rack of lamb for the doggies LOL seems like such a shame that it isn't eaten by me instead

Haha, I think that alot :rolleyes: :D

....I wouldn't think so...??

Well they all had chicken now and they were STARVING or acted like they were and they want MORE.
Goose would be good also then? We have a few in the freezer from the boys hunting.I would think rabbit bones woudl be too small and skinny?

Goose would be fine, rabbit bones are also fine.

I guess I am just being timid with the bones,Just dont see how they consume them and digest with no problems? And of course poop them out.
Now what about the icky mouths afterwards?Ya just have to wipe faces I guess.
I let my biggest ones (3 of them and it took them about 30 min to figure it out and consume them) have the bones and will have to wait till tomorrow for the smaller ones to try it with the bones

I just read this whole thread...all of this sounds so interesting, I'm intrigued to try this also....I have a couple of ?'s....

Are any of you who are doing the RAW just feeding organic meat or not necessarily?....

I've seen the mention of vit.e & salmon oil, is the source of the oil a personal preference or is one better than another...how about flaxseed oil instead?

Why freezing of the meat, is it to kill off organisms?

This RAW diet seems different than the home cooking way, I've looked briefly at the home cooking diet and that one seems to combine all the food groups like we would eat, veg., dairy, and meat ...where this diet seems to focus mainly on protein, I was a little surprised by that....

I will be looking at all the links posted in this thread...Thanks for all the great info on this subject....

Hi, glad your doing your research before jumping in. :) the salmon oil is preferred over flaxseed oil because its coming from an animal not a plant, and seeing as dogs are carnivores they can process the salmon oil better then the flaxseed oil, i believe. The vit e is to aid in this process. Lara knows what it does exactly. i forgot lol

The freezing of the meat is to kill most of the bacteria and its the easiest way to store the meat for long periods of time. these little guys don't each much and if you find a bargin you'll want to stock up.

In homecooking i guess they use all different things because cooking the food takes nutrients out of the food. You also have to add lots of supplements to the food to make sure they are getting everything they need. With the RAW diet you don't have to do any of that. Everything they need is suppled in a variety of different meats. No need to supplement, tho most do give coat supplements and some give joint supplements if their dogs need it (like mine). In the wild a dogs diet is mostly meat so that's why everything is all protein focused. the veggies and fruits and yogurt are more for our own piece of mind i believe.

Any NV freeze dried feeder out there? How does it work?? Do I feed the same amount as the frozen kind? Thanks!!

you can use the feed guide on the NV site to figure it out.

http://www.naturesvariety.com/ifc.la...C82BjvU239213F

Haha, yea. I was just using that and figure it out a min ago! Silly me:p

All of the links given in this thread are very good. How long have you guys been feeding raw then?

Thanks Kalina!...we have a store here that sells ostrich meat, this good protein?....

If you can find it, and can afford it - great. Most people feed what they would feed their families, or maybe bargain shop.Preference. Flaxseed is from a plant. Omega 3s from fish=better.Yes. Some folks don't bother with freezing; but I do - just in case :). Your dog has enzymes in his/her mouth that kills most bacteria that would make us ill - ie: salmonella. We are not equipped with such, and therefore should not go licking raw chicken legs that are safe for our pets to consume.Cooking kills all the nutritive value of food. Even WE could benefit by eating more raw veggies, actually. But, why the surprise? Dogs are not people - they belong to the wolf family, and therefore do not need - nor can they properly digest -dairy and veggies/fruits.

I'm in my fifth year.

Your dog is marvellously designed to digest the RAW bone - much moreso than the commercial kibble. If they crunch/crush the bone and don't swallow it whole - no prob coming out.

"Icky mouth" - wash face w/soap & water :). But, you'll notice his breathe does NOT smell after the commercial stuff gets out of his system.

if its cheap, go for it. I would think that the rarer proteins like ostrich would be more money tho. I stick with the common proteins like chicken, turkey, lamb, beef, and venison right now. as a treat maybe i'll pick up something weird like emu but its not necessary. I think that since morgan is young and can tolerate everything i've given her so far is best to feed the common things while i can. If somewhere down the road she becomes allergic to something i'll always have the rare proteins to fall back on which she has never had before, which she's less likely to be allergic too.

*raises hand*

ummmm, morgan's mouth still stinks. i thought it would be from a baby tooth that was still in there but i had that removed. she's been on raw long enough i thought the stinky breath would go away but it didn't. what gives?

hhmmmm....<scratches head>... me not know. Isn't she still on some premade? What's in that - carbs, veggies, grains? All I know is that everyone I've talked/chatted with, whose dogs are on a "sure nuff RAW" ;) diet, and no other dental issues, has had the same results: no stinky breathe. Might she have another retained tooth?

she better not have another damn retained tooth! LOL she had baby teeth pulled at her spay at 6 months and then in august of this year she had a dental done to remove the last retained tooth that didn't fall out, PLUS an 'freebie tooth' that happened to be in there.

she does still eat premade food, but others here also eat premade and lost the doggie breath. i don't get it. her teeth are pearly white. i think the fish oil had something to do with it tho. i stopped giving it to her a few days ago and its not as bad but she still stinks. LOL

I know the "fishy smell" *aaiiyyyeeee*! But, that's diff from actual doggie icky breathe that makes one gag. I dunno. I'm stumped.

I don't think Lacy's breath smells good but it's not aweful either. It's like constant morning breath I guess...unless I have just brushed her teeth.

I feed some organic meat, but not all. Depends, really the same as I would buy for myself. I also have a raw feeding supplier who gets me things that I wouldn't usually be able to find at butchers such as green tripe, turkeys necks etc.

I prefer salmon oil/fish body oil because flax is from a vegetable source, it can make some dogs itchy as they have trouble converting converting the ALA into DHA/EPA.

Freezing for 48 hours or more kills off any neosporum caninum that may be present. Its incredibly rare though.

It is different to homecooking yeah, RAW really focuses on what they would eat in a natural setting, what their bodies find easiest to digest and what food brings them the nutrients they need without supplementation.

I understand how you feel but honestly its easier for them to digest raw meaty bones than it is for them to digest kibble. Their bodies were made to digest rmb's, they crunch them up, swallow them and then their bodies produce the correct enzymes to turn them into a power like substance, the dogs body then takes what it needs from them and the result is a poop :)

My 3's breath actually smells nice, seriously. To the point where sometimes if they yawn I will actually lean over to smell their breath :p

Well we are going shopping to day for some more food for these guys and some salmon oil or more anyways ,one of my boys is on it for his joints (it really helps)
WE are having venison for beakfast.:)

Yes. :thumbup: When I mention that we're chatting about RAW on the board, my daughter's care assistant reminds me: "Don't forget the no-stinky-breathe!" She does not mind their *kisses*. And I look forward to them. Abigail delights in catching me napping and covering my mouth with little kissies. Neither do I freak out when she gives my daughter *kisses* WE are jealous :) :p

Aww....so cute, Lara!! I mean both of you and your furkids! ;)

Chloe's breathe doesn't stink too (probably bcoz I..I mean my bf..I need to give daddy some chore to do! :p brush her teeth every night). When Chloe licks me..I actually don't mind...she gives me her Yorkies' kisses and I give her mine! :D My bf thinks I am little nut coz I am making out with a dog! LOL!

Now I can't wait for her teeth to looks even better and breate smells even better being on RAW!

So, You guys probably think I am little nut! I was actually looking forward to see Chloe's poop since yestersday! LOL...Just wanna to see if she will have loose stool or not...So, princess Chloe finally poop this morning and I notice her poop are not loose! YEAH! But the color is really bright and is very wet. I could tell there is a difference b/w RAW poop and Kibble poop. Kibble poop is much darker color and more dry? Do you guys think the more bright color and more wet poop is a better, healthier sign? :confused:

There is a LOT of difference b/w RAW and kibble poop. One of the benefits of feeding a species appropriate diet is that the poop will dry and become powdery (if left for very long); whereas, kibble poop is not biodegradable, and stays around foreeeeeeeever. RAW poop is less than kibble poop, because the dog actually uses more of the food that goes into his system - therefore, less waste! Texture/color depends on what was on the menu for the day. What goes in comes out about the same way. Too much bone = dry, white poo. Too much innards = wet soft stool. Be careful about liver portions. Too much = cannon butt :eek: . The correct ratio of meat/bone/organs will result in firm (not hard), moist (not too wet) stools.