# Sticky  Raw feeding diary



## LexiLou2

Well today is day one of operation feed Lexi a raw diet. I thought it might be nice to do a two week diary, so anyone else nervous to take that step can follow a beginner.

Lexi gets fed twice a day, her main bigger meal of 200g of meat in a morning and about 110g of meat for her tea.

We started raw feeding with her tea today.

For her tea she has just had her first chicken drumstick....she was a bit confused to begin with, licked it for a good five minutes, had a nibble took the skin off, then tried to swallow the thing whole!!!!! :blink: anyway due to pre-warning i was keeping a very close eye on her, so grabbed the other end and held it so she had to chew and break the bone up. Except for a very small incident where she chewed my finger (OW!!!!) instead of the chicken leg it went very well and she seemed to enjoy it....
Chicken mince for breakfast tomorrow.


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## Sleeping_Lion

Try bashing up the drumstick, keep an old tea towel or similar for this purpose, wrap the chicken drumstick or wing in it so it doesn't shoot off the counter when you hit it, and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to bash the heck out of it.


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## LexiLou2

That's a really good idea...save me getting my finger chewed...shes a staffie so her jaws are fairly powerful...felt a bit bad as she caught me i obviously went ow quite loudly and then we had maybe a minute when she was scared of chewing the chicken again...I obviously scared her.


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## Sleeping_Lion

I've helped a few people switch over, and have switched a few dogs over myself, so have the practical experience. Good luck, they do well on it, both my girls have been raw fed since pups and they LOVE it!


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## Ditsy42

Oh a diary is a great idea hon, well done u 4 giving it a go


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## babycham2002

What a lovely idea :thumbup:


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## Malmum

Bon appetite Lexi!


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## LexiLou2

Well post first raw meal i thought i would update, I thought she would be really unsettled and confused because we havwen't been through her normal 'teatime' routine but, and i may be reading too much into this, but she has been very chilled out and relaxed all night and seems very content. Seems a good sign.


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## LexiLou2

Morning of day two.

She has been a little bit sick over night, with tiny bits of bone in it...however if you don't know her background we were trying to stop her pooping through the night, and although she was sick she didn't poop. If i hadn't read up first and she had been sick I would have been panicking however I know that it is fairly normal and can happen so remaining calm. She is fine in her self and has pooped normally twice.
She has just had 200g of chicken mince with mushed carrot and parsnip for her breakfast. She adored it, licked her bowl clean and came looking for more.
She looks at you when you feed her as if to say wowo mum this is so yummy!
Will update again either after tea or tomorrow!! :001_smile:


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## babycham2002

3 out of 4 of mine were a little sick in the night when i first started giving wings. 
Glad its going well and shes enjoying her food so much
good news about the poop in the night .


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## LexiLou2

Day two tea time. 

For tea she has had 100g chicken mince with a raw chopped up carrot for a bit of crunch...she loves carrot.

She had a poop this afternoon and it was very solid and very formed but really small which is apparantly a good thing.

Will update again tomorrow.


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## dvnbiker

LOL we have had the same. We have gone from needing nearly two poo bags for my eldest boy to only needing one - what a difference.


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## LexiLou2

Day three

Today is day three of raw feeding she has again had 200g mince and veg for breakfast and 100 g mince for tea.

One thing i am struggling with is what to give her as treats, we have had a huge issue with retriving with Lexi ie throw a ball and she fetches it back she used tojust run off, however have no got a very good routine that if she brings it back she gets a 'treat' now it has always been one little kibble bit per each retrive, we probably throw the ball less than 10 time per walk, throw it a fair distance and more then 10 throws you end up fetching it yourself. We play fetch right at the start of the walk so there is probably an hour before her tea...am i ok to still give her these little kibble bits? If not anyone any suggestions of treats she won't eat carrot apple etc when out on a walk I don't know why.

With the raw feeding its going really well she is enjoying her meals her poo's have cut down to 2 or 3 a day, she isn't drinking as much so not weeing as much and she is happier in herself.

We have had no pooping through the night at all since moving to raw.


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## Malmum

It's aways difficult knowing what to give as treats when feeding raw. Of course it's easy when you're at home because you can give carrots, apples etc but when out, like yours mine won't eat them. I have always given quartered chocolate drops, my reasoning is they digest very quickly as they melt quickly too and have never had a prob. Have to confess that with Flynn, because he can be a pain when out so I need something he can't resist, I give him quartered dolly mixtures - he's a spoilt boy thouhgh, lol. 
Because my Mals are a breed prone to bloat I never feed them for a couple of hours, either before or after a walk but i'm sure choccy buttons will be okay for your lil kid! 

Isn't the change in poo amazing? and they don't smell half as bad either, something you'll notice evn more on a hot summers day when picking up!


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## LexiLou2

Brilliant i have choc drops and she adores them (mummy may have given her a few too many when we first found she loved them and she turned into a little porker, so they are rationed) but if i half them and shes running about chasing her ball she'll be fine.

She is so funny with veg, I have three rabbits and they get fresh veg every day, so in the house she'll eat carrots apple strawberries cucumber...anything i give to the rabbits, raw cabbage by the leaf ( i don't give her full cabbage leaves i dropped one once and she ate it) but try and give her fruit and veg out on a walk or in a training class and she looks at you as if you have just grown another head.


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## Malmum

Lol - well what do you expect? after all it's a walk and special things happen when you're out there, special treats too!


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## babycham2002

All sounds good good good :thumbup:

I bake kidneys and chop up for treats  Although that might put out your ratios


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## LexiLou2

Day 5

We are still going well, we had sardines in tomato sauce for tea. i have had a re jig of a few things, 2 nights a week she is now going to have chicken chunks with offal and veg and I have also added some veg into her other mince meals,just raw as she adores it, looks nicer now although i know there is no nutritional value.
Have put a bulk order in so will be introducing other meats over the coming weeks. So far so good, no looking back. She was sick on her first night but since then no more sick down to 2 small poo's a day no pooping in the house and no wind.


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## Ditsy42

LexiLou2 said:


> Day 5
> 
> We are still going well, we had sardines in tomato sauce for tea. i have had a re jig of a few things, 2 nights a week she is now going to have chicken chunks with offal and veg and I have also added some veg into her other mince meals,just raw as she adores it, looks nicer now although i know there is no nutritional value.
> Have put a bulk order in so will be introducing other meats over the coming weeks. So far so good, no looking back. She was sick on her first night but since then no more sick down to 2 small poo's a day no pooping in the house and no wind.


So pleased to hear this, the effects can be amazing in such a short space of time, the poo is a great bonus, when mine have had bones as a treat their poo is chalky and it just disintegrates in the wind, bio degradeable poo with no niffs, nowt better  will b following your diary with great enthusiasm hon, where u ordering your food and what have u ordered


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## LexiLou2

I've ordered from raw2go this time, and I am going to try The dog food company next time.
I have ordered, chicken mince turkey mince, lamb mince, venison mince, rabbit mince, some kidney, heart, liver, chicken wings and turkey necks, there is enough for 12 weeks and it came to £49 including delivery which i though was a bargain. on top of that she has some lamb ribs from the butchers and some chicken chunks. 
The lady at raw2go said that the meat stores for 12 weeks so thats good and she was very very helpful she said the minces are roughly 80:10:10 but she was very helpful in explaining how if i still wanted to feed meaty bones how i could make sure my rations stay the same.


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## Ditsy42

LexiLou2 said:


> I've ordered from raw2go this time, and I am going to try The dog food company next time.
> I have ordered, chicken mince turkey mince, lamb mince, venison mince, rabbit mince, some kidney, heart, liver, chicken wings and turkey necks, there is enough for 12 weeks and it came to £49 including delivery which i though was a bargain. on top of that she has some lamb ribs from the butchers and some chicken chunks.
> The lady at raw2go said that the meat stores for 12 weeks so thats good and she was very very helpful she said the minces are roughly 80:10:10 but she was very helpful in explaining how if i still wanted to feed meaty bones how i could make sure my rations stay the same.


Fantastic selection and a nice healthy variety,, for me raw is considerably cheaper than the so called good kibble brands, would hate to think how much i'd spend on kibble for my 2


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## LexiLou2

We were spending about £38 every 5 weeks on kibble, so even when you add in the extra bits like we give her veg as she likes is and extra bits from the butchers it is still much cheaper.

On a side note to people reading the diary there have been no physcial changes to her coat, body shape etc yet but I understand it can take some time to have an impact but I am completly overjoyed with how it has helped with her digestive problems.


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## LexiLou2

Day 6 and still happy with how things are going, one quick question though, her poo's are a lot less frequent and when they 'happen' are a nice normal colour except the orange flecks from a carrot, however when they dry they do have whiteish bits, but i don't think i'm overdoing the bone, she does have the pet mince which does contain a bit of bone and then a chicken drumstick three time a week, would you cut down on bone intake, or will her poops always dry with a whiteish tinge is she is eating bone.

Sorry really digusting question.


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## babycham2002

I think thats totally normal and another good side effect of Raw
Poo like the days of old


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## Sparkle

All the poos turn White over night and them disintegrate


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## dvnbiker

my lot had lamb last nigh for the first time and this morning all produced black ones - I can only assume that as there was plenty of blood with it it was that. They seemed to love it thought. Chicken & beef tonight


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## Ditsy42

all perfectly normal, u mentioned in an earlier post there had been no change in her coat, this may take a good few weeks b4 u c a drastic change, the body will detox over a period of time, Bailey's coat changed from smelly scurvy to a gleaming coat over a period of around 3-4 weeks, u will c a difference eventually, stick with it u r doing really well


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## LexiLou2

Day 7 and we seem to have had a bit of a blip, she is still fine with eating, had a chicken drumstick for tea and she is getting better at chewing it and breaking it up....however she pooped 4 times yesterday, once through the night whch hasn't happened in almost a week, hoping it was just a one off....however did have a question she was on antibiotics last week and they seemed to help with her digestive problems now its not feasible to keep her on antibiotics forever but was wondering if pro-biotics may be an option, just thinking to help boost her 'good bacteria', can i add live yought to her food?
Its chicken chunks and vet for tea with her first bit of liver.


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## DirtyGertie

LexiLou, I'm really finding your diary interesting and helpful. I'm going to be giving Poppy her first taste of raw tomorrow.

As for yogurt - yes, no problem at all. Poppy has it to bind chicken/rice or fish/rice and I hid her medicine in a spoonful too as she loves it and just laps it up out of a little bowl. I buy Yeo Valley organic probiotic natural yogurt but any will do, just don't buy a flavoured one as it will have sugar etc. in it.


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## Ditsy42

yep u r fine with pro biotic yogurt or natural yogurt, great 4 tums


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## LexiLou2

Brilliant, I will get some natural pro biotic yoghurt see if that helps. I will keep updating, will go through introducing new meats, like I say its liver for the first time tonight so we will see.

I think the best advice is try not to panic, I was worried about her eating the bone but i just kept hold of it and if i thought she was taking too big a mouth ful i'd just pull it away from her gently until there was less in her mouth and then let her continue.

They don't 'get it' straight away it took Lexi about 10 mins to gather she was supposed to eat it.

And she was sick the first time she ate bone, so don't panic, it doesn't mean anything is wrong, i was warned it was normal for them to be sick the first few times they ate bone.


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## LexiLou2

Day 8 and we are now a week on...for tea last night we had chicken chunks with veg and a bit of liver...no runny tummy and no pooping in the house so far so good.
Get my big order on tuesday so can't wait can start introducing variety.


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## babycham2002

LexiLou2 said:


> Day 8 and we are now a week on...for tea last night we had chicken chunks with veg and a bit of liver...no runny tummy and no pooping in the house so far so good.
> Get my big order on tuesday so can't wait can start introducing variety.


Yay great stuff, i bet your so pleased :thumbup:

Who's your big order coming from, apologies if ive mentioned .


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## niki

This is really interesting. I've been thinkin of switching lulu and the cats over to a raw diet. Jus trying to get my head round the ratios ad weights etc!


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## Malmum

So glad it's all going to plan and I love getting my order and sorting out the meats, the dogs see Scotts van and watch from the front room window - they know they'll get a treat when he's gone, lol.
Lovely to know you're enjoying it and taking it all calmly, it's easy isn't it? Surprising how excited we get preparing their meals, I like it better than preparing our own and the dogs all wait in anticipation. I go all out on different veg too and ours tend to eat the meat and save the veg til last, enjoying every last bit - lovely! 

You don't have to worry too much about ratio's niki but here's a link and there's a calculator on there for you to look at; GET STARTED ON BARF
Just remember that you need around 10% bone and 10% offal in what you feed, you'll soon find it's a piece of cake.


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## LexiLou2

Well had a couple of interesting days, due to her stomach being so senstive i thought i would try her witha bit of probiotic yoghurt to keep it balanced.....well she loves it, so hopefully that should help, introduced some veg to her diet and i know dogs don't digest it but sweetcorn comes out looking exactly the same as it went in!!!!! We've been to the beach with her today and it caused me and other half a good giggle to see her pooping swwetcorn!!!
Just had a carrot and cucumber with probiotic yoghurt and a chicken drumstick for tea...she is getting better at not gulping the drumsticks but i still don't trust her to eat them without me holding them but we are getting better.
For anyone thats worried about taking the raw step I've honestly found it quite easy and i very much judge things by her poop, if her poops and slightly soft i give her a boney meal and if slightly too hard she looks like she is straining i give her some liver....however at the minute she is on 2 meals a day breakfast everyday is pet mince then tea varies 3 times a week (sunday, Tuesday and Thursday) she has a meaty bone (chicken drumstick at the mo) witha raw chopped up carrot and some cucumber (i give her the veg as she seems to really really enjoy it) twice a week (mondays and Fridays) she has boneless chicken breast chunks with veg (sweetcorn peas carrots etc) and a bit of liver or heart or kidney (thats the plan just on liver at the mo, will inroduce heart and kidnet over the next few coming weeks) the wednesday tea she has a tin of sardines in tomato sauce with a raw egg and shell and saturday is the odd day so she just has mince for tea as well, with a bit of veg.

The best piece of advice is stick to one type of mince to begin with, Lexi has a really really senstive stomach, but i did a straight swap stopped dry totally last saturday and started her on a full raw diet, but everything meat based for the past week and coming week is chicken based, she has chicken mince, chicken drumsticks and chicken livers at the minute.
Don't panic if they are sick the first few times they have bone....its normal.
Don't rush, I have a bulk order coming next week with5 various meat minces and even though i want to see her eating a variety of meats i am only going to introduce one new falvour per week, next i will introduce turkey, week after will introduce heart, week after will introduce lamb and so on.

Her poo's weren't quite as firm today but I'm putting that down to the liver she had for the first time on friday, hoping the meaty bone she had for tea will help sort it.

My order is from raw2go, I'm giving them ago and then the dog food company next time, figured i'll try them both see what suits.


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## Malmum

Well done, you've taken all the advice you've been given and put it to good use. You're not rushing or panicking and the way you are judging the consistency of the poo and adding bone or liver is exactly what i've always done. Once she is used to the liver you'll find all her poo is much the same.


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## LexiLou2

One other thing i thought i'd mention for all the new raw feeders...her daily portions seemed tiny to me (and i do bulk them out a bit with veg) in comparrison with what she had dry....but Lexi has alway been a bugger for scanvenging picking things up on walks which bearing in mind her allergies and intollerances was a nightmare but since feeding raw she doesn't seem half as interested....like she is fuller than before.

Oh and out on our walk today someone commented on how shiny her coat was!!! So its noticable, and her coat feels softer to the touch as well.


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## LexiLou2

Well today is day 10 we had chicken breast chunks, chicken liver, veg and probiotic yoghurt for tea and it was devoured, she really really seems to love tea time now.
Her pooping in the house has improved dramatically, when i put her on raw we were going through a really bad patch where most nights she would mess in the 10 days she has been on raw we have had two incidents...one was overnight and one was through the day which was our fault, however its been 18 months since she first got really bad with her stomach and 18 months of switching and changing her food so i guess it will take a few weeks to detox and settle her body again however things are so much better than they were so I am hopeful things are going to keep improving....I don't think its a miracle cure so I am going to give her time for everything to settle.
Get my order from raw2go tomorrow and really looking forward to it, she has seemed fine on chicken and liver so may try turkey this week see how we get on...


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## cinnamontoast

I think you've done a brilliant thing! Sounds like the girl is taking to it extremely well.

I think turkey should be fine-it's as bland as chicken and very low fat. I must admit, my biggest problem was variety until recently. I must rave about Morrison's (again!) because it's the only supermarket that said they have bones (for stock, *cough cough*) and on the shelves are amazing things like pigs' trotters, rind, hearts, liver, kidney all together in the normal butcher bit. The poor young kid on the till looked ill scanning all our stuff yesterday.

Re her coat, the pups apparently feel like alpacas-not that I've ever stroked one! Some bloke in the woods told us-alpaca is very soft, I think? They definitely have much softer fur than the others had. Brig's fur has grown back (I clipped him) all fluffy-he has a ruff thing going on!

I do think you should be putting up some pictures-I found it really helpful to see what others were feeding (and any excuse for cute pics!)

I've just emailed rawtogo-no harm in having two companies and I underestimated how much I'd need so will need another order before DFC deliver round here again. Did rawtogo give you a particular time or say they couldn't deliver until a week, 2 weeks or anything? I need a company that will be fairly flexible re when I can get a delivery.


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## LexiLou2

Lesley at Raw2go was really helpful but they use a courier service so delivery is a bit more expensive i think it was £11 for my order. I have ordered:
Minced chicken - 15 x 454g
Minced turkey - 15 x 454 g
Minced chicken and tripe - 5 x 454 g
Minced lamb - 5 x 454 g
minced rabbit - 5 x 454 g
minced venison - 5 x 454 g
Liver chunks - 1 x 1 kg
Kidney chunks - 2 x 1kg
Heart chunks - 1 x 1.5kg
Chicken wings - 2 x 1kg
turkey necks - 1 x 1kg

and it came to £49 including delivery. Because its courier they can deliver as soon as you pay really, I ordered last tuesday and i specified tomorrow as we have a day off work but i could have had it by thursday or friday last week if i wanted. All not sure what the dog food company do, but these come delivered in temperature controlling polystyrene boxes so if you are at work and want it leaving in a porch,bin etc it will stay frozen until you get chance to sort it which is ideal for me as we both work all week.

The only thing is i don't think there is quite as much choice, i looked at the products list and emailed her a few questions, they don't stock any lamb bones but do stock beef bones but she recommended i avoid beef to begin with especially as lexi has a sensitive stoamch.

I'll take some pictures of our delivery tomorrow and her meals etc and post them, I';ll try and get some of her eating it but it's gone so quick!!! :001_smile:

As a staff she only has short hair anyway and its always been what i'd class as corse, but it is much softer, noticeably softer, even to me.


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## dvnbiker

I've ordered their chicken carcusses and duck necks this time as well so will be interesting to see what the dogs think of those. Lamb ribs I am hoping to get from the local farm shop.


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## cinnamontoast

DFC deliver round my way once or twice a month, a couple of days apart, so I need to be very organised and plan for that long-I'm not very good at that!

I'll give rawtogo a try too as the delivery may be easier for me. I'll give them a ring. Looking forward to pictures!


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## babycham2002

Looking forward to your update tomorrow on the delivery etc. Im seriously looking at rawtogo also.
Fantastic to hear shes doing so well


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## LexiLou2

Well my delivery turned up this morning and i must say I am very happy with it, although i have ordered ALOT, fills four full freezer drawers. The mince seems much nicer than the prize choice mince it looks nicer and you can see that it does contain the bone and the offal...overall very pleased.

I have taken some pictures of my very full freezer, and Lexi eating her tea of a drumstick some veg and some probiotic yoghurt, but can't find my camera lead will dig around and put them on when i find it.

Still happy with the diet, having a lot less issues with Lexi than we have ever had.


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## cinnamontoast

Pics or I will stamp my feet!

Weirdly, Brig won't touch the chicken mince that we get locally but DFC chicken mince was hoovered up tonight. Handy for kong stuffing, if a little icky!

I love how rawtogo show pics and give dimensions of their products-very useful for newbies to this and those with limited space! They don't require a signature, so I could order happily and just put it away when I get home. Thanks for sharing this company's name.


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## LexiLou2

Ok Ok pictures
firstly the freezer after my delivery as you can see it is jammed, i thought i'd got enough for 12 weeks but to be honest i probably have more, that said a girl i work with has decided to give raw feeding a go on the back of me telling her about Lexi so i may see if she wants some....




























secondly Lexis tea tonight, a chicken drumstick carrot apple cucumber and probiotic yoghurt:



















thirdly Lexi eating the chicken drumstick and almost my finger




























Finally some funny pics I got while trying to get a pic of her eating....i never get funny pics so i am really proud of these!!!




























I've been really pleased with the service and i think what appeals is that i don't have to be here when it's delivered, it was all packed up with ice to keep it cold and was still frozen when it arrived.

I've portioned some of it up and split the kidney up into portion sizes.....oh my god that smelt horrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## babycham2002

Love that last pic
Very helpful post thank you


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## DirtyGertie

Great pics, love all the funny ones.

We've just had two days back on commercial, and from tomorrow we're having another two days on raw. Poppy has got (tinned) mackerel for brekkie and a chicken wing for tea (managed to get a bag of chicken portions from Iceland which had half a dozen wings in, I wouldn't normally buy from there but picked it up today as I wanted to try wings, only got drumsticks and thighs in the freezer). And I shall be holding the wing very firmly, don't want another scare like the other day!


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## cinnamontoast

Excellent yoghurt moustache :001_smile: and fab post, thanks. Gives me a good idea how much I need to order.


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## LexiLou2

I personally really think you can see the killer devil dog side of her coming out when she has probiotic yoghurt smeared all over her face!!!!:001_smile::001_smile::001_smile:

I'll take some more pics over the next few days as it is sardines and an egg for tea tomorrow another meaty bone on thursday and chicken chunks with veg and liver on friday...she tends to only have mince for her breakfast and my other half gives her that not sure i can convince him to photograph the dogs breakfast but i will ask....


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## cinnamontoast

No, the devil dog teeth shot says it all! 

My OH can't understand my obsession with raw feeding and ensuring the right ratios etc-he just leaves it to me, bit technical for him! If I asked him to take pictures, I reckon he'd try to get me committed!


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## LexiLou2

It is a bit technical for my other half too, we have a list taped to the freezer door and i get all the appropriate bits out to defrost...he just tips the freezer bag of food into her bowl and gives it to her,and she obviously adores him for this, never mind all the work mum outs in sorting out and bagging up! :blink::blink: 

He did see my freezer pictures and was a little baffled by why i was taking photos of a freezer packed full of what is technically just dog food....i soon shut him up i told him if he continued to taking the mickey I would make him a chilli for his tea tomorrow...using the dog mince....!! :lol::lol::lol:


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## Jasper's Bloke

All that yummy food and she still pokes her tongue out at you, cheeky madam!

Great to hear you are doing so well, now can you come and sort my freezer out for me?


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## LexiLou2

Well today is a very important day....Lexi is 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and we have just had to take her birthday toy frog off her as she was starting to eat it, so she is now sulking. :
Anyway as for the diet, we had a tin of sardines in tomato sauce a bit of tinned tuna a raw egg and shell and some cucumber for tea....I didn't take pictures as it looked like a disgusting sloppy mess but Lexi loved it. :glare:
All still going really well she looks in good condition her coat has a nice shine, she looks lean and her stomach is better than we have ever had her i think ever.
Its not as easy as a commercial diet and there is more to it with way of making lists of what shes had and needs to have etc but i suppose you put in into human terms having a macdonalds is a lot easier that us cooking meat and 2 veg but you know which is better for you!!!

Oh almost forgot we had turkey mince for breakfast instead of chicken introduced a new meat and although turkey is very similar to chicken i am so proud of her as we have had no tummy issues at all. I'll do turkey for a week or so then going to try lamb.:001_smile::001_smile:
I am definitley singing the praises of a raw diet.

Had a bit of a row with a bloke at work today as he overheard me saying she eats raw chicken drumsticks.....oh you can't feed bone to your dog you are going to kill her blah blah blah....sent him to do some reading on raw feeding and he came back and apologised!!! :tongue_smilie:


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## Ditsy42

sounds like it's all going really well, she looks well happy bless her, luv her chops covered in yogurt, bet she luvs her mummy lots


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## kat&molly

Brilliant diary!!!
Sounds like Lexi is enjoying her new diet-and its suiting her
Lovely photos-especially the yogurt all over her mush one


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## LexiLou2

Sorry keep thinking of things to say, one other thing that is REALLY noticeable, because Lexi has had such a bad stomach (she has a total cereal intollerance) she would be pooing up to 9 times a day at worst and also always had really really toxic wind..... so bad it made your eyes water. Since feeding raw she has had no wind, except the day i first gave her liver. But to us this is amazing, it also shows to me what a mess her insides were. To most people it wasn't a big deal as apparantly staffs do get wind a bit but it just goes to show her insides are happier. :w00t:


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## Ditsy42

LexiLou2 said:


> Sorry keep thinking of things to say, one other thing that is REALLY noticeable, because Lexi has had such a bad stomach (she has a total cereal intollerance) she would be pooing up to 9 times a day at worst and also always had really really toxic wind..... so bad it made your eyes water. Since feeding raw she has had no wind, except the day i first gave her liver. But to us this is amazing, it also shows to me what a mess her insides were. To most people it wasn't a big deal as apparantly staffs do get wind a bit but it just goes to show her insides are happier. :w00t:


Aye great when they get no wind lol, lamb seems 2 affect Bailey so he don't get that as often lol but on the whole raw don't give em gas


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## LexiLou2

Well we had turkey mince and veg for breakfast and a chicken drumstick with carrot apple cucumber and natural yoghurt for tea.
Tomorrow we have turkey mince and veg for breakfast, and chicken chunks with liver and veg for tea.
Still going well still positive still really pleased.
Will keep updating as we introduce new meats etc.


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## dvnbiker

nice to hear it is going well. It is for us - I think we started about the same time as you. 

Tried the dogs on chicken carcusses last night - they loved them and it was soo nice watching them whilst they were tucking in. I had one left so put it down for the cats (we have three) - I have never heard such a racket as they were meowing about it loads but clearly loved it. 

This morning sardines with yoghurt.


----------



## cinnamontoast

LexiLou2 said:


> Well today is a very important day....Lexi is 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and we have just had to take her birthday toy frog off her as she was starting to eat it,


I told th eOH our lot were taking the raw diet too seriously as I removed a very dead frog from Bear this week-euw!


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## LexiLou2

cinammontoast said:


> I told th eOH our lot were taking the raw diet too seriously as I removed a very dead frog from Bear this week-euw!


Thankfully hers is only a toy....she isn't very good at 'catching' things both me and OH aren't keen on spiders at all...now most dogs would eat them?! Nope my rough tough staffie also hides, so all three of us stand there going eeeee.... spiders could take this house over if the wanted.

Anyway back to the diet still totally amazed at how well she is doing....wishi had done this ages ago, she looks very lean without looking skinny (don't like barrell like staffs, just my opinion) she has a brilliant shine, she was never hyper but she is much more chilled out now and her coat is really soft to the touch and best of all no tummy issues not wind no pooping in the house for two weeks now even though we have introduced liver and turkey into her diet now, this might sound stupid but her teeth look cleaner too.

I am very very chuffed. I am going to try a bit of kidney next week probably monday and see how she gets on then i am going to try her on lamb mince week after, as long as her stomach stays as it is and doesn't react I am going to try and introduce a new meat or offal once a week until she is eating a wide variety.
The only ones i aren't trying are beef and pork just because she has such a sensitive stomach i want to make sure she is 100% fine before i introduce either of them

One quick question i know someone that can get me whole pheasants, if you pluck them can you give them like you would chicken with the bone, ie legs thigh etc?


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## LexiLou2

Not updated for a couple of days, but nothing has really changed....still very happy with her diet n ot introduced anything new yet and she is still doing very well.
Did have a bit of an accident in the house last night but i had run out of probiotic yoghurt and so she didn't have any which does seem to make a bit difference.
I honestly think she is still going through a 'detox' and i suppose it will take a while for everything to settle down properly, but 2 weeks and 1 day in and i am still very pleased!


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## babycham2002

This is a fab thread
Great to hear how well she is doing on it
I think this should be made a sticky


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## cinnamontoast

I vote for sticky too. All staffords should be lean and gorgeous!I was saddened to see a barrel on legs, could hardly walk staffie yesterday. Such a shame.


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## LexiLou2

Ok well we are still just on chicken and turkey but doing so well, she looks in good condition she is happy and her pooing is so much better.
Not going to rush things but think we will look to introduce lamb mince this week, which the last time she had anything lamb flavoured (JWB) it gave her the runs (sorry TMI) so i will be interested to see how she reacts to raw lamb mince.
Will keep you all updated!!!


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## LexiLou2

Well had a bad night and day with her, she poo'd through the night and today while we were at work, however on a tuesday she goes to day creche and i have a sneaky suspision they may have given her some treats yesterday, obviously contain cereals which i think she has reacted badly to due to having a total 2 week detox off cereals....will be having a serious word with them next week as i told them total treat ban. Even though she has gone 5 or 6 times since yesterday they are still solid which is something i suppose.
However on the raw feeding she is still doing well, going to try her on some kidney on Friday then introduce Lamb mince on sunday she is doing really really well on the diet, just need to sort the day creche treat situation out.


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## Ditsy42

so pleased 2 hear things r settling down and going well, does sound like she was given sumat at the creche as u haven't had any issues with her b4 that so yeah have a word with them an make sure they r aware of her issues 

They can eat pheasant whole yes, my breeder on here (Ceearott) has a pic of her boy tucking into a pheasant or venison, forget which one, feathers an all lol  PM her and ask her 2 post the pic so u can c


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## LexiLou2

Brilliant well pheasent is something else she can have. My other half sulks now because in his words she gets meat and 2 veg every day and he just gets something you can stick in the oven!!
My response....well if feeding you meat and 2 veg everyday gave you a nice shiney coat too I would do.....but it doesn't!!
So he is no jealous...thinks the dog eats better than him (she probably does if i'm being honest but shhhhhhh don't tell him )


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## LexiLou2

Grrrrr still having a bad time with her and her stomach, she has pooped 12 times since tuesday teatime which is a lot, 4 of which have been in the flaming house twice through the afternoon which she NEVER does and twice through the night.....she MUST have had something at day creche on tueday and the only thing i can think is because she has had nothing cereal based for 3 weeks her poor bowel has reacted REALLY badly to whatever she has been given hence her needing to go so often. very mad and will be having stearn word with them next week 
Anyway then tonight was all very interesting as she was obviously starving and has gulped her tea down, unfortunatly that included her chicken drumstick and she has swallowed a large lump of bone after biting my thumb by accident as i tried to drag it back out, I'm not panicking yet, hopefully she will digest it and pass it normally, but I was so angry at myself grrrr and now have a nice blood blister and bruise on my thumb.
So all in all I'm a bit mad.
Hopefully her tummy will sort itself out now and we will be back to normal.
She is trying her first bit of kidney tomorrow.


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## cinnamontoast

Oh hun, don't panic! She's used to bones now so hopefully it will digest nicely. Let us know.


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## LexiLou2

Well there doesn't seem to be any issues since swallowing the large bit of bone toiletting fine, her tummy seems to have returned to normal no more incidents in the house and she had her first bit of kidney and there have been no real issues with it.
She tries lamb mince tomorrow for the first time.
She is still loving the diet she eats with such enthusiam and loves her food.
She's spent all day today sunbathing!!


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## DirtyGertie

So good to hear she's back to normal with toiletting - such a shame she had a setback with the creche feeding her treats. At least you are pretty sure that's what it was and by having a strong word with them hopefully it will not happen again.

Isn't it scary when they swallow a large piece of bone. Poppy did that on her first day and I was on pins for the whole night! She would still gulp big pieces if I let go so for now I'm holding onto anything with a bone in right down as far as I can, when it gets too difficult hubby bashes it with a hammer!

I'm doing my Raw2Go order next week, can't do it yet as we have a busy week and will have to time it carefully so we're around for the delivery. How long after ordering did yours take to come?


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## LexiLou2

They use a courier company so they can have your order with you in a couple of days, I ordered a week in advance.
Also if you know you aren't going to be about they don't need a signature so you can arrange to have it left somewhere it comes very well packed with ice in a temperature controlled polystyrene box so would be ok for a couple of hours outside.
One other thing i don't think i have mentioned is we have both noticed that Lexi is a lot calmer since swapping to raw, Staffies have a reputation for being giddy and hyper and although she has always been fairly calm since changing her diet she is considerably calmer, and as a result better behaved, she listens to us a lot more and her bouts of temporary 'deafness' on walks seem to be stopping she listens to us nearly all the time.


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## Malmum

Glad it's all going so well. Many people have said the same about their dogs being calmer on raw - I can't compare as our have always been on it since pups and none of mine are hyper.

Great to see she's enjoying her meals - bon appetite young lady!


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## babycham2002

Great to hear you're going so well
Willow and Percy are loving their raw diet too, all the same sort of pluses as you are experiencing. Good poos, great behaviour, soft coats and full tummys.
Rocky is getting on my nerves, he's now refusing to eat chicken wings which he was loving two weeks ago. He wouldnt eat his offal for a week then he nicked Percy's tonite when he was meant to be eating wet commercial : :nono: I dunno what I'm gonna do with him :blink:


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## kat&molly

Glad she is doing well, bet you are furious with the creche though!!!
Mollys behaviour was horrible before we changed her to Raw-now shes just mad


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## LexiLou2

Well this morning she had lamb mince for the first time and then for tea she has chicken wings for the first time.
I am SO impressed with this diet, the last time she had anything lamb flavoured (JWB) within an hour or so it was running out the other end (sorry TMI) so I gave her lamb this morning and held my breath and so far she has been brilliant she has poo'd normally and she really seemed to like the lamb.
The chicken wings totally confused her, she has obviously got used to drumsticks so the chicken wings baffled her and she spent 5 minutes looking at it before realising she could eat it.
so far we started off on chicken, have introduced chicken liver, turkey meat, kidney and lamb meat and we haven't had any bad reactions to her food I am so happy.
She is going to creche on Tuesday with very clear written instructions. The problem is she has been gonig since she was 12 week old and obviously they have always been allowed to give her treats and now i am stopping them so i can sort of understand why it happened, i'll just send her with some of her cereal free treats so if they want to give her something they have an option.


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## cinnamontoast

Good idea to send treats. Just tell them she's developed an allergy to cereals.


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## LexiLou2

Well day two of lamb feeding and she had a bit of wind last night but aside that she has been fine, really seems to enjoy the variety.
She is back at day creche tomorrow and has written instructions saying cereal allergy and a bag of treats to take with her.
We are also going on holiday in May and have found a kennels that are more than happy to raw feed, although i think i will skip her boney meals for the week her mince has it in anyway and i would prefer to keep an eye on her bearing in mind its only 4 week away. I was very happy as i thought i might have an issue explaining raw feeding but they knew about it so


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## babycham2002

LexiLou2 said:


> Well day two of lamb feeding and she had a bit of wind last night but aside that she has been fine, really seems to enjoy the variety.
> She is back at day creche tomorrow and has written instructions saying cereal allergy and a bag of treats to take with her.
> We are also going on holiday in May and have found a kennels that are more than happy to raw feed, although i think i will skip her boney meals for the week her mince has it in anyway and i would prefer to keep an eye on her bearing in mind its only 4 week away. I was very happy as i thought i might have an issue explaining raw feeding but they knew about it so


Thats fantastic that you have found a kennels that will raw feed. Really great stuff.
Mine have been getting wind from the green tripe


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## candysmum

i had to stop reading to reply

This thread has so got me thinking it time to do the raw! I keep saying i am going too but i never do!.

i have an empty freezer in my shed that i use at christmas only so its not like i have an excuse really. I can bring it up and when the extensions finished it can go in there (which was the plan anyway) and be used for the dog food. However i have got about 3 months if not more worth of dog food in the dog store cupboard at the moment so until thats all eaten i can't do it but I think if you guys wouldn't mind badgering me every so often i might get there this time.


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## DirtyGertie

candysmum said:


> i had to stop reading to reply
> 
> This thread has so got me thinking it time to do the raw! I keep saying i am going too but i never do!.
> 
> i have an empty freezer in my shed that i use at christmas only so its not like i have an excuse really. I can bring it up and when the extensions finished it can go in there (which was the plan anyway) and be used for the dog food. However i have got about 3 months if not more worth of dog food in the dog store cupboard at the moment so until thats all eaten i can't do it but I think if you guys wouldn't mind badgering me every so often i might get there this time.


I still have a case of Naturediet plus a couple of trays, probably 20 in all. I also have most of a bag of Burns Mini Bites which I mix with the ND. I've got to use these up too and one tray does 4 meals = 2 days.

What I've done is gradually introduce raw, just chicken for now. I started off 2 days raw, 2 days commercial. Poppy waits at your feet for the raw and gets stuck into the wings/drumsticks/thighs but you have to call her for the ND although she does still eat it all.

I'm now increasing the raw, just gone onto 3 days raw/2 days ND, then I will probably do 4 days raw, etc. I know the ND is going to last a long time doing it this way but I really wanted to get her started on raw.

At the end of this week I'm going to order from Raw2Go so I can start introducing variety.


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## candysmum

DirtyGertie said:


> I still have a case of Naturediet plus a couple of trays, probably 20 in all. I also have most of a bag of Burns Mini Bites which I mix with the ND. I've got to use these up too and one tray does 4 meals = 2 days.
> 
> What I've done is gradually introduce raw, just chicken for now. I started off 2 days raw, 2 days commercial. Poppy waits at your feet for the raw and gets stuck into the wings/drumsticks/thighs but you have to call her for the ND although she does still eat it all.
> 
> I'm now increasing the raw, just gone onto 3 days raw/2 days ND, then I will probably do 4 days raw, etc. I know the ND is going to last a long time doing it this way but I really wanted to get her started on raw.
> 
> At the end of this week I'm going to order from Raw2Go so I can start introducing variety.


Candy has eaten raw chicken here and there and raw Mince beef here and there since a puppy like when i'm cooking i always throw a bit at each dog. Had chicken wings too BUT Candy doesn't understand what you have to do with a chicken wing or the 2 bones floating around my house.

When misty was here she would copy but without misty she doesn't get it and i dont knwo how to make her get it either. She will HUG the chicken wing all night if i left it there.

So maybe if i can get her to eat the odd one a fortnight or somethign while i am using up the rest then it might help. Any ideas?


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## dvnbiker

You could try peeling back some of the skin so she can see that it is actually meat or use something like a thigh that is more meat than bone and easier for a dog to see it is meat. 

I still have a case and a half of WW wet food but now just use it for emergencies if I forget to take their food out of the freezer or if we are going away for longer than a couple of days.


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## DirtyGertie

candysmum said:


> Candy has eaten raw chicken here and there and raw Mince beef here and there since a puppy like when i'm cooking i always throw a bit at each dog. Had chicken wings too BUT Candy doesn't understand what you have to do with a chicken wing or the 2 bones floating around my house.
> 
> When misty was here she would copy but without misty she doesn't get it and i dont knwo how to make her get it either. She will HUG the chicken wing all night if i left it there.
> 
> So maybe if i can get her to eat the odd one a fortnight or somethign while i am using up the rest then it might help. Any ideas?


I started with a drumstick and like dvnbiker says I just peeled back a bit of the skin so she could smell and lick the meat. I actually still hold onto the bones while she eats as she does gulp down too big a piece if I let go. When I get to the last couple of inches hubby bashes it with a hammer (between kitchen roll) so she can't swallow a big piece, she does crunch it up when it's been bashed, not sure why she wont crunch up a bigger piece. I'll continue to hold her boney meals until I think she's learnt not to gulp big pieces.


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## LexiLou2

It took a while for Lexi to get the hang of bones but almost 4 week in and she knows exactly what to do now.
She makes me chuckle now as she wags her tail as she eats....now that's a happy dog.
Well she has been to day creche today and to be fair to them I gave them a stern talking to and they have totally embraced her new diet, giving her carrot and cereal free treats, when i went to pick her up they were asking what she could and couldn't have and listed it all on her record so moving forward we should have no more hiccups.
We have been to see my mum tonight and she hasn't seen Lexi in about 2 weeks she said she looks in noticeably better condition, she has lost a little weight so looks lean but toned, she is shiney, happy but calmer, her breath smells better and her coat is softer to the touch.

This diet obviously agrees with her better than anything she has ever eaten before. She also has more variety in her diet than she has ever had, she has only ever been able to eat chicken flavoured kibble, so she is loving the different meats and textures.


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## LexiLou2

Well creche seem to have been true to their word as she has been fine since she went. Still going well and still enjoying her food. She has her last day on lamb tomorrow then its on to venison. After that there is rabbit and chicken and tripe left to try then i am gonig to start mixing them up and giving her som variety, at the minute i am just doing a week solid on each meat (its easier for me to keep track of what she has and hasn't tried yet that way).
She is still doing really really well on the diet, we have gone another full week with no incidents in the house (since creche messed it all up). She was sick this morning while we were at work however the window cleaner had been which they don't normally do so I'm guessing she got herself so hyped up she was sick as in herself she seems fine. Can't believe we have been doing this almost a month now she is doing really well.


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## DirtyGertie

Good to hear the creche are doing as you asked and that the diet really seems to have helped Lexi so much.

My Raw2go order arrives next Tuesday. Missed out on the venison, not in season now  but I'm getting a stock of chicken, chicken and tripe, lamb, turkey, duck, rabbit. 55 packs of food and each pack will do 4 meals plus a bit spare, so 220 meals for £39.70 (which includes delivery). Taking into account the slight variation in price for the different meats and the delivery charge, each meal for Poppy is going to cost roughly 18p (she has no more than 90-100grams for each meal. Well chuffed with that! Roughly half her meals will be raw meaty bones so the 55 packs will last a good long time.

And I've even got a source for chicken wings - my groomer uses Landywoods and is more than happy for us to either add to her order or she'll let us have a couple of bags for now :001_smile:. Will get that sorted next time Poppy goes for grooming.


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## LexiLou2

18p a meal you can't go wrong for that really can you? I know i worked it out and Lexi has about 380g a day and it costs less than 50p a day to feed her which bearing in mind how good she is doing on this diet 50p is a bargain!!


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## cinnamontoast

My next order will probably be Rawtogo as I can be more flexible with them. I went to the local bloke on Sunday: he does lovely quality tripe, beef mince and chicken mince with bone. I have loads of chicken wings left from DFC. I know some people, me included, found sourcing raw food a nightmare, but I would recommend sourcin before startingnthis route or it will be a fortune if you don't know where to order from. The perception is that its expensive, but other than he freezer we bought, it's cheaper, better, healthier. 

P.S. Love this thread!


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## LexiLou2

Well, today she has had venison for the first time and.........she is fine!!! She loved it, she had venison mince for breakfast we have had 2 normal poo's and just had it again for tea. So my little staffie who has never been able to eat anything but chicken and rice flavoured dry food can now eat, raw chicken, raw turkey, raw lamb and raw venison. She LOVES variety.
I have rabbit and chicken and tripe still to try her on but once she has had all of them and is hpefully fine with them i will mix it up so she gets something different every day. She has still only had chicken bones and has yet to try heart but she is ok on liver and kidney. We go on holiday in three weeks and the freezer is still really full but once we are back I am going to try the butchers see if i can get some lamb bones and stranger offal like lungs. Also going to try her on pork ribs, but going to avoid beef for a while as i think it is beef that can cause reactions in dogs with very senstive tummies.
Been to the kennels where she will be staying today while we are away and ran through everything and they are fab so understanding. the woman that owns the kennels has a rottie with digestive problems and allergies so she is really understanding of Lexis food problems so told me to write everything down and it will be followed to the letter which was really nice to hear.


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## LexiLou2

Well......I don't think venison suits Lexi after all. She had it for breakfast and tea on saturday and poo'd overnight, she had it for breakfast sunday and poo'd overnight and had it for breakfast this monrning and poo'd this afternoon...all in the house!!!! On top of that she has poo'd 4 or so times each day as well. So venison is finding a new home and we are going to try rabbit instead. Was doing really well until then. Have chicken and tripe and rabbit left to try now.


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## babycham2002

Shame about the venison, but great about everything else going so well!!!


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## DirtyGertie

LexiLou2 said:


> Well......I don't think venison suits Lexi after all. She had it for breakfast and tea on saturday and poo'd overnight, she had it for breakfast sunday and poo'd overnight and had it for breakfast this monrning and poo'd this afternoon...all in the house!!!! On top of that she has poo'd 4 or so times each day as well. So venison is finding a new home and we are going to try rabbit instead. Was doing really well until then. Have chicken and tripe and rabbit left to try now.


Oh, that's a shame. Maybe just too much all at once. Could you keep the venison and maybe only feed it once a week? Have you got a freezer knife so you could cut the appropriate amount off the block to defrost and put the rest back in the freezer?

Hope all goes well with the rabbit.

My order is being delivered tomorrow. Empty freezer drawer ready and waiting. I'm quite looking forward to it.


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## cinnamontoast

How much venison did you give her? I remember reading that offal should be given in fingernail amounts then built up-maybe venison's the same, being very gamey.


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## LexiLou2

Hmm possibly maybe i over did it on the venison. Well I'll keep a bit for a later date get her stomach right and try her again one day. Offal she seems to be perfectly fine with. See how the rabbit goes now.


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## Ditsy42

great to hear she is still doing well on raw, I only give mine venison & pheasant once a week as its a rich meat, they luv it but I do restrict it, especially for Bailey as he can someitmes have a sensitive tum, an if I make a mistake and give it often, (coz I can't determine wot meat it is frozen), he can get a tad sloppy


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## kellyalfie

Hi everyone, My bulldog is 8 months old and weighs about 27 kg, I started raw feeding him 4 days ago after speaking to someone else that feeds her dog raw. My boy has had bad poos since day one and i mean can't even pick them up, well the fisrt bit i could pick up but after the forth one on each walk it was like water.. I was advised not to go to the vet as i will be told to go on some expensive kibble that the vet gets paid to sell. 

So last resort Istarted raw. So far for the last 4 days hes had 3 chicken wings for breakfast and 400g mince with some heart mixed in for his tea, as a treat in between cottage cheese. 

Its so exciting giving him his food now he looks like he cant get enough, where as before he seemed to only eat his kibble cause he had to. His poo is amazing, Small and firm. The second day i took him out for his morning wee and poo and came running back to my husband with a poo bag with a little firm poo in saying "feel it feel it" he thought i was mad lol.

Think i might try 'Raw to go' for a bit more choice.

Ill NEVER go back to feeding that kibble rubbish.


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## DirtyGertie

kellyalfie said:


> The second day i took him out for his morning wee and poo *and came running back to my husband with a poo bag with a little firm poo in saying "feel it feel it"* he thought i was mad lol.
> 
> Think i might try 'Raw to go' for a bit more choice.
> 
> Ill NEVER go back to feeding that kibble rubbish.


:lol: :lol:

We've never had a poo problem but I can understand why you were so excited.

I'm gradually introducing raw with Poppy, started about 3 to 4 weeks ago. I still have a case of Naturediet to use up so at the moment I'm doing 4 days raw, 2 days ND. Will go over to 5 days raw, 2 ND next week - ND just at weekends. The ND will last about 5 months at that rate.

Although the ND goes down well, she is more enthusiastic about raw. I'm having a Raw2Go delivery today. She's had only chicken in various forms for the last few weeks with no problems so I'll be able to introduce a new variety straight away. Can't wait.


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## kellyalfie

Im not sure how much to order from 'Raw to go' dont want loads of it in one go due to lack of freezer space, and not sure what to order either.


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## LexiLou2

I ordered LOADS to much to be honest i ordered 50 packs of mince plus chicken wings plus offal.
I will never order that much again!! It filled 4 freezer drawers. I reckon you can fit 15 or so mince packs in a freezer drawer maybe a few more 20 ish maybe depending on the size of your freezer.
My only slight issue with rawtogo it lack of choice on the bones so i am going to stick with raw to go mince as Lexi likes it and try Landywoods for bones as they do lamb bones and turkey wings etc.


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## dvnbiker

I order about 55 packs of mince plus chicken carcusses and necks and that lasts my three adult BCs about a month plus I do add in sardines, eggs etc as well. Cost about £50 per month so a bargain if you ask me. 

I just use a four drawer freezer but the carcusses normally have to go into the bottom of our freezer


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## DirtyGertie

I had my delivery from Raw2go this morning. 55 packs mince only. We worked out the delivery charge and found this to be the most economical, added approx 20p to the cost of each pack.

We have this Hotpoint freezer










and it's filled one of the deeper drawers with 44 packs and about 1/3rd of a standard drawer with 11 packs. The rest of the standard drawer has some chicken portions, drumsticks, thighs, wings, etc. in it plus some blended veg. I only ordered mince as I can get wings etc from my groomer or locally.

















For Poppy's size I will get 220+ meals at approx 90g per meal which works out at 18p each including delivery. Looks like it's going to last a few months!

There are only two of us so I don't need an awful lot of freezer space for us, just had a rejig of what we had to make room for the dog food.


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## LexiLou2

Are you pleased with the mince, i think it looks like 'proper' mince you can see its got the offal and the bone in it and it doesn't go sloppy or anything when defrosted.


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## DirtyGertie

LexiLou2 said:


> Are you pleased with the mince, i think it looks like 'proper' mince you can see its got the offal and the bone in it and it doesn't go sloppy or anything when defrosted.


Can't tell yet LexiLou, I have one pack of chicken mince defrosting in the fridge at the moment. I'll let you know tomorrow as she's having it for brekkie, got drumstick for tea tonight.


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## LexiLou2

Well following the disaster with the venison we have tried rabbit for breakfast, now she has been fine today but i suppose tonight will tell will update you all in the morning. I think if she is ok with rabbit and tripe i will leave it at that for now and give her a couple of months just with the variety of chicken, turkey, lamb, rabbit and tripe with various offal and bone thrown in, as those meats seem to agree with her.


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## DirtyGertie

LexiLou2 said:


> Are you pleased with the mince, i think it looks like 'proper' mince you can see its got the offal and the bone in it and it doesn't go sloppy or anything when defrosted.


OK, pic of Raw2Go's chicken mince for anyone interested.










Defrosted in fridge overnight. A bit bloody in the bag and the outside of the block has started to darken but you can see what lovely fresh looking mince it is. Poppy had blended veggies mixed in with this, plus Billy No Mates for fleas/ticks and she was very happy with her brekkie. She's never bothered about the BNM, it's not put her off any of her food even though it has a definite smell.

Hubby did a silly thing really in defrosting the whole block. I intend feeding mince only for brekkie and the size of block (1lb/454g) will actually do 4 or 5 meals for Poppy, depending on the size of the RMB she has for tea. So next time it's out with the freezer knife and we'll cut off enough for only 2 days and just defrost that.


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## LexiLou2

I bag mine up into individual meals and use a hack saw to cut them up. :blushing::blushing::blushing:


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## LexiLou2

Well tummy seems to be back to normal after the disaster with the venison. I have however ordered some dorwest tree bark powder today on the recommentation of a couple of people as a way to help settle her tummy down if she has an episode so hopefully that will help.


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## LexiLou2

Diet still going well bought some various meats from supermarket today for her that we on offer so she now has some chicken chunks turkey chunks and lamb chunks to go with her minces as well.

All going well. How is everyone else getting on?


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## DirtyGertie

Poppy's first pack of chicken mince has got just one meal left for tomorrow brekkie. She will have sardines (tinned) for tea tomorrow to have a change from chicken. We've managed to get 5 meals out of the pack, so she's had mince for brekkie and either chicken wing or drumstick or thigh for tea. She's taken to the mince well enough, as you know she's been having raw chicken for a few weeks now so it was just a different texture for her.

After tomorrow we'll have two days of Naturediet with some Burns as I still have 20 trays to use up. Then after that I will try the chicken and tripe.

She did have a bit of a problem with a poo yesterday morning, was trying to go and it wouldn't happen. You could see she was trying then all of a sudden she yelped and pooped. I'm not sure what the problem was, whether there was a bit of bone in it or whether it was a bigger one than normal. Hubby cleared it up and never thought to look to see if there was a bit of bone or some blood or anything - I do find most men need everything spelling out for them, they don't seem to be able to think for themselves, but that's a whole other story :lol:.

When you give Lexi the chunks, does she actually chew them properly? Poppy is a bit of a "suck it in, swallow it down" dog - I cut some chicken up into smallish chunks for the cat but she didn't like it so Poppy had them for her tea that day and I can't say she actually chewed them. I'm still holding her bones and bashing the ends, can't quite trust her yet to crunch them up properly.

ETA: I've just noticed your new siggy picture - it's lovely!


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## LexiLou2

Nope she doesn't chew the chunks, however i do cut them into what i'd call mouth size pieces anyway and to be honest she hasn't really had an issue. Lexi doesn't like chewing food lol even on kibble she never chewed just swollowed the kibble bits whole. If in doubt i just chop the bits smaller. I sometimes worry that i worry too much and if i gave her the benefit of the doubt would she really choke herself?! but I'm too much of a wimp to test it out, so i'll continue with the mouth size pieces and holding her bones. 

Figured i needed a sig picture the end of my messages looked a bit boring!!!


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## billybarney

Hi this is a fantastic post well done. I did try to pm message you but i dont think it went through ? woulf you mind giving a example of your menu for a week  As my 2 have been on the raw diet for a while and seem to be having the same thing all the time  Thanks


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## LexiLou2

I tried to reply to your pm but it told me your inbox was full!!

I ordered various minces from raw2go which is how i managed to get variety into her foods. She also has chicken and lamb chunks which i buy from the supermarket and chop up. The probioitc yoghurt is for her dodgy tummy so you don't have to give that. A sample weeks menu would be:

Monday am - chicken mince and veg
Monday pm - chicken and lamb chunks with liver and veg and probioitc yoghurt
Tuesday am - rabbit mince and veg
tuesday pm - 2 x chicken wings and heart and veg and probiotic yoghurt
wednesday am - turkey mince and veg
wednesday pm - tin of sardines in tomato sauce with a raw egg and shell and a raw chopped up carrot and probioitc yoghurt
Thursday am - lamb mince and veg
Thursday pm - lamb bone plus heart and veg and probiotic yoghurt
Friday am - chicken and tripe mince
Friday pm - turkey chunks, kidney, veg and probiotic yoghurt
Saturday am - chicken mince and veg
Saturday pm - lamb and tripe mince, veg and probiotic yoghurt
Sunday am - turkey mince and veg
Sunday pm - chicken drumstick, heart veg and probiotic yoghurt.

I add veg to her food, it has no nutritional value it is just a filler but lexi like veg and it helps bulk her meals out.
You are supposed to feed 2-3% of their adult weight daily, however i feed slightly more than this as Lexi is very active and was loosing weight on 3%.
Its fairly easy to judge what they are missing, if their poo's are a bit runny and sloppy then you need to up their bone intake, if their poo's are very hard, white and they struggle to go you need to up their offal intake (liver kidney etc). On the combination above Lexi has no issues with her poo's.
One thing to note if you do feed raw whole veg ie carrot it comes out the other end how it went it, so orange flecks in their poo is normal its just the carrot they can't break down.

If you look at some of the companies you can order raw from its easy to get a level of variety but i think you always end up in a situation where you feel you are just repeating yourself, but Lexi doesn't mind she LOVES her food now. She has a walk on a morning before her breakfast and when on kibble she never really bothered, now she pulls all the way home after her walk just for her breakfast.


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## DirtyGertie

Fab post LexiLou, it's lovely to see how much variety Lexi is now getting and that she is doing so well on it and keen to eat!


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## LexiLou2

DirtyGertie said:


> Fab post LexiLou, it's lovely to see how much variety Lexi is now getting and that she is doing so well on it and keen to eat!


I know i love thjis diet.

On a side note I keep having a little giggle to myself, 6 weeks ago both me and you were total novices on the raw diet now if you read some of our responses to people we actually sound like we know what we are talking about. Isn't it funny how quickly you learn about it?


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## DirtyGertie

LexiLou2 said:


> I know i love thjis diet.
> 
> On a side note I keep having a little giggle to myself, 6 weeks ago both me and you were total novices on the raw diet now if you read some of our responses to people we actually sound like we know what we are talking about. Isn't it funny how quickly you learn about it?


Funny you should say that. When I was writing the two replies earlier on I thought to myself "OMG, I actually sound like I know what I'm talking about" :lol:.

I showed hubby your post with your week's menu and he was well impressed. This is the bloke who was anti-raw a few weeks ago and took a lot of convincing that we should try it. He seemed to have forgotten that when we had our standard poodle pup in 1984 he came with a recommendation from the breeder to keep him on the raw green tripe he was used to. Now he's comparing poops on raw days to poops on the days she has Naturediet :lol: and he is WELL impressed with the cost. His job is to give the mince brekkies, he hasn't yet sat and held a chicken drumstick or wing for her but he does love to hear her crunch!


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## billybarney

Thanks for your reply it is a great help your a star


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## LexiLou2

DirtyGertie said:


> Funny you should say that. When I was writing the two replies earlier on I thought to myself "OMG, I actually sound like I know what I'm talking about" :lol:.
> 
> I showed hubby your post with your week's menu and he was well impressed. This is the bloke who was anti-raw a few weeks ago and took a lot of convincing that we should try it. He seemed to have forgotten that when we had our standard poodle pup in 1984 he came with a recommendation from the breeder to keep him on the raw green tripe he was used to. Now he's comparing poops on raw days to poops on the days she has Naturediet :lol: and he is WELL impressed with the cost. His job is to give the mince brekkies, he hasn't yet sat and held a chicken drumstick or wing for her but he does love to hear her crunch!


Hahaha this diet turns you into poo experts. We took Lexi on her evening walk the other night and she did her poo and OH picked it up and popped it in the bin and commented on her poo quality since this diet so i responded and 15 minutes later we realised we were still talking about the quality and quantity of our dogs poo.....i do wonder if we should get out more lol.
I am so happy Lexi can have variety and she looks in brilliant condition. Met a friends staffie yesterday for the first time and she is a very similar height to Lexi but has that barrel on legs look....i much prefer Lexi she is very lean, solid and muscular but her tummy tucks up behind her ribs and she is very shiney and healthly looking.
My other half just does the mince, i prefer to give her the bones as i know what i think is a reasonable size for her to be crunching where as he's not too sure so it's easier to do it myself, but her can't beleive her eagerness to eat.


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## dvnbiker

glad to hear it isnt just me and my hubby who have conversations about the poo since being on the raw diet.


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## Guest

Just read the whole of this, very very interesting.

I noticed right at the beginning you said that the morning meal is bigger than the evening one. Is there a reason for this - is it better for them?

Thanks


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## LexiLou2

Lexi has irritable bowel and we find that she stuggles to hold her bowel overnight, tends to get to 5 or 6 hours after her last poo and she wants to go again....so we feed her a bigger meal in a morning so she has chance to 'get rid' throughout the day then she just gets a small meal on an evening so she has less in her stomach overnight and this seems to be working very well for her. We did try just feeding her once a day but she wouldn't settle on a night. I think its jsut what suits the dog.

On a diet note, since we stripped out the venison her tummy has been much better again, we aren't having accidents in the house any more, so i don't think venision is going to work for her.
For all the experts, or at least the people that know more than me, do you think a mixture of chicken, turkey, lamb, tripe and rabbit, plus livver kidney and heart and meaty bones will be a enough of a variety to keep her healthy?


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## DirtyGertie

Poppy had her first chicken and tripe mince yesterday - went down well, no problems. The pack will do five meals so she had it again this morning and I'll continue using it for brekkie, with veg, for the next 3 days.

Tonight she had some chicken chunky bits, just bits of meat cut off some leg quarters I portioned to get the right weight, and I added a couple of small pieces of lambs liver (stole a bit so she could try it raw - hubby was doing her some dried liver training treats). Totalled about a thumbnail size. Went down very nicely with the chicken chunks and veg.


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## babycham2002

Is this still not a sticky?

I will contact mods



Been a really great thread :thumbup:


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## LexiLou2

Well we have been raw feeding for 6 weeks and Lexi is finally having variety, I am mixing up what meats she has so chicken one day rabbit the next etc rather than trying to stick to one main protien source per week.
We have still been having a few little issues with Lexi so have invested in some Dorwest Tree Bark powder which aids digestion and seems to be helping clear up those last little issues. I have no issues recommending this diet to anyone and as long as it is physcially possible i will not b going back to commercial feeding. Lexi loves her food now she is happy healthy and we have just had our home check for a little patterdale boy we are looking to adopt and the home checker described Lexi as an ambasador of her breed!!! *Proud mum moment* :001_smile::001_smile::001_smile:


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## LexiLou2

I LOVE dorwest tree bark. With Lexi having such a senstive tummy this diet had cleared up 95% of her issues but if she picked anything up on a walk or someone gave her something by mistake we had issues. She has been having tree bark for 3 days now and all the little issues we seemed to have have cleared up. We finally seem to have cracked all Lexis issues.
Not only that but this diet has made her breath smells better her coat looks better her body condition is amazing and she is alot more chilled out.
When our new boy comes home the first thing i am doing is putting him on raw as he is apparantly quite hyper but had been in kennels for 1 year so to be expected.
I think I will stick to mince feeding him to begin with as he is a dog i don't know and holding bones for him etc when he has an unknown personality could cause issues, however as the raw2go mince is 80.10.10 he should be fine for a few weeks.


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## DirtyGertie

I have loved reading about Lexi's progress and am so delighted for you both that it has worked out so well for you and if the tree bark has put the last piece in the jigsaw for you then you couldn't wish for better.

Good luck with the new boy, sounds like a great plan to start him on just mince and see how he goes. Hopefully you'll develop a great relationship and it wont be too long before you can introduce bones. You'll have to keep us up to date on how things go for him and how he and Lexi get along.

Poppy had the last of her pack of chicken and tripe this morning - I got five brekkies out of it by weighing out her chicken bone evening meals first then dividing up the chicken and tripe mince. I just about managed each meal around 90g. We've now got two days of Naturediet and then I will introduce one of the other flavour of minces.

My groomer uses Landywoods and is having a delivery next week. She's getting me some heart, liver and kidney chunks and some chicken wings as they're cheaper than Raw To Go. I'll ring and add some filleted poultry chunks too. She orders over £200 worth at a time (she has about 6 dalmations) and I think she said delivery is only about £3ish so a share of the delivery charge wont be very much.


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## Ditsy42

Great news hon, glad everything has worked out 4 Lexi, I use dorwest for a few things, great supplements they do, keep us updated on ya new rescue boy and his introduction 2 raw  xx


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## Tanya1989

Stickied, will hopefully be useful to others


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## LexiLou2

DirtyGertie said:


> I have loved reading about Lexi's progress and am so delighted for you both that it has worked out so well for you and if the tree bark has put the last piece in the jigsaw for you then you couldn't wish for better.
> 
> Good luck with the new boy, sounds like a great plan to start him on just mince and see how he goes. Hopefully you'll develop a great relationship and it wont be too long before you can introduce bones. You'll have to keep us up to date on how things go for him and how he and Lexi get along.
> 
> Poppy had the last of her pack of chicken and tripe this morning - I got five brekkies out of it by weighing out her chicken bone evening meals first then dividing up the chicken and tripe mince. I just about managed each meal around 90g. We've now got two days of Naturediet and then I will introduce one of the other flavour of minces.
> 
> My groomer uses Landywoods and is having a delivery next week. She's getting me some heart, liver and kidney chunks and some chicken wings as they're cheaper than Raw To Go. I'll ring and add some filleted poultry chunks too. She orders over £200 worth at a time (she has about 6 dalmations) and I think she said delivery is only about £3ish so a share of the delivery charge wont be very much.


I think I'm going to try landywoods next time, just because they have a little more variety, just not sure what the mince quality is like, I like raw2go's mince it looks 'nice' if you know what i mean. Does you groomer get the mince? And if so would you mind asking her what she thinks of the quality.

Lexi is doing really well, i was a little concerned what would happen when i started with variety, but she had lamb mince from brekkie on friday and chicken and lamb chunks with veg for tea, she had rabbit for breakfast yesterday with chicken and tripe for tea and then turkey for breakfast this morning and she has been perfect, no issues just loving her food and the variety.

I also try and portion Lexis food up while frozen and have been using a breadknife to cut the frozen blocks of mince in two!!!!! However yesterday i discovered that sawing it with a hack saw works much better. It did look a like like sweeny todds barbers shop in my kitchen and took a bit of cleaning up but its now all cut and portioned!!

We go on holiday next week and it will be the first time i've left Lexi for more than 2 nights so not looking forward to it, but the kennels are all for raw feeding have a freezer and are fine with defrosting her food etc so everything is bagged up and labelled what it is and when to feed it.


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## LexiLou2

Tanya1989 said:


> Stickied, will hopefully be useful to others


Thank you!! :001_smile:


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## DirtyGertie

LexiLou2 said:


> I think I'm going to try landywoods next time, just because they have a little more variety, just not sure what the mince quality is like, I like raw2go's mince it looks 'nice' if you know what i mean. Does you groomer get the mince? And if so would you mind asking her what she thinks of the quality.


I think she probably does get mince from there, I'm sure she mentioned mince when I was speaking to her last week but I will ask when I pick up our bits and pieces. I'm not sure if Landywoods mince has the same ratio of 80:10:10 like Raw To Go - that was the reason I went with Raw To Go as I was very unsure of getting that right myself.

I think maybe my groomer gives a much higher proportion of bone than 10% as I did mention that I thought Poppy had maybe had too much bone one time as she had great difficulty pooing one day and yelped when it came out. Her reply led me to believe that hers get a lot more bone.



> Lexi is doing really well, i was a little concerned what would happen when i started with variety, but she had lamb mince from brekkie on friday and chicken and lamb chunks with veg for tea, she had rabbit for breakfast yesterday with chicken and tripe for tea and then turkey for breakfast this morning and she has been perfect, no issues just loving her food and the variety.


What do you do for your chicken and lamb chunks? I'll get some poultry chunks from Landywoods but other than that, as we don't have a pet shop anywhere near, then it's just the Co-op or the butcher (who we don't ever use as I'm almost veggie) and that's a lot more expensive.



> I also try and portion Lexis food up while frozen and have been using a breadknife to cut the frozen blocks of mince in two!!!!! However yesterday i discovered that sawing it with a hack saw works much better. It did look a like like sweeny todds barbers shop in my kitchen and took a bit of cleaning up but its now all cut and portioned!!


We have a freezer knife but it really didn't do the job well enough so hubby got a new hack saw which he's keeping just for the dog food. Just need to make sure it's dried thoroughly after washing as I can see it going rusty!



> We go on holiday next week and it will be the first time i've left Lexi for more than 2 nights so not looking forward to it, but the kennels are all for raw feeding have a freezer and are fine with defrosting her food etc so everything is bagged up and labelled what it is and when to feed it.


That's wonderful. Not sure I could leave Poppy so we aren't planning any holidays. As we're retired she's so used to someone being around, we can leave her for up to an hour and she's OK. Other than that my son and d-i-l will have her for a few hours but I really don't like leaving her there. They have no garden so their bichon (Poppy's sister) still uses puppy pads and I feel that is a backward step for Poppy, and they don't take their dogs for a proper walk, just to let the older dog go to the toilet. Also they do the puppy grumbly growly rough play constantly, they just don't give up. Then they let their dogs graze with their food and it's not good quality. Poppy can get to the food and last time she had horrible poos after she stole some . Perhaps I'm just too fussy a mum :lol:.


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## cinnamontoast

Delighted to see this has been stickied!


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## LexiLou2

I have loads of chicken mince and turkey mince left from raw2go but was after some lamb mince and they also do lamb and tripe mince and lamb bones at landywoods which raw2go don't do.
With chicken chunks i buy a pack of chicken breasts smart price ones from asda, you get three big chicken breasts about 500g for £4.50 which does me about 5 meals, she only has chicken chunks twice a week so £4.50 does me about 3 weeks.
I feel better about leaving her as then kennels have been really understanding about her stomach she gets 2 hours out of her kennel a day and there will be loads of notes about her cereal intollerance.


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## babycham2002

cinammontoast said:


> Delighted to see this has been stickied!


Seconded :thumbup:
Thanks Tanya


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## dvnbiker

and thirded here, if you can have such a thing. 

We have now done just over 2 months on raw and the difference in the dogs is amazing and people are commenting on how good they look. Even have people coming up and asking me about how to feed it. 

Thought camping at the weekends would be an issue but I just take chicken carcusses with me and tinned pilchards and they do just fine. I just find taking a mince quite messy.


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## LexiLou2

Well she is still doing really well, I am still holding her bones however i think thats more for my piece of mind than anything as she quite happily chews them up now. She is in fantastic condition her skin is lovely her coat soft her breath well as good as it gets for a dog but she eats with more enthusiasm then i have ever seen any dog eat.


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## lexie2010

just read entire thing and i am nearly convinced to give it a go!
3 questions:
-does anyone know can you get the supplies in northern ireland other than i PAH? 
-i know this might kind of defeat the purpose but can you do like every 2nd day raw/commercial?
-can you feed all in one meal instead of giving breakfast and dinner?

i will read other raw sticky now too, you have really got my interest!
any beagle owners feeding raw?


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## Guest

I've started feeding a kind of raw diet and really love it. Because I don't have the freezer space or the confidence to feed exclusively raw, I do half raw and half Ziwipeak dog food, which is a kind of dried raw food that you can get wet or dry. By using the Ziwipeak I have peace of mind that she's getting everything she needs. It IS expensive, but you feed VERY little of it which makes it about comparable in price with Orijin.

As well as the Ziwipeak I feed things like raw chicken wings, sardines/pilchards, egg, probiotic yoghurt and a bit of vege. Also going to get some tripe and some chicken mince.


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## babycham2002

lexie2010 said:


> just read entire thing and i am nearly convinced to give it a go!
> 3 questions:
> -does anyone know can you get the supplies in northern ireland other than i PAH?
> -i know this might kind of defeat the purpose but can you do like every 2nd day raw/commercial?
> -can you feed all in one meal instead of giving breakfast and dinner?
> 
> i will read other raw sticky now too, you have really got my interest!
> any beagle owners feeding raw?


Rawtogo posts nationwide which I guess would inc NI

Worth giving landywoods a ring to see if they would deliver over there

I doubt the dog food co my supllier does as he does all his own deliveries 

Plenty of people do one day raw one day commercial. I just do the odd day like yesterday when i forgot to get anything out the freezer the day before

Personally i wouldnt feed a dog one meal a day but I suppose it could be done :001_smile: Is that how you feed now?


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## LexiLou2

lexie2010 said:


> just read entire thing and i am nearly convinced to give it a go!
> 3 questions:
> -does anyone know can you get the supplies in northern ireland other than i PAH?
> -i know this might kind of defeat the purpose but can you do like every 2nd day raw/commercial?
> -can you feed all in one meal instead of giving breakfast and dinner?
> 
> i will read other raw sticky now too, you have really got my interest!
> any beagle owners feeding raw?


raw2go use DHL to deliver so i assume they may be able to deliver to northern ireland.
I know some people feed raw and commercial one day all commercial, one day all raw.
the only reason i feed twice is to help Lexis tummy prior to this i only fed once a day, that being said she seems much better on two meals a day.


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## lexie2010

(my) lexie can be a bit fussy sometimes-at the mo she is on wainwrights dry with 1/3 tray of wainwrights wet mixed in as she started not eating the dry on its own. she is a 13 and half month old beagle and weighs 15-16kgs so if i was to feed her raw she would need 450-500grams/ day. she decided herself to go onto once a day feeding a few months ago(stopped eating breakfast) so gets fed at 6pm. 
i dont know if raw everyday would be an option as i do shiftwork and there are somedays i am not home at dinner time so hubby feeds her (well he feeds her a lot of the time anyway) but i reckon he wouldnt be keen on feeding raw as he doesnt even like feeding wet. and i also dont think i would have the freezer space for the quantities invloved to make it not expensive and too time consuming.
she has had probs with anal glands since she was 6mths old and was needing them emptied every 5weeks or so at one point but actually since putting her onto wet and taking her off weetabix (she was getting one weetabix a day mixed into her dinner on vets recommendation) her AG problem has improved greatly-and want to keep it that way-hence starting her on her first raw chicken wing this week.
so thats lexies life story!!!


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## LexiLou2

Lexi weighs 15.4 kg and is on just short of 400 g a day, you are suuposed to feed between 2.5% and 3% of their adult weight depending on the dog and how active they are etc.
My other half was not keen on raw feeding as again he doesn't like wet food etc but the mince is so simple, i arrives frozen i cut every block in half as half a block gives us one meal and bag them up in freezer bags then every night i get out her breakfast and her tea to defrost. All my other half has to do is empty the freezer bag into her bowl which he is fine with.
My Lexi also self weaned herself off breakfast when she was on dry food, but on raw she loves having a breakfast and a tea.

I thought it would be time consuing etc and on delivery day it does take time to sort all the bags out seperate into meals etc but after that it is as easy if not easier than feeding commercial.


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## lexie2010

thank u for all your advice-you put forward very good reasons for doing it!!!! am deffinately going to consider it on a part time basis anyway-dont think we could make the swop completely. we always struggle to get enough food into her as she is really rather lean-unusual complaint for a beagle- so i would hope that we could get a little weight on her if we went onto raw. my concern is that at the mo there are days she decides to eat nothing and she is a VERY active dog and if we tried to do it on a day on (raw)-day off (commercial)basis she might decide not to eat commercial. she loves leftovers and veg and would choose them over commercial food but obviously we dont have leftovers (or suitable leftovers) everyday. hmmmmm what to do


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## dvnbiker

my dogs have all put on weight with raw and that is one of the things that I like. I have therefore cut back a little on the amount I feed. 

Any reason why you think you couldn't make the swop completly? I still have some complete wet food in the house for those days that I forget to get out the mince but these are rarities these days. I did give them some Acana the other day for brekkie as I had a sample and see how they do on it for a backup to the raw and all three of them had colitis that day, back on raw the next day and back to normal. I cannot rave enough about this diet.


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## LexiLou2

Ladies and gents, I'm on holiday for a couple of weeks now so I haven't forgotten about my diary I just won't be here, but i will update on my return, hope all my fellow raw feeders continue doing well.


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## dvnbiker

Hope you have a good time and enjoy the break.


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## LexiLou2

Hi all, back off my jollies :smile5:...nothing to report really as Lexi has been in kennels but her tummy still seems fine and the people at the kennels asked me loads of questions on the raw diet when i picked her up as they were surprised at how easy it had been to feed her and liked the idea of raw feeding.

Got her some lamb ribs from the supermarket which she hasn't had before so will let you know how we get on with them, and pick our new rescue boy up a week today (assuming him and Lexi get on ok) so get to do the starting raw feeding thing all over again yey, however he has no tummy troubles so hopefully won't be as stressful and difficult as this time.


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## stigDarley

Sleeping_Lion said:


> I've helped a few people switch over, and have switched a few dogs over myself, so have the practical experience. Good luck, they do well on it, both my girls have been raw fed since pups and they LOVE it!


tried mine with chicken wings today both not interested... sniffed it quick lick then left it. then my akita tried to bury it in her bed. Have tried raw and frozen... mine prefer the AMP mince frozen which they eat no problems!


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## DirtyGertie

LexiLou2 said:


> Hi all, back off my jollies :smile5:...nothing to report really as Lexi has been in kennels but her tummy still seems fine and the people at the kennels asked me loads of questions on the raw diet when i picked her up as they were surprised at how easy it had been to feed her and liked the idea of raw feeding.
> 
> Got her some lamb ribs from the supermarket which she hasn't had before so will let you know how we get on with them, and pick our new rescue boy up a week today (assuming him and Lexi get on ok) so get to do the starting raw feeding thing all over again yey, however he has no tummy troubles so hopefully won't be as stressful and difficult as this time.


Welcome back, hope you enjoyed your jollies . Good to hear Lexi got on well at the kennels.

We've introduced duck and turkey minces while you've been away, also small quantity of liver and today I managed to get some free flow tripe and Poppy had a bit of that with her chicken chunks tonight. Tomorrow we start the last new mince, rabbit, and I'm planning to introduce a bit of heart later in the middle of next week then it's just kidney to try and that's everything - I can then start making a varied menu so she gets something different every day. I'm glad to say she's loved everything she's tried and is now fully on raw (son had my last 16 trays of Naturediet and the remainder of the Burns Mini Bites).

Looking forward to hearing about your new boy and his introduction to raw, and seeing him of course. Lucky Lexi getting a playmate!


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## LexiLou2

I haven't tried her on duck yet, after her reaction to venision and with duck being a rich meat I'm a bit scared. I might just get one or two bags on my next order and see how we go.
She had a full chicken leg (thigh and drumstick) tonight for her tea and she was like a kid at christmas I promise you i put it in front of her and her eyes opened really wide as if to say WOW and she LOVED eating it!! (I still hold her bones I'm too scared to let go)


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## ihaveapet.com

Great idea


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## LexiLou2

Well we have had a really bad couple of days with Lexi, between 8pm on Sunday and 7 am this morning she had poo'd 8 times which is ALOT more than she had been if she had been 'normal' she would have been at about 4 times and i haven't a clue what's up with her. The poo's are still firm but there is just lots of it. She was looking a little too lean so i increased her portion size a bit as from Saturday and introduced heart so I am going to cut her meal size back down and try her for a few days on just turkey and chicken, both of which I know she is fine on, see if i can get her back to normal....it's 2 steps forward 1 back with this blooming dog.
To be fair though although we still have 'issues' we have never gone this long without her having a bout of the runs, she hasn't had the runs once since she was on raw and the toxic smells she used to make have stopped, shes even back on rawhide chews as the occasional treat which she could not eat at all before as the gave her terrible terrible wind!!!
I think i jsut need to accept I may always have issues with Lexis tummy but at least if i can manage it well.


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## lexie2010

well (my) lexie had a full raw dinner last nite and wolfed it all down! she NEVER eats her dinner in one sitting! she had 300g of natures menu lamb and veg nuggets, 110g of chicken wing and a raw egg for desert. she still seemed hungry though and she never wants food after her commercial diet  which she never finishes in one sitting and usually picks through at dinner time and eats rest by next morning. 
so i have decided she will have raw maybe twice a week at this stage and commercial on the other days. need to see what raw options are here.
loved how enthuasiastic she was eating the raw and hearing her munch the bones is great


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## DirtyGertie

LexiLou2 said:


> Well we have had a really bad couple of days with Lexi, between 8pm on Sunday and 7 am this morning she had poo'd 8 times which is ALOT more than she had been if she had been 'normal' she would have been at about 4 times and i haven't a clue what's up with her. The poo's are still firm but there is just lots of it. She was looking a little too lean so i increased her portion size a bit as from Saturday and introduced heart so I am going to cut her meal size back down and try her for a few days on just turkey and chicken, both of which I know she is fine on, see if i can get her back to normal....it's 2 steps forward 1 back with this blooming dog.
> To be fair though although we still have 'issues' we have never gone this long without her having a bout of the runs, she hasn't had the runs once since she was on raw and the toxic smells she used to make have stopped, shes even back on rawhide chews as the occasional treat which she could not eat at all before as the gave her terrible terrible wind!!!
> I think i jsut need to accept I may always have issues with Lexis tummy but at least if i can manage it well.


Aww, that's a shame. Do you think it might be the heart? Could you maybe introduce just 10g or 20g of heart to something else and increase gradually? We've still got to try heart but everything else has gone well. Got some freeflow tripe mince last Friday and she's had a bit of that added to chicken chunks on two occasions and loved it. In fact, there hasn't been anything she's not liked. The only thing that affected her was the first time I introduced liver, I think I gave her too bit a piece to start with and her poop was a lot softer than normal. Left it till the next week then just shaved a bit of a liver chunk, went down fine, then the next time I gave her about a thumbnail size piece and she was OK.


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## LexiLou2

It posibley could be or it could be something she's picked up out and about, she can be a devil at picking stuff up. A week or so back on just chicken won't hurt I suppose get her right again and then I'll try a bit of heart and see what happens, that's the only bad thing about giving her variety if she reacts to something i don't know what it is, well at least i can keep defaulting to chicken and building her up, plus we hopefully bring our new boy home friday and he'll need a week on chicken anyway so keeps things simple for me. :biggrin:


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## LexiLou2

Well Lexi was still bad last night but she is normally bad for a couple of days, I hoping her tummy starts to settle as we are hopefully bringing our new boy home on Friday so don't want her still bad then but we shall see what happens.


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## LexiLou2

Well taking Lexi back to a chicken and turkey diet has cleared her problems up however o now have a new problem, we went to pick our new boy up yesterday, Bosley is a 21 month Patterdale Terrier and him and Lexi get on so so well.....but he won't eat raw...at all. tried him with turkey last night wouldn't eat it, tried him with turkey mince this morning, wouldn't eat it and then gave him a bowl of dry and he wolfed if down....how do i get him to eat raw?!


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## rawdogs

IF you are talking abount boneless meat ,you could try lightly dry frying it just enough to brown the outside,if he eats it,gradually brown it less and less.
Or cook some of the meat ,leave some raw and mix together.
Another option is to start with tripe ,not many dogs refuse that,and add a little of other meats to it.


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## babycham2002

Congrats on your new addition

Agree with the tripe idea, I use tripe to get the boys to eat their offal
Have heard of others with success at the part cooking idea too 

Godd luck


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## LexiLou2

Argh i swear I'm going to scream....Lexi has been fine back on a chicken diet but Bosley won't eat raw, I have got some tripe to try him on which I am going to do but he has been on dry since we brought him home....BUT he's been a bugger today eaten some stones out of the garden thrown his food (Cereal containing food!!!) up and bloody Lexi has bloody eaten it....so now i know her tummy is going to be bad because it has cereals in it and I have to worry that he has eaten stones ARGH!! I've been trying so hard to keep them seperate while they eat so she can't pick anything up.
And Bosley has eaten stones and bben sick now i think hes thrown them all up but if he has a blockage what so I have to look for?? He is still drinking weeing and pooping?!


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## babycham2002

oh god what a nightmare, you poor thing 
Im sorry I dont really know what to look for, hard stomache and panting would be my first guesses


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## cinnamontoast

Are you giving Lexie veg? I'd lay off that if so as dogs can't break down the cell walls unless it's blended, so maybe that's causing issues? Dunno, just wild guessing here. 

She gets probiotic yoghurt, doesn't she? Stick some on new boys raw food-it's like a magic trick with Brig, makes him eat anything. 

Have you got Lexie on Pooch and Mutt's bionic something or other, the one that aids digestion? I keep hearing amazing things about it sorting out tummy problems.


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## Rojer David

Raw+Medical feeding :
If your dog is a few month older then give him in food fipronil 9.8%,S-methoprene 8.8%.The fipronil gets help to the oil of the skin and hair follicles and nourish to bones.
And gradually started to with wheat and meat too which is very essential for dogs.
Readily available Brand is
"Cesar " .


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## LexiLou2

Lexi seems to be better, I think i over did it on the heart, having not given her any heart since she has been fine, but I was right we had issues last night with her tummy, since eating his sick (Sorry) last night at about 8 pm she has poo'd 5 times since, so her body obviously reacts quite violently to cereals now.
I've tried raw with probiotic yoghurt, won't eat it, i tried rawtogo minces won't eat it, tried meat chunks, won't eat it and tried a chicken wing, won't eat it. He won't eat cooked chicken neither, I'm just wondering if he has only ever ben given dry food his entire life as anything that isn't dry he won't eat, offered him some carrot, looked at me like I was insane same goes for banana apple etc.
I'm going to try him on tripe and see how we go as I did manage to get him to eat sardines in tomato sauce which is quite smelly so hopefully the tripe will turn him.

Lexi has Dorwest Tree bark powder but I'm going to look into that other stuff as I am always open to ideas to help her tummy.


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## cinnamontoast

Rojer David said:


> Raw+Medical feeding :
> If your dog is a few month older then give him in food fipronil 9.8%,S-methoprene 8.8%.The fipronil gets help to the oil of the skin and hair follicles and nourish to bones.
> And gradually started to with wheat and meat too which is very essential for dogs.
> Readily available Brand is
> "Cesar " .


What?! Wheat essential? Absolute rubbish! Cesar is a crap food with low protein. Sorry if you meant something different, but your phrasing is difficult to understand.


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## cinnamontoast

Maybe Boseley just won't do raw? After months of merrily eating it, Brig has gone onto Wainwright trays. But the OH gave him raw chicken last night and he gulped it down, contrary little swine. Just give him a decent food and keep trying the occasional raw thing. Beef mince is normally tempting.


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## LexiLou2

Well we tried tripe today for the first time...and Bosley ate the whole lot which is the first time he has finished a full meal since we brought him home over a week ago, he loved it. Lexi enjoyed it too. Going to keep Bos on tripe for a couple of days then hopefully try chicken again and see if we can get him to eat it this time. My siter in laws 18 month old lab is having food allergy issues so she too is thinking of trying raw. I was chatting her through it all.


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## lewis_m15

Just a quick tip, if lexi won't eat yoghurt have youtried mixing in some cottage cheese? My boy hates yoghurt, but laps up cottage cheese.

Also, purina do a supplement on their pro plan range called forti flora which adds good gut bacteria. I have no idea where you get it though! (my friend works for them and gives us a ready supply)

X


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## CuteRotts

Hey there. Newby here but already wondering how your little new guy is doing?!

Em x


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## babycham2002

Yes how is the new guy doing?


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## LexiLou2

Sorry not updated for aggggggeeeessss.

Bosley is doing really well, we've had him for just over 2 weeks and I can't imagine not having him here.

With regards to raw I got some tripe which i started him on last week......oh my god that stuff smells so horrible, had him on that 4 days, then moved to raw2go's chicken and tripe mince which he ate then to just the chicken mince which again he is eating, however if you give him meat chunks or bone he is so confused. As the raw2go mince is 80:20:20 I am happy he is getting everything he needs so if it takes a while to get him on to bone then so be it.
I have got some chicken breast and chopped it up really small and am mixing it in with his mince which he has been eating for the past 2 days, so we are getting there.
He does love his meals now though, when we first got him on dry he never finished a meal even with yoghurt mixed in but now its licked clean bowl everytime.
On a none raw note I love having 2 dogs, as I type Lexi has just got up off her bed to go lay next to Bos, its so lovely to see her make that little decision herself....do you know what I want to lay near him.


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## lexie2010

well my Lexie is still getting raw twice a week and loves it, she knows when she sees the kitchen shears its raw day! it was so cute watching her this evening sitting (yes she sits down to eat-shes very posh you know!!!) chomping on her raw chicken wings and natures menu nuggets. have to say i am very glad to have changed to raw eventhough it is only 2 days a week as its nice for them to have some variety and it is so good for her and i feel it has made her more interested in her dinners generally.
thank you to all the raw feeders for all the advice and encouragement


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## LexiLou2

prompted me to update, we are still going strong Bosley is now eating bones, is is REALLY good at chomping them up, alot better than Lexi.....and I have just found out my dads friend goes shooting (not my type of hobby) however it means he can get me rabbit and pheasent free of charge, he is also going to skin, pluck gut and chop them up into whatever size portions i want. even if I only get 2 or three of each every few months its better than nothing and Lexi loves rabbit.

This is gonig to be a really stupid question but I have three bunnies they live outside and neither dog is really bothered by them they just accept they are there and will occasionally watch them. If i start feeding them whole rabbit they aren't going to look at my three and think mmmmm tea are they? Will they just accept them as now?!


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## 912142

LexiLou2 said:


> Brilliant i have choc drops and she adores them (mummy may have given her a few too many when we first found she loved them and she turned into a little porker, so they are rationed) but if i half them and shes running about chasing her ball she'll be fine.
> 
> She is so funny with veg, I have three rabbits and they get fresh veg every day, so in the house she'll eat carrots apple strawberries cucumber...anything i give to the rabbits, raw cabbage by the leaf ( i don't give her full cabbage leaves i dropped one once and she ate it) but try and give her fruit and veg out on a walk or in a training class and she looks at you as if you have just grown another head.


Word of warning never give her Avocado :nono: as the leaves, seeds, fruit, and bark contain persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhoea.


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## Malmum

LexiLou2 said:


> Argh i swear I'm going to scream....Lexi has been fine back on a chicken diet but Bosley won't eat raw, I have got some tripe to try him on which I am going to do but he has been on dry since we brought him home....BUT he's been a bugger today eaten some stones out of the garden thrown his food (Cereal containing food!!!) up and bloody Lexi has bloody eaten it....so now i know her tummy is going to be bad because it has cereals in it and I have to worry that he has eaten stones ARGH!! I've been trying so hard to keep them seperate while they eat so she can't pick anything up.
> And Bosley has eaten stones and bben sick now i think hes thrown them all up but if he has a blockage what so I have to look for?? He is still drinking weeing and pooping?!


Dogs eh - who'd have 'em?
Tom Lonsdale says the best way to get a fussy eater to eat raw is to fast him for day, if that doesn't work fast him for another and he'll soon lap it up. Don't know if I could do two days but I could do one, no problem with my porkers though they eat it like it's going out of fashion! 

Have you tried putting a couple of spoons of yogurt in with the meal? I can get Kali to eat rabbit by adding yogurt or sardines.


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## Aaren Hardy

My dear friends let me know few recipe of small dogs here.I have small doberman.Please let me know very soon.


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## Balto-x

well lexi i love this thread!!

im going raw lol!
my two atm are eating 1/2 a chicken portion each and then will have mince and veg for tea 

and they love it!!

 Just need a freezer now xxx


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## dimah

I just finished reading this thread - really awesome!

We have a Jack Russell cross who has had some REALLY bad skin problems. When he was younger it would come and go, but in the last 1-2 years he has itchy ears that he scratches incessantly, so bad that it starts to bleed. His ears turn crusty and then spongy to the touch and he's lost most of his hair on them. He also has lumpy red skin between his back legs which looks so sore, but itchy too as we regularly catch him chewing on it! We've tried pretty much every time of cream to help it but the only thing that seems to soothe it is rubbing both areas in vaseline.

Snoopy is primarily our dad's dog, he did take him to the vets a while back and after testing came back with the answer that it was a type of cancer?! That was about 3-4 years ago. It maybe goes without saying I disagree with their verdict...

Anyway - I have for a long time suspected that he has some kind of allergy (we've changed his beds, collars, etc multiple times) from food. Being of a Paleo mindset myself, feeding dogs raw food (as in their wild diet) makes perfect sense to me!

Starting today I am feeding him some raw chicken. He gets plenty of raw bones from the butchers so he is no stranger to raw stuff, but we've never fed him raw meals before. I may get sabotaged by my dad (Snoopy loves Pedigree's markie biscuits) but for the most part I'm going to attempt to give him his meals with raw chicken to start with, and phase in some chicken liver too. I gave him his dinner already tonight and he LOVED it. 

Usually he gets a Cesars (terrible, I know!!!) but I'm taking over his feeding or going to attempt to!

Poo-wise, he's had terrible trouble with pooing lately. In the past it would get better but lately it just seems to be getting worse. He's either hugely constipated or has terrible diarrhea!

Has anybody heard of his skin problems or seen anything like it? What do you guys think? Thanks so much in advance for any advice you can give. And really, really great thread!


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## cazypetfood

We started feeding a year ago our white bitch German Shepherd, she used to have a build up of a yellow plaque like substance on her teeth, once we changed her diet to a raw dog meat diet the build up has gone and she is having the time of her life.

The yellow has subsided, we found out the yellow build up was due to the oil used in some completes and mixers.


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## tiggerthumper

Well, Prince started his raw diet yesterday!
Here are some pics of him enjoying his first chicken wing and breast in the sunshine!

































I have to thank DirtyGertie for all her help, she's been brilliant getting me started!xox


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## pogo

Just read through this thread and it's nice to see other raw feeders doing well, i've been feeding my 6 month staffy raw since he was 9 weeks old and is doing amazingly well on it, plus he loves his food


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## terencesmum

I have just finished reading this thread (god, it took ages ) and I will go down the local butcher's first thing tomorrow morning and get Terence some chicken. It sounds brilliant. Especially after a day where he had to go outside to poop every hour and they were all loose, poor baby. Might also check out some ethnic butchers to see what offal they might have to offer once we are established


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## Ricarda

hello. does anyone know where i can find decent raw food? mince meat from supermarket is too fatty for me.
any help would be appreciated!


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## terencesmum

raw to go and the dog food company, for example. there are loads more.


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## DirtyGertie

Ricarda said:


> hello. does anyone know where i can find decent raw food? mince meat from supermarket is too fatty for me.
> any help would be appreciated!


If you want a balanced raw food (meat/bone/offal) then *Raw To Go* is nice quality and they deliver anywhere by courier.

If you are a complete newbie to raw feeding then I suggest you start reading the *raw feeding sticky*.

Once you know how you wish to feed raw (i.e. complete minces or DIY) then *Google* can help find suppliers. Some suppliers have limited delivery areas so you'd need to check.

Don't forget your local butcher too.


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## kateh8888

Just finished reading this thread...thanks for all the info. Just going into week number 2 on raw with our two and going great. Expecting first delivery from raw to go tomorrow...ordered 40 packs!! Better start emptying the freezer!!


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## Goblin

dimah said:


> Has anybody heard of his skin problems or seen anything like it? What do you guys think? Thanks so much in advance for any advice you can give. And really, really great thread!


Raw feeding is not a cure all although many who feed raw, myself included, do think it can certainly help with some conditions. In my mind, if nothing else it will be strengthening the immune system.

For us it was allergies for our old english bulldog which highlighted the issue of skin problems being helped by diet. I'll post a few links of containing examples of successes:
English Bulldog News Forums ~ - Dog Food Change Story: Meet Vegas
English Bulldog News Forums ~ - Dog Food Change Story: Meet Annie
Successes | Prey Model Raw

If you do decide to raw feed please do your research on how to do it properly including research into what variation of raw. If you do, I wish you success.


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## cazypetfood

Ricarda said:


> hello. does anyone know where i can find decent raw food? mince meat from supermarket is too fatty for me.
> any help would be appreciated!


You could give us a go, we sell raw meat, as well as other pet food.


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## sazzle

What a fantastic post.

Just read all this through. Our dog is having a terrible time at the moment with itchy sore skin, he is going in Kennels for a week next week and when he comes out I am going to try the raw diet with him. (We have had all the tests done for mange, fungal infections etc.) The OH isnt very keen on the idea as he is a wimp with raw meat, but its defo going to happen as our boy is slowly getting worse and im worried about the effect all the creams and tablets and injections are going to have on him.

We have been buying what we thought was the best dried food from the pet shop (suckers!!) but I am certain its time for a change for the better.

Thanks so much for taking the time to put all your progress reports on here and making me laugh too.

:smile5::smile5::smile5:


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## LexiLou2

Well thought I would do a 6 month update.

I LOVE raw feeding. Since starting Lexi on raw we have taken on a rescue Patterdale and he has been put on raw too, and they are both thriving.

I have made a couple of changes since starting thsi thread, Lexi now has 400g a day rather than 310g as she was loosing a bit of weight, I also blend all veg up now rather than leave it whole and add some cod liver oil into their veg mulch as Lexi has been suffering with dry skin.
Both coats are soft and shiney they have clean teeth are active and lively on walks and calm and chilled in the house.
I still use DAF minces every day for breakfast and make my own meals on a night. The only meats I have had issues with was venision which Lexi can't eat and heart which again she struggles with.
All in all the best decision I ever made.


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## babycham2002

LexiLou2 said:


> Well thought I would do a 6 month update.
> 
> I LOVE raw feeding. Since starting Lexi on raw we have taken on a rescue Patterdale and he has been put on raw too, and they are both thriving.
> 
> I have made a couple of changes since starting thsi thread, Lexi now has 400g a day rather than 310g as she was loosing a bit of weight, I also blend all veg up now rather than leave it whole and add some cod liver oil into their veg mulch as Lexi has been suffering with dry skin.
> Both coats are soft and shiney they have clean teeth are active and lively on walks and calm and chilled in the house.
> I still use DAF minces every day for breakfast and make my own meals on a night. The only meats I have had issues with was venision which Lexi can't eat and heart which again she struggles with.
> All in all the best decision I ever made.


Fantastic to hear 
Much the same as you, I would never go back. The dogs and I are so happy with it :smile5:


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## Marcelian

Hi all,
the very nice thought have this on it,
please keep it up !!!!


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## The Natural Pet Pantry

If you starting off with the raw food, i would try her on either Natures menu or natural instinct, that way you do not have to worry about large bits of bone.


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## pogo

The Natural Pet Pantry said:


> If you starting off with the raw food, i would try her on either Natures menu or natural instinct, that way you do not have to worry about large bits of bone.


I wouldn't recommend them to start with personally i start with chicken wings/carcasses/backs depending on the size of the dog and feed bone in chicken until they are used to it.


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## sazzle

Well........we have started the raw with Chio.

We started him on Saturday evening with a chicken wing. After about half an hour of pacing the house with it in his mouth and crying, he decided to give it a go. I stayed with him the whole time, he chewed the bits of rib bones very well that were attached, but didnt completely finish it all. No sickness or runny bum.

He had chicken breast this morning, again he spent around half an hour walking round the house with a piece of it, crying his eyes out. He did eat it in the end after I cut it up into smaller chunks and Daddy did some sweet talking.

Pooh time on tonights walkies was fine, a little on the soft side but not a great pile as normal. 


Feeling very excited about it all and cant wait for a couple of weeks to pass by to see if his skin starts to get better.

Will give it another week and then try him with some rabbit. Hopefully the crying will have died down by then. :confused1:

Big thanks to this forum which has given me the courage to try raw feeding. Have read the raw posts over and over again and feel very positive about it all at the moment, :thumbup:


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## SLB

It's been interesting reading. Well done - not many people can keep me interested for 20 pages! 

I'm getting my first bulk order this weekend!

Louie has been fed rabbit, lamb, beef and chicken over the past few months but dry the rest of the time. The past two weeks he has gotten bad at scratching and nibbling. 

Louie's first raw meal was a whole naked rabbit and it took him 45 minutes to eat it and he slept the whole night :thumbup: 

So 15.5kg of raw food is on it's way on Saturday - should last me a month, depending on whether I have the bitch or the other dog here - it's mainly for Louie but for £25 I can't grumble - especially as Louie and Benjie are to be fed 540g a day and Sadie just under 400g. I have had a look at raw2go and it looks a lot cheaper but the delivery price lets it down..


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## dvnbiker

yes the delivery charge is high but still costs me less getting raw from there than it does to feed complete kibble plus the quality is fantastic and Lesley is amazing


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## Ricarda

wow.. i have found BARF Pet Foods. their stuff is delicious and they have a HUGE variety of food and other bits and pieces. daddy still goes to t***o for my chicken wings, but BARF's chicken necks are awesome. :thumbup:


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## AskieAmerEskimo

What are the advantages of raw diet? Is it better than mixed diet?


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## dvnbiker

what do you mean by a mixed diet? 

There is no better diet, its what is better for your dog so to speak. Raw diet is better for my dogs and that is why they are fed on it.


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## decoratedlady08

Sleeping_Lion said:


> I've helped a few people switch over, and have switched a few dogs over myself, so have the practical experience. Good luck, they do well on it, both my girls have been raw fed since pups and they LOVE it!


can i give my pup 15 week old rottie raw chicken wings or do i have too be careful with the bones. 
I am in the process of considering a raw diet for my boys but not sure how much too feed them it all seems very confusing when you first read up on it. 
so far all i have tried is tripe, egg and yogurt and bones from the butchers that still had some meat on, but they all got runny tummys for a couple of days off them


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## Blondie

decoratedlady08 said:


> can i give my pup 15 week old rottie raw chicken wings or do i have too be careful with the bones.
> I am in the process of considering a raw diet for my boys but not sure how much too feed them it all seems very confusing when you first read up on it.
> so far all i have tried is tripe, egg and yogurt and bones from the butchers that still had some meat on, but they all got runny tummys for a couple of days off them


Be careful not to try too much in any one go hun. Just introduce something new every 5-7 days, no less. Stick to chicken wings and minced chicken if you can to start, and tripe too. For your dogs, I think 1 or 2 eggs per week is quite enough to be going on with if you wanna give them. The yoghurt is fine too, just mix a dollop in one meal a day - not the whole big pot, lol!

Chicken wings are fine for your pupster - heres a piccie I've posted before, you may not have seen it -










My pups are weaned straight onto raw minced chicken and slowly introduced to the others. they get wings to play with at approx 3 weeks of age and by 6-7-8 weeks of age are tucking in nicely and finishing the whole lot


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## Ricarda

BARF Pet Foods send to Northern Ireland, also Southern Ireland, Channel Islands and IOM, also to Highlands. Think the postage is higher but their stuff is good quality so worth it.


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## decoratedlady08

Ceearott said:


> Be careful not to try too much in any one go hun. Just introduce something new every 5-7 days, no less. Stick to chicken wings and minced chicken if you can to start, and tripe too. For your dogs, I think 1 or 2 eggs per week is quite enough to be going on with if you wanna give them. The yoghurt is fine too, just mix a dollop in one meal a day - not the whole big pot, lol!
> 
> Chicken wings are fine for your pupster - heres a piccie I've posted before, you may not have seen it -
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My pups are weaned straight onto raw minced chicken and slowly introduced to the others. they get wings to play with at approx 3 weeks of age and by 6-7-8 weeks of age are tucking in nicely and finishing the whole lot


Thanks. i already feed tripe always have, but they get kibble with it. i have tried them on pilchards and tuna as well which went down well but not so good at the other end  . with diesels health problems we decided too look into feeding raw as a lot of people on here have said it has helped with their dogs allergy problems, even though the vet was against even giving him bones... ?  and if we are feeding it too him we may as well see if it benefits the other 2 as well. 
is there any where i can find out the right portions for their sizes/weight. so i no if i am under/over feeding them?


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## smokeybear

This might help?

Quantities

For adults approximately 2 - 3% of their bodyweight per day. Calculate this by multiplying 2/3 by your dog's weight and dividing it by 100. 

Eg 2 x 30kg/100 = 600g, 3 x 30kg/100 = 900g. 

For puppies feed circa 10% of their present bodyweight or 2-3% of their projected adult weight per day.

However be guided by your hand and eye; if the dog is looking a little too ribby up the amount and reduce if the dog is looking a little too well padded! Dogs will vary on their requirements depending on age, sex, activity level, temperament and time of year etc.

Frequency

Adult dogs should be fed twice a day for the following reasons:

	To minimise the risk of Bloat/GDV 
	To avoid blood sugar fluctuations

Meats

Lamb, beef, chicken, turkey, rabbit, pork, venison, duck, hare, and/or anything you can get your hands on; some dogs regularly chow down on more exotic species.

Dogs require the correct calciumhosphorus ratio and so it is essential to feed raw meaty bones (RMBs) as well as muscle meat.

Offal such as hearts, lungs, kidneys, tripe, liver is also essential; some offal is muscle such as heart (like tongue).

Fish 

Oily fish such as pilchards, mackerel, sardines, etc provide a good source of Omega 3; if it is difficult to obtain fresh, then tinned makes a good substitute. Tuna may contain high levels of mercury and is a less valuable source of Omega 3.

Vegetables

Onions must not be fed to dogs in any form as they can cause haemolytic anaemia which can be fatal. Avocados contain persin which can produce problems in some animals.

All other vegetables may be fed however, for a dog to get any nutritional benefit from vegetables, they must either be pulped or frozen, otherwise they go out the way they went in and can only be used as source of fibre.

Oxalic acid can interfere with calcium absorption; so don't feed too much of Spinach or Chard.

Care should also be taken not to overfeed vegetables from the cruciferous family eg cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, kale, swedes, turnips and broccoli to dogs as this may inhibit thyroid function. 

Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and aubergines all belong to the nightshade family of plants. Dogs who have arthritis may be sensitive to these foods which may exacerbate their condition. It is doubtful if raw potato can be digested successfully in any case.

Garlic is a useful addition to the diet as it performs an antiseptic, antibiotic, antifungal function.

Fruit 

All except grapes (and raisins) which can cause kidney failure and death in even very small amounts. Bananas are an excellent source of pre-biotics essential for gut health.

Bear in mind fruit and/or vegetables should not make up more than 10% of diet and can have a laxative effect!

Vegetables and fruit provide many phytonutrients not available from animal sources some of which we as yet do not understand but some of which are thought to have health benefits such a carotenoids, lycopene, flavonoids, indoles, sulforaphanes, anthcyanins, sterols, elegiac acid and lignans

Kelp (seaweed) and alfalfa (lucerne) are examples of green supplements which provide a wide range of vitamins, minerals and neutraceuticals.

Dairy

No animal post weaning consumes milk bar humans however live yoghurt can be very useful for poorly stomachs because of its probiotic content provided that dogs are not intolerant to lactose (milk sugar) and casein (milk protein). As puppies leave their dams equipped with a full set of teeth bones are a more appropriate source of calcium.

Eggs can be given raw each day, the shells are good sources of calcium but only when powdered, otherwise they merely provide roughage. 

Grains/cereals 

There is no proven need for carbohydrates in the dogs diet and of course these need to be cooked before they can be successfully digested by the canine.

Books (in order of simplicity/accessibility)

	Switching to Raw by Sue Johnson
	Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schulze CCN
	Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs by Lew Olson PhD
	The Barf Diet by Ian Billingshurst B.V.Sc (Hons)
	Give your Dog a Bone by Ian Billingshurst B.V.Sc (Hons)
	Grow your pups with Bones by Ian Billingshurst B.V.Sc (Hons)
	Work Wonders by Tom Lonsdale (vet)
	Raw Meaty Bones by Tom Lonsdale (vet)

Websites - Britbarf, K9nutrition yahoo groups the first is UK the second is an excellent US site run by Lew Olson,


----------



## decoratedlady08

smokeybear said:


> This might help?
> 
> Quantities
> 
> For adults approximately 2 - 3% of their bodyweight per day. Calculate this by multiplying 2/3 by your dog's weight and dividing it by 100.
> 
> Eg 2 x 30kg/100 = 600g, 3 x 30kg/100 = 900g.
> 
> For puppies feed circa 10% of their present bodyweight or 2-3% of their projected adult weight per day.
> 
> However be guided by your hand and eye; if the dog is looking a little too ribby up the amount and reduce if the dog is looking a little too well padded! Dogs will vary on their requirements depending on age, sex, activity level, temperament and time of year etc.
> 
> Frequency
> 
> Adult dogs should be fed twice a day for the following reasons:
> 
> 	To minimise the risk of Bloat/GDV
> 	To avoid blood sugar fluctuations
> 
> Meats
> 
> Lamb, beef, chicken, turkey, rabbit, pork, venison, duck, hare, and/or anything you can get your hands on; some dogs regularly chow down on more exotic species.
> 
> Dogs require the correct calciumhosphorus ratio and so it is essential to feed raw meaty bones (RMBs) as well as muscle meat.
> 
> Offal such as hearts, lungs, kidneys, tripe, liver is also essential; some offal is muscle such as heart (like tongue).
> 
> Fish
> 
> Oily fish such as pilchards, mackerel, sardines, etc provide a good source of Omega 3; if it is difficult to obtain fresh, then tinned makes a good substitute. Tuna may contain high levels of mercury and is a less valuable source of Omega 3.
> 
> Vegetables
> 
> Onions must not be fed to dogs in any form as they can cause haemolytic anaemia which can be fatal. Avocados contain persin which can produce problems in some animals.
> 
> All other vegetables may be fed however, for a dog to get any nutritional benefit from vegetables, they must either be pulped or frozen, otherwise they go out the way they went in and can only be used as source of fibre.
> 
> Oxalic acid can interfere with calcium absorption; so don't feed too much of Spinach or Chard.
> 
> Care should also be taken not to overfeed vegetables from the cruciferous family eg cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, kale, swedes, turnips and broccoli to dogs as this may inhibit thyroid function.
> 
> Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and aubergines all belong to the nightshade family of plants. Dogs who have arthritis may be sensitive to these foods which may exacerbate their condition. It is doubtful if raw potato can be digested successfully in any case.
> 
> Garlic is a useful addition to the diet as it performs an antiseptic, antibiotic, antifungal function.
> 
> Fruit
> 
> All except grapes (and raisins) which can cause kidney failure and death in even very small amounts. Bananas are an excellent source of pre-biotics essential for gut health.
> 
> Bear in mind fruit and/or vegetables should not make up more than 10% of diet and can have a laxative effect!
> 
> Vegetables and fruit provide many phytonutrients not available from animal sources some of which we as yet do not understand but some of which are thought to have health benefits such a carotenoids, lycopene, flavonoids, indoles, sulforaphanes, anthcyanins, sterols, elegiac acid and lignans
> 
> Kelp (seaweed) and alfalfa (lucerne) are examples of green supplements which provide a wide range of vitamins, minerals and neutraceuticals.
> 
> Dairy
> 
> No animal post weaning consumes milk bar humans however live yoghurt can be very useful for poorly stomachs because of its probiotic content provided that dogs are not intolerant to lactose (milk sugar) and casein (milk protein). As puppies leave their dams equipped with a full set of teeth bones are a more appropriate source of calcium.
> 
> Eggs can be given raw each day, the shells are good sources of calcium but only when powdered, otherwise they merely provide roughage.
> 
> Grains/cereals
> 
> There is no proven need for carbohydrates in the dogs diet and of course these need to be cooked before they can be successfully digested by the canine.
> 
> Books (in order of simplicity/accessibility)
> 
> 	Switching to Raw by Sue Johnson
> 	Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schulze CCN
> 	Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs by Lew Olson PhD
> 	The Barf Diet by Ian Billingshurst B.V.Sc (Hons)
> 	Give your Dog a Bone by Ian Billingshurst B.V.Sc (Hons)
> 	Grow your pups with Bones by Ian Billingshurst B.V.Sc (Hons)
> 	Work Wonders by Tom Lonsdale (vet)
> 	Raw Meaty Bones by Tom Lonsdale (vet)
> 
> Websites - Britbarf, K9nutrition yahoo groups the first is UK the second is an excellent US site run by Lew Olson,


thank you so much for all that info, it was good of you.. i will be printing it off and keeping it handy till i can remember what is what. 
i have got chicken wings thawing ready for breakfast tomorrow will be fun too see how they get on. 
they always get tripe mixed in kibble for tea so i will keep with that for a while as i introduce other meats.


----------



## Iyanwell

That,s the best way to feed the dogs.
Thanks for shraing this typical post.


----------



## Oggy

I have started raw feeding the pup and he loves it. He has a mixture of minced chicken and a chicken back later in the day so he is used to it and different textures. When he was eating dry food he used to get a little hyperactive after eating but none of that happens with him eating raw. 

Thankfully he doesn't inhale food anything he eats takes a while as he breaks it up first slowly! 

It's cheaper than the dry food for him aswell as I picked up 3 chickens from the butcher and cut them up at home so have a few days of food before we look at other meats for him! 

As previously mentioned its helped his stools aswell as they are smaller and Defineately do not smell as bad as kibble stools!


----------



## nath01

Hi, I am trying to contact member Sazzle who posted in this tread about raw feed. We live on Tenerife as well and I am having a hard time to create a balanced meal with raw feed for the doggies. I would like to discuss this with this member. Also I am trying to get the complete frozen feed imported here if I can get a decent quote (takes a while to reach this little rock unfortunately).
Hope I get a response!!! Thanks for reading this post!!!


----------



## sazzle

nath01 said:


> Hi, I am trying to contact member Sazzle who posted in this tread about raw feed. We live on Tenerife as well and I am having a hard time to create a balanced meal with raw feed for the doggies. I would like to discuss this with this member. Also I am trying to get the complete frozen feed imported here if I can get a decent quote (takes a while to reach this little rock unfortunately).
> Hope I get a response!!! Thanks for reading this post!!!


Hi there, tis I Sazzle. How can I be of help to you?


----------



## Barkley Star

We have gone raw! (Well the dogs have, not me!) I decided not to wait until I had found a helpful butcher, since between Co-op, CK's and Raw To Go, it still turns out cheaper than kibble.

They were already used to eating tripe, chicken wings and clubs, tinned salmon and turkey, so week one was based on chicken and tripe. Seeing the satisfaction when they got a bit of carcass for the first time was great! The only new thing was the minces (meat, bone and offal) from Raw To Go, but that went down nicely. The minces give really nice poos so it's great as a stabilizer. They get mince 3 meals a week, for now.

Second week they got to try duck wings and lamb heart -- no problems there. Third week the tiniest bit of liver´, which they loved, and yesterday I tried venison mince for the first time. Leisa had no problem with it, but Soffi was a bit loose. I'm hoping that they take to it, because the minces are fairly cheap and I wanted to use it to introduce more variety.

Next up is liver and kidney, and possibly some fish. I think we got enough variety going for now, so no need to rush things. But I will try to get hold of some cheap brisket for the next step up.

I just had to tell some one who wouldn't think I'm completely bonkers...


----------



## cazypetfood

We have now been feeding our 4 German Shepherds on raw meat mixed with a mixer for over 4 years, the dogs love it and have really nice coats.

We also have had 3 litters over 3 years and feed them on a mix of raw meat and puppy mixer, they love it as well.


----------



## ronnypaston

When feeding your pet, basically take the food and side it to your pet. A bowl is not required unless you want one to put whole egg or body various meats or processed seafood in.


----------



## nath01

sazzle said:


> Hi there, tis I Sazzle. How can I be of help to you?


Hi Sazzle, Sorry only now just noticed yr response! I was curious to find out if you were feeding your dog(s) raw feed now or not? And if yes what you are feeding and where from? I am going mostly to 5Oceanos to buy meat and fish but it is not ideal as what we would be able to buy at home.
Not sure if I am allowed to put my email up here but since I can't send you a PM I just give it a shot. It is [email protected] I hope you can find the time to fill me in somewhat! Thanks !!!!!


----------



## edrei

Feeding your dogs with raw food is not a bad idea. If I were you, I would also consider feeding them with vegetables.


----------



## edrei

Feeding your dogs with raw food is not a bad idea. I have been feeding my dogs with raw foods and they really loved it. 

If I were you, I would also consider feeding them with vegetables. I have read that it is also nutritious to them so I am thinking of trying this out.


----------



## pogo

edrei said:


> Feeding your dogs with raw food is not a bad idea. I have been feeding my dogs with raw foods and they really loved it.
> 
> If I were you, I would also consider feeding them with vegetables. I have read that it is also nutritious to them so I am thinking of trying this out.


Dogs don't need or get very much from veg I have never fed the boys veg with their meals they are just fed prey model raw.


----------



## nath01

edrei said:


> Feeding your dogs with raw food is not a bad idea. I have been feeding my dogs with raw foods and they really loved it.
> 
> If I were you, I would also consider feeding them with vegetables. I have read that it is also nutritious to them so I am thinking of trying this out.


A raw diet should look something like:
50 % raw meaty bones 
10% pureed vegetables and fruits (NO onion, grapes)
15% organ meat
25% muscle meat (all meat is okay besides Pork)

The veggies have to be pureed to more or less simulate the contents of a stomach from a prey. If you give whole vegetables the dog will hardly be able to get anything from it. For cats you don't need to add the vegetables.

Look around on the WWW there is so much info out there but please make sure you feed a good variety.

Fish is also very good!!! Make sure salmon and fresh water fish has been at least frozen for 48hrs to kill certain bacteria before feeding.


----------



## DirtyGertie

nath01 said:


> A raw diet should look something like:
> 50 % raw meaty bones
> 10% pureed vegetables and fruits (NO onion, grapes)
> 15% organ meat
> *25% muscle meat (all meat is okay besides Pork)*
> 
> The veggies have to be pureed to more or less simulate the contents of a stomach from a prey. If you give whole vegetables the dog will hardly be able to get anything from it. For cats you don't need to add the vegetables.
> 
> Look around on the WWW there is so much info out there but please make sure you feed a good variety.
> 
> Fish is also very good!!! Make sure salmon and fresh water fish has been at least frozen for 48hrs to kill certain bacteria before feeding.


What's the problem with pork?


----------



## Goblin

nath01 said:


> A raw diet should look something like:
> 50 % raw meaty bones
> 10% pureed vegetables and fruits (NO onion, grapes)
> 15% organ meat
> 25% muscle meat (all meat is okay besides Pork)


Or it can be 80% muscle/10% bone/ 5% organs /5% liver and no vegetables other than potentially table scraps. Dogs are carnivores. There is no problem with feeding pork.

Even wolves do not eat the contents of the stomach in prey unless it's a small animal. Myths About Raw: Do wolves eat stomach contents of prey?.



> Look around on the WWW there is so much info out there but please make sure you feed a good variety.


There is a lot on the web but you need to make sure you read widely from many different sources to be able to make informed decisions.



> Fish is also very good!!! Make sure salmon and fresh water fish has been at least frozen for 48hrs to kill certain bacteria before feeding.


Freezing does not kill bacteria. Freezing can be used to kill parasites. Minor but important difference. Length of time required is dependent on temperature of the freezer and parasite in question.


----------



## whitefire

as a guide to the raw / prey model i feed i use the 80/10/10 ratios with no fruit or veg. when my boy was on orijen he would beg for fruit and i would feed veg in his kong but since being on raw he doesn't ask for fruit or veg. i can also eat dinner and have his head on my lap and he doesn't even bat an eyelid (but that might just be him - don't try this at home kids :001_tt2: )

my variety has included

lamb any part
pork any part
fatty fish (frozen for more than 2 weeks). herring, trout and mackerel (whole and never from a tin)
ox cheek
chicken any part including carcass, gizzards, liver, necks, feet
Guiana fowl
pousson 
quail
whole rabbit fur and all (caught wild by his sire - frozen for about 3 weeks) 
goat
liver
kidney
testicles
lungs and trachea
spleen
brains
tripe
beef (but never weight bearing bones)

i think that's all I've given so far :thumbup1:

p.s - certain items we see as organs are actually meat such as hearts and lungs


----------



## Sarahferret

DirtyGertie said:


> What's the problem with pork?


I asked my vet this the other day. He says a lot of pigs are raised using a lot of chemicals, and some dogs can react badly to those chemicals. Organic pork is fine for any dog.

My dog has never reacted to pork, and I feed a lot of it.


----------



## DirtyGertie

Sarahferret said:


> I asked my vet this the other day. He says a lot of pigs are raised using a lot of chemicals, and some dogs can react badly to those chemicals. Organic pork is fine for any dog.
> 
> My dog has never reacted to pork, and I feed a lot of it.


Thanks Sarah. Poppy does get pork and I've just arranged with a lady who has a small free range pig farm to have some stuff off her next week. I just wanted to know why Nath01 was saying all meat except pork, what his reason was, as I know there are a few on here who feed pork .


----------



## pogo

DirtyGertie said:


> Thanks Sarah. Poppy does get pork and I've just arranged with a lady who has a small free range pig farm to have some stuff off her next week. I just wanted to know why Nath01 was saying all meat except pork, what his reason was, as I know there are a few on here who feed pork .


Theres nothing wrong with pork if you know where it comes from, I feed alot of pork as it's so cheap!


----------



## pogo

nath01 said:


> A raw diet should look something like:
> 50 % raw meaty bones
> 10% pureed vegetables and fruits (NO onion, grapes)
> 15% organ meat
> 25% muscle meat (all meat is okay besides Pork)
> 
> The veggies have to be pureed to more or less simulate the contents of a stomach from a prey. If you give whole vegetables the dog will hardly be able to get anything from it. *For cats you don't need to add the vegetables.*
> 
> Look around on the WWW there is so much info out there but please make sure you feed a good variety.
> 
> Fish is also very good!!! Make sure salmon and fresh water fish has been at least frozen for 48hrs to kill certain bacteria before feeding.


For dogs you don't need to add the veggies!

The ratio should be 80:10:10 and then IF you want to add veggies then you add them in on top of that.

I've never once given them veg, neither will eat it anyway and i don't believe they need them.

Also pork is fine


----------



## whitefire

nath01 said:


> A raw diet should look something like:
> 50 % raw meaty bones
> 10% pureed vegetables and fruits (NO onion, grapes)
> 15% organ meat
> 25% muscle meat (all meat is okay besides Pork)
> 
> The veggies have to be pureed to more or less simulate the contents of a stomach from a prey. If you give whole vegetables the dog will hardly be able to get anything from it. For cats you don't need to add the vegetables.
> 
> Look around on the WWW there is so much info out there but please make sure you feed a good variety.
> 
> Fish is also very good!!! Make sure salmon and fresh water fish has been at least frozen for 48hrs to kill certain bacteria before feeding.


to me this sounds more like a BARF diet which is very different from RAW/prey model which emphasises more meat than bones.


----------



## cattyfr

Hi! I wanted to ask you about your opinion concerning dry and canned food. In many reviews (Pet Food Reviews @ Pissed Consumer) I've read pet owners say they are pretty satisfied to feed their dogs with packed food. But I heard that this is not a healthy choice.. What would you say?


----------



## changealex

This one gives you a detailed breakdown of the amounts of raw food per day/week (in ounces and lbs) you pup needs by weight.

Also, it will provide you with the nutrient profiles your pup needs on a daily basis.

The second page gives gives you typical raw foods and their nutritional value. You can customize this page for your own dog using the USDA Nutrition Calculator or nutritiondata.com.

This spreadsheet will help you design a raw diet, that meets your pups nutritional needs


----------



## Coopster75

Hi
I have loved reading this thread and learning new things with it all.
I am planning on switching my dog to the barf raw food diet. I have been introducing him with little bits already and all seems to be ok and he really enjoys his raw meat so far. I am changing his diet as he has always had dry flaky skin and just lately its getting worse. I have tried him on the grain free kibble etc. but still hasnt made a difference so the raw diet has been recommended for me to try. I have a few questions though.

1.	He weighs 43 kilos but should be 38 or around that  the vet says 35 but I think he will look emaciated (he is half rottie) he doesnt look fat now. So based on the 2% for an overweight dog that is 860 grams a day. I have read a lot of people feed twice a day but my dog has always been fed once a day on an evening whilst I am near him as he is eating and after he has eaten. So am I ok to continue to feed once a day on the new diet? 
2.	I am wanting to add some veg - Is it ok to have 100 grams of the meal for veg or does it need to be in addition to the 860 grams if I am wanting to add it? I know some people dont think veg is needed at all.
3.	The chicken wings  in the past he has been fine eating the odd raw beef bone we have bought as a treat. With chicken bones I have read they are ok to feed as long as they are raw as they are more flexible and softer to chew and he makes easy work of the beef bones he has had. Having said that I have family that have still warned me against giving chicken bones to him. Based on a little bit of fear that I cant shake off no matter how many times I read that its ok - is it ok to feed the 100 grams of chicken wings blended up or bashed with a hammer?

Based on the questions above I was thinking of the below as his meal plans to start off with. I have been thinking about this new diet 24/7 for a while and would appreciate any advice before I start  I have an order from DAF coming tomorrow.

Meal plan for a week  I have kept it mainly chicken based to start with and the veg will be various with some apple. All in grams.

660 of minced chicken
100 chicken wings
100 veg
Dash of salmon oil

660 of minced chicken & tripe
100 chicken wings
100 veg
Dash of salmon oil

660 of minced chicken
100 chicken wings
100 veg

660 of minced chicken
100 chicken wings
100 veg
1 egg

660 of minced chicken & liver
100 chicken wings
100 veg

660 of minced chicken
100 minced heart
100 veg
Dash of salmon oil

660 of minced chicken and tripe
100 chicken wings
100 veg
Dash of salmon oil


----------



## Tim9874

My cousin's dog is having a bit of problem in his leg but he is eating fine....today we gave him boiled chicken breast and sautéed veggies and stock and he loved his meal.


----------



## Shaunny

Hey your diary is amazing and really interesting for someone new to it like me. Just a quick question though. If you order from rawtogo say and it come is in 454g packs, how do you portion it all up if it's frozen? Might just be me being thick but it doesn't look loose from them just a solid block


----------



## DirtyGertie

Shaunny said:


> Hey your diary is amazing and really interesting for someone new to it like me. Just a quick question though. If you order from rawtogo say and it come is in 454g packs, how do you portion it all up if it's frozen? Might just be me being thick but it doesn't look loose from them just a solid block


Partially defrost it, portion as necessary into freezer bags or tubs, put back in the freezer. Wont harm the food nor the dog, it's fine to refreeze raw dog food (unlike food for humans).

My dog's meals are only 75g each so I have to do a lot of portioning!


----------



## Shaunny

Thank you. I did hear that but I was unsure if it was ok to do


----------



## kipling2536

Our 2 adopted doggies have been transitioned onto frozen ready prepped raw food 'Natural Source'. Poop is less and drier.
Both were really excited with the food at first - one still is but he is a gannet and would probs eat anything  - the other has become a bit sniffy with his dins. He's really slow to eat or doesn't eat it until the other has finished and comes to eat his dinner, then he growls and has a bit. He dithers about, having a bit and walking away.

Perhaps it's just a matter of not liking the flavour - this morning he tool a litte lick then left it. I (naughtily) popped a teeny bit on the floor and he ate it. He seems to like small lumps of food rather than the mush texture of the raw.

Shall I just remove it and try again later? I am defrosting a diff flavour for tonigh to try.

Thank you, Amanda


----------



## rottiepointerhouse

kipling2536 said:


> Our 2 adopted doggies have been transitioned onto frozen ready prepped raw food 'Natural Source'. Poop is less and drier.
> Both were really excited with the food at first - one still is but he is a gannet and would probs eat anything  - the other has become a bit sniffy with his dins. He's really slow to eat or doesn't eat it until the other has finished and comes to eat his dinner, then he growls and has a bit. He dithers about, having a bit and walking away.
> 
> Perhaps it's just a matter of not liking the flavour - this morning he tool a litte lick then left it. I (naughtily) popped a teeny bit on the floor and he ate it. He seems to like small lumps of food rather than the mush texture of the raw.
> 
> Shall I just remove it and try again later? I am defrosting a diff flavour for tonigh to try.
> 
> Thank you, Amanda


Sorry only just seen this. Some dogs don't like the texture of the pre prepared minces - which one are you using? I either add a little bit of a mixer (OK not strictly raw but rather use that than kibble) or go for a coarser mince of a mixture of mince and chunks. My greedy rottie will eat anything but my pointers can be fussy and like yours they started out eating the minces OK but quickly went off them until I added other things for texture.


----------



## SoopaPets

Hi Guys, 


My name is Claire and I work for Soopa Pets. You can remove this post if not allowed, but we are big into healthy eating for dogs! We make a range of natural dog treats and we are creating an awesome new product for people who feed raw food diets. We are looking for some volunteers to try out the new product free of charge. If you are interested, please email claire at soopapets dot com.


all the best,

Claire


----------



## Baldyegghead

Yesterday was day one. Gave them chicken breasts and Turkey escalopes in 2 meals, slightly less than they should be on as it was the first day. They loved it. No problems with tummies.

Today tried chicken legs. Both coped well with crunching the bones but I was a bit concerned with the speed the lab wolfed it down. Perhaps these would be better to give him frozen to slow him up?

Tomorrow for breakfast will give pork mince. Is it too soon to be adding a bit of organs?


----------



## niamh123

Start with tiny amounts of offal and work up to 10%,my pup is 27 weeks and can eat a chicken leg in about 45 seconds so your lab should be fine


----------



## Guest

This is great to hear....Congrats on taking the move over to raw. I absolutely love the initial look a dog gives you when first transitioning to raw "WHAT IS THIS!?" sometimes it's the texture or other times it's not this mushed up messed or hard kibble they are used to, but they always end up loving it.


----------



## pattyslay

they usually enjoy boiled meats


----------



## Amalia Stamatelatos

Sleeping_Lion said:


> I've helped a few people switch over, and have switched a few dogs over myself, so have the practical experience. Good luck, they do well on it, both my girls have been raw fed since pups and they LOVE it!


Hi....I am new to this raw food and my Hope an american bully/pit has just beed diagnosed with cancer. Looking to switch over to raw...total beginner and Hope is a picky eater.


----------



## Bentley's Dad

The unfortunate fact is all the nasty crap found in commercial dog food, especially kibble, can actually cause cancer.
Probably why over 70% of dogs get cancer. Many at a young age too.
Read the beginning of the feeding raw thread for everything you need to know to feed a raw/prey diet.


----------



## Brooklyn Bella

What an 
adorable idea: 

That's a very good idea ... stop me from chewing my finger ... she s a staffie so her jaws are pretty solid ... felt a little bad when 
she caught me I obviously went ow very loudly and then maybe we had a minute when she was afraid to chew the chicken again ... I obviously scared her.


----------



## Brooklyn Bella

The sad fact is that all the nasty stuff that can 
potentially cause cancer is found in commercial dog food, particularly kibble. 

That's also why over 
70% of dogs develop tumors. 
Also, many at 
a young age. 

For everything that you need to know to eat a raw 
/ prey diet, read the start of the eating raw thread.
That's a 
brilliant idea ... 
Stop me from having 
my finger chewed ... 
She's an executive, so her 
jaws are pretty heavy ... 
It felt a bit 
bad when it came to 

I clearly went ow really loudly, she caught me and then maybe we 
had a minute when she was terrified to chew the chicken again ... 
Obviously, I 
intimidated her.


----------



## Thunder666

LexiLou2 said:


> Well today is day one of operation feed Lexi a raw diet. I thought it might be nice to do a two week diary, so anyone else nervous to take that step can follow a beginner.
> 
> Lexi gets fed twice a day, her main bigger meal of 200g of meat in a morning and about 110g of meat for her tea.
> 
> We started raw feeding with her tea today.
> 
> For her tea she has just had her first chicken drumstick....she was a bit confused to begin with, licked it for a good five minutes, had a nibble took the skin off, then tried to swallow the thing whole!!!!! :blink: anyway due to pre-warning i was keeping a very close eye on her, so grabbed the other end and held it so she had to chew and break the bone up. Except for a very small incident where she chewed my finger (OW!!!!) instead of the chicken leg it went very well and she seemed to enjoy it....
> Chicken mince for breakfast tomorrow.


It is really interesting to hear about Lexi as I am planning to start Thunder on a barf diet, interesting to know about others starting and what they are eating.


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## Dan92

I am interested to cook home made food for my dogs as I spend way to much on good quality dog food.
I was recommended this e-book for the recipes cutt.ly/rbEQUzR
Anybody tried it or has any experiences to share with me before I get started?


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## Yvonne_Liu

It is a nice try! I tended to feed raw diary for my dog. But he had trouble with diarrhea. I had to stop feeding raw. I am wondering if it is something wrong and should I have a try to feed raw for him. And He also have a new problem that he would not like to eat vegetable.


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