Raw Diet

[Syn]

OK.....

I have done it! Jumped in with both feet bring four feet(s) with me.

There are going to be questions, questions, questions...... but I am happy you all will be here for me (us).
We started with beef, wow what a seller, even my cat that " Oh I don't like that, open some other flavor" jumped in.
But... we had chicken next, no takers, not even a nibble, Buster (dog)did try it but was like yuck! that's ....yuck.....

Does anyone else have trouble with chicken?
I wanted to try mutton, but wow, that is costly.
I don't think pork is a good idea, or is it?

Some FYI: All the new raw diet eaters are under 15 pounds, (the 15lb is a 7 month old tom cat that is still growing, I think he has bobcat in him lol;
the dog is about 12lb and the other 2 cats are under that).
As for the chicken, I did cut it into chunks or small pieces, but no good. I don't want to blow it with meat they don't care for, so I went back to the beef.

Any help? Bill and Stephanie are awsome with this.....they are the one's who started me on this path....

[Bill]

Welcome to the world of raw feeding, Syn. If you haven't already, check out my web page at http//www.skylarzack.com/rawfeeding.htm. It will give you my method for beginning a dog on a raw diet. It should also answer some of the questions you may have.

I strongly recommend chicken as a starter food. Its easy to digest, the bones are relatively soft, it's cheap, and it's easy to find. If you have trouble getting your dog to eat it, I have found that the tough love method works every time. Here's what you do ... Give the dog his piece of chicken (I recommend backs to start with). Don't cut it up, he has wonderful cutters in his mouth that were designed for that very purpose. When you give him is chicken, stand back and don't distract him. Don't do anything to encourage him to eat. Don't cajole, beg, bribe or anything else. Just stand back across the room and be quiet. After 15 minutes if he has made no attempt to eat it, take it up, put it in the fridge and wait until next meal time. Give him no treats or snacks. Don't fuss at him don't make a big deal out of it. Next meal time repeat the exact same process. Again if he doesn't eat it, put it back up until next meal time. It may take him a few times but he will soon learn what to do.

Don't worry about starving your dog. You are not starving him. You are offering him food at each meal time. It is he that is deciding whether or not to eat. No dog will starve himself to death in the presence of food. Don't worry he will eat. Don't let your anxiety show. He will take it as weakness and hold out longer thinking he is winning.

Good luck and keep us posted and by all means please ask any questions you have.

[Stephanie]

Well done you! I have been waiting to hear about your journey. It's strange a friend of mine has a similar problem, he started feeding chicken first off and his dog loved it, then he introduced beef and guess what - the dog didn't want to eat the chicken anymore! The way he deals with this is to give the dog a little beef first and then the chicken after.

Bill has given you some great advice, if you really want to feed chicken as a whole meal. I wouldn't worry about not feeding it though, I stopped feeding chicken as a meat pretty quickly - bear in mind that wolves eat and kill mostly red meats. I use the carcass or frame of chickens for bone mostly when I am feeding something like beef/deer as there isn't much edible bone in them. The frames are a total bargain too - I get about 10 of them for £1 from my butcher.

Mutton & lamb are both horrendously expensive over here too, ditto for goat and deer. I use hearts - any type - lamb, venison, beef as well as raw green tripe to pad out meals, they are cheaper options. I also look for bargains - around 3.30 - 4.00pm shops start reducing meats - mostly when it going out of date, I take whatever is going and stock up. I also look for any offers - buy one, get one free etc..... You might want to consider getting your own freezer for the pets - that's what we have, and any time I see bargains I stock up and freeze them.

Many feeders fed pork as it is a good source of red meat and is very affordable - introduce it slowly, mix a little in with the beef and see how they go. Have to tell you that I don't feed pork, I tried several times even adding tiny amounts at a time and it results in too much wind, one lot of toots I could just about cope with but 3 of them tooting away, no thanks.....

Ask away with the questions........but I can't help with your cats - though I remember reading something about a study done by Pottinger [I think] about raw feeding and cats, there is some nutrient they really need, taurine is it?

[Syn]

I KNEW you wouuld be the first to jump in..... you are sooooooo great!!!!

Thank you soooo much. I have my family who is very rotten. I still have one cat who will not eat anything but can.... The other are looking at her as if she lost her mind...maybe she has... I will not rath her furry just yet, much safer this way Queen B, if I must say...but 3 out of 4 is well good. the chicken is still a no go... I am a bad person... all I can think about is orca.. that "slimmy, looks like buggers" stuff I would starve before I eat it...I may be crazy but that is what I picture the kids thinking when I serve chicken to them. I would not eat it if my life depended on it, why sould I ask them to.... I AM A BAD PEOPLE, maybe....

I did get a deal, and have an "animal frig" so all the meat veggies and carrots are there now..( I have major livestock, horses, chickens, desert torts, so this is there frig.)
Great buy on chicken, so I will cook it up and yummy, yummy, yummy to them in MY soups. They really seem to like eveything except the chicken. I have the egg shells beet, bashed, almost powered for the calculm, and some emzime left over from tummy disorders of passed.

But I DID get a huff about the chicken I cooked and did not share, I am hoping to get a bit into their diet.

You ARE right Bill...I am sure my own face can not mask the yuck of slimmy chicken, I am tring... but I am such a softy...eating so much other is ok with me if the chicken is yuck... for now... I will be a tough mom when I get my bareings....when I do I want an " At a Girl from you......

I am soo much happier with this, and the kids seems to be as well.

[Sagemother]

I have a friend who swears by raw feeding. I check on her dog when she's out of town, but there are a couple of things about raw feeding that I don't understand.

Don't dogs still miss out on nutrients when and connective tissues on their way to the organs?

[Bill]

I have a friend who swears by raw feeding. I check on her dog when she's out of town, but there are a couple of things about raw feeding that I don't understand.

Don't dogs still miss out on nutrients when and connective tissues on their way to the organs?

Feed your dog meat, bones, and organs from a variety of animals. Mostly meat, some bone, and some organs and they will get all the nutrients they need. I have fed my 11 1/2 year old Great Dane and my 7 year old Great Dane and my 2 cats like this for almost 10 years now and all are healthy except for the oldest that has had liver cancer for over a year. SHe was given 6 months to live over a year ago and she still acts relatively healthy. We just finished walking a mile a few minutes ago.

[Orrymain]

Good luck! I just started home cooking this week and so far, so good. The dogs love their chicken and veggie mix. I even have them thinking celery is a great snack!

[Orrymain]

My next step is to figure out the vitamins or nutrients I need to add. Like I said, I'm not doing the raw myself, but there's still a lot to know in home cooking.

[Bill]

Orrymain, Why don't you just feed raw and you don't need to add any supplements. The diet is complete without supplements.

[DebraGill]

I'm slowly transitioning Boston to raw diet starting last month. I hope I won't have a hard time doing him raw diet full time.

I started giving him ground chicken then slowly introducing yogurt and egg. So far he's ok with the food. I'm not so sure about offering the raw organs though.