Raw food !!!

HrsDiva · Jul 15, 2011

So I went and got BeBe some TOTW today and while I was there she was talking to me about RAW foods and how good it is... I've heard it and I've ready it.

What do you guys think...
Bones for any DOG scare me...

But I was wonding if a little here and there would be good !!!

JAKEISGREAT · Jul 15, 2011

We have a few peeps who feed raw..wish I had a memory left and I would tell you who..but I DO remember [MENTION=2242]karenben[/MENTION] and you should read her before and after story!

ziviabell · Jul 15, 2011

I feed my English Bullie raw all the time. I have given her raw turkey neck too. The bones are not brittle if they are raw. If you cook them, they are and will splinter...very dangerous. I buy Nature's Variety medalions in chicken, lamb & venison. I give them to her with fresh green beans and a little Nature's Variety kibble. It really helps with allergies. My baby is very healthy. Her stool is very firm and she doesn't drink a lot because of the moisture in her food. I am very happy about giving her such a healthy diet. Of course I give her veggies for treats also.

GatorRay · Jul 15, 2011

I have been doing a ton of research and joined several raw feeding groups and have learned so much! Some bones should be avoided. Mostly weight bearing bones of any large animal (cows, deer, moose, goats, etc) but in general it seems they are very safe. I started to feed raw TODAY actually after a month or more of research and I have to say, mine love eating it! Now to wait and see how their poops are etc.

cowsmom · Jul 15, 2011

oh my please let us know how it goes. Im thinking that is the only way i will get rid of this yeast in sarah

jortiz9758 · Jul 15, 2011

I feed Bruno RAW. I tried all the kibbles out there. Fromm, TOTW, natural balance, Orijen you name it I probably tried it. I could not get rid of these little bumps Bruno kept getting and caused his hair to fall out in little clumps. He also had a stinky face.
Once I switched him to RAW he Improved right away. I only feed him red meats and bones, veggies,and supplements. I don't do chicken because it gives him REALLY bad gas.
He still gets a little bump here and there but nothing to as bad as it was before.
He looks great now. Shiny coat, muscular and so so macho.

izstigspunks · Jul 15, 2011

Stiggy's on raw too, particularly the whole prey model. But then I sneak in veggies here and fruits there. It cleared up his allergies real quick. Same with jortiz, we tried all different types of kibble and it just wasn't working. Ask away if you have questions. If we don't know the answer then we'll try to find it for you.

karenben · Jul 16, 2011

raw is the best diet for any dog ,i feed ox heart mostly as the protien ,chicken backs,pork/lamb ribs,kidney,liver,its hard to get bird neck here in the uk so havnt tried it,tho annie is still itchy its due to contact allergy not food ,i know if it had been food allergy then it would have cleared up.unfortunatly contact allergy is a harder thing to deal with ,i thought i had it sorted but no after a few days itch free she started again,once the immune system gets low they tend to get everything in the book ,she has been losing fur from her back so ive had her mange tested ,just waiting for the results,all i can do is give her antihistamine and raw feed,i add acidophilus and flaxseed ,i no longer give her fish as she had a bad reaction to it,i have all but given up trying to figure out whats causing the itching now ,she is what she is ,i just maintain now by cream and antihistamines,but i would not go back to kibble,as shes been on raw just over 3 months its early stages so in another 6 months her immune system may have repaired and she may be able to fight the allergy ,raw is the best and after reading articles on kibble its a big no no ,karen

cali~jenn · Jul 16, 2011

Havent broken down and tried raw just yet either. I know it is very good for them but to me seems like such a chore and mess that I have stuck with my fromm. Luckily my boys arent that allergy prone to "need" to switch.

GatorRay · Jul 16, 2011

Well, second day and so far I have gone from being a "cool mom" to " THE COOLEST MOM EVER!". They LOVE eating the raw. The poops so far are the same for the bulldogs but the basset hasn't gone at all today and she is usually the one that poops the most. I figure it will take some time for the poops to change so we are still just watching.

Like [MENTION=1209]savemejeebus[/MENTION] I went for the prey model. I did break down and give them a few small bites of banana last night and I might just use the usual frozen veggies for treats here and there. I haven't decided yet. I am trying to figure out when I should add organs/new proteins/salmon oil for the Omega 3. After a month of research, I sill have some reading to do

. We just started with bone-in chicken breasts and thighs. The bullies are having issues with chewing the skin so I am removing it from theirs but the basset has no problems with it.

Anyway, enough of my rambling

. I will keep you posted on how it goes.

karenben · Jul 16, 2011

dont give organs for at least a couple of months as you risk cannon butt,its up to you tho ,organs are so rich and can put people off raw feed if all of a sudden their dog gets the squits,if your dog does get the squits then feed a bit more bone to harden up,karen

GatorRay · Jul 16, 2011

[MENTION=2242]karenben[/MENTION] thanks for the advice! I did see that you have to add the organs very slowly and only give a smidge to start. I am going to stick to chicken for about two weeks depending on how they do and then move on to a new protein very slowly with a small bite added to their chicken to start. I figure the bone content of the breast and thighs *should* help with any poop problems they might have from the switch to raw. I will cut the bone back a bit once I see how their poops are. If they are runny, then keep up with the high bone content and if they are solid then try cutting back on the bone a bit. Your direction to that group was the best advice! Reading the archives and posts helped me to work up the courage to just say forget it and make the switch. Thank you so much for that!! I just saw how great the raw fed dogs on this site look and did some reading and I just wanted to go for it

karenben · Jul 17, 2011

GOOD FOR YOU AND YOUR BULLYS,you wont look back and you will actually feel that you are

doing something for your dog it just doesnt feel the same when we dish out dry,tastless ,odd shaped kibble

,this is what we should be feeding our dogs in my opinion anyway,its cheap,simple,tasty,and so good for them lol,like i said tho annie still has issues i will keep raw feeding,karen

GatorRay · Jul 17, 2011

[MENTION=390]cali~jenn[/MENTION], it was a bit of a pain to start but I was on my way to the feed store to get our kibble and stopped at the grocery and they had bone-in chicken breasts and thighs on sale for 98cents a lb and I just said forget it and bought them out. The people in the checkout thought I was nuts and the checkout lady actually giggled when I put all that chicken on the counter. lol. It took me about an hour to weigh and bag it and then in the freezer it went! As far as feeding time, Lucy likes to take hers to the yard so she can be alone and the other two eat theirs in the kitchen and I just put a little bleach in water and do a quick mop after. It really isn't that complicated

. You DO have to watch them closely, especially if your pup is a gulper (which one of mine is) to make sure they don't try to swallow a huge piece. I have been holding one end of Gypsy's piece so that she has to learn to actually CHEW it. I have a big box of rubber gloves that I bought at CVS that I usually use for cutting hot peppers to keep the oil off of my hands (it burns me!) so I just wear those

.

At any rate, it has felt good to give it to them. Even my picky basset LOVES to eat it. We have had some interesting poops but I figure it will take some time for it to regulate and I am not freaking out about it. Anyway, enough of my ramblings and I apologize to [MENTION=2714]HrsDiva[/MENTION] for hijacking her thread!!!

HrsDiva · Jul 17, 2011

GatorRay said:
[MENTION=390]cali~jenn[/MENTION], it was a bit of a pain to start but I was on my way to the feed store to get our kibble and stopped at the grocery and they had bone-in chicken breasts and thighs on sale for 98cents a lb and I just said forget it and bought them out. The people in the checkout thought I was nuts and the checkout lady actually giggled when I put all that chicken on the counter. lol. It took me about an hour to weigh and bag it and then in the freezer it went! As far as feeding time, Lucy likes to take hers to the yard so she can be alone and the other two eat theirs in the kitchen and I just put a little bleach in water and do a quick mop after. It really isn't that complicated . You DO have to watch them closely, especially if your pup is a gulper (which one of mine is) to make sure they don't try to swallow a huge piece. I have been holding one end of Gypsy's piece so that she has to learn to actually CHEW it. I have a big box of rubber gloves that I bought at CVS that I usually use for cutting hot peppers to keep the oil off of my hands (it burns me!) so I just wear those .

At any rate, it has felt good to give it to them. Even my picky basset LOVES to eat it. We have had some interesting poops but I figure it will take some time for it to regulate and I am not freaking out about it. Anyway, enough of my ramblings and I apologize to [MENTION=2714]HrsDiva[/MENTION] for hijacking her thread!!!

Oh no problem :ROFL:

I love hearing the stories i may start with a little patties here and there... My main thing is to get her. Cleansed from the junk and im doing a mix of 2/1 of old food to new food with a little new wet food....