I started RAW! Yipeee!! Questions...

[willingheart]

I've been feeding my dog a home made mix of ground meat, rice, and veggies for a couple of months. I tried feeding him some chicken backs after reading about the raw diet, but he didn't eat them, so I gave up for a while. Two days ago, I got "lamb stew with bone" which is mostly a big bone with some meat on it. I had the butcher cut it into quarters, so each chunk is about half the size of my fist, I'd say. It was a whopping 98 cents a pound! Anyway, my dog LOVES it!! He chews and chews on it and eats up every last bit of it. So, I've been giving him about 1/2 as much of his normal mix (no grain any more) and one chunk of the lamb bone. His poops have already changed - they're chalkier, smaller, and firmer. What I am really hoping for is relief from his serious itching problem!! I'll do anything to help him, so I'm open to suggestions. Here are my questions:
1)How do I know how much bones vs. raw meat to feed him? He's about 15 lbs. and very low energy dog
2)How much variety of types of meat does he need? I tried a seared chicken wing, and, again, he didn't eat it, though he played with it for a long time.
3)Do you have any suggestions to help with his itching? Any encouragement that a raw diet will help?

[badger]

Here's a whole recent thread on feeding raw:

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread....t=raw+food+dog

A friend of mine had a German Shepherd with really intractable skin problems. A raw diet cleared it up completely.

[technodoll]

1)How do I know how much bones vs. raw meat to feed him? He's about 15 lbs. and very low energy dog
2)How much variety of types of meat does he need? I tried a seared chicken wing, and, again, he didn't eat it, though he played with it for a long time.
3)Do you have any suggestions to help with his itching? Any encouragement that a raw diet will help?

congratulations here are some suggestions:

1- about 15% edible bones, 10% organ meats, the rest meat. try 2% of his body weight in food per day, then adjust after a few weeks to more or less depending on how his body reacts (too much food can give loose stools, just a warning!)
2- chicken wings are 50% bone, not a good thing to feed unless attached to a meaty chicken breast or with a chunk of pure meat. my dogs don't particularly like poultry either... goat and pork is a big hit though, so is beef and sometimes lamb. they flip over raw green tripe! LOL
3- itching, if cleared by the vet of being caused by environmental allergies or skin maladies, might be related to a food allergy. you are on the right track already by having eliminated grains (a major factor in allergies), now try reducing the veggies and going pure meat & bones, i would suggest 2 to 3 weeks of using one protein source only, and then slowly adding a second, to try and pinpoint the source of irritation. bathe your dog in a mild oatmeal shampoo (for pets), rinse well (adding a bit of vinegar diluted in warm water 20-to-1 for the final rinse gets rid of all shampoo residues), should also help. i assume your dog has no fleas or is allergic to anything in your house?

sorry for the short answer, am very limited on the internet cuz on vacation right now! you can PM me if you want, in case i don't log on soon again and lose this thread, LOL

[Lise]

I switched my guys to raw for the same itchy reason.Nell started chewing her feet again.We went through different diets with our vet,finally we put her on meds we got her to a pill every two days.I don't like using steroids as a permanent solution,so we tried raw.Everyone here is now on a commercial raw diet,no more itchy feet,nice firm stool,they all look great.And she's off meds.

[Scott_B]

Yup, I started raw for the same reason. Itchy skin. I have a very good source for fish so I'm going to get him on that as the main protein source and go from there.

good luck guys!

[mona_b]

I really wish Carina was here.She has been feeding her Rotties raw(B.A.R.F) for many many years.She even has her own book out that won an award.

Here is her book.You should pick it up.It's called Raw Dog Food.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/192...900100?ie=UTF8

I found an old thread were she talks about it.

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread....inas+BARF+diet

[Lise]

I feed meat/bone ,fruit and veg.Supplement with kelp and arctic vigor.The protein sources are chicken, turkey or beef.They are definately more enthusiastic about food since I switched.The arctic vigor is really good for skin problems too.

[SchnauzerGirl]

Congrats on going raw!

I started Schultz on raw due to allergies and it helped tremendously. I have been feeding him the premade stuff because I noticed that Schultz was allergic to beef and chicken (although it was cooked when I fed it to him) so I have him on Elk, Venison, Bison, and Rabbit. I buy him the urban carnivore prefrozen patties - they are quite a bit more than going to the local butcher (I live in a small town so it is hard to get things like moose and venison etc). I have read that it is good to have at least four different protein sources in their diet. I also want to retry chicken, but raw organic since Schultz appears to be very sensitive to chemicals of any kind.

I agree with Technodoll about the veggies - she suggested that I start to cut back on the veggies and there was a noticeable improvement in his itching in three days.

I find that Schultz has way more energy than ever, loves eating his food, and has a white teeth and a glossy coat.

I also give Schultz Salmon Oil and kelp. I have read that vitamin C is also good to supplement into their diet, but you should do it gradually since it will cause a loose stool if you shock their system - and you should only supplement enough so that it doesn't cause a loose stool.