Really getting into this RAW..... further advice please?

[krlyr]

Each meal doesn't have to be the same. I tend to order a month's worth of different varieties of minces, meats, offals and bones and just feed a different thing every day. The important thing is to introduce any new foods slowly but after that you can pick and choose what you want to feed and when. One rule I tend to stick to those is to give their offal either alongside or the same day as a high bone content meal, e.g. a whole chicken carcass. Offal loosens poo whereas bone firms it, so they tend to help cancel each other out.

What you need to feed depends on the "school" of raw feeding you're following. My dogs' diet is based on the prey model diet, which is basically mimicking a wolf's natural prey. There'd be roughly 10% of the animal that was edible bone, 10% offal and 80% meat. Vegetables wouldn't really play a large role in the diet, but tripe from the stomach would provide an assortment of similar vitamins and minerals. However, other raw feeders feel that dogs are omnivores and not only would eat the stomach contents of their prey, but may also scavenge for fruit and veg, so like to include fruit and vegetables in their diet. Other methods include higher amounts of bone than the 10% "rule" of prey model too. So definately worth doing your reading and deciding a) which method you agree with most and b) which suits your dog. No point trying to give your dog x amount of bone a week if it gives it painful constipation every time you do it!

[Ben Mcfuzzylugs]

^^^ what she said
With the bone I learnt the hard way (or Ben did) that the harder the bone is the less you need
He could eat chicken wings 5-6 times a week with no problem but if Im feeding oxtail then once a week is plenty

I used to worry loads about balance but im much more relaxed now

Most days are meat of some kind - chunks, mince whatever
I count heart and tripe in here as well

once or twice a week I give a bone meal
once or twice a week I give offal

sometimes I blitz up a big mush of fish and eggs and offal and stuff and freeze it to give sometimes

sometimes I give a egg

sometimes I give a tin of fish

sometimes I give leftovers from my dinner

[smokeybear]

Originally Posted by TeflonsShadow

I am really getting into this RAW, in fact, I LOVE it!! Jinty does too!

OK, at the moment, Jins feeding looks a bit like this:

Every week:

1 x chicken wing
1 x can of sardines
1 x lamb mince
1 x beef mince
2 x 'off cuts' (from butchers, lamb or beef)
1 x egg

She also has defrosted veg with each meal (which she enjoys!) and bones, about 3 times a week (beef or lamb).

At the moment she is still having a kibble breakfast because I am not giving her enough to sustain herself on RAW.

SOOOOOOOOO

I have now sourced myself some tripe (mince) and the butchers has plenty of offal; from ox heart to liver.

My questions are......

How do I fit enough variety into a week to sustain herself?

Do I have to feed more than one thing in a meal (like chicken wing AND lamb mince...?).

Baring in mind..... Jinty is a small terrier at the moment, and I dont want to overfeed her... a chicken wing is more than enough for one meal alone!

As well as the meat, what else do I need to feed her? One thread on here has a veg mush type thing....... do you all feed that?

How many times a week will she be needing to have bone?


THANK YOU!!!!

there are no "right ways or wrong ways" of feeding raw and I do not subscribe to ANY school (if such schools exist) on raw feeding.

People LOVE labels it makes them feel better, I have no idea why.

What I DO subscribe to is "optimum nutrition" and for that you need to understand what nutrients your dog requires, where to get them from etc.

I am not sure why you think she cannot "sustain" herself on raw, unless your research and understanding is insufficient.

I make my meals bespoke to the dog, time of year, activity level etc over say a week.

I prefer to give more variety than you so I include rabbit, venison, turkey, pheasant, guinea fowl, hare, partridge etc.

[MarchHound]

My butcher doesnt sell smaller game..... I would feed it if I knew where to get it.

I worry because it would be my first time on a non commercial food. I'm learning lots but worry about taking nutrition into my own hands!

[Ben Mcfuzzylugs]

Originally Posted by TeflonsShadow

My butcher doesnt sell smaller game..... I would feed it if I knew where to get it.

I worry because it would be my first time on a non commercial food. I'm learning lots but worry about taking nutrition into my own hands!

Yes it seems do scary to start with
But that is just cos of amazing marketing by dry foods companies
we can feed ourselves pretty well and we dont worry too much
as far as I can see all raw diets have meat, offal and bone

feed some of that - as much of a mix as you can find - and look at your dog
too skinny more food, too fat less, poo to hard less bone, to sloppy more bone/less offal and if skin/fur looking a little dry then more fat - lamb or salmon is what I go for

[MarchHound]

Originally Posted by Ben Mcfuzzylugs

Yes it seems do scary to start with
But that is just cos of amazing marketing by dry foods companies
we can feed ourselves pretty well and we dont worry too much
as far as I can see all raw diets have meat, offal and bone

feed some of that - as much of a mix as you can find - and look at your dog
too skinny more food, too fat less, poo to hard less bone, to sloppy more bone/less offal and if skin/fur looking a little dry then more fat - lamb or salmon is what I go for

Thanks, I like this advice! Lol!

Anyone know where I can get smaller game from? Rabbit, hare, partridge.....? Ive got bigger animals covered, and chicken of course.

[WhichPets]

Just out of interest as I may feed raw in the future do you need any vitamin supplements like SA-47 or is it all included in the meat?

[Ben Mcfuzzylugs]

Originally Posted by TeflonsShadow

Thanks, I like this advice! Lol!

Anyone know where I can get smaller game from? Rabbit, hare, partridge.....? Ive got bigger animals covered, and chicken of course.

I havent got any of that either - except what my two discover on walks

Originally Posted by WhichPets

Just out of interest as I may feed raw in the future do you need any vitamin supplements like SA-47 or is it all included in the meat?

When I started I ran spreadsheets of all the vits and stuff and everything was over and above what is found in the kibbles i was feeding going on about 10% bone 10% offal and the rest meat
I dont suppliment

[smokeybear]

Originally Posted by WhichPets

Just out of interest as I may feed raw in the future do you need any vitamin supplements like SA-47 or is it all included in the meat?

again if you do your research you can find the nutritional values of all foods.

I give my dogs super dog ultimate nutrition as it contains valuable nutraceuticals (IMV); it is not to "make up" for any deficiencies in the diet.

There is plenty of information on the web about how many iu or gms per day a dog needs of various minerals and vitamins