If you feed raw....

[Snapper]

Do you use a recipe or what? I have several butchers that I may be able to get bones from for free but I'm not sure what to do then....TIA

[sheplovr]

Hi I had this saved, it might help to know more about RAW, but to get receipes, it states to buy good books or talk to folks that use receipes of what all goes into RAW. The BARF diet u need cooked veggies, supplements of vitamins but not sure 0f the amount if I find out I will post to you.

A few years ago I participated in a long, detailed discussion on an internet list about raw food diets for dogs. A few of the people had had their dogs on raw food for quite a while, the longest of which was 6 years. This particular group of well informed and inquisitive multi-performance dog trainers still keeps abreast of all written matter about raw diets including research conducted by well-known dry and canned dog food manufacturers. Their participation in dog events varies from 3 or 4 years to 30+ years. Some had previously dealt with dogs with food allergies to well known dry food kibble diets. They own a combination of young dogs, old dogs, ailing dogs and perfectly healthy active dogs all of whom they seek to provide with the highest quality lives. The results of feeding a raw diet that they reported seeing in their dogs’ energy level and physical wellbeing was astoundingly positive. I was impressed and my curiosity about making the change definitely rose several notches.

In toying with making the change I began by taking the easiest step forward - supplementing all our dogs’ highest quality dry kibble with ground raw vegetables. As with most folks who consider switching their dogs to a raw diet, my hesitation came to the raw meat. I knew my dogs would love it but was not yet totally convinced it would be the healthiest diet for them. After supplementing their kibble with raw ground veggies for a year, I finally felt informed enough through reading books, articles and commentary to take the big plunge.

Before making a change of this magnitude my first move was to take all of our dogs to our veterinarian to run complete blood panels. I did not want to tamper with their bodies if they weren’t in the best health. We also ran vaccination titers to be certain their immunity was still normal. When the blood panels came back showing normal values and titer reports showed normal immunity I was resolved to taking the last leap of faith to change their diet.

All 3 Shelties were eating raw ground meat (beef, lamb, turkey, chicken) + ground veggies for breakfast. For dinner I gave them either chicken parts, turkey neck, beef heart, beef liver, beef kidney, sardines, mackerel or salmon mixed with veggie glop and plain yogurt or cottage cheese as well as vitamin supplements (salmon oil, a comprehensive vitamin that includes E and C, B-complex vitamin). My husband, Sidney, chops all of the meat into bite sized pieces so if a dog swallows whole pieces they will not choke by getting a piece lodged in their throat.

It took a while to figure out what quantities our crew of dogs needed. A fellow Sheltie owner feeds each of her dogs 2% of their body weight daily. That percentage did not work for us. After a couple of months my dogs showed more weight loss than was acceptable. So we raised the quantity of food until we felt comfortable with what they were eating and their weight held steady. As an example, 5 year old, 25 pound Dino’s breakfast consists of 5 ounces of meat + 2 heaping soup spoons of veggie glop and an occasional raw egg. His dinner consists of 4-1/2 ounces of RMB (raw meat and bones), 2 heaping spoons of veggie glop and 1 spoon of yogurt or cottage cheese. He probably consumes about a pound of food daily.

It was very easy to see that two out of three of our dogs were flourishing with their shiny coats, whiter teeth, excellent muscle tone, sweeter smelling breath, not to mention smaller stools. I’m not going to say that this diet is right for everyone to feed his dogs. In fact, one of our dogs did not fare well on it. She lost more weight than I thought was healthy and her blood panel no longer showed normal values across the board. She was switched back to the same topnotch kibble she’s always eaten and has remained in excellent health.

Within the past 6 months we discovered that our 13-1/2 year old boydog is in early stage renal disease. He’s still eating a raw diet. But, instead of one that I prepare at home his diet consists of one of the highest quality commercial frozen raw diets. His weight, energy, mental faculties and muscle tone are all as good as if not better than they were over 1-1/2 years ago when we began this adventure.

With my feeding a raw diet my dogs are not subjected to a product that has had all the natural nutrients baked out of it and then replaced artificially. I can offer them as high a quality fresh and varied diet as my wallet will allow. I am in total control of the quantity and quality of what my dogs eat, and have the highest hopes of their living longer, disease and allergy free, active lives.

If you are curious about feeding a raw diet to your dogs, you might ask for some input from folks with whom you “chat” on the internet and/or other folks who own your breed. There are many books available through booksellers such as www.dogwise.com As you might well imagine there are internet lists devoted to discussing raw diets.

[sheplovr]

Here is a DVM advice:

Caution! It may cause your pet an upset stomach if you change their diet suddenly, so take some time and start by mixing in the new ingredients with their usual diet. Mix in smaller and smaller amounts of the commercial diet and within a week or so - voila! You’ll be feeding a new, more nutritionally balanced diet. Even if you decide not to go raw, it's still much healthier if you can prepare as much of your pet's food as possible.

A 50 lb. Dog will eat approximately one pound of raw (or cooked) food per day, so adjust accordingly.

Along with the following recipe ideas, both cats and dogs can (and should) be given raw bones (chicken or turkey necks, wings and backs). Bones must be given raw, cooked bones should NEVER be fed, since when cooked they become brittle and can splinter.

The following will yield approximately 1 cup of food (1/2 lb.)

75% - 6 ounces (3/4 cup) coarse-ground or chopped meat, raw or cooked. A variety of meats, poultry and fish (organic is better) should be rotated: Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Turkey, Rabbit, Venison and their organ meats. Salmon (no skin) Sardines, Smelt and other whole fish. Ground meat mixes better with the vegetables. Chopped meat is also excellent.

25% - 2 ounces (1/4 cup) ground, mixed vegetables, raw or cooked. Any and all of the following vegetables can be used. The more veggies you combine in one meal the better. Feed what’s in season. Asparagus, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chicory, Green Beans, Greens (at least one of the following per day: Dandelion, Kale, Swiss Chard, Parsley), Kohlrabi, Okra, Parsnips, Peas, Pumpkin, Sprouts, (Alfalfa, Bean, Sunflower), Squash (Winter and Summer), Sweet Potatoes, Yams, Turnips, Rutabagas.

[Cali]

I cant help with recipe's as we dont follow a recipe, we just toss random items into a blender for breakfast and hand them bones for supper lol lots of people plan everything out what their dogs will eats for the next weeks kind of thing. my dogs do just fine when we look in the fridge and toss whatever we have in the blender lol

[haunani]

I'll try to remember to post the basic one I've found when I get to work tomorrow... it's on my comp. there. Even in a nice pretty spreadsheet that calculates oz, lbs of each type of meat (RMB, Muscle and Organ), as well as any extras you might want, based on the dog's weight and the percentage you want to feed (% of dog's weight). It also calculates weekly and 4-week totals for you in both lbs and oz.

If anyone wants this, let me know.

[sheplovr]

Do Not just toss raw foods and bones to your pet, is must be weighed, get a cheap scale, weigh it and add the other ingredients or it is worthless as the dog needs veggies cooked mostly and the right amounts. Add some supplements as they do NOT get total vitamins from RAW bones and meats. I have been researching dog food for months now how bad they are and this is the best way to care for your pet, but u can also over feed, so it is vital to weigh according to its weight also. Follow what I sent here and try to make a receipe for your pet according to what it weighs. Add veggies cooked and blended, raw or some rare cooked meats, organs, and add vitamins to make sure of.

[Snapper]

Thanks for all the info. I'm going to start slow and work my way up. I think it can be affordable if I do it right.

[Snapper]

Do any of you know anything about Life's Abundance? Here is a comparison chart... http://www.mypethaven.com/pet_food_comparisons.htm

[husky lover]

Originally Posted by haunani

I'll try to remember to post the basic one I've found when I get to work tomorrow... it's on my comp. there. Even in a nice pretty spreadsheet that calculates oz, lbs of each type of meat (RMB, Muscle and Organ), as well as any extras you might want, based on the dog's weight and the percentage you want to feed (% of dog's weight). It also calculates weekly and 4-week totals for you in both lbs and oz.

If anyone wants this, let me know.

Haunani,

I would love to get it from you. Also i'm trying to send you a site that we use to feed our husky at the moment. It breaks it down by each meal and so on if I can figure out how to attach a website to the thread

[husky lover]

Haunani,

try this site for a menu

http://www.aniaksibes.com/feeding.sh...eedingSchedule