Feeding RAW meat and bones to your dog
Discussion
Phooey said:
Thanks again for your reply. We'll start introducing raw meat as per above - this sounds sensible advice. It was nice to see her excitement at the lamb bone earlier, infact when we gave her kibble tonight, she actually backed away from it at first, as if to say "i ain't eating that s
t" 
Totally agree though re aggression when she has a bone - i need to find which book (might of even been on internet) i read it in, but something to do with taking it away from the dog and giving it back - to show her that it is MINE, and she can have only it when she is good, and i say she is good?
Cheers
No worries, it's good to see more and more people going with what I believe is the natural food for their dogs (and cats too!).t" Totally agree though re aggression when she has a bone - i need to find which book (might of even been on internet) i read it in, but something to do with taking it away from the dog and giving it back - to show her that it is MINE, and she can have only it when she is good, and i say she is good?
Cheers
Yes you can take the bone away then wait until she has relaxed (i.e. accepted that it is your bone) then give it back to her. Also putting hands (and food) in the bowl whilst she is eating as they soon get used to that. It takes time but as a pup she is learning the boundaries.
Started reading the above but once I saw the pics of the teeth I switched off. That picture is an extreme case, there are plenty of dogs who live with great teeth right to their last days and have been fed a non raw diet.
This author is doing little to persuade me because they are just anti everything that is not raw. A more balanced debate would have earned more respect from me (and they need to do more research more research into all pet food manufacturers)
This author is doing little to persuade me because they are just anti everything that is not raw. A more balanced debate would have earned more respect from me (and they need to do more research more research into all pet food manufacturers)
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 8th July 22:50
My ex breeding bh Holly was fed on raw bones etc, her teeth were white and lovely etc. However she had no energy, her coat was mat black and horrid, she generally looked in bad shape. Since taking her on and feeding her on a complete kibble of good quality she has turned around completely and has a glossy coat and bucket loads of energy. I know there are lots of arguments for a BARF diet but you need to make sure you have all the dietary bases covered. Feeding a complete food does this for you and thus is a no brainer IMHO. Bones or carcass's are fine as a treat, my dogs love them.
h Holly was fed on raw bones etc, her teeth were white and lovely etc. However she had no energy, her coat was mat black and horrid, she generally looked in bad shape. Since taking her on and feeding her on a complete kibble of good quality she has turned around completely and has a glossy coat and bucket loads of energy. I know there are lots of arguments for a BARF diet but you need to make sure you have all the dietary bases covered. Feeding a complete food does this for you and thus is a no brainer IMHO. Bones or carcass's are fine as a treat, my dogs love them. One of our springers has been fed raw since she was a puppy. Her coat is smooth and shiny, her teeth clean, breath doesnt smell and neither do her stools which are always small. She doesnt smell doggie if you know what i mean either.
Our other springer who is a rescue came to us with bad skin, a rough coat, horrible breath and a massive case of the squits. We slowly weaned her onto raw food too and she recently came second in a best condition test in a local dog show. I know thats nothing special, but to us, from the state she came in its a minor miracle....
Whenever anyone finds out that we have two springers they assume they are mad and we get the stereotypical springer rant about how much energy they have, but our two are the most chilled out laid back pair of dogs around the house, although of course they love to run when out on walks. I put the chilled out nature down to the raw diet too, the difference in the rescue dog is night and day.
The majority of our dogs diet is the cheapest bags of frozen chicken from Tesco, each dog gets through about 1 bag a week but are supplemented with offal and other meats whenever we can get to a butcher. They may have left over rice too if we cook too much, but thats fairly rare. Training treats we buy liver, boil it, chop it up to small pieces and dry it in the oven. They love it, and we know exactly what is in it.
We are super precious that they do not get access to any cooked bones though.
To the OP, go for it, I was sceptical when my wife suggested it, but am a complete convert now. But obviously do your research, and make sure their diets are balanced. They need the offal as well as lean meat/bones as others have said.
Our other springer who is a rescue came to us with bad skin, a rough coat, horrible breath and a massive case of the squits. We slowly weaned her onto raw food too and she recently came second in a best condition test in a local dog show. I know thats nothing special, but to us, from the state she came in its a minor miracle....
Whenever anyone finds out that we have two springers they assume they are mad and we get the stereotypical springer rant about how much energy they have, but our two are the most chilled out laid back pair of dogs around the house, although of course they love to run when out on walks. I put the chilled out nature down to the raw diet too, the difference in the rescue dog is night and day.
The majority of our dogs diet is the cheapest bags of frozen chicken from Tesco, each dog gets through about 1 bag a week but are supplemented with offal and other meats whenever we can get to a butcher. They may have left over rice too if we cook too much, but thats fairly rare. Training treats we buy liver, boil it, chop it up to small pieces and dry it in the oven. They love it, and we know exactly what is in it.
We are super precious that they do not get access to any cooked bones though.
To the OP, go for it, I was sceptical when my wife suggested it, but am a complete convert now. But obviously do your research, and make sure their diets are balanced. They need the offal as well as lean meat/bones as others have said.
I'm a big fan of raw feeding, after all it's as close to a dog's natural diet as we can get, there's no kibble in the wild! Plus, it has a whole host of added bonuses; no nasty ingredients like 'animal derivatives' and ash, to name one.
There are ratios and certain amounts you have to get your head around, but once you have it's pretty plain sailing. I went the cold turkey route when I put my cats and dogs onto a raw diet, kibble one night and straight onto raw the next, and there were no problems or ill effects. As an aside, if you plan on not going 100% raw then never feed kibble and raw in the same meal - they are digested totally differently.
With regards to sourcing RAW food, as J&J mentioned you can get it from online suppliers (some will supply ready to go minces which are convenient for working out how much percentage of what you are feeding, but you lose the added bonus of your dog chewing and crunching on bones which is great for their teeth). Make friends with your local butchers, some will happily give you freebies! I prefer not to buy supermarket meat but it's always worth checking out the reduced isles for the dogs.
The first time you feed RAW a good place to start is with a chicken wing or leg, some people recommend you hold the meat at one end the first time but all 11 of my pets managed without this just fine. If anything, they ate better when just left to it. Choking is very, very rare because raw bones are not brittle. Some people who are anti-raw use choking as a reason but let's face it, dogs don't only choke on RAW foods! My own dogs have certainly choked on kibble in the past. ALL feeding should be supervised, and I don't think RAW food poses anymore of a risk than kibble. Another benefit of RAW food is that it generally can't be bolted down like kibble can.
There's many RAW feeding websites about which offer lots of great advice and guidance while you're getting used to the new routine. One last piece of advice of my own: don't ask your vet their opinion on RAW and be surprised if they totally dismiss it. My vet was very quick to disregard it as a fad, and very fast to recommend hills (I wonder why
). Generally, vets knowledge on nutrition and diet is very limited anyway, so take what they say about RAW with a pinch of salt. Good luck!
There are ratios and certain amounts you have to get your head around, but once you have it's pretty plain sailing. I went the cold turkey route when I put my cats and dogs onto a raw diet, kibble one night and straight onto raw the next, and there were no problems or ill effects. As an aside, if you plan on not going 100% raw then never feed kibble and raw in the same meal - they are digested totally differently.
With regards to sourcing RAW food, as J&J mentioned you can get it from online suppliers (some will supply ready to go minces which are convenient for working out how much percentage of what you are feeding, but you lose the added bonus of your dog chewing and crunching on bones which is great for their teeth). Make friends with your local butchers, some will happily give you freebies! I prefer not to buy supermarket meat but it's always worth checking out the reduced isles for the dogs.
The first time you feed RAW a good place to start is with a chicken wing or leg, some people recommend you hold the meat at one end the first time but all 11 of my pets managed without this just fine. If anything, they ate better when just left to it. Choking is very, very rare because raw bones are not brittle. Some people who are anti-raw use choking as a reason but let's face it, dogs don't only choke on RAW foods! My own dogs have certainly choked on kibble in the past. ALL feeding should be supervised, and I don't think RAW food poses anymore of a risk than kibble. Another benefit of RAW food is that it generally can't be bolted down like kibble can.
There's many RAW feeding websites about which offer lots of great advice and guidance while you're getting used to the new routine. One last piece of advice of my own: don't ask your vet their opinion on RAW and be surprised if they totally dismiss it. My vet was very quick to disregard it as a fad, and very fast to recommend hills (I wonder why
). Generally, vets knowledge on nutrition and diet is very limited anyway, so take what they say about RAW with a pinch of salt. Good luck!^^ You were doing so well until your last paragraph 
Vets don't actually worry about choking as much as damage to intestines.
And contrary to popular belief vets don't get back handers from pet food companies, expect for maybe a very occasional free bag of food (if you're lucky) the mark up on pet food is minimal.
I do not stop people feeding raw but I do advise they research carefully and be aware of the hygiene needed.
Vets don't actually worry about choking as much as damage to intestines.
And contrary to popular belief vets don't get back handers from pet food companies, expect for maybe a very occasional free bag of food (if you're lucky) the mark up on pet food is minimal.
I do not stop people feeding raw but I do advise they research carefully and be aware of the hygiene needed.
boy said: My ex breeding bh Holly was fed on raw bones etc, her teeth were white and lovely etc. However she had no energy, her coat was mat black and horrid, she generally looked in bad shape.
Did the breeder tell you they fed her on raw? I suspect they were not telling the truth. Dogs on raw have fantastic energy and their coats are good too - though with a breeding bh Holly was fed on raw bones etc, her teeth were white and lovely etc. However she had no energy, her coat was mat black and horrid, she generally looked in bad shape. h I trust you understand what happens to the coat etc and that it still needs to be cleaned and groomed...Jasandjules said:
boy said: My ex breeding bh Holly was fed on raw bones etc, her teeth were white and lovely etc. However she had no energy, her coat was mat black and horrid, she generally looked in bad shape.
Did the breeder tell you they fed her on raw? I suspect they were not telling the truth. Dogs on raw have fantastic energy and their coats are good too - though with a breeding bh Holly was fed on raw bones etc, her teeth were white and lovely etc. However she had no energy, her coat was mat black and horrid, she generally looked in bad shape. h I trust you understand what happens to the coat etc and that it still needs to be cleaned and groomed...boy said: Yes I was specifically told she was fed raw bones.
Did you see her facilities for raw feeding? Did you actually see her eat? Did you see her conditions i.e. where she was kept, the whelping pen and so on!?? You may be shocked but lots of people in the dog world lie rather a lot... Indeed, there are those who will hide genetic conditions in their lines, those who don't health test properly, and I've even known someone to colour a nose with a pen to hide a fault for showing........................... To my mind anyone who disposes of a b**ch once she has had her litters and can no longer "earn her keep" is not really one I would rely upon for much.......
Jasandjules said:
Did you see her facilities for raw feeding? Did you actually see her eat? Did you see her conditions i.e. where she was kept, the whelping pen and so on!??
You may be shocked but lots of people in the dog world lie rather a lot... Indeed, there are those who will hide genetic conditions in their lines, those who don't health test properly, and I've even known someone to colour a nose with a pen to hide a fault for showing........................... To my mind anyone who disposes of a b**ch once she has had her litters and can no longer "earn her keep" is not really one I would rely upon for much.......
Don't be so judgemental, the breeder in question is very reputable and my dogs aren't some heinz 57 mongrels they are infact working GSP's with some of the best german lines money can buy. She DNA tests her dogs, won't release breeding rights without approving the mate who must be DNA tested eye scored too etc etc. You also sign a life time agreement to say you'll return the dog if you can't cope etc.You may be shocked but lots of people in the dog world lie rather a lot... Indeed, there are those who will hide genetic conditions in their lines, those who don't health test properly, and I've even known someone to colour a nose with a pen to hide a fault for showing........................... To my mind anyone who disposes of a b**ch once she has had her litters and can no longer "earn her keep" is not really one I would rely upon for much.......
Nope I didn't see her eating the raw food and yes I'm fully aware that many people lie in the dog world.
I have said this before, go with what works,I am not against RAW in any way but the thought of a bone getting stuck/piercing something is a chance I will not take. Complete food works very well for our two, healthy teeth, full of energy, great condition and lovely coats.
I know RAW is natural and what dogs lived on in the dark ages but you do not know what crap has been fed to the chickens etc.
Find what works and stick with it.
I know RAW is natural and what dogs lived on in the dark ages but you do not know what crap has been fed to the chickens etc.
Find what works and stick with it.
Superficial said:
One last piece of advice of my own: don't ask your vet their opinion on RAW and be surprised if they totally dismiss it. My vet was very quick to disregard it as a fad, and very fast to recommend hills (I wonder why ). Generally, vets knowledge on nutrition and diet is very limited anyway, so take what they say about RAW with a pinch of salt. Good luck!
Well we have to know about it because a lot of owners aren't able to regulate how much food to give to their animals now and the obesity level is rising ever faster. So hopefully vets in general are more clued up on various diets for dogs. ). Generally, vets knowledge on nutrition and diet is very limited anyway, so take what they say about RAW with a pinch of salt. Good luck!
Thanks for the great reply's and useful links above - it has made for very interesting reading.
Fudge had a large chicken wing tonight, and apparently (i wasn't home) loved it! It took her approx 30 mins to eat, probably played with it etc, but polished it all off. I'm wondering whether to give her another one? or if it will be too much?
Next stop - the butchers, where i will get the missus to pick up some meaty bones, and possibly a little offle of some sort.
I'm a little undecided at this point as to whether or not to cut out the kibble all-together, or to just give her a handful in the morning to snack on. We are feeding her twice daily atm as she is a pup, and that is what her breeder recommended, but have read somewhere that once a day may be better? What you reckon... once (evening) or twice daily?
Again, thanks for the excellent advice and links
Fudge had a large chicken wing tonight, and apparently (i wasn't home) loved it! It took her approx 30 mins to eat, probably played with it etc, but polished it all off. I'm wondering whether to give her another one? or if it will be too much?
Next stop - the butchers, where i will get the missus to pick up some meaty bones, and possibly a little offle of some sort.
I'm a little undecided at this point as to whether or not to cut out the kibble all-together, or to just give her a handful in the morning to snack on. We are feeding her twice daily atm as she is a pup, and that is what her breeder recommended, but have read somewhere that once a day may be better? What you reckon... once (evening) or twice daily?
Again, thanks for the excellent advice and links
I would wind her down to one meal a day, but slowly. I wouldn't do this at the same time as switching to raw though, I'd rather not mess about with her routine tooooo much too quickly, so get her onto raw over a period of weeks, then thereafter begin the process of switching her to one meal.
We fed our Newfie on raw meat, chicken wings, lamb ribs, lamb neck. It wasn't his sole diet he did have a dry mix as well and he wasn't fed them all the time. He used to really love it and we used it as a way of varying his diet so he didn't get bored.
Our vet hated it and every time he asked about his diet and I mentioned the raw meat he would pull a face and launch into his spiel about chicken bones getting stuck.
Where he was bred they were all fed on chicken carcases, in fact they were delivered one day whilst we were there and Viggo tried to crawl into the back of the van to investigate, and all the dogs could smell them and started to get really excited.
Strangely I've not tried it with the pups. Might call in at our local butchers and see if he has any lamb bones.
Our vet hated it and every time he asked about his diet and I mentioned the raw meat he would pull a face and launch into his spiel about chicken bones getting stuck.
Where he was bred they were all fed on chicken carcases, in fact they were delivered one day whilst we were there and Viggo tried to crawl into the back of the van to investigate, and all the dogs could smell them and started to get really excited.
Strangely I've not tried it with the pups. Might call in at our local butchers and see if he has any lamb bones.
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