I am switching my dogs to raw (Need people with experience)

[jrsckn]

When I fed raw, we did prey model because I felt it was more natural and less comlplicated than BARF so I can't help you much there. I fed whole rabbits and when they were larger than their daily percentage, I cut them in half or quarters and documented which dog got which end so I could switch it around the next day. The dogs loved the innards and grass in the stomach so they got their "greens" the natural way. I had to quit raw because we moved and no longer have the freezer space or rabbits lol.

One more thing to remember is don't feed raw and kibble together or within a few hours of eachother because they digest at different rates.

Raw pork must be frozen for a certain amount of time to kill potential parasites; I think its 3 weeks but I can't rememberfor sure. For humans, the parasites are killed during the cooking process which you never undercook pork.

 

[Fleabuskitty]

Yep, I know about the pork thing. All of the pork we're giving them was frozen for some amount of time and because it is all from small, local farmers I'm not too worried about parasites or diseases.
Good to know about not feeding kibble and raw at the same time, I never would have thought about that but it makes sense.
I would give the dogs stomachs, intestines, etc (actually there were some intestines in the box of meat trimmings

), but I have no way of knowing what they animal was eating. If it were wild rabbits from our yard (which they will probably be getting at some point

) and not cows, I would probably give them that, though.
Next time (probably on Monday) we pick up meat, I will divided it up into 1/2 pound and 1 pound baggies and then mark the ones that have bones and the ones that don't so nobody gets jealous of the others getting to gnaw on bones while they have to eat the carrot or egg I gave them because I felt bad about it

I guess it's all mostly trial and error until I figure out what works for me and the dogs...

 

[naturalfeddogs]

I am sort of basing it on BARF, but not exactly. I don't think prey-model (feeding whole carcasses and such) would work for my dogs, though; they have no self-control and I'd be afraid of them ending up over-eating. What naturalfeddogs said does make sense, but I'm not completely sure so I would rather feed them a small amount of veggies, which even if it is unnecessary won't really hurt them, then be wrong about them not needing them and end up feeding them a diet that lacks something they need.
Jubilee, I have seen that website before and it is very helpful

They won't over eat if you don't over feed them. They would over eat on kibble as well if you let them.

Just because we can digest veggies, and they are good for us, dosn't mean the same for dogs.

 

[naturalfeddogs]

Yep, I know about the pork thing. All of the pork we're giving them was frozen for some amount of time and because it is all from small, local farmers I'm not too worried about parasites or diseases.
Good to know about not feeding kibble and raw at the same time, I never would have thought about that but it makes sense.
I would give the dogs stomachs, intestines, etc (actually there were some intestines in the box of meat trimmings

), but I have no way of knowing what they animal was eating. If it were wild rabbits from our yard (which they will probably be getting at some point

) and not cows, I would probably give them that, though.
Next time (probably on Monday) we pick up meat, I will divided it up into 1/2 pound and 1 pound baggies and then mark the ones that have bones and the ones that don't so nobody gets jealous of the others getting to gnaw on bones while they have to eat the carrot or egg I gave them because I felt bad about it

I guess it's all mostly trial and error until I figure out what works for me and the dogs...

Human grade pork, sold for human consumption doesn't need to be frozen. Human grade, USDA inspected is parasite free. I have fed it plenty of times not having been frozen. Wild bore on the other hand is a whole different story. They can carry a parasite that when fed raw to a dog can be fatal, even after freezing. The only way to know if it carries that parasite or not is to have it tested for it. I have no idea anything about that.

 

[mixitup]

Some dogs can do well on raw-some not so much. My boxer who has had a multitude of health issues (chemical induced when she was a puppy by a dumb vet) could not tolerate raw. I tried the no veggies diet and she had diarrhea, I tried the stuff with veggies and she looked like Igor-swelled up like a big balloon. So she is on a good diet for her now. A 'normal' dog, however should do excellent on either diet. Veggies are a filler-no, dogs don't process veggies very well, but, for overweight dogs they are a great filler with very little calories added. I think it will be a learning experience for you until you figure out what works for each individual dog. But I agree that there is no reason to switch to feeding them once per day. Some dogs, (Basenji's which I own and breed) puke if they have an empty stomach, so they continually get fed twice a day. The boxer and GP, should be fed twice a day, IMO, because of the danger of bloat.

Good luck! I think you'll do great with it.

 

[Fleabuskitty]

I was told by a dog breeder friend that green beans are a good thing to add for overweight dogs? I guess I'll try no veggies for Dan (Corgi mix) and Homer (Great Pyr) and continue to give Jackie (Border Collie mix) some until she's lost a little weight? She's not crazy huge or anything, so it shouldn't be long.
The pork trimmings are from human-grade pork, but I don't think that the trimmings would be considered human-grade because they are just random bits and pieces. I'm not too worried about the pork, but I didn't know about the wild boar. I guess they'll only be getting domestic piggies, just to be safe. I will be feeding them twice a day because that is what both we and the dogs are used to.
They are fairly 'normal' dogs, the only health problem we've experienced with any of them is Dan's flea allergy.

 

[naturalfeddogs]

Sorry, but I don't think green beans will do anything.

 

[Jubilee1111]

Green beans are given to kibble fed dogs to make them feel like they are getting more to eat then they really are. Like when you cut their portions down to aid in weight loss. It's just filler.

 

[naturalfeddogs]

Hmmm. Fillers are one reason I quit feeding kibble. It would be healthier to just back off the portions fed.

 

[Fleabuskitty]

Ok, then, it has been decided that I will not be giving them veggies (except for occasional carrots because I have found that little pieces of carrots make good training treats).
We went to the butcher again today to get another box of unrecognizable cow parts (it's pretty gross looking and takes some time, but I'm sure it will be worth it) and also got some beef liver. I've heard of people giving liver/organs alone as a meal once a week and also of adding some chunks to the other meat two or three times a week. Which is better? I'm thinking that since they aren't used to it yet it will be best to put a little bit in with the other meat, at least until they are used to it. Is this right?
Also, the butcher sells rabbit and quail meat, so once they are used to eating raw I'll buy them some other stuff like that. I'm pretty excited to try giving them each a whole quail one day, I have no idea why, I just think it will be entertaining.