Mordy....

[iheartsammy]

what things do I need to do to start feeding a raw diet? I know there's different needs for every dog, but how do you find out what these needs are? I know I should talk to a vet (i think) but what kind of things should I ask when mentioning a raw diet? and after finding what your dogs need best, how do you start putting it into there diet (like portion wise?)...I might sound confusing to u because I'm confusing myself...I just really need some help here to get stared with this. Also if your not Mordy and have some advise then help me please! thanx!

[DanL]

http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm#daily
http://www.rawdogranch.com/rawdiet.htm - excellent spreadsheet for calculating how much to feed.
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding

There are really not different needs for every dog. There are basic guidelines you should follow, but if you have a pup, or an older dog, then you might need to adjust things a bit. The only thing that varies for each dog is how much to feed them, and there you take into account their size, activity level, and whether you want the dog to gain, maintain, or lose weight. Also you may find out that your dog is allergic to a certain type of meat, or refuses to eat something that you want them to have (for example, 2 of my guys hate fish, so I have to give them fish oil capsules instead).

If you talk to your vet be prepared to be greeted with shock and awe against feeding raw. Most vets don't understand raw as they don't get a whole lot of animal nutrition training, and most of what they get is done by pet food companies, who want the vets to push their product. If you have a vet who understands raw, great!

Read those links above, and ask questions. It's really not that hard to do, the main thing is to start with a single food source to acclimate your dog to it, then gradually add in other sources over weeks/months. The key is variety over time- your dog doesn't need every type of food resource every day.

Good luck!

[Mordy]

To find out what your dog's needs are, you have to experiment a bit. Here are a few examples to consider:

- Some dogs don't tolerate certain types of meat very well. You'll have to find out what works best for your individual dog. Some don't have a problem eating chicken (or poultry in general) and do really well on it, others don't do well on it at all. This can go to such extremes as having seizures for example. Others get pretty bad digestive upsets from eating pork. If your dog does well on the commercial food you are feeding now, you should pick the type of meat used in it to get started with feeding raw.

- Some dogs don't tolerate grains. Again, this can be specific type(s), or all grains in general. Grains in themselves are not "bad" for dogs and can certainly have a place in a well balanced home-prepared diet, some dogs just do better without them.

- Some dogs don't tolerate dairy products. This doesn't mean that they are unsuitable for feeding to dogs period (as some proponents of a so called "species appropriate diet" claim), especially things like yogurt and cottage cheese can be excellent additions to the diet.

Originally Posted by DanL

There are really not different needs for every dog.

I beg to differ. Even intolerances/allergies aside, different dogs have different needs when it comes to the composition of their diet. Some need a higher fat content than others, not because of activity level, but skin and coat health. Others simply can't handle the fairly high fat content of the average raw diet (which is especially high if there's a heavy focus on poultry parts with the skin still on).

I can also tell you from experience that especially the carb content of the diet can make a huge difference in how well a dog does on a home prepared diet, regardless whether it is cooked or raw.

Despite all the claims that "dogs are carnivores" and don't have a need for any carbs in their diet and thus shouldn't be fed any at all, some dogs indeed do better if some are included, and you can tell by body and coat condition how they are affected by tweaks to the diet.

Last but not least, the bone content of the raw diet is also a huge factor. Some dogs don't have issues at all and do fine even with a very high bone percentage, others are more sensitive, or can't handle it at all. I know of a case where an owner came to the conclusion that the only way of feeding his dog raw was using strictly boneless, ground meats and using a calcium supplement to balance the diet. Not even premade raw products with bone ground in worked for this dog.

Three books on feeding raw that I'd like to recommend are:
Work Wonders: Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty Bones by Tom Lonsdale
Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schultze
K9 Kitchen Your Dogs' Diet: The Truth Behind The Hype by Monica Segal

Dan is correct with his statement about the level of education when it comes to vets and feeding home prepared diets. Don't expect a lot of positive feedback, expect a lot of negative hype (thus my recommendation for Monica Segal's book) and if your vet is actually okay with feeding raw, I would say your dog is in good hands at his or her office.

[weylyn]

Work Wonders is an excellent book and you can read it for free on the RawMyths website: http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html

[Mordy]

Let's make that a correct link and credit Dr. Lonsdale's site with the free preview, shall we?

http://www.rawmeatybones.com/book-ww.html

[iheartsammy]

thanks guys! It really helps! I'll read them all asap!

[iheartsammy]

I read the first link DanL gave me and was wondering... It says to feed RMBs and the Veggie mix seperatly...but also says they need 2 meals a day. Does that mean you feed the RMB at one meal and the veg mix at another? or do you feed RMB & veg mix 2 times a day? could someone post a picture of what a daily feding would look like...doesn't need to have exact porportions and all that just and example, the one on the link is broken..

[Mordy]

How you feed your daily portions really doesn't matter.

I don't know many dogs (other than my own ) who would eat their veggie mix on its own, most people I know mix it with the muscle/organ meat portion of the food.

Personally I feed ground meats, veggies and extras as the morning meal and a chunk of rmb's at night.

[iheartsammy]

thankz! that helps ALOT!!!