bradpattison.com

I've been reading all the past posts about a RAW diet and done some on-line research as well. I've always had animals around the house, but have never even considered a RAW diet until now. What everyone is saying makes so much sense and it really sounds like there are so many benefits to feeding RAW, not to mention happier pooches! I want my puppy to be as happy and healthy as possible and I've been seriously considering feeding her RAW ever since she started showing interest in chewing on dead gophers out on my friend's farm. Blech! There's always mention of so many percent protein, and so many percent carbs, etc. when I'm reading about RAW, but I have found very little info on what sort of carbs to feed. What form of carbs do you give your dog, and how much/how often? Are veggies OK to give as treats if my dog likes them? Other than the obvious meat and organs, are there any creative suggestions of what I can feed my dog on a RAW diet? Also, is chewing bones constantly going to wear down my dog's teeth prematurely? I know wild relatives of our beloved pets eat bones, but I just worry about my dog grinding away on a big bone for hours on end.

Wow! Look at all you people switching!

No carbs...at all! I think you're talking about the BARF diet...I think it's based on a humans approach to a balanced diet
They are animals and carnivores.
There's a site with different kinds of recipes (just different cuts of meat) for a Raw diet, I'll look it up...
Veggies are ok but not necessary, they don't digest well. I only feed my dog meat. No treats... I figure the diet is a treat in itself.
They don't grind down teeth because they chew the bones and swallow them! RAW bones are softer then cooked. Soup and leg bones aren't recommended cuz they are too hard. But, I give them to her cuz she licks the marrow out, then I throw it out.

Others on here will tell you how nice their dogs teeth are after feeding this diet for a long time. You don't have to worry about teeth!

Good luck!


P.S Join the Yahoo Raw group ....

Here's the site: http://www.rawfeddogs.net/Recipes

So an all meat diet is totally fine? This is all new to me so it's hard to wrap my head around feeding my dog only meat when I'm so used to buying a bag of dog food! LOL It sounds great though, and with having a friend with a cattle farm, I should be able to get loads of scraps and such for cheap. His cattle free range half the year in the Alberta foothills and spend the rest of the year on their acreage, so they are nice healthy cows. Might sound screwy, but I'm kind of excited to start my dog on RAW!

You sound like me when I started! Just meat...that's it. Make sure your dog gets a variety of meats thow...poultry, fish and organs as well.
My uncle's a butcher so I lucked out there too..this fall he's going to cut up alot of moose and save me all the bones and scraps.

Yeah, hubby goes hunting in the fall, so we'll have deer, grouse, duck, pheasant, etc. so hopefully our pup will like the taste of wild meat. I'd mentioned that she liked the taste of gopher, so she'll probably eat other meat as well. She doesn't seem to be picky at all! How often/much do you feed your dogs organ meat?

Michelle B wrote:

QUOTE:
:laugh: You sound like me when I started! Just meat...that\'s it. Make sure your dog gets a variety of meats thow...poultry, fish and organs as well.
My uncle\'s a butcher so I lucked out there too..this fall he\'s going to cut up alot of moose and save me all the bones and scraps. :)

I feed my 2 puppies RAW and everything I have read and those I have talked to at the place I get my RAW Food, have all said that carbs ARE important in the diet. Some also say that you should \'fast\' the dog once a week, but in the wild they dont starve themselves for a day. In the wild they also eat leaves, grass, bark, berries etc ...

I think feeding your dog strictly meat & bone is a personal choice, lets not forget that the canine has been BRED into our social structure and is no longer a strict carnivore. Too much meat and bone (protein and calcium) can put alot of stress on the body of a dog, especially a puppy that may grow too fast for their structure.

You\'re wondering about amounts? A puppy will eat more than an adult will, and it will also depend on activity etc. A good site to check out is www.mountaindogfood.com - i\'m not advertising, I dont work there but it gets a general idea of how much to feed etc etc. I do buy my food from them.

I have two great dane puppies and together they eat approx. 6-7lbs/day. When they are older they may not need as much food. I feed them from MDF, the chicken/fruit/veggie mix and add in extra ground chicken w/bone. Sometimes i switch it up for them and give them turkey/fruit/veggie and add the extra chicken.
When I\'m feeding them raw chicken backs/necks I dont add the extra ground chicken. They also sometimes get buffalo meat, oxtail, lamb neck, beef liver, buffalo liver, tripe ... as treats or mixed in their food. SOME butchers will sell the blocks of ground chicken w/bone, you just have to find one that supports the RAW diet. If you are worried about bacteria etc after they eat you can also add GSE to their water

You can add in your own veggies etc, but its best to grind it up. You dont need to add supplements but you can add recovery (joints) or sea kelp etc. I get all the extra stuff at a butcher, they usually have ground up dog and cat foods and \"off cuts\" for dogs aswell.

As for treats, you can give them the raw like oxtail etc but you can also give them all natural treats like chicken/venison/buffalo/salmon/trout/etc jerkies, liver/organ jerky, freeze dried chicken/liver/lung/etc, mothers nature and dartford make biscuit treats that they can eat too. Which is good for their teeth




RAW DIET is a personal preference and you need to find out what YOU believe in and what agrees with your dog. If you are still unsure about the RAW, you should probably do some more research until your comfortable

Shortstack.
With all due respect, when it comes to research you should do some elsewhere than a manufacturers site.
What is this GSE you add to the water?
Ground bones do absolutely nothing for cleaning teeth or strengthening jaw muscles.
Puppies fed a prey model RAW diet of meat, bones and organs generally grow at a steadier rate than Kibble fed dogs without the growth spurts.
Pre-processed raw food is better than kibble, but just marginally. There is no need to feed fruit or veggies.
Ground food in general is not appropriate for a dog. Once in a while it's okay but I wouldn't make it a regular part of a diet.
Yes wild dogs do go without food somedays. Hunting isn't always good and they can go without, which is why some "purist" RAW feeders follow the gorge and fast method. If wild canines kill a deer, they will eat until full and may not have a successful hunt for several days.
Though dogs have been domesticated, they still have better than 99% of the same DNA as a wolf.
The above is strictly my opinion, after doing loads of research.
Wait til the Preacher gets here.

Just a reminder for all you RAW feeders out there to put the carnivorous claws away.... just giving you a hard time Joe...although here's an item you can debate, dogs don't have to be strictly carnivore or herbivore, as there is such thing an an omnivore....from the amount of grass and bark my dog likes to eat when he's outside, I could believe it...

As for the thread topic on carbs and RAW, all you can do is do a ton of research, ask a lot of questions, talk to a lot of people who feed RAW, and make your decision based on what you think is best for your dog.

That was the toned down version. http://rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html
This link has been posted many times before, and I'm sure it will be many times again.