Raw diet for dogs?

[redhen]

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I was thinking of raising rabbits for this...but..but..bunnies are so darn cute!

But..i'm still thinking of this..

 

[BlackBart]

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My Brother had a dog that got hot spots and he switched his dog's kibble to California Natural sweet potato and herring. The hot spots disappeared.
He also feeds raw with the kibble.

 

[ma2babygurl13]

RedHen- I PM'D you...

As for RAW for dogs, most dogs only need about 2-3% of their ideal adult body weight, depending on activity level. For example my 8 1/2 year old American Bulldog (approx 80lb)who is very lazy only needs 1-1.5 lbs of food a day and my 1 1/2 year old Bullmastiff (approx 100lb) who is also rather lazy only gets 2-2.5lbs of food per day. BUT a more active dog would require more food. When starting with RAW only use one meat source for the first 2 weeks, then SLOWLY add in variety. They can pretty much eat any meat source (BONE IN) except large weight bearing bones. ALL BONES SHOULDN"T BE COOKED!!! As this causes a change in the bone structure (chicken bones get very brittle and splinter when cooked but raw they are kinda rubbery) RAW is excellent for dogs with allergies. My dogs rarely need bathed (and they dont stink) They poop very little and it literally disapears in days, their teeth and coats are clean and shiny!

 

[katrinag]

If you have family that hunts have them save all the scraps. Come deer season, my dog gets ALL the left-overs. I also freeze. Moose gets garden left-overs too.
Eggs are a GREAT way to add protien. Fish are great for oils. I also save any dripping from when I cook to give to him.
See if you have a local meat locker. I was buying scrap meat/bones for $.20 a pound.

Have the vet test for allergies. It might not be the food it might be an outdoor allergy. Been there done that. It's not fun.

 

[redhen]

Thanks for all the advice! Another dumb question...THey wont choke on the bones? Can i give them ANY raw bones? Ham..chicken..pork..
I always worry about this too... *i'm a worry wart.., i think..

*

 

[gaited horse]

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You told her WoW! And its very true..They're meant to eat raw meat...i think i'm going to try this.. I just have to get over my fear that they'll get sick from some raw meat disease..

I eat raw hamburg, sometimes.. Only a small pinch though..* I'm coming out of the closet here..

try kirklands best dog food.
Thats where you got the worms from. Did you get that box of dewormer yet?

 

[redhen]

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I do give them raw eggs now...about the fish...can they get worms from fresh fish? We live by a river..and we can get alot of fish..carp..trout.. but i think i saw worms in ones flesh one day when i was feeding it to my ducks. (my ducks go nuts for raw fish!)...also..fish bones...will they choke on them? Like people can?

 

[redhen]

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You told her WoW! And its very true..They're meant to eat raw meat...i think i'm going to try this.. I just have to get over my fear that they'll get sick from some raw meat disease..

I eat raw hamburg, sometimes.. Only a small pinch though..* I'm coming out of the closet here..

try kirklands best dog food.
Thats where you got the worms from. Did you get that box of dewormer yet.

You dingbat!

Dont listen to this crazy person people...

 

[Garlydog]

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I have fed our four dogs raw food for years. This advice and observations are spot on. I would never feed kibble of any kind to our dogs again. Here is another link:

http://leerburg.com/feedingarawdiet.htm

 

[popcornpuppy]

I have a dog, Scooter with hot spots, seasonal and food allergies as well as thyroid problems. He is on a raw diet and doing very well on it. This link will answer alot of the questions you have about how much, is fish okay and so on.

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

Raw food is best. The dog will thank you and you will have a new dog as a result of all the energy and happiness the dog will have from the raw food.