With two of my older dogs having food issues (PLE thought to be caused by a food intolerance - and itchy allergies for the other) I have seriously been considering switching to a raw diet or at least a homecooked diet. I have searched the forum and the different links to gain some knowledge but it seems intimidating. Do I just hand my dog a raw chicken leg???????? I've read the 2-3% body weight for a rough estimate of their daily need. For you guys that have switched to raw, was your vet supportive of it? It seems -from reading online- that vets don't get much education on nutrition and what is given is often sponsored by kibble companies. My allergy dog can't do chicken kibble, so I assume he couldn't tolerate raw chicken either??????
If I do switch I think I will try the kibble in the am and raw in the pm that several of you guys are doing.

I switched raw when my first greyhound had IBD and couldn't tolerate most types of kibble, including alternative proteins and starches. I searched around and tried foods for quite some time in conjunction with working with my vet. One day while discussing his continued weight loss, I said the only thing I haven't tried was raw. She told me I had nothing to lose, so try it. The book "Switching to Raw" by Susan K. Johnson (available on-line) was recommended. I read it and followed it to the letter. I still refer to it 3 years later. It is basic and informative and easy to follow. Now, my vet understands what I feed and doesn't really have anything to say about it. The techs that have been there for a long time have accused my of trying to kill my dogs. Yes, I am in the processing of finding a new vet. As for a meat allergy, I don't know if the allergens are the same in processed v. raw chicken. There are others on this board who have experience in that area, I am sure. Good luck! BTW - his digestive system is much calmer and he not only gained back the lost weight, I had to slim him back down a little! He is the poster child for successful raw feeding.

I switched mine over to raw about year ago with good results. You are doing just by by rearching it first to find out more about it. That is exactly what I did, and have been very pleased with it. Another good resoure has been K9 Kitchen the yahoo group and the women who started the forum has written two books on canine nutrition. Her web site is Monica Segal she also does consultation with people (not for free) regarding their dogs diet and recommends how to make it nutritionally sound. She also have some nice pamphlets with diet already made out that can be used. Good look and keep researching.

I switched to raw several years ago because one of my dogs has IBD and I've never found a kibble he could eat! I recently got a new dog, and thought she was going to be difficult to switch to raw. Turns out, she just doesn't like chicken It does seem complicated at first!

So, to answer your questions, your allergy dog may or may not be able to do raw chicken. Most people start with that because it's cheap and readily available. You could try, or you could start with ground beef, and try turkey necks or bone meal to get the calcium. You could start with the pre-made frozen raw meals. They are a bit pricey, but good for short term.

The books and websites are a good idea to give you the basics, but at first, I wouldn't worry about veggies or supplements. Keep it simple! Of course, I don't feed veggies at all I have never done home cooked, but I know there are people on GT who have and can give you good advice.

My vet isn't exactly supportive, but isn't against it either. She says most people aren't willing to do the research and take the trouble to get it right, but she knows I will. And she can't argue with my dogs looks or health

It IS more than handing your dog a chicken leg (or turkey neck), but not that complicated once you get used to it. The great thing is you can tailor what you feed to your individual dog's needs and likes!

I switched Spud because of his explosive diarrhea. I've been feeding raw for about 2.5 years and the pups are very healthy!

I didn't talk to my vet before switching, but the subsequent vets I've used haven't had an issue with it, or they haven't communicated any disapproval to me.

I think a lot of vets see people who don't feed raw properly and that's a major reason why they don't support it.

Variety over time is key. I'd stay away from chicken if your dog has an allergy to it. Any form of the allergen is going to cause a reaction (but sometimes it turns out that the dog isn't allergic to the protein, but something else in the food).

We started out on a BARF model, and while I still feed some veggies, I've adjusted the diet over time to suit my kids.

NaturallyGrey on yahoo is a good resource, as are the Billinghurst books.

We started with chicken, fed that for a couple of weeks, and added a new protein every week to two weeks after that. Spud had diarrhea with the transition but Sadie did not.

I've also been feeding homecooked to my two because of Sadie's meds. They get homecooked or ground raw in the morning and a RMB at night.

We supplement with salmon oil, seameal (because raw diets lack iodine), and other things (only because of Sadie's meds).

We've been using a Wysong product that I really like.

Others will chime in I'm sure. It's just about finding what works for your dog. Good luck!

Monica Segal is a very good resource, and while she is a bit spendy for a consult, her Yahoo! group (the name eludes me right now) is full of people that are very resourceful and know what they're talking about. They will often reply swiftly with specific information to queries.

As to where to start- try giving your hound a single chicken drumstick. See what happens.

Some dogs can handle raw chicken fine but can't eat chicken kibble. I think in that case it is more because of processing/preservatives/other things in the chicken that isn't in the raw product. But I would start with other raw meats first and try a small amount of chicken later (say in a few months) to see how he reacts.

For now, I would probably start with some raw turkey or pork (not skin on so there's not much fat). Pick something with bone and meat, a little higher in bone is ok for the beginning to firm stools. My typical choice would be chicken leg quarters, but if you don't use chicken I'd suggest maybe turkey necks or pork ribs (side ribs are cheaper than back ribs) or riblets (this is the triangular piece at the end of the rib slab).

We switched to raw about 8 months ago and it does seem complicated but it's not too bad once you get used to it. Our dogs get a variety but it is often the same variety of stuff over and over due to prohibitive costs or lack of ability to find anything else. Ours get chicken, turkey, beef and pork on a regular basis, liver and various organs and tripe.

We don't feed veggies except as an occasional snack and then only because they like them. Our dogs are doing great and so far no one has needed a dental this year!

Our vet is generally not supportive of a raw diet because he says it is often done wrong. However he also said he knows us (he's seen us go through alot with Cole's thyroid and seen how we went out and learned everything we could about thyroid issues) and knows we would do our research and do the diet correctly so it does not bother him. he did list the risks for us as well as the benefits.

We read 2-3 books, lots of the rawfeeding yahoo list, and all the GT posts on rawfeeding and I think got enough information from that to go forth. When we switched, we gave it 6 months to see if it worked, if we liked, if the dogs stayed healthy. After 6 months, we didn't even discuss going back.

We did recently sit down and do a comparative budget because money has been tight and we thought we'd put them back on kibble to save some money. We are actually paying less for raw than we were for Eagle Pack once you include the canned food as a topping it took to entice them to eat!

I've been feeding raw for almost a year now, and love the results I've seen! I had a splarty-butt pup that broke out in hives and itchies on most kibbles, so I gave raw a try. Best choice I ever made, hands down!

It's pretty intimidating when you first start researching, just because of the sheer quantity of information to plow through - and it doesn't help that there are seemingly endless 'flavors' of raw - BARF, prey model, pre-ground, dehydrated, etc. I read and read and asked questions and finally decided to start out on prey-model just because it seemed the simplest and most user-friendly. Once I got comfortable with percentages and portions and feeding schedules, I started experimenting on my own with different supplements, adding veggies or fish oil or a handful of good quality kibble (Wellness Core) to their meals every once in a while. I figure if they enjoy eating it and it doesn't bug their tummies, why not?

As far as cost, that was never an issue for me - I'd rather spend the money on their food than spend it at the vet's office for allergy testing, meds, and dentals. My vet was initially hesitant when I said I fed raw, but after I explained HOW and WHAT I feed, she agreed that I was 'doing okay by them' and their condition speaks volumes about how they are doing - glossy coats, firm poops, clean teeth, good breath and fit, trim bodies!

You've gotten lots of great advice.

While things aren't as easy as handing your dog a chicken leg (or whatever other meat you have chosen), you can get by with that for several weeks and not compromise your dog's health. That will give you the time to do more research, learn more and still be doing the best for your dog.

Raw feeding really isn't hard. There are a few rules, but an important thing is to seek balanced nutrition "over time". Not every day or every week needs to be balanced.

I am going to a seminar in Toronto where she is speaking in a few weeks. She was supposed to speak October 18th but was ill and had to re-schdeule. The canine nutritionist who filled in for her was excellent though and I really learned a lot. I'm very much looking forward to hearing what she has to say and to reading her books.

For those of you that feed raw, where do you feed your dog? I've been considering a switch for about a month and I'm going to start looking into it more now, but I don't know where I should feed them! I don't want a mess all over the house and I don't have much time in the mornings. Right now the two greys are fed in their crates and my brittany pup is fed next to them in the living room (she doesn't like her crate ). Its too cold to feed outside and they need to be separated because one guards her food and another eats slow and the third will try to help herself to everyone else's after she gobbles her up!

I switched my greyhound to raw about 2 years ago in desparation. He was sick & underweight from SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) & Babesia. He couldn't digest any processed or even cooked food. Feeding raw worked beautifully and is well worth the effort. My greyhound is doing very well and on walks, people often comment how robust & healthy he looks.

My vet is amazed at the turn-around and says not to change a thing. She generally advises against raw feeding unless pets are feed a commercially prepared raw diet that is assumed to be nutritionally complete. But she is fine with my greyhound's home prepared diet because she knows I have done the research.

I feed my greyhound outside year round and I live is Wisconsin. I can't imagine that NC is too cold to feed outdoors right now. But maybe I have a different idea of "cold." When it was very cold here, below 0, I tried feeding my greyhound indoors, but he wouldn't touch his food. Got in the habit of eating outside and can't change. So during really miserable weather, I feed very easy meals, usually ground that can be consumed in a minute or two.

With multiple dogs and iffy weather, maybe your best bet would be to feed them in their crates with bedding removed. I wish I had gotten into that habit when I started raw feeding.

We feed on the kitchen floor. It's slate and we just mop it up when we are done. We gate them in and our girl who won't eat with an audience is gated on the other side of the counter. We occasionally feed one in their crate but it is rare. If we had crates for each of them, we would feed in their crates for sure.

Where to feed: When we only had two, I'd just evict them to the backyard, and then prepare their food. They'd get very excited when I'd open the back door, and I'd just fling meat at them. If it was a large chunk of food, Coco would wander off and gobble it down, and Minerva would lay down in the grass and munch on it. Then they'd come back and see if there was more. Smaller portions are easier; I'd get a pair of Russian dressing forceps, and just pick each piece and fling it- left, right, left, right- until it was all gone.

With four- including a foster that is more like a shark than a greyhound- we evict the dogs, and feed Coco and Minerva their raw food in the kitchen. The foster is fed in the crate (with the door open), and Tito is fed a few feet away from an open bowl. While the former get fed raw, the latter get fed kibble. For treats, the foster and Tito have been fed raw, but sometimes they don't do so well on it. They do enjoy it, but it can be terrifying; Jake has consumed an entire turkey neck as big around as my wrist after biting it just twice. I don't mean *chewing*, I mean bite-bite-swallow-moreplease.

There were no adverse effects that I could see from his gastronomic indulgence. He and Tito don't do well on chicken; they tend to throw up pieces the next day, and Tito sometimes has D from it. Both do very well on beef heart.

If you find that your allergy dog truly can't handle chicken in any form, then be on the alert that he may be allergic to eggs too.

As for raw, I'm a big fan of it. Most dogs do VERY well on it. And as for Veterinarian's opinions, it varies from Vet to Vet. My old Vet was staunchly against raw, my new Vet was all for it as long as that individual dog does well on it, which most dogs do. We tried it for awhile. Riley did marvelous on it, Henry did not. He is on homecooked now.

I have a very similar problem - Chaos is a food guarder (and stealer!) and eats very quickly, while Mayhem eats slower and gets twice as much so it takes him longer. I feed both in their crates, and I have to say, Mayhem does not like his crate due to SA. But now that he only goes in there for his dinner, he RUNS in there as soon as I pick up their food! He will even willingly go in at other times because it has a positive association now.

The crates at our house are in the spare bedroom, so what I do is put the chunks on a plate or big bowl (I've been known to pull a not-too-dirty plate out of the dishwasher cause it's just going back in after anyway) and carry it there. When I'm at the sink getting things ready they stand behind me and wait, but as soon as I pick up the bowl/plate they run up the stairs for their crates. DH has been in the way a couple of times and gotten trampled. When visiting family we've fed on kitchen or bathroom floors (whatever is easy to clean) and it has worked fine also. But I like that I can close the crate doors and carry the dish to the sink, wash my hands, etc. and not have to supervise directly. Of course I always stay within earshot in case of problems, which is something I always recommend if you feed raw.

We fed two meals with kibble, but when we went to raw I switched to once a day (evening). For time reasons and also because at the beginning I wanted to be home in case something new didn't agree with them so I could take them out to potty. Also feeding once a day lets you give them larger pieces so they get more chewing action - which helps with the dental cleaning benefits, and also gives at least a little challenge to my fast chewer.