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Raw feeding question


Ooky
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Ok, I read. And dogs are supposed to eat bones, right?

 

It didn't freak me out when he ate the chicken or fish bones. Those seem soft and crunchy. But right now he is eating lamb bones! (Under my supervision, of course). How do you eat BIG bones without getting bowl impactions? How is he not shredding his gums and tongue? The sounds are awesomely predatory but terrifying. Are there any safety rules (besides no cooked) that anyone can give me?

 

In good news, he has been eating about 1/2 lb of meat/bones with his regular kibble with no ill effects so far. He is even being really good about staying on the towel I lay out for him.

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RMB-wise, the only real rule I use is no weight-bearing bones from a cow, bison, or elk...that, and the feeding style can also depend on the dog. Taz never finishes his nubs. Sophie and Craig love them, but sometimes, if they've been working at them a pretty long time, I'll take them away.

 

Lots of people do it without problems, but I would not feed RMBs and kibble in the same meal with the rationale that kibble takes longer to digest than raw food does, potentially leaving the raw food to stay in the gut longer than it would otherwise. This theoretically enables bacteria to grow. I have a vet tech friend who wouldn't switch to a raw diet for the longest time because she had witnessed dogs dying of salmonella. I think this is the way that might happen...

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Ha! Barb! I am doing the same thing right now! :rolleyes: I got a bunch of chicken necks and want to give them to the dogs, start giving some raw in with their kibble and gradually up the raw and phase out the kibble, but havent had the guts to give it to them yet.

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But right now he is eating lamb bones!

 

Mine get lamb ribs very often. They just crunch right through them. I agree with Laurae about not feeding the weight-bearing ones, and also taking little nubs away. But other than that, have at it! Oh, and I've also heard about not feeding raw and kibble in the same meal, and maybe I've just been lucky, but mine have been doing that for 2 years.

 

A

 

ETA:

 

I got a bunch of chicken necks and want to give them to the dogs

 

I have been giving the pup chicken necks and the occasional piece of lamb rib since she got here at 8 weeks old (she's now 10 weeks). She loves them!

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On anything killed young, the dogs can eat pretty much the whole thing. Ie, pig, lamb, even veal. On animals slaughtered close to or at maturity, I consider weight bearing bones to be recreational bones only.

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The sounds are awesomely predatory but terrifying.

 

Recently, I have been giving Senneca kibble for morning meals and raw for evening meals (mostly chicken, but some lamb). She is completely unused to coping with a big piece of raw meat, so I ended up holding it while she ate. It is some sign of confidence that I can sit quietly, hearing her crunch through the bones just millimeters away from my fingers. It's a very odd experience for me; teaching a dog to eat raw food.

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I've beren THINKING about feeding raw... are you feeding his regular amount of kibble plus 1/2 pound of raw daily? I actually have chicken in the frig right now and can't bring myself to pass it out!

Barb S

 

Go ahead and pass it out! They'll be fine! I felt the same way before I gave Speedy raw meaty bones and three years later, he is still eating them every day and doing fantastic. The hardest part is getting started.

 

Maddie and Dean get kibble for breakfast and RMB's at night. It works out very nicely. If I'm out of kibble, they can eat raw meat for breakfast. If I'm out of RMB's they can have kibble in the evening. I do feed grain free kibble, but it worked out fine before I changed them to grain free, too.

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Wow, thanks for all the great advice! Rather than feed him his regular kibble meal (I've been doing the raw meat earlier in the evening and then feeding him a reduced amount of kibble later before bed) I just gave him the other lamb neck tonight while it is still fresh. He loves it, and it's keeping him very occupied.

 

Ha! Barb! I am doing the same thing right now! :rolleyes: I got a bunch of chicken necks and want to give them to the dogs, start giving some raw in with their kibble and gradually up the raw and phase out the kibble, but havent had the guts to give it to them yet.

 

This is exactly what I started Odin on - the chicken neck, heart, and liver from a chicken DH was going to roast. He sucked the organs right down but seemed confused about the neck for about 30 sec. He tried to bury it so Benway wouldn't get it (Benway tries to steal all our food constantly, so I understand his possessiveness here), and I stopped him. Then he just started chomping away. The bones seem sort of manageable in the necks, which is why I started him on lamb necks for red meat bones.

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Is it important that the kibble be fed in the morning and the raw stuff at night? I've heard mixed opinions on this one. What is the reasoning behind kibble in the morning versus at night?

 

I don't think there is any particular reason for morning versus night. I do it that way because I happen to feed Speedy, who is totally raw fed, his bones at night and it is just easier to the bones to all of them at the same time. If I fed him his bones in the morning, I would give the others their raw stuff in the morning and the kibble in the evening.

 

I started off feeding Speedy his bones at night because I was concerned about feeding bones and I did not want to give bones and then head off to work for the day in case there was a problem! By the time I was completely comfortable with it, it was just my habit - raw meal without bones in the morning, RMB's in the evening. It could easily be switched if I wanted to, but I like it this way!

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Don't be afraid to switch your furkid to raw. I put Lewie on raw at 7 months old, cold turkey (arar, no pun intended). Even thought my vet is not a fan of raw he did recommend NOT mixing commercial and raw food. Lewie didn't have any trouble adjusting from kibble to raw. His mainstay is chicken (easy for Mom) with salmon fillets and calf's liver, regularly.

 

I just started reading Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats which was recommended by my doggie daycare owner. It lists pork as OK but does anyone feeding raw use pork? I can't get past that COOKED pork can be dangerous if fed in too large amounts.

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Don't be afraid to switch your furkid to raw. I put Lewie on raw at 7 months old, cold turkey (arar, no pun intended). Even thought my vet is not a fan of raw he did recommend NOT mixing commercial and raw food. Lewie didn't have any trouble adjusting from kibble to raw. His mainstay is chicken (easy for Mom) with salmon fillets and calf's liver, regularly.

 

I agree with your vet's suggestion. Feeding kibble in conjunction with raw food scares me. The grain in the kibble makes the dog's system more alkaline. It needs to be acidic to properly (and safely) digest meat and bone. Kibble sits around in a dog's system for quite a while so even if you feed kibble in the AM, it's still in the system when you feed the evening meat meal.

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I just started reading Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats which was recommended by my doggie daycare owner. As long as we're talking raw, does anyone feeding raw use pork? I can't get past that COOKED

 

I have fed Odin a few raw pork meals, and he once had a spectacular counter surfing incident (I was not home, BTW) that ended in him sucking down about 1 lbs of raw pork tenderloin cutlets marinated in fish sauce (which was supposed to be our dinner. We had pizza). DH and I though he'd be up vomiting half the night, but he was better than fine - he was practically the Cheshire Cat afterwards. :rolleyes: I know people worry about trichinosis with pork but I buy pretty high quality stuff from the butcher, I personally wouldn't eat it raw but I don't even think it would make me sick if I did.

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It's not the trich that I'm concerned with it's the...shoot, I'm not sure what it is. I have a gf who's worked part-time as a VT for years and she says it's not uncommon for owners to bring in severly impacted dogs after having pork scraps from holiday hams.

 

Is it the (cooked) pork fat that is hard on the dog's digestive system? So, uncooked pork is less of an issue?

 

edit: I always freeze the raw meat as a precaution before feeding it to The Kid.

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Is it the (cooked) pork fat that is hard on the dog's digestive system? So, uncooked pork is less of an issue?

 

I don't feel pork, so I'm not 100% sure, but I would guess this is the case.

 

I've been told that this also happens around the holidays because of turkey, but mine have never had a single issue with raw turkey even though they get some raw fat with it. I save a good bit of raw turkey scrap for them before I cook the turkey. I think the problems come with cooked fat.

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I agree with your vet's suggestion. Feeding kibble in conjunction with raw food scares me. The grain in the kibble makes the dog's system more alkaline. It needs to be acidic to properly (and safely) digest meat and bone. Kibble sits around in a dog's system for quite a while so even if you feed kibble in the AM, it's still in the system when you feed the evening meat meal.

 

I do not advocate feeding kibble and raw together but know many people who feed kibble one day and raw the next. I also know of one person that mixes raw and grain-free kibble and has not reported any problems. Of 60 people in my RAW feeding group .... there are A LOT of people that alternate with no problems.

 

The issue is with the grain - as Michelle mentioned. I can't see why someone couldn't feed a grain free kibble at one meal and raw at another.

 

I've been feeding RAW for 6 years - the last 4 years I've been feeding a prey model ( big pieces of meat and bone ) and goat/sheep legs still make me feel uneasy ... the bone splinters and looks extremely dangerous but I trust in my decision and leave it alone. None of my dogs have died or gone to the hospital for anything food related.

 

I have a 9 week old pup that was eating chicken necks at 6 weeks, chicken breast and bone at 8 weeks, and now chicken wings and small chicken legs at 9 weeks. At 9 weeks she can also handle small lamb ribs.

 

RAW feeding keeps eyes, ears, and teeth clean ... you don't have to worry about dog food recalls.... the dogs have more energy, nicer coat, and better focus.

 

It's more expensive in the short term ... but when you see the money you save on vet bills ...it's well worth it.

 

Here is a picture of my newest pup at 6 weeks old ( almost 7 weeks ).

post-7815-1222205593_thumb.jpg

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