Researching the Raw Diet - Page 1

Um... help? LOL

I don't even know where to start. Would some of you out there be willing to explain to me (small words please lol) exactly what needs to be researched, and what kind of nutrition I need to focus on to switch my guys to the raw diet, IF I do? It is something I've been toying with in the back of my head for awhile now, I'm just really afraid that I'm going to forget something, or screw something up and make them sick. I don't know what the bone to meat to organ to whatever ratio is or anything. I know it is better than a kibble diet though, and I do want what is best for my buddies. Feed them outside? Feed them in the kitchen and then mop after? Really every aspect of raw feeding I am completly clueless on... except Qira gets her raw bones every week or so to keep her teeth clean. For her I have an old sheet I'll make her lay on, then wash it after, or I'll give it to her outside.

Qira weighs 63 lbs at the moment... and Yapper our mutant Shih Tzu/Yorkie is finally down to 30.5 lbs... he is a lot bigger than what those two breeds generally are though, so that isn't as bad as it sounds, although he could still lose another 5 lbs. And then Cheyanne, my cat, weighs 8.5 lbs. I'm not sure if she would eat raw though, or do well on it for that matter. She has been on kibble her whole life, hates any wet food out there (I've tried a bunch), and when she is out of food and I give her more she will gorge herself and then throw it back up. The way we've worked past that is that she gets her set amount of food every day in her bowl, and just grazes. Kinda like free-feeding, kinda not. So you can see why I am unsure about switching her though I know it would be better nutrition-wise. For what its worth she does drink a lot of water so thats at least something. Qira is 5 y/o, Chey is 8 y/o, and Yapper will be 13 in January.

I'm dedicating this morning (I know it will take longer than that) to researching this - until the Husker game, that is - so I guess I am looking for knowledge/tips/etc from those with actual hands-on experience as well.

What is a week's 'recipe' that you feed your guys? How do you change it up and how often? What price do you normally pay for whatever item?

http://www.njboxers.com/top-50-barf-faqs-for-beginners.html#started

According to that site I would have to feed my dogs 60/40 meat/veggie? I haven't heard of veggies being that big of a dogs meal before... thoughts?

By their calculations Qira (at 63 lbs) would eat 20.16 oz of food per day... thats 12.1 oz RMB and 8.06 oz Veggie... does that sound right? And for Yapper it would be 9.76 oz of food per day so 5.86 oz RMB and 3.9 oz veggie? Thats at his current [over]weight...

There is a lot of books and other sources information out there on raw diets along with previous threads on this subject. Dogs are omnivorous, cats are carnivores so a raw diet would benefit a cat but it would be different than a dog's diet. There are commercially available raw diets out there some can be quite pricey. I choose to feed K9kravings to my dogs and have been doing so for 6 years with good results, it is the only USDA inspected as a whole raw balanced diet.You can put it in a food bowl but I have also spooned it into my hand to feed and kept paper towels handy.K9kravings has a good website with lots of information and is the only prepared raw diet I can afford. K9kravings is also run by someone active in schutzhund and is dedicated to the breed. 

There are tons of threads on here that show folks' sample menus- just search for raw feeding or raw diet. You can also join the Yahoo Raw Feeding forum but be aware that they provide a very militant view of raw feeding (one model to rule them all). I find the Yahoo K9 Nutrition forum to take a more moderate view of raw feeding (ie. there are different models of raw feeding).

I'm often asked by curious friends what my raw feeding model is so it's outlined here. I'm sure that my model is both the same and different from other raw feeders. LOL. It's just what works for my particular dogs. I'm super lucky that my in-laws are farmers (and super generous) so I have access to organic meat for minimal cost.

I'm lazy so I feed outside unless it's below minus 20C; then the dogs are trained to eat in the kitchen on a towel (they are fed separately).

Senta - 2 years old  GSD  who is 62 lbs- fed 2 lbs per day but has one fast day per week (very lean body condition)

Bosco - 1 year old  GSD who is 92 lbs - fed 3 lbs per day but has no fast day (lean body condition)

The quantity seems to be a little low, as with any diet you need to see the impact on the particular dog to know for sure, some dogs weghing 63 pounds may need up to 2 pounds. 

Good point. The quantity for Senta is low - particularly given a fast day. I should have noted that she's a special case- she has very little interest in food. She's an extremely picky and lazy eater who simply isn't accomodated; she actually eats more food over a week if she's fasted. May you never own a Senta.

Laura I posted before reading your post,  I thought the 20 ounces to be too low. You gave very good examples of dogs needing different requirements while also bringing up fasting days.The dog in my avatar runs in the upper 60's and would get quite fat if she ate 2 pounds.

LOL! You can tell I'm sensitive about Senta- we get notes left on our front porch that say: "FEED YOUR DOG!". For the record, we'd feed her more if she'd eat more.

Laura I think Senta looks great in your photo stream;  in
fact they both look very healthy and happy.
What is the matter with your neighbours ...?

See I'd be fine with preparing my own stuff (need to find a butcher though, not sure if the one I get my bones from would have all that other stuff decently priced)... I think it'd be cheaper that way, I just don't know what to feed... percentage/ratio wise... so thats why I'd really like to find a couple good ideas of what others feed just so I know I'm getting everything to begin with.... if that makes sense. I prefer to be given a straight list of directions to follow rather then just try and branch off on my own right away. This switch would be for the dogs' benefit, and if I can't get things right nutritionally, why bother?

I just picked up another bag of kibble this week, so it'll probably be a good month or two before we switch IF we do.

Markobytes, thank you for the suggestion of K9Kravings... looks like they aren't sold anywhere near me though. :(

Laura, I know theres a million threads on here... I plan to check those out too. :) I figured making a new one for myself would make sure I had all my bases covered though. And I agree, Senta and Bosco look excellent in your photos. And thanks for linking me to your recipe. :)

Heh, Yapper will not like fasting days. He is a food-oholic, and gets down right PISSED if he doesn't get his food on time.

I came across one site "Hare Today"... OMG there is no way I could feed a guinea pig to my dogs. I like guinea pigs!!