Harvey is having head tremors...

[helsonwheels]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t ground eggshell another option for calcium? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes it’s a great option. Most people all eat eggs in some form. Much cheaper too.

 

[Dollys Owner]

Listen, don’t worry about calculating the % of organs, muscles, tripe, supplements etc. A raw topper on the main meals is very healthy along with a quality kibble. It’s better all raw but don’t break your head. Start slowly n gradually you will figure out what to for your dog. Don’t overdo with all sorts of vitamins either, it’s a proven fact you’re better off getting your vitamins from Mother Nature n from food. You can use something for joints as it’s what goes first as in humans. But definitely no need to give everything under the sun. Dog or humans will not live any longer by popping supplements daily. It’s all about what you eat just like in a pet. If you’re dog eats healthy with a proper raw topper, he’ll be fine. And yes needs exercises.

I like to use sea kelp of "Ascophyllum nodosum" strain , eg. Starwest Botanicals Sea Kelp, which serves two purposes. One is that it works like a multivitamin to supply vitamins and trace elements and minerals, and two is that it's supposed to help prevent tooth decay, it's also marketed as PlaqueOff https://www.amazon.com/Proden-PlaqueOff-Animal-180-gram/dp/B01CF2QUT0/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Plaque+off&qid=1589888797&sr=8-1 which is more expensive.

I also like to add in fish oil from a capsule to get an appropriate mix of EPA and DHA for my dog. My dog seems to be less itchy when she's on it, too.

 

[thett]

It's ok to refreeze if you partially thaw it in the refrigerator, cut it up, and then refreeze. eg. I find that a 1 pound chunk of frozen raw dog food takes about 2 hr in fridge to semi thaw.

It's not great long term to just feed liver. Feed half liver (5% of total diet) and half other organ such as heart (5% of diet). Theoretically the ideal ratios are 70-80% muscle meat, 10% bone or calcium carbonate, 10% organs ( half of which is liver ), and if you did 70% muscle meat the last 10% is about 7% vegetables and 3% fruit.

You should give about 1250 mg calcium per 1000kcal of food, or another way of looking at is about 800 to 1,000 milligrams of calcium per pound of fresh food. A teaspoon of calcium carbonate powder is 1200mg calcium. You can buy calcium carbonate powder from Amazon.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that long term you should add fish oil and sea kelp to the home cooked diet.

Ok, so i do plan on getting the kelp as well and they do get salmon oil everyday on their dinner. Sorry for not knowing but regarding the egg shells, would that be just a raw egg shell not cooked and ground up? If i do this i won't need the calcium carbonate right? How much egg shell should i use per meal or per day? also [MENTION=16619]Cbrugs[/MENTION]

ps... i do plan to get some different organs yet. I just haven't had the chance to get to a butcher. There is a raw coop on facebook in my area that i joined but i haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet.. I don't have a deep freezer and not sure i have enough room for so much stuff since it will be in bulk.

 

[thett]

Listen, don’t worry about calculating the % of organs, muscles, tripe, supplements etc. A raw topper on the main meals is very healthy along with a quality kibble. It’s better all raw but don’t break your head. Start slowly n gradually you will figure out what to for your dog. Don’t overdo with all sorts of vitamins either, it’s a proven fact you’re better off getting your vitamins from Mother Nature n from food. You can use something for joints as it’s what goes first as in humans. But definitely no need to give everything under the sun. Dog or humans will not live any longer by popping supplements daily. It’s all about what you eat just like in a pet. If you’re dog eats healthy with a proper raw topper, he’ll be fine. And yes needs exercises.

LOL!!! Thank you for that!! because this is definitely part of why i haven't gone raw already... it is breaking my head!
I think i may gradually switch their kibble from Fromm to Acana single and start with the topper of organs. I always add minced frozen green beans to their dinner, greek yogurt on breakfast. Dinner also gets a squirt of salmon oil and a little coconut oil. night time snack is banana and yogurt or strawberries/blueberries if out of banana. (but just a little) Also been putting a tsp of raw honey on it 3x wk. Veggies for snacks plus single ingredient treats like whitefish etc. And they get their nuvet plus before bed.

The main reason i want to go raw is for Stellas allergies. Her seasonal allergies are terrible. Cytopoint is helping but it doesn't take it away completely. I have been supplementing with benedryl or zyrtec.

 

[Dollys Owner]

Ok, so i do plan on getting the kelp as well and they do get salmon oil everyday on their dinner. Sorry for not knowing but regarding the egg shells, would that be just a raw egg shell not cooked and ground up? If i do this i won't need the calcium carbonate right? How much egg shell should i use per meal or per day? also [MENTION=16619]Cbrugs[/MENTION]

ps... i do plan to get some different organs yet. I just haven't had the chance to get to a butcher. There is a raw coop on facebook in my area that i joined but i haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet.. I don't have a deep freezer and not sure i have enough room for so much stuff since it will be in bulk.

It doesn't matter raw or coooked eggshells. It seems like a lot of work to me, that's why I didn't suggest it, but I found this on a website:

https://www.dogtipper.com/recipes/2013/10/make-eggshell-calcium-dog.html

Instructions
Collect washed eggshells in the refrigerator
until you have a dozen or enough to fill a cookie sheet.
Eggshells will begin to dry while in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spread the eggshells on a cookie sheet and bake
10-15 minutes.
If you washed the eggshells shortly before baking, allow extra baking time. Eggshells must be completely dry before grinding.
Grind the eggshells in a clean coffee grinder or a blender until all large pieces are ground to a powder. A mortar and pestle is also a great way to grind to a powder.
Store in a lidded jar.