Thinking Of Starting My Dog On Raw Food Diet (Not Barf)

[Guest der_Windhund]

Hello,

So I have have a 10 month old Staghound (irish wolfhound/greyhound). I have been trying to meet all his dog physical and psychological requirements... taking him running, hunting exploring ect.

I am thinking of going to a raw food diet...whole bones raw chicken pig fish ect ...ect, no veggies, no patties ( like BARF).

What I read, seems like it is best for him? Also maybe it will quench his thirst to eat carcasses ( everytime we come out of the bush he is devoring some old rotton carcass!)

Does anyone out there have there greyhound on a raw diet? It is a bit intimidating to start him on it...How much does he need ect ect. Maybe a combo with his Nutri Source?

 

(I tried to a search for term "ra" but it wouldnt work as it says word neeeds a minumum of 4 characters)

[Guest KennelMom]

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/242512-raw-feeding-basics/

 

 

We feed our 17 dogs, including one staghound, a raw diet. They'll still try to eat things they catch or find though.

Edited September 28, 2011 by KennelMom

[Guest der_Windhund]

Do you give supplements? I read that it is not needed as long as I feed him whole fish?

[Guest KennelMom]

We don't (I should say, rarely) feed fish...our diet is based on chicken, beef and eggs...a little pork too. we also don't give supplements. You really shouldn't need to. But, we also give a tiny bit of veggies for variety. I agree that they aren't 'necessary' but DH thinks they are and it's honestly not a battle I feel is worth fighting. It doesn't hurt...maybe it helps.

 

There are a million ways to feed raw...everyone seems to do it a little differently. Dogs are able to survive and even thrive on quite a variety though. I suspect that's why so many variations of raw/barf work for people.

Edited September 28, 2011 by KennelMom

[spottydog]

Hi there -

I've just started at least a partial raw diet. Somewhere on Greytalk (dietary section) in the last couple of days I came across a very good article about quantity and percentage of bone vs meat vs organ meats. I have had to chop things up a bit until he got the idea. My boy initialy rejected chicken heart because of the shape until I cut it up. I had been having trouble with appetite and diarreah (sp) feeding him kibble, but raw seems to fix both of those problems. Good luck! spottydog

[Remolacha]

The thread Heather gave the link to has a lot of good information. There is no "one true way" to feed raw I've been feeding my dogs raw for years, I use the "whole prey" model, more or less . Fletcher has IBD and can't eat any veggies, and only very limited fruit. The girls have no dietary restrictions, but they are all happy and healthy!

[Guest Cris_M]

Hi, Greypup!

 

Raw feeding is so simple that it is easy to make it hard.

 

Basically, start your dog out with one type of meat. Make sure he is adapting well to it before adding another type.

 

Just go with an assortment of meats and organs, and forget supplements. They aren't needed -- even if you don't feed fish. If it makes you feel better to give them, go ahead.

 

The basic ratio is 80% meat, 10% bone, 10% organ. Half of the organ meat should be liver. You feed 2-3% of the ideal weight of your dog. This is only the basic equation. Observing your dog will refine things for him.

 

I have found that greys seem to need more bone to have a decent poop. That may or may not be the same for a staghound. The way I balance things is to feed more bone if the poops are runny, and less if the poops are hard. With organs, I just toss in a meal of those when I remember/feel like it. Organs will make the poop runny so I give more bone that day or just go with a day of runny poop.

 

When my hounds are young, they eat about 4% of their body weight. If they look skinny, I feed a bit more. If they are looking a bit chubby, I feed less.

 

I know this sounds really loosey-goosey. I used to feed 3 different types of meat a day, and was obsessive about how much organ I fed. All that did for me was make raw feeding hard. It didn't make my dog's health better.

 

All of this is just to say congrats on raw feeding and don't do what I did -- don't make it too hard.

 

You're going to love how your dog looks and acts, his nice smelling breath, unstinky farts, and those teeny, tiny, Yorkie-sized poops. Gotta love those poops.

 

Raw feeding probably won't stop the siren call of a stinky carcass, but it is still completely worth it.

 

Enjoy!

[Guest der_Windhund]

Thanks, that really helps!

[Guest mariah]

One thing to keep in mind is that dogs have a very high calcium requirement. Raw bones really are the best/easiest way for them to get the calcium they need without supplementing, but you do need to make sure the meat and bones are correctly balanced in the diet, as meat contains high levels of phosphorus, and that can cancel out the calcium in the bones if given disproportionately.

 

There's a lot of good info on the boards here, I also really like the articles on this website. The author writes for Whole Dog Journal:

 

http://www.dogaware.com/articles/wdjhomemade2.html

 

It's true that you don't need to feed a "balanced" raw meal every day, but we try to do that at our house as we're bad at keeping track and it gives us peace of mind that he's getting everything he needs. So some "RMB" and some muscle meat, and then a small amount of either egg or organ meat. We also feed veggies and yogurt, mostly because he loves them and it means he gets a little extra food.

[Guest der_Windhund]

Ok, so I worked it out and he needs 1.4kg of raw a day...The thing is it isgoing to cost a fortune! I tried to get bulk bags, necks, chicken backs, liver, gizzards, pigs feet ect...But this will cost about $100 a month...does that seem right?

[seeh2o]

I started feeding mine raw in February. It has really been the best thing I've ever done for them. I do feed veggies and use supplements. My vet feeds hers raw and I follow her instructions with veggies and supplements. Carl had a hard time digesting bones, so I started using Bragg organic apple cider vinegar and it has done wonders for him. I stick with beef (muscle meat, organs green tripe), turkey, cornish hens, duck necks etc., Carl doesn't do well with chicken, so I tend to stay away from it.

[racindog]

I love raw feeding but am far from knowlegeable about it. MyPetCarnivor Super Tripe Mix is :50% green tripe, 40% ground young beef muscle meat/bone/heart, liver, 10% trachea and gullet and is 3%fat 17% protein & 80% moisture. Gilly loves it. If it is his regular ration do I need to add calcium(bone meal) to it or do you think it is OK as is? Also Momma likes just plain 100% tripe. Does she need additional supplements? They both already do get Longevity,fish oil, vit E etc-and some variety in that they get some people food, turkey necks, & other food they like etc. I fed Solid Gold before going to raw and still use it some as a bedtime snack of sorts etc so the raw really isn't costing me any extra.

Edited October 3, 2011 by racindog

[Guest KennelMom]

Our raw diet works out to just over $1/day/dog...but, we buy in bulk from a chicken processor (about 360 lbs delivered every two weeks!). It's all about sourcing the food, stocking up when there are specials or clearance meats at the grocery store. You may want to consider investing in a small freezer for your dog's food.