What is raw diet?
 

Can someone explain to me??? How does it work? Thanks!!

it is feeding your baby raw meat. You can either buy it prepared (which beginings like myself do!) or you can feed it off the bone... which can get complicated and it is best to do your research before you dot his.. you need to have the right percent of bone, organs and meat. It is thought by some to be the best you can feed your pup because it is what their bodies are meant to eat. Layla will bes tarting on pre made raw diet next weekend!

Where can I buy it prepared? Feed it off the bone? Do you mean as off from human food?

yes off the bone is like going out and buying a raw chicken wing.. but again you should really do reaseach on the before starting... buy a few books.. there are mnay on here who can help you start if that is the way you want to go.

pre made can be bought either oneline (Nature's Variety is what i feed.. or WILL be feeding... there are other brands too...) or you can go to a speciality health food dog store... where they only sell the best dog food.. they tend to have a freezer where you can buy prepackaged raw food.. Layla's come in small medallions that i will defrost the night before and give to her the next day.

Okay, thanks for your input!! So, why did you decide to start raw diet on your furbaby? What books do you recommend?? Thanks!!

right now i homecook for Layla and honestly thought that was THE best, but after reading on here about raw, and going online and looking it up (search BARF for dogs) i realized that this is THE best, and while i am not ready to just hand Layla a bone, i do want to start somewhere, and i think pre made is best for us right now. I have yet to buy a book JUST on raw feeding, but i have Dr. Pitcairn's book on Natural Dog and Cat care where he talks about raw. This is a great book even if you want to home cook.. LOTS of info!!! if you want more suggestions on books, PM MyFairLacy she feeds raw, but not premade and knows A LOT more than i do!

It has been discussed quite alot on here recently, http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97225

I feed RAW, but not premade. This is the way I do it. Remember that there are NO hard and fast rules when it comes to raw its all about learning and catering to your dog/s needs.

The diet consists of muscle meat, raw meaty bones and offal. Then there are the extras that they don't really need but that you may or may not decide to include.

The muscle meat can be minced/ground meat, breast meat, diced meat, heart (yes it is muscle not organ) basically any meat without bone.

The RMB's are basically any edible bone covered in meat, beef bones are not usually considered rmb's because they are too hard for most dogs to consume. Some examples are chicken wings, necks (not a good idea for dogs that eat too quickly), thighs, legs etc. Lamb ribs, chops, necks. Turkey necks and whole (or halved etc) rabbits. Whole raw fish are also considered an RMB but not all dogs can handle them.

The offal is organ meat such as liver and kidney.

This is all they need :yeahthat:

Then there are extras that some people feed and others don't such as live yogurt, raw eggs, tinned fish and pureed fruit and veg. I personally feed them all but in moderation (like perhaps a little bit of each 1-2 times a week). The raw fruit and veg should ideally be pureed for them to get the best out of it and remember no grapes or onions.

Some people give a cocktail of supplements and others give none. I only give salmon oil and vitamin e.

Remember that the more you can vary the different foods she eats the wider variety of different vitamins and nutrients she will get. The raw feeders that give heaps of supplements are usually those who for one reason or another cannot feed very many different things. If you get it right and vary it lots then they get everything they need from a RAW diet.

Meat should ideally be frozen for 48 hours or more before defrosting and feeding as this completely kills the neosporum caninum.

Here are some good links that you can read through when you have some time,

http://www.rawmeatybones.com/diet/exp-diet-guide.pdf

http://www.rawdogranch.com/

http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm

http://www.naturalpetcare.co.uk/nutrition/dogdiet.htm

http://www.holisticvet.co.uk/nutrition.htm

http://www.rawlearning.com/

http://rawfeddogs.net/

http://www.rawmeatybones.com/

http://rawfed.com/myths/

There are also alot of great books about raw out there, a couple that I think are great are 'Switching to Raw by Sue Johnson' and 'Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats' by Kymythy Schulze. Tom Lonsdale (australian vet) has also written a couple of great books.

I know it sounds very confusing at the moment but once you start it will get so much easier. You will do doubt see the massive benefits too. Good luck with you decision and if you do decide to go with raw then feel free to ask me as many questions as you like.

Premade raw is a good alternative for those people who for one reason or another don't feel that they can quite handle RAW :)

Commercial food vs Raw Diets
 

Many of the commercial dog food companies would have us believe that they actually use human grade meat in the production of their food, when in fact the sources of this "meat" are not even fit for animal consumption.

In some areas of North America this list can also include euthanized companion animals from clinics and shelters, roadkill, zoo animals, livestock which die from disease or disability.

The "meat" is purchased from a rendering plant which also receives material from slaughterhouses such as hair, feathers, hooves and any part of the mammal which is condemned for human consumtion. This list includes tumorous growths, contaminated blood and any carcass containing high levels of drugs or pesticides.

This material is then cooked. Grease rises to the top and is removed. This is the source of animal fat in most foods. The moisture is then removed from the mixture and it is now "meat and bone meal".

The list of questionable ingredients goes on. For an in-depth lesson in commercial dog food ingredients I recommend reading "Food Pets Die For" by Ann N. Martin.

Simply put...the list of ingredients found in most of today's dog foods are lacking the necessary "live" nutrients which are required to restore or maintain good health.
What is a Natural Raw Diet ? The Natural Raw Diet is based on a canine's nutritional requirements. A wolf in the wild would eat the stomach contents of his kill first, providing him with enzymes, grains and vegetables. He would then proceed to eat the meat as well as some of the bones, providing him with protein and calcium.

What a natural, raw diet does is "feed" the immune system with FRESH, RAW, WHOLE foods. This provides the body with all the necessary ingredients for optimum performance.

The diet takes very little time to prepare and is fed once a day. It consists of a mixture of raw, juiced veggies, raw ground turkey and softened oats.

There is no substitute for preparing a fresh, raw diet daily for your dog. Frozen, prepared diets, natural or not will not contain the same vitamins and healing properties that the freshly juiced veggies will.

A natural nutrition program for your animal can benefit many situations such as skin and coat disorders, arthritis, allergies, weight problems, immune deficiencies and so much more.

Does anyone have a link for the premade raw food?

i LOVE when you come on these posts.. you are SO knowledgable on this stuff.. thanks so much for helping us BOTH out :)

No problem, glad to be a help :)