Starting my dogs on raw....

[sherilynn]

I've read Give Your Dog a Bone and Pitcairn and some others. Seems its more complicated to get my dogs on raw then me. Gave it up and started feeding a high quality dog food.

Anyway spent the morning at the vets yesterday my little Pit Bull Twinkie has allergies. She started almost overnight (started a few days ago) licking her feet raw. Her face is looking a little red also. So of course I let the vet give her a Steroid shot (couldn't stand her in so much discomfort). We'll be giving her Benadril and Antibiotics.

My big guy, Herbie is almost 9 years old. He is starting to get really stiff in his hind legs and sometimes cries when he goes down the steps to potty. Its getting so bad when we try to get him to go outside he rolls over on his back..."No mommy it hurts to go up and down the porch , please rub my belly" I do have pain medication for him and occasionally will give it to him because I can't stand seeing him this way but am reluctant because I believe this same medication contributed to the death of a dog I lost 18 mos ago. Her name was Priscilla another Pit Bull (yes I love Pit Bulls). My delimma with her I knew it was killing her but her arthritis was so bad it was a quality vs quantity of life thing.

So here is my plan.... opinions please. I can get raw chicken backs from my local butcher. Planning on adding green smoothies and maybe raw bones from the butcher. Would this work?

[jacsam]

You've got to read Ani Phyo's book. She has a whole chapter about her dog, who was in pretty bad shape when she got her from a shelter. She now is healthy and she tells you how she feeds her dog vegan/raw. If anything it's really interesting.

[lafsalot]

Absolutely!! Chicken backs have just the right amt of offal, and meat to bone ratio. You really don't have to add additional bone, but may offer your dog a recreational bone in between meals.

The best barf book I've read thus far is "Raw Dog Food" by Carina Beth MacDonald - a quick and easy read that really that explains everything you need to know in simple terms that you can understand.

Kudos to you for making the big switch - your furbuds will thrive on it!

Cathy

[Pony500]

I've been feeding my dogs raw for over two years now and have done it all different ways. I would say, the easiest way to go raw is to use something like Honest Kitchen Preference, which is a dehydrated veggie/fruit/calcium mix that you just add meat and oil (I use fish oil and coconut oil) to. I also use Urban Wolf, which is essentially the same thing. So, all you have to do is use a variety of meats, fish, eggs maybe some green tripe and then you can also add things like chicken backs and turkey necks. I have fed all kinds of RMB's but have now settled on duck necks and turkey necks that I have chopped in half. I have found that if my dogs get more than about a 7 oz piece every day, they get a little constipated.

The other thing I mix in too is pre-made raws, like Primal or Bravo! Either of these come in a complete mixture with veggies and organs along with the meat, although I really like Primal because it comes in patties. Now, I also have two medium sized (45-49lbs) dogs, and they get less than 8 oz per meal and get fed 2 times per day. It is not cheap, but that's what works for me. I am able to get all my meats from a good source, so I get beef, lamb, turkey and chicken and Primal has buffalo as well. Believe me, I agonized over my dogs' diets for the longest time and have settled on this plan. It's easy and it works for me.

I agree that Carina MacDonald's book is a good one as is Kymythy Schultz's book. Monica Segal's books are very good as well, but they can make your head hurt! The gist of it is, you do need to feed a variety of foods and you also need to listen to your dogs' and if something doesn't agree with them, don't feed it. They, like us, are individuals, and that is also an important thing to remember. Some of the raw food groups are a little bit like raw feeding zealots and aren't very helpful. Not all dogs can eat RMB's the size of their head and you will hear that a lot on one of the forums in particular. Many of those people do not believe in veggies or fruits at all, so just be careful with some of the forums. Carina MacDonald has a Yahoo! group called RAW-lite and the people there are much more open-minded and helpful.