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  #1  
Old August 25th, 2004, 05:29 PM
happydogs happydogs is offline
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raw feeding questions

Hi there, we have recently changed our 2 dogs to a raw food diet. we are currently feeding them mountain dog frozen raw food. it is either chicken or turkey, course ground with bone in and contains veggies and fruits, we also occaisionally give them the meat and bone only variety of the same brand.

I just wanted to be aware of what to look for if the dogs were to become infected with salmonella or anything of that nature due to the raw feeding as there seems to be a lot of concern with that. We are very careful with cleaning their bowls, replacing the water after they have eaten and drank, not feeding raw food over 2.5 days old in the fridge, and their food never sits out for more than a few minutes, they wolf it down pretty quick!

also are there any other immediate problems that come to mind that we should watch for given their new diet.

the dogs are Mikki a 1.5 yr old bijon-****zu, the other Scooby, is a 3 year old bijon-terrier cross and are absolutely loving the new food!
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Old August 25th, 2004, 10:38 PM
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LavenderRott LavenderRott is offline
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Doggy digestion is much different then people digestion. The chances of your kids getting some type of bacteria from their food are slim. I feed my girls raw, and haven't given it a second thought. And since I buy chicken and such from the grocery store, their chicken isn't always the freshest, sorry to say.

Raw has done wonders for my girls. My senior rottweiler has more energy then she has had in years, sheds less and looks fabulous.
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Old August 25th, 2004, 11:13 PM
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Shelby Shelby is offline
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I would like to feed my dogs raw, but not sure where to start?? Is it expensive? I feed them chicken carcasses and wings, kangaroo tails or meaty bones twice a week, but is it good for them to have bones all the time?
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Old August 25th, 2004, 11:45 PM
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alpha sheltie alpha sheltie is offline
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Salmonella shouldn't be much of a concern. Remember, bacteria is everywhere. Some sites even say that kibble has been found to have Salmonella (or maybe it was some other kind of bacteria?).

I used to feed raw. The only reason why we don't feed it anymore is because it got too expensive feeding two dogs when we couldn't buy bulk. Once we get another freezer, we're going back to raw. I also used Mountain Dog Food. I didn't feel comfortable making my own meat/veggie mix so I figured that was a good alternative. Do you feed bones as well (as in, JUST bones. Not the pre-mixed one)? What I did was, I'd feed the mix in the morning, and bones at night. Then a couple times a week, I'd throw in some organs and eggs. The dogs did amazingly on it. I can't wait til I get them back on raw.

Quote:
I would like to feed my dogs raw, but not sure where to start?? Is it expensive? I feed them chicken carcasses and wings, kangaroo tails or meaty bones twice a week, but is it good for them to have bones all the time?
It depends on how good a shopper you are. Obviously, it's better if you can buy bulk but if you feed just one dog and don't buy bulk, it's not too bad. We spent roughly $4 a week feeding two (medium-sized) dogs (and that was with premade stuff). Some butchers give bones out for free. There's a butcher around here that has beef bones cut according to the dog's size and they're absolutely free.

Bones should be a regular part of the diet. So yep! It's great if you can feed bones often.
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Old August 25th, 2004, 11:51 PM
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My friend Carina, wrote a book called "Raw Dog Food" that is available through dogwise.com. It is a wonderful book for beginners. (And no, I don't get cash for recommending her book! LOL!!!)
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Old August 26th, 2004, 08:10 AM
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GsdDiamond GsdDiamond is offline
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I thought feeding them any sort of boned food, other than the larger bones they can't splinter, was bad for them? I see here, though, that a few of you are feeding chicken parts (wings and carcases). Is this good for the dog?
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Old August 26th, 2004, 08:30 AM
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LavenderRott LavenderRott is offline
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Well, if you think back on the origin of our four legged friends, they ate the whole animal, raw. Raw is the key. I feed my girls raw chicken leg quarters on a regular basis but would never give them a whole piece of cooked chicken with the bone in. Cooked bones splinter easily.

Bones, besides containing nutrients that the girls need, keep their teeth looking great. Had I known about this several years ago, I could have saved about $300 for the teeth cleaning that Chase had done.
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Old August 26th, 2004, 05:49 PM
happydogs happydogs is offline
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Wink raw feeding

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shelby
I would like to feed my dogs raw, but not sure where to start?? Is it expensive? I feed them chicken carcasses and wings, kangaroo tails or meaty bones twice a week, but is it good for them to have bones all the time?
Hi shelby, you should look on the internet for info, you can type raw feeding into a google search or anything like that. Interestingly there are a lot of sites from australia, and a number of vets there with raw feeding sites. Seems the Austrailian vetrinary community may be more accepting of the raw diet! Another searchword you could use is the acry "BARF".

Cheers!

PS congrats on the silver in baseball...aargh!!
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Old August 26th, 2004, 05:52 PM
happydogs happydogs is offline
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Question thanks

Thanks all for your input. It's comforting to speak with others who have had some experience with the raw diet. I have only been feeding the mountaindog mix with bone in and not whole bones except for the occasional smoked bone as a treat. Is the whole bone raw intended to replace a mixed meal?

Cheers
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Old August 26th, 2004, 09:37 PM
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Shelby Shelby is offline
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Thanks everyone for the information.

Happydogs, when I feed my dogs meaty bones or chicken carcasses, it replaces the mixed meal.
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  #11  
Old August 27th, 2004, 12:57 PM
VickyK VickyK is offline
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Wink Raw food

Raw food is the way dogs were meant to eat, fur, organs and all. If you look at a pack of wolves, the alpha male and female always get to eat the kill before any others of the pack. They eat the organs cause they get the most nutrients out of it and leave the rest of the "less nutritious" meat for the others.

Now, we cant use just any meat....I believe that's were some of the problem lies. The meat, especially hamburger meat, from grocieries are not "pure" enough for my liking to be given to any living thing raw. I only get my meat straight from the farm or from health food stores.

Now in order to prevent the meat from going bad, they put natural preservative such as garlic and other spices, or olive oil, etc...

PS also amazing for your dog's health:

pears, apples, carrots etc (fruits and vegetables not too high in acidity and remove all seeds) and they like them really ripe...not like us, so keep that in mind when your thinking of throwing away the ripened fruit away, offer it to your best little buddy it instead!

also meats they will love: duck, lamb, turkey, lamb


Oh yeah for those of you wondering BARF stands for:

Biologically Appropriated Raw Food

I still think that name can use revising
Happy Feedings!
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Old August 27th, 2004, 02:26 PM
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What are some of the benefits of feeding a raw dinner in a dog?
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  #13  
Old August 27th, 2004, 02:57 PM
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LavenderRott LavenderRott is offline
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Well, less preservatives lessens the chances for some types of cancers. Better nutrition means better coat, more energy, and many other things to numerous to list.

I will tell you a little story to illustrate the difference in my senior girl.

Last August I took her to a fund raising picnic to raise money for rottweiler rescue. The running joke of the day was "Sandi, can you please control your dog." You see, I put her in a down stay in the aisle between the picnic tables and the chairs (right in the way of everyone trying to get by of course). She promptly laid on her side and went to sleep. She spent almost the entire day in that same position, with everyone stepping over her to get by. She had no interest in anything that didn't involve food.

A couple of weeks ago, we went to the picnic this year. (It is an annual thing.) Since I helped organize this years picnic, I was busy running all over the place. Chase did not sleep a wink this year. She was up, wandering around, usually a few paces behind me. This year she even went wading in the pond! And the compliments! Her coat looks great. She has lost so much weight. She has so much more energy.
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Old August 27th, 2004, 10:54 PM
VickyK VickyK is offline
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raw advantage

Goodness, there's probably a million and one advantages in feeding a dog raw. For one their teeth alone would love you. A dog was not meant to chew reallly, and they dont run their tongue through their mouth like us, so tartar deposits is a problem with dry food. But thats nothing compared to the difference in their coat, energy levels, and even age span when they eat raw. The enzymes alone in raw meat is enough to rejuvenate an old dog! And yes preservatives, very bad we know what they do to us!
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