labradorlover
Champion
Posts:53
 | | 09/22/2007 2:25 AM |
| | Is there anyone who is feeding their pets raw food diets? What success have you had with them and do you have any recipes you could share? Also, what kind of supplements are you giving your pets along with the diet?
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DPFrank
Best of Breed
Posts:386
| | 09/22/2007 7:21 AM |
| | Lab
My dobie pup is on Primal chic and turkey raw. At this point we are still mixing the organic kibble(Timberwolf) until he becomes an adult. I was adding Structure, for growth, but stopprd it at 5 months) and added enzymes for digestion. I also add either cottage cheese, yogurt reconstituted beets,carrots (I rotate each meal. as well, I use Hokamix (supplement) salmon oil ( omega 3) and apple vinegar. Sounds like alot, but it ony takes a few minutes to prepare. Primal comes in a balogny like tube frozen. Make sure you only thaw out what you are going to use in a couple days, then thaw out another portion.My pups coat shines at midnight and his muscle mass is amazing! | | | |
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kittums2GSheps2
Champion
Posts:90
| | 01/04/2008 10:02 PM |
| | After our 5 yr old G shepherd died of cancer. I started to read everything I could on feeding dogs a better diet. i came across the grain diet. That didn't work. Then I came across the BARF Diet. That means bones (raw meaty bones) and raw foods. Dogs are meant to eat a lot of meat and bones. I feed my dogs a lot of raw chicken. i feed them a little raw beef. My dogs get a varied diet of raw ground vegetables (in Blender) . You can use frozen vegs. I give them raw chicken liver,hearts and gizzards. Also a little beef heart,liver. I have cooked stews for them I have cooked oatmeal, brown rice and other grains.I mix the grains into the stews or with raw ground chicken or low fat raw beef. I f you give beef with a lot of fat it will cause diarhea. i give them cottage chese,natural yoghurt and raw milk if I can find it. The raw chicken I give them whole is the wings, small thighs,backs and ribs. The legs we grind up in a hand grinder. The leg bones and big thighs I worry about. You don't have to worry about smaller raw bnes. i have used this diet on all of my dogs that I got after we had to euthanize with cancer. Also my dogs get filtered water. The chlorine in public water sytems are bad for dogs and our immune systems. Also our dogs don't get many shots. overdose of shots bad for the dogs immune system. And I use herbs or natural or homeopathic rmedies whenever it is better than medications. I give my dogs multiple vitamin/mineral tabs and Brewr's Yeast/garlic tabs almost every day. These help against ticks and fleas. | | | |
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kittums2GSheps2
Champion
Posts:90
| | 01/04/2008 10:21 PM |
| | I forgot to say i use a lot of organic or low salt/no MSG beef broth, chicken broth and vegetable broth to mix into the grains or the vegetables in the blender.THe broths give he foods more flavor. I only use human grade food or meats for our dogs. This diet costs more than using non human food. And it takes more time. But making ahead and freezing can be a big help with some of the diet. | | | |
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kittums2GSheps2
Champion
Posts:90
| | 01/04/2008 10:30 PM |
| | I'm sorry but I forgot to say that squash and sweet potatoes are very good for dogs. I usually put it in the stews or mix the boiled squash in the grains or raw meat mixtures. When you cook vegetables,cook them on very low heat and don't overcook. Then grind in blender. You can use any kind of squash and even pumpkin. | | | |
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kittums2GSheps2
Champion
Posts:90
| | 01/05/2008 6:55 PM |
| | Raw meaty beef bones and raw meaty pork bones are in this diet too. | | | |
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allycat7
Champion
Posts:1
| | 01/15/2008 8:29 PM |
| | we're not on raw yet, but we do take special care to get some great supplements into our Shih Tzu, Jack Sparrow. We feel that dog food is not 100% perfect (probably just like those above who are raw foodies) so we add in things like Healthguard Omega 3 Oil SUpplements. I found them cheapest here: at pet parents netwrok dot com
I am interested in going to raw, just haven't got to the research yet. | | | |
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Riosmom
Champion
Posts:123
| | 01/15/2008 11:25 PM |
| | The thing that scares me about raw meat is the potential for bacteria and parasites. For example, humans can get pinworms from eating raw meat. So I worry about exposing my dog to potential risks. I feed Rio a very high protein, low carbohydrate, organic dry food mixed with the food I make for him. I make a "chicken stew" using organic, low-sodium broth, sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, green beans, brown rice, brewers yeast, etc. My real question is whether or not raw meat is REALLY safe or is it just the current phase that is going around? Has any research been done to determine if it is safe? If anyone has information I would appreciate it. | | | |
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DPFrank
Best of Breed
Posts:386
| | 01/16/2008 10:56 AM |
| | The canine digestive system is very acidic and quick( thats why they sometimes get the runs when you change food too fast) they tolerate stuff we cannot. Afterall, don't wolves and feral dogs eat raw? I use either Primal or Bravo. Remember, Raw does not mean going to the grocery store and picking up a chicken and giving it to the dog. That's more like home prepared. Raw diets have some supps in it as well as cartilage and ground bone.Check out the 2 products for yourself. A really good web site and article promoting raw is dr. marty goldstein. I attended a seminar he did a few months ago. Great speaker, by the way.If you're interested in the diet I give my dobe pup, I will share it with you.
http://www.drmarty.com/feeding.htm | | | |
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Newfs
Posts:0
| | 01/16/2008 5:40 PM |
| | My beasts eat raw whole cornish hens with no problem....it's like popcorn to them. They also eat raw chicken wings, turkey necks....My dogs never ever eat any type of cooked bones. I do give my dogs raw fish also, but it comes already filleted from the fish market, with the bones removed, although I do know some people that give whole fish to their dogs and they eat them with no problems.... | | | |
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kittums2GSheps2
Champion
Posts:90
| | 01/17/2008 10:58 PM |
| | I got my ideas about the raw diet from Ian Billinghurst a veterenarian from Australia. He wrote the book "Give your Dog a Bone". He wrote about how the dogs who lived in the city and ate commercial dog food, were always having more health problems and didn't live as long as the dogs that lived on farms or ranches that didn't eat commercial dog food. He studied this for years. I had 2 of my own dogs on the raw diet until they died. One was 10 yrs old and the other was almost 13. I've taken care of 3 other dogs and changed them to the raw diet. They were on it until they died. They were all older dogs too. They were over 10 yrs old.I have an E-mail address for.Ian Billinghurst. It is ian@drianbillinghurst.com. His diet was called the BARF Diet. Meaning raw meaty bonesand raw foods. i started looking for a better diet for my fur kids after our 5 yr old German Shepherd had to be euthanized because of cancer. She was raised on a premium commercial food. It was one that said ther wouldn't be as much waste from your dog to clean up. Watch out for claims like that. Because that means that your dog is not getting good nutrition. That is not natural for an animal not to have a lot of waste If they are getting the right nutrition. i would rather clean up a lot of waste from my dog than to have it die from cancer or any other disease that are affecting so many dogs now. Most of the health problems that affect our animals is because of commercial diets. I did a lot of reading after our GShepherd died, about diets and natural healing for dogs and cats. Since then there has been a lot of different foods that are supposed to be natural or organc, come out on the market. nly time will tell how good they are. OUr GShepherd is the only dog we have owned that had cancer. All of our dogs that we had before and after her have lived to be 10 yrs old or more. We had a Male Dobie live to be 15 yrs old. | | | |
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kittums2GSheps2
Champion
Posts:90
| | 01/17/2008 11:06 PM |
| | Another thing I want to say about feeding raw chicken or turkey necks, I have read and heard about dogs that choked on them and died. If the necks don't get chewed up good, they can choke dogs or other animals. | | | |
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alpaca
Posts:0
| | 01/18/2008 2:29 PM |
| | I know that dogs are suppose to eat meat but I had a wierd thing happen with my two pommeranians. They were haveing skin problems and itched all the time. I tried a lot of different dog food and feeding them homemade food and had no improvement at all. I went to Petsmart and found vegetarian dog food and it said that it would help with skin problems. So we tried it and the skin allergies went away. Whenever I had them groomed the groomers would go on and on about how beautiful their coats were. They never had any more medical problems after I fed them vegetarian dog food. I fed them that for about five years until they died at the old age of 16. I never know what to believe about dog food anymore. | | | |
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Newfs
Posts:0
| | 01/18/2008 5:25 PM |
| Originally posted by kittums2GSheps2
Another thing I want to say about feeding raw chicken or turkey necks, I have read and heard about dogs that choked on them and died. If the necks don't get chewed up good, they can choke dogs or other animals.
If you are going to feed a BARF diet, you pet needs the chicken or turkey necks, they are loaded with phosphorous & calcium...turkey necks are mostly composed of cartilidge... a dog would be more prone to choke on a raw bone before a turkey neck. If your uncomfortable just tossing a neck to your dog, you can always smash the neck a little a hammer
By Dr. Spencer Roach
Research and Development
Steve’s Real Food Inc.
Eugene, OR 97401
Raw diets, when prepared properly, are certainly the healthiest ways to feed dogs. But too often many people get confused about the proper ways to add calcium and phosphorus and change a great diet into a poor diet. Dogs need the proper amounts of calcium and phosphorus in order to grow well and remain healthy. This article will outline how much calcium and phosphorus dogs need, why, and will list the calcium and phosphorus sources of common ingredients used by many raw feeders.
Calcium and phosphorus are both essential minerals in canine diets. Calcium is a critical component of bone and cartilage, and it also plays a minor role in hormone transmission. Phosphorus is also a major component of bone. Calcium and phosphorus are found in bone as calcium hydroxyapatite, with a molecular formula of Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2. While the calcium/phosphorus ratio in hydroxyapatite is 1.7:1, energy-carrying molecules such as ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate) and others increase non-skeletal demand for phosphorus. As such, the optimal dietary calcium/phosphorus ratio is between 1.2:1 and 1.3:1. The chart below lists calcium/phosphorus minima and maxima for various life stages on a dry matter basis1.
Calcium/phosphorus metabolism is mediated by 1,25(OH)2-vitamin D in the small intestine, and by parathyroid hormone in the bloodstream. There is a complex feedback loop that balances intestinal absorption, bone resorption, and renal excretion of both minerals. Too much calcium can result in increased bone density, which has been implicated as a factor in hip dysplasia in young and old dogs alike. Too little calcium can cause bone demineralization (and consequently an increased risk of skeletal fracture) and stunted growth. Phosphorus excess can lead to renal damage, while phosphorous deficiency is rarely (if ever) seen in carnivores.
Most of the calcium and phosphorus in Steve's Real Food chicken and turkey varieties comes from raw, ground up chicken backs or turkey necks. We also use a variety of calcium and phosphorus supplements in order to reach optimum levels of nutrition. Many raw diet advocates overestimate the levels of phosphorous in meat. Meat and pure calcium supplements alone do not provide adequate levels of phosphorus. We found through extensive nutrient analysis that we had to add phosphorus in conjunction with calcium. We use several pure calcium sources and calcium/ phosphorus sources to fine-tune our food's nutrition. Below are the calcium and phosphorus contents of some common raw meaty bones and other mineral sources. Also included are moisture, protein, and fat, so the mathematically inclined can estimate the dry matter calcium/phosphorus content as well as the energy density. Carbohydrate content is negligible for all ingredients. | | | |
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teddyzach
Champion
Posts:14
| | 01/20/2008 9:20 AM |
| | There are groups on yahoo to help you if you are not sure about raw feeding. Rawfeeding@yahoogroups.com. I belong to it. I have been feeding my2 Bernese mountain dogs chicken necks with no problem and one is a gulper. Its al about getting to know your dog and how they eat. | | | |
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kittums2GSheps2
Champion
Posts:90
| | 01/20/2008 11:35 PM |
| | I know the chicken and turkey necks are good in the BARF diet. And like was said you have to know how your dog eats. But you still have to be careful especially if the are gulpers. I ended up with a pit bull terrier that was abandoned when his owner moved to CO. He was a gulper and he choked on the necks several times. One time he tried to swallow a chicken leg whole. He started choking. I got the leg out. That really scared me. After that he only got smaller pieces or we smashed the leg or thigh bones. I found out that when he was younger he was starved and beaten by another owner . So I think that is why he gulped his food. That owner thought that starving and beating him would make him mean. but it didn't . He was sweet guy. | | | |
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doggieww
Champion
Posts:5
| | 01/22/2008 11:36 AM |
| | I have had some luck with that in the past with my dogs. | | | |
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PitterPatt
Best of Breed
Posts:332
| | 01/22/2008 7:24 PM |
| | Luck with what? starving and beating to make them mean?
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lolasmom
Champion
Posts:3
| | 02/29/2008 9:32 AM |
| My guys get raw hamburger or turkey burger with powdered calicum sprinkled on, sea-meal supplement, 1 salmon oil 500mg, 1 vit E 200, and whatever green or orange veggie from last nites dinner for breakfast. (usually puree the veggie if its not soft) I rotate with Nature Vaiety raw patties which is balanced so I add nothing. One a week I give them a can of wild Alaska salmon (sometimes mixed with rice for the puppy who gets runny poop on straight salmon); once a week they get organic chicken liver which I cook up with garlic and sometimes rice or not. I keep some dry EVO and canned EVO or Evangers for backup if I run out of raw meat. | | | |
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kiwizoo
Champion
Posts:6
| | 02/29/2008 7:16 PM |
| *smiles*.. I cook a 5 litre pot of chicken mince, and beef mince, veges and grains 1xs a week. mojo has that 1xs a day, and a bowl of dried dog biscuits. I also give him raw chicken carcasses, and once a week he gets a whole calfs leg (raw) to chew on, and beleive me, he makes real short work of it..
He seems healthy enough, my vet says he is in exellent condition and weight.. soooooo... maybe a mixture of both raw, cooked and high quality dog boscuits ?  | | | |
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