Comments on: Question For Feeding My Dog Raw Food?

By: EssJay Ö Think before you breed

EssJay Ö Think before you breed — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:29:35 +0000

Best thing is to get a good book, like the Tom Lonsdale book (amazon) read up on raw learning websites, and join an email group to help guide you ever step of the way. Well done on taking this step, once you have switched you will never look back but I understand it is daunting at first.
I am also in the UK and have fed my dogs this way for 14 years now, Yorkies and Border Collies.
I hope the links below will help, one is also for a source of supply in the UK. #
The last link is to a UK based email group for raw feeding.
ADDED : Dogs evolved to eat raw food, not cooked or unnatural cereals and fillers. Don’t listen to the many negatives you can get from people who have yet to research this. If you have ever had a chance to observe wild dogs IN THE WILD you will understand this.

By: Another Planet

Another Planet — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:29:35 +0000

Daily quantities of raw, meaty bones: for every 10kg of body weight, a dog should eat 100–150g of meaty bones. This is only a guideline to start: if your dog is gaining weight, reduce the quantity; if it is losing weight, increase it.
For every handful of meaty bones, feed two handfuls of liquidised raw veg* – a bit like the old adage about ‘meat and two veg’!
The best book on the subject is ‘The Barf Diet’ (ISBN 0 958 592 1 9) by Dr Ian Billinghurst, an Australian vet with more than twenty years’ practice experience. It can be purchased from several UK-based mail-order houses or via the Internet. The above is basically a concise simplification of Dr Billinghurst’s book.

By: Owned by Rocco the Staffy.

Owned by Rocco the Staffy. — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:29:35 +0000

You feed 2-3% of the adult body weight (or ideal adult body weight) per day. (In your case the estimated adult body weight).
My boy weighs 24kgs, so at 2% i feed 480gms, and at 3% I feed 720gms.
Feed various meats (include heart and cheek etc), making up a majority of the meals, raw meaty bones (with an emphasis on the meaty), offal around 10% of the diet ( 5% of that being liver), eggs with shell, fish etc
Feed any whole carcasses when you can eg. whole chicken cut in half, whole rabbit cut in half, whole fish etc (Easy!)
If you are going to feed table scraps/vegies, stick to 5% of the diet. Pulverise vegies-grated vegies dont digest.
At 9 months cut back to 2 meals a day. My 4 month old Stafford is already only on 2 meals a day and by 9 months she’ll be down to one large meal.
And if you havnt added organs to his diet yet DO IT SLOWLY, organs are important, but can be a bit rich at first. Start off with small amounts added to his food then increase over a period of a few weeks. My Stafford pup is now eating the same amount of organ as my adult.
All the links you need to get started have already been listed but if you do a google search you may get some additional info.
Good Luck.
Add; Heart is considered meat, not organ, so if you can get it cheap- feed as you would meat.

By: K9-Karma

K9-Karma — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:29:35 +0000

Vegetables are unneeded in Raw Diet. You can immediately start Raw Diet after the puppy is weaned from the mother. The best part is the organs, which are cheap and effective. I fed my dogs raw diet the day I got them. I also feed them kibble so it lasts longer. (2 bowls of Kibble and a meal of raw diet a day) which goes a long way rather than three meals of raw diet a day. (I would feed straight raw diet BUT due to economy, it’s impossible for a 16 year old, lol) If you have any questions, feel free to reply back or e-mail me.

By: miaugh

miaugh — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:29:35 +0000

The link posted by previous answerers is a great place to start.http://www.rawlearning.com/
Add to Cobymox : Nice cut & paste from The Burns Pet food company, LOL:
(What would you expect a commercial pet food company (especially one so heavy on grain content) to say about a raw diet?
“A diet based on whole, cereal grains can meet the task of being convenient as well as bestowing health benefits” ???http://burnspet.co.uk/articles/art5.asp

By: Iggy's Cabbage Patch Gang

Iggy's Cabbage Patch Gang — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:29:35 +0000

You need to read very carefully everything Ms Tyra and Rocco said about this, they are good at this and totally right.
By the way, my eyes are hurting from reading the book between the two of you…LOL No, you both did great on this one.
nothing else to add…..

By: texpetk9

texpetk9 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:29:35 +0000

2 to 3% percent of the dogs weight daily. Younger dogs, under two years of age, get three percent and also get more bone. Older dogs only need 2% and require less bone.
80% muscle meat
10% organ meat
10% bone.

By: Belle

Belle — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:29:35 +0000

Raw food must provide a balance of vitamins and minerals, so research and discussions with your vet are important before starting. Here’s more info:http://dogtime.com/raw-food-diet-martine…

By: Gemma

Gemma — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:29:35 +0000

I guess it all depends on what your dog takes to best.

By: Tyra Dobe

Tyra Dobe — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:29:35 +0000

Dogs are not designed or equipped to properly digest and absorb cooked food, as we humans are. They have been evolving on this planet for 40 million years (more than 2000 times the entire history of human evolution) eating fresh food. Their mouths, teeth, stomach, intestines, organs and enzymes, are all evolved to masticate, process, digest and absorb raw food (not cooked food).
There is a growing stockpile of scientific evidence that links the long term consumption of cooked commercial pet foods, to the development of a vast array of common illnesses and degenerative diseases, including cancer. Skin disease and dermatitis, allergies, teeth and gum disease, arthritis, renal failure, ear infections, obesity, reproductive failure, and anal gland blockage can all be linked to improper nutrition, and can all lead to poorer quality of life for both pet and owner.
As the owner of 2 Champion Dobermann Show Dogs and a BARF feeder I can give you an outline of what I feed my dogs. I am in Australia and the links given are also Australian but you can find similar products all over the world it just takes a bit of researching.
Morning -
Bones are very important – Lamb Brisket / Lamb Chine / Beef Brisket / Whole Chicken Frames / Chicken Necks – are an essential part of the diet – they will clean the teeth and work the jaw muscles – all the bones I have listed are 100% edible whereas some bones like beef marrow bones or lamb shanks are brittle undigestable bone and can be dangerous if a splinter is consumed, they also leave bones around the yard for burying or the lawn mower getting so best avoided – go for bones the dogs can eat the whole thing.
Every couple of days I also give 2-3 fresh sardines per dog whole.
DINNER MIX – The mix I use is made up of
30% Chunky Beef Mince (Human grade – reasonably lean not diet)
30% Minced whole Chicken Frames
20% Chopped Offal – Lamb Liver / Lamb kidneys / Lamb brains / beef heart.
10% Soaked Fermented Vets All Natural (link below)
10% Grated Vegetables and Fruit (Carrot/Apple/Zuchinni/Spinach etc)
I make up 50Kg per month and weigh it up into individual servings and freeze it (Adult Male dog gets 650gms Adult Female gets 450gm)
VETS ALL NATURAL:
Complete mix contains a combination of mixed cereal grains (rolled oats, cracked barley, soybean meal, flax seed meal, and whole oats), dried vegetables and fruit, dried garlic, dried parsley, dried barley grass, calcium powder, yeast powder, kelp granules, lecithin granules and vitamin C powder.http://www.vetsallnatural.com.au/PDFS/CM…
To the defrosted servings I add some supplements which I will post the links for.
Omega Oil Blend –
This is a specially formulated oil blend for dogs & cats to help supply essential fatty acids, vitamins A, D & extra vitamin E. Contains 100% cold-pressed oils – safflower, flaxseed, sunflower, cod liver oil, evening primrose oil, wheatgerm oil and pure vitamin E oil. Simply add to your pets food daily.!http://www.greenpet.com.au/pet-shop/cart…
Green Essentials –
This is a natural food supplement recommended for all dogs and cats. It contains a blend of highly nutritious foods and supplements to help maintain optimum health. Contains vitamins, minerals, enzymes, trace elements and fatty acids. 100% Australian made. Good nutrition is essential for disease prevention. Contains – flax meal, rice bran, dolomite, kelp, spirulina, green barley powder, nettle, alfalfa, garlic, rosehips and blackstrap molasses.http://www.greenpet.com.au/pet-shop/cart…
Probiotic Powder – Pet Pep Up for Dogs (Missing link for dogs is very similar)
An organic probiotic food supplement for improving intestinal balance and enhancing your dogs health and vitality. Petpepup for Dogs is the first certified organic probiotic produced using totally natural ingredients and methods. This product can be used confidently with the knowledge that it is environmentally friendly.
Dogs love this all natural, certified organic, probiotic powder. Careful manufacturing produces strong, viable cultures delivered in a food based product. This rich powder is high in active enzymes, antioxidants, natural amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. Great for restoring and maintaining dogs’ digestive balance.
Particularly helpful for dogs under stress, competing, training, travelling, breeding, lactating, undergoing rapid growth and effective in restoring intestinal flora after treatment with antibiotics, dewormers and other medications.
Petpepup for Dogs may also assist with:
Healthy coat
Good digestion
Overall health
Healthy joints
Recovery from illness or surgery
Dogs in old age – gives back the young spark
Bitches in whelp
Pups while still feeding (before & after weaning)
Improving energy levels http://www.petpepup.com.au/ingredients/a…