Thinking about feeding a raw diet to my dogs?
horrorfreak1 asked:
I have a 9 week old GSD and a 7 month old GSD mix who have been eating commercial foods… I’m thinking about feeding a raw diet but not 100 percent sure how. I’ve been researching but some people are talking about mixing meat with supplements and a teaspoon of blah,blah …. Can I just give meat with bones, etc ? Any examples of what you feed per meal, tips?
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I have a 9 week old GSD and a 7 month old GSD mix who have been eating commercial foods… I’m thinking about feeding a raw diet but not 100 percent sure how. I’ve been researching but some people are talking about mixing meat with supplements and a teaspoon of blah,blah …. Can I just give meat with bones, etc ? Any examples of what you feed per meal, tips?
February 7th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
see this is the problem with raw feeding..you need to supplement nutrients..and unless you are a animal nutritionist you have no business feeding a domesticated animal raw food. dogs are not wild..they are NOT wolves. because they are domesticated they are completely dependent upon us for food, shelter and health care and proper mental and physical stimulation.
raw food is dangerous, as it contains bad bacteria like e.coli and others that can kill animals (human or dog). Any vet will tell you its safer and healthier to buy and feed your dogs bagged dog food. It is completely balanced in proper nutrition. Dogs require a certain amount and percentage of different types of nutrients. Pet store brands are safe and healthy and provide all your dog needs. dont try to feed the animal yourself, especially raw food, you may end up denying him all the necessary vitamins it needs to live a healthy long happy life.
ask your vet Fu
February 8th, 2010 at 11:04 am
Raw meat needs to be balanced with phosphorous, either by including the bone or by adding calcium in some form; bone powder or ground egg shells. Raw chicken parts are a good and often economic food for dogs; the bones are not a problem when they are uncooked. Never give a dog cooked bones because they can splinter easily and harm your dog. Jim59IA
February 8th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
For some reason owners believe that meat is good and that they are doing the best for their animal by feeding the “best steak” or “fresh liver” to their pet. Meat as part of a balanced diet is good, particularly for cats which are strict carnivores. It provides an excellent source of protein and other nutrients, but it must be mixed with other ingredients to create a properly balanced ration..
The reason is that meat and offal are deficient in calcium, and relatively high in phosphorus. As a result, if you feed an exclusively meat or offal diet your poor pet will have to maintain it’s blood calcium levels by removing calcium from it’s body stores. As you know, most of the body’s calcium reserves are in the bony part of the skeleton. So, your pet’s clever hormone system will remove calcium from the bone to keep the amount circulating in the bloodstream “normal”. The result is decalcification of the bone, which leads to thin, brittle bones. These bones can fracture very easily - even the act of walking can cause a fracture. Unless the dietary problem is corrected your veterinarian won’t even be able to repair the fractures because the bones won’t heal properly. Eventually, untreated animals will become totally debilitated, and possibly paralysed if the spine fractures .
Provet advice : NEVER feed an exclusively meat or offal ration to your pet. Ask your veterinarian about his/her recommendations for feeding your animal.
Provet advice : NEVER compile your own ration for your pet without getting the formula approved by an independent advisor - your veterinarian
One myth that could be threatening to our pets’ health involves raw meat diets for dogs. The proponents of this belief question the wholesomeness and nutritional value of commercial pet foods. But in fact there is no scientific substantiation for raw meat diets. Indeed, there are several known drawbacks:
Although meat is a source of protein, it has very low levels of calcium, a mineral our pets require for proper bone and tooth development. Calcium also plays an important role in blood clotting, muscle contraction and transmission of nerve impulses. But simply supplementing with calcium won’t work. Mineral nutrients are interrelated. Calcium and phosphorus have a scientifically established relationship in the formation of bones and teeth, provided a proper balance is maintained. This balance is usually not present in meat. If large quantities of raw meat are fed over time, skeletal problems may develop.
Liver is often thought of as a “healthy” meat because it has a high level of Vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin that is stored by the body. And for humans who eat other things as well, it can be healthy. But when liver is fed to pets in excessive quantities over a period of time, Vitamin A toxicity can result. This can lead to improper bone development, lameness and bone decalcification.
Raw meat carries the threat of bacteria and parasites, including salmonella. The risk of salmonellosis is always present when pets are fed raw meat diets. Certain species of tapeworm can be found in raw meat and passed on to a pet who ingests the meat.
Raw meat diets do not replicate the diets of dogs in the wild. While it’s true that dogs consume muscle meat when they eat wild animals for survival, they also consume the bones, intestinal contents and internal organs, which come closer to providing a complete and balanced diet. Wild dogs are also known to eat grasses and other vegetable matter.
The truth is that good quality pet foods are backed by years of canine nutrition studies. They are the result of scientific studies by researchers in veterinary colleges and animal nutritionists in Animal Science programs and at reputable pet food manufacturers. They are also carefully processed to protect against salmonella or internal parasite infection.
People often confuse a raw meat diet with an all meat diet based on the assumption that a dog natural raw diet is a meat only diet. The truth is a dog cannot survive on a diet of meat alone. They are omnivores and meat should form only a part of their overall diet, whether raw, proccessed or cooked. In the wild Canids eat not only the meat, but the bones(rich in calcium), the organs and stomach and intestines (including the contents) of their prey. the stomach and intestines content are mostly composed of vegetable and plant matter, as the wild dog kill is herbivorious.
Consquently a meat only diet is unnatural and unbalanced. It is low in Iodine, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1 and calicum and has an inbalance of calicum to phosphorous, which can affect bone and teeth growth. The all meat syndrome describe in scientific studies show that animals fed meat alone (without vitamins and minerals) develop soft bones, general poor condition and sometimes die. An all meat diet is also too rich in protein and fat. Excess protein is not good for any dog breed. petstore sell puppymill pets
February 9th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
i feed my dog raw food. The theory behind the raw diet nutrition is when the dog hunts animals like deer or rabbit and any other animals of this nature, then the dog consumes the fruit veggies that these animals ate as well(you are what you eat). So what you do is mix veggies and stuff in with the raw food. You are trying to simulate what the hunted animal might be eating in the wild. So just mix some veggies and fruit in with some sort of animal organ like liver. Crack an egg over the food here and there and your dog will be fine. Here’s the million dollar question. What did dogs eat before commercial dog food companies which came out in the 20’s or 30’s? We all know that dogs have been around long before commercial dog food companies. So in other words your dogs will be just fine if you feed them like i suggested. Oh by the way you should do a little research on what is actually in dog food my friend and maybe youll never feed it to your dog again. Youtube has some great vids on this. take care and good luck. Lee
February 11th, 2010 at 1:12 am
Ok sorry but dont listen to the wackos who say you can not feed your dog raw meat. You most certainly can and it is very good for them! Theyre dogs!
It wont kill them or make them sick. Thats just dumb. Does your dog get sick or die when he brings in a rat hes been chewing on? Or a cat or squirrel? My dog chewed on something, a raccoon or squirrel or cat for months. We could smell it all over the back yard and hed come in for kisses and wed all be gagging and rushing to bathe him and brush his teeth. Eventually we found the skull and its still sitting by the back door as a decoration.
Dogs have enzymes in their tummies that help them break down meat, even rotten meat and it wont hurt them at all.
I wouldnt suggest feeding them only raw meat, yes, suppliment it with good dog food, add some garlic powder to repel fleas, brewers yeast, flax seed or apple cider vinegar. All VERY good for them. But yes.. if you can afford it…feed them lots of raw meat!
They will be happy and healthy!
PS dont ever give them chicken bones because they splinter and can choke them. Raw or cooked.
. littlegoldwoman67
February 13th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
You need to do more than meat with bones, need to do more than just use one kind of meat, need to use a variety of veggies, sometimes some grains, and sometimes use a supplement..
Try reading K-9 kitchen.. Very good reasouce on “homeade” diets..http://www.monicasegal.com/
The pros and cons of both… and she also offers diet advise..
feeding a homeade diet.. Raw or cooked is not “quite” as easy as many people believe.. esp in large breed dogs where the energy content, calcium/phos ratios can induce bone diease.
Your dogs are puppies.. so the window you have to mess it up is FAR bigger than feeding a adult dog..
It can be done, and done well.. but does take a bit of reading, and understanding about nutritional content of foods, and recomemend amounts of nutrients..
For the agument that we all feed ourselves, and do fine.. sorry.. but most people do not have very good diets and lack some pretty essential nutrients.. we eat pretty much crap.. and see diease because of it.. Since a human lives MANY more years than a dog,, there is a bit longer timline to make up for mistakes.. so yes pet nutrition is not as simple as thowing some veggies in a bowel, give a supplement.. give a raw bone or two.. Balanced overtime is ok.. but since feeding a dog incorrectly for a month is like a year or more in people..some attention to detail is needed..
I feed both a combination of a good kibble with a roation of these.. with a roation of homade diet included.. both raw and cooked..
I forumulate the homeade very carefully, keeping watch of essential nutrients, and things like fat soluable vitamins.. I have to ajust my diets over time as my dogs aged, diffrent dogs, and diffrent breeds.. Good results so far.. .
But since “raw” feeding has become popular seen a few scary diets..too..
I have also removed as many “chemicals” my dogs are exposed to.. this in the food they eat and the enviroment.. So no harsh cleaning stuff, no lawn treatments, GOOD quality water.. no air fresheners.. that kind of stuff.. and use Minimal vaccines.. too..
good luck..
Amanda Amanda B
February 15th, 2010 at 11:45 am
Please don’t listen to anyone who doesn’t feed their dog raw or has not really looked in to feeding raw, there are many myths and wives tales on this subject… Firstly there is a yahoo group dedicated to Raw feeding, you can ask as many questions you like about it or just search through the thousands of posts….The group will also give you some sites to look through to further your research and put at ease some of the myths about raw feeding (like: Bacteria.. do wolves get bacteria from raw meat? yes of course, but their bodies are designed over millions of years the handle it… 60 years of kibble (poor fast food for dogs) will not have evolved dogs away from this!)
You don’t need veggies, supplements or anything else (in fact adding something that is not part of a dogs natural diet will only complicate or un balance things) as long as you roughly follow the basic guide lines. Model Prey or BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) is based on what a wild dog or wolf would eat in the wild, and these guide lines are based on the study of this to get the best for your dog. The guide lines are: 80%meat, 10% organs, 10% bone
A quick beak down
80%meat Includes ANY animal meat at all + egg, fish, tripe, heart & chicken gizzards are all considered as meat…. best given in chunks (not minced) so can be digested naturally and best (but not essential) given on the bone.
10%organs includes ANY OTHER organ… lung, spleen, brain etc and some (some say half) must be liver (to get the perfect balance)
10%bone: this means digestible/gnawed/crunched and swallowed bone, ie NOT cow legs that are very hard (weight bearing bones) … and DEFINITELY not cooked
Example of my dogs diet (He is a 78lb Boxer):
but then I don’t suppose wolves do either.
He gets Beef chunks and tripe chunks for every meal (about ¾ lb to 1 lb.)
Heart in some meals maybe twice a week (1 to 2 hearts).
Eggs (including shell) between 2 & 5 a week - just added.
Fish (usually whole mackerel) maybe once every 2 weeks (replaces some beef & tripe).
Organ (usually lung or spleen) which I cut up in to say 2 to 3 inch chunks and freeze added with some liver given at random with the meal (10% guessed out)
Bone: We get scrap bones ribs or spine parts from a farm with a bit of meat left on which he gets at random to gnaw on.
Chicken (Whole, pre frozen and sawn in half) replaces all the meal. Ps… my dog hasn’t choked on the bones yet!
If you have any more questions feel free to Y/A message me with you Email & questions, I also have some info in txt doc form I could send you
Add: Fact - Studies on wolves have shown that they DO NOT eat the content on their preys stomachs, a closer look showed that they discarded the content and ate the stomach it self (Tripe)……. that’s just another wives tale. Pete F
February 17th, 2010 at 8:40 am
Raw feeding takes alot of preparation and nutrition knowledge. Without this, you will not get a nutritionally balanced meal even by adding supplements. Check out.
Monica is list owner of, lives in Canada and gives seminars about canine (dog) nutrition. She has many pamphlets to help you (you get them from her website), and they will explain how to do this so you aren’t putting your dog in danger from lack of the correct nutrition. Her latest book, Optimal Nutrition, is in use at the Ohio State University school of Veterinarian medicine. Cookie
February 20th, 2010 at 12:52 am
it’s recommended to feed 80% meat 10% organ and 10% bone. and to feed 2-3% of the ADULT weight daily (puppies eat heaps).
i used to food raw only and his week would look like this:
monday: whole chicken (1-1.5kg) (organs, head and feet included)
tuesday: 500g fish
wednesday: egg and cooked rice
thursday: whole chicken/other meat (fatty beef/whole duck/fatty lamb)
friday:: 500g fish
saturday: assorted organs
sunday: either a fasting day or whatever i picked up in the shop.
i just tried to give him a blananced diet over time. these days he eats leftovers, kibble and raw chicken and beef, but that’s just cos he’s a pig. Kat
February 20th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
Yes you can give them raw meat, and raw eggs as well, both of which are EXTREMELY good for them, and a good supplement to commercial dog food, and Raw meat is also a good replacement. Bones and all is good for your dog, just remember, dogs were once wild, and I seriously doubt there was a skeleton left over after the pack was finished eating.
To those who say, don’t feed your dog veggies, your a MORON! a sheep eats it, and wild dogs eat the sheep’s stomach, so I’m pretty sure that the dog is getting its veggies from there, just blend up the veggies to get it like it would be in a sheep’s gut.
REMEMBER THOUGH what would happen to you if you suddenly and drastically changed your diet, you would probably get rather sick, so do the logical thing, transition. lilbruvver2