Raw?

[turnnburn52984]

How many people here feed Raw? Just wondering. I don't, but I've considered it. I feed Merrick's BeforeGrain, or Orijen. The main thing thats is holding me back is freezer space! To get quality meet at a reasonable price I'm going to have to buy in bulk.

[vneerland]

Not me, but I am sure someone will chime in, since it seems to have a good lot of followers.

[Christie M]

Hi there,

I fed it for many years and then was won over again by the convenience of kibble a few years ago. I really liked the overall benefits of raw feeding, as we have decided to start it up again. In fact the chicken that I ordered will be in this afternoon. So you can count me back in as a raw feeder.

[GSDNanny]

Raw several times a week, plus Exceed Rice/Lamb. So far a great combo for me. Raw consists of the 80-90 venison carcasses I get from a local hunting club each deer season for free. The hunters leave a lot of meat, usually just taking the backstrap and necks. Doesnt get much better quality than all natural venison.
Lots of work on my part but well worth it in a lot ways. I do this on Tues evenings when the club members get together to process the weeks' kills. Looks pretty gruesome at my place that evening. Dogs have very good muscle condition, super white teeth with no plaque, thick coats with no skin problems. Yep, freezer space can be a problem but I usually buy a new used freezer each season and I am up to four now. I use plastic shopping bags, doubled, with one days' meal for 8-9 large dogs. Layer newspaper between the bags in the freezer. This works for me and I have been doing this for many years. Never fed raw chicken so cant tell you anything about that.

Denise Gatlin
Louisiana

[leih merigian]

I feed raw and would never go back. I use dehydrated raw when traveliing for long periods or camping.

Denise...I can't even imagine dealing with those deer carcases! Nice way to get meat, tho .

[Christie M]

I feed raw and would never go back..

Can you elaborate?? I have always loved the results. Dante was 4 when I started, and needed a dental bad. 3 weeks later - not so much. My dogs acted very healthy and their bloodwork (I'm anal and run it atleast yearly on everyone) was always normal.

Tonight was feeding #2 back on raw. My thoughts so far "I would gladly spend the extra 10-15 minutes tonight, rather than spray poop for the 2 hours out of kennels tomorrow." Keep in mind, I am feeding our personal 8 dogs (Dante, Willow, Geisha, Salix, Journey, Miles, Vader and Rowdy), plus 8 more that are here for training or rescue. Some sleep in bed, some in crates and some in indoor/outdoor kennel runs...that they notoriously finger paint with poo.

So share with me the negatives.

[leih merigian]

I feed raw and would never go back..

Can you elaborate?? ...So share with me the negatives.

I don't know if you mean the negatives from kibble or hassles from raw.

I switched to raw for my GSD when she was about 2 years old, and wish I'd known about it sooner. She had terrible bowel issues, and was on one drug after another for the first two years of her life, the poor thing. Once I switched to raw, her intestinal problems cleared up like magic. Her teeth, of course, were very nice (I feed mostly ground raw, and give RMBs several times a week). Her health, too, not counting her structural issues, was excellent.

When I travel, if I"m going to be in motels or hotels and am not gone long, I just take food frozen with me in a cooler, and request rooms with those little fridges. Otherwise, I just take dehydrated and rehydrate on the road...works just great.

I'll tell you what, Geyser made it very clear to me that she wanted raw, and not that kibble crap she was getting! (And, it's not like she wasn't on decent kibble...Ash had her on a decent one, and she'd been switched to Orijen...) I feed my two cats raw, too, and one day, Geyser inadvertently got to one of the cat's dishes, and started lapping it right up, happy as could be. Another day soon thereafter, she was licking up the dregs from one of the cat's meals on the porch (I feed one of them outside now, since G's still a bit too excitable for the cat to be eating in the kitchen while she's in her XPen).

She's been so happy on her new raw food. Her poops are so much better.

I don't have any experience dealing with feeding a multiple dog household this way, tho. I'd guess you need a lot of freezer space .

If I haven't hit on what you were wondering, please clarify the question and I'll try again...

[Christie M]

If I haven't hit on what you were wondering, please clarify the question and I'll try again...

I'm sorry. I read it wring. I read it as "I fed raw and would never go back." So I thought you were saying that you used to do it and hated it or something. LOL. That's what I get for checking boards when I'm tired.

I would be interested in what you do for the cats. Mine are not very excited about switching. They will eat canned fine. And cooked chicken. But they haven't touched the raw chicken. Suggestions?? You can PM me if you think this is too off subject

[turnnburn52984]

I don't think it's off topic at all! I'd love to know what people feed cats, as far as a raw diet goes. I understand they have different nutritional needs, the main being higher protein in kibble'd food, which is not an issue with raw I suppose. But isn't Taurine also needed in higher amounts for cats? Do you need to be more precise in what you feed, to insure the muscle meat/organs and RMB's contain enough? I know most raw feeders have a 'balance over time' meal plan, but how does this work with the kitty cats and the specific Taurine requirements? Is it found in adequate amounts in normal organs/meats?

I said in my first post that freezer space is kinda holding me back. Thats still true, but I guess I'm also a bit worried about screwing up! I know it's pretty much fool proof with all the books/research available. If I buy a bag of quality food, I know exactly whats inside, and if it meets my dogs/my level of yummyness. Make sense? I'm blabbering now.... sorry...

[Christie M]

but I guess I'm also a bit worried about screwing up! I know it's pretty much fool proof with all the books/research available. If I buy a bag of quality food, I know exactly whats inside, and if it meets my dogs/my level of yummyness. Make sense? I'm blabbering now.... sorry...

Not blabbering I think this is most people's concerns. But honestly, how many humans are strictly precise in every bite of food they take? In fact, how many doctors would recommend that you went out and found a completely balanced, nutritionally enhanced, 100% processed food for yourself? Any nutritionist would tell you that whole foods are better than any processed.

Dogs are omnivores, and wild canids are opportunistic....often scavengers. Some live to be 20 on bagged cardboard (what I like to call some of the really low end foods). Others die at 2 while eating the best diets out there. So I don't think that perfection is that important for any living thing.

That being said, MSU Diagnostic Lab (used to be called Animal Health Diagnostic Lab, but I think they changed their name) used to run a diet analysis for anyone feeding a homemade diet. It would outline deficients and over abundance in many areas. If they are still offering it, then anyone REALLY concerned about being perfect could always send out for a professional opinion from a nutritionist.

These conversations always crack me up though!! I live off of a base diet of pizza, Wendy's, diet coke and beer. If I put NEARLY as much thought into what I ate as most of us put into what our pets eat, I would be considerable healthier!!!

[leih merigian]

I would be interested in what you dan"]o for the cats. Mine are not very excited about switching. They will eat canned fine. And cooked chicken. But they haven't touched the raw chicken. Suggestions?? You can PM me if you think this is too off subject

My two cats are totally different, personality and temperament wise.

One is a little pig and will eat anything. He loves his raw food (hell, he eats squirrels and mice and bunnies and anything else he can catch, so no big surprise there). The other one is much more picky and was hard to switch to raw.

I started with canned food he likes. Then, I'd add a tiny bit of the raw (I feed them the prepared raw, so it's a mix of muscle meat, bone, organs and a very small amount of vegetables...I know cats are dedicated carnivores, but they thrive on this, so I'm not concerned). Then, over a long time, I'd just continue upping the percentage of raw to canned, until eventually, he was on 100% raw.

However, he still gets finicky,so with him, I'll add about a teaspoon (not measuring t, but table teaspoon) of canned to his raw. Salmon juice (if you drain the salmon from a can of it), is like kitty crack...so that's always a good thing to add, too, if you want to make them really want it.

I add some supplements...Salmon oil, Vit E (the Salmon oil depletes the Vit E in their bodies during the metabolic process, so add it back in), a little kelp, a little alfalfa, and a 1/2 t. of diatamaceous earth with each meal. The DE helps to keep them worm free.

As far as the taurine goes, I consulted a feline nutritionist, and the taurine is in the muscle meat.

I think that when you use kibble or mostly canned, the cooking process deletes a lot of the nutrition, just like with us, so they have to add the taurine back in. When feeding raw, not necessary.

Geyser is now eating a nice variety...lamb, beef, chicken and turkey. I'm sticking with chicken backs for RMBs until her adult teeth are all in, since the bone is very soft and easy to chew and digest. Then she'll get more variety there, too. She gets the RMBs several times a week, and the rest of the time, the ground stuff.

And Christie, I agree with you...it's balance over time, not necessarily with each and every meal.

[turnnburn52984]

These conversations always crack me up though!! I live off of a base diet of pizza, Wendy's, diet coke and beer. If I put NEARLY as much thought into what I ate as most of us put into what our pets eat, I would be considerable healthier!!!

YES!!!!!!!!!! Even if I'd eat what I make my children eat, I'd be healthier. But then I'd have to skip the caffiene, and alcohol. That would be sad.

My animals eat FAR better then I do! Even if I do feed them kibble, it's the best I can get, and my horses eat the prettiest timothy money can buy, and only natural supplements!

[k9katet]

We make a ground mix for our cats - ground turkey with bones, ground turkey, chicken liver and chicken hearts. We use to use ground chicken with bones but Karl's cat won't eat it if it isn't turkey. They get alot of taurine from the chicken hearts. I thought switching the cats would be hard and put if off. My girls (both now gone) were older at the time and I thought they'd be set in their kibble eating ways. They switched with no problems at all. 2 of my cats have been on raw their whole lives. One loves any kind of food. The other refuses to eat any kind of kibble.

[turnnburn52984]

Thanks for sharing. So the best source of taurine is chicken hearts? I'll have to make sure and remember that... I don't think my cat would have an issue switching. She's part K-9, I swear. Eats the kids dropped pasta, pb&j... whatever she can scrounge up! God forbid, if one of the dogs left a crumb of food, the cat will get it.

[Marjolein]

Thanks for sharing. So the best source of taurine is chicken hearts?

Red Bull has Taurine in it But it might have side-effects (love that smilie)

[k9katet]

Giving Red Bull to a cat would be really scary!

[turnnburn52984]

humm.... I think I'll pass. But thanks for the idea Marjolein. Next time I'm cat sitting I'll make sure to feed some just before owners come home.

Heather, it's terrifying, isn't it!?