Raw feeding shepherds. - Page 1

Hi Scarlet,

I am a quiet observer here who never posts but am pretty passionate about raw feeding so I hope people don't mind my posting.

I raw feed both of mine. One is 12 mos and was already being raw fed when I got him at 8 weeks and I switched my 9 year old to raw a few mos after we got our pup.

I can PM you a more detailed menu but here is the basic meal plan for our 12 month old

5 to 10% of his body weight throughout his growth period.

He eats three meals a day - The First meal for both my dogs in the AM is chicken drumsticks and thighs, I rotate this with Pork Neck bones a couple times a week and a calf neck bone once a week.

for lunch I was doing organ and muscle meat on a rotation - beef heart, tongue, kidney, chicken gizzards, green tripe with trachea and gullet. They get beef liver only once a week.

Recently I switched to a food from the same company I order my Green tripe from that has organ and muscle meat in it. We cut it into 8 oz portions and freeze it when it arrives. Both the Green tripe and Xcaliber (the organ muscle, tripe combo) come in up to 5 LB chubs. I was previously buying all the organ and muscle meat separately and having it cut into cubes then freezing portions.

For dinner they get beef stew meat or Ground chuck with ground turkey, we mix in a raw egg several times a week as well as plain yogurt.

I was doing some ground raw vegtables since they cannot digest the larger pieces, and stopped when I started feeding them the green tripe. My pup did not like his veggies but he loves the green tripe.

My older dog gets 2 to 3% of her body weight. She has HD and since she switched to raw, she is playful and seems more comfortable, all the tartar is gone from her teeth. 

For training Treats we do zukes mini naturals and k9 magic which is AWESOME. For special treats we do beef knee bones which the distributor calls knuckles (they are raw with the ligament still attached) and on occasion cow hooves which stink!

I never feed them any type of rib meat and am selective about which fish they eat.

I'll send you a great guide my breeder sent me via a PM and would be happy to share shopping ideas with you.

Regards,

Denise

Hi Missbeeb,

I am in the US. I do some fish oil caps a couple times week for the omega 3. But other than that I've not added any supplements.

I have read about diets that call for it and some that don't.

Regards,

Denise

I feed raw- 80% muscle meat, 10% organ meat and 10% bone. I feed turkey, pork, beef, lamb and duck. Chicken is cheapest but my girl is allergic. I add very small amountsof veggies or fruit. I supplement 3x a week with alaskan salmon oil. I wouldn't feed anything else. My dogs have beautiful coats and don't shed. For my girl that is allergic I also add some herbs, digestive enzymes and probiotics.  My allergic girl has GREATLY improved since she has been on the raw. It didn't happen overnight, but  she has improved by 95% over the past year or so.

 I started raw feeding my 12 month old about 6 weeks ago. She was tired and therefore not listening to me by the end of a training day so in an attempt to help build her endurance and make her an all around healthier dog we gave it a try and have been amazed at the difference! Her coat has never been more beautiful, she has better stamina during training and her breath is even better.
She gets a breakfast of 1 egg-shell and all mixed with a small amount of kibble, chicken thigh or breast, chopped carrots and fish oil capsule, then dinner is a mix of organ meat, chopped green beans and plain yogurt. The amount she gets depends on what we are doing for the day, so if we are doing something and Im going to want her to want to work for her food she gets less, but if we are just playing around for the day she gets more. I just have watched and figured out how much she needs to do the job. She loves it and it has definitely made her an all around healthier dog. Big fan of the raw feeding. :)

Hi Denise,

Could you please email me the raw food guide?  I am totally new at the raw food idea.  I am thinking of switching my 12 yr old German Shepherd to raw diet due to indigestion and gas problems.  I have been feeding him a mix of dry food senior food and steamed rice.  But it still is not agreeing with his stomach.  I also have a 11 year old chow that I would switch to raw as well.  Thank you for your help. 

I was wondering Denise if you could send me that raw diet guide your breeder gave you. I am also wondering what the cost of the XKaliber is in the 5lb chunks, I called but they have not got back to me yet. I was thinking of a chicken thigh with the tripe and cottage cheese and an egg twice a day, does this sound right or is it too much. I am feeding a 2 1/2 year old male, 2 year old female and 11 month old female, all very active. Thanks!