Starting Raw Feeding, Please Help!

[RedHead]

You can feed backs, necks, wings etc. but they are just really high in bone so need to be balanced out with an equal amount or more of boneless meat (or not fed daily as a main part of the diet). Too much calcium in the diet can bind other minerals.

 

The only meat to avoid is some types of raw fish. Salmon, I think is the main one as it can contain some sort of parasite. You can cook it and feed it though. I feed canned fish, canned oysters and the little raw frozen smelts/mackerel. Also, although it is fine to feed, a lot of dogs don't tolerate venison very well for some reason.

[sweetdogs]

The only meats I avoid are cooked pork (I think the risk of pancreatitis is too great & raw is very rare/expensive where I am for some reason) & pork neckbones (I think they're just too hard - I used to feed them but got too scared about slab fractures). I've fed all kinds of chicken parts & they adore turkey necks. My guys did well with venison so it depends on the dog. No one here likes lamb.

 

I've tried a couple of brands of pre-made raw over the years & none of my animals like it. As in walking away which NEVER happens with any sort of plain meat or RMB's. So maybe don't buy a lot of it at first until you know how it goes over & how it comes out.

 

Don't overthink - just go slow.

[Guest heathertrent]

I gave him a chicken quarter last night. He sniffed it, licked it, then looked at me and walked away. He refused to eat it so after giving him 15-20 minutes I took it from his bowl and placed it back in the fridge. This morning I tried again with no luck, he didn't seem to like the texture much. Taking the advice about going slow and waiting to introduce the chicken skin, I removed the skin then cut it in half. He immediately started to eat it as long as I held it for him. If I put it down he just stood there looking at me, lol. Finally after it got too small for me to hold he laid down and finished it off! WooHoo!!! A few hours later when he pooped, it started solid but by the end it was like water. Is that normal, and if so how long does it last? One last question on the fish, what do I look for on the can or package to be sure it is okay for him?

 

Thank you all so much for your help, you are truly AWESOME!!!!! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!!!!!

 

Michelle

[Wonder]

How much sodium was in the chicken?

[Guest WhiteWave]

Was the chicken quarter enhanced? It will usually say on the package. Walmart chicken is enhanced and many chicken quarters that come in bags. My dogs can not eat enhanced meats. I have to sometimes pay more, but I do avoid them.

 

 

Also you may need to removed some of the skin and excess fat to start with It will cause diarrhea in some dogs.

[XTRAWLD]

I made a mistake of ordering a case of pork ribs when we were starting out. I still have them over a year later. If you are starting out, I'd recommend not buying by the case until you can isolate how much he eats and what he actually likes before committing to buying a huge amount.

[Fruitycake]

My cats did the same thing as your dog when first offered raw. I don't think they understood how to pick it up and move it around to chew it (and weren't totally convinced this was actually food). Also, they prefer things closer to room or body temperature, so they're spoiled now and get things gently warmed under warm water. After they figured out how to do it, they became expert and enthusiastic eaters! (Monty, our grey, took to it immediately though. He understood that it was food and it was good.)

 

As with any change in food you can see "output" changes until their body gets used to things. Keep an eye on it, and as others have mentioned try to avoid "enhanced" meats (packages will say something like "with x% saline solution" or something).

 

It sounds like you're well on your way, though!

[XTRAWLD]

I gave him a chicken quarter last night. He sniffed it, licked it, then looked at me and walked away. He refused to eat it so after giving him 15-20 minutes I took it from his bowl and placed it back in the fridge. This morning I tried again with no luck, he didn't seem to like the texture much. Taking the advice about going slow and waiting to introduce the chicken skin, I removed the skin then cut it in half. He immediately started to eat it as long as I held it for him. If I put it down he just stood there looking at me, lol. Finally after it got too small for me to hold he laid down and finished it off! WooHoo!!! A few hours later when he pooped, it started solid but by the end it was like water. Is that normal, and if so how long does it last? One last question on the fish, what do I look for on the can or package to be sure it is okay for him?

 

Thank you all so much for your help, you are truly AWESOME!!!!! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!!!!!

 

Michelle

 

Kasey did the "hold it for me please mummy" at first as well. He would eventually take it and eat it off the floor and not from his bowl. Sigh. He shouldn't have liquid at the end of his poop but to be fair, this is new to his system. I found that giving them meat solo, and bone solo, they did better, i.e. chicken breast and then a piece of bone in the bowl. He had a thing where he didn't want to crunch down on the leg itself. He is absolutely MINT when working through turkey necks though.

 

As far as adding fish for omegas, I've given sardines from a can before. To be honest, I haven't felt that adding fish oils have done anything for them. Some others feel differently, only you know your dog.

Edited August 22, 2013 by XTRAWLD

[Wonder]

Lucky is a picky eater. He won't eat any meat if it's partially frozen. He also now won't eat in a bowl so I just dump it on a towel for him.

This morning he wouldn't eat a chunk of turkey so I took it away and gave him some pork instead which he ate. silly boy.

 

Thunder will eat anything.

 

Passion prefers beef but will eat turkey and chicken if I mix in beef. It's all ground for her since she doesn't have many teeth left.

[Guest heathertrent]

How much sodium was in the chicken?

Was the chicken quarter enhanced? It will usually say on the package. Walmart chicken is enhanced and many chicken quarters that come in bags. My dogs can not eat enhanced meats. I have to sometimes pay more, but I do avoid them.

 

 

Also you may need to removed some of the skin and excess fat to start with It will cause diarrhea in some dogs.

 

I just checked the bag and it does have a lot of sodium and it does say it is enhanced. I will not purchase these again. I am going to the store in the morning to get a better quality pack.

I made a mistake of ordering a case of pork ribs when we were starting out. I still have them over a year later. If you are starting out, I'd recommend not buying by the case until you can isolate how much he eats and what he actually likes before committing to buying a huge amount.

Yes, I will definitely buy in small quantities until I find out what works. I now have about 8 pounds of chicken quarters in my freezer that will most likely not be ate. That's okay, lesson learned.

My cats did the same thing as your dog when first offered raw. I don't think they understood how to pick it up and move it around to chew it (and weren't totally convinced this was actually food). Also, they prefer things closer to room or body temperature, so they're spoiled now and get things gently warmed under warm water. After they figured out how to do it, they became expert and enthusiastic eaters! (Monty, our grey, took to it immediately though. He understood that it was food and it was good.)

 

As with any change in food you can see "output" changes until their body gets used to things. Keep an eye on it, and as others have mentioned try to avoid "enhanced" meats (packages will say something like "with x% saline solution" or something).

 

It sounds like you're well on your way, though!

Riley prefers his food a little closer to room temp, too. I am switching our cat over to raw once I get Riley going. I hope when I get him on some better chicken tomorrow it will help firm up his poo some.

Kasey did the "hold it for me please mummy" at first as well. He would eventually take it and eat it off the floor and not from his bowl. Sigh. He shouldn't have liquid at the end of his poop but to be fair, this is new to his system. I found that giving them meat solo, and bone solo, they did better, i.e. chicken breast and then a piece of bone in the bowl. He had a thing where he didn't want to crunch down on the leg itself. He is absolutely MINT when working through turkey necks though.

 

As far as adding fish for omegas, I've given sardines from a can before. To be honest, I haven't felt that adding fish oils have done anything for them. Some others feel differently, only you know your dog.

He ate his last piece of chicken from the bowl, so I think he is catching on now. I might try adding some fish in a few weeks after we establish some other things.

[RedHead]

I accidently bought enhanced pork once and the pups had a terrible time. I couldn't figure out why until I looked at the package. A lot of dogs won't or don't know how to eat chicken or turkey at first. You can either cut it up into smaller pieces, or sear it lightly on the outside to enhance the smell. Don't give up, they soon become chewing and crunching pros! You also might want to try the ground mix to start.

 

 

I've tried a couple of brands of pre-made raw over the years & none of my animals like it.

I agree, the store stuff (Nature's Variety, etc.) tends to smell and look vastly different and none of my dogs like it. My mix comes from a local person that just gets the meat locally, grinds it up that day and freezes...it's totally different from the store/company brands.

[Guest heathertrent]

Lucky is a picky eater. He won't eat any meat if it's partially frozen. He also now won't eat in a bowl so I just dump it on a towel for him.

This morning he wouldn't eat a chunk of turkey so I took it away and gave him some pork instead which he ate. silly boy.

 

Thunder will eat anything.

 

Passion prefers beef but will eat turkey and chicken if I mix in beef. It's all ground for her since she doesn't have many teeth left.

Riley ate from his bowl this last time so I think he was just a little unsure of things at first. I haven't tried giving him frozen but I have to put his bag of food in warm water for a couple of minutes to take the chill off or he walks away.

I accidently bought enhanced pork once and the pups had a terrible time. I couldn't figure out why until I looked at the package. A lot of dogs won't or don't know how to eat chicken or turkey at first. You can either cut it up into smaller pieces, or sear it lightly on the outside to enhance the smell. Don't give up, they soon become chewing and crunching pros! You also might want to try the ground mix to start.

 

 

I agree, the store stuff (Nature's Variety, etc.) tends to smell and look vastly different and none of my dogs like it. My mix comes from a local person that just gets the meat locally, grinds it up that day and freezes...it's totally different from the store/company brands.

I was thinking of trying the raw mix from Petsmart. I might pick up a small roll to try while I am out tomorrow.

[Wonder]

I tried the Nature's Variety for Passion- she hated the veggies in it.

I'd find peas in the bowl

[Guest Marsroving]

Do not over feed on liver, beef or chicken. I made the mistake of feeding mars a whole 1 pound meal of liver and it turned his poo black which scared the hell out of me and made me think he had internal bleeding. Nope just way to much liver.

[Wonder]

Liver should only be 5%

[Wonder]

Just saw this on FB

http://pippamattinson.com/are-vets-driving-raw-feeders-away/

[Guest heathertrent]

I tried the Nature's Variety for Passion- she hated the veggies in it.

I'd find peas in the bowl

I tried putting a few small pieces of carrots in his bowl yesterday and he left them in the bowl. I took the hint and didn't try it today.

[Guest heathertrent]

Do not over feed on liver, beef or chicken. I made the mistake of feeding mars a whole 1 pound meal of liver and it turned his poo black which scared the hell out of me and made me think he had internal bleeding. Nope just way to much liver.

Liver should only be 5%

I have not been giving him organs, I wanted to wait and do this slowly.

 

 

When I took him out this morning he had liquid poop again and his belly was making terrible noises. When I gave him his food he sniffed it and walked away. He finally ate a little this evening but not very much, probably around 5 or 6 ounces. Should I be worried or is this normal? Thank you!

 

Michelle

[Guest heathertrent]

Just saw this on FB

http://pippamattinson.com/are-vets-driving-raw-feeders-away/

Interesting article, thank you for sharing.

 

Michelle

[seeh2o]

I feed Xkaliber (from www.greentripe.com, a coarsely ground mixture of green tripe, gullet, trachea, tongue, muscle meat, bone and heart), muscle meat du jour...beef, turkey, lamb or pork...Carl doesn't do well on chicken, so I avoid that, and a homemade grind that a group of us get together and make with turkey wings, internal organs and heart. Once or twice a week I give them each half of a Cornish Game Hen. They each get chicken feet with each meal, they are fed twice. The chicken feet really help clean Doodles teeth and firm up her poop. Carl's poop is good either way, but I know they are good for his teeth.

 

Every now and then I get a case of duck necks - they LOVE them, or turkey necks, which they also love.

[Guest heathertrent]

I feed Xkaliber (from www.greentripe.com, a coarsely ground mixture of green tripe, gullet, trachea, tongue, muscle meat, bone and heart), muscle meat du jour...beef, turkey, lamb or pork...Carl doesn't do well on chicken, so I avoid that, and a homemade grind that a group of us get together and make with turkey wings, internal organs and heart. Once or twice a week I give them each half of a Cornish Game Hen. They each get chicken feet with each meal, they are fed twice. The chicken feet really help clean Doodles teeth and firm up her poop. Carl's poop is good either way, but I know they are good for his teeth.

 

Every now and then I get a case of duck necks - they LOVE them, or turkey necks, which they also love.

I will check out that website. I hope he feels better, eats better today and his poop starts to firm up. I can tell my sweet boy doesn't feel well. Thank you!

 

Michelle

[RedHead]

I would do a bland diet for a few days to calm things down before trying anything new. If his gut is and has been out of whack, adding more bacteria foods right now might not be the best plan if he isn't reacting well. Have you ever tried boiled chicken and rice or pasta? Once his system has settled you can gradually try adding in some new single ingredient foods to figure out what he does well on and what not. I would personally try beef or lamb if the chicken hasn't been going over well.

Has your boy been checked for worms?

[Guest heathertrent]

I would do a bland diet for a few days to calm things down before trying anything new. If his gut is and has been out of whack, adding more bacteria foods right now might not be the best plan if he isn't reacting well. Have you ever tried boiled chicken and rice or pasta? Once his system has settled you can gradually try adding in some new single ingredient foods to figure out what he does well on and what not. I would personally try beef or lamb if the chicken hasn't been going over well.

Has your boy been checked for worms?

I have some boneless, skinless chicken breast in the freezer. I am going to boil some for him to see if that helps. We have had him tested for worms twice this summer so I don't think that is the problem. He had really watery poop yesterday morning and didn't eat anything all day until around seven last night. He only ate five or six ounces when he did eat. He refused to eat again this morning and has not pooped since yesterday morning. I think I will try the boiled chicken this morning and maybe try beef this evening. Thank you for your help.

 

Michelle

[Guest Marsroving]

You could also tried ground beef. They don't really need veggies although Mars looooves broccoli and will get a few frozen pieces on a hot day.

 

What we like to do is take the raw meats, cut them into cubes (bone included), maybe add a few celery sticks, broccoli, and rice then put it in a huge container and feed it over the course of a few days.

 

For instance, one cut up chicken breast, on cut up quarter, a cup of rice, a little chicken stock, a few hearts, a few livers, a cup of veggies. Then we weight out 1 pound meals. Mars gets 2 pounds a day, 1 pound each meal (he weighs 78 pounds and I should probably get him down to 76 although I can still see his ribs and three points in his spine).

 

That way it's all premade and easy for you. Carrots and celery I precook in chicken stock because dogs cannot digest most raw veggies.

[seeh2o]

One thing I forgot to add...Doodles gut took to raw like I do to chocolate, but initially, Carl's gut had a tough time digesting bone and he would hork up some sharp and scary looking pieces. I added organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar to his food and it did the job for him. I would, from time to time, pull back on it to see how he did, it took about a year for him. He has no problems with bones now, once in a great while he'll hork up a scary bit, but that happens maybe once every 6 months or so.