Raw Diet - Info Needed

[lara2913]

Originally Posted by kalina82

She also gets a joint supplement and fish oil (which i hate giving because it makes her beard smell... any suggestions on that lara? LOL)

Haha yes use the salmon oil capsules and just get her to eat them, as in swallow them whole, that way it won't go on her beard

[lara2913]

Originally Posted by 011011

This is great info,how much does it cost to to go raw?Meaning is it alot more than feeding good dry food?
I would be worried about the bones ,I am assuming everyone is when they first start.
I take it either raw or dry you cannot do both?

Well cost wise it depends on where you get their food from, pre-made is obviously a set price and it probably is more than a premium kibble. However if you do it yourself then it can be cost effective if you can get a good supplier or a deal going with your butcher. Another raw feeder that I know gets almost all of his dogs food free because his butcher will provide him with offcuts of meat and the parts of whole carcasses that humans don't buy for free, in return he buys all of his own meat from that butcher as opposed to other stores. However, he has a very large dog. Fortunatly feeding yorkies is not that expensive as well, they don't eat much. Some people do feed both kibble and raw, but personally I don't see the point and would rather keep kibble as far away as possible from my dogs.

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by lara2913

Haha yes use the salmon oil capsules and just get her to eat them, as in swallow them whole, that way it won't go on her beard

ah ha! she always smells fishy and i hate it to the point where i don't want to give it to her anymore. i'll have to get capsules and vit e capsules. do they come small enough so that she won't choke on them?

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by 011011

This is great info,how much does it cost to to go raw?Meaning is it alot more than feeding good dry food?
I would be worried about the bones ,I am assuming everyone is when they first start.
I take it either raw or dry you cannot do both?

i have one yorkie and she is 4lbs. so she gets 2 1/2 to 3 oz a day. I just went to the store and bought one 3lb bag of AFS beef nuggets and two bags of NV (i have a 2 for 1 coupon so only paid for one bag of the venison). All together it cost $20. three bags will last at least 2 - 3 months.

[lara2913]

Originally Posted by kalina82

ah ha! she always smells fishy and i hate it to the point where i don't want to give it to her anymore. i'll have to get capsules and vit e capsules. do they come small enough so that she won't choke on them?

I think they come in different sizes, but yeah the ones I buy are quite small and i've never had a problem with them. Ben and Malachi will simply eat them like a treat no problem but Indy is fussier so with her I just drop it right to the back of her throat and hold her mouth shut, she swallows it within a couple of seconds.

[JCarlson2004]

Originally Posted by lara2913

Great links from abbie'smom there, the recipe section in the raw feeding one is my absolute favourite raw link ever lol. I love it.

Heres a few more,

http://www.rawmeatybones.com/
http://www.rawdogranch.com/
http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm
http://www.raw4dogs.com/calculate.htm
http://www.holisticvet.co.uk/nutrition.htm

Awesome links, especially the first one. I saved all of these (as well as the ones form Abbie's Mom) and printed out a bunch of info too.

[JCarlson2004]

That calculator is amazing!! It was such a big help!! THANK YOU LARA!!

[JCarlson2004]

Anyone ever use Raw Advantage or Northweat Naturals??? I was going to buy Nature's Variety but it has eggs in it and I'm trying to avoid giving Codie chicken for right now.

[abbie's mom]

Originally Posted by JCarlson2004

Wow, these links are AWESOME!! Thank you!!!

You are most WELCOME!

I have Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar and I always put a little bit in their water to keep their teeth pearly white. Love that stuff.

IF you stick to a prey model, RMB (RAW Meaty Bone) diet, you won't need the Bragg's.

[JCarlson2004]

Ok so I used that calculator to determine how much food my munchkins should get a day and here are my results:

CODIE (8 lbs)
0.2 pounds (3.2 ounces) to 0.24 pounds (3.84 ounces) PER DAY TOTAL
0.1 pounds (1.5 ounces) to 0.12 pounds (2 ounces) PER ONE MEAL

TIA (5 lbs)
0.13 pounds (2 ounces) to 0.15 pounds (2.4 ounces) PER DAY TOTAL
0.065 pounds (1 ounce) to 0.075 pounds (1.2 ounces) PER ONE MEAL

I am not going to measure Cali's food because she is TOO SKINNY and we've been trying to help her gain weight she we got her. I am going to let her eat as much as she wants and just PRAY that she gains some weight. She's all skin and bones.

So for Codie and Tia, does that sound about right??

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by JCarlson2004

Ok so I used that calculator to determine how much food my munchkins should get a day and here are my results:

CODIE (8 lbs)
0.2 pounds (3.2 ounces) to 0.24 pounds (3.84 ounces) PER DAY TOTAL
0.1 pounds (1.5 ounces) to 0.12 pounds (2 ounces) PER ONE MEAL

TIA (5 lbs)
0.13 pounds (2 ounces) to 0.15 pounds (2.4 ounces) PER DAY TOTAL
0.065 pounds (1 ounce) to 0.075 pounds (1.2 ounces) PER ONE MEAL

I am not going to measure Cali's food because she is TOO SKINNY and we've been trying to help her gain weight she we got her. I am going to let her eat as much as she wants and just PRAY that she gains some weight. She's all skin and bones.

So for Codie and Tia, does that sound about right??

i used that calculator to determine Morgan's food intake. I measured for 3% because morgan is skinny and hyper it says she should be eating 2.02oz per day which is less then what i'm actually feeding her now. i don't know if i trust that calculator, but maybe its different if you are feeding prey-model raw.

mainly you pick a starting amount and go from there. if you want more weight on them feed more, if you want them to lose weight feed less.

[abbie's mom]

This is just me; but there are others who share my view: I wouldn't worry too much about exact amounts. I think you'll find your pets will do one of two things. Either -
- eat like there's no tomorrow, or
- look at you like you've surely lost what good sense God tried to give you .

If they eat like they're starving, it's probably because they have been. NO REFLECTION ON YOU! It's just that there is very little real nutrition in commercial dog stuff; so, when they get real food, they might seem to gorge at first. I am of the opinion this will even out, as the body gets what it's lacking, and they learn that there will more where this came from. Eventually, they regulate themselves. When they over-eat on commercial, I think it's because they're just trying to get enough nutrition; and subsequently get too much of the other junk, too - making them sick. JMO

If they won't eat at all - it's because they don't recognize this as 'food'. Patience, Persistence and hard love is key here. Don't give in to the temptation to go back to kibble, because it's comfortable. A healthy dog will not starve him/herself. They will eat when they're hungry. Now, if they miss two meals and get shaky, of course offer honey, karo syrup, or nutrical.

I won't be at all surprised to hear that Miss Cali is scarfing it down like a lumberjack .

[lara2913]

Completly agree Ada, I have never weighed food and always simply fed to condition and it works out well for us.

[shenue]

Laura2913, You mentioned that you feed your guys raw eggs. There is a sticky post that says raw eggs are dangerous. Now I'm really confused. lol

[lara2913]

Originally Posted by shenue

Laura2913, You mentioned that you feed your guys raw eggs. There is a sticky post that says raw eggs are dangerous. Now I'm really confused. lol

The reason people say they are dangerous is because raw egg white deprives a dogs body of biotin. However raw egg yolk is absolutely stuffed with it and this replaces what the white takes (and more). So basically feeding only egg whites would be dangerous, but feeding a whole raw egg is very good for them.