# Thinking about feeding Raw



## Eve-Lynn (Apr 28, 2008)

Hi everyone. We have a male GSD that is just over 5 months. We were thinking about going RAW but I have no idea where to start. Was wondering if someone could spell it out in layman's terms. This is our first dog. I have heard if you have young children you should be careful with RAW since they can get sick from it. Is this true?


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## tracyc (Feb 23, 2005)

Hi--it's great that you're doing some research on the raw diet. Like most folks who are new to it, preparing the meals and figuring out "how much" will look more complicated than it is. 

The place we send all newbies is http://www.rawdogranch.com 

It is the personal website of one of this board's mods, Lauri, and she has spelled it out there in a step-by-step fashion that cannot be bettered. 

Study that, then come back and ask as many follow up questions as you like. We love to educate others on this way of feeding. 

As for the young children question---when feeding a dog raw meat, you should use the same kitchen hygene you would use when handling raw meat for your own dinner: wash countertops, knives, cutting boards, and especially your hands after handling the meat. Train the dog to eat in one place--either in a crate, or on a mat in the kitchen that you can wipe off. 

And teach your kids to wash their hands after playing with the dog...but that goes for any dog, raw fed or not. Kibble's got bacteria on it too. And all dogs lick their feet, butt, and gross things outdoors...so no dog is totally sanitary. Raw-fed dogs aren't any dirtier than any other dog. 



edited to add: just checked the link to the Raw Dog Ranch site, and it seems to be down right now? Check back later--it is definitely worth visiting.


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## tracyc (Feb 23, 2005)

While Lauri's site is down, here is my own abbreviated version of how to feed a GSD raw: 

How much: 2-3% of the dog's ideal adult weight, in food, per day. For most GSDs, this equals about 2 pounds of food a day. Split that into two meals daily of 1 pound each. 

What: The diet recognizes 3 categores of "meat"---

1. Raw meaty bones: meat with bones in it, such as chicken parts, pork ribs, turkey neck---any meat with edible bones.

2. Muscle meat: meat with no bones---hamburger meat, beef hearts, boneless chicken breast, pork butt---any boneless meat. 

3. Organs: liver, kidney, other. Organs are things that "secrete." Counter-intuitively, hearts and gizzards are considered muscle meat for the purposes of raw feeding. 


How much of each: 

About 50-60% raw meaty bones, 
about 40-50% muscle meat, 
and a tiny amount of organ meat. 

Weigh each meal (at least until you are really good at eyeballing the correct amount of food) and WATCH YOUR DOG. Only you can tell if the amount of food is appropriate by watching his weight. Too fat? feed less. Too thin? feed more. 

You can also adjust the proportions of RMB and MM based on watching the dog's poop. Poop too dry? feed more MM. Poop too soft? feed more RMB. 

To start a dog on raw, it is advisable to start with one item only---often this first food is chicken. Feed chicken only (in the above proportions) for a week, or until you are confident that the dog is tolerating it. Then add one new thing, say, pork. Feed those two things for a week. Continue adding additional items to the diet in this manner, watching to see if any new items are not tolerated by the dog. 

The goal with this diet is to offer as much variety as you are able to find and afford. Eventually, you should be able to offer 5-6 different proteins on a regular basis---chicken, turkey, pork, beef, various fish, lamb, duck, eggs, rabbit, venison---what have you. 

Some people add non-meat items to the diet: veggies, starches, oils, etc. These are all fine, but are a minimal part of the diet. All vegetables and starches will need to be cooked or pureed to mush in order to make them digestible by a dog. 

Hope this helps.


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## Eve-Lynn (Apr 28, 2008)

Thanks for the website. I went on and it has lots of interesting stuff. What about giving Glucosomine for joints. The kibble I feed him now which is Acana (made by Orijen) made in Alberta, Canada has the glucosomine which I heard is important. Is there a supplement that I could give him instead? Would it be a people supplement or one for a dog?


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Doesn't chicken RMBs have naturally occuring glucosamine.. or is it chrondritin? Dogs on kibble often need supplements.. but often in raw feeding, the minerals and vitamins are right there in the diet, readily available, not destroyed by a cooking process. The experts will weigh in.. just my thinking on this though.


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

Honestly, any glucosamine/chondroitin added into a kibble is a miniscule amount. I remember one of the vets mentioning that when I worked at a veterinary hospital. If you're really concerned about joint health, you'd want to add a supplement to your dog's diet. Raw food does contain these things naturally (I believe chicken feet are high in glucosamine). I know someone who feeds their dog a chicken foot every couple of days instead of supplementing. However, if your dog already has joint issues, you may want to add a joint supplement as well. It's up to you.


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## tracyc (Feb 23, 2005)

I supplement Glucos and Chondroitin both. You can't OD on either substance, and they are too important to joint health in this breed to leave it to dietary chance, IMO.


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

I also supplement Glucos and Chondroitin.

I have read that Bovine gullet and trachea is a source of chondroitin sulfate, but I've rarely seen those availbe in my raw food searching. I can order it, but it is cheaper to supplement (at least for me).


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## Eve-Lynn (Apr 28, 2008)

So is the Glucos and Chondroitin something I should be feeding him even if I decide to stay with kibble? Is it specially made for dogs or is it sold for humans? What is the brand that you both use?


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

With the number of degenerative joint diseases prevalent in the breed, it certainly wouldn't be a bad idea to put him on a joint supplement.







You can get ones specifically tailored to canines or use human-grade glucosamine/chondroitin. I think Cosequin is the most-commonly prescribed supplement and you can probably get it from your veterinarian. If you'd rather use a human supplement, a simple phonecall to your vet can get you the recommended doseage of glucosamine and chondroitin for your dog. Then you just need to figure out the dosage based on the supplement you purchase.

Risa was on a joint supplement called Re-Flex 4 (specifically made for dogs). I had never heard of it before--and I don't think it's too common.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

My vet just told me that the chrondriotin wasn't really necessary. Glucosomine yes, but studies have shown that you only need glucosomine. She said 700mg two times per day(I use human grade) this is for arthritis management(Kacie has an enlarged elbow due to injury she received long before I adopted her, didn't heal properly). I am fininshing up a bottle of the combinination, still may keep the chron in the diet, what can it hurt?
I also supplement with vitamin e and fish oil daily, unless I feed fish. Ester C a few times per week, too.


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