Troubleshooting various problems with the raw diet
(under construction)
I am interested
in feeding the BARF diet, what do I do first?
Let me start by saying I don’t
like the acronym BARF (which stands for Bones And
Raw Food) I think it is an unpleasant term so I don’t
use it. I prefer the term raw diet so that’s
how I will refer to this method of feeding from here.
I recommend you start by reading
a few books, they are available at the Leerburg website bookstore.
All the books sold about health and nutrition are
good but beginners will especially benefit from Natural
Nutrition for Dogs & Cats by Kymythy Schultze and Raw
Dog Food by Carina Beth McDonald . We give both
of these books to our German Shepherd and Malinois
puppy customers and rarely get questions about feeding
a raw diet.
The internet is also a very good
resource, with lots of Yahoo raw feeding and dog
nutrition lists.It’s a great way to read about
other people’s experiences, problems and successes
with a raw diet. Be aware that there are also many
ANTI-raw folks out there, so be prepared to wade
through the controversy and make up your own mind.
We have a great deal of information
on the Leerburg
Discussion Forum. There are many posts on feeding
raw foods, tips and questions from beginners and
experienced raw feeders. You can register and post
your own questions or just read through the existing
information. Be prepared to spend some time reading,
there’s lots of material to sift through! You
can also find health, training and health related
topics discussed here.
Some people switch right away,
but most take an average of weeks or months to take
the plunge. Stay within your comfort zone, and do
what you feel is best. It’s your dog and your
decision! Don’t let anyone make you feel bad
or wrong for taking your own sweet time.
My vet told me
my dog would get sick or DIE from feeding a raw diet?
I am having second thoughts about switching.
This is one of the most common
emails I get from people researching a raw diet OR
from our puppy customers after they take their pup
in for a wellness exam. When I hear this, I tell
folks to find a new vet! Whether you ever switch
to a raw diet or not, when veterinarians use this
type of scare tactic with NO basis in fact for it,
I get upset.
Most vets have very little nutritional
training, and what they get in school is funded by
the pet food companies. Vets and their staff are
also given kickbacks, free food for their own pets
and other perks for pushing their products in their
office. How do I know this? I worked in the veterinary
field for over a decade and before I made the switch
to ‘real food’ for my dogs, I was guilty
of promoting Science Diet and Hills Prescription
Diets right along with the vet. To all those dogs
and cats from years past, please accept my apology!
I just didn’t know better.
Vets that don’t understand
the dietary needs of dogs (and cats) will recommend
kibble or canned food, so that each meal is complete
and balanced. They will tell you that your dog will
get salmonella or e-coli from raw meat. AND BONES!
They will tell you your dog will have his digestive
system punctured and impacted from feeding bones.
(Raw bones are the foundation of this diet, cooked
bones are a big taboo! ) These myths just seem to
keep on being passed around, with no hard evidence
to back them up.
Truth be told , bacteria is everywhere
(take a sample of kibble and have it analyzed sometime,
you would be amazed!)Dogs eat poop, roadkill and
lick their behinds every day. . Their system is different
from ours. If we ate the stuff they did, WE would
get sick . Dogs have a short digestive system made
to handle raw meat and bones, the bacteria that is
present isn’t a problem for a healthy dog.
Read the books I suggest in the first section, for
more detailed information.
We balance the meals our dogs eat
over a period of time, much like feeding your human
family. Do you have a nutritional analysis printed
out for each meal you feed yourself or your kids?
I think not. ? Vets and dog food companies have convinced
us all that we aren’t ‘smart enough’ to
feed our dogs without them making some mystery concoction
out of grain and who knows what into little pellets
we unquestioningly pour into our dog’s bowl
each day, year after year.
I am going to again emphasize that
you never feed cooked bones, that includes steak
bones and those smoked real bones they sell in pet
supply catalogs. They splinter and can be dangerous.
I get emails from people who say they have done this
all their dogs life with no problems, and to them
I say…”no problems, YET” . Why
risk it?
Why
should I switch my dog to a raw diet?
Raw whole foods are what are dogs are designed to eat. Raw foods are full of
enzymes, protein, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. Most raw
feeders report healthier dogs, full of energy and vitality. There are less
illnesses, clean white teeth and fresh breath. Visits to the vet for skin
and ear infections and dental cleaning become a thing of the past. We see
less year around shedding in our dogs, increased muscle tone and stamina
and more mental and physical fitness. Just like us, dogs don’t need
all those artificial flavors, sugar and preservatives that many kibbles include
in their ingredient list. Kibble fed dogs produce voluminous, incredibly
smelly piles of waste…. Raw fed dogs stools are small, compact and
crumble up and disappear in a matter of days. The health benefits go on and
on!
Is kibble actually bad for
my dog? He seems really healthy.
The main ingredient in most kibble
is grain, which is NOT an appropriate food for dogs.
Dogs have no nutritional need for grain and it is
the root of many allergy problems. Many commercial
foods have artificial color, salt,sugar and flavoring
added to get the dogs to eat them. Just like us,
dogs can develop a taste for junk food. (which is
what I consider most commercial dog food, JUNK FOOD)
Kibble is cooked at a very high temperature to create
the familiar little nugget we are used to seeing.
Cooking destroys enzymes, essential fatty acids,
vitamins and beneficial bacteria. Cooking breaks
down the proteins and amino acids in meat and destroys
most of the nutritional value that may have been
present in the food in it’s natural state.
The processing kibble goes through makes all the
dogs internal organs work harder to extract the nutrients
that have survived the extruding process.
Dogs have teeth made for ripping
and tearing meat, not chewing grains and veggies.
Even the new generation grain free kibbles are highly
processed and cooked at extreme temperatures. Species
appropriate nutrition is the foundation of health
for all living things, and kibble is not appropriate
nutrition for a canine. Dogs can ‘live’ on
poor quality food, just like it’s possible
for humans to ‘live’ on McDonalds happy
meals. If you are reading this FAQ page, chances
are you would like your dog to THRIVE, not just survive.
Feed your dog what his body needs
to thrive instead of falling into the trap of believing
the commercial pet food companies expensive advertising
campaigns.
I
want to breed my female. Is it ok to feed a raw
diet to pregnant dogs?
Absolutely! Pregnancy and growth
are 2 of the most physically taxing times in our
dogs lives and feeding an easily digested diet can
make the whole breeding, whelping and weaning process
easier and more successful. Pregnant dogs have a
need for extra carbs, which we provide to our breeding
females in the form of pulverized vegetables. If
you have the desire to breed your dogs, you owe it
to them to do the research necessary to make the
right food choices for the health of mom and pups!
We carry books that outline the “ HOW-TO’s” of
feeding dogs a raw diet. These can be purchased at
the Leerburg online book store.
What
about my new puppy? He was fed kibble at the breeder’s
place. How do I switch him? I don’t
want
him
to get
sick.
There are 2 schools of thought
on this and I have done it both ways.
There is the gradual switch method,
which changes the pup’s diet a little bit each
day til he is eating 100% raw. There is the cold
turkey switch, which changes the pup all at once
from the familiar diet, to the new food.
I feel that many times puppies
do a bit better with a gradual switch, due to the
stress involved with leaving the litter, travel and
new environment. Keeping the diet familiar until
the pup is settled in can make the transition easier
for the puppy’s immature digestive system.
When the pup is eating, drinking and having normal
bowel movements, then I suggest to start by adding
a small amount of ground meat (without bones) to
his regular food at each meal.
Don’t overwhelm his system
by trying too many different things at once, and
I never add supplements to a pup’s diet until
the switch is complete and he is eating a variety
of raw ingredients without digestive upsets of any
kind. For more detailed information about ingredients
for your pup’s diet please check out the Leerburg
bookstore. We carry many good books on raw feeding.
Our Leerburg and Kaiserhaus puppy
customers receive educational materials and a transition
diet print out to use when bringing their new pup
home. We wean all our puppies from mom onto a raw
diet, and strongly encourage our puppy customers
to continue with a raw diet for the life of their
dog.
What
is a RMB?
RMB is an abbreviation for raw
meaty bone. Raw meaty bones are soft enough for your
dog to chew and eat completely. RMBs are the foundation
of the raw diet. A few examples of RMBs are chicken
wings, chicken backs, chicken necks, turkey necks,
lamb necks, pork necks and oxtails. We use chicken
leg quarters for many of our RMB meals. Many people
say that small dogs can’t handle leg quarters
but our 11 pound Phoebe has no problem consuming
them. We start our GSD and Malinois pups on leg quarters
at 3 ½ to 4 months old although I am sure
they are capable of handling them at an earlier age.
What
is a recreational bone?
A recreational bone is a larger
bone that your dog will chew but NOT completely consume.
What may be a recreational bone for a Yorkie, may
be a RMB for a Rottweiler. Some examples of recreational
bones are cow femurs, knuckle bones and marrow bones.
I like recreational bones for puppies
up to the age of about 6 or 7 months, but if the
bones are left out and become dry they are like a
cement block! I know many dogs that have permanently
damaged or broken their teeth on recreational bones.
Use discretion with this type of bone. Also be aware
that when they dry out and dropped they can have
shards break off that could be potentially dangerous
to your dog should they swallow them.
The last risk from recreational
bones is damage to property and personal injury.
I had a dog years ago that would sling her recreational
bones around the living room. Glass coffee table,
vases, and lamps become targets for this type of
flying projectile. ? They also really hurt when
you step on them when walking barefoot across your
carpet… :)
I
have heard that you should NEVER feed your dog
chicken bones! One of the foundations of your
feeding program is chicken! Aren’t you
afraid your dogs will choke or the bones will
splinter?
This is the number one myth associated
with raw feeding. If I had a dollar for everytime
I got an email or a question about chicken bones,
I would be able to retire.
RAW chicken bones are wonderful
food for dogs. They are soft, easy to chew and digest
and readily available. NEVER ever feed cooked chicken
bones! (or any other cooked bones, for that matter!)
I suppose your dog could choke
on chicken bones, but he can also choke on kibble
or one of his toys. If your dog is a gulper (i.e.
swallows chicken pieces whole) he may do better with
larger portions, either a half or whole carcass as
opposed to legs or wings.
There are risks present with every
choice we make, so it’s up to you to make the
choices you can live with and feel comfortable with.
Compare the risk with the benefits and make your
own decisions.
I
was told that if you feed dogs raw meat, they will
become vicious and kill animals. Is this true?
Here is another myth. Chasing and
killing animals is prey drive, a natural behavior
seen in dogs no matter what their diet.
Dogs don’t correlate the
food we give them with live animals hopping around
in the forest or on the farm, it just doesn’t
work that way. Our raw fed dogs have been taught
not to chase our guinea hens and horses, and they
are raw fed for the last 12 years plus. When friends
bring their kibble fed dogs here to visit, they want
to chase our livestock until taught not to… chasing,
grabbing and sometimes killing animals is an instinct
in dogs (and cats) and not correlated with the diet
they are fed.
How
Do I Make The Switch?
I would recommend BEFORE you take
the plunge that you have done adequate research,
have your reference materials close at hand and you
have purchased your ingredients to get going. It
may help to keep a log or diary of meals at first,
so you can go back and see what meals your dog likes
or dislikes, which ingredients cause gas or diarrhea,
etc. If you have a mentor, make sure you have his
or her email address handy in case you have questions.
I would also recommend having your
dog given a thorough physical by your health care
professional before you switch. Some folks run a
blood profile. I don’t think it’s necessary
in most cases but it doesn’t hurt. Be aware
that if your vet is not PRO raw, he or she may try
to derail you. I would suggest that you find a raw
friendly vet before making the switch, if it’s
at all possible.
There are two ways to switch with
the first being cold turkey. This method seems to
work best for healthy adult dogs. You can fast them
for a day or so if you wish before you switch, but
the way I would recommend is to throw away your kibble,
and start feeding raw. It’s that simple! Keep
everything very simple for the first few weeks, I
would suggest chicken necks/backs ONLY for the first
3 or 4 days. Make sure the dog is digesting everything
properly (no diarrhea or vomiting) before you add
another type of food to the meals. Hold off on all
supplements for several weeks. I would also wait
several weeks before adding richer foods like liver,
eggs or canned mackerel.
The second method is the gradual
switch. Basically you add a bit of raw food to the
dog’s meals each day, in increasing amounts
while decreasing the kibble. This may work for some
dogs, but in my experience (and I have been feeding
a raw diet since 1994) it takes longer for the dog
to adjust and there are more frequent bouts of loose
stools. I would recommend cold turkey for most adult
dogs and some puppies.
If you decide you will be feeding
veggies, wait until the dog is eating a variety of
RMBS and different meats before you add them to the
diet. We use them occasionally and I personally don’t
think they are necessary but some dogs seem to do
well with the additional fiber. Remember, veggies
need to be thoroughly cooked or pulped in order for
dogs to digest them at all.
What
Should I Expect At First?
Good question! The answer is varied.
Some dogs switch without a problem and eat with gusto.
Other dogs love the food but may have some digestive
upsets for a short period of time while their system
adjusts to real food.
Then there are the dogs that won’t
eat a raw diet. In many cases I think these are dogs
that have been fed a variety of flavored treats,
and processed foods. Raw food has little odor compared
to many of the commercial pet foods out there, and
I think that some dogs are addicted to the flavorings
and additives. Many times there is a lot of owner
anxiety over switching to the raw diet and the dog
picks up on that.
For the dogs that won’t eat ‘real’ food,
you may need to use your imagination at first. Sprinkling
parmesan cheese or lightly browning (LIGHTLY) some
hamburger may get the dog eating. In some cases I
think the dog just doesn’t know a piece of
raw chicken is food! You may need to be a bit of
a cheerleader at first but once they get the hang
of it, most dogs thoroughly enjoy their raw meals.
I have reports from owners whose dogs are actually
excited about eating for the first time in their
lives once switched to raw.
A healthy dog won’t starve
to death, so you may have to just allow the dog to
skip a meal here or there until they get hungry enough
to try it.
Of course, if you have any doubts
about your dog’s health please consult with
your health care professional!
I
have heard that raw is much more expensive than
kibble, how much will it cost me to feed my dog
this way?
Raw can be expensive BUT so can
kibble. In my experience, it probably costs about
the same in the long run. If you buy your dog’s
meat from the prime meat case at the grocery store,
it may get expensive in a hurry! Preground and prepackaged
raw diets can be very costly also.
I have learned to be a bargain
shopper. Wal Mart and small grocery stores can be
a great place to stock up on chicken leg quarters
and canned mackerel and sardines. I made a deal with
a local rabbit farmer to save me all the trimmings
when he butchers rabbits. I order chicken back/necks
and pork hearts in bulk from a local restaurant supply.
Our local family owned grocery has marked down meat
almost every day and runs great specials on chicken
and ground beef. Friends that hunt give me their
freezer burned venison from last years hunt.
Buy in bulk when you can and repackage
into more manageable containers. We are feeding a
lot of dogs every day so we thaw out 20-40 pounds
of meat every day. you may only need a pound or two
for each day so your packaging will differ from ours.
There are lists on the internet
that only deal with suppliers for raw feeders. This
is a great resource for finding co-ops and suppliers
in your area. It’s much easier now to feed
raw than when I started back in 1994, there are so
many more options.
I
read somewhere on the internet that feeding a raw
diet reduces vet bills? How does that work?
The main way our vet bills have
been reduced is by virtually eliminating the need
to take our dogs for skin and ear conditions, chronic
illness management (i.e. pancreatitis, colitis) or
dental cleanings.
Injuries, hip evaluation radiographs
and occasional bloodwork for health screening are
the occasions for a visit to our vet these days.
Our dogs are healthier, and our vet bills stay down!
How cool is that?
It
seems too complicated to feed a raw diet, I
don’t
have any free time to spend on this. How much
time does it take each day to prepare the food?
This is a commonly asked question.
It takes as long as you want it to! Here at Leerburg
we are feeding between 15 and 25 dogs every day.
We prepare all their food at the same time. Each
dog gets a different amount with different supplements
which we have typed out on a daily roster for food
prep. Total time for measuring, placing in bowls,
adding supplements and clean up is 15 to 20 minutes.
That’s about 1-2 minute per dog, per day for
food prep. Some of our dogs are fed twice daily and
their evening meal is made up in the morning, with
the regular daily food and refrigerated until evening.
Once you get the hang of it, it’s
just as fast as feeding kibble. (and way more fun!)
What
Do You Feed Your Dogs? Can You Send Me Some Menu
Plans?
We feed our dogs a variety of items.
They get chicken, turkey, pork, beef, lamb, fish,
rabbit, goat, duck, venison, bison, tripe, liver,
eggs, and occasionally leftovers from our plates!
There are excellent guidelines
for meal plans in several books at the Leerburg
Online bookstore and on this
page of our website.
*Please note on these menu pages that veggies are optional.*
How
Do I Know Each Meal Is Balanced?
You don’t! Don’t worry
about balancing every meal, it’s just not necessary.
Feed a variety of fresh ingredients each day and
aim to balance the diet over time, not each and every
day. Rotate your ingredients over a period of 3 weeks
and you will achieve BALANCE OVER TIME. Your own
meals aren’t balanced every day, are they?
How
Much Do I feed?
The rule of thumb for healthy adult
dogs is 2-3% of their optimal body weight. If they
are overweight, aim for the DESIRED weight, not their
current weight. Same for an underweight dog, take
their desired weight to figure your starting amount
for each meal.
Take your dog’s weight (or
desired weight) and multiply x 16.
This will give you your dog’s weight in ounces.
Multiply his weight in ounces x .02 (or .03 for 3 %)
Example=my Malinois Raine weighs
62 pounds. She weighs 992 ounces. (62 x16)
I multiply her weight in ounces
times 3% to get the feeding amount of 29.76 ounces.
(992 x .03)
I round it off to 30 ounces of
food per day for Raine, or approximately 1.9 pounds.
Chances are that some days I will
feed Raine 2 pounds per day, and some days 1 3/4.
I don't typically use a scale for my own dogs these
days, I am pretty good at eyeballing the amount needed.
This will give you a starting point
for determining the amount to feed your dog each
day. If he seems thin, increase food daily. If he
seems chunky, decrease. This is where your journal
or diary comes in handy, if you are the kind of person
that likes to keep track of this sort of thing. I
just wing it most days. Be aware that you should
be constantly monitoring your dog’s condition
and activity to adjust your feeding.
Puppies eat anywhere from 5-10%
of their body weight daily while they are growing.
It’s important to keep young dogs lean and
not overfeed them. I like to see a hint of rib, but
not too much. Skeletal development is something that
can be compromised by putting too much weight on
soft, still developing puppy bones. Be vigilant about
your pup’s body condition and adjust your feeding
accordingly.
I’m
Not Sure I Am Ready To Switch To Raw, But I Don’t
Want To Feed Kibble. Do you have any suggestions?
I would recommend a dehydrated
raw food called Honest
Kitchen that we have been carrying here at Leerburg
since October 2005. We have heard great things from
our customers who use this product, and have had
good results using it in conjunction with our homemade
raw diet with our dogs here at Leerburg/Kaiserhaus.
It's convenient, the dogs love
it and it's the next best thing to a raw diet! We
use this food exclusively for traveling with our
dogs.
It's a good choice for boarding
your dogs too, as many facilities don't have freezer
space for your dog's raw meals while you are on vacation.
I
have small kids and I am worried about Salmonella
and E-Coli!
Bacteria is EVERYWHERE, on your
counters, in your fridge, your sink and if you feed
kibble, ON THE KIBBLE too.
Whether you have kids or not, I
would be aware of the health hazard that MAY be present
when handling any raw food product. Don’t be
overly worried or fanatical about this, just be aware
and sensible.
If you use the same safe food handling
practices with your dog’s food, that you do
with your own, then you should be fine. Clean all
surfaces with antibacterial cleaners, wash your hands
frequently and clean all dishes and utensils with
hot water and soap or run them through the dishwasher.
We use rubber gloves when handling the cases of meat
for our dogs, and buy the disposable latex exam type
gloves specifically for this purpose.
If you worry about where to feed
your dog with kids around, I suggest a crate that
can be easily wiped out with antibacterial cleaner.
Some people put a plastic table cloth or shower curtain
on the floor for their dogs to eat on and others
only feed their dogs outside. You should do whatever
works for you and your situation.
Some folks even wash their dogs
face off after they eat, just to be safe. I am not
saying I agree or disgree with these practices, just
giving you some options and things to think about.
What
about Grains? I read that you don’t feed
them to your dogs . Why not?
I don’t feed grains for a
couple reasons. Dogs have no nutritional need for
grains of any kind and they are terribly hard for
dogs to digest. Grain is also one of the main offenders
in allergy problems in dogs. Those 2 reasons alone
are good enough for me to not include grain in my
dogs diets.
Some people feed them with good
results. Some dogs seem to do well with a little
grain added to their diet occasionally. If you feed
them and your dog has gunky ears or itchy skin, try
removing them completely from the diet. (this includes
dog biscuits and treats too) You may be surprised
that your dog improves a lot and I have gotten emails
from folks whose dogs have been “cured” of
allergies by simply taking grain out of the diet.
Food for thought and something
most vets won’t even suggest.
What
supplements do I need to use?
The honest answer is that I don’t
know that you NEED to use any supplements if you
are feeding a species appropriate diet that is balanced
over time. However, many of us raw feeders feel that
there are nutritional ‘gaps’ in our feeding
regimen so we add supplements to help round out our
dog’s diet.
There are 2 supplements that I
use regularly. They are salmon
oil and vitamin
E softgels.
I use probiotics occasionally,
during times of stress, travel, diet change or when
I get a new pup. Probiotics are helpful for restoring
the friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract after
antibiotic therapy or illness.
Some folks add Kelp and Alfalfa and powdered
Vitamin C to their dog's raw meals.
Digestive enzymes are good for
dogs new to a raw diet, in some cases.
There are many different schools of thought on supplements and my views are
constantly changing.
You can see a list of supplements we carry on this healthcare
page .
For more information on what each
supplement does and how it should be used I recommend
visiting the Leerburg
online bookstore and checking out our books.
Many of the raw feeding books we carry go into scientific
detail about what each food and supplement provides
the body.
How
often do you use supplements? The label says to
give it every day.
I give supplements to my personal
dogs 3-5 days a week. I don’t have a rhyme
or reason for that, it’s just how it works
out most of the time. Leerburg’s breeding dogs
get their supplements every day, which vary from
dog to dog according to age, condition and breeding
status.
What is
ACV?
ACV=apple cider vinegar
Some folks add ACV to their dog’s
food to aid digestion, help the body fight toxins
and unfriendly bacteria.
I have used it to wipe out one of my dog’s ears in the past when she
had some inflammation, it seemed to have a cooling effect. Some people use
it as a rinse after they bathe their dogs, to combat itchiness.
I don’t have a lot of personal
experience with using it, but many people swear by
it. You can google Apple Cider Vinegar and come up
with lots of information.
What
are probiotics?
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria
that live in the healthy intestinal tract. They keep
bad bacteria and fungi from upsetting the natural
balance. Using probiotics can help restore normal
gut function after stress, surgery, diet change or
antibiotic use. We also use this at Leerburg when
weaning litters onto solid food.
We carry a powdered probiotic that
is added to your dog’s meals
What
are digestive enzymes?
Digestive enzymes help the body
break down food so the body can assimilate the nutrients
. Enzymes are present in raw food, but cooked food
has an absence of enzymes. The body must use it’s
own limited enzymes to break down cooked food and
the body’s enzyme producing organs are worked
overtime to help digest the food.
Enzyme supplements are commonly
used by dogs that have compromised ability to digest
food, either from a digestive disorder or disease
like EPI. (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency)
What
about vegetables?
There are 2 camps of raw feeders,
the veggie feeders and the NON veggie feeders. I
find myself somewhere in between.
I don’t feel that my dogs need the veggies, but sometime they enjoy left
over steamed green beans or broccoli from our family meals. Vegetables need
to be broken down by cooking or pulverizing for dogs to be able to access any
of the nutrition and since cooking destroys the enzymes, the best way to serve
veggies is raw and pulped or pulverized in a food processor.
Pulping veggies is a lot of work
in my book, so I don’t do it anymore. I used
to spend one afternoon every few weeks using my food
processor on veggies and freezing them in Tupperware
containers. Some people make a veggie ‘glop’ of
pulped veggies, liver and other stuff they want their
dogs to eat.
Veggies can be good fiber for dogs
that tend to get constipated or overweight dogs that
would benefit from fewer calories. Veggies can add
a bit of bulk to the meal so the dieter doesn’t
feel so deprived.
When I cut the veggies out of my
dogs diet the only difference I noticed was the LACK
of occasional dog ‘gas’. That’s
a positive reason to not feed veggies around here,
we have five house dogs :)
What
kinds of meat can I feed my dogs?
Depending on your location you
will have access to different local meat sources.
We feed beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, pork, goat,
buffalo, venison, elk, fish, rabbit.
Some folks feed moose, bear, ostrich
or kangaroo.
Variety is the key to a successful
raw diet.
Are
there parasites in raw meat?
I would say the meat purchased
as “fit for human consumption’ should
be safe from parasites. I would not feed my dogs
anything that wasn’t fit for human consumption
anyway!
Some raw feeders won’t feed
pork because of the possibility of trichinosis, but
if the meat is inspected I don’t worry about
it.
I don’t know if I would feed
a wild pig to my dogs or certain wild game like bear
or beaver. We do feed wild venison without issue.
It’s said if you freeze meat
at zero degrees for 3 weeks it will kill parasites
but I don’t have personal experience with that,
so take that into consideration when selecting meat
for your dogs.
I
want to feed a raw diet but whole bones scare me!
Can I grind them up before feeding?
You can certainly grind them, but
it’s a lot of work for you and the dog will
miss the physical exercise of ripping, crunching
and chewing his meals. Several of our older dogs
have worn their teeth down over years of bitework
and carrying around toys, so ground RMBs may be an
option for them at some point. So far, all my dogs
can still handle a chicken leg quarter, even without
perfect teeth.
Unless there is an underlying medical
or physical reason for grinding for your dog, I wouldrecommend
feeding RMBs whole.
What
kind of equipment do I need to grind RMBs?
I believe most raw feeders that
choose to grind like the Maverick Grinder or the
Northern Tools grinder. A Google search on either
of those should take you to places to purchase them.
I don’t endorse OR have experience with either
of them, but belong to several raw feeding email
groups with people who get good results with these
models.
I
see that some places sell preground raw pet food.
Are these ok to feed? They seem very expensive
though!
I think preground is OK to feed
occasionally, although once again your dog will miss
the whole ‘chew up the RMB’ experience.
It’s expensive as a rule, sometimes 3 to 10
times more expensive than doing it yourself and I
am not sure I really believe the ingredient list.
I am a skeptic and how do I know that what they label
as buffalo and veggies is really buffalo and veggies?
Maybe it’s some roadkill or mystery meat? I
like seeing the ingredients that go into my dog’s
meals and when you buy a ground item, you have to
take their word for it.
I AM guilty of buying ground RMBs
for my cats, from a raw feeder supply that delivers
to my home. (Did I mention we feed our 4 cats a raw
diet also?) :)
Can
I buy RMBs at the grocery store? If not, where
do I find them?
You may be able to buy some items
at the grocery store. Leg quarters and wings are
usually easy to find at the store.
I would check your local yellow
pages and look for restaurant meat suppliers, or
search the internet for raw feeding co-ops in your
area.
We buy from a restaurant supply
but due to high gas prices we have a 10 case minimum
order, which is 400 pounds. Unless you have a lot
of freezer space or some friends to split orders
with this may not work for you.
What
about feeding Raw and Kibble together, is that
OK?
Many pe
