Thinking of going RAW?? - Page 2 - YorkieTalk.com Forums

Sweetlips6 · 11-09-2009, 01:34 PM

I feed NV raw and I break it up in 8-10 pieces per medallion. Only because Bonnie will swallow a medallion whole in 2 seconds flat

It takes a little longer to eat is when it is chopped up. (she can still eat and beat me back to the kitchen) I feed in a small glass pyrex ramiken.

The NV med. I purchase cost about $15 for 48 medallions. I don't feed kibble, and one bag lasts me about 2 weeks. I feed 2 in am. and 2 in pm. I love it when they send bogo free coupons

SO if I don't have a coupon, it costs about $1 a day, yes worth it.

ALso, I do not heat up in any way, as that can cook the meat and defeat the purpose of feeding "raw". I think the website of bag says not to heat up. I do, however, take out about 3 days worth at a time and put in a container in my veggie bin (in fridge). I do like to chop it up and let it set out a few minutes. Back in the heat of the summer, i served them icy a few times- did not matter one bit to Bonnie. But she has never been picky.

PrincessDiana · 11-09-2009, 02:36 PM

I like tjdmom, feed PMR. I haven't read through all of the replies but I'll go ahead and throw in my two cents. We love raw! I found that with two larger Yorkies (9 and 11 lbs) and a 7lb Chihuahua, pre-made was going to be WAY TOO EXPENSIVE. I think when I calculated it out it was going to cost us about $80-$90 a month, versus the $50 or so we were paying for kibble. When we first switched to PMR it was quite expensive because we weren't sure what we were doing. However, I now shop the sales and we found a co-op that orders in bulk. I just placed a $60 order (43 lbs of food) that should last us at least 2 months. I'm SO excited!

As for what to feed, we feed: chicken drumsticks, thighs, wings, livers, gizzards, ground chicken, ground beef, beef heart, beef kidney, pig feet, ground turkey, pork necks.. etc. Pretty much anything we can find for cheap!

If you have any more questions please feel free to PM me. When I started PMR I felt so lost. I would be more than happy to help you get started.

Sweet Apple · 11-10-2009, 05:58 AM

Apple loves raw!!! We feed Nature's Variety medallions...One a.m. and one p.m...(She weighed 5 lbs. 1 ounce last week)..she has a few steamed organic green beans or sliced apple for snacks, in between, although, if we've been for a longer than usual walk, and it's cold, I may serve a few green beans or carrots w/her medallion...She's a wonderful weight, nice shiny hair, sweet breath, and doesn't have doggy odor lol...I also have to cut the tiny one ounce medallion in about 8 little pieces or Apple will try to swallow it whole!!! They must taste amazing, however, I haven't tried one

Maddie23 · 11-10-2009, 09:29 AM

What "flavor" NV medallions do your babies like? I was giving Maddie the lamb mixed with her kibble (am checking into doing that as another poster advised), but I couldn't stand the smell of the lamb. I purchased the chicken "flavor" and broke it in several pieces as suggested. Maddie went over to it, sniffed it and looked at me like, what the heck are you trying to do, poison me??????? She would look at the dish, circle around it, look at me, back at her dish and then finally just walked away as if to say, forget it, I'd rather not eat!! I didn't have any of the lamb thawed out, so I am going to try that tonight.

milomlo · 11-10-2009, 12:55 PM

OK I have a quick question. I was just told on another thread that I should watch trying to feed my dogs grain free food because of the breeds health issues (live shunts etc.) and that a grain free food is higher in protein. So if I went raw wouldn't that be higher in protein than a grain free food?

Sorry I am confused, but maybe I just misunderstood the other post. I am just now considering raw, so I know nothing about it. How much do you feed? I am currently a free feeder. My dogs eat when they want. I fill their bowls up every other day or so.

milomlo · 11-10-2009, 01:04 PM

Also do you guys feed bones? I was always told never to give a dog real bones (especially chicken) cause they can splinter and kill the dog.

Sweetlips6 · 11-10-2009, 02:28 PM

Hi Tracy,
I too was raised to "never give a dog chicken bones" for that very reason.
I but it should be "never give a dog COOKED chicken bones. After they are cooked they will splinter and cause trouble. RAW bones are ok. There is a whole thread on here telling about the hows and whys. Very interesting reading.

ALso, if a dog already has health issues you may have to go a different route, but if your dog is healthy I think raw is ok.
There are some experts on raw feeding here I hope they will jump in and give a better explaination. But in the mean time try to find the raw feeding thread.

milomlo · 11-10-2009, 02:40 PM

Ok thanks. My dogs don't have "health issues". Cody just has skin allergies. He gets real itchy and licks his feet, he even get ear infections due to skin allergies.

Sweetlips6 · 11-10-2009, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milomlo

Ok thanks. My dogs don't have "health issues". Cody just has skin allergies. He gets real itchy and licks his feet, he even get ear infections due to skin allergies.

Bonnie also is itchy and had a skin rash almost from the day I got her.
The breeder sent home some high grain food that is rated a 17 (i think) on the food sticky here

Apparently lots of dogs have allergies to grain and raw is helpful for that.
I changed Bonnie to NV raw medallions and I have noticed that she is barely scratching and her rash is so much better.

Reading on here, I think licking feet and itchy ears has something to do with having a yeast overgrowth problem. Look for threads on yeast too.
I am telling you this is the most informative site for our babies.

PrincessDiana · 11-10-2009, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milomlo

OK I have a quick question. I was just told on another thread that I should watch trying to feed my dogs grain free food because of the breeds health issues (live shunts etc.) and that a grain free food is higher in protein. So if I went raw wouldn't that be higher in protein than a grain free food?

Sorry I am confused, but maybe I just misunderstood the other post. I am just now considering raw, so I know nothing about it. How much do you feed? I am currently a free feeder. My dogs eat when they want. I fill their bowls up every other day or so.

Unless your dog has an pre-existing condition (like a liver shunt), the higher protein is absolutely fine. As far as how much to feed, it depends on what type of raw you feed. Pre-made raw comes in little medallions with a feeding guide. For instance, Franklin is 11lbs so he needs about 4oz. a day, which is 4 medallions. That would then be split up into two in the morning, two at night or however you want to do it. We personally feed prey-model raw which means we buy essentially the meat, raw meaty bones, and organs from the grocery store and balance it on our own. Raw bones are a lot more soft and easy to chew and the dogs looovvvee them!

tjdmom · 11-10-2009, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milomlo

OK I have a quick question. I was just told on another thread that I should watch trying to feed my dogs grain free food because of the breeds health issues (live shunts etc.) and that a grain free food is higher in protein. So if I went raw wouldn't that be higher in protein than a grain free food?

Sorry I am confused, but maybe I just misunderstood the other post. I am just now considering raw, so I know nothing about it. How much do you feed? I am currently a free feeder. My dogs eat when they want. I fill their bowls up every other day or so.

Depends on the meat but just because it's meat does not mean its all protein. There is fat, water, bone etc. And it's the most easily digested form of food for your dog. I don't free feed. I feed once in the am and once in the evening. No need to worry about the food sitting as it doesn't sit long! Of course, your babies might resist that at first....

Quote:

Originally Posted by milomlo

Also do you guys feed bones? I was always told never to give a dog real bones (especially chicken) cause they can splinter and kill the dog.

Yes, as long as the bones are uncooked they are very pliable and my dogs chew them right up. Mostly chicken bones as I find most other bones are too dense. Although I have found rabbit and other poultry to be fine as well. I will let them work on pork bones but these smaller pups like yorkies can't make much of a dent in those...

11-09-2009, 02:36 PM	#17
PrincessDiana I ♥ Franklin & Maggie Donating Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 2,068	I like tjdmom, feed PMR. I haven't read through all of the replies but I'll go ahead and throw in my two cents. We love raw! I found that with two larger Yorkies (9 and 11 lbs) and a 7lb Chihuahua, pre-made was going to be WAY TOO EXPENSIVE. I think when I calculated it out it was going to cost us about $80-$90 a month, versus the $50 or so we were paying for kibble. When we first switched to PMR it was quite expensive because we weren't sure what we were doing. However, I now shop the sales and we found a co-op that orders in bulk. I just placed a $60 order (43 lbs of food) that should last us at least 2 months. I'm SO excited! As for what to feed, we feed: chicken drumsticks, thighs, wings, livers, gizzards, ground chicken, ground beef, beef heart, beef kidney, pig feet, ground turkey, pork necks.. etc. Pretty much anything we can find for cheap! If you have any more questions please feel free to PM me. When I started PMR I felt so lost. I would be more than happy to help you get started. __________________ Diana , Mommy to Franklin, Maggie, Oliver, and Millie - RIP Piper

11-10-2009, 12:55 PM	#20
milomlo YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Houston Posts: 395	OK I have a quick question. I was just told on another thread that I should watch trying to feed my dogs grain free food because of the breeds health issues (live shunts etc.) and that a grain free food is higher in protein. So if I went raw wouldn't that be higher in protein than a grain free food? Sorry I am confused, but maybe I just misunderstood the other post. I am just now considering raw, so I know nothing about it. How much do you feed? I am currently a free feeder. My dogs eat when they want. I fill their bowls up every other day or so. __________________ Cody Izzy Tracy

11-10-2009, 01:04 PM	#21
milomlo YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Houston Posts: 395	Also do you guys feed bones? I was always told never to give a dog real bones (especially chicken) cause they can splinter and kill the dog. __________________ Cody Izzy Tracy

11-10-2009, 02:28 PM	#22
Sweetlips6 YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Taft, TN, US Posts: 603	Hi Tracy, I too was raised to "never give a dog chicken bones" for that very reason. I but it should be "never give a dog COOKED chicken bones. After they are cooked they will splinter and cause trouble. RAW bones are ok. There is a whole thread on here telling about the hows and whys. Very interesting reading. ALso, if a dog already has health issues you may have to go a different route, but if your dog is healthy I think raw is ok. There are some experts on raw feeding here I hope they will jump in and give a better explaination. But in the mean time try to find the raw feeding thread. Last edited by Sweetlips6; 11-10-2009 at 02:29 PM.

11-10-2009, 02:40 PM	#23
milomlo YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Houston Posts: 395	Ok thanks. My dogs don't have "health issues". Cody just has skin allergies. He gets real itchy and licks his feet, he even get ear infections due to skin allergies. __________________ Cody Izzy Tracy

11-09-2009, 01:34 PM	#16
Sweetlips6 YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Taft, TN, US Posts: 603	I feed NV raw and I break it up in 8-10 pieces per medallion. Only because Bonnie will swallow a medallion whole in 2 seconds flat It takes a little longer to eat is when it is chopped up. (she can still eat and beat me back to the kitchen) I feed in a small glass pyrex ramiken. The NV med. I purchase cost about $15 for 48 medallions. I don't feed kibble, and one bag lasts me about 2 weeks. I feed 2 in am. and 2 in pm. I love it when they send bogo free coupons SO if I don't have a coupon, it costs about $1 a day, yes worth it. ALso, I do not heat up in any way, as that can cook the meat and defeat the purpose of feeding "raw". I think the website of bag says not to heat up. I do, however, take out about 3 days worth at a time and put in a container in my veggie bin (in fridge). I do like to chop it up and let it set out a few minutes. Back in the heat of the summer, i served them icy a few times- did not matter one bit to Bonnie. But she has never been picky.

11-10-2009, 05:58 AM	#18
Sweet Apple Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, Texas USA Posts: 2,473	Apple loves raw!!! We feed Nature's Variety medallions...One a.m. and one p.m...(She weighed 5 lbs. 1 ounce last week)..she has a few steamed organic green beans or sliced apple for snacks, in between, although, if we've been for a longer than usual walk, and it's cold, I may serve a few green beans or carrots w/her medallion...She's a wonderful weight, nice shiny hair, sweet breath, and doesn't have doggy odor lol...I also have to cut the tiny one ounce medallion in about 8 little pieces or Apple will try to swallow it whole!!! They must taste amazing, however, I haven't tried one

11-10-2009, 09:29 AM	#19
Maddie23 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 154	What "flavor" NV medallions do your babies like? I was giving Maddie the lamb mixed with her kibble (am checking into doing that as another poster advised), but I couldn't stand the smell of the lamb. I purchased the chicken "flavor" and broke it in several pieces as suggested. Maddie went over to it, sniffed it and looked at me like, what the heck are you trying to do, poison me??????? She would look at the dish, circle around it, look at me, back at her dish and then finally just walked away as if to say, forget it, I'd rather not eat!! I didn't have any of the lamb thawed out, so I am going to try that tonight.