First time feeding raw!!!

[nomenlnudum]

I've spent countless hours in front of my computer researching various sites on feeding a raw diet and have decided that this was the route to go. I have a 1 year old and a 9 year old yorkie. Gumby (the 9 year old) has horrible teeth, i got him when i was 12 and wasn't as aware of their predisposition to bad teeth. So with Mimzy I don't want to make the same mistake. I heard feeding raw will help with that and also the many other benefits that entails with a raw diet. I've heard chicken was the choice meat i should start with, but neither dogs will touch the chicken breast I sliced up for them. i tried the next available meat which was beef bone, Mimzy loved the beef but had a hard time pulling the meat off the bone so i had to cut it up for her. And the bone was too big for her to chew on and i ended up throwing it away. I went to the pet store that carried both Primal and Nature's Variety but they didnt have any of the sample pack available only the big bags of quail and turkey/salmon. So i ended up walking out empty handed. I didnt want to risk spending $40 for something my picky little eaters might refuse. So my question is should i go for the premade in hopes of both of them eating all the different meats and start with the chicken, if so which brand? Or should I keep trying the prey model diet? I have a cornish hen defrosting in the refrigerator right now. And do i supplement and I would like some tips on adding organs to their diet gradually. They were previously eating evo small bites. Gumby is still on evo small bites as he doesnt seem to enticed by the raw meat.

[Maximo]

Your questions indicate that you have not begun to do enough research to safely attempt raw feeding, especially not the prey model. I strongly recommend that you do not go that route.

Has your older dog with the bad teeth had dental work done to help him with his problems?

[myteddybear]

I'm no pro for sure but I can tell you what we are doing. Just starting out since this past Friday. My little one 1 1/2 years old has been staying with a friend since Feb who had her on crap food so I was eager to get her home and get her eating as healthy as I could. I spent hour after hour on the computer reading everything I could. A lot of the info does seem to come from people with larger dogs and a lot of it in conflicting as to what people say is good or not. I decided in the end that we would go premade to start off. This would get her on the healthiest food possible, get her tummy used to raw and give me more time to research until I felt more comfortable doing it on my own. I am adding to that RMB (raw meaty bones) for her teeth but going at it slowly since it makes me nervous. She loved the premade mix right away and dug in to the few bones I have given like she has always known what to do. When I first gave her a rib she wasn't completely interested so I rubbed a tiny bit of coconut oil on it and gave it before her premade mix and she went right to town.

In my opinion raw is the best thing you can do for your babies just make sure you are comfortable with doing it the healthiest way possible. If you aren't too comfortable yet start with something you know is balanced and work into it slowly.

I can't really give any direction on what premades are good for you as we are in the UK and get different ones here.

Good luck and don't give up!

[myteddybear]

If you go over to dogster.com there is a raw section with tons of info. This is a very informative thread and the third post down has lots of good info. There is also a good Yahoo raw group. I haven't been there just because the yahoo groups...well lets just say my brain doesn't seem to do well with how they are set up. LOL I need to go and check it out though, it is recommended everywhere I go.

[nomenlnudum]

I have spent everyday at least an hour if not more for the past month researching raw feeding. Mimzy the younger of the two officially started her diet of chicken neck and a few tiny meat chunks today. She loved it!! Im so happy she was eager to scarf it down, but she's a chewer so no worries on her swallowing whole pieces. Im just eagerly waiting for her poo lol. I've heard they have a transition period of a week or two. I decided cold turkey PMR diet is the way to go. Though her poo this morning from the beef last night was a small solid one lol. Poo always makes me laugh. i have the sense of humor of a 10 year old boy. Gumby has had many teeth extractions and work done on his gums he has only a few teeth left and doesn't seem to go for the raw meat, so unfortunately for the time being he'll be the one eating the bag of Evo red small bites =/. He doesn't seem to have problems doing so at this point and the few teeth he has left are good. I was thinking of purchasing the premade foods but the petstore who carried the nature variety raw medallions took it off the shelves after their last recall she said if they cant get it right she doesnt trust them being that they're handling raw food. So maybe investing in a grinder is the route to go. Thank you for your concern. I love these sites. People show just as much concern for all pets.

[nomenlnudum]

Thnks another great site i stumbled unto upon researching is www.dogfoodchat.com/forums they also have a section on raw feeding if you want to learn a bit more, cause if your like me I cant stop researching til i have every bit of info i can find...which can be infinite. Plus its set up really well. I came on this site because it deals with specifically yorkies, all the dogs on that site have feedings that weigh as much as my little one =/.

[myteddybear]

Ahhhh, seriously?! I just noticed that great thread I found over on dogster I forgot to put the link for! LOL Now I'll have to go back and find it...

[gracielove]

It is not an easy task to make a raw diet yourself and do it right. Raw is a good way to feed but you have to have a lot of knowledge about dog nutrition. Of course then you have to know how much of what to feed your size of dog. I feed Stella & Chewy's along with Brothers Complete. Many traditional dog foods contain at least one or more forms of glucose and that does cause terrible problems with teeth as well as obesity. Unless you have a professional to help you put together an eating plan for your dogs I would research raw dog food companies and pick one that has the qualities you are looking for. It takes time to read all the information that is out there and make an informed decision.