Not sure if this will help, I do not really do menu plans but the following may be of assistance?

Raw Feeding Guidelines

Although many people successfully feed commercial foods to their dogs scores of owners are choosing to use fewer processed products in both their own diet and that of their pets.

After all dogs are not equipped with can openers or cooking utensils and were designed to hunt, catch, kill and feed on a wide variety of prey animals as well as to be opportunistic scavengers.

Dogs are scientifically classified as carnivores, manifest by their physique. They have eyes at the front of their head in order to observe potential food, jaws that move up and down, as opposed to the side to side movement present in omnivores/herbivores, no flat topped molars with which to chew and a shorter digestive tract reflecting the fact that they were created to consume little or no vegetation or cereals/grains.

Feeding a raw diet is often seen as somewhat revolutionary however it must be remembered that dogs have not only survived but thrived on such nutrition for hundreds of years prior to the advent of manufactured dog food.

One of the main concerns expressed by owners is that they cannot successfully replicate the scientifically researched diets that pet food companies quote as their USP (unique selling point). However, just as a degree is not required to adequately nourish ourselves, the same is true for our canine companions.

There is a plethora of information on raw feeding produced by qualified pet nutritionists and/or veterinary surgeons who have specialised in this field; therefore creating a satisfactory home diet need not be overly onerous or complicated for the ordinary dog owner.

Quantities

For adults approximately 2 - 3% of their bodyweight per day. Calculate this by multiplying 2/3 by your dog's weight and dividing it by 100.

Eg 2 x 30kg/100 = 600g, 3 x 30kg/100 = 900g.

For puppies feed circa 10% of their present bodyweight or 2-3% of their projected adult weight per day.

However be guided by your hand and eye; if the dog is looking a little too ribby up the amount and reduce if the dog is looking a little too well padded! Dogs will vary on their requirements depending on age, sex, activity level, temperament and time of year etc.

Frequency

Adult dogs should be fed twice a day for the following reasons:

• To minimise the risk of Bloat/GDV
• To avoid blood sugar fluctuations


Meats

Lamb, beef, chicken, turkey, rabbit, pork, venison, duck, hare, and/or anything you can get your hands on; some dogs regularly chow down on more exotic species.

Dogs require the correct calcium : phosphorus ratio and so it is essential to feed raw meaty bones (RMBs) as well as muscle meat.

Offal such as hearts, lungs, kidneys, tripe, liver is also essential; some offal is muscle such as heart (like tongue) and all offal is meat. Offal merely means "anything from the inside of an animal"

Fish

Oily fish such as pilchards, mackerel, sardines, etc provide a good source of Omega 3; if it is difficult to obtain fresh, then tinned makes a good substitute. Tuna may contain high levels of mercury and is a less valuable source of Omega 3.

Vegetables

Onions must not be fed to dogs in any form as they can cause haemolytic anaemia which can be fatal. Avocados contain persin which can produce problems in some animals.

All other vegetables may be fed however, for a dog to get any nutritional benefit from vegetables, they must either be pulped or frozen, otherwise they go out the way they went in and can only be used as source of fibre.

Oxalic acid can interfere with calcium absorption; so don't feed too much of Spinach or Chard.

Care should also be taken not to overfeed vegetables from the cruciferous family eg cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, kale, swedes, turnips and broccoli to dogs as this may inhibit thyroid function.

Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and aubergines all belong to the nightshade family of plants. Dogs who have arthritis may be sensitive to these foods which may exacerbate their condition. It is doubtful if raw potato can be digested successfully in any case.

Garlic is a useful addition to the diet as it performs an antiseptic, antibiotic, antifungal function.

Fruit

All except grapes (and raisins) which can cause kidney failure and death in even very small amounts. Bananas are an excellent source of pre-biotics essential for gut health.

Bear in mind fruit and/or vegetables should not make up more than 10% of diet and can have a laxative effect!

Vegetables and fruit provide many phytonutrients not available from animal sources some of which we as yet do not understand but some of which are thought to have health benefits such a carotenoids, lycopene, flavonoids, indoles, sulforaphanes, anthcyanins, sterols, elegiac acid and lignans

Kelp (seaweed) and alfalfa (lucerne) are examples of green supplements which provide a wide range of vitamins, minerals and neutraceuticals.

Dairy

No animal post weaning consumes milk bar humans however live yoghurt can be very useful for poorly stomachs because of its probiotic content provided that dogs are not intolerant to lactose (milk sugar) and casein (milk protein). As puppies leave their dams equipped with a full set of teeth bones are a more appropriate source of calcium.

Eggs can be given raw each day, the shells are good sources of calcium but only when finely powdered, otherwise they merely provide roughage.

Grains/cereals

There is no proven need for carbohydrates in the dog’s diet and of course these need to be cooked before they can be successfully digested by the canine.

Books (in order of simplicity/accessibility)

• Switching to Raw by Sue Johnson
• Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schulze CCN
• Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs by Lew Olson PhD
• The Barf Diet by Ian Billingshurst B.V.Sc (Hons)
• Give your Dog a Bone by Ian Billingshurst B.V.Sc (Hons)
• Grow your pups with Bones by Ian Billingshurst B.V.Sc (Hons)
• Work Wonders by Tom Lonsdale (vet)
• Raw Meaty Bones by Tom Lonsdale (vet)

Websites - Britbarf, K9nutrition yahoo groups the first is UK the second is an excellent US site run by Lew Olson,

http://www.dogaware.com/
http://www.b-naturals.com/

HTH

Thanks for that, as soon as I'm able to send pm's I'll send over my email to you.

@smokeybear - You've posted some really helpful info there, thanks.

It now seems that my OH and my vet are totally against the idea. I could be fighting a losing battle but don't want to give up just yet as I'm really keen on the idea and would at least want to trial it for a month or 2.

What about a compromise?

Buy ready made meals from suppliers such as

Natural Instinct?

The food somes ready made up although it is not cheap.

I think it is great and if I had money to burn I would use it.

Is there a link to this info, or is it your own? Only asking as I would like to pass it on to my Aunt who is not on this forum & a link would be easier than copy & paste.
Thanks

This is my very own work, but you are welcome to copy and paste.

How difficult IS copy and pasting?

I was lucky that my OH didn't bother too much at first because they are my dogs and I do the feeding, buying etc... Now, he thinks it is amazing because he can see how great they do on it. He even tells all the guys at the gym about it and gets involved in discussions about dogs and he tells them what I feed them He even defended raw feeding when some of the guys told him that it will make them aggressive!

Most vets are against it... but, they are taught that commercial food are the best, and of course it is the kibble companies that fund the teaching. My vet half supported it, and said that raw was a good idea for Jake (he has allergies) but to also feed hypoallergenic kibble to make sure he is getting everything he needs... I decided to go full raw anyway, and she isn't one of those vets that always ask about what you feed, which I like.

Who's is she? At the end of the day, if you have done your research, got freezer room and sourced your supplier/s then you're all set. If you're the one thats going to be feeding her then it's your decision. Perhaps get your OH to research herself and show her you're serious by showing her every bit of research. It's worth a try.

The main thing that she is against is the bones, I think she's fine with with the meat and offal. I've explained that we used to feed them prize choice tripe, which was raw and that I think it contained bone, she said it was whole bones that bothers her. If I can find someone that either sells ground bone or someone who's willing to grind it for me, then I should get the all clear. I don't think it helps that my OH is pregnant, if she wasn't then it might of been a different story.

@smokeybear - a compromise could be possible but only as I said above about the bone. Natural Instinct will cost me too much to feed, it would cost me over £5 a day for my Malamutes but then I have 5 English Bulldogs to feed too (on kibble).

The blocks you can find in PAH contain minced bone..........