• If you're a past member of the board, but can't recall your password any more, you don't need to set up a new account (unless you wish to). As long as you recall your old login name, you can log in with that user name then select 'forgot password' and the board will email you at your registration email, to let you reset your password.

Anyone feed a raw diet?

Erin2854

Well-known member
I gave my VERY picky and finicky 10 month old girl a raw nugget of the Nature's Variety raw medallions and I was shocked that she actually ate it up and seemed to enjoy it. She generally has a very sensitive tummy and Im always trying to go through what works best for her. I work at a pet supply store that focus's on organic/holistic foods so I am lucky to have alot of opportunities to try new things. Anyone here feeding a raw diet? Or raw diet in the a.m. and kibble in the p.m.? Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Hi Erin

Started to feed a raw diet a few months ago. My two still have kibble in the morning (Burns) and then for the main meal have a variety of meats,
Chicken wings, green tripe, lamb ribs, red meat and kidney, rabbit, liver, hearts. The only reason I am continuing with the kibble is in case they have to be looked after by someone else who might object to feeding raw.

So far it is working realy well and I am delighted with the results, anal glands have not needed to be emptied, teeth much cleaner, poo much smaller, does not smell.

There are some realy good books to read, let me know if you want the titles.

Nanette
 
I feed my two girls on Natures Choice meats that are frozen in blocks - ie: chicken, lamb, rabbit, tripe + plus I get the nuggets of meat and veg sometimes for a change. My dogs absolutely love it and I know I am feeding fresh meat to them which would be part of their natural diet, rather than something highly processed.

I give them 1.5 oz to 1.75 oz meat + 1oz of chum mixer or similar twice a day + plus raw veg as titbits. This keeps them trim and healthy.

Hope this helps.
 
my girls are fed raw food, starting when the got them.
they are all good eaters, never have tummy aches or upsets.
and like to see, and smell what i actually feed them.

it works well with us.
 
My boys have been fed raw their entire lives (at the breeder's and since I got them at 12 weeks) and they are doing great.

They are fed The Honest Kitchen "Preference" line (all vegetarian) in the morning with a bit of cottage cheese, pumpkin, oils and grains, and at night they are only fed raw meat with the bones - chicken, lamb, beef, pheasant, rabbit, turkey...although right now they're eating Nature's Variety medallions (venison, bison and lamb formulas) - I like to switch it up sometimes.

When they are watched while we're on vacation they are fed either The Honest Kitchen (one of the varieties that includes meat) or kibble/canned food - they'll eat anything and they don't seem to be bothered when they're occasionally fed kibble or canned food. They also get tripe and fish sometimes, and raw veggies as treats.

Their coat, teeth and skin are all healthy, they are at good weights, have lots of energy, and their poops are always firm. Raw seems to work very well for us :)
 
We have recently started feeding raw after a lot of research. We've previously had various problems with colitis, allergies, etc and so far, so good. As mentioned above - small, firm poo, no bouts of colitis and Kizzy is much more puppy-like. There are risks associated with raw feeding, which you need to be aware of - but there are lots of good books available and plenty of information on the internet. Also, the dogs LOVE their food (not that they didn't before, they will pretty much eat anything!), but this is like a whole new level of loving food! Good luck with whatever you decide to do :)
 
Molly has been on a Raw Food Diet for over a year now. We had a serious
problem with her weight, diet commercial foods made her miserable as it was not giving her enough. We now feed her under the direction of a Holistic Vet, Ground Vegetables and fruit with either chopped up chicken wings, sardines, egg and various other things. We also give her supplements to ensure she has everything she needs. Molly has 2 meals a day and a snack at lunchtime plus natural treats. The chicken and meat are local and the vegetables are organic or we try and grow them ourselves. Molly was almost 12kgms and now weighs 10.5kgms. She is a very happy and contented girlie :)
 
Both of mine eat Primal and have been on this for about 2 years now. They do great on it! And they love it. I had constant tummy issues with Jake and since starting raw...no more problems.....firm, little, less smelly poops :fool:
 
I gave my VERY picky and finicky 10 month old girl a raw nugget of the Nature's Variety raw medallions and I was shocked that she actually ate it up and seemed to enjoy it. ...... Anyone here feeding a raw diet? Or raw diet in the a.m. and kibble in the p.m.? Thanks!

I feed raw. Sophie's breeder did and told me about it. I had never heard of raw food diets before (always kibble) but was open to a new concept. I buy the frozen pre-mixed kind (Nature's Variety would be in that category) from local vendors. Sophie loves it. In a pinch, I give her regular ground beef.

Most raw advocates suggest if you also feed kibble, to do that in the morning as it is a little harder to digest. I guess they worry about it sitting in the dog's stomach all night, but I always fed kibble 1x/day to our last dog at night and had no problems.

We had Sophie on Orijen kibble for a while, but I think a lot of her itching & scratching may have been food allergies, or grass. We'll know when summer comes around. For now, I am feeding her Oma's Pride because it has the least number of other ingredients. That reduces her chance of allergic reaction to berries, herbs, & such. There's none of that in Oma's. http://www.omaspride.com/

There is a lot of good information on the internet about raw feeding.
 
I've done raw at various times -- didn't notice much difference either way (and have noticed blood in poops after eating raw meaty bones, as I always pick up poops immediately on walks and worry about it -- doubt that is a sign of a wholly beneficial diet...) but think if you have a dog with sensitivities it can be well worth looking into. I think premade nutritionally balanced raw diets are the best option but there are extra responsibilities that come with feeding such a diet -- dogs will pass salmonella through their systen into their poops and it is extra important to *clean up after your dog every time* so poops are never in a public place and are hygienically disposed of. EG scoop all poops right away at home or in public.

Th other angle is that raw bones can definitely be a risk regardless of what the raw food advocates may say so feed with caution. And be careful of internet information -- in my opinion about 2o% of it is useful and accurate and the rest nonsense or confused. That is speaking as someone who was very interested in raw diets.

If a commercial raw, ground bone diet was available here in Ireland I would certainly feed it as an option, however. :) Most dogs prefer a raw or homecooked diet any day over commercial kibbles (which is a pretty bland option -- like eating fortified cornflakes every day!).
 
I don't give our dog raw bones at all. There is the mess involved, and I don't want the risk of a splinter passing thru the digestive tract. The raw pre-mix that we use has some ground bone. I add a little bit of finely ground egg shell (cleaned & baked to sterilize) once or twice a week for calcium. Human grade calcium carbonate or citrate can be added at a rate of 900mg per lb. of raw food, too. That's all I know, but seems sufficient. The dogs do need their calcium, just like humans do.

Actually, I gave Sophie a beef short rib (don't know if you have these in the UK and Ireland) and she looked at it as if it were a foreign object. She kept looking at me, as if to say, "what do I do with THIS?" I finally picked it up and never tried it again.
 
Actually, I gave Sophie a beef short rib (don't know if you have these in the UK and Ireland) and she looked at it as if it were a foreign object. She kept looking at me, as if to say, "what do I do with THIS?" I finally picked it up and never tried it again.

That's the same reaction my 2 had when they were fed kibble! :lol: I ran out of the raw and gave them kibble in a pinch, and they were like "how do I eat this weird stuff?" They also have trouble eating human food that falls to the floor, like chips - they can chew through a raw bone with no problem, but have no clue how to eat a pretzel or chip if it falls to the floor! They try to eat it, then spit it out after a while...I guess it all depends on what they're used to!
 
I think choosing a food is a really hard desision to make at the best of times. There are soooo many types out there and it would be very confusing for a novice owner- I know I was.

Ive been feeding the same thing for around a month - two months now and am really happy with the results.
I buy Burns Dry kibbble, prime choice frozen raw meat (lamb, tripe, chicken) and Natures Choice frozen veg/fruit nuggets.

Charlie has the meat added to his kibble (around 50/50) and feeds twice a day.
Ruby has 20/20 meat/veg and 60% kibble. Twice daily. I have lowered the amount of kibble she has and she has lost a bit of weight since being on that PLUS she has never been more excited about meal times.

Charlie is slowly putting weight on and Ruby is slowly loosing it- so All in All very sucessful. They both get the best of both and neither one is loosing out.
Couldnt be happier- well apart from the smell of tripe in the fridge of course!!!!:grnyuk:
 
I have seriously looked at feeding raw, but due to some of the risks involved I have decided to go with a little bit of top quality kibble and cooked meats/veggies and fruits. It works for us quite well
 
i am careful with bones. felix got a lot of bones where he was before he came to me, and his teeth were very worn down. also i fear the condition, which in german is called 'bone stool', (i don't know the english term), where the stool is all white and very hard, sometimes so hard the dog can't pass is and must be operated.
the girls get ribs form young animals, which they eat in no time at all, og 'soft' bones like breatsbones of veal, lab's necks or tails of veal.
sometimes the occasional chicken carcass, without the legs. only i think chicken is rather inferior food, from a nutrition point of view. at least in dk most chickens live in big farms, never coming outside, never seing the sun, and being fed to become as big as possible in the shortest possible time. i am not sure, that there is a lot of nutritional value in them.

the theory that eating bones keeps dogs' teeth clean and healthy is just that. a theory. bella and sienna need to have their teeth brushed regularly, bones or no bones.

to make sure they get sufficient calcium, also to neutralize the phosphor in their meat i add a clacium supplement ot their daily food.
 
"I cook meat, because in my opinion dogs are not natural hunters, but natural human waste eaters. And humans who cook have have cooked leftovers, which makes cooked food the ancestral diet for dogs."

Just an interesting quote from canine behaviourist Silvia Jay, who also has a nutritional background and used to own and run a dog food service.
 
I feed half & Half to keep Sparky at the right weight - he has fish4dogs kibble in the morning with a spoonfull of raw mixed veg then in the evening he has either 1/2 tin of sardines or 1/2 a chicken wing or turkey/beef/lamb mince all with a tablespoon of raw mixed veg.

I prefer to give raw meat as theres none of the nasty additives of dog meat & I know what they're getting.
 
I only ever feed mine on both cooked and raw veg and 98% raw meat and loves the occasional piece of fruit. I have no weight or allergies problems and she has a wonderful shiny coat, and NO doggy smell.

My last dog passed away when she was almost 13 and the vet was very impressed with her teeth and gums, even up to her last days.

So I would feel that it maybe the best way to go....
 
Back
Top