Raw Diet

[Hawthorn]

Well, picked up turkey backs, hearts and more necks, couple of cut up rabbits and some chicken feetsies. Hennesey is continuing to be a problem child ! He's turning away from the necks, backs, feet and wants nothing to do with even boneless chicken thighs, cubed. Running out of magic wands here, and I'm nearly through the roof! I'm hesitant to spend the few hundred on a grinder only for him to remain finicky with ground RAW. Thoughts or suggestions?

 

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if he doesn't LIKE the raw food, why continue to try to make him eat it? I'm not against raw diets, nor am I fanatically in favour of them. Mine have a commercial raw food for breakfast most days, and absolutely love it, but their other meals are home-cooked (which they also love) or kibble/commercial wet food (which they also enjoy but not as much as the raw or home-cooked). If they didn't like a particular food, or liked it for a while and then went off it, I'd stop giving it to them and find something else. I just imagine what it would be like if someone tried to force me to eat sushi, or something else that I find equally disgusting, no matter how "good" it might be for me or how much other people might enjoy it. Food is something to be enjoyed, surely?

 

You asked for thoughts, and those are mine.

 

To answer both of your posts....other than searing or freezing liver and organ because they're a very necessary part of the diet, I wouldn't do anything to cater to my dog to get her to eat. What is served is what you get. If you become their personal chef and start adding "special" ingredients or doing things differently all the time then your dog will come to expect that and you'll create a very picky eater. I've been lucky that both my greys ate anything I gave them and especially love organs, but if there was something that they didn't eat at that meal, they got it the next meal and that continued until they ate it.

 

Sandra in FL

 

What you do is up to you of course. I love my dogs and want them to enjoy their (healthy) meals. And I disagree that giving a dog a varied diet creates a picky eater - just a happy one. I can't imagine being so hard-hearted as to force a dog to eat something it doesn't like in the way you describe, any more than I would treat myself that way. I made myself a salad for lunch yesterday, had a few mouthfuls and then decided I didn't like it and had something else. Maybe I should just keep serving it up to myself until I eat it - that'll teach me .

 

OP - apologies for the hijack.

 

I don't feed raw although I do keep looking into it and might make the jump but the way I see it is, you treat your dogs like kids ..... if kids don't want to eat their vegetables, meats, fruit, milk (like many don't) you tell them to eat it usually. You can't compare your diet to your dogs either for the varied diet since we require a more varied diet to get all our nutrience. Also obviously if the dog has an adverse reaction to a certain food you obviously stop.

 

 

 

In the end to each his own

 

 

You mean there are people who would just keep serving a meal up to a child until he/she ate it? Really? The way I see it, there are lots of healthy way to feed dogs, and I would rather find a healthy diet for my dogs that they also enjoy, rather than forcing them to eat a diet that I think is healthy for them but which they don't like.

 

I just don't like/get these hard attitudes, but as you say, to each his own.

[Guest greyhound9797]

You mean there are people who would just keep serving a meal up to a child until he/she ate it? Really? The way I see it, there are lots of healthy way to feed dogs, and I would rather find a healthy diet for my dogs that they also enjoy, rather than forcing them to eat a diet that I think is healthy for them but which they don't like.

 

I just don't like/get these hard attitudes, but as you say, to each his own.

 

It's not that the dog (or kid) doesn't like what you're serving, it's that they simply choose not to eat it. If a child says "I don't like green beans" when they've never eaten them, they're just being stubborn. Do you say "Well, okay then, what else can I make for you?" I doubt it. When a dog turns up its nose at what you put in the bowl, it's being stubborn and hoping that you'll give him something else to eat. If you do then he'll always be expecting something else.

 

I make choices for myself and my pets and if I had kids I'd be making choices for them as well (obviously within reason). A 5 year old shouldn't be dictating what they eat, what time they go to bed, what they watch on TV etc and my dog should not be refusing to eat food simply because she's being stubborn. If she were to refuse it now, she'll get it at the next meal.

 

When my pets get a job, pay for their own food, get their drivers licenses and move out of the house, they can make their own decisions but until then, I'm the boss. That's not a hard attitude, it's taking responsibility for my dependants.

 

Sandra in FL

[Yamaha_gurl]

Sometimes my Bella will sniff something, then turn away...so I put a tiny piece in her mouth, and she will then eat it AND continue eating the rest. She has to taste it, and not just smell.

[racindog]

I get my raw food from My Pet Carnivore (www.mypetcarnivore.com). It is frozen and is always FRESH and appealing (even to me!) and the hounds LOVE it and do very very well on it. Plus I don't have to worry about formulating it myself as they have available several formulations that are already balanced for muscle/organ/bone content etc. I have zero concerns about the prep and cleanliness as I have been using it ~a year now and I've tried MANY of their products and they're always of the highest quality and priced well too. In fact I think you are in their area which means they will deliver it usually to your city for only $10! You can check their delivery sites on thier web site. I'm not overly concerned about "germs" as really dogs IMO are equipped to dig up old buried yucky rotten stuff and eat it without harm. I've seen farm dogs eat some pretty nasty stuff and they thrive somehow so I know the beautiful specially prepared raw I give them should cause no problem. I don't feed raw chicken though because its just my personal belief raw chicken meat can be more likely to harbor something pathogenic. They've had pretty much raw everything else though-even alpaca-and thrive on it and they do love "turkey neck Friday's" when they get their weekly turkey neck. BTW MPC's turkey necks are huge and meaty-really beautiful!

[Hawthorn]

You mean there are people who would just keep serving a meal up to a child until he/she ate it? Really? The way I see it, there are lots of healthy way to feed dogs, and I would rather find a healthy diet for my dogs that they also enjoy, rather than forcing them to eat a diet that I think is healthy for them but which they don't like.

 

I just don't like/get these hard attitudes, but as you say, to each his own.

 

It's not that the dog (or kid) doesn't like what you're serving, it's that they simply choose not to eat it. If a child says "I don't like green beans" when they've never eaten them, they're just being stubborn. Do you say "Well, okay then, what else can I make for you?" I doubt it. When a dog turns up its nose at what you put in the bowl, it's being stubborn and hoping that you'll give him something else to eat. If you do then he'll always be expecting something else.

 

I make choices for myself and my pets and if I had kids I'd be making choices for them as well (obviously within reason). A 5 year old shouldn't be dictating what they eat, what time they go to bed, what they watch on TV etc and my dog should not be refusing to eat food simply because she's being stubborn. If she were to refuse it now, she'll get it at the next meal.

 

When my pets get a job, pay for their own food, get their drivers licenses and move out of the house, they can make their own decisions but until then, I'm the boss. That's not a hard attitude, it's taking responsibility for my dependants.

 

Sandra in FL

 

There's so much I could argue with here but life's too short so I'll bow out now.

 

And in any event, Sophie's demanding I make her a salmon and cucumber sandwich .......

[BootsyCollins]

Can this thread please not get hijacked by a difference of opinion? It's been really helpful to those of us who are new to raw. Thanks.

[Guest apocalyp]

One of the things I'd be concerned with (not knowing much about raw diets) is I've always been told never to feed chicken or pork bones to dogs because they break into sharp pieces. Is this not a real problem? Also when feeding whole fish, is there specific fish that should or shouldn't be fed? Are the small bones of the fish a problem?

[Guest rocknrooos]

Canned sardines in water and canned salmon are staples in my home. No issues with the bones as they are soft. Also, canned salmon is most likely to be wild caught and ready to eat. I no longer purchase fresh salmon as It's a challenge to find wild caught, plus bones need to be removed as they are brittle. Hennesey loves both, he doesn't get much as it can cause the big D, especially with salmon being a fat-rich fish. They are also rich in fatty acids and vitamin D.

[Yamaha_gurl]

Would frozen mackerl be ok? They are full head and all...about 1-1.5 inches in diameter and maybe 6 inches long...would this be ok as a treat?

[Guest MaFia4greys]

Thanks for ALL the posts everyone! I just joined and I also just started my hounds and the rest of my pack on raw. It is tedious but so worth it ... My furry kids are have much more healthier coats and seem to be doing quite well. We have a local butcher that supplies us.

 

Side note: I came on to GT to see one of my foster dogs. I was invited by them to share in his progress in his new possible forever home. ☺

[seeh2o]

One of the things I'd be concerned with (not knowing much about raw diets) is I've always been told never to feed chicken or pork bones to dogs because they break into sharp pieces. Is this not a real problem? Also when feeding whole fish, is there specific fish that should or shouldn't be fed? Are the small bones of the fish a problem?

It is cooked bones (chicken, turkey, duck, etc) that you want to stay away from as they splinter into hard sharp pieces. Raw bones, the types mentored above, are softer and more flexible. With the bigger birds, though, be careful about staying away from the weight beating bones raw and cooked. I can't speak to pork bones as I stay away from those.

[NeylasMom]

One of the things I'd be concerned with (not knowing much about raw diets) is I've always been told never to feed chicken or pork bones to dogs because they break into sharp pieces. Is this not a real problem? Also when feeding whole fish, is there specific fish that should or shouldn't be fed? Are the small bones of the fish a problem?

Like Connie said, it's when you cook bones that they become brittle and dangerous. I find it easiest if you think about it from a physiological perspective since our dogs don't differ in any significant way from wild canids. Wild animals would eat the meat, organs, and some bone and hide from prey animals and leave behind nothing except perhaps entrails in the case of smaller prey and larger connected bones like the spine and weight bearing bones (legs) of larger prey.

 

Would frozen mackerl be ok? They are full head and all...about 1-1.5 inches in diameter and maybe 6 inches long...would this be ok as a treat?

One thing you do want to be careful about when feeding mackerel and other oily fish in particular (tuna, sardines, anchovies, etc.) is that the fish is really fresh and has been refrigerated properly. Otherwise, there is a risk (although I believe it's small) of scombroid poisoning. I have no idea how the histamines would affect dogs, only know about reading it as it relates to human consumption, but I think it makes sense to be cautious. It's also not something you can fix by cooking the fish. I just make sure the fish I buy is fresh, doesn't stink or have cloudy eyes, etc.

 

The other consideration if you're going to feed mackerel regularly is which type. For a long time, I fed atlantic mackerel as the main source of fish for my dogs. Mackerel is high in good omega oils and is also a sustainable fish. Unfortunately, the spanish and king versions have a consumption advisory due to high levels of mercury: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org//cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?fid=125

 

Sardines and anchovies are a great alternative since they are low on the food chain, but I've found them to be much more expensive.

 

And yes, I feed all of these fish whole. I've found a lot of raw fed dogs aren't as interested in eating whole fish though. Neyla loved them, but Zuri wasn't a fan so he now gets his fish ground.

[Yamaha_gurl]

Thanks for the info Jen. I'm a bit on the fence now, they came frozen. I do know that I don't want to cook them though...imagine the stink!

[RedHead]

I am not sure what kind of frozen fish I feed (I will post a pic so you can see), I buy them in bulk in frozen bags. My old dog ate them up (being a northern dog and all!), but most dogs I have had are very picky about them. I always feed them frozen as the dogs never like the dethawed, slimy smell and feel! This fish is fine to feed, there is some rare thing in raw salmon dogs can get, but I think the freezing takes care of it anyways. Here is what our fish look like (mackerel??). For some reason the dogs always bite the head off first. Yuck!

 

 

 

 

[NeylasMom]

Yep, those look like atlantic mackerel to be specific (spanish are spotted, not striped and king are much bigger I think).

 

Maggie, I wouldn't worry too much, didn't mean to scare you. The fish should have been handled properly up until you got it. It was more just a heads up to choose the newer fish when you're buying fresh and to make sure you defrost in the fridge and feed them cold.