# Beginners guide to raw?



## Dominique Zito (Apr 24, 2017)

What is your opinion on a raw puppy died for gsd?


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I have fed raw for 18 years, weaned 9 litters to raw and raised countless puppies on raw. Obviously I am all for it, BUT, it takes effort to do it correctly. It isn't rocket science, but is much harder than scooping kibble out of a bag. Good variety of protein sources especially from red meat, good variety of raw meaty bones (though most puppies can't handle the bones from animals like sheep, pigs or cattle until older). I tend to use chicken and turkey as my base and then feed the other meats as just muscle meat until the pups can handle the harder/denser bones. Then organ meats (I use mostly beef, but also some from mutton), some tripe, maybe whole eggs here and there and fish (some fish need to be frozen in very cold temps to be safe to feed). I use canned sardines, but have also been able to get whole flash frozen sardines. Then there are other red meat sources like goat, bison, emu, rabbit (very lean), venison. 

Most people feed 80% muscle meat, 10% bone (I have had better success with a higher level of bone) and 10% organ meat with 5% of that in the form of liver. The muscle meat should really be attached to bone to form raw meaty bones. Then I will add in salmon oil as they grow and the occasional (1 or 2 times per week) vit E. Some also use some other supplements that they can mention. 

Anyhow, it is harder than just throwing some leg quarters and hamburger together with an occasional egg (I know someone who did this and caused all sorts of health issues in his growing pup). 

Some good information on this site.
Raw Feeding


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## F8h (Apr 24, 2017)

Dear lhczth,

I am new to the forum and I have been feeding raw for about 3 years now (still learning). Am I correct saying that adults can be fed sheep, pig, and cattle meaty bones? I am trying to picture what size would be appropriete. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Beef is one of the harder ones since the bone tends to be very dense and often hard. Most of the beef I feed is just heart, other muscle meat and organ with the occasional knuckle bone or oxtail (though they are usually crazy expensive). Mutton/Lamb, I feed all, but the leg bones. They can handle necks, ribs, shoulders, breast bone. With pork, I tend to stick to the necks since they are least expensive. 

Size wise depends on the dog. The lamb/mutton I get is cut in smaller pieces, but my dogs were all weaned to raw so they know how to chew. The pork neck is split and then I cut it into 3rds usually. These are usually a large chunk of bone with meat. Since the pork neck is so big and heavy in bone, I feed a smaller meal the next time with little to no bone.


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## F8h (Apr 24, 2017)

Thanks this is very helpful!


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## menglim97 (Jun 5, 2017)

I plan to make my own raw food for our 4 month old pup. Basically from chicken breast, some beef, tripe, chicken liver and maybe chicken feet and/or head+neck for calcium. 

I was wondering what should be the ratio of all these per kg of this mix?

TIA


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## Animal_UK (Jul 20, 2016)

menglim97 said:


> I plan to make my own raw food for our 4 month old pup. Basically from chicken breast, some beef, tripe, chicken liver and maybe chicken feet and/or head+neck for calcium.
> 
> I was wondering what should be the ratio of all these per kg of this mix?
> 
> TIA


I'd be interested too. At the moment my 14wk old Pup is on bigcountryraw.ca food as that is what the breeder fed her parents and she was weaned on so I've continued with that at the moment.

It's obviously not the cheapest route to go so my goal is to talk to a local butcher and see what I can do to try and DIY my own RAW food and save some money.

My adult black labrador is currently on Fromm and my goal is to have them both on DIY raw and save me money every month ! That's the goal obviously but not sure if it's a reality.

I'm reading up here, there and everywhere but yet to find a laymans term website which says get this from the butchers, put this kg of chicken (or other protein) in, this amount of bone, this amount of veg, throw it in a blender and bobs your uncle, fanny's your aunt


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## Slamdunc (Dec 6, 2007)

I feed raw and my dogs have never had kibble, they have been raw fed since they were born. I use chicken thighs for the bone and rarely feed chicken breasts. The thigh has a good ratio of bone, fat and meat. I also add organ meat, liver, tripe and ground beef. I've been feeding raw exclusively for almost 12 years now. 

Ihczth has a good ratio posted above and a very good link to check out.


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

Animal_UK said:


> menglim97 said:
> 
> 
> > TIA
> ...


 Amazing, do you know uncle Bob and aunt fanny. I haven't seen them in about 6 months, but interesting to hear them mentioned on this forum.


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## Joeydog (Sep 26, 2017)

Quick one for you guys. I spoke with my breeder today. Pup is 8 weeks old on december 23rd. I was all set for raw feeding from the start but the breeder suggested i leave the raw until the pup is 6 months old and just keep him on kibble until then. He is concerned about the growth rate. So now im thinking on keeping him on the kibble for a while and gradually introduce him to raw. For example at 11 weeks i will give a chicken wing with kibble. What do you all think. Anything wrong with going this method?


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

I've been feeding raw since the late 70's --- generations that have never seen a kibble .

The other day Saphire and I took a drive out to an abattoir to pick up meat for the dogs .

I was lucky to bring home a box of suckling pigs heads -- complete .
The dogs are familiar with sheep and goat heads but this was an extra good treat .

Lots of crunchy noise . 

Day of fast the following day and then back to a ground meat and bone mix that had ground liver and heart.

lots of variety --- no set time , no set amount , days of lean , days of rich, days of intermittent fasting .

good clean protein , good unadulterated fat --- whole food sourced sources for vitamins and micro nutrients / minerals and essential fatty acids ---- 

basically the only time I need a vet is for rabies vaccinations (required) and x-rays -- 

on x rays I may do any randomly chosen dog at several points in their life -- youth to make decisions , later as a pre-sale requirement or certification -- but I also do x rays at 8 plus years of age just to see if the genetics and the diet
have been good for them --- I want to see NO arthritic changes . 

Once again the results help form decisions.

feed kibble ? I know I have to be able to recommend a kibble for those who can't or are not able to feed raw and that kibble would be Orijen.

so obviously I am enthusiastic with the results that raw feeding provides.
Lisa had some good suggestions.
MY raw does rely on a foundation of chicken . I am able to get high quality chicken - no hormones -- free range at a good price .

I understand that this may not be so easy in the USA . 

Don't get all flustered with micro managing and trying to get perfect balance day by day .

The idea is that the balance is attained over the longer period.


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## miker911 (Nov 3, 2017)

lhczth said:


> Anyhow, it is harder than just throwing some leg quarters and hamburger together with an occasional egg (I know someone who did this and caused all sorts of health issues in his growing pup).


Hi! lhczth and carmspack, i was looking to feed a raw diet to my puppy, i read many of your posts and thought that may be you can help me, after lots of reading here in the forum and all over internet i am having some doubts about the raw diet , kind of what you said here make me think... i don't want to be that someone that end up doing more harm than good with the diet to my boy. 

Right now im feeding my 10 week pup (15Lbs) raw diet with 75% MM(beef, chicken) 15% RBM (chicken feet) 10% OM(5% chicken liver, 5% beef kidney), and 1 g of Dr clauders mobil fit supplement per day Mobil & Fit - Joint Powder - Dr.Clauder's UK

this is the ration size, i give him 3 rations per day.
g/meal
Bone 53
Meat(MM) 264
Kidney/other	18
liver 18

and was planing like you suggested offer him more kinds of meats and organs from other animals, where i live there's no such an offer as in the U.S but there's some, also would like to add the salmon oil and vit E (still getting info on when is a good time to start giving him that).

At the beginning i was looking for a poop that wasn't white, and no runny poop, with the actual proportions i get a "good poop" i think not runny and not white (i know it sounds weird LOL), but now im just worried about the right amount of calcium and phosphorous, vitamins and everything else that you need to have in mind. After all the reading on what would be a good raw diet, for someone like me that never do that before it's overwhelming, so i'm just looking for a little guidance to be sure that i'm in the right way more that my boy is so young for what a read you can harm him for life with a bad decision on this stage of his life.

any comments or advise would be greatly appreciated.


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

You're not looking for white poop? Poop that turns white is my goal. Have the kids put on their boots and stomp the yard, and POOF it is dust. No more poop scooping ever! Goals 

Carms- with the whole suckling pigs heads- what is your source and do you freeze it for a period of time before giving? I hunt and was told to freeze anything like that for 3 months before feeding. Is that over doing it?


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## Niusvil (Dec 22, 2019)

I would appreciate help on how to switch a 2 y.o. GSD who has gastrointestinal issues and damaged intestinal miroflora to raw? Thor never had raw food in his life, and also has diarrhea issues last 10 months, the vet gave infusions and antibiotics two courses, still he has watery stools time to time, and eats white rice and cooked chicken breast. He also take probiotics and prebiotics. Would switching him to raw make his intestinal flora worse? with what food should I start? 
Thank you.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Niusvil said:


> I would appreciate help on how to switch a 2 y.o. GSD who has gastrointestinal issues and damaged intestinal miroflora to raw? Thor never had raw food in his life, and also has diarrhea issues last 10 months, the vet gave infusions and antibiotics two courses, still he has watery stools time to time, and eats white rice and cooked chicken breast. He also take probiotics and prebiotics. Would switching him to raw make his intestinal flora worse? with what food should I start?
> Thank you.



I would start with testing for EPI, SIBO, IBD, food allergies. There must be a cause of the GI distress. Until I had answers to that, I would not put him on raw. I would put him on a prescription diet that has _hydrolyzed_ protein and is easy to digest to see if that helped him. He can not live on white rice and chicken.

Raw diets are NOT a cure for all that ails them. The only way to fix the intestinal flora imbalance is to give species appropriate probiotics. Dogs have different flora than we do and need a product designed for them.


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## Niusvil (Dec 22, 2019)

Sorry, wrongly posted here, Thor is not a puppy anymore  will post in another thread.


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