Raw Diet

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

I shoulda explained more ! Even though they call them "Bison Back" bones, they're actually rib bones. So, they're a longer and skinnier type bone as compared to, say, femur bones (way too big for my furs). So you don't have to worry at all about vertebrae or anything.

As for cutting suggestions (also, you can cut them at home w/ an electric saw), I like a 4-5in bone for Wylie (8lbs) and a 3-4" size bone for both Marcel and Pfeiffer (approx 4lbs each). Oftentimes, the bones come in 8-10" sizes so they cut down into the right sizes very nicely.

I should add: not all dogs take to raw bones right away...some will look at them and be all "WHAT on earth is this? I am used to processed food, owner!!" -- and then suddenly, they put it together and go crazy over it. And of course like anything else, some dogs may never like them.

I got these ribs a while back on your recommendation. They are the back ribs, not the front ribs, and I think that's what confuses some people. Even the butcher didn't know what I was talking about at first. My two love them, and I keep them in the freezer for special occasions, they are small enough to chew on, and big enough so that they can't possibly chew them up, with just enough meat to make them so delectable. My two say, thank you so much Annie!

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

I got these ribs a while back on your recommendation. They are the back ribs, not the front ribs, and I think that's what confuses some people. Even the butcher didn't know what I was talking about at first. My two love them, and I keep them in the freezer for special occasions, they are small enough to chew on, and big enough so that they can't possibly chew them up, with just enough meat to make them so delectable. My two say, thank you so much Annie!

Ah! Now I finally understand the why behind calling them Bison Back bones...since they're actually Bison Back-Rib bones.

Tell your furkiddos they are so very welcome ! And give them kisses for me!

[rilysmom]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

I got these ribs a while back on your recommendation. They are the back ribs, not the front ribs, and I think that's what confuses some people. Even the butcher didn't know what I was talking about at first. My two love them, and I keep them in the freezer for special occasions, they are small enough to chew on, and big enough so that they can't possibly chew them up, with just enough meat to make them so delectable. My two say, thank you so much Annie!

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Ah! Now I finally understand the why behind calling them Bison Back bones...since they're actually Bison Back-Rib bones.

Tell your furkiddos they are so very welcome ! And give them kisses for me!

I'm going to look for these bones. My pups will be so excited! Thanks for the info.

[pookybear]

Yesterday was Pooky's first raw day and he did exceptionally well, no runs. But he is still a garbage disposal, as another 3 month old mom posted in another thread. Perfect description of Pooky. Maybe in a week he'll slow down or maybe he won't because he's teething and curious.

I fed him at least the 10% of his body weight yesterday and am wondering if those of you that do feed raw just let them graze and eat as much as they wanted or did you give them an average % or at what point did you say your puppy is getting enough or not enough, did it vary from day to day or week to week?

Example: if your puppy gained a pound in a week would you say that's normal or going to cause him problems down the road from over feeding? My gut would say that's a problem.

[dottiesyrky]

So many questions so little time! Hope you get the answers you need and expect.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by pookybear

Yesterday was Pooky's first raw day and he did exceptionally well, no runs. But he is still a garbage disposal, as another 3 month old mom posted in another thread. Perfect description of Pooky. Maybe in a week he'll slow down or maybe he won't because he's teething and curious.

I fed him at least the 10% of his body weight yesterday and am wondering if those of you that do feed raw just let them graze and eat as much as they wanted or did you give them an average % or at what point did you say your puppy is getting enough or not enough, did it vary from day to day or week to week?

Example: if your puppy gained a pound in a week would you say that's normal or going to cause him problems down the road from over feeding? My gut would say that's a problem.

I feed based upon body condition, not weight. When you feel their body, their ribs should not be prominent. They body should have a certain 'curve' to it, from the rib area down to the waist/hips.

Yes, a puppy could gain a pound in a week and it can be normal for that pup. Some weeks, they may gain very little, some weeks they gain more. It's not something that's the same for all puppies. So no, it's not a problem if they gain a pound in a week. Over feeding right now is NOT going to cause any probs down the road unless he is overweight right now and continues to be. Puppies are almost never truly overweight. It is fine and can be beneficial if your puppy carries a little extra (just like human babies do). Given your various descriptions of him, he does not sound overweight at all.

I'm attaching body condition pictures so you'll know how to judge a body by feel, rather than by a number (which can mean very little since yorkies can have different builds).

[pookybear]

Right, I'm aware of the body composition. My question is with what frequency, daily or weekly did you adjust their feeding amounts?

[sugarmamma]

Originally Posted by pookybear

Right, I'm aware of the body composition. My question is with what frequency, daily or weekly did you adjust their feeding amounts?

Don't you just let a puppy eat until they are full? I regulate my adult dogs but my puppy was allowed to eat all she wanted. Sugar is 3.75 pounds and curri is somewhere between 3.5 and 4 pounds.

[pookybear]

Originally Posted by sugarmamma

Don't you just let a puppy eat until they are full? I regulate my adult dogs but my puppy was allowed to eat all she wanted. Sugar is 3.75 pounds and curri is somewhere between 3.5 and 4 pounds.

Thank you for your comment. Pooky has been grazing his serving size and some, took him all day to finish. But the raw can't be left out all day, I'm dividing it throughout the day. You have to have a certain amount of fresh on hand and the rest goes into the freezer or refrigerator to keep it fresh.

[sugarmamma]

Originally Posted by pookybear

Thank you for your comment. Pooky has been grazing his serving size and some, took him all day to finish. But the raw can't be left out all day, I'm dividing it throughout the day. You have to have a certain amount of fresh on hand and the rest goes into the freezer or refrigerator to keep it fresh.

I home cook for my dogs so they don't have food sitting out all day either. We have scheduled meal times with a treat or 2 such as fresh mango or coconut during the day. I tried veggies but they aren't really a fan of a string bean as a treat

[Teresiana]

Originally Posted by pookybear

Yesterday was Pooky's first raw day and he did exceptionally well, no runs. But he is still a garbage disposal, as another 3 month old mom posted in another thread. Perfect description of Pooky. Maybe in a week he'll slow down or maybe he won't because he's teething and curious.

I fed him at least the 10% of his body weight yesterday and am wondering if those of you that do feed raw just let them graze and eat as much as they wanted or did you give them an average % or at what point did you say your puppy is getting enough or not enough, did it vary from day to day or week to week?

Example: if your puppy gained a pound in a week would you say that's normal or going to cause him problems down the road from over feeding? My gut would say that's a problem.

I have a feeling that this is going to be one of my longer threads...so please bear with me.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be of help here. But I'll try I feed a pre-made raw that I order from a company named Darwin's. (Natural, Raw Dog Food, Grain-free Dog Food - from Darwin's Pet). I make myself crazy over how I feed my pups & I was scared to death to transition them to raw. So I decided to go with a premade to 1-make my life easier & 2-give myself peace of mind. So I don't actually measure & figure out the percentages by myself. I totally cheat

Regarding grazing vs scheduled feeding: I definitely don't let them graze when I give them raw. I'm just afraid that bacteria will start to form on the food if I leave it out too long. When they were younger, I fed them small portions 3-4 times a day. They never want to eat too much in one sitting. Now at 1 year, I still feed 3 times a day. Although, one meal may consist of only a Raw Meaty Bone.

I do feed them more than the Darwin's packaging suggests I feed. My poor puppies seemed to be starving with the amount I was feeding them It took me a few weeks to figure out the correct portion to give them. And I think I must have blown up Darwin's 800# in the process too. Thankfully, they have really good customer service. The Darwin's people told me that small breed dogs typically need a higher percentage of food vs. body weight than larger breeds (as in more towards the 4% rather than the 2%). So that made me feel better about giving them more food. Plus, mine were puppies when I started them on raw, so they were eating waaay more than 4% of their total body weight.

I was really concerned about overfeeding too. But I didn't weigh them. I just kept a close eye on their body structure to make sure they weren't getting too round & that I could feel their ribs. So I can't say that I even know how much weight they were gaining per week. I do know that both of my pups don't gain weight at the same rate. Plus, they were puppies at the time & were growing really quickly. So I'm not sure if that would have been a good way for me to monitor the amount of food in their diet.

I'd say that it took me about 2-3 weeks to really figure out a feeding program/schedule that worked for them. I based most of that on their behavior/reaction toward the food. I basically let them eat how much they wanted. Thankfully, they didn't gain too much weight & they seemed to figure it out on their own. I did bring them into my vet for a check up/bloodwork about 2 weeks after going 100% raw, and again at 1 month. Like I said, I'm a little anal (okay, a lot anal) when it comes to their diet. These little pups eat waaay better than I do.

At my girl's first "raw" vet visit, my vet noticed a high percentage of protein in my her urine. I'd have to look up the exact name of the protein that was showing up - I don't remember off the top of my head. She's a mill rescue & has a long history of health issues, so I was freaking out about kidney problems. Her levels weren't like that prior to going raw. So before I started a battery of expensive tests, I decided to change her diet. I gave her less Darwin's & started incorporating freeze-dried & air-dried raw into her diet. I also gave her more fresh veggies. At her next vet visit, 2 weeks later, she was back to normal & has been ever since. So I don't feed her 100% raw anymore. In fact, I give her raw a good quick sear...so she's more of a "medium raw girl" these days.

My pups are no longer technically puppies. When I started noticing leftovers on their plates, I started feeding them less. I also started incorporating Raw Meaty Bones & tripe into their diet. It's all worked out okay for us. I suppose I just sort of followed their lead. I used to think my little girl was a piggy because she was eating so much! But she never got "fat". So I'm assuming that her body was telling her how much food she did & didn't need. Although, I'm not sure if that's the norm. That's just how it worked out in my experience. My Lab will eat all day if I let him. His 100 lb American Field body proves it

Anyway, sorry the post was so long. Hope it helps a little.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by pookybear

Thank you for your comment. Pooky has been grazing his serving size and some, took him all day to finish. But the raw can't be left out all day, I'm dividing it throughout the day. You have to have a certain amount of fresh on hand and the rest goes into the freezer or refrigerator to keep it fresh.

That's another reason why puppies should be on a dry puppy food so they can have access to it all day.

[pookybear]

Originally Posted by Teresiana

I have a feeling that this is going to be one of my longer threads...so please bear with me.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be of help here. But I'll try I feed a pre-made raw that I order from a company named Darwin's. (Natural, Raw Dog Food, Grain-free Dog Food - from Darwin's Pet). I make myself crazy over how I feed my pups & I was scared to death to transition them to raw. So I decided to go with a premade to 1-make my life easier & 2-give myself peace of mind. So I don't actually measure & figure out the percentages by myself. I totally cheat

Regarding grazing vs scheduled feeding: I definitely don't let them graze when I give them raw. I'm just afraid that bacteria will start to form on the food if I leave it out too long. When they were younger, I fed them small portions 3-4 times a day. They never want to eat too much in one sitting. Now at 1 year, I still feed 3 times a day. Although, one meal may consist of only a Raw Meaty Bone.

I do feed them more than the Darwin's packaging suggests I feed. My poor puppies seemed to be starving with the amount I was feeding them It took me a few weeks to figure out the correct portion to give them. And I think I must have blown up Darwin's 800# in the process too. Thankfully, they have really good customer service. The Darwin's people told me that small breed dogs typically need a higher percentage of food vs. body weight than larger breeds (as in more towards the 4% rather than the 2%). So that made me feel better about giving them more food. Plus, mine were puppies when I started them on raw, so they were eating waaay more than 4% of their total body weight.

I was really concerned about overfeeding too. But I didn't weigh them. I just kept a close eye on their body structure to make sure they weren't getting too round & that I could feel their ribs. So I can't say that I even know how much weight they were gaining per week. I do know that both of my pups don't gain weight at the same rate. Plus, they were puppies at the time & were growing really quickly. So I'm not sure if that would have been a good way for me to monitor the amount of food in their diet.

I'd say that it took me about 2-3 weeks to really figure out a feeding program/schedule that worked for them. I based most of that on their behavior/reaction toward the food. I basically let them eat how much they wanted. Thankfully, they didn't gain too much weight & they seemed to figure it out on their own. I did bring them into my vet for a check up/bloodwork about 2 weeks after going 100% raw, and again at 1 month. Like I said, I'm a little anal (okay, a lot anal) when it comes to their diet. These little pups eat waaay better than I do.

At my girl's first "raw" vet visit, my vet noticed a high percentage of protein in my her urine. I'd have to look up the exact name of the protein that was showing up - I don't remember off the top of my head. She's a mill rescue & has a long history of health issues, so I was freaking out about kidney problems. Her levels weren't like that prior to going raw. So before I started a battery of expensive tests, I decided to change her diet. I gave her less Darwin's & started incorporating freeze-dried & air-dried raw into her diet. I also gave her more fresh veggies. At her next vet visit, 2 weeks later, she was back to normal & has been ever since. So I don't feed her 100% raw anymore. In fact, I give her raw a good quick sear...so she's more of a "medium raw girl" these days.

My pups are no longer technically puppies. When I started noticing leftovers on their plates, I started feeding them less. I also started incorporating Raw Meaty Bones & tripe into their diet. It's all worked out okay for us. I suppose I just sort of followed their lead. I used to think my little girl was a piggy because she was eating so much! But she never got "fat". So I'm assuming that her body was telling her how much food she did & didn't need. Although, I'm not sure if that's the norm. That's just how it worked out in my experience. My Lab will eat all day if I let him. His 100 lb American Field body proves it

Anyway, sorry the post was so long. Hope it helps a little.

Very sweet and insightful, thank you. I guess anal is nicer word than obession these days.

Would you recommend a fresh "veggie/fruit cocktail" cube to balance the protein? I think that's a good idea.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

BLACK BEARS IN FOOD CITY!?? He was totally shoplifting, there can be no doubt. I wonder what section he was in. I bet he wanted honey, or even better, twinkies.

I get the Bison back bones at Whole Foods...you can find them either in their pet food freezer, or in their regular meat section. They come in sections that are too long for my kiddos - so I have the butcher cut the bones either in half or in thirds (in thirds for the really long ones). So since I get them cut, I end up w/ a whole bunch of yorkie-sized raw bones for a really nice price. I like the bison bones bc they're a nice circumference for both carrying around in their mouths, and for scraping. They have bits of lean raw meat on them, but not too much, just enough.

Whole Foods you say? My whole foods is slowly expanding their pet section. And I do mean s-l-o-w-l-y. I visit weekly and haven't seen very much change. I'll look into bison bones. I'm sure they're much better than something like Greenies.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by shellbeme

Do any of you feed pre-made raw like stella and chewy's? Any thoughts on it?

Kaji was eating Stella and Chewys. He loves it! I couldn't get past the ick factor or the raw patties. (Due to my OCD tendencies, I just can't do it and allow for Kaji to kiss me or sleep with me) So we tried the dehydrated patties. Kaji still loved them. A few things I noticed:
-teeny poops! Less mess
-Kaji burps A LOT more than he use to
-he also drank way more water.
-Kaji also has a tendency to scarf his food down (the quicker the better) which means he was choking on it. (Totally kaji's fault FYI. I made the pieces small but he would take 2 at a time. He's a VERY greedy eater)

In the end, I don't think it's right for us. I think highly of it, but am afraid to leave him alone for a second while he's eating.