Who’s feeding raw food?

[Bustercluck]

Any tips on feeding raw meat to their pooch? Apparently he’s already on a 70-15-15 diet and he’s eating 1-1.2 pounds per day of meat plus his veggies and fruit. The breeder is also giving them fish oil, green lipped mussel and vitamin c.

Id actually like to get him on a combination of kibble and raw so I can pack for multi -day trips a bit easier and also keep the cost down a bit.

I’ll try for a whitetail this year as well and just grind the whole thing into burger.

This is what she sent me in an email today.

Puppies are eating 3 times per day now until 6 months old when you will change them to twice a day. Total per day per puppy is 1 lb to 1.2 lbs. watch your puppy and cut back if they gain weight and I tease if they are too heavy. It is a guideline only and each puppy will need to be watched for proper body scores. Puppy should have a waist, feel ribs but not see ribs.
I add to morning meal, 1 tsp venture, drizzle of fish oil, dose of green lipped mussel and 1/2 caps of 1000mg of Vit c. Add 1/8 cup hot water and stir. During the day I give chopped apple or banana . Purée veg and fruit over the evening meal. You can but the organic baby paks and give 1/2 . Big Country Raw comes in 1 lb pack so you can use 1/3 per meal when 6 months old 1/2 pack per meal.

[Steeleco]

I've been feeding my pups a balance of raw/kibble for near 15 years. Our current dog and the one before her love it. I feed her trim for dinner and kibble for breakfast with healthy table scraps added in as they become available. Some folks crack and egg on the kibble for extra nutrition.
Your breeder makes it sound like a full time job LOL. Dependant on where you live you may find a butcher that makes a variety of RAW meat for pets. Hell we lost a game gutter here in Langley because he switched to that service full time.

[mastercaster]

I don't feed raw but have friends who do who tell me how much work and nutritional knowledge it takes. I've found it hard to beat a high quality kibble with very little filler in it like Inukshuk the way to go, along with raw bones and some raw vegetable snacks 4-5 times per week but hat's off to anyone willing to put in all the research needed, the time to make it, and the expense to do it. My excuse is I just spend too much time from home fishing and hunting each week to be making raw food and packing it on trips.

I do save all my trim from the 2-3 deer I shoot each year, though, that I either make into dog treats or feed raw to my dog but I don't grind it because it's not necessary,,,I just chunk it up in bite size pieces.

Btw, it sounds like this breeder is missing some very important components of a raw food diet in their formula like bone meal, offal, and probiotics in their formula.

[Bustercluck]

I don't feed raw but have friends who do who tell me how much work and nutritional knowledge it takes. I've found it hard to beat a high quality kibble with very little filler in it like Inukshuk the way to go, along with raw bones and some raw vegetable snacks 4-5 times per week but hat's off to anyone willing to put in all the research needed, the time to make it, and the expense to do it. My excuse is I just spend too much time from home fishing and hunting each week to be making raw food and packing it on trips.

I do save all my trim from the 2-3 deer I shoot each year, though, that I either make into dog treats or feed raw to my dog but I don't grind it because it's not necessary,,,I just chunk it up in bite size pieces.

Btw, it sounds like this breeder is missing some very important components of a raw food diet in their formula like bone meal, offal, and probiotics in their formula.

In a separate email she gave me the raw formula she uses. It’s 70% meat, 15% offal and 15% fruit and veg. My breeder friend in town here gave me some mixed supplements that have probiotics. She also told me to watch the dogs poop, she said it’s pretty easy to tell if they’re getting the wrong mix of stuff so I’m glad to have her as a resource.

I think the raw stuff is easier to do if you buy it pre-mixed. I wouldn’t want to be mixing my own meals, but the stuff I’m buying is ore-done. I think the half kibble half raw should be a good compromise

[eastkoot]

Dogs have been eating "dog food" for God knows when. Why complicate things. Nothing wrong with a good quality dog food from various outlets. Check the ingredients for proteins minerals and fiber and % of animal products before purchasing. Have had Goldens for years, no need for raw. A lot of times it causes gut problems because they can't digest it. And there is always a chance of parasites and bacteria in raw food..Most on raw had the shits which tells me they aren't getting any nutrition from the raw.. And of course, a few table scraps were always welcome but never over done..Always free fed, dishes are always full, they eat what their bodies needs, no more or less..

[Redthies]

Dogs have been eating "dog food" for God knows when. Why complicate things. Nothing wrong with a good quality dog food from various outlets. Check the ingredients for proteins minerals and fiber and % of animal products before purchasing. Have had Goldens for years, no need for raw. A lot of times it causes gut problems because they can't digest it. And there is always a chance of parasites and bacteria in raw food..Most on raw had the shits which tells me they aren't getting any nutrition from the raw.. And of course, a few table scraps were always welcome but never over done..Always free fed, dishes are always full, they eat what their bodies needs, no more or less..

And a lot of dogs can’t digest the kibble. We didn’t sleep through the night for 7 years because my male Weim can’t digest the legumes that every kibble maker (yes, even the high quality ones) put in their food. He’d need to go out in the night. Now he’s on raw and we can sleep…

[mastercaster]

In a separate email she gave me the raw formula she uses. It’s 70% meat, 15% offal and 15% fruit and veg. My breeder friend in town here gave me some mixed supplements that have probiotics. She also told me to watch the dogs poop, she said it’s pretty easy to tell if they’re getting the wrong mix of stuff so I’m glad to have her as a resource.

I think the raw stuff is easier to do if you buy it pre-mixed. I wouldn’t want to be mixing my own meals, but the stuff I’m buying is ore-done. I think the half kibble half raw should be a good compromise

That's an awfully high amount of protein isn't it, considering offal is very high in protein, as well? Dogs don't need that much protein since they are omnivores. They also need up to 20% fat in their diet depending on how much energy they expend so unless fatty meat is being used it might not be enough since offal generally only has 6-7% fat in it. The dog also needs digestible bones or bone meal for calcium, etc. There's no question it's definitely a science when it comes to making your own.

If you do decide to buy your raw food from a reputable source they will likely know these ratios of protein, fat, and carbs, as well as the necessary nutrients the dog needs but be prepared to pay top dollar per meal for your dog.

As mentioned, going half raw and half high quality, low filler kibble as part of your dog's diet is a good way to go. That way you don't need to worry about transitioning your dog if you're away for a few days in the bush or leaving your dog with someone for a few days and not wanting to put the burden on them to provide raw food. You can just feed them kibble for those few days with no digestive issues.

[Dash]

That's an awfully high amount of protein isn't it, considering offal is very high in protein, as well? Dogs don't need that much protein since they are omnivores. They also need up to 20% fat in their diet depending on how much energy they expend so unless fatty meat is being used it might not be enough since offal generally only has 6-7% fat in it. The dog also needs digestible bones or bone meal for calcium, etc. There's no question it's definitely a science when it comes to making your own.

If you do decide to buy your raw food from a reputable source they will likely know these ratios of protein, fat, and carbs, as well as the necessary nutrients the dog needs but be prepared to pay top dollar per meal for your dog.

As mentioned, going half raw and half high quality, low filler kibble as part of your dog's diet is a good way to go. That way you don't need to worry about transitioning your dog if you're away for a few days in the bush or leaving your dog with someone for a few days and not wanting to put the burden on them to provide raw food. You can just feed them kibble for those few days with no digestive issues.

No, that's an average amount for raw feeding. A lot of people (including myself) feed what's considered a "whole prey" diet. 80/10/10. 80% muscle meat, 10% organ (5% liver and 5% excretory organ (like kidney)), and 10% bone. This is based on the natural composition of a prey animal. And adding some probiotics, fish oil and other supplements. Occasionally I'll reduce the the muscle meat and supplement some fruit and veg but my labs diet is mostly meat. He's 4 and has the best body and coat condition I could ask for. Extremely healthy and we regularly get compliments from our vet and people we meet. You should be able to purchase a ground base diet 80/10/10, 70/15/15 etc. and then add supplements as needed/desired. If you do kibble, do some research before purchasing grain-free food. A lot of them (especially some higher end brands) have been associated with higher cases of DCM (canine dilated cardiomyopathy) due to the high legume content contributing to taurine deficiency. Certain breeds are more susceptible than others.

Buster, where are you located? If you're in the Okanagan, I can recommend a raw food supplier.

[Bustercluck]

That’s what I was thinking. Kibble in the morning and raw for dinner. I had a chat with a breeder friend this afternoon and she gave me a supplement to add to the raw stuff instead of the 3 things the breeder was giving. She gave me some pre-mixed chicken with bone, insides, fruits and veggies. I figure if I use that with a bit of game and other stuff should be good.

[Iron Glove]

We started feeding our first dog RAW ( aka "BARF" ) over 20 years ago with our first Toller. It was one of the conditions that the Breeder stipulated and we were sent home with the dog and a week of frozen Raw. In those days most RAW was home made, not much commercially available so we would visit the local butcher shop and stock up on beef, chicken and such, add veggies and the odd supplement, provide the odd bone and there it was.
Our Vet at the time was old school and really tried hard to shift us to kibble, preferably brands that the Vet sold. To his credit, he did eventually aknowledge that our Gal was in excellent health, perfect teeth, fur and such. She was heavily involved in Dog Sports such as Agility, Obedience, Tracking and such.
For various reasons, after a few years we switched to a different vet who was much more receptive to "alternate" foods and such and we sourced a number of RAW brands. The biggest problem at the time was in finding out exactly what the composition of the food was, not just the ingredients but the % of things such as fat, protein ............ that are all important.
We added another Toller to our family and decided at that time to switch to kibble in the AM and RAW in the evening for convenience and chose kibble brands that were highly regarded.
At 14 our first Gal was diagnosed with advanced kidney cancer. The Surgeon discussed operating and treatment with the Oncologist and the Oncologist was concerned with our Gal's age, asking "is she like a typical 14 year old Toller?" to which the Surgeon said "No, she's more like a 10 year old" which was a testament to her health. The operation proceeded, one kidney and spleen removed and she enjoyed life to a few weeks short of 16. We kept up the Kibble / RAW feeding until her passing. We did have to closely watch the protein levels so home made RAW was out of the question as it can be difficult to closely determine the protein so we stuck with RAW as suggested by the Nutritionist.
So, long story but, yes, Kibble / RAW can be a very healthy and efficient food regime but if you make your own, suggest looking into appropriate supplements and determining the composition of the RAW. There still are RAW products out there that list all the ingredients but do not show the nutritional breakdown, I suggest avoiding them.
Good luck.