We tried raw today!!

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by lauraopi

Did you switch your baby gradually or did you do it cold turkey? And do you use Nature's Variety or you prepare the raw yourself..any additional info you can give me that you think I need to know about this diet would be so appreciated!!

COLD TURKEY. you should NEVER mix raw and kibble. We are going to feed premade.. i know that making your own takes a lot of research.. that i haven't done yet

[lauraopi]

some say to separate it into 2 meals, raw in one and kibble in the other until the transition is made..some say just switch...the vet said transition....its so hard when so many have done it so many ways...i just don't want to see her poor little stomach a mess!!!

[lauraopi]

BTW...there is a really good forum on dogster for people who feed raw that I just found for more info!!

[Tissy]

Originally Posted by lauraopi

BTW...there is a really good forum on dogster for people who feed raw that I just found for more info!!

Is there a link? I am not familiar with dogster but have seen lots of you have links of your pups personal pages there...kinda like myspace for dogs, huh?

[lauraopi]

Yeah, and they talk like they themselves are the dog...not referring to the dog..takes a little getting used to. i just went to dogster.com and made an account. its not as user-friendly as yt but its pretty decent...

[mminichan]

Originally Posted by Tissy

Was this the medallions or the freeze dried? I am getting ready to try it too....let me know how your baby does.

Okay, what is the difference b/w medallions and freeze dried?

[lauraopi]

As far as I know you add water to the freeze dried. It's packaged so that you don't have to keep it frozen or cold. It's supposed to be good for traveling and stuff....

[Tissy]

Also think it was what was recommended to Wylie's mom by her holistic nutritionist to start out with....but not sure why.

[juliamaree]

I didn't know you could buy raw food just for dogs! Our new puppy is currently eating raw chicken and beef because it was the only way we could get her to take her antibotics and now she won't eat any dog food - dry or canned. I am mixing it with cottage cheese, rice, and carrots or yams. Lots of work cutting everything up small enough!

[juliamaree]

Hi,
We just brought home our little girl, Dixie, last month. She developed kennel cough and the only way she would take her meds was if I put it on chopped up chicken or beef. Now she won't eat any dog food - canned or dry. So we are feeding her chopped raw beef, chicken, cottage cheese, and veggies (carrots and yams, which she picks out. Tonight I bought baby food and mixed a little in and she ate the veggies that way. I have been feeding her that combo 3 times a day, she's 5 months and weights maybe 3 pounds (we go to the vet tomorrow). Am I doing the raw diet OK? Any advice or suggestions you have would be really appreciated!
Thanks,
Julia

[lauraopi]

So on Dogster in the raw forum, they said that venison and rabbit might be too rich a protein for Reese. The problem is that I think she is allergic to chicken and wanted to start her on a new protein...and beef is being recalled so that is out...what should I do???

[Tissy]

It is the NV brand. Marcel's nutritionist really likes this brand and has used it on her own dogs. Because of Marcel's post-giardia ibs/ibd, she wanted to see how he did with a "meat" back in his diet (currently eats white fish as his protein) and she felt that starting w/ the freeze dried would be the least aggressive way to start "raw".

She likes venison the best as a meat, then rabbit and buffalo - they are the "cleanest" and the least likely for dogs to be allergic to (whereas chicken is highly allergenic). She is iffy about trying lamb right now, she said that would be 6-12 mths. down the road. Duck can sometimes be okay too.

I'm tellin' ya, they LOVE the freeze dried! So I'm sure they'll be in heaven once we progress to the raw medallions/patties. We'll do that after a month on the freeze dried. Let me know if you try it!

The above was originally posted my Wylie's mom.....may want to message her and see if she can help.

[sillyjacki]

Originally Posted by lauraopi

Did you switch your baby gradually or did you do it cold turkey? And do you use Nature's Variety or you prepare the raw yourself..any additional info you can give me that you think I need to know about this diet would be so appreciated!!

I switched Roxy cold turkey-- they're going to have loose stools or vomit if you do that, but it doesn't last long. Roxy only had slightly loose poop for a week.

We suggest the gradual switch only when a dog is old or has a history of digestive issues.

I use BARF food, which is another brand. We also sold Nature's Variety at the store, and it's good, but it has a bonding agent that is a type of clay (digestible) but since I had a choice, I chose the barf. It only comes in 1/2 lb. patties, so I have to prep them a lot. NV has the medallions, which are quick and easy.

I do know people who prepare raw for their dogs, but it is VERY hard to get a variety like they need. You need to switch up your protein sources often. Each time you buy a bag (since a bag lasts awhile for a yorkie) you should consider feeding a different meat. I started with just chicken for Roxy, but she's had lamb, beef, combo patties (which have many meats), rabbit, buffalo- - you name it! I do know people who supplement the dog's diet with raw veggies and fruits that they have grown, but they use a food processor to chop it all up.

The idea with raw is that you are mimicking what the dog eats in the wild, not exactly matching it. But when they eat veggies, they are usually in the stomachs of their prey, or they're rotten on the ground, so grinding them up is necessary. Also, and I know this may be controversial to some, but we tell our clients that grains are very bad for the dogs- they don't digest them. That is what the volume and smell of the poop comes from. With normal food, the food companies are using brewers yeast and lots of "Meals" like cornmeal. Brewers yeast is left over from beer making- gross stuff to give your dog.

NV makes a grain free dry food too, which is my best suggestion for people who can't handle either the cost or the commitment to raw.

I was worried Roxy would reject it, because she's quite picky... But she loved it! So it's worth a try. Just know that if you do it, you really have to try to keep with it, and no dry food or bad treats!

Speaking of treats- should be dried or freeze dried. Look on the labels. Anything that has a science-y name, added colors, "flavorings", or grains are things we tell our clients to avoid.

It's a good choice- I wouldn't have Roxy on it otherwise- but I have seen firsthand how some of our clients dogs would stop itching, their hair and eyes would clear up, there are even documented cases of conditions that have gotten better with raw, so it's worth looking into.

www.TheDogBowl.com has a lot of info, too.

[sillyjacki]

Originally Posted by mminichan

Okay, what is the difference b/w medallions and freeze dried?

Medallions are raw meat and vegetables that have been pureed, then frozen into little pieces about the size of a filet mignon steak.

Freeze dried medallions are the same size, but are dry, and weigh considerably less. You don't HAVE to add water to them, but you can, depending on your dog's preference (or yours). I took Roxy to Chicago one and took her freeze dried- I just broke off pieces and she ate it like her old kibble, no problem. She had a bowl of water there and got some when she felt like her mouth was drying out.

[sillyjacki]

Originally Posted by lauraopi

So on Dogster in the raw forum, they said that venison and rabbit might be too rich a protein for Reese. The problem is that I think she is allergic to chicken and wanted to start her on a new protein...and beef is being recalled so that is out...what should I do???

I think you should be fine trying the venison or rabbit- I haven't had a problem with a small dog eating it. Since they are only eating between 3-6% of their body weight (more or less depending on your dog), the protein shouldn't be too much.

We've had questions about that before at my store, and I have suggested that, if there is a concern with it, to go every other day with the rabbit and for instance, the beef.

Nature's Variety also makes Lamb, which might be worth a shot. Some DO have adverse allergic reactions to different types of raw protein, so you have to work around it.