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Missysmum
Dogsey Senior
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Location: near Edinburgh
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28-05-2006, 09:48 PM

Started Feeding Raw !!!

I've started feeding Missy raw meat. Gave her 2 chicken wings on Friday morning, then cooked lamb mince with veg at tea time. Yesterday, she had a chicken wing in the morning, a raw Plaice fillet mid afternoon then a steamed plaice fillet with brown rice & veg for tea. Today, I gave her only 1 meal which was leg of lamb. I cut about half the meat off for another day, so she had 1lb meat on the bone. She ate most of the bone after gnawing off all the meat. Is this enough for 1 meal ? She weighs 40lbs (18kg). I didn't want to give her too much as she was tired after being out all day at a show. Should I keep an eye on her to make sure the bone passes through ok? She had no problem eating it and looked like she was enjoying it.
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Christine
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29-05-2006, 07:32 AM
Hiya congrats on starting her on raw

First tho why did you cook the mince & plaice? Up to you but its not necessary, cos thats why its called * raw feeding*

How old is she?
One of my dogs is around the 18kg mark & I feed her roughly 8oz-12oz of food a day for her main meal then has added porridge/milk/eggs etc on top of that. She is 11+halfyrs old tho & she`d be a little barrel if I gave her pound of meat each day

See how she goes, if she starts putting weight on cut the amount down, if not leave it as it it. It depends if she`s doing a lot of exercise, her age etc, each dog has different needs

Leg of lamb isn`t one of things I feed, bit expensive she shouldn`t have a prob with it tho. If shes not getting any *whole* animal for feed you`ll have to give her some offal, kidney or liver & don`t forget eggs as well
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jess
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29-05-2006, 08:41 AM
it does sound like alot of food! One thing you start to realise when feeding raw, is that as it is all good food, less comes out the other end, as more is absorbed by the body. The overall effect is that you don't need to feed as much. Sometimes I feel bad as my little one hardly gets any food, but then he is tiny, and quite trim, and I would like him to stay that way!
You will prob start to notice a difference in body shape over the next few weeks, this food helps muscle grow too, but keep an eye open for weight gain, a good test is that you should be able to easily feel the ribs and the dog shoudl appear to have a waist, not just a belly that runs from the front legs to the back legs (I see this all too much!)
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zero
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29-05-2006, 09:57 AM
1lb for a 40lb dog of food a day is fine...it's just you say, is that enough for 1 meal I think that makes it sound as though you would be over doing it.

No point cooking some meats / fish and then feeding some raw, may as well all be raw.

The only thing i would say about the leg of lamb is, maybe that bone might be a bit harsh on the teeth, especially for a smaller dog? Don't know though as mine have never had leg of lamb as it is expensive

Sure, keep your eye on her when she goes to poop, that is something I did alot of in the first few weeks anyway as you can tell what is going on alot that way...lol (nice!)
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Missysmum
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30-05-2006, 08:20 PM
Thanks guys. Just looking for a bit of guidance really. I put her on an exclusion diet as she has an allergy to something. I started off by cooking fish with potato or brown rice, with steamed veg. After 2 weeks, she had stopped scratching as much and had no rash so I introduced lamb. I didn't like the thought of feeding raw at the time. A few days ago, I decided to give her a raw chicken wing to see how she liked it. She loved it but I was a bit worried, listening to her crunching through the bones! She still had a cooked main meal as I was only trying out the raw. Next day, I gave her a small raw plaice fillet to try. She ran around the garden with it, tossed it in the air and pounced on it a few times and then ate it. Again, she had a cooked meal for her tea. Next day. I gave her the leg of lamb. She loved that ! She managed the bone no problem as she is a Staffie so has very strong jaws. She loves lambs liver but has not tried that raw yet, and I have some lambs heart for her. Now I am confident about the bones, I will feed completely raw. Today, I gave her a whole rainbow trout. She wasn't sure of that but I think she was scared of its eyes !! I gave her a duck leg instead which she loved, and just a few minutes ago, gave her a whole fresh sardine. She ate the sardine no problem. Only problem I have now is that she has been itchy again since I fed her lamb. (She can't lie on wool blankets as they bring her out in a rash). I'll try her on just fish and poultry for a couple of weeks now to see if the itching goes away again. She is a 2 year old Staffie and is very active.
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Tan
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28-06-2006, 11:21 AM
How do you avoid overfeeding on all this meat and getting the balance right? If she's itching isn't that something to do with too much nutrients leading to health problems - I'm sure I read that somewhere.
I applaud your dedication though, I couldn't cope with all that raw pet food in the fridge!
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ShaynLola
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28-06-2006, 11:45 AM
Hi Tan

There is lots of information available on raw feeding and a rough guideline is to feed 2-3% of the dog's bodyweight. It is quite easy to balance the nutrients once you get the hang of it and the trick is to balance the diet over a period of time rather than in each meal like a commercial complete diet would be.

A raw diet can be very beneficial in dogs that have sensitivity to certain foodstuffs as you categorically know everything that the dog eats because you create the diet yourself. There are no 'hidden' ingredients as there can be in some complete foods. Also, dogs have no real need for grains in their diet and most completes are very grain-heavy and can cause problems for certain dogs.

As for having raw pet food in the fridge....many of us keep a separate fridge/freezer for the dog food

Hope this helps to explain things a little
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Tan
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28-06-2006, 11:57 AM
Thanks
Yes, I can understand the need for a separate fridge!
I tend to agree that home prepared is probably not a bad way to go, just a nagging concern that I wouldn't be totally in control of the vits and minerals and therefore how that affects health in the long term.
Or maybe I'm just lazy..... OK, I AM lazy!
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ShaynLola
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28-06-2006, 01:19 PM
LOL

You might be lazy but at least you're honest with it!!

With regard to vits, minerals etc...some of us use supplements, just to be on the safe side
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jess
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28-06-2006, 02:36 PM
''I couldn't cope with all that raw pet food in the fridge!''

it's not pet food, it's real food, and without sounding to mean, you can feed yourself, why not your dog? Do wake up wondering if your diet is complete and balanced? Don't let fancy packing and advertsing brainwash you into thinking that your doing the right thing. Always read the label! Whats 'in' a carrot....

answer: just carrot, it doesn't need a label.
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