Feeding Raw

[Laceface]

I was curious to see if anyone on here who has dogs feeds raw? I have been doing tons of research and am seriously considering switching my girl to raw. She never really likes kibble, and is always quite thin. I'm hoping she will be enticed to eat more, and will enjoy the variety I can give her. Plus, she gets an upset tummy when ever she has food with gluten and such.

Anyway, who feeds raw? Do you use a specific person's plan? OR do you have your own methods? I am currently researching Tom Lonsdale's methods.

 

[whitewolf]

One can eat kibble fine, the other has to have boiled chicken, boiled liver bait, veggies because she can't keep many of the kibbles down. I finally found one she can eat but it's trash food so she gets extras in her food.

 

[Shell]

I voted based off what I did with my last 2 dogs (both gone to the Rainbow Bridge now )

I was a vet tech for 7 years and understand the benefits of all different diets for all different dogs. While kibble may work for one, home cooked for another and "BARF" for another, all these diets can be beneficial if research is done and it's done for the dog's specific need. Also, when I say kibble I'm not talking "Old Roy" crap lol but the high end, good quality stuff.

I fed homemade hypo allergenic to my old lab. He was a finished show dog/stud dog. I ended his breeding career when allergies began to surface. I tried everything out there for dogs with allergies but the only thing that worked for him was homemade potato/fish diet. My old border collie ended up on a homemade low protein for kidney issues.

 

[codykrr]

i am feeding kibble for now. i am a new dog owner(as some may know from my previous threads) but i have considered different diets. as of right now what she is on currently seems to be doing great. no throw up's, no loose or extra hard stool. coat looks great and no allergies as of yet.

the vet says were doing a fantastic job and even said he wishes more people would care for there dogs as we do.

only problem i have, is i am nervous to clip her nails because there really dark and i cant see the quick. i dont think i could deal with the fact i might hurt her. so we have the vet do it. its only 5 bucks.

id consider a raw diet, but i couldnt afford to always buy like that right now. besides anymore meats have so many hormones, and antibiotics...it cant be all that good.

 

[Laceface]

Cody- for nail clipping, if you look around, you can probably find cheaper. We have a pet store here (pet land) that will do it for free, and a few relatively cheap groomers places. Also, you could try a pedipaws (or one of those tool things that look just like them...routers?) they work wonders, and it's easy to stop before you hurt them!

My girl is just insane, she eats Solid Gold Barking at the Moon, and just...doesn't fare for it now, as she has done with Innova, and a few others... I really think Raw could be right for her.

 

[Shell]

i am feeding kibble for now. i am a new dog owner(as some may know from my previous threads) but i have considered different diets. as of right now what she is on currently seems to be doing great. no throw up's, no loose or extra hard stool. coat looks great and no allergies as of yet.

the vet says were doing a fantastic job and even said he wishes more people would care for there dogs as we do.

only problem i have, is i am nervous to clip her nails because there really dark and i cant see the quick. i dont think i could deal with the fact i might hurt her. so we have the vet do it. its only 5 bucks.

id consider a raw diet, but i couldnt afford to always buy like that right now. besides anymore meats have so many hormones, and antibiotics...it cant be all that good.

It's really not as scary and tough as you think it will be




Start by just taking the very tip of each nail off, and just trim a tiny bit at a time to learn, that way you can get a feel for where the quick is. Have your vet show you in detail the next time they do it for you. Also, have cornstarch or flour or even better you can get silver nitrate sticks from your vet. This was if you accidently make her bleed (and if it you are just taking little tiny bits at a time it won't be deep) you can dip the toe in the flour or cornstarch to stop the bleeding. If you can get silver nitrate sticks, they look like a long Q-Tip, with a hard, silver end instead of a soft fuzzy one. If you hit the quick you roll the end all over the nail to cauterize it.

Don't be scared, just be sure someone securely holds her and you take your time. As already said, I was a tech for 7 yrs. NEVER nicked a clients dog (and thats ALOT of nails trimmed lol) but I did nick my own Lab once

In my time as a tech, I have only ever seen 1 dog that we had to have come in to bandage the foot after a nail clipping accident (and my clinic was insanely busy, the busiest anywhere within 2 hrs of us.) Other clients that called to say they accidently nicked the nail had no issue getting it stopped with one of the 3 products mentioned. The one that had to come in, well basically the owner was trying to cut a very hyper, big dog's nails on her own, no one restraining him. We bandaged the foot and good as new.

I'm not telling you this to freak you but to show you that if you are going slow and taking just a little bit of nail at a time, that even if the "worst" happens, it's not a major issue. It can be easily and safely dealt with. Good luck


PS. Sorry to go off on a tangent in this thread.

 

[Smitty78]

I feed my dogs 100% on a raw diet. Believe it or not, it actually works out to be cheaper than a good kibble. No I am not talking about any of the crap (this is a public forum or I would use my real feelings) foods like Purina, Atta Boy, or Pedigree.

I purchase whole organic chicken backs with bone in, as 60% of this "BARF' diet should consist of bone. I get 40 lb cases of chicken backs for about $25.

I also order and feed the following as a variation in diet from my local butcher which cost me $1 per 2lbs already ground and frozen.

Ground Beef Heart
Ground Beef Tripe
Ground Beef Liver

A few times a year I will purchase a whole goat from a local farmer, and will have it ground whole, bone, intestines, stomach, heart, liver, kidney, and all. I typically get a 100lb goat for around $75 (purchase a older goat that is running out of production value for the farmer). They are typically glad to get rid of these cheaply.

While having the goats ground, I will add in alfalfa pellets, bulk apples, oranges, broccoli, oats, and many various vitamin powders which I purchase in bulk.

I feed my dogs 1 chicken back in the morning, and 1-2lbs depending on the weight of the dog of the goat/vitamin mixture in the evening. A couple times a week I will give them a 1/2lb treat of one of the Ground Beef mixtures.

I do not vaccinate any of my dogs for anything other than rabies. Do your research, you will find that this really becomes unnecessary. In time you will also find that your vet costs will literally become nullified. Coat and skin problems go away. Cancer cases are significantly decreased, as are hip, and elbow problems. Your dog or dogs will have a bowel movement every other day versus multiple times per day, and even this is very minimal as they are digesting 80-90% of the food they ingest.

I freeze all of this in an extra freezer in the garage in zip lock bags, and after I give my last feeding in the evening I take out the next days feeding and place in the refrigerator to thaw for the following day.

I have been able to work this out by doing 200-300 lbs at a time to cost $1.25-$1.50 per day per dog. Believe it or not it works out to be the same cost as any good kibble, not to mention the Thousands of dollars you will save per year on vet costs if you are feeding multiple dogs as I am. If you have a smaller breed, it will work out much cheaper for you. My dogs range in size from 80 lbs to 180 lbs.

There are plenty of ways that you can do this much cheaper as well. A lot of the "methods" you will find really go over the top in my, and a lot of peoples opinion. You could even say that I go over the top in some ways on this.

I am sorry to ramble on, but I have been doing this for years and cannot say too many good things about it. Feel free to PM, or email me. I will be happy to give you my number and speak to you in greater length on the phone about it.


p.s. For those of you trimming nails, or paying to have nails trimmed. A Dremel tool will be your best friend.

 

[Laceface]

Thank you for the reply!

I was researching this morning on finding places to get her sources of food. I found the cheapest "feeders" I could, which ended up being about 123 dollars for 65ounces of rat,rabbit, guinea pig, quail, and chicks. My dog is only 12 ounces, so from what I understand, she only needs 6ounces or so of food a day.

I also found a local forum for hunters/fishers. I'm hoping to find people willing to sell scraps that most people don't eat (organs, mainly), as well as perhaps squirrels, rabbits, other small animals they might not want to make a meal out of.

As soon as she finishes off the solid gold we now have, we are going raw.

 

[Smitty78]

Thank you for the reply!

I was researching this morning on finding places to get her sources of food. I found the cheapest "feeders" I could, which ended up being about 123 dollars for 65ounces of rat,rabbit, guinea pig, quail, and chicks. My dog is only 12 ounces, so from what I understand, she only needs 6ounces or so of food a day.

I also found a local forum for hunters/fishers. I'm hoping to find people willing to sell scraps that most people don't eat (organs, mainly), as well as perhaps squirrels, rabbits, other small animals they might not want to make a meal out of.

As soon as she finishes off the solid gold we now have, we are going raw.

I would highly advise staying away from rodents considering the disease that they carry. Chicks, quail, etc.. are all good. I stick to human grade food. You will find that it really does not cost anymore if you find the right source, not to mention that it is much safer.

 

[Laceface]

I would highly advise staying away from rodents considering the disease that they carry. Chicks, quail, etc.. are all good. I stick to human grade food. You will find that it really does not cost anymore if you find the right source, not to mention that it is much safer.

Ok, a lot of the research I found suggested feeder rats as a good source of variety for small dogs. That makes sense though.

 

[Smitty78]

Ok, a lot of the research I found suggested feeder rats as a good source of variety for small dogs. That makes sense though.

I suppose that is all opinion (mine differs obviously). Consider this however. Part of the reason that you can nullify vaccinations is the fact that some of what you are feeding is already vaccinated.

Also considering from a money standpoint, I pay 50 cents per lb for chicken backs. I seriously doubt you can get feeder rats that cheaply.

As I stated earlier, a lot of this is all a personal decision/opinion.

 

[Laceface]

I suppose that is all opinion (mine differs obviously). Consider this however. Part of the reason that you can nullify vaccinations is the fact that some of what you are feeding are already vaccinated.

Also considering from a money standpoint, I pay 50 cents per lb for chicken backs. I seriously doubt you can get feeder rats that cheaply.

As I stated earlier, a lot of this is all a personal decision/opinion.

I can see what you are saying, and agree. I guess I assumed feeder rats would be healthy as well, since other animals eat them.

I want to make sure she has variety. Part of the reason I'm switching her over is because she gets bored with her kibble so quickly. I can't even make it through a bag with out fighting her with the rest (reducing the amount she gets, skipping feedings, etc, and she is a very thin dog).

Do you agree with the methods some use, of letting them take what they want one day, putting the leftovers in the fridge, and giving it back the next? With her needing so little, she would hardly have the work of tearing/ripping from bones if I only gave her the 6ounces suggested for her weight at a time.

 

[Smitty78]

Do you agree with the methods some use, of letting them take what they want one day, putting the leftovers in the fridge, and giving it back the next? With her needing so little, she would hardly have the work of tearing/ripping from bones if I only gave her the 6ounces suggested for her weight at a time.

With her needing so little. I suspect you will find that she will not become bored with the new diet. Again (all personal choice), I prefer to feed fresh daily. I have not experienced left overs per say. You may find that she is finicky about the new diet, and may not like chewing up the bone. If she is finicky, and since she needs such low quantities blend up the food. Then you are virtually feeding a better source of "canned" food, and I have yet to see any dog refuse that.

"Canned" food was not meant for a quality comparison as it is bad means of nutrition, I was just using it as a reference of texture.

Edited to add:

Once you experiment, and get the amount of food she will consume down I suspect you will not have any left overs as well.

 

[Laceface]

Okie doke. She all ready loooves raw eggs, shells and all. She loves tearing things up, ripping things a part..I don't think texture, or bones will bug her...at all. In fact, she got a hold of a (cooked) chicken bone the other day, and it was all I could do to get it from her. She wanted to eat that bone!

 

[RoachGirlRen]

My dog was fed a very poor diet back when he was alive, and it was reflected in his health. If I ever have a dog again, I have every intention of feeding either 100% raw, or a blend of raw and a high quality pet food. I've found across the species board that even feeding a diet half made up of raw, whole foods seems to benefit their health immensely due to the poor ingredients in most processed diets. I've seen the merits of this with rodents, rabbits, birds, and even fish.

 

[Laceface]

Well, she had her first raw meal today. She devoured about a third of a chicken. She absolutely loved it. She started out just licking, and looked rather confused when she had to use her teeth, but once she started, she just chowed down. Other then almost feeding her to a snake, it went very well. I have beef liver, and those chickens for now, and some rabbits in the freezer to feed in a few months. I'm glad I chose to do this- she loves it all ready! This is the first time I've seen her enjoy her food!

 

[dtknow]

How interesting...it seems that dog husbandry has come in almost a full circle. Dogs started eating just scraps of meat and stuff that their people wouldn't eat or would treat them too. Eventually, pelletized diets(still with stuff that people wouldn't eat...but also some rather unnatural additions)...and finally people coming back to a "revolutionary idea" of fding raw.

I know squat about dogs but I don't think diet alone would nullify the need for heartworm/tapeworm treatment?(the latter was a big problem for prehistoric dogs and their human companions alike when the worms showed up in all the wrong places)

Looking from the fish/reptile community it seems we are somewhere near the 2nd stage with powdered and processed diets and supplementation being all the rage.(granted, when fed just plain mealworms, most reptiles in captivity simply died slowly)

 

[Bigboy]

I feed raw as a supplement to our dog's diet but to be honest, if it was my dog alone she would eat nothing but raw.

 

[Exo]

Kibble, with a healthy dose of raw and cooked veggies once a day (yeah, my yorkie actually likes fruits and veggies).

 

[Ms.X]

The staple ingredient of my dogs' diets is Orijen Six Fresh Fish. I also feed cooked chicken and rice, various veggies (carrots seem to be the favorite), apples, and yogurt. The also get dehydrated chicken breast and dehydrated sweet potatoes as a treat. One of my dogs has severe food allergies: no wheat, corn, soy, beets or rye. It has been challenging to keep up with her diet, but after finding the Orijen food, things have been much less complicated If you are new to feeding raw items, please be cautious about certain fruits and vegetables that are harmful: avocado, onion, garlic, and grapes are at the top of the list.