Need help from those who feed raw....

I started to switch to a raw diet with my dogs about 2 weeks ago, now the frst week I did a 50/50 kibble to raw just to get them aquainted to the idea, then as the week went on I lowered the kibble and increased the Raw. They have been on a straight raw diet for a week now and are looking good still but I still have some questions for those who have feed raw and would like to help a honkey out.

Ok first, How is hamburger as a meat source, I know this will sound stupid but I have been feeding them portions of strip steak ( I realize this is an exspensive meat but I buy it by the loin and cut it up myself so I really only pay about 1.22 per 10-15oz. steaks, (we really buy it for us obviously, but there is enough of it that I can feed it to the dogs a couple times a week but I would perfer to use hamburger due to it being alot cheaper but how is it as far as nutrition goes is question #1.

Question #2. When I look at the portions when I am done I think they are small so as a filler I alternate from either white rice or pasta. I also stick a Childrens Centrum Multi-Vitamin in a rolled up piece of white bread either every other day or every 2 days (the bread is just to make sure they eat the Vitamin).

This is what I have feed this week and you tell me what I need to add for them to have proper nutrition..........

(I won't include weights yet since I haven't had time yet to pick up a meat scale. I just keep an eye on the dogs as to how they look, if they look skinny I would add more)

Day 1:

Strip steak,
White rice (filler),
Yogart,
Piece of bread with the Vitamin in it

Day 2:

Boneless Chicken breast,
Pasta noddles (filler),
Ground Venison
Veggie all (the can that has all the differnt kinds of vegetables in it)

Day 3:

Strip Steak,
White rice (filler),
Salmon
Piece of bread with Vitamin in it
Sweet potatoes


Day 4:

Same as Day 1

Day 5:

Same as day 2

Day 6:

Same as day 3 but instead of Salmon I used canned green tripe.

Day 7:

Is actually tommarrow so I haven't fed em yet but most likely will be a repeat of day one

I want to give them variety due to different nutrients in different things. I am going shopping this week to get other things to feed them that I will list:
Tripe
Chicken backs, legs, wings
Hamburger
Eggs
gizzards
chicken livers
(I would perfer to stay away from any pork in the diet)

Help me out people I am new to feeding Raw and want to make sure my dogs arn't lacking anything in their diet. Any and all ideas or other things I can use or substitute are welcome.:cool:

 

i dont know a whole hell of a lot about it but i do know you need to throw in some raw bones and livers

 

The organ meats and bones will be a major part of my shopping this week

 

Just stick to meat, organs, bones. Veggies are ok. But pasta, rice, bread, sweet potatoes, is not necessary, nor is it natural for a dog to eat. It really goes against the whole idea of a natural raw diet for a dog. However if you need a temporary filler to keep them fat through the winter, then brown rice is better than white rice or pasta. Chicken should be the primary meat but you can use a bit of ground meat to hide the vitamin.

 

also you might want to look in to Chicken backs i hear they are cheap you just need to find someone who sells them and i was also told that egg is really good in the diet so just a couple of Ideas

------
Aaron

 

i would switch the rice with oatmeal .... oatmeal is nice and healthy...... you gotta add some bone and take out the bread ...... buy some chicken gizzards and livers , add that about 3 times a week and buy some kidneys from wal mart , add that twice a week. on the days you dont add organs throw in an egg with shell. you can get a 10 pound bag of chicken quartrers for like 5.99 , just split them in half and add them.... i do feed my dogs hamburger meat , chicken , tilapie , salmon , and even cans of tuna (on those days i work em hard).

 

Take out any of the carbs, like SD said, they are useless unless you are just trying to fatten a dog up. I personally would add a 3minute egg (half boiled) to their food everyday or at least a few times a week, its great cheap protein. Definitely add bone, instead of the boneless breast just buy chicken quarters w/ bone...you can get a 10lb bag of quarters from walmart for 6 bucks. Like pop said, add hearts and gizzards often and livers 2 or 3 times a week. I also give one of mine missing link supplement because of skin and digestion issues and the others get about a teaspoon of wheat germ oil every or every other day. I also add yogurt (though you already do) everyday about a teaspoon, for the probiotics. Tripe is GREAT if you can find it, but make sure it is fresh green tripe, not the white bleached crap from the grocery store.

PS. i got a great digital scale from walmart for like 20 bucks, make sure you get a digital one though..it will make it WAY easier lol.

 

Thanks everyone, I am real new to the raw diet but I want to learn, really the only reason I'm so interested in it other than it's healtier is they shit less....lol
I wanted to do the prey model but I came to the conclusion that most of the people I have keep an eye on and take care of my dogs when I go out of town are not going to feed them a whole animal so I figured with raw I do up single servings and they would just have to throw it in a food dish for them...

Just for a side note, I didn't intend on feeding the pasta or the rice but when I do the serving size it seems small so I just been adding those 2 items, more to fill rather than a nutritional aspect and while dogs don't necessarily need veggies they do eat them in the wild (they are in the stomach contents of most animals preyed on by wild dogs.) but again it was more of a filler than anything. Thanks again everyone for the info and feel free to keep it comming

 

Yea i feed veggies as well, mostly mustard greens, kale, broccolli, sometimes a little carrot or squash. even a little apple sometimes as well. just dont feed them as a significant amount of the weight. Good Luck man! it has worked wonders on mine!

 

Actually I am tring to put weight on my male, he looks conditioned 24/7 and while I love the look, I would like to put about 3 or 4 lbs on him mostly because I don't need AC comming here to argue with me about an emaciated dog (which he isn't but we all know they don't see it that way) I have always had a problem with this dog and his weight...He is very healthy and I have yet to exhaust him in his work outs so he is obviously very fit and lean but I would still like to add a bit of weight to him, I figured i would stop the carbs when i can get a hold of the green tripe but other than the canned stuff I get that is rather exspensive (2.99 per can which is only enough for 2 of my dogs in one sitting) I haven't seen the green tripe, most stores I go to just have the white kind. Any ideas on this?


And will my 5 month old pup be ok breaking down the bone to swallow?

And my last question: where do you get the wheat germ oil?

 

Rice is fine as long as you don't add too much of it. I'd recommend brown but yea its mostly just a filler anyways. Oatmeal works too, rice/oatmeal should be around 30% or less of the meal though or it defeats the purpose of raw. The bread isn't really necessary, just ground up the vitamin and sprinkle it in the food.

I'd avoid the bonless/skinless chicken. This is very lean and won't put much weight on your boy. Quarters, backs, and necks are great for meaty bones. I like quarters because they're inexpensive with a very good bone/meat ratio and have the skin still on it. You can also add lard althogh some say that the cons outweigh the pros and to just try and get beef fat from a local butcher.

White tripe is bleached and cleaned for human consumption, you won't find green in any supermarkets. I don't feed it but I'd try calling butchers or try oriental markets.

 

I believe veggies should be cooked or blended so that the dog can extract the full benefits. otherwise,it just passes thru their system as dogs digestive systems are not like that of humans they cannot process vegs. unless broken down.wolves and domesticated dogs process foods quite differently.example,wolves eat food and fur together but digest it seperately and excrete it out at different times not together.

 

My pup is 5months today and has been eating bone since 3 months old and doing ok!Don't overdo it on a daily basis though,cause at that age l was told digesting bone takes way longer and mine often vomited
Always give the softer non swallowing bones now that his swapping teeth;(lf money ain't a big deal, you could feed mince meat,chicken,turkey 3 times a day as portions of 150g + salmon oil every morning with a table spoon goat yogurt day after day).l also give apple cider day after day (tsp).Twice aweek cow liver 80g each,chicken gizzards when liver is not available.Also 2 eggs a week slightly boiled is the best protein available and last and not least the egg shells are packed and grinded and added when bone isn't fed (tsp).Now why would "l personally"give my pup added synthetic supplements when l feed this weekly:rolleyes:
AHHHH!! forgot the vegetables 2/3 times aweek, carrots ,broc,spinach and lettuce in small amounts (tbs)and his treats:eek:YES!kiwi is the best with vitC,banana,apple in small amounts twice aweek

l hope l was any help.:crap::p

 

I hear what you all are saying about veggies.

That's why you want the green tripe. When a canine eats the stomach of a kill, they are eating greens (grasses, field greens etc.) but there are digestive enzymes in the stomach that have already broken down these greens and make them easier for the canine to digest.

If you want to use veggies they must be broken down. A juicer would be best. You need to "break" the cells. Otherwise it passes through with little return to the animal.

JMO
DryCreek

 

freezing the vegetables beforehand breaks down the cellulose, making them easier to digest and you dont have to cook them just thaw.

 

Yes, your 5 months old will be fine...i know some who feed young dogs more lean chicken and then add in chicken wings to get them started on it, just try not to do too much lean or too much bone.

I get the wheat germ oil from my local feed store, its around 15 bucks for a gallon jug i think, which will last you a LONGGGGG time lol. Most of the feed stores will order it for you if you ask, if they dont already have it.

and yes like others said, veggies should be very finely chopped, food processor is the easiest.

 

Gotta get organ meat in there. I've read several times that liver is the most important organ meat. Bones are essential too, that marrow is very nutritious. The fillers aren't too important. Veggies are not necessary either, but I can't see how they'd be a bad thing. You've made a good decision on feeding raw. Chicken neck bones are cheap and nutritious.

 

All organs are important. Don't overdo it on the liver..High vitamin A. You need to do organs generally about 3 times a week. I do small amounts every day.

Pretty much anything other than bones/organ/meat is mainly for people's own peace of mind/preference. While they may consume it in nature occasionally it's mainly only when food is scarce or when consuming their prey. In which case the stomach contents is already predigested and broken down enough for the dogs to utilize. I stick to natural yogurt with live cultures and eggs for additives.

 

I agree about the liver, wouldn't feed every day, but I've seen dogs that were lacking in vitamins/minerals start to eat red clay and grass.

Mashed up veggies (Whole ones even chopped up too big will pass right through) and a multi vitamin does the trick. Don't need a lot of veggies though, too much will give green shits.