# How I feed raw (in detail)



## 2TwinHavs

My dogs were weaned onto raw, then on a kibble/raw mix. They're one years old now, and fed full raw. I follow a "frankenbarf" type diet.

So: 70% muscle meat 10% organ meat 10% bone 10% veggies/fruits + some additional whole food supplements.

Meat:

Goat
Beef
Lamb
Buffalo
Duck
Chicken
Turkey
Quail
Rabbit/Hare
Wild Birds (pheasant, partridge, dove, wild pigeon etc.)
Deer 
Elk
Antelope
Mouflon 
Sardines
Sprats

Vegetables (raw and pureed/fermented unless marked otherwise):

Arugula
Romaine Lettuce
Cabbage
Brussels Sprouts
Kale
Garden Salad
Field Salad
Dandelion Leaves
Carrot greens
zucchini 
cucumbers
sweet peppers (not green, contains solanin) 
spinach
broccoli - (steamed)
carrots
beets

Fruits:

Blueberries
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Watermelon
apple
pear
goji berries
coconut (cream, milk, water, flesh) 
rose hip (dried, fresh) 
kiwis
papaya
mango
cherries 
peach
bananas
acai berries

Herbs/spices: 
Dill
Parsley
Basil
Thyme
Rosemary
Chamomile
Oregano
Turmeric
Black pepper
alfalfa
st. john's wort
nettle
kelp
(pepper) mint
ginseng
slippery elm bark
spirulina
coriander

Dairy:
Goat's milk, yogurt, cheese, kefir.

nuts/seeds: 
walnuts
almonds
pumpkin seeds
sunflower seeds
brazil nuts

oils: 
salmon oil, coconut oil.

The mix I use right now contains: 
Eucalyptus leaves, nettle herb, birch leaf, milk thistle, artichoke, fennel, thyme, chamomile flowers, anise, plantain leaves, pine needles, apple pomace, cumin, sage, juniper berries, flaxseed, bananas, ginger, devil's claw, seaweed, MSM, green-lipped mussel

Before we go into even further detail, my two havanese weigh between 14-16 lbs. They are also very active, and have high metabolisms, so they get fed between 200-400 grams per day in summer, and 200-300 grams in winter, when they are less active.

What kind of meat/offal/bone is fed:

Besides muscle, the muscle meat category includes: heart, tongue. These should not exceed more than 15% of the muscle fed. Tongue is fatty, but great for teeth cleaning. Heart is very high in phosphorus, so should not be fed in very large amounts.

Offal: Liver, kidney, spleen, pancreas, brain

Grey area: Cow udders, Lung. I feed lung a bit more than the other offal but not as much as tongue or heart. It has some secreting tissue in it, so I really just try not to feed it as more than 10% of their diet. Cow udders are great for constipation, I've noticed. It's not something I include in their meal plan, but give as an occasional treat because they like it so much. Quite fatty as well and has some milk residue.

fully edible bones: Rabbit leg quarters, rabbit ribs, rabbit carcass in appropriate sizes, rabbit head, feet, duck neck, duck wing, duck carcass, duck feet, duck head.

Partially edible bones: Lamb neck, venison ribs, sheep head (by partially edible I mean that, as it's quite meaty my dogs usually don't finish the whole bone. These are NOT wreck bones)

whole prey: sardines, small rabbit, day old chick, quail, small wild birds. () kind of gross to watch them eat these, but it's healthy for them, and they love it.

Tripe/Omasum: I usually get these partially washed, or still with the content. Highly probiotic as well. (Caution: It STINKS )

extras: trachea, feet, ears, tendons.

Secreting offal: 2 x weekly

Bone: 3 x weekly

Tripe: 2-3 x weekly

Heart: 1-2 x weekly

whole prey: atleast 1 x weekly, more is fine but cut back on the bone if this is the case

fruits: 2-3 x weekly or as snacks throughout the day

vegetables: 4-5 x weekly or as snacks throughout the day

nuts/seeds: whenever I feel like it, not a staple. Do not give as

often as fruits/veggies. Not very easy for them to digest.

dairy: 2-3 x weekly, not VERY necessary, just adds a kick of flavor

and vitamins. My dogs handle it very well.

extras are given as snacks, or during fasting.

I have consulted with my vet (who is also a canine/feline nutritionist) about this, and he said this is fine. the only thing we didn't agree about is the lack of carbohydrates and grain. My dogs don't digest it well, and they do have a problem with yeasty ears if given too much sugars (certain fruits/veg included).

Also, he recommended that I give them more veggies but this makes them very gassy and their stool loose. If your dog does fine on carbohydrates/grains, feel free to add it. If you want to add 10% more vegetables, go ahead. Just remember to consult with a nutritionist, or a vet who is knowledgeable about raw.

This is just how* I* raw feed my small dogs successfully. They have been off of kibble completely for about 6 months and are more healthy than ever. Your dog(s) are/is their own individual. My favorite saying with raw/home made is, 'to each their own'. That's the beauty of making your pup's food, to be able to customize it to their specific needs.

Feel free to ask any questions!


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## davetgabby

I wouldn't recommend this diet for many reasons. It is not by a professional nutritionist is the main reason. One should not attempt to use so many different protein sources because it would be next to impossible to fine a protein that the dog hasn't been subjected to should they develop an allergy to one of them. Drs. Dodds and Becker warn againt this sort of approach .

Doing it right Jean Dodds

The biggest concern with homemade diets is that, unless properly formulated and followed, the diet may not be nutritionally balanced. For this reason, I strongly advise that you obtain your recipe from a reputable source, such as a book published by a holistic or holistically minded veterinarian, board-certified veterinary nutritionist, or canine/feline nutritionist where the recipes have been tested and verified as nutritionally balanced. If you are able, you can also consult with a reputable animal nutritionist to design the diet.

When preparing a homemade diet for your dog or cat, it's essential to stick to the ingredients listed. Substituting ingredients can result in a diet that is no longer nutritionally balanced. Also, be sure to add all vitamin/mineral and any other supplements as directed; these supplements are essential to ensuring that the diet is properly balanced

Dr. Becker

First, many homemade and prey-model diets and a few commercially available raw food diets are unbalanced. This means pets have been brought to veterinarians, including me, with nutritional imbalances that could and should have been avoided. These animals are deficient in antioxidants, or the correct amounts of trace minerals and vitamins, or the right fatty acid balance for appropriate and balanced skeletal growth, and organ and immune health.

Usually, these well-intentioned owners don't correlate their pet's medical issues with nutritional deficiencies, but their vets do. And many veterinarians develop very strong opinions against all homemade and raw diets because of these cases. There are many well-meaning people who feed unbalanced diets out of ignorance and, in some cases, stubbornness.

I've had several clients tell me they don't care that the analysis of their pet's current diet - let's say, chicken wings and burgers - demonstrates deficiencies in certain critical nutrients. They believe that "This is the diet I've fed for X number of years and my dog is doing fine, so there's no need to change it."

Dr. Becker ..." #13 Dead last on the list and the worst thing you can feed your pet is an unbalanced, homemade diet - raw or cooked. I'm seeing an increasing number of misguided pet owners in my practice who think they're doing the right thing by serving their pet, say, a chicken breast and some veggies and calling it a day.

Yes, the food is homemade, but it's nutritionally unbalanced. Pets being fed this way are showing up at my clinic with endocrine abnormalities, skeletal issues and organ degeneration as a result of deficiencies in calcium, trace minerals and omega fatty acids.

Catherine Lane Last article for The Bark- Myths and Misperceptions about Home Feeding - The Possible Canine

http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10666 study on home prepared


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## davetgabby

actually I think it is totally irresponsible to even recommend such crap. For God's sake do some research at least before you recommend something so dangerous. This is an example of the worst thing people can do as mentioned in article 13 in my above post.


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