Magic & Mojo

30/05/2026

29/05/2026

Let the internet wars begin ;)

Bonus points for dropping photos in comments

Clearly the Jack Russell 🐶🐶

29/05/2026

How rude 😅

29/05/2026

How aware are you 🤔

19/05/2026

19/05/2026

Variety is key 🔑

🐾 MUSCLE MEAT: MORE THAN JUST “MEAT” 🐾

When we talk about feeding dogs, “muscle meat” often gets lumped into one simple category.

But biologically, it’s anything but simple.

There are two important layers of diversity to think about:

What animal it comes from
What type of muscle it is

And both matter.

🧬 1. SOURCE MATTERS: NOT ALL PROTEIN IS CREATED EQUAL

Chicken is not beef. Beef is not kangaroo. Fish is not lamb.

Each species brings a different nutrient signature, influenced by:
• fat composition (saturated vs mono vs polyunsaturated)
• micronutrients (iron, zinc, selenium, B vitamins)
• amino acid balance
• metabolic characteristics of the animal

For example:
• Ruminants (beef, lamb) tend to be richer in iron and zinc
• Poultry often provides a leaner protein profile
• Small oily fish deliver omega-3 fatty acids (EPA & DHA) critical for neurological and inflammatory regulation
• Game meats like kangaroo are typically very lean with unique micronutrient profiles

No single protein source covers all bases.

👉 Variety isn’t a luxury - it’s a nutritional strategy.

🧠 2. TYPE OF MUSCLE: FUNCTION DEFINES NUTRITION

Muscle tissue isn’t uniform. It’s specialised based on what it does in the body, and that changes its nutritional profile.

There are three key types:

🔹 Skeletal Muscle (the “standard” meat)
This is what most people think of - meat attached to the skeleton.

Function: movement, posture, locomotion
Examples: steak, chicken breast, roo fillet

Nutritionally:
• rich in protein and essential amino acids
• contains varying fat levels depending on cut
• provides key minerals and B vitamins

This makes up the bulk of the diet.

🔹 Cardiac Muscle (heart)
Often overlooked, but nutritionally powerful.

Function: continuous contraction (the heart never rests)

Because of this, it’s metabolically unique:
• high in taurine (critical for cardiac health)
• rich in CoQ10 (mitochondrial energy production)
• dense in B vitamins and iron

👉 Including heart regularly supports energy metabolism and cardiovascular function - especially important in performance dogs and during pregnancy.

🔹 Smooth Muscle (the hidden one)
This is where many diets fall short.

Function: involuntary movement (digestion, blood vessel regulation, organ function)
Examples: gizzards, tripe components, digestive tract tissues

Nutritionally:
• different connective tissue structure
• unique amino acid and micronutrient profile
• contributes to whole-prey mimicry

👉 It adds another layer of biological diversity that skeletal muscle alone cannot provide.

⚖️ PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE

A well-constructed fresh diet doesn’t just hit “protein targets”; it builds biological variety.

A practical framework:
• Aim for ~55–80% muscle meat overall
• Let skeletal muscle form the majority
• Include cardiac muscle regularly (~10%)
• Add smooth muscle (~10%) where possible

And importantly ..... rotate your protein sources.

🧩 WHY THIS MATTERS

In nature, dogs don’t eat “chicken breast every day.”

They consume:
→ multiple species
→ multiple tissue types
→ multiple nutrient profiles

That diversity supports:
• broader micronutrient coverage
• better metabolic flexibility
• more robust physiological function

✨ FINAL THOUGHT

When you shift from thinking “protein” to thinking “tissue diversity”, everything changes.

Because feeding well isn’t just about meeting requirements.

It’s about building a system that can thrive under real-world demands.

- Donna Williams,
Emerald Park Border Collies.
www.emeraldparkbc.com

"My mission is to make life better for at least one dog today!"

19/05/2026

LIVER vs HEART: Nutrients vs Energy—Why Dogs Need Both

One of the most common themes I see in canine nutrition is the overemphasis on liver…
and the complete underappreciation of heart.

Liver is often treated as the most important organ; and for good reason.
It is loaded with essential vitamins and minerals that support foundational health.

But what’s missing from that conversation is:
Liver and heart do not serve the same purpose.

Not even close.

Liver builds and regulates.
It provides critical nutrients like vitamin A, copper, folate, and B vitamins supporting immune function, detoxification pathways, and overall nutrient status.

Heart fuels and powers.
It delivers functional compounds that directly support energy production, muscle function, and cardiac performance.

And this is where things get interesting…

Heart is one of the richest natural sources of compounds you won’t get from liver in meaningful amounts:

✅️ Taurine
✅️ CoQ10
✅️ L-carnitine
✅️ Collagen
✅️ Creatine

Let’s pause on that last one because it matters.

CREATINE is not just for athletes.
It plays a direct role in cellular energy production (ATP regeneration), which means it supports how the body actually functions.

This includes:
▪️Skeletal muscle
▪️Cardiac muscle
▪️Brain and neurological tissue

In other words, energy, strength, and resilience at the cellular level.
And yet, creatine is almost never part of the conversation in canine nutrition.

This is the gap.

Many pet parents are taught to focus on vitamins and minerals....what’s on paper...
while overlooking the compounds that actually drive metabolic function.

Vitamins don’t create energy, cells do.
And those cells rely on compounds like taurine, CoQ10, and creatine to perform.

This is why heart is not just another “muscle meat.”
It is a functional organ meat with a critical role in a balanced diet.

📌
✔️ Liver provides the nutrients
✔️ Heart supports how those nutrients are used

You don’t replace one with the other.
You use both...intentionally.

Because a properly constructed canine diet isn’t just about meeting requirements…
it’s about supporting the body at the level it actually operates.

— The Holistic Canine 🐾 theholisticcanine.us

Fresh feeding explained—finally.
"Fresh-Food Feeding Explained" eBook
https://theholisticcanine.us/ebook/
Available NOW on my website.