# Oh boy



## SDChicken (May 6, 2012)

We've been making the switch from kibble to Raw with Meatloaf. So far so good. 

Then.....

Dear sweet baby Jesus. 

My every flipping day sickness decided we now have issues with raw meat. Actually, that we have an issue with liver. Got through the chicken just fine but cutting up the liver to meet the weight needed was too much. That was down right horrible. Thank god my bathroom is near the kitchen. I'm trying to come up with creative ways to get through this. Haha I'm just glad this will only happen once a week. If I had to do this daily, while dealing with this throwing up, I might pass. Haha I'm petrified to dive in and finish with the MM. I may make my husband do this and just give him the numbers. Yeah...he looks like he needs a job haha.


----------



## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

Don't know how much liver you are giving but you are supposed to stat with a sliver...just a itty bitty piece and work your way up from there. Also I wouldn't feed meatloaf. Do the raw chicken for a few weeks and when his stool are solid and predictable, begin adding a little beef or whatever protein you are going to work on. Also for his first few months you might want to watch the fat content as that can upset their digestive tract too and 'could' have the same affect as too much liver at once. 

There is nothing wrong with backing up and starting over. Gradual is the key when adding new proteins and especially liver - kidney seems to be not quite so bad but do be careful. One last thing, to make the liver easier on you cutting up, freeze it, and cut it that way. Use a warm knife to help if needed. You can feed it frozen and most times the dog won't even notice they scarfed it down. 

In the two years I fed raw (only quit recently due to finances), I rarely gave more than a small chunk of liver and it still had nasty effects on my boy and he could handle a lot of fat either. Don't rush your pup. Don't let him get dehydrated - once you are feeding raw you will notice he drinks less water - that is because they get moisture from meat. I have noticed since going back to kibble full time that my two drink much more water to compensate what they miss in raw meat.

Don't forget to add Vitamin E when feeding raw too! Bone will help to firm things up when they are too loose too. So when my boy had diarrhea I would make sure he got more bone, if he got constipated, less bone for his RMB portions. You will soon be an expert on poop! 

Good luck!!


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Zisso said:


> Don't know how much liver you are giving but you are supposed to stat with a sliver...just a itty bitty piece and work your way up from there.
> Good luck!!


 
Think OP was talking about her getting sick not the dogs. LOL


----------



## SDChicken (May 6, 2012)

shepherdmom said:


> Think OP was talking about her getting sick not the dogs. LOL


Haha Yup!! It was alllllllllll me. The smell, texture....GACK  This preggo lady lost her cookies. Meatloaf has only had one instance of an upset tummy. But that was my fault in not giving him a snack at night. Since making sure he has a snack at night we don't get the morning upset stomach. 

But we have been gradually switching him over. He was on nothing but chicken for about a week and a half and has been doing great so we added some beef tonight. The liver has been given but only in very small amounts a few times a week. And only after we knew how his tummy would react. But even then he only gets .4 oz of it. Which is why I was having to cut the nasty stuff up. Haha Good god. I can't believe people willingly eat that crap!!

We have a local farm, Polyface Farm, that we get all our beef, pork, chicken, and rabbit from. All pasture raised, its awesome. We love the meat and the loaf is lucky enough to eat it as well. They sell quite a bit in bulk, like the liver, and for a dog his size, 28lbs its perfect. They even sell chicken feet in bulk! How awesome is that for an occasional treat? But I think I'll try cutting it up while frozen. Haha might save me some bathroom time.

Oh yeah, we also have some vit E.


----------



## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Me, too. I am thinking of wearing one of those dust masks with a drop of lavender applied, just to get away from the stench of chicken necks and hearts. And the sardines..wheeew....

I turn on the range hood at full blast and put the meat under there, to suck out some of the smell. 
Latex gloves also help, but it is the squishiness that gets me. Since I began feeding Hans I have eaten less and less meat.


----------



## SDChicken (May 6, 2012)

Sunflowers said:


> Me, too. I am thinking of wearing one of those dust masks with a drop of lavender applied, just to get away from the stench of chicken necks and hearts. And the sardines..wheeew....


Now THAT sounds like a good idea. Normally this stuff doesn't bug me. But this pregnancy is killing me. My nose is extra sensitive and wooooooooo once my stomach starts to turn, I'm done for. I'll have to see what I have, as far as smells go, that could help me. I had to toss out all my smelly lotions and such, allergic to red dye, so I'm limited on things that I can use. 

Now fish is going to be an issue. I can handle the smell of fresh fish, usually. So I'm going to have to get creative with fish. Otherwise its going to be a rough 9 months. haha.


----------



## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

OMG, you are pregnant and doing this? You deserve some sort of award! I knew I was pregnant with my younger son when one day I could _smell my powdered blush _that was on the bathroom vanity. 

I can't imagine being pregnant and doing the raw meat thing. Wow.


----------



## SDChicken (May 6, 2012)

Yeah I have a pretty sensitive sniffer to begin with. But once I'm pregnant good god, I have super sonic sniffing powers. Just like you, I can smell the most insignificant anything. It drives me nuts.

Hahaha My husband doesn't understand why I decided to make the transition now. "Zabrina, seriously? Now? You're going to do this NOW?! I'm calling your dad.". I'm fairly convinced he thinks I lose my mind when I get pregnant. Haha Not that I can't blame him for that observation. Especially after everything I took on with my first pregnancy while he was deployed. I was begging him a couple weeks ago to let me raise and butcher rabbits for Meatloaf. Haha he may be right....I lose my mind while I'm pregnant.

I'm going to try and cut them up while frozen. I'm hoping that will help. Or maybe even taking the meat out on the porch so I get a good cross wind. Haha


----------



## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Cut the liver up when it is partially frozen. It won't smell as bad and is FAR easier to deal with. This is also how I handle feeding tripe.


----------



## SDChicken (May 6, 2012)

lhczth said:


> Cut the liver up when it is partially frozen. It won't smell as bad and is FAR easier to deal with. This is also how I handle feeding tripe.


That is my plan of attack next go around with the liver.

Ugh. Tripe.  I use to HATE it when my mother made Menudo growing up. I don't even want to know what green tripe is going to be like.


----------



## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

Just revisiting this thread and see I mistakenly thought it was OP's dog getting sick when it was really OP...Sorry about that!!


----------



## SDChicken (May 6, 2012)

Zisso said:


> Just revisiting this thread and see I mistakenly thought it was OP's dog getting sick when it was really OP...Sorry about that!!


Haha No worries. I'm sure posts like that, dog throwing up, comes up often here. I appreciate the info though.


----------

