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Post by John84 on Jun 29, 2004 15:40:51 GMT -5
Hi all,
Ive read through many of the threads about raw feeding as well as joined the yahoo group and am convinced that this is the best road to take as far as coat, odor, and overall health goes. However there are a few topics which I have heard contradicting arguments over and am posting them in hopes of clearing them up.
1) Going straight from kibble to raw. I have read that this may actually upset the stomach but have also heard about people doing this successfully.
2) Frozen or not. Is it best to feed the food frozen or should I thaw it out a bit first.
3) Bones. Okay or not to be swallowed. Should I trash it once he's eaten all the meat?
4) A 'fast day'. I don't know if I can swallow the guilt of not feeding him an entire day. However, if not doing this raises health concerns then I will force it into the schedule. If so, how often should I 'fast' him? Once a week? Every other week?
5) Water amount. I always leave water available to my dog but just recently read that too much water can cause severe bloating. He has been pretty good with knowing how much water to take in and have never had problems with this issue. Just wondering if I should be concerned.
Thanks in advance!
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Post by amyjo on Jun 29, 2004 15:54:24 GMT -5
Hi John! Congrats on a great decision!
1. Fast your dog for one day (or about 12 -16 hrs) - to clean out all the kibble and get a fresh start and then go straight to raw - it also helps 'em be good and hungry for the first raw...if you stick with a single protein source you will minimize upset - but no guarantee there won't be any... Two of my dogs did fine - my 12 year old puked twice.
2. I feed some frozen and some thawed. Basically what ever is most convienent...it doesn't matter - some dogs won't eat frozen though...
3. Bones for sure! They need em! They clean the teeth and provide important minerals. Make sure the bones are encased in meat and are as "whole" as possible to avoid jaggy edges. The dog will make jaggy edges when he chews but these are natural - it is the man made "sawed" edges that have been known to cause problems on rare occaison.
4. Fast day is good but not necessary - it is something you can work toward - But you don't have to ever do it if it makes you uncomfortable. I do not have a scheduled fast day - but I throw one occasionally - I overfed this morning and tomorrow I will not feed them.
5. Continue free access to water and allow your dog to self regulate himself. He will drink ALOT less don't be suprized ...it is very normal. Raw food is mostly water and kibble makes dogs very very thirsty.
Hope this helps...please let us know or ask the rawfeeding forum (they aren't as scarey as they seem) if you have anymore questions!
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Post by Willow on Jun 29, 2004 21:06:20 GMT -5
Amyjo answered all your questions, John, so I don't have anything to add except to congratulate you and tell you you are doing the right thing! It can be pretty daunting at first, but soon you wouldn't have it any other way, because your dogs will be so healthy and look so much better! ;D
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Post by John84 on Jun 30, 2004 11:03:43 GMT -5
Would chicken thighs be a good choice to start with? And, how long would you say until I should incorporate variety?
Also a little follow up question... I imagine this will be a bit more messy than with kibble as he will probably take the whole peices out of the feeding bowl so he can use his paws. Should I feed outside when weather permits or am I just being paranoid about the mess?
Thanks a bunch!
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Post by amyjo on Jun 30, 2004 11:11:37 GMT -5
Refresh my memory - he is a little guy right? If yes then chicken thighs would be perfect. Stick with those for a week or two and then you can start adding variety.
I feed my dogs outside every single day rain or shine - cold or hot. They don't mind - they are getting raw meat after all! This is a personal preference. Many rawfeeders teach the animal to stay in a certain spot to minimize mess - this is easily done.
I feed my cat in the bathtub because he likes to drag his food around a bit... I can just easily rinse off his eating surface this way.
You will come up with your own ways - just do what makes you most comfortable.
Amy
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Post by John84 on Jun 30, 2004 11:29:00 GMT -5
According to our last vet visit (which was a nightmare by the way) Clutch is a healthy 37lbs. Not sure if this is considered little in doggy standards This brings me to another question which is COMPLETELY off topic. How cold is too cold for a dog. I live in a city dubbed WINTERpeg and it gets a good 25 below celsius which I believe comes to about -12 fahrenheit. By the way, would their tongues get stuck to metallic objects like ours
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Post by amyjo on Jun 30, 2004 11:41:02 GMT -5
At 37 lbs you wanna give him about 3/4 of a lb per day.(2 percent of body weight) ...So you'll probably be feeding 2 thighs or 1 leg quarter. It doesn't have to be exact and some days can be lighter and some heavier...
As for too cold that is a judgement call - I am in Columbus, Ohio and it almost never gets that cold here but that sounds too cold to me - Loey and Ann live in WI so maybe they can chip in on this one.
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Post by Willow on Jun 30, 2004 18:52:44 GMT -5
I've seen it hit -30F. here, but thankfully, not the last couple of winter's! It does very often get down to -20F though.
If the weather is really nasty....a snow storm, really, really cold etc., or thunderstorms...(light rain is o.k.) I just feed other raw stuff on those days that they can eat out of a bowl. I feed ground turkey, with an egg and Salmon oil or Cod liver oil, depending on the season, for one meal, and the 2nd meal I will feed canned mackeral or salmon, or just large chunks of beef, pork etc. I have also chopped turkey or chicken legs or theighs up with a cleaver and turkey backs etc., and fed it in chunks out of their bowl. Not the ideal way to do it, and I only do this when the weather is really "foul". ;D
I also try to feed as much of a variety as I do when I feed the meat/poultry whole, and with the poultry I make sure to feed the bones too and not take the meat off the bones, so they are at least getting bone too.
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Post by John84 on Jul 1, 2004 11:25:03 GMT -5
So feeding them in -20F weather is cool in your opinion? Excuse the pun
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Post by Willow on Jul 1, 2004 12:20:59 GMT -5
My dogs did not mind eating outside even in -20F weather, but they didn't take a long time to eat.
It is strickly up to you and what you are comfortable with. If it bother's you, you can always chop up the food for a couple of days, as I said, or...what most rawfeeder's do is let their dog eat in the house on a big piece of plastic. They can be taught very easily to stay in one spot and eat.
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Post by sibemom on Jul 1, 2004 15:07:44 GMT -5
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Post by John84 on Jul 1, 2004 22:05:12 GMT -5
Thanks everyone, I feel smarter already about making this decision. Gonna try to go raw sometime next week. Got quite a surplus of canned pedigree and kibble here so we'll let Clutch chow on that for now. Thanks again!
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