raw feeders in here please!!

[doberdelight]

hello people.

I need help. I have read and re-read all the topics on BARF but i am still at a loss.

Please could someone tell me what i would need to feed Cayden raw for 2 weeks as a trial. I am unsure on what i need to order.

He is 18 months and very energetic and could do with gaining some weight.

Any help will be much appreciated.

thanks in advance

[deathmetal]

You shouldn't do BARF as a trial, you should introduce new food slowly so you don't shock the system. For instance, for treats I give chicken quarters and turkey necks. You could give Cayden a treat and see if he likes it.

[gunslinger2006]

This is how mine are fed,

rawfeddogs.net/

The hardest part is finding a supplier of meat and bone that's not grocery store packaged.
Mine get muscle meat, bone, connective tissue, organ meats, fish and egg.
I suggest you start Cayden on meaty bones like beef ribs so that he learns how to chew and not just swallow. Some dogs are so use to kibble that they just swallow mouthfuls without chewing. This usually only takes a day or two then they get the idea. Cottage cheese and plain yogart is also on Jewel & Jax's diet.
As far as changing their diet, I just switched Jewel one day and never looked back. She had the trots for one day then everything went back to normal. She has been on raw for around eight months now, Jax has been on it since I got him.
I have pics in other threads on here of them. How do they look to you?

[dreamvalley]

Take it easy and don't read too much Feed him chicken for the first week and add other meat sources slowly.
Do you have a freezer? You need one + a lot of zip bags and labels.
Start buying chicken meat on sales and pack it. Gino eats approx. 2lbs a day. Some dogs are OK with 1 1/2lbs but others need 2 1/2". Go by average 2lbs a day and watch him. If his weight is OK you are on the right track.

Start with chicken backs. They are safest. It should not be any spices on meat.
Add chicken heart, liver, other organs. It should not be more than 10% of his daily portion.

Then add chicken necks, feet and heads (my dogs are dying for!)
If it works fine you may add legs and wings but watch if he is not gulper.

While Cayden is enjoing chicken find another source of protein on the market.
Beef, pork, duck, bison... whatever is on sale. Males are picky. Cayden may refuse to eat some meats.
Fish is a great food but my dogs don't want to eat it.

You may send me email if you have more questions.
Cayden may be not eager to eat at the beginning. Give him time. Gino likes to perform "prey dance" before he eats RMB I love to watch it.

I feed them ground meat mostly. It's easier for me... no time to watch if they chew properly... but it's not the best option. Chewing bones clean their teeth and make jaws stronger.

[doberdelight]

thanks everyone. it starts today

lisa i have sent you an email!

[Shadowlands]

In regards to using fish, sometimes it is best to get a whole fish like mackerel and serve it frozen. I have found they like it better that way. It is messy, but either in kitchen, crate or outside are good places they can make a bit of a mess.

[doberdelight]

thanks sandy. Fish will be an interesting one. None of them will eat fish based kibble, tuna or salmon or sardines.

Here is a pic from dinner tonight.


CASS

[HEXE- TINA]

You told Cass that is food and no pillow LOL

[luvbirds]

I've been raw feeding for 4.5 years now, I'd never feed kibble again. I try and get as many different kinds of meats that I can find, freeze in small portions and then rotate them. One meat I feed every day is Heart. After my Petey was diagnosed with DCM, I was told that the taurine in the heart meat was really good for them. I feed that in the morning with organ meat. I also feed eggs a couple of times a week. Monty is a very slow careful eater, Petey was a two chomp gulp it down kind of guy. Feeding two was a bit of work, now with only one again...it's so easy.

[gemmasmomma]

There are many Yahoo groups for Raw feeding in just about every area in the USA and abroad...
If you are looking for one, you need only go to Yahoo groups and type in "Raw Feeding for dogs" or Prey model feeding, or Canine Carnivores and such....

rawlearning.com is probably the most straight forward website and it has links galore....
also
Prey Model feeding is probably the most valuable 'Google search' you can do to learn about how to raw feed in a really balanced way.
I love the screen shot of shadow's "Dinner bowl".... some raw veggies and a chicken leg and thigh... with some apple and some orange...
Mine eat watermelon like its filet mignon and Gemma loves raw apples with the peels off...
I do suppliment with a kibble: Orijen, because I board my dogs and they wont raw feed them when I board.... so they eat some kibble and they also eat Raw.. I have been feeding raw and a combination of both since 1990 with my first Neapolitan mastiff's...
I also start with Chicken as its easy to do.. I use chicken necks or backs and also chicken wings... I also feed organ meat, but usually just liver and heart and I flash fry the outer flesh and then I cut it up and feed it to them. They usually do not like the texture of raw heart or liver at first, they just kind of look at you like "What is that?" "ICK"... so pan sear the outer membrane and put a little garlic and olive oil in the pan with it and they love it...
organ meat and fish very valuable addition and I also feed fish frozen as its seems easier for them to eat.... Mine love sardines, but too much sardines makes them have loose stools so go easy on the sardines and I use the ones in water not oil.
I am a member of a Yahoo raw feeding group and I get my meats through them when I can and I also just buy what we eat and feed them some of what we are eating ourselves. My dogs get the same quality of food we get... its easy and its super fast to feed this way.
Good luck!! ;D

[zaxayo]

I am a big fan of feeding raw as well, we are lucky we have a big butcher, who made allready the package with different kind of meats, some of them are mixed with tripe, they even have package with fish, I give them the meat, mostly the mixed one with tripe, sometimes I buy fish like what we called here kabeljauw, and tuna, and also macrel, veggies there not fond at it.

[cathynu]

kabeljauw = salmon ...... or that's what Afrikaans people in South Africa called salmon ..... hadn't heard that word in years ..... also don't get to speak Afrikaans that much anymore .... since my dad passed .... and very few South Africans living in my area of America

I also part raw feed because of the boarding issue - although last week I had them with Rex's breeder and she added the turkey ground, yoghurt and cottage cheese to their kibble for me .... I didn't take their raw meals along, as I felt I didn't want to bother her. Mine also get an egg a week each, as I've been told too many eggs can be harmful .... I mostly feed turkey necks that I chop up and some ox heart ...... in our area we have a problem with getting meat from a supplier ..... the chicken backs I've got aren't bad, but the turkey necks look the best .... so every so often I have to stand and chop up a box of 40 lbs that last me a few weeks - nothing lost whereas the chicken backs I've found I loose a lot of "meat" in the fat I cut off - and the difference in price isn't significant. I feed them Canidae Pure Blue Sky and they both LOVE it, and will do it dry

[zaxayo]

No its not salmon, kabeljauw is white fish, very big fishes I think you called it Codfish en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cod

[DeDe]

Have any of you here in the US looking into this company for your raw? www.raawenergy.com/RaawEnergy_prices.htm

I have no local outlet here now for feeding raw, so would have to travel or ship it in, thus costing me way more than a good quality kibble right now.

[Shadowlands]

I have been feeding a mix of raw and kibble for some time now but have recently done the switch to 100% raw. I feed 10% organ meat, 10% bone and the rest muscle meat with raw veggies and fruits mixed in. I also feed raw frozen mackerel to mix it up a bit. I use chicken and venison mostly as that is what I have a healthy supply of. I also add Norwegian Sea Kelp to thier food for extra skin and coat care.