What color is this kitty cat?

[dainerra]

Do you mean four types of meat like rabbit, beef, chicken and such? Or literally different, like eggs, meat, meaty bones, dairy products, etc.)?

food from at least 4 different animals.
a typical weekly menu for my raw-fed dogs.


Monday - chicken leg quarters, beef liver (tiny amount), venison

Tuesday - turkey necks. beef heart

Wed - elk chicken back

Thusday ground lamb ribs. pork meat

Friday chicken neck buffalo meat

 

[Shellybean02]

Thanks. I would have to use different foods, because some things are choking hazards and stuff like that. Small things like rabbits, cornish hens, quail(ummm... I don't know about that one, I keep quail!), and fish are on the menu for Mella. I should make a schedule for her, that would make things simpler. Thanks for all the help!

 

[Shellybean02]

I'm planning the schedule now but... is the food measured in weight ounces, or fluid ounces? All I caught in the trap was a small but VERY smelly possum... parents got rid of the trap

I just have to focus on what pets I have now. So I'm doing what I can for Mella. Going with chicken, sardines, and possibly frozen mice and/or quail since they are small and come with the whole package. I'm thinking of feeding cottage cheese as a meal (of two meals per day) on Saturday or Sunday. Does all this changing of food every twelve hours upset their stomach? Or is raw food too good for causing upset tummies?

Thanks!

 

[torilovessmiles]

I'm planning the schedule now but... is the food measured in weight ounces, or fluid ounces? All I caught in the trap was a small but VERY smelly possum... parents got rid of the trap

I just have to focus on what pets I have now. So I'm doing what I can for Mella. Going with chicken, sardines, and possibly frozen mice and/or quail since they are small and come with the whole package. I'm thinking of feeding cottage cheese as a meal (of two meals per day) on Saturday or Sunday. Does all this changing of food every twelve hours upset their stomach? Or is raw food too good for causing upset tummies?

Thanks!

I don't think cottage cheese is a good full meal. A tablespoon of cottage cheese or plain yogurt is a good snack, but isn't really complete enough for a meal. Before drastically changing a diet like that, I think you should talk to your vet and start with a pre-packaged balanced diet until you get the hang of it.

 

[Shellybean02]

When you say prepackaged, do you mean raw dog food patties and stuff like that? During my research I found that quite a few people had problems with what was actually in those... Whole prey worked best for them. And I saw on another forum someone fed their chihuahua cottage cheese as a meal every day, I forgot how many meals she gave her dog. I'll go with it as a treat. I was also going to mention eggs. How much of that, and how often? Keep in mind she's an active, female, 6 pound chi

Do they even sell frozen quail anywhere?

 

[dainerra]

cottage cheese isn't a meal. dogs actually can't digest dairy.
an egg can be a good add-on to a meal but, again, it isn't a meal. once a day at most for a dog that small
no, don't measure in fluid ounces.

you can buy frozen quail at the grocery store, it depends.

rawdogranch.com is a good resource as a menu playing.

there are many different brands of pre-made raw. they come in patties, chubs (rolls), and they even have dry kibble that has flash frozen raw in it.

if you are buying raw from the grocery store, it isn't going to be cheap, even for a small dog. you're going to need a good chunk of freezer space to store up the necessary variety of protein sources so that you can keep them varied as well as taking advantage of meat sales, neighbors cleaning out old freezer-burned meat from their freezers and hunters who have scraps.

when starting a raw diet, you need to start off with one protein that you know she isn't bothered by - if your current kibble is chicken based, then start with that. feed that for a week. a bit of canned pumpkin (pure pumpkin, not pie filling) can ease tummy troubles.
if she is having a lot of diarrhea, you likely around adding the proper amount of bone. 50% of her daily meals should be muscle meat (heart and tongue are good big pieces of meat you can often get for cheap!). 45% RMB (raw meaty bones). 5% organ meat.

here is a direct link to figuring out the amounts you need to feed her. http://rawdogranch.com/rawfeeding/howtofeedraw/howmuch.html

 

[dainerra]

I don't think cottage cheese is a good full meal. A tablespoon of cottage cheese or plain yogurt is a good snack, but isn't really complete enough for a meal. Before drastically changing a diet like that, I think you should talk to your vet and start with a pre-packaged balanced diet until you get the hang of it.

you are very unlikely to find a vet who will give any advice on a raw diet except to say "DON'T"!! they usually see the downside of incorrectly done raw diets. even ol'roy is a better food than an incorrect raw diet.

 

[Shellybean02]

cottage cheese isn't a meal. dogs actually can't digest dairy.
an egg can be a good add-on to a meal but, again, it isn't a meal. once a day at most for a dog that small
no, don't measure in fluid ounces.

you can buy frozen quail at the grocery store, it depends.

rawdogranch.com is a good resource as a menu playing.

there are many different brands of pre-made raw. they come in patties, chubs (rolls), and they even have dry kibble that has flash frozen raw in it.

if you are buying raw from the grocery store, it isn't going to be cheap, even for a small dog. you're going to need a good chunk of freezer space to store up the necessary variety of protein sources so that you can keep them varied as well as taking advantage of meat sales, neighbors cleaning out old freezer-burned meat from their freezers and hunters who have scraps.

when starting a raw diet, you need to start off with one protein that you know she isn't bothered by - if your current kibble is chicken based, then start with that. feed that for a week. a bit of canned pumpkin (pure pumpkin, not pie filling) can ease tummy troubles.
if she is having a lot of diarrhea, you likely around adding the proper amount of bone. 50% of her daily meals should be muscle meat (heart and tongue are good big pieces of meat you can often get for cheap!). 45% RMB (raw meaty bones). 5% organ meat.

here is a direct link to figuring out the amounts you need to feed her. http://rawdogranch.com/rawfeeding/howtofeedraw/howmuch.html

She isn't picky at all except when it comes to dry food, so I'm sure I won't have a hard time starting her off.
And now I see why people say raw is more expensive than kibble. I was thinking about how she required so little food because of her size; not how the meat would be packaged.
And from my research I found that they need 80% meat, 10% bones and 10% organs? And isn't plant matter bad for dogs unless it is digested like the stomach contents of their prey? Or do you mean just a bit added to her food (like a tablet of alka seltzer as opposed to a whole plate!)?

 

[dainerra]

She isn't picky at all except when it comes to dry food, so I'm sure I won't have a hard time starting her off.
And now I see why people say raw is more expensive than kibble. I was thinking about how she required so little food because of her size; not how the meat would be packaged.
And from my research I found that they need 80% meat, 10% bones and 10% organs? And isn't plant matter bad for dogs unless it is digested like the stomach contents of their prey? Or do you mean just a bit added to her food (like a tablet of alka seltzer as opposed to a whole plate!)?

a tablespoon of pumpkin is just for fiber. it doesn't add anything to the diet itself and doesn't need to be "digested". it's good for a dog that is constipated or has diarrhea.

the 80-10-10 really depends on the bones you are feeding. if you are feeding RMB with only a little meat on them like chicken backs/necks/wings, then the 80-10-10 is going to be more the actual ratio. If you are feeding RMB like chicken leg quarters, then it's going to be more like 45-50-5 because there is so much meat being weighed with the bones.

it's one of those things you have to go by the condition of the dog and how they are pooping. if the poop is runny, you need more bone in the diet. if the poop is too firm, then less bone.

 

[Shellybean02]

I plan on feeding wings as opposed to legs, since the bones in legs are a bit too much for a Chihuahua. So I'm guessing the proportions you suggested are for bigger dogs can she eat the mice or quail with feathers and fur? I will not do live prey. Other than that I think I have a good idea of how to feed her.