[fawkese1]

okay, so this is in line with some of the other threads here, but...i am interested in feeding my dog a partially raw diet....just adding in some raw items and i am hoping that he'll get some of the benefits of this.

history:
i've had clover for about 5 mos now and only in the last few weeks have we been able to get nice firm stools on a regular basis.

now his diet consists of kirklands kibble as the base and a mixture of cooked foods that i make myself it may include any of the the following (turkey, chicken, yams, applesauce, pumpkin, rice, oatmeal, sweet potatos, cottage cheese, yogurt, barley, i'm looking into buffalo meat also but haven't tried it yet)

he also gets several different treats on a regular basis including homemade dog cookies, cooked chicken, dehydrated chicken, dehydrated chicken livers, cheese, and the occasional store bought treat. right now he gets rawhides (i know they aren't the best, but he NEEDS to chew a lot)bully sticks, pig ears, peanut butter stuffed kongs

my goal:
i'd like to incorparate some raw into his diet. mostly i'd like to start giving him raw bones to chew on. i've read suggestions of raw chicken/turkey necks, wings, etc but haven't tried it. i don't want to grind them up, i want him to actually have the bone to chew on. i've also read a bit about the prey model type diet and could throw some whole prey items in as well.

what i want to know:
does anyone else feed part raw/part cooked, and what is your experience with it? how long does it usually take a dog to get used to this type of diet? is the ratio of raw/cooked really important? can i just sort of do it when i feel like it or should i plan on x amount of raw per week? anything i should definately avoid? as far as whole prey, i was thinking mice...any thoughts on this? is it hard to get a dog to go for mice right off? anything i haven't thought of?

thanks



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[Mikey]

If your doing a complete home made diet-it's REALLY important to get a vet to look at it first. I cannot tell from you post if you mean part raw or cooked and part kibble. If you still have kibble in there, then it's not as important to balance as you do have a complete food there.

I would think it wouldn't be hard to get them to eat mice, and you could always try one and see what he thinks. I think the advantage on the 'prey mode' is you don't have to work so hard to balance meat with offal and bones They are already in a natural balance

 

[fawkese1]

If your doing a complete home made diet-it's REALLY important to get a vet to look at it first. I cannot tell from you post if you mean part raw or cooked and part kibble. If you still have kibble in there, then it's not as important to balance as you do have a complete food there.

I would think it wouldn't be hard to get them to eat mice, and you could always try one and see what he thinks. I think the advantage on the 'prey mode' is you don't have to work so hard to balance meat with offal and bones They are already in a natural balance

i'm not going completly homemade...i use a good kibble for the base for just that reason

i mostly just want to add it in a bit.



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[Criosphynx]

I would start with a mouse, rat, rabbit...or even a bird...for som' reason a whole prey item seems easier on the stomach at first at least IME

The important thing to remember is not to mix raw and other food in the same time frame...they digest at different rates and will bumble each other up...making the dog sick.



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[pawzaddict]

I am sorry but the mice thing creeps me out. I don't know why, maybe cuz its what I feed my snake lol. I could feed my ferrets mice but opt not to.

So going along with Fawkese, what are some good things to randomly give? Raw eggs? Yolk/white, one or the other? Raw or cooked chunks of meats? I have heard not to give raw meats from local grocery stores too.

 

[fawkese1]

I would start with a mouse, rat, rabbit...or even a bird...for som' reason a whole prey item seems easier on the stomach at first at least IME

The important thing to remember is not to mix raw and other food in the same time frame...they digest at different rates and will bumble each other up...making the dog sick.

this makes sense. i read a bit that said all the fur and stuff sort of cushions the stomach and acts sort of like fiber in the intestines.
so, any general idea of the time frame here? i feed 2x per day once in the morning and again in the evening...would throwing a mouse in the middle of the day be okay, or should i replace a regular meal? oh, i'm assuming you get a live mouse and kill it before you feed? or do you buy frozen mice in bulk? also, what about giving raw bones? could i just give him a raw bone a couple of times a week and let him chew it when he wants? i think you mentioned in another post that you use pork necks? i've also read chicken/turkey wings and necks...what do you think about that? also what about the beef soup bones, there isn't much on the bone, but the bone itself is nice and thick...seems like a good size for a dog clover's sizeonder:

I am sorry but the mice thing creeps me out. I don't know why, maybe cuz its what I feed my snake lol. I could feed my ferrets mice but opt not to.

So going along with Fawkese, what are some good things to randomly give? Raw eggs? Yolk/white, one or the other? Raw or cooked chunks of meats? I have heard not to give raw meats from local grocery stores too.

hmm....i hadn't heard this...is this bc of quality/freshness? i know at the local safeway they do a lot of their own butchering so would that be okay (if you know)? there is a good butcher in town also.....



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[Criosphynx]

so, any general idea of the time frame here? i feed 2x per day once in the morning and again in the evening...would throwing a mouse in the middle of the day be okay, or should i replace a regular meal?

I always use it to replace a meal. Unless its raw eggs, as I've had no problem mixing the two. There is a recommended time frame in hours, but I can't remember it...Iam sure you can find it on the web

oh, i'm assuming you get a live mouse and kill it before you feed? or do you buy frozen mice in bulk?

One of the beautiful thing of working at a reptile store, I get rodents at cost and I kill them myself. For an average person you might want to buy prekilled and in bulk...in that case I recommend this place.

also my co workers hunt birds so I bring home wild doves/pigeons and whatnot.

also, what about giving raw bones? could i just give him a raw bone a couple of times a week and let him chew it when he wants? i think you mentioned in another post that you use pork necks? i've also read chicken/turkey wings and necks...what do you think about that? also what about the beef soup bones, there isn't much on the bone, but the bone itself is nice and thick...seems like a good size for a dog clover's sizeonder:

my dogs (everyone but Tippy(I think she chews them well) and Chili (hes never had raw) ) had problems with the small bones...say chicken wing/leg bones...they would ALWAYS puke them up. Never failed...many raw advocates say that this is temporary and they will stop ( they call it detox) but I found it to alarming to watch my dogs puke. So I generally use soup bones...usually pork neck, but any soup bones will do, most people will tell you not to use pork because of trichinosis, but personally I feel the risk is slim enough not to worry about it.



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[fawkese1]

i don't really have freezer space, but i don't mind getting a live mouse now and again...i was thinking once a week?

and then twice a week for a bone?

i've been looking around, but most info says to go totally raw and i don't really see that working out.....



Dog | Forum | Rocks!

 

[Criosphynx]

its really up to you...som'times they get it a couple times a week...som'times I'll skip a few months.

they love pocket gophers...we were trapping them for a while (they were eating my cactus) so the dogs had a gophertastic feast for a while.

Oh and if you use live make sure you either give it to Clover outside, or in a bare room...ALL my dogs will let live get away from them. They like to catch it and then let it go and chase it then catch it again...over an over....it never failed that I was having to move furniture to find a mouse they let get away.


kinda sad for the mouse so I don't do live anymore.



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[fawkese1]

yeah, i don't like to do live stuff either...can't stand all that squeaking.....



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[pawzaddict]

good grief I just had to read this while eating lol. Thanks for the info Crio, I thought if you were gonna do raw you would have to do it everyday and not give them regular kibble. So random soup bones would be ok for the dogs? we get soup bones for the ferrets so we could always buy one and see if all the dogs like it or which dogs like it and start buying them one every now and then

 

[Criosphynx]

The only reason I do raw is to help keep teeth clean. Raw meaty bones is the term the raw feeders use...you can probably google it.

There are a few members on this board who do raw full time...hopefully they will chime in...Iam not a expert on this.



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[pawzaddict]

oh yea I am not interested in full raw diets lol. random meaty bones sounds good to me!

 

[fawkese1]

yeah....i think that is what i wanted too, but i was hoping some of those folks would add in their .02 too....



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[pawzaddict]

Yea it would be interesting to hear what all they mix in at what proportions. I know there is pre-made raw diets, used to work for a kennel whose owners bf ran his own company (out of the kennel) of raw food. Expensive as all get out but heard good things about it. A few dogs that came to the kennel were on it too.

 

[pawzaddict]

I don't know if I am allowed to do this or not LOL sorry if not!

The Real Animal Way Pet Food Company

this is the food that was made where I used to work. Seems he has expanded out of his gf's kennel!

 

[Criosphynx]

that stuff doesn't look half bad.

I'd love to put mine on premade raw...or perhaps buy a meat grinder so I don't have to deal with the bones/puking again...



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[pawzaddict]

its definitely pricey, would be about 100 bucks a month just for Harvick alone.

 

[gershepsmyfav]

I feed raw. We have for almost 14 yrs. It is not good to use kibble with raw, especially the same day. It usually causes digestion problems. I do cook for our dogs too. I have used cooked human food with raw and had no problems. I get raw meat from grocery stores. I do try to freeze the raw meat at least a few days before feeding it to the dogs,because of parasites. Our dogs get only human grade food of any kind, raw or cooked. I would be afraid of rodents for the dogs because of parasites and diseases. Also if the rodent or anmal has ingested any poisons or rodenticides, it could kill your dogs.

 

[pawzaddict]

I feed raw. We have for almost 14 yrs. It is not good to use kibble with raw, especially the same day. It usually causes digestion problems. I do cook for our dogs too. I have used cooked human food with raw and had no problems. I get raw meat from grocery stores. I do try to freeze the raw meat at least a few days before feeding it to the dogs,because of parasites. Our dogs get only human grade food of any kind, raw or cooked. I would be afraid of rodents for the dogs because of parasites and diseases. Also if the rodent or anmal has ingested any poisons or rodenticides, it could kill your dogs.

But what exactly do you feed your dogs and to what proportions and how? Do you feed fruits, veggies, vitamins and minerals? What kinds of meats, fruits, veggies, etc etc? Do you give whole chickens, steaks, whole fruits and veggies or is it ground up or cut up? lol sorry I find it interesting when people do it on their own instead of buying from someone who is certified so I am interested to see what the differences are.