I have been experimenting with feeding raw foods to my two Toy Manchesters and thought I would share some of the information I've learned.
1. Dogs love it. It can take them a little time to get accustomed to manipulating a whole piece of meat and trying to eat it but with a little time the lesson is learned. This is, after all, yummy food!
1. Dogs love it. It can take them a little time to get accustomed to manipulating a whole piece of meat and trying to eat it but with a little time the lesson is learned. This is, after all, yummy food!
2. It's not an exact science. The normally accepted ratio of meat/bone/organ meat is 80:10:10. This can vary widely between different dogs. Usually, if a dog is having very loose bowel movements then more bone is needed. If the dog is having very hard movements, the bone quantity should be reduced. The quantity to feed daily which is generally accepted is 2 - 3% of the dog's ideal adult body weight. For example, if your dog weighs 20 lbs and is a little heavy, you may wish to begin at 2% of her body weight (0.4 lb) and reassess her weight in a few weeks. If she's doing well, you can adjust to meet her activity level and body condition.
3. There are many types of "schools of thought" with regards to feeding raw. Some are based on prey models (simulating the consistency and makeup of typical prey animals) and other people feed ground meats with or without ground bone and some even feed vegetables. There are some people who will lightly cook their dog's food before serving, as well.
3. There are many types of "schools of thought" with regards to feeding raw. Some are based on prey models (simulating the consistency and makeup of typical prey animals) and other people feed ground meats with or without ground bone and some even feed vegetables. There are some people who will lightly cook their dog's food before serving, as well.
4. It can be messy. Especially in the beginning, my dogs were pushing their pieces of meat all over the kitchen floor with their noses and sliding around while standing on the pieces while they tried to tear off a piece. So I purchased a used ex-pen off Craigslist and put a gate between the two sides. Now they stay put in their corners and I don't have a lot of mopping to do afterwards.
5. It's not a fast way to feed your dogs. The chewing, ripping and gnawing action the dogs perform takes a bit of time. There is no gobbling if the pieces are large enough. If you have a dog who scarfs their food, it's better to feed a bigger, awkward piece to slow them down. But I have never fed a meal to my dogs that didn't last at least 40 minutes. This extra time is great for digestion since the stomach has lots of time to digest and process the bits as they come down "the pipe". Also, the gastric fluids have time to work on the food and break it down more efficiently.
6. It's better than any toothbrush on the market. The knawing and grinding the dogs do on the bony pieces effectively clean their teeth and the best part is that they did it all by themselves!
7. Raw bones are not as dangerous as cooked ones. Some people shy away from feeding raw because they believe bones can splinter and cause punctures within the intestines. While it's very important to always supervise your dogs while they are eating, raw bones do not splinter or chip off like cooked ones do and are consumed much more easily than you'd expect. I was very careful the first time I fed raw and was pleased to see that the uncooked bones were not difficult on my dog's systems. It's important to remember that weight-bearing bones of animals (leg bones) can be very hard on dog's teeth since they're so dense so it's best to steer clear of those.
5. It's not a fast way to feed your dogs. The chewing, ripping and gnawing action the dogs perform takes a bit of time. There is no gobbling if the pieces are large enough. If you have a dog who scarfs their food, it's better to feed a bigger, awkward piece to slow them down. But I have never fed a meal to my dogs that didn't last at least 40 minutes. This extra time is great for digestion since the stomach has lots of time to digest and process the bits as they come down "the pipe". Also, the gastric fluids have time to work on the food and break it down more efficiently.
6. It's better than any toothbrush on the market. The knawing and grinding the dogs do on the bony pieces effectively clean their teeth and the best part is that they did it all by themselves!
7. Raw bones are not as dangerous as cooked ones. Some people shy away from feeding raw because they believe bones can splinter and cause punctures within the intestines. While it's very important to always supervise your dogs while they are eating, raw bones do not splinter or chip off like cooked ones do and are consumed much more easily than you'd expect. I was very careful the first time I fed raw and was pleased to see that the uncooked bones were not difficult on my dog's systems. It's important to remember that weight-bearing bones of animals (leg bones) can be very hard on dog's teeth since they're so dense so it's best to steer clear of those.
8. Raw diets do not cause dogs to become ill. Quite the contrary. Raw diets eliminate all the unwanted processing and fillers so common in dog foods today. As long as the raw meat is human grade and not spiced or enhanced, it is safe to feed. If a wild type of meat is considered (deer, boar, bear, moose, fish) then freezing it solid for two weeks will eliminate any possibility of parasites being transmitted. Spoiled meats are not something you'd want to take chances with, either.
9. Raw diets can offer a lot of variety. If you can imagine it, it can be done. Remembering the 80:10:10 ratio, most of the meat fed will be, well, meat. A small quantity should be bone and organ meats. In the beginning, just use your eye to estimate the amount of meat:bone ratio and leave out the organ meat to give your dog time to acclimate to the change. Add in organ meat when your dog is eating well and eliminating regularly. Many people begin with chicken (fat removed) because it is very accessible and cheap. If your grocery store has a sale on duck, lamb, pork, beef, turkey, fish or mutton then stock up.
10. You need a freezer to efficiently feed raw. A chest freezer (or two) are absolutely necessary to be able to take advantage of sales and bulk purchases. Since I don't have the room for a chest freezer, I only feed raw a few times per week and make my purchases each week on grocery day. If you have multiple dogs to feed, the necessity for a large freezer is obvious.
If you're interested in learning more about raw feeding, here are a few links to get you started.
http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:http://www.rawfed.com/
http://www.rawlearning.com/
There are many people on the internet that are happy to share their knowledge of raw feeding. With a little research you can see if this option is right for your dog.
Submitted by: Jennifer Legere
What specifically do your feed your dogs, Jennifer?
ReplyDeleteWe do raw but we buy patties, I'm too lazy/sqeamish to hack up animals for them. But I must say it's made a huge difference. Their coats are noticably shinier and their stool is smaller and I don't think we've had a bout of diahrea since we started.
As much as I dislike the raw patties myself the dogs love it and you can't argue with the results.
My SMT was weaned raw and fed prey model (80/10/10) through out his life. He's now 3.5 with sparky teeth and a slick coat. Lean and muscular I feed about 4-5% when he's really active, and when he was growing, and less on slower days. He loves his raw and will eat any meat and fish which is great.
ReplyDeleteIt hasn't taken him 40 minutes to eat anything though, he's usually done in minutes and I have to watch he doesn't swallow whole large hunks of meat.
I also raw feed my 2 Danes and my cat, and yes I do have a large freezer.
Lynda Mc
HI Jeff!
ReplyDeleteI've fed raw chicken (legs with backs attached, necks, breasts with wing attached), turkey necks, pork chops with bone in, lamb shank, whitefish and mackerel. I don't have a freezer so I can't be hugely consistent with it. My guys are 7 lbs (Monet)and 13 lbs (Hamlet) so they can't power through food like SMTs can but I like to allow them all the time they need to get the job done. Makes for white teeth and great digestion.
I work at a pet food store (Global Pet Foods) here in Toronto so I could easily get the patties. I don't simply because there is no ripping, tearing, gnawing involved. Call it an assumption but I believe my kids take great pleasure in tearing through their food. Also, the patties come with ground up bone which isn't as effective to clean their teeth.
As far as hacking up animals, the butcher does all the cutting for me. He knows I have two dogs and that one is larger than the other. I will select a piece of meat, tell him to cut it in a 60:40 ratio with equal bone on each piece and he wraps it up and off I go. This makes it really easy to plan meals since one large piece splits into two pieces for two dogs.
Also, the price is so unbelievable compared to kibble it's a wonder why people pay so much to feed their dogs. Raw is very, very cost effective. This is a very important point for people like me who are, ahem, exceedingly restrained with their money.
If I were travelling and wanted to feed raw I might bring along some patties instead of drippy pieces of meat.
Thanks for the info!! Simba had his first raw meal last weekend at a friends who feeds her dogs Raw (MT and a Scottie). Simba LOVED IT..almost choked on the beef as he's a fast eater and was so excited for real meat he almost swallowed the chunk whole!!
ReplyDeleteI will def start making the move...my friends MT had the most luxurious coat!! thick and soft!! I couldn't believe it!!
mel