Raw learning

Ok so I am not a great writer lol  some of the information listed below has been put together from different sources we have found over the internet. Although it seems confusing to start I promise hang in there and you will find that not only is this easy to do, your dogs will love you for it and so will your pocket!

We started feeding raw January of 2011. Never looking back we are super excited about feeding raw and the benefits our dogs have encountered. We are more than willing to try and help anyone that is interested in feeding raw just drop us an email sntkennel@gmail.com

I honestly feel I have grown to know my dogs more so than I ever have in the past. From what their normal poop looks like to how much food exactly my dogs need to maintain their weight. Yes the one thing you will become is a poop expert lol. Remember bone = harder stool, and meat and organs will be softer stools. It is up to you to balance this out for them. In the beginning you will feed a little more bone than you normally would in order for your dog to adjust. It may take a few days to a few months before your dog becomes accustomed to his/her new diet. Be patient and don't worry so much if they get a little diarrhea it isn't the end of the world they are just getting used to real food. :0)

Benefits we have seen by feeding raw to our dogs - clean teeth we never need a dental, calming temperament, great eaters we never refuse a meal, gorgeous skin and coats, less or no vet visits accidents only, always smell great we dont get baths very often, eyes are clear, always alert ready and willing to give you a ton of expression for teh show ring, less expensive than high quality kibble food and WAY LESS POOP yes I said it lol

I will give you a few examples below of what we have fed to our dogs and what has worked for us. from simple to complicated you can design your feeding program any way you want just remember 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver and 5% other organs. I do not live by this rule but to get an idea this is what should be in your head to start :0) A good rule to average how much to feed is based on 2 to 3% of the dogs adult weight this will also be determined on active level and age but you can always watch your dog to see if he/she is gaining or losing and feed accordingly nothing is set in stone. Another thing to remember is a raw diet is balance over time so for instance if you are feeding a dog 1# one day he/she can eat .75# one day the next 1.25# and so on. Same with meat, organs and bone this does not have to all be in the same day just over time.

We have since started feeding Blue Ridge Beef with only a few days a week being Prey Model Raw. Not only is this a lot easier to feed but it is very economical and seems to be doing very well for our dogs :0) Please visit Blue Ridge Beef  to see if they have a dealer in your area :0)

*the most common mistake I found people making (and yes I have thought the same when I started) is giving fat to gain weight for me this simply is not the way to go as too much fat causes diarrhea however, a dog does need quality animal fat for numerous reasons including skin and coat. So in my findings to gain weight simply feed more. I have heard that pork is a fatty meat so I do feed pork to my guys that need to gain weight but not as a main food source.

NEVER COOK BONES!!!!

The most common question I get is "Do you really feed your dogs bones?" YES I do and I have done so for a whole year without 1 incident as well as know of many people that have fed raw bones for over 10 to 20 years :0).  Bones (before being cooked) are pliable and are very easy to munch on as well as get down easily. Use common sense when feeding bones I find that poultry or rabbit bones are the easiest. You can feed other bones ribs, necks etc but it they look sharp because they were cut by a machine (pork chops, steak etc) don't feed them or know how your dog eats and handles them. Always feed bones with meat on them and the whole piece (when first starting raw) must be at least the size of the dogs head itself. In other words I would not feed chicken necks to a great dane nor would I feed single rib bones to a AmStaff. I would feed a whole chicken or a rack of ribs.

Here is our current diet with Blue Ridge Beef

Monday - Breeders Choice Beef

Tuesday- Quail

Wednesday - Tripe / Eggs

Thursday - Turkey necks

Friday - Natural mix / Chicken feet

Saturday - Tripe / Chicken Quarters

Sunday - Duck

A good beginners diet will consist of a few simple proteins. Chicken, Turkey, Pork and Beef normally you can get these fairly cheap at any butcher or grocery store. I do not feed veggies because they go right through my dogs undigested and I also feel my dogs are carnivores they do not need veggies. You do what you feel comfortable with that is the great thing about this diet :0). I also do not supplement other than the occasional quality fish oil or if my dog is in need of a specific supplement due to health. When starting I would prefer to pick a poultry chicken or turkey as you will need to go slowly only adding a new protein after they are accustomed to the first one. This can take a few days to a few weeks to introduce new proteins. Go slow and remember balance over time.

Here are a few proteins I feed hopefully this will give you a good idea on what to look for just remember if it runs, walks, breathes, swims and flies can feed it :0) I prefer to give as many proteins as I am able to get a hold of but that is a personal choice. Also try to feed as many parts of the certain protein as possible meaning heart one day, tongue the next, ribs the next and so on.

All parts (tongue, neck, shoulder, heart, liver, kidney, lung, tail, ground, pizzle, ribs, etc etc)
the only thing I don't recommend on large ungulates is weight bearing bones which can break teeth.

Pork - Beef - Lamb - Goat - Turkey - Chicken - Pheasant - Rabbit - Quail - Buffalo - Elk - Ostrich - Fish - Duck - Veal - Gator - Kangaroo - Venison - Cornish Hen - the list goes on and on but you get the idea :0)

I like to feed poultry for my bone in meals my dogs personally enjoy eating them versus eating ribs etc. They do however enjoy the pork shoulder bone as a meal on a fast day but they love poultry the most.

There are a few premade diets out there some include veggies some do not but I find they are very costly and there is nothing better than to watch your dog eat the way it would in the wild (whole not ground) and remember it's not just bones that clean the teeth chunk meat is great for teeth :0)

Below I have compiled a list of wonderful websites, yahoo groups, facebook places and different information about the raw canine. I will be adding more very soon......

On March 21, 2012 my boy Rain was diagnosed with Lymphoma after panicking and crying all night I came to the conclusion that we will do as much research as we can to try and fight this horrible cancer. To view his story click here. In searching different aspects of diet and supplement I came across this link I hope it helps you as I have found it to be a very useful tool in planning a diet.

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