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Post by AnnaAmber on Apr 5, 2013 21:29:02 GMT
Hi everyone, back again with more questions on raw feeding I think we've decided what would work best for us & Amber is Natures Menu for her morning feed, then Raw Meat & Bones in the evenings. I have been reading several books on raw feeding and they were very interesting..........just makes me even more keen to switch her to raw!! I was also speaking to a friend today, she has had her dogs on raw for 3 years, she said the difference in them is amazing and they are like puppies again – full of energy and in great health. It makes perfect sense really – so much better than a processed pet food! I just want to finish off all the bag of kibble and get Amber on to raw for good. So now for my questions............. (there's quite a few ) Do you think I am best to give her half Natures Menu half Raw Meat & Bones or should I give her more of one in particular? How am I best to work out how much Raw Meat & Bone to give her if she is getting Natures Menu? If she is getting the Natures Menu which is “complete” shall I just give her, her Raw Meat & Bones at dinner or does she need any fruit/veg/supplements etc? I'd quite like to stuff her a Kong with some of her Natures Menu in the morning for a long lasting chew! Initially, am I right in understanding I am best to stick to a particular meat; like chicken? After about a week can I then introduce other meats? How much variety should I give her once settled on raw food? (For her Raw Meat & Bone) Can I give her the Raw Meat & Bones frozen? Knowing Amber she'd probably prefer them that way! That's all I can think of for now............. Thanks in advance!
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Post by puppypal on Apr 6, 2013 9:57:47 GMT
well i have just started barley on raw and he gets bones in the morning and his meal of veg, fruit, meat, offal and egg plus his supplements in the evening, he has had diffrent meats everyday with no ill effect, barley prefers his bones frozen as they last longer, i prefer to give diy meal instead iof natures menu as it would have worked out too expensive to feed him on, you need to feed her 1%-2% of her body weight, i would give her about 1-2 bones per day depending on the size of bone and make the diffrence up with natures menu, barley has got 4 diffrent meats alternating everyday, he is only on trail at the moment but if we decide to switch him over to raw fully then he will be getting about 7 diffrent meats to add varity to his diet, if it is complete you dont need to ada fruit and veg to it but you can add supplemts like salmon oil and vit e, coconut oil, evening primrose oil and any supplemts from the dorwest of CJS range
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Post by bextull on Apr 6, 2013 10:56:29 GMT
Hi everyone, back again with more questions on raw feeding I think we've decided what would work best for us & Amber is Natures Menu for her morning feed, then Raw Meat & Bones in the evenings. I have been reading several books on raw feeding and they were very interesting..........just makes me even more keen to switch her to raw!! I was also speaking to a friend today, she has had her dogs on raw for 3 years, she said the difference in them is amazing and they are like puppies again – full of energy and in great health. It makes perfect sense really – so much better than a processed pet food! I just want to finish off all the bag of kibble and get Amber on to raw for good. So now for my questions............. (there's quite a few ) Do you think I am best to give her half Natures Menu half Raw Meat & Bones or should I give her more of one in particular? Well, not being the biggest fan of their raw stuff I would be inclined to give more DIY stuff than NM
How am I best to work out how much Raw Meat & Bone to give her if she is getting Natures Menu? Well if you are feeding lets say 1/3 NM and 2/3 DIY then I would give 1/3 of the recommended amount of NM and then feed her 1% or 1.5% of her body weight DIY. Thats just what I thought up in my head though, so not sure how well it would work out. You can always contact NM and ask.
If she is getting the Natures Menu which is “complete” shall I just give her, her Raw Meat & Bones at dinner or does she need any fruit/veg/supplements etc? You don't need to supplement. Fruit and veg are optional, I might give some veg every now and then. Sometimes Oscar might get veg twice a week while other times he can go 2 weeks without veg. I give Oscar coconut oil and looking into giving seaweed supplement too. I used to give Dorwest Keepers mix but it was expensive and Oscar never liked it (although I still have some left so he gets that sometimes too) And I also used to give salmon oil and vit e but replaced with coconut oil as it was also cheaper and he gets plenty of fish in his diet anyway.
If natures menu is complete then it probably has bone added, so you shouldn't give bones daily.
I'd quite like to stuff her a Kong with some of her Natures Menu in the morning for a long lasting chew! I use their wet food for this (I can't get the raw) and then I freeze it, makes it last so much longer!
Initially, am I right in understanding I am best to stick to a particular meat; like chicken? After about a week can I then introduce other meats? Usually, yes. I started Oscar on beef and chicken, and he had only those for about 2 or 3 weeks. If you check my food diary (it's on here somewhere) you can see everything Oscar has had when he was first switched over.
How much variety should I give her once settled on raw food? (For her Raw Meat & Bone)
As much as you like. I have no idea what some of the stuff I get from the butchers is.
Can I give her the Raw Meat & Bones frozen? Knowing Amber she'd probably prefer them that way! Yep. Most of Oscar's evening meals are frozen or partially frozen.
That's all I can think of for now............. Thanks in advance!
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Post by BorderTerrier on Apr 6, 2013 13:33:09 GMT
well i have just started barley on raw and he gets bones in the morning and his meal of veg, fruit, meat, offal and egg plus his supplements in the evening, he has had diffrent meats everyday with no ill effect, barley prefers his bones frozen as they last longer, i prefer to give diy meal instead iof natures menu as it would have worked out too expensive to feed him on, you need to feed her 1%-2% of her body weight, i would give her about 1-2 bones per day depending on the size of bone and make the diffrence up with natures menu, barley has got 4 diffrent meats alternating everyday, he is only on trail at the moment but if we decide to switch him over to raw fully then he will be getting about 7 diffrent meats to add varity to his diet, if it is complete you dont need to ada fruit and veg to it but you can add supplemts like salmon oil and vit e, coconut oil, evening primrose oil and any supplemts from the dorwest of CJS range
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Post by AnnaAmber on Apr 6, 2013 15:08:09 GMT
Thanks Bextull & puppypal for all the info. I contacted Natures Menu a few weeks ago, and they seemed to be recommending a raw bone a day ideally. So I'm not sure if their food contains bones in that case. I am planning on mainly giving her the raw meat with the bone that comes with it, instead of pure bones. Seen as the Natures Menu contains fruit & veg we'll probably stick to just the meat/bone in the evenings. She'll probably end up with an egg or two now and then because she likes to clean them up when someone drops them whilst trying to collect far too many at once from the hen house I will look into the different supplements to see what ones would be most suitable. I'll probably give her fish now and then as well. If I was to give her something, like Coconut Oil, how often should I give it to her? A few times a week? If we have her on raw, will I literally feed her only raw, including any training treats? If I was to give her fish is any kind of fish OK, or should I avoid any particular ones? I heard something about a disease dogs can catch off eating raw pigs, and I think something about freezing pork for 3 weeks before giving it to your dog? Or is this not an issue with irish pigs?! I'm going to read through your raw feeding diary, Bextull as I am sure it will be very useful Thanks again
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Post by BorderTerrier on Apr 6, 2013 15:46:24 GMT
I personally, have no idea about Irish pigs/pigs carrying disease.
I think she would be more thankful for the meat and the bones and not just pure bone - and if your feeding that to her in the evening, what will she be having in the morning?
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Post by AnnaAmber on Apr 6, 2013 15:49:07 GMT
Hi BorderTerrier She would have Natures Menu in the morning and then her Raw Meat / Bone in the evening
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Post by BorderTerrier on Apr 6, 2013 15:54:59 GMT
Sounds very nice! I'm sure she will enjoy Natures Menu, and look forward to her big meaty bone in the evening!
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Post by puppypal on Apr 6, 2013 15:58:05 GMT
barley has it the other way round but only because i DIY his meal, the bones are easy to give him in the morning
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Post by BorderTerrier on Apr 6, 2013 16:00:47 GMT
Where did you get the meal that you DIY for Barley, PP?
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Post by puppypal on Apr 6, 2013 16:04:08 GMT
his meal in prize choice meat, beef liver, egg with shell, supplements and veg plus fruit instead of veg once a week and on fruit day he gets extra stuff like fish or lamb steak( lamb steak is next week)
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Post by bextull on Apr 6, 2013 17:40:29 GMT
Thanks Bextull & puppypal for all the info. I contacted Natures Menu a few weeks ago, and they seemed to be recommending a raw bone a day ideally. So I'm not sure if their food contains bones in that case. I am planning on mainly giving her the raw meat with the bone that comes with it, instead of pure bones. Seen as the Natures Menu contains fruit & veg we'll probably stick to just the meat/bone in the evenings. She'll probably end up with an egg or two now and then because she likes to clean them up when someone drops them whilst trying to collect far too many at once from the hen house I will look into the different supplements to see what ones would be most suitable. I'll probably give her fish now and then as well. Check Aldi and Tesco for their tinned fish. Oscar loves tinned sardines and mackerel in tomato sauce. He loves his raw fish too, tesco do whole fish pretty cheap. Got a whole herring for €1.40If I was to give her something, like Coconut Oil, how often should I give it to her? A few times a week? I try to give it everyday but I forget so its more like 5 times a week. Although you could easily give it every second or every third day if you wanted, its totally up to you. If we have her on raw, will I literally feed her only raw, including any training treats? I make my own, along with using cooked meat. I use kibble too, cause its convenient. You can do what you like treat wise. If I was to give her fish is any kind of fish OK, or should I avoid any particular ones? I don't feed salmon or tuna, raw or cooked. I usually use sardines, mackerel and now, herring. Sprats are good too, but I can't find anywhere to get themI heard something about a disease dogs can catch off eating raw pigs, and I think something about freezing pork for 3 weeks before giving it to your dog? Or is this not an issue with irish pigs?! Aujeszky's Disease? This isn't a problem in Ireland. Trichinosis could be a possible problem but it is rare. I feed pork regularly and always have done with no problems. Although not all dogs tolerate pork well.
I'm going to read through your raw feeding diary, Bextull as I am sure it will be very useful Thanks again
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Post by BorderTerrier on Apr 6, 2013 17:52:12 GMT
Bextull your Raw Food Diary is still coming on nicely! I've been browsing
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Post by bextull on Apr 6, 2013 18:07:01 GMT
Something slightly off topic (well, not really, its raw related) but puppypal, do you feed eggs daily? I wouldn't be feeding more than 2 or 3 a week if I were you. I talk to people with labs and collies who feed no more than 3 at most. They are beneficial but they contain enzyme inhibitors, salmonella (not a huge problem though) and the whites can cause biotin deficiencies. So they shouldn't be the mainstream of the diet.
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Post by puppypal on Apr 6, 2013 18:17:11 GMT
he gets 1 egg a day, might change it to one every other day though
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