To those who feed raw...
- Thread starter Sush
- Start date
I can tell you what I do, but you really need to do some research. Search this forum for posts, some of them have good links on basic stuff.
Example of a daily feed for my 3 dogs:
Gunnar- 18 months old, 85lbs and very active- 1.5lbs chicken leg quarters, 1lb boneless beef or pork, 2 oz of liver, 1 egg, 2000mg salmon oil, 400 iu vitamin E.
Midnite- 12 years old, not real active, 55-60lbs - 3/4lb chicken leg quarters, 8oz boneless beef or pork, 1oz liver, 1 egg, 1000mg salmon oil, same vit E as Gunnar (since it's a capsule I can't split it)
Bruzer- 5yrs old, active, 25lbs- 1/2lb chicken leg quarters, 8oz beef or pork, 1oz liver, 1 egg, same supps as Midnite.
This is just an example. I might feed this combo for several days in a row, then when I run out of something I had thawed, move onto another combo, perhaps pork ribs or beef shortribs and boneless turkey as their main meats. I don't give them an egg every day, maybe every other day, I just used that as part of the example. I adjust their food amounts by their condition. Bruzer gains and loses real fast so I have to watch him. Gunnar will lose fast as well because he's so active. Many times He'll get 2 meals just to split it up as he gets a lot of food at one time otherwise. Midnite is easier to maintain.
I'm sure you'll get some other good replies as well.
Example of a daily feed for my 3 dogs:
Gunnar- 18 months old, 85lbs and very active- 1.5lbs chicken leg quarters, 1lb boneless beef or pork, 2 oz of liver, 1 egg, 2000mg salmon oil, 400 iu vitamin E.
Midnite- 12 years old, not real active, 55-60lbs - 3/4lb chicken leg quarters, 8oz boneless beef or pork, 1oz liver, 1 egg, 1000mg salmon oil, same vit E as Gunnar (since it's a capsule I can't split it)
Bruzer- 5yrs old, active, 25lbs- 1/2lb chicken leg quarters, 8oz beef or pork, 1oz liver, 1 egg, same supps as Midnite.
This is just an example. I might feed this combo for several days in a row, then when I run out of something I had thawed, move onto another combo, perhaps pork ribs or beef shortribs and boneless turkey as their main meats. I don't give them an egg every day, maybe every other day, I just used that as part of the example. I adjust their food amounts by their condition. Bruzer gains and loses real fast so I have to watch him. Gunnar will lose fast as well because he's so active. Many times He'll get 2 meals just to split it up as he gets a lot of food at one time otherwise. Midnite is easier to maintain.
I'm sure you'll get some other good replies as well.
Hmm mine usually get chicken necks/backs plus ground meat (discount beef usually) plus veggies (usually carrots/squash/apples/potatoes...) and a supplement powder that mordy gave me the recipe for. I buy a 5 dozen eggs on sale and use them until they run out and then give them a break and buy them again. I save the shells and make them into a powder. As for how much to feed I play it by ear. Nanook, Mikey and Sakari are all right around 50 lbs and I'll either up their feed or lesson it depend on how they look. It's hard to keep weight on Maverick (although he looks great now!) so he quite often gets extras on top of his regular meal. Oh and I'll feed kidney or liver a couple times a week.
My Quigley is a 28 pound terrier mix, and my feeding schedule looks something like this:
Morning meal:
Ground muscle and organ meat, which is mostly red meat (beef, lamb, buffalo, goat) since I can get suitable poultry rmb's easily and have a great supplier for grass fed/free range red meats. To this I also add a veggie mash, usually a combo of 4-5 different veggies, depending on what's available. Most of them are pureed raw, but things like potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli and other cabbage type veggies are steamed, simply because he can digest them better that way and doesn't get gas.
Into this, I mix supplements, depending on what my analysis comes up short with - unlike many other raw feeders I formulate my feeding plans to meet NRC recommended nutrient guidelines. I prefer including as many nutrients as possible from food sources (e.g. turkey necks and canned oysters for zinc, nutritional yeast for B complex vitamins and so on) but it doesn't always work out. Standard things I add to the ground meat mix are fish oil, vitamin E and a specific blend of dried herbs. Another standard supplement I give on a daily basis is a probiotic, if what I have is in powder form, I just sprinkle it on, if it is tablets, Quigley will munch it like a treat.
About once a week he gets fresh green tripe instead of his ground meat blend, but without anything else added.
Evening meal:
Usually a chunk of rmb. Meat sources vary: turkey necks and wings, chicken drumsticks, if I can get whole fryer chickens or smallish turkeys cheap, I cut them into several pieces and feed one piece per meal, lamb shanks, beef/pork/lamb ribs, beef/pork/lamb necks, etc.
If I have healthy table scraps available (which is often, since I cook from scratch and nothing is really unsuitable for him to eat), they may replace either a morning or evening meal. This could for example be a bowl of leftover pasta with meat sauce, steamed or grilled fish, veggies and rice, or bits of potroast and mashed potatoes etc.
Morning meal:
Ground muscle and organ meat, which is mostly red meat (beef, lamb, buffalo, goat) since I can get suitable poultry rmb's easily and have a great supplier for grass fed/free range red meats. To this I also add a veggie mash, usually a combo of 4-5 different veggies, depending on what's available. Most of them are pureed raw, but things like potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli and other cabbage type veggies are steamed, simply because he can digest them better that way and doesn't get gas.
Into this, I mix supplements, depending on what my analysis comes up short with - unlike many other raw feeders I formulate my feeding plans to meet NRC recommended nutrient guidelines. I prefer including as many nutrients as possible from food sources (e.g. turkey necks and canned oysters for zinc, nutritional yeast for B complex vitamins and so on) but it doesn't always work out. Standard things I add to the ground meat mix are fish oil, vitamin E and a specific blend of dried herbs. Another standard supplement I give on a daily basis is a probiotic, if what I have is in powder form, I just sprinkle it on, if it is tablets, Quigley will munch it like a treat.
About once a week he gets fresh green tripe instead of his ground meat blend, but without anything else added.
Evening meal:
Usually a chunk of rmb. Meat sources vary: turkey necks and wings, chicken drumsticks, if I can get whole fryer chickens or smallish turkeys cheap, I cut them into several pieces and feed one piece per meal, lamb shanks, beef/pork/lamb ribs, beef/pork/lamb necks, etc.
If I have healthy table scraps available (which is often, since I cook from scratch and nothing is really unsuitable for him to eat), they may replace either a morning or evening meal. This could for example be a bowl of leftover pasta with meat sauce, steamed or grilled fish, veggies and rice, or bits of potroast and mashed potatoes etc.
Sunday: whole fish
Monday: chicken half with organ meal and salmon oil
Tuesday: other chicken half
Wednesday: pork meat
Thursday: rabbit half with organ meal and salmon oil
Friday: rabbit half and whole eggs
Saturday: pork RMB with organ meal and salmon oil
There's just an example of what I feed to my pit bulls, who eat about a 1lb a day. I really don't have feed schedules that are set in stone.
Monday: chicken half with organ meal and salmon oil
Tuesday: other chicken half
Wednesday: pork meat
Thursday: rabbit half with organ meal and salmon oil
Friday: rabbit half and whole eggs
Saturday: pork RMB with organ meal and salmon oil
There's just an example of what I feed to my pit bulls, who eat about a 1lb a day. I really don't have feed schedules that are set in stone.
Thanks DanL for the reply .
what about omega 6 then ? I have done some research like feeding chicken neck because it's meaty and the bones are softer-- Weylyn made sense when she said that the above medium-sized furkids will not CHEW to bits and swallow it instead .. so what's the best alternative ? feeding some raw minced beef & chicken breast at the moment ..i too understand that bones are essential , so which part of RMB I should feed my Fala with ?
She definitely loves it RAW !!!
what about omega 6 then ? I have done some research like feeding chicken neck because it's meaty and the bones are softer-- Weylyn made sense when she said that the above medium-sized furkids will not CHEW to bits and swallow it instead .. so what's the best alternative ? feeding some raw minced beef & chicken breast at the moment ..i too understand that bones are essential , so which part of RMB I should feed my Fala with ?
She definitely loves it RAW !!!
You shouldn't have to worry about O6. Commerically raised meat (ie: average grocery store food) has a large amount of O6 but lacks in O3, hence the supplement. Free range, organically grown and wild caught meat are sufficent in both O3 and O6.
Chicken necks are not very meaty, IME. Personally, I feed my dogs about 80-85% MEAT, 5-10% organs, and 10-15% bone. So chicken necks are pretty worthless to me unless fed with a meatymeat meal. I usually use chicken backs for this purpose because they're larger. The best option, at least for me, is to take a whole chicken and chop it up into appropriate meal sizes (remember: bigger is better!). Keep in mind that some people follow different methods of feeding raw. You have to find one that suits your dog best and that you feel most comfortable with.
BTW, all chicken bones are soft. Pork bones are also soft because the majority of pigs are slaughtered at a young age
Chicken necks are not very meaty, IME. Personally, I feed my dogs about 80-85% MEAT, 5-10% organs, and 10-15% bone. So chicken necks are pretty worthless to me unless fed with a meatymeat meal. I usually use chicken backs for this purpose because they're larger. The best option, at least for me, is to take a whole chicken and chop it up into appropriate meal sizes (remember: bigger is better!). Keep in mind that some people follow different methods of feeding raw. You have to find one that suits your dog best and that you feel most comfortable with.
BTW, all chicken bones are soft. Pork bones are also soft because the majority of pigs are slaughtered at a young age
Ahhhh okay , Weylyn ..
.. the amount of food I am feeding is 2% of her weight , which includes 60% bones and raw meat(mostly meat , the only bones I am feeding is chicken necks) , 20% veggie+fruit , the rest are kidneys , liver , eggs & etc . I guess I should not count 'em veggie+fruit as part of her diet anymore but maybe give it as extra . Will hunt some RMB down once the minced beef & the necks are finished . I am not too keen on feeding chicken as they are steroid injected which I think is not too healthy for my girl .
You certainly help me alot , and yeah I will continue to look out for more information on RAW diet .
.. the amount of food I am feeding is 2% of her weight , which includes 60% bones and raw meat(mostly meat , the only bones I am feeding is chicken necks) , 20% veggie+fruit , the rest are kidneys , liver , eggs & etc . I guess I should not count 'em veggie+fruit as part of her diet anymore but maybe give it as extra . Will hunt some RMB down once the minced beef & the necks are finished . I am not too keen on feeding chicken as they are steroid injected which I think is not too healthy for my girl .
You certainly help me alot , and yeah I will continue to look out for more information on RAW diet .
Yes, don't count the fruit and veggie as part of the weight. You need about 35% boneless meat and 5% organ, the rest is raw meaty bones. When you think about the meat to bone ratio on a chicken leg quarter, you get a good portion of meat there too, which would put it more in line with the way Weylyn's percentages are.
Thanks DanL 
Yeah I got the picture . Many questions popped up since I tried to dig out more information , the truth and the myths of feeding RMBs .. My general view is about feeding bones that come will alot of meat . Then outta nowhere something puts me in doubt .
How true is --Bones have little nutritional value save for the marrow and connective tissues ? --What if I feed 'em with meat & vegetables ONLY (yes , feed 'em raw) .
Yeah I got the picture . Many questions popped up since I tried to dig out more information , the truth and the myths of feeding RMBs .. My general view is about feeding bones that come will alot of meat . Then outta nowhere something puts me in doubt .
How true is --Bones have little nutritional value save for the marrow and connective tissues ? --What if I feed 'em with meat & vegetables ONLY (yes , feed 'em raw) .
Not true.
"Bones are living tissue composed of living cells. Because bones are living tissue, just like any other part of the body, they are a complex source of a wide variety of nutrients. Bones contain minerals which are embedded in protein. They also contain fat. If the bone is from chicken or pork, then that fat will be very high in the essential fatty acids. Along with the fat are fat soluble vitamins. The central parts of most bones contains marrow which is a highly nutritious mix of blood forming elements, including iron. Raw bones also provide natural antioxidant/anti-ageing factors including enzymes.
Bones are nature's storehouse of minerals for your dog. If meat is added to bone, then methionine and most of the B vitamins are supplied. Puppies and adult dogs fed bone rarely if ever suffer from indigestion or diarrhea. They produce smallish quantities of solid minimally offensive stools. It is highly probable that bones play a similar role to fiber, that is, a role of bulking out the food, thereby removing toxins and promoting general bowel health." Billinghurst
An only-meat diet (even with veggies) is NOT balanced and potentially dangerous. Muscle meat contains phosphorus and no calcium, bones contain calcium. Bones are an essential part of the raw diet. They don't have to be fed every single day, but they still have to make up a certain proper percentage in the dog's diet. Plus all those great teeth cleaning effects.
"Bones are living tissue composed of living cells. Because bones are living tissue, just like any other part of the body, they are a complex source of a wide variety of nutrients. Bones contain minerals which are embedded in protein. They also contain fat. If the bone is from chicken or pork, then that fat will be very high in the essential fatty acids. Along with the fat are fat soluble vitamins. The central parts of most bones contains marrow which is a highly nutritious mix of blood forming elements, including iron. Raw bones also provide natural antioxidant/anti-ageing factors including enzymes.
Bones are nature's storehouse of minerals for your dog. If meat is added to bone, then methionine and most of the B vitamins are supplied. Puppies and adult dogs fed bone rarely if ever suffer from indigestion or diarrhea. They produce smallish quantities of solid minimally offensive stools. It is highly probable that bones play a similar role to fiber, that is, a role of bulking out the food, thereby removing toxins and promoting general bowel health." Billinghurst
An only-meat diet (even with veggies) is NOT balanced and potentially dangerous. Muscle meat contains phosphorus and no calcium, bones contain calcium. Bones are an essential part of the raw diet. They don't have to be fed every single day, but they still have to make up a certain proper percentage in the dog's diet. Plus all those great teeth cleaning effects.
SOOOOO...I started the raw diet a dew days ago...starting with just raw chicken breast. I went out shopping yesterday and bought some chicken thighs w/ bone...brests with rib bones, beef sirloin, beef ribs, and chicken livers. I'm ordering some salmon oil and have some eggs. How do I mix the egg into the diet. She is a 10lb dog, is one egg too much for a meal? Also when the salmon oil comes how much is right for her size?
Okay now I'm feeding chicken thighs with the femur bone in it and she won't eat the bone. It's weird because she loves to chew on raw hides and used to find old bones in the backyard and chew on them but this delicious looking bone with meat clinging to it...she won't touch! I really want her to get the calcium from the bone and nutrients from the marrow!!! What do I do??
Don't worry, Sush. They don't have to get bone with every meal, so there's no reason to become upset if she doesn't eat the bone right away. Try freezing the meat and giving it to her that way. Or try another cut of food. Or try holding the leg and letting her gnaw on it with her back teeth so she won't be prone to ripping off the meat with her front teeth.