Feeding dogs raw meat

elsien

I was thinking more about him biting huge chunks off and swallowing them or sharp bits sticking out. He doesn't do delicate chewing of any sort.

catkins

elsien wrote: »

I was thinking more about him biting huge chunks off and swallowing them or sharp bits sticking out. He doesn't do delicate chewing of any sort.

Some people suggest if your dog doesn't really chew but just gulps the food down you can hold the end of say the chicken wing so they can't just gulp.


I have heard of dogs who always gulp their raw meat and it hasn't harmed them in any way. My dog usually chews his but a couple of times he has gulped food down which worried me a bit. One time he brought it back up and then chewed it but the other times he didn't and was fine.


At the beginning I found it very scary giving him meat with bones and would watch him like a hawk but now, although I am always in the same room as him as he eats I am much more relaxed about it

Lieja

My boy's had raw anything since he was a pup and he's very healthy. I mainly buy whatever's yellow stickered for him, which tends to be varied enough without me really having to try. He's not keen on raw fish though - I even tried him on a whole raw octopus (yellow sticker 59p!) but he just buried it under his toys in the garden.

To keep costs down he gets kibble too, with raw eggs mixed in. I don't buy the expensive kibble anymore as the cost meant I was having to choose between expensive kibble and no meat, or lots of meat and the cheaper kibble.

I tend to freeze just because i don't want it going off and stinking the fridge out, but I'm happy to feed stuff that hasn't been frozen, and he's eaten some pretty stinky stuff with no ill effects!

He gets frozen raw meat in his kong too because I can't find anything that occupies him for as long!

elsien

Another question on the practicalities. What do you raw feeders do when the dogs in kennels or at the pet sitter?

catkins

elsien wrote: »

Another question on the practicalities. What do you raw feeders do when the dogs in kennels or at the pet sitter?

My pet sitter won't feed raw as she is vegetarian (me and OH are too but I respect her wishes) so she feeds him Natural Instinct or Natures Diet. He is not keen on either but as he so far has only spent 2 nights max with her its not a real problem.


Me and OH are going away for 10 days in a couple of months and a friend is housesitting. They too do not want to feed raw so I am already stressing about what to get for my dog to eat. I am thinking maybe some cooked meat and possibly some good tinned food and kibble.


I think some kennels will feed raw but I don't want my dog going into kennels

krlyr

I'm not a raw feeding "purist", i.e. I don't think it's the only appropriate way to feed a dog. Raw can be done badly, and commercial diets can be good quality.

If I can't feed raw for whatever reason, I'm perfectly happy to feed a good quality commercial food. This may be wet, like NatureDiet, Natures Menu, etc. or it may be dry - usually grain-free. I've been lucky to grab bargains on part-used bags e.g. bought a bag and a half of Fish4Dogs at less than half the RRP as someone wanted rid, and someone gave away nearly a whole 12kg bag of Nutrivet on my Freecycle as it didn't suit their dog! These were used for treats as well as convenient meals (e.g. bagged up and kept in our 'travel box' and used when we stayed places overnight, or when I'd run low on raw. I'd still be likely to just buy a fullprice bag of something along those lines if my dogs were to go into kennels or to a dogsitter who wouldn't raw-feed though.

I'm quite fortunate though, my dogs are neither picky about food or sensitive to many ingredients - lamb gives them terrible wind but other than that, I can feed them just about anything with no adverse reactions.

Rev

I feed my two raw. I'm veggie so can't say I enjoy it but it is what it is. My dogs aren't veggie.

One had terrible stomach issues. Couldn't handle grain or processed chicken or turkey. It got so bad he lived on boiled potato and egg for two months the poor sod. But it was always the same. You'd very slowly introduce a pet food and he's be back to terrible runs and vomiting.


I decided to try raw. It has for him been amazing. Not one single upset stomach since switching two years back.


Basically their diet needs to consist of 80% meat. 10% bone and 10% offal (including 5% liver). That's not set in stone but a basic guide line and a good place to start. One of mine can't handle more than a small amount of liver. And not every meal has to meet this ratio. I balance it out over a week.


I get my raw from manifold valley meats. They have a good variety of stuff and it's very well priced.


I'd not leave my dogs with anyone not prepared to feed them raw. I wouldn't mind them having good quality wet and know one would be fine but I'd not chance the other having stomach issues as he did before, It wouldn't be fair to him simply because it made someone uncomfortable, extreme vomiting etc would make him more than a little uncomfortable. Thankfully I don't have to worry as I know my uncle would watch them if need be and he would have no problem feeding them raw.

GonzoAston

I feed mine part raw. He has his Kibble, but with extra raw meat on top. Usually Mince, Chicken wings or Offal and the likes (Basically any meats plus his favourite Lambs Bone now and again). Sometimes with some extra veggies.

Hes 11 now (SShhh, dont tell him. He still things hes a teenager) and only had 1 serious health thing so far (Touch Wood), which turned out to be an allergic reation to a Bee Sting. Whether his good health is down to a good diet, lots of excersise and play times, sleeping all night with OH whilst im at work, walk in the morning then back to bed with me, then walk in the evening, or hes a tough terrier, I dont know. But im sticking to it as it seems to work well for him.