Originally Posted by Michmill (Post 2132858)

The feeding is going great. He has no problems. Except I gave him cheek meat and at first he didnt like it. I think I was feeding him to much becasue he gained a pound in a week and feels like he is full of bricks when I picked him up and I cant even feel his ribs any more. So I have cut down on food. I may give him a drumlett and a gizard in the morning and a hunk of beef heart and a small chunk of liver in the eveining. He knows when its feeding time. I keep the portions in little bags in the freezer and put them in hot water in the sink for a second to thaw. He runs around the kitchen like "hurry up I'm hungry". Its so cute to watch him latley, He hasnt act like this since he was about 6 months old and its so cool.

Originally Posted by CupofDog (Post 2133175)

I am with my family - and my 14 1/2 year old Maltese who suffers from hotspots, lethargy and blindness and I helped my parents transition him to a raw diet - he is already more active then he has been in years! :D

I can't wait to see what more time brings - he is going through some detox, but the benefits so far outweigh any side effects and I have the holistic vet on standby should anything come up - but so far its been awesome!

Originally Posted by RawfedYorkieLuv (Post 2133239)

:bravo:

Originally Posted by CupofDog (Post 2133355)

Thank you! He is toothless, so we are using grinds, but already he just seems healthier!

I also advised my parents to run titers rather then re-vaccinate at his late age. Its too much for an already delicate system. I did notice his ears smelling yeasty tonight - detox for sure, so we are adding a probiotic.

Formerly silent, he hadn't eaten (he was on IAMS :eek::(:eek:) for almost a week when I offered him some of my dogs raw diet - it was amazing, he was so into it straight away!

Originally Posted by RawfedYorkieLuv (Post 2133375)

AWWWW, poor toothless baby! Bless his little heart!

I don't vaccinate my own dogs beyond what they already had when they came to me (my senior wasn't so lucky in that respect) and even the several rounds of puppy shots could have fatal results so I hear you there. It is against direct FDA regulations to vaccinate ill animals. Even skin conditions count as illness! A 14 year old dog has acquired whatever immunity he needs!

Originally Posted by CupofDog (Post 2133414)

I TOTALLY AGREE!! My parents keep saying, 'he needs the lyme vaccination because there are so many ticks where we live' and I try and explain that he has had 13 of those shots already - they should be thanking God he is still alive!!

He is so cute, still! His little tongue pokes out and tonight he licked his bowl of raw food clean! I hope the hotspots start clearing up soon...Its sad to see...

Originally Posted by omega (Post 2109658)

There really aren't any beef bones that are suitable for eating -especially for small dogs. A lot of the beef bones are weight bearing and are very dense and many times have cracked/broken teeth. Someone tell me if you know of beef bones that won't cause damage.

Normally at the morning meal I give meat and organs or eggs, etc... The evening meal is when I give the meaty bones. I have given some large rib bones to the little ones and they eat the meat off and chew on the bone a bit and then I take it away. They love the pork riblets. too - the bone is much smaller on those.

I guess for us, beef heart and chicken are fed the most often. Then pork and turkey and game hen and ground lamb with the bone. Sometimes the brisket bones. I have also bought a picnic ham - not cured - and they love that. I watch to see what is cheap - on sale or mark downs. I have bought steak for then on occasion when it was on sale. I also feed canned salmon. No, it's not raw, but it does have the bones in it. I can't afford fresh salmon for 5 dogs, but they LOVE the canned. You could also try other kinds of fish, too.

You will just have to experiment and see what works best for your guy. Remember that it is mostly meat and then organs and bone.

I can get tripe through a group I belong to here but I never have. First because it is very expensive and second, I have an extremely sensitive nose and I think I would literally throw up!! :rolleyes: It is supposed to be very good for our pups and a lot of people love to feed it, but others have fed raw for years and never touched tripe.

When I got my Dane, I was advised to let him go hungry till he ate and I wish I had listened to my own instincts. He went 5 days without eating. :( He was underweight when I got him and he lost more. I know every dog and every situation is different so you have to do what is best for YOU and YOUR dog! :) If he needs to eat ground for bit - what is that going to hurt? It is WAY better than going back to dry food.

Now if you have had a dog on raw for awhile and he stops eating just to be fussy - if there are no other health issues going on - then the plan of action may be different.

I hope things go well. Keep us up to date!
</IMG></IMG></IMG></IMG>

Originally Posted by RawfedYorkieLuv (Post 1946366)

Dogs should be trained to eat at their spot and NOT be allowed to drag around their food all over the house. Some people feed in the backyard but the following is what I do; I purchased an Xpen (petco). I place an old king size sheet (double up) on the floor in a designated area, in my case; the Arizona room (covered patio) and arrange the Xpen around that sheet. I put each baby inside the pen and hand them each their food and wash my hands (you can wear latex gloves). My dogs are pros now and won't leave anything behind but whatever is left after about 2 hours (they want to take breaks in between) I toss out. I baby wipe each baby's muzzle and feet, put away the Xpen and toss the sheet in my washing machine (no fabric softener) so it can be ready for next feeding. Done. I made my own natural, non toxic disinfectant/cleaner for countertops and such. Part white vinegar and water, little hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice.
I have a 7 year old and the dogs lick him and us all the time, we're still alive! LOL ;)
In these pictures I have used pee pee pads as floor protectant but this didn't work too well as the food got stuck to it, lol. The exposure is also not the best. Taken with my cell phone...

</IMG>

Originally Posted by Cinq1964 (Post 2136693)

Can you tell me exactly how to make your non toxic disinfectant/cleaner?:animal36

Originally Posted by RawfedYorkieLuv (Post 2137417)

White Vinegar; 1/3 of a cup
Hydrogen Peroxide; 1/2 of a cup
Lemon Juice; 1 cup
32 ounce spray bottle
Distilled water

Hydrogen peroxide loses it's effectiveness quickly so I'd recommend to use a light blocking color for the spray bottle like amber or blue in color. If you can't find that anywhere you could also use an old spray cleaner bottle that has been rinsed well like "Tile-EX" for example.
First you measure out and pour into the spray bottle your first 3 ingredients then fill up the bottle with distilled water. Put the sprayer back on and shake. Done! ;)

Hydrogen Peroxide IS a natural bleaching agent so I'd be careful on what surfaces you're using it on. My own countertops are white laminate, old and dingy anyways but it hasn't damaged them in any way. Natural stones like granite and marble should not be cleaned with vinegar or lemon and have heard conflicting info on granite and hydrogen peroxide. I also use this spray on my floors for spot cleaning and to clean up after my dogs eating area. (I have vinyl, some carpet and real wood floors, although they were installed factory pre-finished already) For mopping I use liquid castile soap with a little vinegar mixed in the water. For pee accidents on floors I made a mixture of distilled water, Hydrogen Peroxide and coconut oil which does seem to keep the dogs from coming back and re-soiling the spot.
However, the spray bottle formula is safe to use for disinfecting cutting boards! Vinegar, baking soda, lemon, hydrogen peroxide also make great non-toxic bathroom and fixtures cleaners!

P.S. Of course dogs don't come in direct contact with many surfaces in our home but they're always hanging around me and I was concerned about fumes from commercial products. My senior always sneezed and left the area when I used those. Not anymore since I'm making my own, natural products. The dogs are not bothered by the vinegar smell at all and the smell actually subsides quickly.







</IMG></IMG>

Originally Posted by lulababy (Post 2137705)

quick question. can tiny dogs eat this? im talking 1 pound and 3 poounds. the 3 pound one would probably stick at it, but the small on has a hard time eatting anything not chooped up into finely grained bits :confused:

Originally Posted by RawfedYorkieLuv (Post 2137828)

I love your question because I happen to have a tiny girl!!! I have a 10 pounder and a 5 1/2 pounder but the one in my avatar (Mahli) was already 7 months old or so in that picture and hasn't grown much since. She's now 9 months old and weighs a smidge over 1 1/2 pounds. She's just as much carnivore as the others, has sharp little teeth and eagerly chomps on anything I toss to her. BUT as she is so small, she's just not that strong and tires faster than the others, too. I pound on her meaty bones with my meat tenderizer to make it easier on her or give chicken wings. She also loves to "steal" the things that my other dogs have pre-chewed. It works out that way for us because my pack gets along well and does not fight over food. But since I am very much concerned with her food intake and possible low blood sugar episodes, I substitute her meals with grinds that I prepare myself. I don't like NV because I find that the bone content is too high plus veggies and other junk. (none the less it's a great starter raw food!) That way I know exactly how much she had to eat while also maintaining the positives that come with whole prey consuming!;)

Here's my little treasure, just for fun!:p




</IMG></IMG></IMG>

Originally Posted by RawfedYorkieLuv (Post 1946366)

Dogs should be trained to eat at their spot and NOT be allowed to drag around their food all over the house. Some people feed in the backyard but the following is what I do; I purchased an Xpen (petco). I place an old king size sheet (double up) on the floor in a designated area, in my case; the Arizona room (covered patio) and arrange the Xpen around that sheet. I put each baby inside the pen and hand them each their food and wash my hands (you can wear latex gloves). My dogs are pros now and won't leave anything behind but whatever is left after about 2 hours (they want to take breaks in between) I toss out. I baby wipe each baby's muzzle and feet, put away the Xpen and toss the sheet in my washing machine (no fabric softener) so it can be ready for next feeding. Done. I made my own natural, non toxic disinfectant/cleaner for countertops and such. Part white vinegar and water, little hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice.
I have a 7 year old and the dogs lick him and us all the time, we're still alive! LOL ;)
In these pictures I have used pee pee pads as floor protectant but this didn't work too well as the food got stuck to it, lol. The exposure is also not the best. Taken with my cell phone...

</IMG>

Originally Posted by pea496 (Post 2158110)

Would you share your recipe for disinfectant/cleaner. I use a store-bought cleaner after doing Conner's food on the countertop, but I would love to make my own.

Originally Posted by Cinq1964 (Post 2160198)

Nolee has been on raw for almost a month now. I read some about the detox stage. Well, his poops are black, soft and slimy. Is this normal? (Uck! sorry so graphic).

Originally Posted by CupofDog (Post 2160812)

Detoxification is normal and can often result in loose, mucousy stool as you described. Consider adding a high quality probiotic (I like Pet Flora or the human grade probiotics/acidophilous by Solgar).

Another thing to try is adding an enzyme supplement like ProZyme which will aid Nolee's digestive system in absorbing the nutrition and in effect, solidify the stools a bit.

Are you feeding premade raw or prey model? On premade raw, some brands give my dogs firmer stools then others.

This may just be the detox Nolee needs to go through in order to reap the full benefits of raw feeding, but you can try those supplements (google any of them and they are easy to find) to help make her more comfortable and help her digestive tract gain strength!

Originally Posted by AngelWorks (Post 2217936)

Okay, now that Milo has a little bro, Remi, who has taken to raw with no troubs........

He does have some behavior modification we are working on.

What are the best traing treats for PMR?:confused:

Originally Posted by TLC (Post 2218053)

I would get a bag of the freeze dried premade - you can cut them up into tiny pieces and use for training...OR....I use Reeses Peanut Butter Chips (from the baking isles) for rewards for pooping (and not eating poop) gross I know, but this is something I have been battling for 3.5 yrs now - and now that they get a little peanut butter chip as a reward, they actually come to tell me they have pooped, b/c they want that chip :D They only get about 5 chips a day :cool:

Originally Posted by CupofDog (Post 2227074)

After almost a year of feeding premade raw diets, I had been researching prey model for some time and I finally got the guts to go for it!

I gave my two furkids Primal chicken backs and so far its working out great! My Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (11 lbs) was too funny, at first he was licking the chicken back gingerly, unsure of what to do with it, while my teeny Yorkie mix dug right in, her inner carnivore came right out and she tore the chicken back apart!

Its been 3 days and stools have been a little loose, so I have been giving them some canned pumpkin and it fixed things right up!

I also got fresh green tripe, smells gross, but they loved the chewy texture!

Tonight I gave them chicken necks and they went over great as well!

Do I need to continue to buy meat parts from Primal or can I get regular meat from the grocer/butcher? Is there any special way I need to clean or prepare meat parts purchased from a butcher?

Thanks for the help!

Originally Posted by omega (Post 2227113)

Go for the "regular" meat!! It's probably much cheaper, too. The green tripe sounds like a winner. Just a word of caution with the chicken necks... there is the possibility of them getting stuck in the throats of our little guys because the shape and size are so similar. I wouldn't even feed them if you are giving backs, too. More meat may be in order as you progress. :)

I don't do anything special with the meat we get. Just watch out for cuts with sharp bone - those parts that have been sawed. If you can get beef heart - that is a great meal! That is considered muscle and not organ meat.

Isn't it fun watching them eat???

Originally Posted by RawfedYorkieLuv (Post 2159292)

I sent you a PM!

Originally Posted by CupofDog (Post 2227125)

Thanks for the advice! Its sooo much fun watching them eat! I have been enjoying their mealtime as much or more then watching Animal Planet!

So, can I just buy whole chickens and turkeys (along with beef hearts) and give them chunks or pieces as meals? What other meats do you buy? Chicken breasts on the bone? List options please!! :p

The green tripe is from the natural dog food store and they also sell beef hearts, but I will see if I can get the hearts from a butcher instead. I am sure thats cheaper.

I am so excited. Both dogs are loving this and my favorite part (besides their health, of course) is that after eating, the dogs are exhausted! Got to love anything that tires my monsters out!