Raw Feeding, several questions - Page 1

Olga -- I don't do raw feeding.   However, here is a link from the Forum which should help you.


http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins.search?s=Raw+Feeding&b=AND&r=100

The raw diet discussion sure is interesting.

Did you know that in the middle ages whole kennels of hunting dogs were kept on gruel?  Irish dogs have survived for hundreds of years on potato.   Huskies work hard fed nothing but fish...

I don't feed raw regularily, but I have had the opportunity several times to watch my dogs eat entire carcasses of cows, sheep and deer.  You know, you read all this stuff about "this is what wolves eat, etc" but it was interesting to watch it myself.

My dogs NEVER ate stomach content. They avoided it like the plague. Stomach lining yes, the crap in it, no.  They weren't crazy about the intestines either. I'm not a big fan  of feeding dogs veggies.  I don't think it hurts, but as long as they can have access to grass, I just don't worry about it. 

As big as your dogs are, they will need AT LEAST one half chicken a day. Don't worry about bones as long as they are NOT COOKED. 

Hope that helps in any way.  Good luck and let us know how it goes!

   

Thank you guys for all the info!  My 11yr old has been eating cooked venison with veggies, raw eggs and/or unflavored yogurt for 2 days now and doing well with it, I have heard that it is OK to give raw as long as its been frozen for a while (it has) so I may give it raw after tomorrow.  My two other shepherds got their first raw meal today without much issue, my male ate half a chicken cut down the middle, he opted for no veggies and I did not offer him any eggs.  He really loved it. My female got a quarter of a chicken (the chicken was big), 2 raw eggs and did eat some veggies; I decided to start her slower as her tummy is more sensitive.  She did throw up a little afterwards, but then ate it (yuck).  So I am hoping for the best.  Its funny, I've been a vegetarian for 2yrs now and will not TOUCH any raw meat to prepare for the hubs, but when it comes to my dogs I'm hacking away at a disgusting raw chicken dividing it!  LOL, he does not think it is fair at all, and I still wont prepare meat for him....if hes hungry at dinner time he can eat veggie meat. 

Olga,
I am not a vegetarian, but there are certain things I will not cook for my husband either...like liver... But for the dogs... SURE!
I don't cook it, but I buy it. now :-) I absolutely cannot stand the smell of it cooking.
My dogs have been on raw for about 7 months now and are doing great. (Skin, teeth, digestion, everything has shown very notceable improvement) Chicken is their main staple but I do give them beef occasionally. Also Jack Mackeral and raw eggs about once a week. And also beef heart or kidneys. They also get gizzards and turkey necks and love it.
For the veggies, I feed them a few times a week raw carrots or canned spinach. My male will not eat carrots unless they are canned. Every time I try to "sneak" some in his bowl he leaves them, so I gave up for him. A lot of people who feed raw don't give them veggies at all and have no problems. I prefer giving some.
I have given them tripe a few times, but it was the cleaned stuff from the store. They love it, but I was told afterwards by a friend that it's not as good for them as the stinky, gross stuff... yuck I don't have immediate access to it, so I'm not feeding it.
Once I have easy access to venison I will start feeding that too.
Good luck and I hope you see good results in short time like I did :-)
Stacy

NoCurs, Irish dogs have been eating ALL table scraps, not just potatoes. Hunting dogs that ate gruel were also fed offal. And a solid diet of FISH is biologically appropriate. Overall, dogs have been evolving for a LONG time eating meat--or for the last ten thousand years, scraps--not crap. Commercial food is the reason we currently have the problems we do; in my opinion the dogs and their immune systems are becoming increasingly weak as a result of fifty or sixty years of kibble (which wasn't commonly used until just after WW2). And if I gave my dogs half a chicken a day, they would be seriously blimped out.  Dogs require as much as they require, and there is no set amount.

My own Irish grandmother thought it was HILARIOUS that I thought my dog had to have sacks of dry dog food 20 years ago. She raised and showed Airedales in her youth. My other grandmother lived in Idaho and hunted elk for dog food; she had hunting dogs herself. She mixed elk meat with vegetables and froze it in blocks.  

This addiction to dog food is an extremely recent phenomenon.

Raw Feeding Guidelines per Day

Based on feeding 2.5% of Dog's body weight.
Dog's
Wt. Oz   Cups
4    1.6    0.2
6    2.4    0.3
8    3.2    0.4
10    4    0.5
20    8     1
30    12    1.5
40    16    2
50    20    2.5
60    24    3
70    28    3.5
80    32    4
90    36    4.5
100   40   5
The amount to feed depends upon the activity level, age, breed and metabolic make-up of the dog. Each dog is different.
You may need to increase or decrease the amount of food accordingly. Above is a chart that shows how many ounces to feed for typical dogs. Research shows that you should feed about 2.5% of your pet’s ideal body weight. When using this chart, please use the proper weight of the dog, not the actual weight. Remember, dogs are healthier when lean! Lactating females and puppies should be fed 2-3 times the adult requirement.

Keep the food frozen and thaw as needed. Most raw meats will stay for 2-3 days, properly refrigerated. Do not leave food out more than 15 minutes. Glass feeding dishes are best. Wash dishes in hot soapy water after each feeding.

 hi olga,

congrats on switching to raw for your dogs.  you can switch cold turkey.....some people fast the dogs for one meal and then start raw, and some just switch immediately.  

you can start off feeding 2-3% of their ideal adult weight, and then adjust as necessary (just watch their waistlines from the top, and ribs from the side).  you can start on any protein, most people just start on chicken because it a lean meat with softer bones.  you would want to keep the dogs on the first protein for about a week or until they've adjusted well and their poo looks good.  

if you start with chicken, your best bet is to give it skinless the first couple meals and then gradually add the skin back in, and then gradually add some organs in.  bone-in chicken breasts are a great first meal because they have fairly soft bones compared to the rest of the chicken.

then when you switch to another protein you would do the same...lean meat first (with or without bone), then gradually add in fat and organs.

when the dogs adjust to the switch you will be able to give more variety and mix things.  just remember:  too much+too soon=runny poo.

cutting chicken:  depending on the meal size you decide to give (1 vs 2 meals per day, etc.) you can either give the chicken whole, cut the chicken in half....or you can cut the legs off whole and slice up the ribs to separate the back from the breast (wings can be cut off or left attached to the breast or back).

i personally don't feed any veggies, in most cases they won't hurt, but they are not technically necessary.  i only use supplements if they're needed; things like salmon oil, sardine/anchovy oil, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, kelp, probiotic, digestive enzyme.

old meat is good.  as long as it's been frozen, you can feed 10 year old meat, it doesn't matter.

when feeding veggies:  dogs are not able to process them in their raw form.  for best results veggies should be blanched and then thrown into the processor to make a glop, and then you can portion and freeze however you like.

***note:  pay attention to how your dogs eat, especially items with bones.  you have to know if they are chewers, nibblers, gulpers, etc.  don't leave your dogs unattended with a bone-in item (at least not until you are 100% sure they will not have a problem).

good luck with your girl's surgery!  oh and one more thing...steroids=BAD.  please be careful with steroid and other medications, including antibiotics.  if you need more info on that, or if you have more questions on raw feeding please feel free to email me.

sincerely,
donna

overall, dogs have been evolving for a LONG time eating meat--or for the last ten thousand years, scraps--not crap.

VomMarischal, an interesting opinion.  I just wonder how much high quality meat protein the average street dog in India or Africa has gotten over the past couple thousand years?  I suspect their diet is made up of much more "crap" than you imagine.  I think one of the main problems with dogs today is that we feed them more and more protein but restrict their movement more and more (think of dogs in shipping crates day in and day out).  The average family dog, and even "weekend warrior" does not need 36% protein.

During the middle ages meat was a RARE part of the diet of almost every human in Europe with the expection of royalty.  Dogs did not fare much better! It is interesting to read that demodectic mange was rampant in dogs, perhaps due in part to poor diet?

My suggestion on 1/2 chicken a day was based on my guess of her dog's weight compared to my dogs.  If your dogs would become "blimps" on that amount, it could be caused by many factors such as the dogs metabolism and activity level. 1/2 chicken has not proven to be sufficient to keep proper weight on my 50 pound(ish) dogs due to their activity level. I'm sure the OP will quickly realize how much her dogs need. I was just giving her my best estimate as an idea of where to start.