Am I killing my dog?

[Kathy29]

I don't see anything in your meal plan that you're "killing" your dog with.

I also do a vegetable mixture, but the ratio for that to meat is 1:3, as in ~25% leafy greens/berries and 75% meat. My dog gets raw broccoli sometimes in there and she's perfectly fine. Also, I run this veggie mix through a food processor, too, because dogs don't digest veggies properly due to their inability to break down plant cell walls unless pulped or steamed.

If you want more info, you can check out:
http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/raw-diet/

Loads of info there to get you on track.

 

[mom2dogs]

Since I'm in WHWTs I'm curious if you can you PM the name of the person? I know a few people (back in the states) in the breed that people worship when it comes to food info but I never would.

and I agree with those who recommended Sabine/Mordy, I love her site and recommend it to anyone who wants to feed their dogs better. I doubt your actually "killing" your dog, there's some things that need tweaking, but the things you are feeding are not harmful.

 

[Kellster]

I so appreciate everyone's input. I'd like to ask for some clarification about a recurring comment in many of your posts. Several of you stated that I need to "tweak my menu". I'm not challenging that suggestion, but I'm left wondering what it means. I've already stated that I don't plan to continue repeating the same recipe. My first batch was about ground beef. My next batch will be a completely different set of ingredients - in both meat and veges. Perhaps next time I'll do organ meats and a different selection of veges. It's my understanding that we shouldn't strive for "balanced" in any given meal, so again I'm left wondering what is meant by needing to tweak my menu? My first batch was a 2-1 ratio (2 parts meat, 1 part veges). After reading your posts, I think next time it will be 3 parts meat, 1 part veges. Other than ratio issues, please further explain what you mean by tweaking my menu. I have faith in you guys and I really want to know what you know that I don't.

 

[Dekka]

1/4 veggies is really high in plant material. Most of us do 1/10 or so. How much calcium are you feeding (do you know in mg?) most people feed bones in as it has the right ratios.

 

[Zoom]

Many of the raw feeders tend to do whole meats (like wings, necks, thighs, etc) so there is a proper bone/meat ratio, with organ meat added every so often to get those key nutrients. What they're meaning by "tweaking" in addition to lower the veggie amounts, is making sure you have the proper phosphorus/calcium ratios. Ground hamburger isn't very nutritious on it's own...needs some calcium to balance it out. Organ meats on their own are very rich and have their own proper feeding protocalls.

 

[DanL]

I wouldn't make an entire batch of food based on organ meats either. It's way too rich. You only need to feed small amounts of organs.

Honestly, I think you are over complicating it. If your dog is new to raw, start it out on something mild, like chicken wings or backs, feed that for a couple weeks by itself to get the dog used to it, and gradually introduce other foods one at a time. Take a week or so between new foods so you can watch the dog for any bad reactions it might have to a certain food source.

 

[Kellster]

OK. Great info. Thanks again for your guidance. I'll keep tweaking.

 

[Renee750il]

I would, however, be very wary of using liver and kidney from non-organic sources, since those organs filter everything that goes through the body and the antibiotics and hormones and other poisons that are typically found in commercially raised animals can be concentrated there.

 

[Kathy29]

Check your PM

 

[LoveNewfies]

No, you're not killing your dog. I don't know what kind of nutritionist she is.

What you should do is one of two things, one, yes, get a consult with Mordy. Or, you can complicate things a bit for yourself and do up a spread sheet of what you're feeding and/or intending on feeding, go to nutritiondata.com and find the nutritional analysis for each ingredient you are feeding. You'll want to make sure you have the proper balances.

Balance over time is a fine theory if you are providing the correct balance over time. Typically, the balance over time can be achieved with more of a prey model diet consisting of all body parts and organs that have different nutrient profiles than the meat alone does, or by providing the necessary nutrients throughout the week with supplements, be it whole food additions or added vitamins.

The balance of calcium to phosphorus is very important, as well as the balance of all other minerals - they all work together and if they are too unbalanced on a regular basis, you can begin to have problems.

 

[PAWZ]

I would however drop the bell pepper, anything in the nightshade family like the pepper can be toxic to dogs