Question For Raw Feeders..cooking It?

[Guest snowmo18]

So I have made the leap...Switching my kids over to RAW..the only thing is that my Polly isnt too keen on the texture. So I have been cooking it for them. I bought the premade 10lbs roll of Dogs gone wild and split it into 1lb patties each and then placed them back in the freezer. ( they are still on kibble for breakfast), but dinner I take the patties out and cook them like hamburger bits in the pan...not 100% ..about that of a medium burger..I added chopped bell peppers and lettuce to it and also threw some scrambled eggs on top..they love it...but is this ok? how to I get it to the more RAW state..or do I even have to...they first tried just the chicken and now I have the chicken & beef mixture.

 

Also...I worry I am not feeding them enough..it doesnt fill up the bowl as much as kibble did, so thats a concern..they are each getting almost 1lb (precooked)

[Guest k85trb]

I wouldn't cook it that much, you aren't supposed to cook anything with bone in it, because it can cause the bone to become hard and brittle. if you must cook it, heat the pan and just sear the outside, leave the inside rare. Dogs are normally fed 2-3% of their ideal body weight in raw food. Diesel weighs 80 lbs and gets 2 lbs of meat per day, 2.5% of his ideal body weight, because this is the level that keeps him at a healthy stable weight. I divide his meals into two 1lb portions.

 

Your best bet is to weigh each of your dogs, determine the amount of Raw they require and then half it, since you are still using kibble for their breakfast. Then watch their weight and adjust up or down if necessary. If your dogs are quiet couch potatoes you might need less, if they are very active and into lure coursing or lots of play time in the dog park you might need a little more.

 

The other way to know is to check the calories in the raw food, (if it's on the package, I couldn't find it on the website) and compare the calories in the kibble.

[Batmom]

If it's ground raw, the bones are ground too and it doesn't matter how much you cook it.

[Guest snowmo18]

yes its ground raw..and I probably only have it in the pan for about 4-5 minutes..the little bits of bone I see are about the size of a pin head

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

Cooking it should be fine. You can try cooking it less and less to slowly get her used to the texture and taste.

 

When I make my cats' food I grind all the raw meat and bones (chicken) then bake it like a meatloaf. After that I portion it out and freeze it. I do a month's worth at a time, that way I'm not cooking it every day. So, if your little gal never really seems to like the raw flavor or texture, that's an option for you. I've felt it through with my fingers before and after cooking and the bits of bone are so small that they won't cause any issues. Anything too large gets caught up in my grinder and thrown away when I'm making it.

[Guest snowmo18]

wonderful, thank you! I kind of like the idea that its cooked too..just not so sure about the raw raw thing..

[Guest Scarter55]

You could just try different types of meat as well, rather than the pre-packaged raw diet foods. Lady's breeder fed her chicken necks, so she has always been very accostomed to those, however when we've introduced other types of meats, it sometimes takes her a bit to get used to them. And whole livers, she ignored completely. So you might find that they like different types or preparations better. We started our cats on a raw diet for dinner time that they love. But when we first started it, one of them wouldn't touch it. We mixed it with a little water and a little of his old food and he eventually ate it, now he loves it.

[GeorgeofNE]

Lettuce? The one thing my dog eat, and one that has virtually no nutritional value even for people.

[XTRAWLD]

Sounds like you are feeding ground if it's in patty format. It might not be that they aren't keen on the texture, it could be that they aren't keen on the meat mix. I've had Kasey turn up his nose on a batch of raw that didn't smell good enough for his palate, but another bag from the same batch was perfectly fine. They often enjoy eating beef more than chicken, etc. Try adding some fish oils to it with a bit of warm water - I find that makes a difference - they might like a more mushy dish.

 

IMO you should keep it raw and not cook it.

 

Many will argue that adding veggies to their diet is pointless, however I'm of the mindset that giving them veggies wouldn't make them worse! I don't give them extras with their meals, but they do get fed scraps from the table, when we are cooking dinner, etc, and that makes up the rest of their food content.

 

Ah, and I forgot to add, you can also try to crack an egg in their dish to encourage them to eat as well. Yes raw egg, and if you want some of the shell.

Edited June 27, 2013 by XTRAWLD