questions about RAW feeding

[Violeta]

Because of all the problems with the dry (pellets) foods I decided to give the RAW diet a chance. I got the book “NATURAL NUTRITION FOR DOGS AND CATS~DIET- K. SCHULTZE” and read it, it’s good but I still have some questions after reading this and many other pages on the net.

Please remember that I have a small 2 month old Maltese puppy.

Fists of all my puppy right now is not feed a good dry or canned food, the breeder unfortunately feeds the bad stuff (Pedigree etc) when I get her, at 2 months and 1 week, should I change her right away or what to do? I am a little afraid of her reacting bad to the new diet and I still have to house train her.

The RAW diet (my 2 cents on it): meat, meaty bones, vegetables, supplements and extras.
How do you prepare this food?

This is what I was thinking to do: get meat from the store and grinded it at home (chicken, beef, rabbit etc) mix it with the flax seed and a little parsley and very little garlic, whatever supplements (kelp, alfafa, oils etc) and the occasional egg or veggies a few times a week and serve it, this is almost like a prepared diet but I do it at home so I know the quality and what exactly goes in there. This way the dog will eat everything with ought being able to pick whatever it wants. After she eats this the dog can have the bones: chicken necks, wings etc.

Is this correct?? If I am missing something please point it out.

[technodoll]

This is what I was thinking to do: get meat from the store and grinded it at home (chicken, beef, rabbit etc) mix it with the flax seed and a little parsley and very little garlic, whatever supplements (kelp, alfafa, oils etc) and the occasional egg or veggies a few times a week and serve it, this is almost like a prepared diet but I do it at home so I know the quality and what exactly goes in there. This way the dog will eat everything with ought being able to pick whatever it wants. After she eats this the dog can have the bones: chicken necks, wings etc.

congratulations on your new puppy! we need photos you know

i think making your own, at home, is excellent. however, it doesn't need to be that complicated and i suggest you make it simpler for 2 reasons:

1- to ensure the proper calcium/ phosphorus ratio (growing puppies need calcuim in proper amounts!)
2- to ensure you keep up with the diet long-term. the simpler it is, the better for everyone.

here are the basic guidelines you need to remember:

meat 60%
bones 20%
organs 10%
others such as eggs, veggies as treats, etc
supplements are fish oil, Vitamin E, esther-C

and that's it. do not stuff your puppy with veggies and other things they don't need, rather use nature's guidelines to keep everything balanced. i encourage you to read this for wonderful information: http://rawfed.com/myths/feedraw.html

raw feeding small & toy dogs: http://rawfed.com/myths/toybreeds.html

no need to grind anything unless you really feel like it. I'd rather see a puppy work to eat its dinner, munching and crunching away and getting those puppy muscles & teeth a wonderful workout, rather than see them chew on rubber toys or the furniture, LOL!

good luck and there are many knowledgeable raw feeders here to help you if you have any questions

[Violeta]

here is one pic of here:

http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=43g1t7m

It was very hard to tell who is who because they are all white and fluffy and I got cuteness overload …lol.

She was upside down and mom was cleaning her.

[Violeta]

http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=4ibhanc

[technodoll]

precious little girl! you must be on ! she's so beautiful.

[Violeta]

I know, I’ve been crazy happy for months now but last night I was barely able to sleep. On Sunday was the first time I visited her.

[Violeta]

I will not stuff the pup with veggies or extras but I do believe that 1-2 times a week its s good idea to add some to the diet. My dogs at home used to eat all kinds of berries and fruit from the forest and they lived long, healthy lives.

To start I should just use chicken for a few days and then very slowly to introduce other stuff. But, how should I make the transition? Mix some food from the breeder with the new food or feed her the old food the first few days she comes home and then one morning after her stomach is empty to introduce the new diet ?


should I freeze the meat first?

[technodoll]

I will not stuff the pup with veggies or extras but I do believe that 1-2 times a week its s good idea to add some to the diet. My dogs at home used to eat all kinds of berries and fruit from the forest and they lived long, healthy lives.

To start I should just use chicken for a few days and then very slowly to introduce other stuff. But, how should I make the transition? Mix some food from the breeder with the new food or feed her the old food the first few days she comes home and then one morning after her stomach is empty to introduce the new diet ?

should I freeze the meat first?

veggies and fruits as treats is great! if my dogs would eat them, i would give them some, definitely. it's just that some people give half the meals in veggies, you know? that's too much.

since your girl is such a young puppy, you cannot fast her. my recommendation is to keep feeding her the same food your breeder is currently using (ask for a few day's worth to take with you) and first let the "big adjustment" of a new home happen. your puppy will go through enough excitement as it is and may have the runs from stress. when your girl is settled in (can be one day! or five! LOL) then start the raw diet for a first morning meal, and go from there (no more kibble). yes chicken is the perfect choice because all bones are edible, specially the ribcage. i would suggest doing this on a day you will be home to monitor the first "raw poops". many people make the mistake of overfeeding their dogs, which can lead to diarrhea, however you should let your puppy eat as much as it wants while she's growing up (they need up to 10% of their body weight in food per day for the first few months).

I don't bother freezing meat first, but some people do it with pork to ease their minds. the only meat you HAVE to freeze is wild pacific salmon, to kill the fish-specific parasites. i don't feed raw salmon so that fixes that, LOL!

were the articles i linked below useful to you?...

[Violeta]

Yea, you are right but I will cringe every time she eats that crap. I want to cry only thinking about it! But she will need some time to adjust to the new home …

I do not drive *gasp* so it will be almost impossible for me to go to farmers market or health food store for the meat on a weekly basis. Can I get those Maple Leaf grain feed chickens from the regular groceries store? I am on the hunt for a butcher but again, there is no such this close to me, I would have to ask some1 to drive me or take the bus …

If not what other options are there?

The articles ware good, thanks!

[technodoll]

Do you have a small chest freezer you can use to stock up? also you have a very small dog, i don't anticipate you needing that much meat at all I have 185 lbs of hungry dog at home (if I add the weight of both dogs!) to give you an idea, i shop about 3 times per month for food to take advantage of sales and such. If your local grocery store has sales on any meat, yes jump on it! or buy premade patties from Urban Carnivore (pure meat, no fillers with veggies and grains), sometimes you can get it delivered...

what is the anticipated adult weight of your girl?

[Violeta]

Her parents are about 8 pounds each, so she will be around there also. Right now I don’t know how much is her weight but can’t be more then 1.5 pounds, she is smaller then her brothers however she’s not one of those anorexic dogs …lol.