Anyone know anything about this?

[bulldog family]

I'm planning on switching my dogs to RAW pretty soon. So I've been doing alot of research. Does anyone know anything about this with dog food?

Condemned animal carcasses [from dog pounds and shelter] are currently allowed (by FDA compliance policy) to be rendered into pet food and pet treats. They become the pet food ingredients by-product meal, poultry by-product meal, chicken by-product meal, beef by-product meal, meat and bone meal, beef and bone meal, animal fat, and/or animal digest.

I got this from and article about feeding dogs raw. I'll post the whole articel if you want me to.

 

[cali~jenn]

Yes someone posted an article about this a while ago, sick isnt it?!?! Not even just that but road kill and other dead animals are used in foods also. Thats why getting the best you can afford is so important. Raw feeding is good for the dogs thats for sure, I have known a lot of people who have fed that way with great results. You just have to make sure you use all the supplements that are neccesary also. I have ready also that actually the healthiest combination would be raw mixed with some kibble also.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

Are you going to buy the meat yourself and prepare it or buy the prepared raw meals in the feed stores? Recently I was thinking about making Samsons (and Loki my beagle) food myself. I did the math and it really wouldn't cost much more than I spend on food now but I just worried it would be time consuming. And I don't know how much to feed of each ingredient. I imagined boiled boneless skinless chicken breast, cottage cheese, boiled potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, etc but in what amounts???? Good for you though, thats the best for your precious pups!

 

[bulldog family]

I would get all the ingrediaents myself. I wouldn't even boil the chicken. It would all be raw. They will eat until they are full. You have to start out very slow with just chicken backs first. What I plan on doing is buing in bulk and freezing it. And then every evening pull something out of the freezer. Everyone I've talked to about it said it's time consuming at the beginning, but gradually gets easier.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

I would get all the ingrediaents myself. I wouldn't even boil the chicken. It would all be raw. They will eat until they are full. You have to start out very slow with just chicken backs first. What I plan on doing is buing in bulk and freezing it. And then every evening pull something out of the freezer. Everyone I've talked to about it said it's time consuming at the beginning, but gradually gets easier.

So what do you add with the chicken?

 

[bulldog family]

some vegetables and maybe some fruit for dessert. Just keep it simple. People put too much thought into it.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

some vegetables and maybe some fruit for dessert. Just keep it simple. People put too much thought into it.

LOL I'd be one of those people

 

[cali~jenn]

haha So would I. I do think you are supposed to give a vitamin suplement tho also to go with. You sound like you have read up on the idea tho so you may have heard this as well. I am not sure what they are but I do think [MENTION=4]Lindathedogsmaid[/MENTION] knows about raw feeding as well. We will let her chime in since she knows everything about feeding.

 

[bullmama]

[MENTION=403]Champ[/MENTION] started on raw about a month ago I think. They love it.

I am going to move this topic to general bulldog talk, it's in NOT bulldog talk.

 

[Champ Waring]

Dogs only need raw meaty bones and organs. No veggies, fruits, etc. It's useless. If you want to feed as treats, it's ok. Not harmful. But they don't need it. They just poop it right out. First thing you'll notice about raw fed dogs, they poop very little. Because they utilize everything they are ingesting. Here are some awesome links:

Highly recommend Joining this discussion group:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/

Also:

http://www.rawmeatybones.com/diet/exp-diet-guide.pdf

http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html

Raw and kibble digest at different rates, so mixing isn't recommending. Just make the switch when you are ready, no need to phase out or fast first.

Never give COOKED chicken bones....they become brittle and splinter and can be very dangerous. RAW bones are digestible and very good for them. Just not cooked.

 

[Champ Waring]

oh and PS you really don't need supplements. We get all nutrients we need from raw meaty bones (meat, bone, organ). Read over those links and def join that yahoo group. So much helpful info from ppl who have been feeding raw for a long time. (just sign up for daily digest emails or no emails otherwise you're inbox will explode LOL)

 

[Champ Waring]

Sorry one more thought....they never come all at once anymore.

I used to cook for my pack. Once a week I would make a giant pot of stew. I choose a meat (chicken breast, chicken hearts, liver, kidney, ground beef, lamb, etc) and some veggies (squash, zucchini, carrots, peas, etc). I would freeze half and put half in the fridge. It would last about a week or 2 depending on the quantity I made. You can add barley or brown rice, but I wanted to get away from the grain as much as possible. Sweet potatoes are also good if you need something for digestion problems.

Girl has kidney issues and I'm still not sure what diet she should have (of course the vet wants her on a corn corn corn kibble ugh!!). So I still cook for her. She mainly gets chicken (dark meat preferably) or fatty ground beef and sweet potatoes (supposed to be low in phosphorus?), along with an egg shell (phosphorus binder).

it's like someone said above- a lot of ppl put too much thought into "recipes" or "ingredients" and it's really quite simple. You can think of feeding in a more longterm sense instead of daily now. Are they getting enough meat, bone, organ for the week? If they eat more one day, the may eat less the next. It's like it would be in the wild. A lot of dogs will fast for a day. No worries. You don't see the throwing up bile as much because it's a whole other ballgame with raw.

Be sure to look at sodium content. All of the stuff WE eat is full of sodium!!! I don't even eat that stuff anymore! Look for "No hormones added" or "Natural" on the package if you go to the supermarket. Sodium should be under 100mg which is sadly hard to find these days. I just go to the butcher.

It's recommended to start with chicken. After a couple weeks, then slowly introduce other options, such as pork or beef. Champ usually gets a whole cornish hen in the morning. He eats about half of it and then he either buries it in the backyard for later or I put it in the fridge til dinner time and he eats the rest of it (which is perfect- about 2% of his body weight a day). I try to go for the whole prey model. If he gets a whole cornish hen, he's getting meat, bone, and organ without me having to think too much about it.

 

[bulldog family]

Thanks so much for all that info. It's very, very useful. Yeah... I was taught that whole game is all you need. No vegetables or anything. They also say after you have done this for awhile, they can eat anything "gone bad" in the fridge. Their gut is made to handle different things. Just like in the wild if they find old, smelly decaying road-kill they would eat it.

I'm so looking forward to starting. I'm waiting to get my parents freezer to put in the garage for the dogs food.