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Old April 12th, 2010, 05:59 PM
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Raw treats?

I'm not organized enough to get my dear monster (Nolie - 90lb St.Bernard/Golden mix)) eating raw food regularly but I do give her raw "treats" when I can find reasonably priced meat at the grocery store.

She gets the odd chicken back, chicken legs, turkey breasts, turkey neck, beef ribs or marrow bones. Basically, when I find nice meat I get a package and let Nolie entertain me with the "happy dance" she does before pouncing on the goods. She really does love wolfing down a good hunk of meat! Nolie is the first dog (or cat) i've had that has found such joy in raw meat!

I'm just wondering if i've just been lucky and not had any grand disasters. Soft poops and the occasional runs I can deal with, life threatening illnesses I'd much prefer to avoid.

So, am I looking for trouble entertaining Nolie with the occasional raw feast (ok, maybe not feast, I do try and limit how much she gets at one time)? or do you think we should be OK?

If this is a recipe for disaster, is there a way we can have the occasional raw meal without entirely messing up her gastrointestinal tract?
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Magnolia (aka Nolie) - 6 yrs old, adopted May 3, 2009 - mixed breed monster mutt
R.I.P. Chloe - my first Golden girl - we said goodbye but you will always be here (1994-2007 adopted April 2000)
R.I.P. Molly - my Golden girl, who's causing havoc over the bridge now - (1999-2009 adopted May 2007)
and love for my "lost ones" - Misery, Clover & the girls (chickens)
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Old April 12th, 2010, 06:09 PM
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breeze breeze is offline
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HI Otter

it's good to see you back!!

first off we need more pictures of your beautiful girl

I give Archer the occasional raw chunks of meat or bone and sometimes when I am low on kibble I will give Arch a raw supper, nothing fancy just until I can get another bag of kibble.( bree won't touch it, except for raw hamburger meat) and I have not had any problem with it. but I'm no expert.
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Old April 12th, 2010, 06:12 PM
aslan aslan is offline
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hey otter,,,yes you can give Nollie raw just make sure there is a good time span between raw feeding and kibble. they digest the kibble slower that is what causes the problem..if you feed her raw for breakfast make sure her kibble supper is several hours later.
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Old April 12th, 2010, 06:14 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by breeze View Post
HI Otter

it's good to see you back!!

first off we need more pictures of your beautiful girl

I give Archer the occasional raw chunks of meat or bone and sometimes when I am low on kibble I will give Arch a raw supper, nothing fancy just until I can get another bag of kibble.( bree won't touch it, except for raw hamburger meat) and I have not had any problem with it. but I'm no expert.
Hi Breeze
I missed you the last time I dropped in

I'll put one from Archer in the occasional raw meal survey
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Magnolia (aka Nolie) - 6 yrs old, adopted May 3, 2009 - mixed breed monster mutt
R.I.P. Chloe - my first Golden girl - we said goodbye but you will always be here (1994-2007 adopted April 2000)
R.I.P. Molly - my Golden girl, who's causing havoc over the bridge now - (1999-2009 adopted May 2007)
and love for my "lost ones" - Misery, Clover & the girls (chickens)
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Old April 12th, 2010, 06:17 PM
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breeze breeze is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by otter View Post
Hi Breeze
I missed you the last time I dropped in

I'll put one from Archer in the occasional raw meal survey

you better put from Arch cause he will eat just about anything

you have to drop in more often then I miss your Nolie adventures
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Old April 12th, 2010, 06:20 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aslan View Post
hey otter,,,yes you can give Nollie raw just make sure there is a good time span between raw feeding and kibble. they digest the kibble slower that is what causes the problem..if you feed her raw for breakfast make sure her kibble supper is several hours later.
Do you know if the kibble raw interaction just causes stomach/poop upsets or is it more likely to cause bacterial problems that will cause longer term problems. Cause I try not to give her too much raw at a time i'll sometimes give her kibbles a few hours later (4 or so).
Hmmm, gets me to thinking maybe I need to give more raw at a time and skip the kibbles....
Nolie will like that
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Magnolia (aka Nolie) - 6 yrs old, adopted May 3, 2009 - mixed breed monster mutt
R.I.P. Chloe - my first Golden girl - we said goodbye but you will always be here (1994-2007 adopted April 2000)
R.I.P. Molly - my Golden girl, who's causing havoc over the bridge now - (1999-2009 adopted May 2007)
and love for my "lost ones" - Misery, Clover & the girls (chickens)
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Old April 12th, 2010, 06:25 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by breeze View Post
you better put from Arch cause he will eat just about anything
That adds to my "reasons I think if Bree and Archer had offspring, Nolie would be their love child"
I haven't found anything yet Nolie won't eat either (but lots of things i'd prefer she didn't eat )
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Magnolia (aka Nolie) - 6 yrs old, adopted May 3, 2009 - mixed breed monster mutt
R.I.P. Chloe - my first Golden girl - we said goodbye but you will always be here (1994-2007 adopted April 2000)
R.I.P. Molly - my Golden girl, who's causing havoc over the bridge now - (1999-2009 adopted May 2007)
and love for my "lost ones" - Misery, Clover & the girls (chickens)
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  #8  
Old April 12th, 2010, 06:28 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by otter View Post
That adds to my "reasons I think if Bree and Archer had offspring, Nolie would be their love child"
I haven't found anything yet Nolie won't eat either (but lots of things i'd prefer she didn't eat )



yes I would prefer that Arch doesn't eat certain things either like little rocks, plants sticks.then he wonders why he kinda gags

arch is not the biggest fan of cooked fish or raw fish guess he is a meat eater
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Old April 12th, 2010, 06:51 PM
aslan aslan is offline
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i vote for more raw. if you were to feed her a kibble meal, then a raw meal too close together it can cause a bacterial problem..since the kibble takes so much longer to digest the raw kinda sits on top of it and ummm best description i can give is, turns kinda funky..LP can give you the exact words for it.
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Old April 12th, 2010, 07:36 PM
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Marcha Marcha is offline
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I'd vote for more raw too. Give a raw breakfast, and then a kibble dinner. Based on her weight, you could give her anywhere between 0.9 and 1.35 lbs of meat for one meal (that's one half of 2-3% of her body weight), and then half the day's worth of kibble for the other meal. So if you come across a really good meat deal when you're doing your groceries, you can keep that amount in mind.
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Old April 12th, 2010, 07:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Marcha View Post
I'd vote for more raw too. Give a raw breakfast, and then a kibble dinner. Based on her weight, you could give her anywhere between 0.9 and 1.35 lbs of meat for one meal (that's one half of 2-3% of her body weight), and then half the day's worth of kibble for the other meal. So if you come across a really good meat deal when you're doing your groceries, you can keep that amount in mind.
... that's between 0.9 and 1.35lb PLUS bone right?

I think we have to go kibble breakfast and raw dinner, i'm not a morning person I use her evening meal to keep her occupied in the evening so I can get my chores done (either raw bones, meat or kibble mixed with something stuffed in kongs). Food has to have entertainment value in my evenings

Nolie says she just ran off with half a chicken

If we are doing RAW just occasionally do we need to worry about organ meats? I'm guessing not
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Magnolia (aka Nolie) - 6 yrs old, adopted May 3, 2009 - mixed breed monster mutt
R.I.P. Chloe - my first Golden girl - we said goodbye but you will always be here (1994-2007 adopted April 2000)
R.I.P. Molly - my Golden girl, who's causing havoc over the bridge now - (1999-2009 adopted May 2007)
and love for my "lost ones" - Misery, Clover & the girls (chickens)
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  #12  
Old April 13th, 2010, 12:02 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by otter View Post
... that's between 0.9 and 1.35lb PLUS bone right?
Raw at night works too.

As for bones - if you're feeding predominantly kibble, I wouldn't worry too much about organs or bones at all. See bones as recreational, and meat as a meal. If you're giving raw every evening, I'd include a day of 'fasting' (large recreational bone) and a meal of tripe each week.

So yes, I would do roughly a pound of *meat*, weight of bone not included (unless it's a light bone, like that in a pork chop, or in ribs, or something like that. Then the bone is very much part of the meat).

Our girl is now 86 lbs - she's 10 months old - and we are flexible with what she gets when. She gets raw mostly, and also kibble for some meals. We kinda just approximate what she 'should' have, and then go by how it feels. Some days she eats double the amount, other days she eats barely anything. Mostly growth-spurt and 'rest day' dependent. Bo is lean and very muscular. We find that bone meat makes her meal more satisfying. So if we know ahead of time that we need a bit of extra 'time' to ourselves for whatever reason (we need her to be mellower), we'll give her ribs or something more substantial to chew on. Keeps her mouth and her mind busy.

Our previous dog had a tendency to over eat. We had to really monitor what she got pretty strictly.

So go by what feels right for your dog. If you feel she's at the right place for weight, and she can communicate when she's not yet had enough, or when she has, then play with the amount of raw until you find the balance that works for both of you.


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Old April 13th, 2010, 12:51 AM
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TeriM TeriM is offline
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Yep, if you are just using raw for recreational purposes then no need to worry about the organs. I would however caution against the marrow bones. They are very strong and have been known to break more then a few dogs teeths (Lucy included). No worries is your dog is not a big chomper but if they are a hard chewer I would find some other choices.

I have recently been buying elk/moose/bison necks that Riley goes nuts for. The neck bones are quite soft so will not damage teeth but are still strong enough for a good workout (not done in five min like some of the ribs etc). Lucy gets rib bones for recreation as she just strips the meat off and leaves the bone (she doesn't digest the bone well anymore).
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