Anybody feel raw diet in here?

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datou
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Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by datou »

My puppy is 5 months who just don't like dry food anymore, my trainer told me that all dogs should feel raw but i still don't feel really comfortable feeding it,,,so i was just wondering if anybody feed raw here and how are they likeing it thanks
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Merlin
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by Merlin »

I am , I've been feeding raw now for more than 14 years now to all of my chows, and as of 4 years ago, all of our rescues are now fed raw.

It's natural for dogs to eat raw food, they are not humans, and they have never been designed to eat processed foods.
There is tons of excellent information available now, especially since the "raw" movement is now more than 10 years old publically and the benefits are more than clear
( why do you think that commercial dog food companies are now making "raw" food also? ( which is such a farce) )

You can learn plenty at
rawlearning.com
rawmeatybones.com
rawpets.ca

It's easy, nutritious and there is nothing that comes close to a raw, natural diet the way Mother Nature intended!
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kingalls
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by kingalls »

My 2 are on a semi-raw diet. They get their breakfast of raw green tripe mixed with grain-free Happy Dog Food. They still have Solid Gold Hunden Flocken kibble to graze on. Many people that feed raw food don't give kibble. The green tripe I give them is produced in my home town so I feel very fortunate to have it readily available. If you want to check out their products - it's www.greentripe.com. The Happy Dog Food is also fairly local for me and I get it at a local pet store. I don't give raw bones now but have in the past. My Chow-boy thinks all bones are his so the raw bones are no longer given.
As for any obvious changes, I can't say there has been anything significant. Prior to the raw diet, I gave them canned Wellness or Solid Gold plus kibble of either brand. Earlier I gave them a different brand and Nahkohe got hot spots.
Do plenty of research on diet to make your decision. I have checked this site out for information: http://www.dogfoodproject.com/
Karen, Kohana, Takoda, and our Chow Angels Nahkohe and Shiloh
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Merlin
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by Merlin »

Just so you know, giving them raw tripe doesn't mean they are eating a raw diet.( if I understand you correctly)

Green tripe is a supplement, that's all it is, and out of a meal cycle, they only need a teaspoon a day or less even.

It's important to understand the difference with bones as well.
There are two types of bones, nutritional ones, and recreational ones.

The nutritional ones, ( softer, and very consumable), are instrinsically important to balance the calcium/ phosphorous ratio in the digestion and of course to offer needed calcium.
Dogs eat them and then they are gone. So if your dog was coveting bones, t hen they were not the right kind to begin with, but more likely the recreational type. They only need about 5-10% of bone in their overall diet, the rest should be meat.


but feeding tripe in no way means you are feeding a raw regime or even 1/2 a raw regime, you're simply supplementing your current food with an enzyme.\

For Datou:
- we have some before and after pictures at:
http://www.merlinshope.com/2010/index.p ... ticleid=57

and a sample weekly menu at:
http://www.merlinshope.com/2010/index.p ... ticleid=66
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kingalls
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by kingalls »

They eat about 1/2 pound of the Xkaliber green tripe everyday. I would give them more but they don't eat very much. They are around 50-54# each.

XKALIBER: Green Tripe, Muscle Meat, Heart, Tongue, Trachea/Gullet and Ground Bone

Image

Green Tripe Analysis
Protein 13.33%
Fat 12.75%
Crude Fiber 2.99%
Moisture 72.24%
Calcium 0.1%
Phosphorous 0.13%
Lactic Acid Bacteria 2,900,000 gm
pH 6.84
Ash 1.25%
Calories 424 cal / cup
Iron 126.4 mg/kg
Potassium 0.14%
Managnese 25.7 mg/kg
Zinc 23.11 mg/kg
Selenium 0.31 mg/kg

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/dirty-j ... iest-jobs/
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JesslynnBriella
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by JesslynnBriella »

dogs are not carnivores, they're omnivores. dont let anyone tell you other wise. Certain groups of people have "many" ideas but always get various veterinary opinions. So you cant just feed them raw meat or you'll end up with a nutritional deficiency.you will need to supplement with the meat. Just because it makes the integument look healthy doesnt mean the animal is-and ALOT of people will use that excuse. Or even "well i did this for 20 years and never had a problem, etc". Every dog is an individual and one thing cant work for everybody.Our jobs in the veterinary field would be much easier if that was the case! Also you need to be careful when it comes to the meat source..the nutrients in the meat will be what the food producing animal was fed-so if they were on a poor diet-your dog will have little benefit. Alot of farmers also use growth-horomone and drugs in their animals so beware for that. A big problem with raw meat diets are also parasites. You would have to deworm often(like monthy for good protection which can add up). If you dog is healthy then the parasites will dorm in the muscle and will reveal when the dog becomes immune compromised. Home made diets can be good if its done properly and always get them approved by a professional. but no matter what route you pick; raw meat, home made, or products like hills and medi-cal, your going to be spending alot of money to provide optimum nutrition..no cheap way out so just pick whats best for you and your dog.you know him best!good luck
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Merlin
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by Merlin »

yes! that's a great way to supplement their diet, but that's not really what a raw diet is. A raw diet doesn't come out of a tube and it isn't made up this way at all,
but yes, every little bit of natural food is always welcomed and beneficial in any dog's diet and a total blessing.

Raw feeding is a little more comprehensive than that and emcompasses real pices of meaty bone, not ground up meats and organs in this fashion. Not the same thing at all.
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Merlin
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by Merlin »

hey're omnivores.
This is an argument that has been travelling around the globe forever by some people, simply because they've observed that dogs will eat foods outside of meats, ( I think).

Personally, I doubt the Smithsonian Institute is wrong. All animals, when it comes to diet, are defined by their physical capacity to process certain foods (teeth, and their digestive system, etc) , and dogs have the teeth of a carnivore , not an omnivore like bears do. Mother nature doesn't lie, and I for one, will never stand up and say I know more than the scientists at the Smithsonian. Can you?

While it's true that dogs are not discerning eaters, sure they will eat carrots and blue berries, but they'll also eat feces, 3-week old road kill and used underwear - and if they are starving will eat dirt, wood, shoes, belts , drywall, carpeting and slews of other things.

A dog's teeth are incapable of crushing cellulose found in vegetable matter, ( this is a scientifically proven fact), so any food outside of meat offers no bio-availability to them - according to biologists/zoologists, so why would Mother Nature deem them an omnivore, yet not provide them with tools to process and digest these other foods?
So you cant just feed them raw meat or you'll end up with a nutritional deficiency
I wholeheartedly can tell you that you are absolutely wrong about that. The idea behind an appropriate raw diet is to feed a huge variety of meaty bones and whenever possible ( and it IS more and more possible), whole carcass to help ensure optimum nutrition - and by the way , to date there is no, "professional canine dietician", on home made diets. There are holisticians, and hoards of other people including vets, who can come up with gambits of their own recipes that constitute what dog nutrition should be. So home made diets are entirely dependent on whomsoever has developed it. Ironically, to date, the true professional canine dieticians out there, are still the scientists who work at dog food manufacturing plants. These people can at least tell us the minimum nutritional requirements needed by a dog for optimal nutrition. ( I won't count zoologists, because traditionally they aren't feeding domestic dogs, but wild animals of an entirely different nature).
A big problem with raw meat diets are also parasites.
In wild meat and game, yes, sure. In government regulated store bought meat? I doubt it, and the rule of thumb with both wild meat and fish is to freeze it for 2 weeks prior to serving it to dogs to eliminate the parasite problem. I can tell you first hand none of my dogs have ever had parasites. I have their stool tested annually. I also have annual blood tests done on our dogs and if they had nutritional deficiencies, I'm more than sure, certain markers would show up in their results.
but no matter what route you pick; raw meat, home made, or products like hills and medi-cal, your going to be spending alot of money to provide optimum nutrition..no cheap way out so just pick whats best for you and your dog.you know him best!good luck
This I absolutely agree with. We are what we eat and if we eat poor quality foods ( no matter what they are), we are not striving for optimal health in our dogs.

Bear in mind that commercial dog food hasn't been around all that long and was designed to support the "waste-to-profit" industry. It doesn't negate the fact that a dog`s digestive system, to date, have never been designed to eat processed foods.- and I'm fairly sure that on the steppes of the Himalayas, chows were never fed supplements, and it's more than likely they ate natural , raw foods just like most of them there still do today.

PS - by the way, I'm still working on my dissertation in nutrition and can tell you from first hand knowledge that in the many agricultural areas of Ontario, farm dogs are still only fed table scraps and whatever wild game they catch around the farm ( mice, rats, groundhogs, rabbits, etc), and most of these dogs still live to 18 - 20 years old. These dogs rarely, if ever, go to a vet, and to date, statistics don't show them dying of parasites -nor that parasites represent any major issue.
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ilovemysmoothie!
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by ilovemysmoothie! »

Little Bear has been on a raw diet for over 2 years now with excellent results. I highly recommend it! Her fur is beautiful and teeth are very white and she is very healthy and active.

We feed a combination of meat paddies (which is a combination of bones, certain organs, and different cuts, etc. - it is specifically for dogs) and supplement that with our own combination of friuts/veg. which we blend up based upon what we got for groceries that week (greens, pumpkin, peppers, carrots, berries, etc.) as well as raw bones (Beef, Bison, Elk, etc.) and chicken backs/necks, which are a bit fattier but good for the teeth. We do about 80% meat 20% veg...

It is more expensive and more work, but in our opinions worth it!

There are lots of interesting articles online about Raw or BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) Diets. They are very convincing, and make a lot of sense, especially when you look at the overall history of canines... However it was the difference we noticed in our Chow that keep us doing it!

Just a quick note: if you decide to switch or start to incorporate some raw into your dogs diet give it time... it may take a few days for your dog to get used to it!
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by Blackbear »

Our 11 year old boy has been on a raw diet since we got him as recommended by the breeder. The diet is similar to that of Merlins except we mix in some rice and mixed vegies. Also feed raw chicken wings and accasionally yogurt. Our 8 month old was started on dry food as recommended by the vet and afte 4 months we had nothing but problems. Hot spots, gastro, itchyness, and generally unhappy. We tried 4 diffenet brands until we said enough is enough. He is now on the same diet as our old boy and we have had no problems. I am sure if we perservered we could have found a suitable dry food and there are probably plenty of dogs that do well on it but we have not had a good experience.
datou
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by datou »

Thank you all for the kindly replies!
Datou is not enjoying his dry food much although it is weird since we've never feed him any human food before!
The only concern I have towards raw is parasites and the behavior changes that might associated with raw( I read this from a research that raw eaters might be more aggressive than non-raw eaters)..
Thomas
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by Thomas »

We feed only raw and our dogs are happy and healthy. We checked the diet with our holistic vet and he's happy with it. Works for us.
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by Sarahloo »

Hi!
Loo suddenly went on dry food strike too, he just had enough of it. I found a canned dog food for him that he likes and can stomach, so I feed him that. You can mix it with the dry food and he will happily gobble it up too! :D There's no real need to feed raw just yet. You could try this first.
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Merlin
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by Merlin »

The only concern I have towards raw is parasites and the
If you're concerned, freeze your meat for 10 days before serving it to your dog. It's that simple. Don't ever hesitate to feed human food, it is far superior to any man-made type of animal food and human food from your table isn't made from waste products destined for the garbage bin.
behavior changes that might associated with raw( I read this from a research that raw eaters might be more aggressive than non-raw eaters).
That is such a pile of baloney, that it's beyond comical. This is absurd, ignorant nonsense was spread around by absolutely dumb people who have little or no understanding about dogs in general. Because raw food tastes to good, dogs covet it as they would a previous cookie. that certainly doesn't make dogs vicious.
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Merlin
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by Merlin »

Just showing you size relationship between puppy size and meat size.
This little4- month old puppy will eat this turkey wing in about 20 minutes.
( it's a third of the wing)
IMG_9823_1.JPG
IMG_9823_1.JPG (83.3 KiB) Viewed 9420 times
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Merlin
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by Merlin »

and below is a 7-week old puppy, w ho has the other part of the wing, and can also consume it in about 20 minutes.
( these are all puppies from the GA bust by the way)
IMG_9822_1.JPG
IMG_9822_1.JPG (88.81 KiB) Viewed 9420 times
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Re: Anybody feel raw diet in here?

Post by bcalm »

I feed my puppy raw diet and have done so since adopting her from a rescue where they started her on raw. She gets a wide range of meats including pork riblets, ground beef or turkey or pork or chicken, stewing beef, ham hocks, chicken breasts and thighs, pork loin, pork liver and heart, mackerel and other fish. I make homemade dog food by mixing either ground or chunked meat with rice, cottage cheese and homemade chicken broth. I shop the sales exclusively and can make enough in one hour to last for several weeks. I freeze it in individual servings (about 1 cp) and she gets 1 each day (along a capsule of acidophulus) and with a bone of some kind and another meat or fish. She has gained 2+ kg in 2 months since I adopted her. Her teeth are white, she smells good and her coat is soft and full. So far, it works for us.
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