Has anybody has tried raw diet with their yorkies
 

My friend has a malamutt/lab cross and she is feeding him raw ground beef. Her boyfriend said that is the best diet. Any comments?

raw diet
 

I have read a lot about the raw diet and all the information is positive especially for those with allergies. I have even found vets who swear by it!! But there is a lot more to it than just raw beef - you do need veggies and other stuff and bones. Yes bones!! As long as bones are NOT cooked they are fine and actually GREAT for their teeth - you won't have any plaque problems. The only problem I have with going raw is I worry about us humans with the potential for problems with cross contamination - especially with yorkies because of the long hair and getting it in there and then spreading it around especially since I have kids. I would suggest calling around to vets you are likely to find many who still say it's a bad idea but when you find the ones that love it you will hear some amazing stories!! Also do a search on line and you can find all kinds of information!!!! :D

Natural Balance now makes a frozen raw food diet that comes in little cubes that you thaw out and feed once a day. I t takes all the guess works out of feeding the raw food as well as the prep and danger of food poisoing if handled correctly of course. They carry it at the bigger PetSarts.

My vet, Stephen Blake, actually developed the recipe! :thumbup:

Kim, that;s good info...as everyone knows I am a huge Natural Balance advocate. I think their food is great. I would even think of feeding Chewy the food you spoke of.

I know a couple of people who do raw and they are very happy. Apparently it is very good and the bones in chicken are not bad for them if they are raw.

I've been feeding Pixie a completely raw diet for the past two weeks now and will continue to do so for the rest of her life!! (She's about 6 months now). I was feeding Royal Canin but she was starting to itch... I did a lot of research and when it comes down to it, it just makes sense to me. It's what they were meant to eat! Commercially processed dog foods weren't made until the 1920s (I think). Up until then, all dogs were fed a raw diet! I feel a lot better knowing that there isn't any "junk" going into my dog. There's no corn fillers or chemical additives or "by-products" or anything else that my dog doesn't need.

I'm using Nature's Variety and Nature's Menu. She's getting three different "flavors" (Beef, Lamb and Venison) just for some variety. I know they make chicken and turkey, which I'll probably try in the future. :) The Nature's Variety comes in little 1 oz medallions (Pixie is getting three or four a day). I just put a day or two's ration in a tupperware container and thaw them in the refrigerator. I'm really careful about the whole bacteria thing (wash/disinfect everything) and surprisingly, Pixie doesn't get any of it on her. I'll break the cubes up into little pieces and she'll grab one chunk at a time, I think I make more of a mess than she does!

Like smmrpm said, there's a bit more to it than just ground beef (they need organ meat, bones, some veggies). I like using the pre-packaged raw diets because it already has correct amounts of everything they need. Just do your research. There's plenty of books/websites on the subject....

raw diet
 

I am glad to hear from someone who actually does use a raw diet - I am going to look more into the brand you use, I had also heard and read about Aunt Jeni's homemade Raw food also preprepared - but not in easy to handle medallions!!! I currently have two pregnant babies and I think I will wait to try it out though - I don't want to throw them a curve ball at this stage of the game - due next week. What have you heard about weaning puppies to raw right away? :)

I didn't really wean Pixie off the dry and over to the raw. I just switched one day. She didn't get the runs, she didn't turn her nose up at it, I had no negative effects at all.... So far all I've seen are good things! No more doggie breath (you could always tell when she just had eaten her dry food), her coat seems to be growing in faster, no more itchies, and I swear her eyes are tearing less too but I can't really say for sure.
Check out the website on Nature's Variety, they had feeding guidelines & calculators on there. Adult dogs get anywhere from 2-4% of their body weight each day, and I think puppies are up to 10% (depending upon age and activity level).
One 3 lb bag of the medallions will last me about 2 and half weeks. They also sell 6 lb bags of patties, I think those are 8 oz each. I buy it from my local health food store and it costs about $10-$12 for the 3 lbs (depending on what "flavor" you get. The lamb and venison are more expensive than the beef). It is a bit more expensive than the dry kibble, but I'd rather pay the extra and know it's better for her.
Pixie is about 2.5 lbs (give or take a few ounces) and I'll give her either three or four of the medallions a day (split up into two or three feedings), depending on how busy/active she was. The nice thing is since she doesn't need to eat as much (because there's no longer useless fillers), there isn't as much waste either! And when she does go, it's very small and firm. :)

I don't want to keep rambling and make a long(er) post ...... If you want more info or website/book references, send me a PM and I can tell you what I've found.

I am thinking of switching to a raw diet, or homemade food diet. :) It seems that a few people do this now, but they buy it from the store. I wonder if you make your own food, if it is a good idea to still give some dry dog food of some kind for plaque...or just so they would till eat it as a 'back-up' food (for instance you can't bring raw meet on camping trips and things of that nature). I would love to hear from anyone that makes their dog's food, home made... :thumbup:

Here is a website that I might use as a reference...
the meats
http://www.pet-grub.com/part2/
the veggies
http://www.pet-grub.com/part2/scene3.pets

I feed a BARF diet to my Yorkie, and Ive been doing so since last July, because of her allergies.

I just feed a variety... but avoid really thick bones (IE: chicken legs, beef ribs) as Ive heard it can break their teeth. I feed: raw eggs once a week, raw chicken thighs/wings/necks/backs, whatever beef is on sale and doesnt have bones, marrow bones twice a month, sometimes ground chicken or beef, organ meat once a week (liver, hearts, kidneys,etc), the occasional fruit/veggie. I have yet to feed any fish because, well I hate fish LOL, but Im sure I will eventually. I also give salmon oil.

Because alot of the food I feed has to be knawed on and chewed, she has a special rug she lays on in the chicken. In the warmer months, she eats outside.

On her Bday last year she got a very nice New york Steak :D