Help with Raw diet - Page 4

Just for the vitamins.  Can't hurt, might help, even if it isn't totally necessary.  With the high water content and low calories, it's not replacing his main meals and I feel like the nutritional bases are covered.  What I'm giving him is a mix of plain yogurt, pumpkin, banana, sweet potatoes, pulverized raw carrots, broccoli, and a little fresh ginger and garlic.  He's getting 1/2 cup daily with a sprinkle of SeaMeal.  

So my pup is doing better on her antibiotics and kibble. But I am still going to do the raw switch. I have decieded that I am going to make the big switch on her 1 yr birthday April fools day....lol...I plan on doing the raw one meal and kibble the next meal. I understand the few concerns I recieved on this site but I have talked to many people who are doing it with the same food that i am (orijen..which is grain free and high quality) with no problem.

Most premium grade commercial dog food has enough protein in the ingredient. There is nothing wrong with the ingredient of many premium grade kibble. The question is whether the food is processed correctly. My pup has been fed virtually all kibbles with just DHA supplement; it is doing very well.

I believe that it is entirely possible that there are beneficial enzymes etc in raw food and that one can be sure that the food has not been overcooked. This is the pro of raw diet. Con are the risk of acute bacterial infection of the GI tract and high cost.

If a premium grade commerical food has been processed correctly, not overcooked particualrly, it can be a good food for the GSD. I know one breeder who do not feed raw and have produced  a dozen champions in 20 or more years.

VomMarischal

I cut up a boned chicken breast into half in cubes and let her have them - no bones, no skin. I gave her a piece at at time over a 1 to 2 minute peroid.

For me, feeding raw is not worth the mess.

A hispanic s-market I go to sometimes sell chicken thigh in 10 pound bags for as low as 39 cents a pound. I cook for just long enough for the blood to turn brown and the fat to ooze out to form a fatty broth. I remove the losoe bulk of fat first, otherwise it would be too high in fat, I think. Two thighs for four days worth for one female GSD, when mixed with kibbles.

I think one compromise is to feed very rare but nothing ground, and to just cook the top 1/4 inch of the meat. Nearly all bacteria are in the top surface, I think. This way, any enzymes and good stuffs are likely retained.

msdraglox:  Good to hear you are going to stick with your plan to add RAW back into your dogs diet.  Your dog will thank you for it and be healthier in the long run.  I understand why some people start with alternating kibble and RAW, (I did too in the beginning ) but I believe once you feel more comforatable with RAW and see how much healthier and happier your dog is, you will make the switch to 100% RAW like so many others have done through the years.

 Sitasmom,
Doesn't SOUND worth the mess...did you try just handing her a chicken wing or thigh? Bone in. I think you are going to too much trouble. Don't cook, don't de-bone...just hand it to her. Can't hurt to try it....remember, salmonella is not an issue for dogs unless the dog has immune issues. Wolves kill something and eat it for days and days...my own dogs have dragged home road kill deer that REEKED. No problemo!

PS.....remember that the BONE CONTENT is what keeps the dog from getting the runs. Makes a lot more sense to give them soft bone than to feed processed pumpkin.....Sorry if that steps on toes, but pumpkin is about as far from natural feeding as you can get. If my dogs get the runs--OK that never happens, but let's say I overfeed kidney or liver or something and somebody ends up with the Dire Rear---the next meal they get is pork or turkey neck. Potty problems gone.

I have a question.

I just started putting RAW in thier diets. About 2 days ago I gave each a Beef Rib. Both ate all the meat and kinda nomed on the bones and havn't really picked the rib bones back up. Tonight I gave them another bone type (part of the leg I THINK for one and a knucle for the other (still not sure) and both went Nuts over it. Bones are gone. Whats the difference in bone? Could it be because it was the first time, or what?  Next week we are doing whole Rabbit (de-furred)!:) 

 You don't want to feed them the really hard bones. If they DO break those up, it can case damage to teeth and innards. I don't feed knuckle bones, but lots of people do because of all the soft stuff on them. The way I understand it, they can have anything except weight bearing bones, and that the ribs are fine as long as they're raw. But pork legs are fine because pigs seem to have a slightly different kind of bone and don't bear as much weight. My dogs can't break it but they can file lots of BB looking bits off. Hard to explain, but the pork bones seem more granular and less shardy. ANYWAY, I think it's normal for dogs to strip the ribs and then leave the bone. I would just pick them up and throw them away. You can get pork neck bones pretty cheap at a bulk distributor, by the way. And those dogs will have a blast with the rabbit! When I lived out in the boonies, my dogs at rabbits and squirrels skin-on, but I have no idea if the hide is necessart or not.

One thing...if you feed beef ribs, you do have to make sure there's plenty of muscle meat on them, or give muscle meat at the next meal.