logistical questions about feeding raw - Page 1

A few years ago I did some raw feeding and one of the problems I had was this: If they ate inside they kind of smeared the meat around when they were chewing it up. I tried a plastic table cloth on the floor that someone recommended and they still didn't keep it on there. So I tried outside and everywhere I fed them was crawling with ants a few hours later. Also the meat was COATED in dirt which probably is not a big deal but I'm talking a LOT of blood-mud type stuff. Tried it on the driveway but they would carry it onto the dirt anyway. Plus it scared the hell out of me how fast they sucked it down, bones and all.

Can raw feeders give me some input on the validity of these concerns and suggestions?

Also, anyone with EPI dog-do you cut meat up and add it with enzymes or throw it in whole with the enzymes? Or no enzymes at all?

Any input is appreciated.

Dawgs

I feed raw in bowls in their crates and there is very little spillage.  They seem to hover over the bowls while chewing because there isn't much room to move around like they would outside.  I have a lot of wildlife in my area and feeding outside attracts unsavory characters.  Feeding separately also gives them a chance to eat without competition which encourages slower chewing rather than gulping so that another one doesn't get the goods.

Judy

I feed raw in bowls in their crates and there is very little spillage.  They seem to hover over the bowls while chewing because there isn't much room to move around like they would outside.  I have a lot of wildlife in my area and feeding outside attracts unsavory characters.  Feeding separately also gives them a chance to eat without competition which encourages slower chewing rather than gulping so that another one doesn't get the goods.

Judy

Ditto JudyK,

They run to their crates when I let them in to see if there's food there.  They have a good association with their crate because of it and it does tone down the "puppy feeding frenzy" by giving them their own space to eat. 

I basically use prepared RAW from AFS http://www.lizzyshealthypetfood.com/index.asp?PageAction=MFGSEARCH&ManfID=3&Page=1  it comes in 5# rolls I thaw out and use a large Glad container to keep it in the fridge.  Lasts about 5 days with 2 adult gsd's.  I was feeding it to them on screened porch but it really attracted the flies so I went back to feeding them in their crates.  Also, I mix it 50/50 with dry kibble, this slows down how fast they eat it.

Allaboutthedawgs - were you feeding store bought raw or self made?

ditto to what the others say.  I also feed whole raw bones, which dogs do eat with more "gusto" than kibble or canned.  It's alarming at first, but you get used to it!

Clews-Just stuff from the grocery store. Wings, breasts (chicken not grocer's) knuckles. It was supplemental and experimental mostly.

My preference is to feed one dog at a time out on the lawn. They do tend to drag it out of the bowl depending one what cut of meat it is. I like to observe them eating when I can relax and do so. If not then I feed in their kennel or crate. I generaly don't have too much blood, I wash the meat with cool water before I bag it up. I don't have an ant problem here but flies are a killer. Sometimes I sit next to my dog fanning the flies away with my hands. I also use this time to pic the bowl up, hold it with my foot so it doesn't scoot when he is eating out of it or take a rib away from them and then give it back. Makes for non food aggressive dogs.

Funny you say your dogs gobble the raw up. Mine eats his raw slower than he inhales his kibble.

Regarding ants, they are always there but as long as they are not on the food as the dogs is eating it, I wouldn't worry about them being were the food was after your dog is done eating. They are just cleaning up the mess. Put your dog away from the house, at the edge of your lawn so they don't get tempted  inside. I pick a nice soft green patch of grass and my dog stays right there laying down to grind up his bones. Some dogs use their feet to hold the meat but mine does not, he pins it to the ground with his face cocked sideways, crunching away with the side of his jaw and back teeth. So far my dogs have never been a mess, bloody or yucky from eating raw.

Winter months will find them toughing it out in the rain and eating off the floor of the kennel. Yea it gets dirty but they don't seem to care. They lick the ground/dirt anyway so whats the difference? I have seen little kids do worse. LOL I'm not a big believer that dogs need steril bowls and hospital clean kennels. When I was a kid dogs didn't go to the vet unless they needed to be spayed, where hit by a car or needed to be put down due to old age. Our dogs were never sick and if they were we did what we thought best ourselves and they always pulled through.

I should clarify, chicken necks & backs are crunched & gobbled up pretty quickly .  The venison necks, lamb necks, &  pork necks do take longer.  Those are what I feel whole on a regular basis for the evening meal. I don't give those in a kennel, I toss it to the dog, say "outside", dog runs out & eats it on the grass.   STill, he eats it faster than the ants take to get to it!   Mornings, it's ground beef/veg/organ with vitamins & salmon oil in a bowl.

LOL yea Sue I gave turkey tails the other night and I swore he swallowed it without chewing! I didn't hear one crunch.

LOL yea Sue I gave turkey tails the other night and I swore he swallowed it without chewing! I didn't hear one crunch.