Raw Diet - Info Needed

[JCarlson2004]

I am seriosly considering switching my babies to a raw diet due to several reasons (in particular, Codie's allergies). I've been doing some research and this seems like the way to go but I am still nervous. But I think my being nervous is more because raw meat look so nasty.

Anyway, I am considering just buying meat straight from the butcher rather than different brands like BARF, Darwins and Nature's Variety. I am going to avoid lamb, chicken and turkey because that could be contributing to Codie's allergies. I'm going to stick to buffalo, venison and rabbit for right now.

From my research, I've learned that it's good to mix some fruit and veggies in with the meat (to blend them in a blender into a really puply mixture and then combine well with the meat). So can some of you raw diet feeders please post some of the meat combos you do and also list some of the raw fruit and veggies you feed your babies?

For example, do you feed buffalo with green beans, peas and strawberries mixed together? Or is that not a good combo? I hope I'm making sense lolol What about rabbit, blueberries and baby carrots? I want to get a bunch of different combos and mixtures together and make a list for myself so that when I start feeding them raw, I'll know exactly what to do.

If you can, please list all of the different meats you use and also the different fruit and veggies.

Also, do any of you feed your dogs supplements? If yes, which ones?

And I guess my only other concern is free feeding. I've been free feeding my babies since I first got them. Can you free feed raw food? Would it make the house smell? Would the meat go bad? I really want to continue free feeding because of Cali. She's so tiny and I hate the thought of leaving her home all day without access to food.

Ok you raw feeders, get postin'!!!

PS - SillyJacki, THANK YOU so much for all of your help.

[Wylie's Mom]

I'm so excited for you! We're on the freeze dried right now, but will start NV's raw end of month.

I can't help w/ most of your questions - but I can say that steamed/pureed green beans are GREAT for their digestive systems, esp. during changes - so that'd be a good one to add.

[JCarlson2004]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

I'm so excited for you! We're on the freeze dried right now, but will start NV's raw end of month.

I can't help w/ most of your questions - but I can say that steamed/pureed green beans are GREAT for their digestive systems, esp. during changes - so that'd be a good one to add.

I have always fed my dogs canned green beans and they LOVE them. Do you think I should switch to natural green beans? Also, would I cook them or feed them raw? I'm still a little confused on all of this lol

[LuvMyPrinceKobi]

I would talk to TWO YTers in particular (not to offend others who are RAW feeders, but in my opinion these two are the most knowledgable). If I were you, I would contact Lara and Abbie's Mom. They both feed RAW, like regular raw meat, not prepackaged like I do , and they are very, very knowledgable on this topic. I'm sure they'll be on your thread in no time at all anyway, but if you search for their posts about RAW, you should find some great info! Good luck and let us know how it goes

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by JCarlson2004

I have always fed my dogs canned green beans and they LOVE them. Do you think I should switch to natural green beans? Also, would I cook them or feed them raw? I'm still a little confused on all of this lol

I do use the canned - it's just so much easier. You can feed them raw - but they should be pulverized; the nice thing about raw veggies is you retain all the nutrients - the down side is that they are more difficult to digest.

So, you can still steam them, then puree - the downside is you lose some nutrients - the upside is the easier digestion. If they're NOW used to cooked, I'd keep them that way as you transition to raw - bc then you'll only be changing one thing at a time.

Lara2913 and MyFairLacy will chime in, I'm sure, about the other advice - they're a wealth of good info!

[JCarlson2004]

Originally Posted by LuvMyPrinceKobi

I would talk to TWO YTers in particular (not to offend others who are RAW feeders, but in my opinion these two are the most knowledgable). If I were you, I would contact Lara and Abbie's Mom. They both feed RAW, like regular raw meat, not prepackaged like I do , and they are very, very knowledgable on this topic. I'm sure they'll be on your thread in no time at all anyway, but if you search for their posts about RAW, you should find some great info! Good luck and let us know how it goes

I've searched but all of the different theads seem a little confusing to me lol When I do go raw, it is going to be a BIG thing for me. I'm really worried and nervous about it. It's a big commitment and a big change for me. I don't know why I am so nervous but I really am.

[LuvMyPrinceKobi]

Originally Posted by JCarlson2004

I've searched but all of the different theads seem a little confusing to me lol When I do go raw, it is going to be a BIG thing for me. I'm really worried and nervous about it. It's a big commitment and a big change for me. I don't know why I am so nervous but I really am.

Yeah, I only do NV, and I was still a nervous wreck!! I could never personally do real RAW, but I know it's probably even better for them.

And trust me, any question you have about it, one of them will answer! And answer well! Just ask away and they will be sure to help you out

[JCarlson2004]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

I do use the canned - it's just so much easier. You can feed them raw - but they should be pulverized; the nice thing about raw veggies is you retain all the nutrients - the down side is that they are more difficult to digest.

So, you can still steam them, then puree - the downside is you lose some nutrients - the upside is the easier digestion. If they're NOW used to cooked, I'd keep them that way as you transition to raw - bc then you'll only be changing one thing at a time.

Lara2913 and MyFairLacy will chime in, I'm sure, about the other advice - they're a wealth of good info!

They eat a lot of different fruits and they LOVE LOVE LOVE raw baby carrots. I usually feed them canned green beans but I would be willing to switch to fresh green beans if it's better for them (although they really love the canned ones).

[JCarlson2004]

Originally Posted by LuvMyPrinceKobi

Yeah, I only do NV, and I was still a nervous wreck!! I could never personally do real RAW, but I know it's probably even better for them.

And trust me, any question you have about it, one of them will answer! And answer well! Just ask away and they will be sure to help you out

THANK YOU for being so positive. I asked a few friends for their advice and they were like ARE YOU CRAZY??!!??!! lolol You can't feed your dogs raw because they can get sick and their teeth will get ruined! lol

[LuvMyPrinceKobi]

Originally Posted by JCarlson2004

THANK YOU for being so positive. I asked a few friends for their advice and they were like ARE YOU CRAZY??!!??!! lolol You can't feed your dogs raw because they can get sick and their teeth will get ruined! lol

Ugh...that's what everyone tell me too, and you know what my exact reply is?? UMMMMM....what do you think dogs in the wild used to/still do eat??? RAW ANIMALS!! That's why it's the "natural" food for dogs.... if they still don't listen, do this and walk away

[JCarlson2004]

Originally Posted by LuvMyPrinceKobi

Ugh...that's what everyone tell me too, and you know what my exact reply is?? UMMMMM....what do you think dogs in the wild used to/still do eat??? RAW ANIMALS!! That's why it's the "natural" food for dogs.... if they still don't listen, do this and walk away

How is your baby's teeth since switching to raw? I brush my trio's teeth every night, so hopefully that will help once we go raw.

[JCarlson2004]

Originally Posted by LuvMyPrinceKobi

Yeah, I only do NV, and I was still a nervous wreck!! I could never personally do real RAW, but I know it's probably even better for them.

And trust me, any question you have about it, one of them will answer! And answer well! Just ask away and they will be sure to help you out

Wow, I didn't realize there was a different in raw. So what is the meat like when you buy it from NV? How different is it from store bought raw meat? Ok now you peaked my curiosity lolol

[lara2913]

Its fantastic that you are thinking about this, I also do it myself rather than pre-made.

Well veggies are not necessary, by necessary I mean that the only things they actually need are raw meaty bones, muscle meat and organ meat.

First of all I am going to mention that from the meats you are choosing to use, for the raw meaty bones go for rabbit ones as bones from both of the other animals (venision and buffalo) will be too dense for them to consume. Stick to one meat at first (for example the rabbit) and once you are sure they are ok (firm stools etc) with that you can introduce the other meats.

Other things are optional, although I do give raw eggs and live yogurt. I very rarely give fruit or veg but if I do have some that needs eating then I will puree it raw and mix it with meat. Ocasionally I give a little bit of chopped up fruit as a treat. Obviously no grapes, raisins or onions. A good thing to remember is that veggies grown below ground are stool firming and those grown above ground are stool loosening. So if you are pureeing a few then its good to have a mix of some from both group.

As long as you give them a variety of different protein sources you don't need to supplement. I do give salmon oil and vitamin e but thats not really dietary, it just seems to give their coats that extra something.

You can't really free feed raw no, because you would not know what different quantities of different foods each of your dogs had eaten. They should be fine being fed on a schedule and you can feed more than twice a day if you like.

Good luck, feel free to ask lots of questions

[JCarlson2004]

Originally Posted by lara2913

Its fantastic that you are thinking about this, I also do it myself rather than pre-made.

Well veggies are not necessary, by necessary I mean that the only things they actually need are raw meaty bones, muscle meat and organ meat.

First of all I am going to mention that from the meats you are choosing to use, for the raw meaty bones go for rabbit ones as bones from both of the other animals (venision and buffalo) will be too dense for them to consume. Stick to one meat at first (for example the rabbit) and once you are sure they are ok (firm stools etc) with that you can introduce the other meats.

Other things are optional, although I do give raw eggs and live yogurt. I very rarely give fruit or veg but if I do have some that needs eating then I will puree it raw and mix it with meat. Ocasionally I give a little bit of chopped up fruit as a treat. Obviously no grapes, raisins or onions. A good thing to remember is that veggies grown below ground are stool firming and those grown above ground are stool loosening. So if you are pureeing a few then its good to have a mix of some from both group.

As long as you give them a variety of different protein sources you don't need to supplement. I do give salmon oil and vitamin e but thats not really dietary, it just seems to give their coats that extra something.

You can't really free feed raw no, because you would not know what different quantities of different foods each of your dogs had eaten. They should be fine being fed on a schedule and you can feed more than twice a day if you like.

Good luck, feel free to ask lots of questions

Wow, thank you!!!

Ok so if you were going to give fruit or veggies, which ones would you choose and why? And I didn't know that about veggies grown below ground or above ground. That was an eye opener, thank you!

Sorry if this is a dumb question but ... but what is live yogurt?

I am definitely going to take you up on the last part of your post about asking lots of questions lolol You'll be hiding from my PM's in no time lol I just really want to make sure I make the switch the right way and give them all of the necessary ingredients and things they need. I'm worried that I will mess it up somehow.

[JCarlson2004]

I forgot to mention one other thing in my post. I have one friend that does raw (for her dogs and 3 cats) and she highly recommended it to me. She gives her dog a little bit of a ground up egg shell for calcium. Is this necessary? What about a calcium supplement (or is the egg shell better)?