REPOST: How to go about starting my dog on a raw food diet?

I reposted this because I don't see it on the page



Ok so I been reading up on raw food diet. For those who have done it..why and how did you go about doing it? What food did you feed your dog? Is it more expensive than commercial dog food? Have you seen any improvements in your dog?REPOST: How to go about starting my dog on a raw food diet?
We started using a raw diet because our pets had way too many health issues even on higher quality kibble.

My collie mix had: food allergies and needed 3 prescription meds and glucosamine for her back. She had an old back injury from her previous owner that kept flaring up. She also would get hives in her ears followed by a bad yeast infection of her ears.



My Dachshund had recurring bladder infections that our vet couldn't find the source to. He just assumed he probably had beginning kidney disease that was contributing.



My scottie mix just had a weird, flaky skin condition and some hair-loss around his eyes.



Our long haired cat had experienced several near blockages in his urinary system and was on prescription food.



Our other three cats were mostly normal, but 2 of them would occasionally have bloody stool the vet couldn't find a reason for.



That was basically the "why". I had heard so many positive things from people online who did feed raw that I just hoped it would have some of the same results for my pets. The vet costs alone were just out of control. We had already had a few conversations with our vet about the likelihood of euthanizing our collie mix in the near future because she just had so much trouble with her back and he felt that surgery wasn't a good option for her.



We started feeding them a raw diet about 3 years ago.



As far as how we went about doing it, the dogs ate it immediately. We just started with chicken quarters and cut them into serving sizes. The two smaller ones just either got a drumstick or a thigh and the collie mix got a whole quarter.



The cats were much harder to switch. We started them with cubed up meat with wet food gravy poured over it and gradually worked them up to it. They turn their noses up at cat food now..



It was cheaper than what we were feeding our dogs, but we were feeding the higher end foods. You could probably still find a bag of Ol Roy that is cheaper than feeding raw, but, it would be horrible nutrition by comparison. And of course it's not really cheaper especially if you have a dog with health problems that now needs a lot more trips to the vet.



As far as improvements, my Collie mix's back was completely better within 3 months. She had been on prescriptions for a year that left her screaming if she missed a dose. I attribute the healing in her back to all the fresh cartilage she's getting. The glucosamine tablets she was getting I just don't believe were fresh enough to do any good. Certainly nothing like gucosamine straight from fresh cartilage. Her allergies are gone on a raw diet, though every once in awhile she'll steal a piece of bread and get hives again. But, they go away a lot quicker because she doesn't usually get grains.



Our Dachshund mix hasn't had a bladder infection in the last three years and our other dogs flakiness went away.



Our cat has had no issues with his bladder and kidneys. We're just glad we tried diet first before the penilectomy our vet recommended. Usually bladder issues continue to worsen, but, he was 4 last time he had an issue and is 7 now with no problems.



The other cats haven't had a bloody stool since and the litter box doesn't reek after each turd like it used to. The pee still smells a little, but, the litterbox smell doesn't hit you when you walk in the room. It used to reek the same day we cleaned it.



We still primarily feed chicken quarters, liver and hearts and gizzards. BUT, we do add other meats whenever we find them at a reasonable price and they get fish a few times per month.



While some may argue that it's not varied enough, it's made such a landslide of a difference in my pets that I would still prefer to do a less varied raw diet then even a quality kibble.



My pets have required nothing other then basic shots in the last 3 years. Talk about saving thousands at the vet!REPOST: How to go about starting my dog on a raw food diet?
My mini schnauzer is on a raw diet! he is very picky and we figured we'd try a raw food diet. My dog also used to throw up alot. First you start to mix a small amount of the raw food that you will feed the dog in with his normal food. Then you just keep increasing the amount of his new food and decreasing the amount of his old food. We feed my dog Dr. Harvey's Canine health and we mix it in with a little bit of raw beef or turkey burger. He loves it! My dog also doesnt throw up alot any more and his fat is turning more to muscle. The only cons would be yes, it is more expensive than commercial dog food and it takes more time to prepare than just pouring a cup of kibble into the bowl. Hope this helps!
I started feeding raw (prey model) to my dogs about 2 years ago.



To start I fed chicken (no bone or organ) for two weeks, then started adding bone and organ. Once their systems adjusted to that I added one meat source at a time, always waiting about a month between adding something to allow their bodies to adjust to the new source and so that I could observe for allergies.



My epileptic female is also allergic to beef, so we can't use that, and my boy is allergic to duck, so those are two sources that we just don't use. We use pork (frozen for 6 months prior to avoid parasites), chicken, lamb, rabbit, squirrel, fish, mice, oxen, emu, deer, bear (only twice), moose, etc. Basically whatever we can get our hands on.



You can post ads on Craigslist asking hunters for the parts of their kills that they won't use and contact butchers in your area to see if you can get a wholesale price for meat. It's important if you feed raw to have a deep freezer to keep everything, because the more you buy at one time the cheaper it is.



I have two small breed dogs (dachshunds), in total it costs me maybe $6 a month to feed both of them, whereas with kibble I was paying about $30 (a 6lb bag of high quality food).



They seem to be much healthier, all bloodwork has come back exceptional, their coats are amazing, teeth are cleaner than they've ever been, their jaw muscles are very strong, they have more energy and just appear happier.REPOST: How to go about starting my dog on a raw food diet?
just stop kibble all together, then introduce raw

i used chicken quarters for the first two weeks

then i introduced organs and red meats

its 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver, 5% other organ

i find it to be pretty cheap on average, it costs $1 a day



improvements-



Shiny Coat

Extra energy

White teeth

Better health



add: I did it because i wanted to feed her something healthier, and more natural



If there are any mistakes, sorry, im kind of new to raw feeding



Solution for Bankers problem-

Feed your dogs outside

if you cook the food it loses most of its nutritional value
Someone posted an interesting question yesterday that ended up as a debate.



http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;鈥?/a>



The improvements are all round, and in my opinion that includes the inside.



As said - use chicken meat to start with and then add gradually leaving the beef maybe until last. If you get chicken carcass then you get a good soft bone that they can easily deal with while their acidic / ph levels all balance back to what is the natural canine state. Definitely don't overdo the organs to start with. Remember heart is muscle meat, and do include some oily fish within the diet.



Someone has stated that dogs need veg, but they do NOT actually digest veg. They benefit by eating tripe and gaining the nutrients that have been digested through a ruminants stomach system. Most people do feed prey model diet.



I know very very few people that have gone back to kibble from raw diet.



Those that did seem to have ridiculous reasons for doing so.



Best of luck -- try joining a raw feed forum for a while until you feel that you have no more questions.



Add on --- WHAT A GREAT POST SIMON K. and such good news for your animals. Do hope a few people get to read that. Do you mind if I save that to use again if ever necessary... Will always attribute it to you.REPOST: How to go about starting my dog on a raw food diet?
I tried a raw food diet for my dogs several years ago. I got it off a website that I don't remember now but it included meat and vegetables. An all meat diet will not be tolerated because dogs need quite a lot of carbs in their diet. Wild Canids get this by eating the partially digested stomach contents of the grazing animals they feed on. Going from any commercial diet to a raw diet will be a huge change so I would very slowly add the raw diet to what ever the dog eats now. I would also hold the amount for several days so I knew the change was not going to cause diahrea then add a little more, wait, then add more. I think you want the whole transition to take about 2 weeks. If you are thrifty with the cuts of meat and take advantage of specials (freeze the excess) you can probably do this for the same or less cost than the better commercial dog foods. Of course you have a lot more prep time. If you have more money than time you might want to try one of the newer grain free diets. They are high in protein and have excellant carb sources in vegetables and fruits. I ended up using Core Wellness for my dogs and cats and am very satisfied.
why would you want to do that? If the dog lives indoors, you take the chance of introducing some serious bacteria into your home. My advice, cook any animal products you feed your dog, just as you would for a human friend.