Hi all, so I’ve always fed raw and have found it to be pretty superior when compared to kibble. I started my pup on raw at my first opportunity! It’s been 2 months now and he’s definitely loved the food change (and so has my back yard!) but this morning he decided he wasn’t interested. I didn’t make a big deal of it, I just picked it up and put it back in the fridge..it’s a beef/chicken mix and I was wondering if that could be too rich? I noticed the lovely tripe smell was quite strong with the recent batch and thought they may be a contributing factor. At what point should I sound the alarm with a puppy that’s not interested in his food? He’s still drinking lots so that’s a good thing, I’m just not sure on when is an ideal time to take him to the vet or troubleshoot on my own or just simply adjust his food. He’s still a goofy terrier so behaviourally he’s definitely on par! Any feedback would be welcome!
Hello Angelica and your pup [what is his name and may we please have some pictures of him? When you say you feed raw, do you mean bought ready prepared/all-in-one raw pet food or do you buy raw meat/poultry etc for him?
Although I have been a raw feeder since mid 2011 I do not use reade/all-in-one foods as they are not available here so do not know anything about them. Is it a frozen mix? I buy fresh meat [mainly poultry as that is mostly all I can get, pack and freeze it myself. For her morning meal my small dog has a chunk of frozen turkey neck, straight from the freezer, and in the evening she has meat that I have taken out of the freezer and defrosted, cut it up and mix it with mixed diced vegetables and her various supplements. I buy large packs of frozen diced mixed vegetables, defrost them but do not cook them. If I add fresh vegetables I dice them and either add raw or just blanch them. For emergencies I will re-hydrate some dehydrated raw food. Using fresh meat/vegetables plus bones is more work than just giving ready made "raw" but at least I know exactly what I feed and that it is fresh. With ready made it might not be. Did your pup eat his next meal after having refused it the first time? Maybe it was a different mix that he was not sure of or maybe he was just not hungry at the time.
An example of my angel Pereg's evening meal. She is the girl in my avatar and ~20+ kilos. Tikva at ~6.5kg being much smaller has hers in proportion. This is all human food. The meat shown in this picture is raw ox lung.
Awesome, I’m glad to connect with you! I don’t know anyone who feeds a raw diet, even the vets here aren’t supportive..which is crazy considering the crap in a can they sell..I’m convinced without a doubt this is the best way to feed. I would prepare my own but I’m still pretty green and would want to jeopardize Lincoln’s health by doing something wrong. I find the rep for this raw blend is exceptionally knowledgeable and I have honestly trusted her throughout. This morning I mixed a little Kefir and cooked rice in his food and it disappeared as soon as it hit the floor! Diarrhea is still an issue but hopefully these additions will help. Going to incorporate a little pumpkin and egg as well. Do you have any further suggestions? I was also recommended to look at a product called Healthy Gut..I intend on checking it out as well. Thoughts?
I must say Peregs meal looks amazing!! I can get the raw frozen but I buy it fresh and in bulk and just bag it down when I get home. You might be the perfect person to ask actually, feeding guidelines can be challenging! How do you determine how much and what exactly to feed to ensure it’s complete and balanced? Gotta day that looks (and probably smells!) a LOT more appealing than the ready made
Lincoln is adorable - I have never had a large dog before so to me he looks enormous! Believe me, that smells and tastes as good as it looks! Tikva has virtually the same - I just use a smaller bowl to know how much to give her. It is all human food, the only difference being that she eats hers raw and I cook mine! I am sorry Angelica but I do not know anything about ready prepared 'raw' food, the only ready prepared that I know of are two brands of the dehydrated which I use for emergencies. The only problem I have with those is that I have to buy them from the States and can only get from one place [when they have them in stock] as the manufacturers/retailers will not supply here. Raw feeding is not for everyone. It takes a bit of time, a lot of learning what is what and what is necessary, as well as what supplements should also be given. And no objection to handling raw meat! I do not promote or recommend it to anyone, just give whatever advice I have learned, and everything is human food - in fact first Pereg and now Tikva eat the same food that I do, the only difference being that she has hers raw and I cook mine! How much of what to give when feeding raw? Probably a lot less than you think, and regarding supplements/vitamins/minerals etc - I just read up as much as I could find that were not from any site promoting this that or t'other. It took time before I was satisfied that they had/have sufficient, and have no intention of changing anything now. It is just automatic for me now and I am lucky in that I can get all of those things from iHerb in the US. If you feel that you cannot cope with it [and do not have enough freezer space - even though I have I still bought a smaller 140 litre freezer for Pereg] get Lincoln some fresh chicken wings/carcasses/backs and turkey necks - pack them individually and freeze them and give him one a day straight from the freezer. It will be good for his teeth and bones. Just watch him so he learns how to chomble them. Any queries - just ask and I will do my best to help you. OK? Juli
That’s awesome, thank you! I feed him 2lbs a day! A lb in the morning and another lb in the evening..seems like a lot but it’s what I’m supposed to do! I would like to start adding natural veggies and stuff into it, it would be awesome to gradually start making it on my own..thank you for the feedback and inspiration
Do lots of research as an unbalanced, poorly formulated raw diet could cause long term health problems. Couple of links that should help. https://perfectlyrawsome.com/dogs/raw-feeding-puppies/ http://www.vonlotta.com/diet.html
Thanks GsdSlave! I will check them out for sure! That’s the only setback with buying an already “put together” raw is that ultimately I have to take their word as to its contents..as I say that..I think to myself..how comfortable am I with that fact?
You cannot go wrong so if something does not suit Lincoln or you are not sure, as long as you have some of his regular food in your freezer you need not worry. The following are some things that I found interesting and saved https://www.pinterest.com/anythinggoe3024/raw/ and this https://tinyurl.com /yxjw5m74 being of help for people who do not know what should be fed as meats and what should be fed as offal
One of our regional vet. franchises, (not the one that I use), has now become an agency for one of these complete raw mix brands. I think it is Natural Instinct, but I'm not 100% certain. When I commented that I didn't think that the suggested amount would satisfy my Beagles, I was invited to call in for a consultation - I think it would probably been with one of the nurses.
Commercially prepared raw minced food, seem to be the latest trend, and at the prices they charge it would cost me a fortune. When choosing one has to be careful as not all are ‘complete’ Natures Menu hasn’t got good reviews. https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.naturesmenu.co.uk
I did try a box of Wainwright's raw chunks, as I use this brand of grain free kibble most of the time. Admittedly, Beagle's are very greedy, but their ration just disappeared in one gulp. They licked their dishes and looked up at me - waiting for the main course! It wasn't cheap, smelt of nothing at all, - and there was some rice in it. I wouldn't have been happy using it on a permanent basis.
I’ve been working with Raw for Life and he seems to be doing really well on it. Research tells me that it’s a good complete diet but I still add pumpkin, egg or kefir on occasion. I’ve also been trying something called Healthy Gut. The rep out here has been exceptional to work with, she knows her stuff and even likes to see Lincoln to see how he’s doing. We have a vacation coming up in PEI (I’m in Ontario) and I had mentioned to her that I was concerned on how to handle bringing two weeks of raw with us and being able to keep it frozen/cold. She asked where we were staying and called around to different places there to help us find a good substitute to use while we were there so that we wouldn’t have to travel with it and try and keep it cool. I have never had someone go so above and beyond to make sure Lincoln will get what he needs and be healthy. That says volumes to me!
