and factors in Theo’s weight, age and level of physical activity.

A recent meal that the pooch was served contained chicken thigh and back, a sardine with the head and eyeballs still attached, cow liver, a vegetable mix of carrot, red pepper, lettuce and cabbage, supplements, coconut oil, a herb blend of garlic, basil and parsley, as well as strawberries and blackberries.

Another interesting combination featured chicken feet, chest, liver and back, courgette, aubergine and chayote, supplements, berries, olive oil, mint and rosemary.

The lucky pup spends his days sunbathing, walking with Nathalia and swimming at the beach.

Tips and tricks: Nathalia uses Instagram to share advice with her fellow pet owners

Unique thinking: She rejects the idea that dogs should be fed multiple times a day, saying that this is just a way of trying to ‘humanize’ them

3/3 SLIDES

He has built up a huge following on Instagram with pictures of his day-to-day life, as well as close-ups of his food bowls, and now has more than 53,600 followers.

Nathalia is passionate about Theo’s raw food diet and posts tips to his followers – including that she limits how often she feeds him by intermittent fasting.

In one post, she wrote: ‘Feeding them several times a day if just another form of humanization, since we feel bad seeing them not eating all day, although the body knows how to deal with it.

‘I have noticed that during the day he doesn’t care if I don’t put food out, despite eating everything when I offer it.

‘At night if it takes a little while, sometimes he asks. I found out that they were in the habit of hunting at night and because they ate all the prey at once, it must be the reason he has this preference.

‘Just as many people still find raw food to be strange, we must keep in mind that we are different species with different needs.’