Thinking of going raw.

jayne5364 · #1 06-01-12, 01:40 PM

When we got Sasha she was part raw part kibble fed. The first few days here she was so nervous she wouldn't eat anything bless her. There were also a few issues around food i.e Anya would eat pretty quick then be on the scrounge for Sasha's. Raw being pretty high value and causing us most problems, we stuck with the kibble.
Now, 4 months down the line, food is no problem. Anya has been taught to go and lie in her bed quietly while Sasha finishes her meal. It works well.
I bought some chicken wings today to try them and wow did they enjoy them. They had 2 each. Now where to go from there lol. I plan to get a new chest freezer but not for about another 6 weeks. That gives me plenty of time to source suppliers. I'm going round the local butchers next week to see what they can offer. DAF deliver to my area or it's not too much of a hike to collect.
So for the next 6 weeks what can I introduce, leading up to a full on raw diet? Any tips appreciated.

Stuart · #2 06-01-12, 02:15 PM

You can basicly add anything,..... think about a main ingredient, an item that you know you gat get plenty of,..[ in our case its Venison ],.. work around that, then after that the word is variety, source chicken, turkey, ham hocks, offal,..kidney lungs and liver,.. Heart is a muscle so that meat, and fish is great..to be honest anything, many of these foods can be got quiet cheap from your supermarket, always look through the `past sell by date` trolleys, and two for the price of one

claire_88 · #3 06-01-12, 02:20 PM

I would initially start with one main type of meat for a week to start them off... i.e chicken/turkey/beef.

This meat should form the main part of the diet, for example i feed both mine ground chicken with the bone in every morning, then they get a 500g bag of offal split between them twice a week and fish as often as i can get hold of it. Extras like rabbit/duck/game etc is hard to get hold of round here but when i can get my hands on it boy do they love it!

Talk with your butcher but also fishmongers, local hunters, roadkill, restaurants.
Some pubs and food places throw away the tips of chicken wings, sinus's from meats, bones, fish skins, carcasses etc.. when switching to raw i was looking out in our kitchen at work for things we would normally throw away, now each week i come home with half a black bag full of ''bin'' meat!

The second week of the diet try a different meat, we went from chicken to beef and stuck with that for a further week, then i gradually introduced variety to the diet.

I only had one day with my two where the diarrhoea set in and that was totally my fault in which i fed a full meal of kidneys and liver..... needless to say i learnt from my mistake!

Some people feed raw and kibble, but i wouldn't mix the two personally as the digestion times vary. Sometimes if i am short on meat i will feed raw in the morning and dry at night. Raw eggs are added to our diet only once or twice a week as well.

I would stay clear of pork.

On a final note i freeze everything for at least 24 hours before defrosting it to feed. It is supposed to kill any nasties within the meat that the cooking process would normally kill, i am still unsure of this as people say the bacteria just goes into a dormant state when frozen and then when defrosted is still there, but most dog's have steel stomachs and the acid in their stomach kills the bacteria..... As a precaution i wormed my two for the first three months of the diet and am doing it every six months now.

I hope i'v helped with this information, you will find people do things slightly or completely different... you just need to find what work's best for you, your dog's and your lifestyle. Good luck with it and if your not sure keep asking questions

xx

jc24965 · #4 06-01-12, 02:26 PM

Not got my little fella yet but I plan on feeding raw, or at least some raw, each day. The thought of chopping up lungs, liver, tripe, etc, is not very appealing although I have no problems watching gory operations on TV!

claire_88 · #5 06-01-12, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jc24965

Not got my little fella yet but I plan on feeding raw, or at least some raw, each day. The thought of chopping up lungs, liver, tripe, etc, is not very appealing although I have no problems watching gory operations on TV!

my advice is do it outside and jump straight in the shower!

LOVEGSD · #6 06-01-12, 03:07 PM

I am a recent convert to raw and it's going down a treat in my house, I started with minced chicken from a company called Nurturing By Nature as it comes minced with the bone and cartilidge and they are now having lamb, fish and chicken along with blended fruit and veg, although this is in very small amounts.

jc24965 · #7 06-01-12, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by claire_88

my advice is do it outside and jump straight in the shower!

I had better scrub up and gown up first then. lol

nisbreagha · #8 06-01-12, 03:41 PM

Mine get a variety of things from chicken wings and quarters to tripe, liver, kidneys, oily fish, eggs and yogurt but their main staple is beef and lamb from the abitour. They are on around 3 lbs a day which is a lot however they burn off every last bit so I'm trying to get a little weight on mine, they get tripe a couple of times a week, fish once, chicken wings/quarters ( what ever the supermarket has in) a couple of times a week, eggs once a week and the rest just every now and again. I give big marrow bones in the summer mainly because there is no way they are getting the mahoosive bones I get in the house so they are an outside treat. Basically get them used to as much as possible that way you can give them a varied diet that will keep them nice and happy and healthy.

Raven · #9 06-01-12, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jc24965

Not got my little fella yet but I plan on feeding raw, or at least some raw, each day. The thought of chopping up lungs, liver, tripe, etc, is not very appealing although I have no problems watching gory operations on TV!

You get used to it, when it's offered free it's hard to turn it down, I was lucky and was given the offal of 9 red deer before Christmas, I even cut their tongues out

LindaM · #10 06-01-12, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raven

You get used to it, when it's offered free it's hard to turn it down, I was lucky and was given the offal of 9 red deer before Christmas, I even cut their tongues out

Alison I couldn't do that

Try and find a butcher that buys in whole carcasses then you can get freebies or buys things cheaply. Many butchers buy in large pieces of meat and take it from there and then it is harder to get things.