# Raw Feeding



## gcbruce (Feb 18, 2014)

Are there any Mommies and Daddies feeding raw??


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

freeze dried raw yes. What's you question.


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

I have been feeding The Honest Kitchen Preference and adding raw turkey, beef or chicken for the protein. Leo is doing really well on this diet. I will probably try adding some other items like eggs, sardines, blueberries, some more veggies in the coming weeks.


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## Deacon Blues (Nov 22, 2013)

*I feed Darwin's Natural raw to Rory*

Rory gets Darwin's Natural raw food. They deliver nationwide, and Rory likes and does well on it. It's very affordable and the convenience can't be beat.


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I'm feeding Stella's & Chewys and Primal


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## Clair&Bear (Nov 24, 2011)

I feed my little Bear Ziwipeak, it's basically air dried raw meat with added vitamins and good stuff. Unfortunately, she's pretty fussy but she LOVES Ziwipeak. Her fav is Lamb & Venison. I also give her raw chicken wings, tuna, raw meaty bones. She also likes munching on carrots which I thought was a little odd!
Here's the link for Ziwipeak: http://www.ziwipeak.com/air-dried-dog-food-ziwipeak-daily-dog-air-dried-cuisine/
It rates 5 stars on Dog Food Advisor so that's pretty good.
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/ziwipeak-dog-food-dehydrated/


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

gcbruce said:


> Are there any Mommies and Daddies feeding raw??


Yes. Do you have questions?


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## Lalla (Jul 30, 2013)

I feed mine raw and sometimes a bit of Ziwipeak; the raw is a 'prepared' one (I worry about my ability to get all the right ingredients together in the right ratios, and honestly don't at the moment have enough hours in the day) from a wonderful company called Wolf Tucker, but I think they only operate in the UK. I've tried the BARF company, too, who do great treats but I find the meals mostly too sloshy and mushy. They love the BARF green tripe but I have to be in strong mode to face the truly gruesome smell of it!! Orijen have just brought out an air-dried raw, haven't tried it yet but their kibble scores well on the kibble front - I personally don't like it because I don't like feeding kibble, but it's certainly one of the better ones, and their air-dried raw might be worth checking out, I think. They do very good air-dried treats, too.


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## Lillysmom (Oct 9, 2012)

Has anyone tried Carna4 dog food? It is suppposed to be an alternative to raw, but more convenient. I tried some with my pomeranian and she is doing very well on it, so I am transitioning Lilly to it. I like that there are no added vitamins or minerals to it - everything is in there naturally and it exceeds the requirements. My dogs love it! It looks like a kibble, but it is not extruded and cooked at high heat like kibble, it is baked at low temperatures to preserve all of the natural enzymes and nutrients. It is a little expensive, but I think it will be comparable to Honest Kitchen.


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## Lalla (Jul 30, 2013)

Lillysmom said:


> Has anyone tried Carna4 dog food? It is suppposed to be an alternative to raw, but more convenient. I tried some with my pomeranian and she is doing very well on it, so I am transitioning Lilly to it. I like that there are no added vitamins or minerals to it - everything is in there naturally and it exceeds the requirements. My dogs love it! It looks like a kibble, but it is not extruded and cooked at high heat like kibble, it is baked at low temperatures to preserve all of the natural enzymes and nutrients. It is a little expensive, but I think it will be comparable to Honest Kitchen.


Here's a review that's worth having a look at:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/carna4-dog-food/

For me, I wouldn't want to go with a kibble anyway, but if that's the most practical then this does seem to be a good one, on the face of it; I'm not hugely impressed by the high carb load, but others may be less carb-phobic!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Lalla said:


> I feed mine raw and sometimes a bit of Ziwipeak; the raw is a 'prepared' one (I worry about my ability to get all the right ingredients together in the right ratios, and honestly don't at the moment have enough hours in the day) from a wonderful company called Wolf Tucker, but I think they only operate in the UK. I've tried the BARF company, too, who do great treats but I find the meals mostly too sloshy and mushy. They love the BARF green tripe but I have to be in strong mode to face the truly gruesome smell of it!! Orijen have just brought out an air-dried raw, haven't tried it yet but their kibble scores well on the kibble front - I personally don't like it because I don't like feeding kibble, but it's certainly one of the better ones, and their air-dried raw might be worth checking out, I think. They do very good air-dried treats, too.


yeah Lalla Orijen's is actually a freeze dried raw, if that's what you're talking about . It one of three freeze dried that I'm on. Sabine recommended this to me ,she must have thought I was rich. lol Canadian company but I see it's also available in Europe now http://www.orijenpetfoods.co.uk/acatalog/ORIJEN_Freeze_Dried_Foods.html 
Not cheap though. That package is over $100 here. Hey they're worth it. lol


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## Lalla (Jul 30, 2013)

davetgabby said:


> yeah Lalla Orijen's is actually a freeze dried raw, if that's what you're talking about . It one of three freeze dried that I'm on. Sabine recommended this to me ,she must have thought I was rich. lol Canadian company but I see it's also available in Europe now http://www.orijenpetfoods.co.uk/acatalog/ORIJEN_Freeze_Dried_Foods.html
> Not cheap though. That package is over $100 here. Hey they're worth it. lol


Yes, that must be the one, Dave; definitely not cheap, though if it's anything like Ziwipeak the quantity you feed at each meal is small compared with grain-bulked-up other foods. And yes, they ARE worth it!! Maybe I'm crazy, but I'd honestly rather not spend as much on myself if it means I can spend it on my dogs; and I'd certainly rather spend money on good food and avoid the awful vets' bills that might arise if I feed them poor quality stuff that would make them less fit and healthy.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Lalla said:


> Yes, that must be the one, Dave; definitely not cheap, though if it's anything like Ziwipeak the quantity you feed at each meal is small compared with grain-bulked-up other foods. And yes, they ARE worth it!! Maybe I'm crazy, but I'd honestly rather not spend as much on myself if it means I can spend it on my dogs; and I'd certainly rather spend money on good food and avoid the awful vets' bills that might arise if I feed them poor quality stuff that would make them less fit and healthy.


right on.


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## gcbruce (Feb 18, 2014)

*raw feeding*

Thank you all for your responses concerning raw feeding. Derrie is 9 months and a very finicky eater. I have been researching the raw diet and thought that I would give it a try. Derrie has been on Blue Mountain puppy kibble since we brought him home at 9 weeks of age. He never really seemed to enjoy the food. About 6 weeks ago; I thought I would try mixing Prime select raw food with the kibble. He seemed to love it. About 2 weeks ago, he didn't want to eat it. I tried mixing in cottage cheese. That worked for a couple days and he decided that he didn't like that so I went all raw..... raw chicken thighs and legs. He LOVES it!

Now, my question is..... Is all that protein good?
Do I need to supplement?
I saw a video from a Veterinarian that raw feeds her dogs and cats. She said that initially start out with raw chicken and supplement with probiotics for the first month..
What treats do you give them?
Last but not least; the ones of you that feed freeze dried and the other prepared raw food....... why? do you feed that rather than feeding raw meat and fish from the butcher??


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

gcbruce said:


> Thank you all for your responses concerning raw feeding. Derrie is 9 months and a very finicky eater. I have been researching the raw diet and thought that I would give it a try. Derrie has been on Blue Mountain puppy kibble since we brought him home at 9 weeks of age. He never really seemed to enjoy the food. About 6 weeks ago; I thought I would try mixing Prime select raw food with the kibble. He seemed to love it. About 2 weeks ago, he didn't want to eat it. I tried mixing in cottage cheese. That worked for a couple days and he decided that he didn't like that so I went all raw..... raw chicken thighs and legs. He LOVES it!
> 
> Now, my question is..... Is all that protein good?
> Do I need to supplement?
> ...


I feed Leo a dehydrated base to which I add raw meat primarily because I lack the confidence yet that I could meet all of the nutrient components he needs with a totally homemade diet. I think there is more needed than just meat but not really sure about what.


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## Lalla (Jul 30, 2013)

Now said:


> I feed a prepared raw because it's full of other good ingredients (vegetables, fruit, whatever in the way of supplementary benefits of one kind or another) and I don't feel as capable of being sure that all dietary needs will be met if I do it myself. Cuba would rather eat raw chicken wings than anything else in the world but that would seem to me to be too narrow a diet and I'm fairly sure she'd get bored of that fairly quickly, too. With my two dogs the biggest mistake is to keep on trying to please them with endless changes and titbits - it's training them to be picky eaters. If they REALLY don't like something and consistently turn it down I'll remove it. But the occasional meal skipped while they wait for something special I just ignore. I'll occasionally use freeze-dried either for convenience - if I'm away somewhere with them I don't want to be carting raw food around - or just for a change.
> I can't seem to find a US site for the chews I get at the Barf uk site, but if you go to http://www.barfpetfoods.co.uk/dog-treats/chews.html?p=2 you can see the sort of thing - I get the wild boar jerky and the chicken wings crunchies. Coachies now make a wheat free training treat - they're the ones called 'natural treats' in the green packet (Amazon.com : COACHIES TRAINING TREATS TURKEY 6 OZ RESEALABLE POUCH TCTS : Pet Supplies)
> The best vet videos I've seen are Karen Becker's - check her out (
> 
> ...


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## TShot (Jan 16, 2009)

Petunia is on a diet of Stella and Chewy's freeze dried and Ziwi Peak (Lamb)
I use two different bowls. One I moisten the SC the other I feed the air dried ZP.
She gobbles up Stella and Chewy's immediately and then she slowly free feeds on the Ziwi Peak the rest of the day.


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## Lalla (Jul 30, 2013)

TShot said:


> Petunia is on a diet of Stella and Chewy's freeze dried and Ziwi Peak (Lamb)
> I use two different bowls. One I moisten the SC the other I feed the air dried ZP.
> She gobbles up Stella and Chewy's immediately and then she slowly free feeds on the Ziwi Peak the rest of the day.


Having, years ago, gone the free-feeding route for a short time, I am now really against it; I'm not sure why, if Petunia 'gobbles up' the S and C you'd need to leave food down? It is so hard to do other things if you free feed - training treats lose their value, monitoring amounts eaten is so much harder.... I was given advice to free feed once, but everyone I've spoken to since is against it.


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## TShot (Jan 16, 2009)

Lalla said:


> Having, years ago, gone the free-feeding route for a short time, I am now really against it; I'm not sure why, if Petunia 'gobbles up' the S and C you'd need to leave food down? It is so hard to do other things if you free feed - training treats lose their value, monitoring amounts eaten is so much harder.... I was given advice to free feed once, but everyone I've spoken to since is against it.


Petunia is an extreemly picky eater and also has some food alergies. She is doing great with her allergies with these two lamb products (S and C Dandy Lamb) and Ziwi Peak Lamb 
The Stella and Chewy's is super expensive so I give her two patties each morning and fill the other bowl with one scoop of Ziwi Peak. It's less expensive this way. 
Petunia never did enjoy eating dry kibble, I tried Fromm's for a long time and she only ate it before she starved.
She loves the S and C and seems to like the Ziwi Peak enough to where she eats it.
I'll try only S and C in the morning and the Ziwi in the evening without her free feeding.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Lalla said:


> Having, years ago, gone the free-feeding route for a short time, I am now really against it; I'm not sure why, if Petunia 'gobbles up' the S and C you'd need to leave food down? It is so hard to do other things if you free feed - training treats lose their value, monitoring amounts eaten is so much harder.... I was given advice to free feed once, but everyone I've spoken to since is against it.


right on Lalla. Sabine comments on free feeding ... From experience I can tell you that free feeding is NOT a good idea. Several reasons:

1. Free feeding only works with kibble, which is simply the least ideal type of food to feed, due to its highly processed nature.
2. Very few dogs actually self-regulate well enough to just eat enough to maintain a healthy weight. Sure, such individuals do exist (I've had one of my own), but they are very rare exceptions. 
3. If you don't feed scheduled meals, it's much harder to realize when an animal is off their feed due to stress, discomfort, pain, illness.
4. In our times, with many dogs being couch potatoes and not even getting the mental stimulation of regular walks (let alone more vigorous exercise, like performing in dog sports or doing actual work), meal times are a major highlight of their day, something they very much look forward to. Why take away one more of the few major stimulants? 
5. House training. If you control when food goes into your dog, you can reasonably predict when it's going to come out the other end. Not so with free feeding.

And 6. which I throw in...The biggest thing with free feeding is that your dog is not as motivated for food rewards when training. Nearly all trainers want you to bring your dog in HUNGRY when coming in for classes. It's the number one motivator with dogs,some definitely more than others. Kibble is the least motivating generally. And depending on the type of training situations ,it's better to use something more enticing than kibble.


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## gcbruce (Feb 18, 2014)

When you raw feed your dog; how keep his ears, beard and mustache so clean?


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

I rinse Leo's beard after each meal


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## gcbruce (Feb 18, 2014)

is there a special way that you rinse Leo's beard? Do you use shampoo? Do you put him in the sink? How do you keep the rest of his body from getting wet?


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

gcbruce said:


> is there a special way that you rinse Leo's beard? Do you use shampoo? Do you put him in the sink? How do you keep the rest of his body from getting wet?


I use the sprayer on the kitchen sink. He stands with his front feet on the divider between the two sinks. I keep the flow from the sprayer soft, wet his beard use a little bit of very dilute shampoo, rub my fingers in his beard, rinse and dry with a small towel or paper towels, dry his feet and let him go. Then a quick rinse of the sink followed by a spritz of vinegar and water solution to kill germs.


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

gcbruce said:


> When you raw feed your dog; how keep his ears, beard and mustache so clean?


Bumi doesn't get food on his face when he eats, Toby used to and I would just wash his face with shampoo. Just with his face over the sink and my hand, nothing too complicated.


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## Carmenchanwong (Apr 15, 2014)

I'm ready for raw feeding and get a Primal frozen nuggets starter pak.
Prince is now 14 weeks, 5lbs 4oz, and having 3/4 cup Fromm kibbles per day + treats.
How much raw chicken do I have to add on his meal? 
10% of his weight? and how about the kibbles???
I did mixed a little baby food on his kibbles last week and this little guy licked all the baby food and left all the kibbles. And I'm guessing he will do the same thing again during the transition.


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

Carmenchanwong said:


> I'm ready for raw feeding and get a Primal frozen nuggets starter pak.
> Prince is now 14 weeks, 5lbs 4oz, and having 3/4 cup Fromm kibbles per day + treats.
> How much raw chicken do I have to add on his meal?
> 10% of his weight? and how about the kibbles???
> I did mixed a little baby food on his kibbles last week and this little guy licked all the baby food and left all the kibbles. And I'm guessing he will do the same thing again during the transition.


Carmen, Never feed raw and kibble mixed in the same meal, they are digested differently, so no mixing it. If you insist on giving him kibble (which I wouldn't if You are set on raw), then do one meal of each.

Also, stay with one type/flavor for at least a week to make sure there are no allergies, then switch to a different meat (duck is hypoallergenic, turkey, beef, lamb, rabbit, etc)

Yes, for a puppy, 10% of his body weight. The back of the package should tell you the approximate amount to feed. Good luck and pls let us know how it goes.

You can also feed the pup a wing or a chicken neck (if it's too thick, split it in 4 lengthwise). I remember feeding mix (nuggets) in one meal and neck or wing in the next (AM=nuggets, PM=neck/wing PM=nuggets), until you transition to 2 meals a day. Now I just give mix in the AM (with probiotics and oil) and necks at night).


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

gcbruce said:


> Thank you all for your responses concerning raw feeding. Derrie is 9 months and a very finicky eater. I have been researching the raw diet and thought that I would give it a try. Derrie has been on Blue Mountain puppy kibble since we brought him home at 9 weeks of age. He never really seemed to enjoy the food. About 6 weeks ago; I thought I would try mixing Prime select raw food with the kibble. He seemed to love it. About 2 weeks ago, he didn't want to eat it. I tried mixing in cottage cheese. That worked for a couple days and he decided that he didn't like that so I went all raw..... raw chicken thighs and legs. He LOVES it!
> 
> Now, my question is..... Is all that protein good?
> Do I need to supplement?
> ...


Hi, sorry, I did not see this before. Feeding raw is not as easy as giving the dog a piece of chicken, there has to be a balance for everything. In the wild, wolves consume everything, but domesticated dogs can't so we have to make sure we offer what they need.
There has to be a certain % of muscle meat, organ meat and bones. Veggies and fruits often added, but some people do not use them at all. Commercial raw already comes prepare with the exact %s so is as easy as getting a patty out and feeding it.
Again, do not mix kibble and raw in one meal, never feed them together. If you want to feed kibble, pls feed it at a different meal, not together with raw.

Let us know how you are doing and if you have any more questions...


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## Carmenchanwong (Apr 15, 2014)

Carefulove said:


> Carmen, Never feed raw and kibble mixed in the same meal, they are digested differently, so no mixing it. If you insist on giving him kibble (which I wouldn't if You are set on raw), then do one meal of each.
> 
> Also, stay with one type/flavor for at least a week to make sure there are no allergies, then switch to a different meat (duck is hypoallergenic, turkey, beef, lamb, rabbit, etc)
> 
> ...


Thanks so much for the information.

Prince eats 3/4Cup of Fromm which is 312 cal/cup. + treats
The primal chicken nuggets is 50cal/oz, according to his weight, he needs 5.5oz a day.
Let's do some math...( I hate math:frusty
Fromm kibbles total : 314 cal. per day
( 104cal / breakfast , 104cal /lunch, 104cal / dinner.
If I'm going to replace at breakfast time, doesn't it mean about 2 pieces one oz chicken nuggets ?( 50 cal/oz)

Oh man...... its so complicated.....
Feeding my 9 years old daughter is a lot easy....:biggrin1:


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

If you are serious of doing raw or home prepared , you should consider the following 

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.


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

Carmenchanwong said:


> Thanks so much for the information.
> 
> Prince eats 3/4Cup of Fromm which is 312 cal/cup. + treats
> The primal chicken nuggets is 50cal/oz, according to his weight, he needs 5.5oz a day.
> ...


If it makes you feel better, then feed him 6 oz a day of the nuggets, but remember, you also want to give him some bone to chew, the nuggets may have bone meal, but chewing a bone keeps good horal hygiene. 
You may do the 5.5oz of nuggets and a wing or neck, or just 5 oz and the wing...
Don't worry to much about the exact measures, you will see how your puppy is doing as you go, if he is too hungry and on the slim side, add more, but not too much, you don't want him overweight.

Really, is not too stressful once you get a hang of it and your routine down. Is just like with kids, Doctor says to feed 3 oz, but your kid was screaming & hungry after the 3 oz, so you just add one more...


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## Carmenchanwong (Apr 15, 2014)

Carefulove said:


> If it makes you feel better, then feed him 6 oz a day of the nuggets, but remember, you also want to give him some bone to chew, the nuggets may have bone meal, but chewing a bone keeps good horal hygiene.
> You may do the 5.5oz of nuggets and a wing or neck, or just 5 oz and the wing...
> Don't worry to much about the exact measures, you will see how your puppy is doing as you go, if he is too hungry and on the slim side, add more, but not too much, you don't want him overweight.
> 
> Really, is not too stressful once you get a hang of it and your routine down. Is just like with kids, Doctor says to feed 3 oz, but your kid was screaming & hungry after the 3 oz, so you just add one more...


Prince having his first Primal chicken nuggets (2oz) this morning, and he washed his bowl in 20 sec.:brushteeth:
I bought some chicken neck but don't know when/how to start? Just clean it and put it on his bowl ? He probably will bring it back to his crate and starts eating, is it ok for him for not eating from his bowl?


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## Carmenchanwong (Apr 15, 2014)

Carefulove said:


> If it makes you feel better, then feed him 6 oz a day of the nuggets, but remember, you also want to give him some bone to chew, the nuggets may have bone meal, but chewing a bone keeps good horal hygiene.
> You may do the 5.5oz of nuggets and a wing or neck, or just 5 oz and the wing...
> Don't worry to much about the exact measures, you will see how your puppy is doing as you go, if he is too hungry and on the slim side, add more, but not too much, you don't want him overweight.
> 
> Really, is not too stressful once you get a hang of it and your routine down. Is just like with kids, Doctor says to feed 3 oz, but your kid was screaming & hungry after the 3 oz, so you just add one more...


I was holding a chicken neck, about my thumb size and let Prince chew on it, he loves it and 'took over' it in 5 sec without letting me hold it back...... he didn't chew much and I can only hear couple chewing 'click click ' sound and he's kind of like choking and finally he swallow the whole thing, .... I'm almost faint !!!!!!

I'm kind of worry about him, with the whole piece of non chew neck ! :frusty:

What can I do now, other than pay close attention to him ????
He stayed active like usual, and went outside and play ball with my daughter.


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I used to give my guys chicken wings. I stopped because they would choke them down in the exact same manner. My guys were always ok after they choked the entire wing down but I would still keep a close eye on him.

If he just started eating raw for the first time, make sure to transition slowly. He could get the runs if not. Transition it for at least 3-7 days.

Hope he is ok!!


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## Carmenchanwong (Apr 15, 2014)

lfung5 said:


> I used to give my guys chicken wings. I stopped because they would choke them down in the exact same manner. My guys were always ok after they choked the entire wing down but I would still keep a close eye on him.
> 
> If he just started eating raw for the first time, make sure to transition slowly. He could get the runs if not. Transition it for at least 3-7 days.
> 
> Hope he is ok!!


Thanks for your advice.
I only give him raw nuggets in the morning ,and kibble on the rest of the day.
The neck thing really scared me, and lesson learned. I'll never let the neck go.

He seems like starving all the time, and will go very crazy when he see/smell food, both dog and human food. Is it a sign that he is not having enough food???


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Carmenchanwong said:


> Thanks for your advice.
> I only give him raw nuggets in the morning ,and kibble on the rest of the day.
> The neck thing really scared me, and lesson learned. I'll never let the neck go.
> 
> He seems like starving all the time, and will go very crazy when he see/smell food, both dog and human food. Is it a sign that he is not having enough food???


One the few occasion that I've given Kodi chicken or turkey necks, I chop them up fairly small with a meat cleaver, for exactly this reason! He scared me to death by swallowing one whole the first time I gave it to him!

Wnating more food is NOT a good indication that a dog needs more food. They are scavengers, and if not kept as pets, will eat as much as they can, whenever they can find something. Since they also expend a fair amount of energy (calories) searching for the food, it works out. But pet dogs rarely get enough exercise to balance the food that they're willing to eat. And they don't have to do ANY work to find their food. So it is up to us to monitor their weight and use that as a guideline for whether they need more or less food.


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## Carmenchanwong (Apr 15, 2014)

krandall said:


> One the few occasion that I've given Kodi chicken or turkey necks, I chop them up fairly small with a meat cleaver, for exactly this reason! He scared me to death by swallowing one whole the first time I gave it to him!
> 
> Wnating more food is NOT a good indication that a dog needs more food. They are scavengers, and if not kept as pets, will eat as much as they can, whenever they can find something. Since they also expend a fair amount of energy (calories) searching for the food, it works out. But pet dogs rarely get enough exercise to balance the food that they're willing to eat. And they don't have to do ANY work to find their food. So it is up to us to monitor their weight and use that as a guideline for whether they need more or less food.


Thanks Karen. 
He acts normal, and also his poops, after swallowing the whole piece of chicken neck. I'll pay extra attention when I give him the neck next time.....


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

Glad he is ok!

Scudder is always hungry. He lives to eat! If I fed him every time he looked starved, he would blow up

Just be sure he is getting enough food by keeping track of his weight. Make sure you can feels his ribs without pushing too hard. he should also have a tuck up from the side and a waist from above.


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## Jazz (Jul 20, 2011)

I have been feeding raw for almost 3 years and am very happy with the results (and Jazz gives it a HUGE 2 paws up!).

After a fair amount of research and discussion with people feeding raw, people selling raw and a canine nutritionist, here is a snapshot of what I am feeding:

Jazz weighs 10.5 lbs, which is about optimum for her. She is well muscled (she gets a lot of exercise).
I feed approximately 2.5 ounces AM and PM (sometimes more if the activity level is higher than usual, a bit less in the rare situation that she gains half a pound). 
Each meal is made up of: 1 oz ground chicken carcass + 0.5 oz of ground meat/bone/organ (usually beef, lamb or pork) + 1 oz. of veggie/fruit puree and a small dollop of pureed pumpkin.
I make my own veggie/fruit puree and freeze it in small containers. A typical mix is 1 Swiss chard (rainbow), 454 grams baby spinach, parsley, 1 English cucumber, 1 bunch carrots, 2 bananas, 2 apples, half pint blueberries, 2 eggs , half cup probiotic yogurt (everything pureed in the food processor).

In the AM meal, I add ½ a teaspoon of Norwegian kelp and ½ to ¾ teaspoon of fresh organic cold-pressed flax oil. In the PM meal, I add about 200 mg of green lipped mussel and 2.5 grams of BiologicVET BioVites.

Every 3rd day, I substitute a capsule of wild salmon oil or sardine oil for the flax oil to vary the omega oils. Apparently sardine oil is lower on the food chain than salmon so better quality, but it is difficult to find.
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I have tried giving Jazz actual meaty bones, but she really doesn`t have a clue what to do with them and tends to leave them untouched. They are also messy (have to feed somewhere you can wash the floor or put the dog and bone(s) on a blanket that can be washed). I know people who are feeding their small dogs whole chicken necks, but I haven`t been brave enough. She`s getting bones in both the chicken carcass and the meat/bone/organ mix, so I haven’t worried about it.

I buy my chicken carcass ground and frozen into blocks from a local butcher that uses only grain-fed chickens (the remnants after he prepares the chicken for humans) – the chickens are grain-fed, antibiotic and hormone free. I buy the other meat mixes from another company that supplies a wide variety of raw foods for dogs. The fruit & veggie mix I make myself and freeze into blocks.

While on the surface it may seem like a lot of work, once you get into the routine, it doesn't take a lot of time when you are feeding a small dog. You just have to remember to thaw what you need for 1 or 2 days at a time. 

Before transitioning to raw, Jazz spread her kibble over the floor (no matter the brand) and was a less than enthusiastic eater. She now dances while waiting for the plate to hit the floor, licks the plate clean, then pushes it around to make sure she didn't leave anything under the plate (you never know where a morsel might be hiding LOL!).


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## bigbadboss101 (Mar 29, 2014)

That looks very good, even more complete than what some of my human friends eat. We will look into making something more substantial as right now we just feed her a combo of rice with grounded chicken, and some canned pumpkin. Bland is what it is and we mix in Orijen and monitor her weight, health, and stool. A more complete nutrition spectrum with variety of food you mentioned would be great. We did pick up a recipe book from Amazon a while ago and will check that out


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

Is anyone feeding 100% Ziwipeak. Bella is on it 100% now. Her stools have gotten firm on it. I know it has more fat than normal but I read it's because it's air dried. I am thinking about switching my boys from the frozen raw to Ziwipeak. It is just so much easier when I travel etc. If anyone is feeding it full time, how are your dogs stools?


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

When I was feeding Leo 100% on Ziwipeak I found that the stools were small but sometimes a bit sticky for lack of a better descriptor. The stool would get stuck in his hair not like diarrhea but just sticky.


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## Lalla (Jul 30, 2013)

Mine used to be on 100% Ziwipeak and did really well on it until they decided they didn't want to eat it any more; I so envy you guys with dogs who love to eat - I'd LOVE my dogs to love to eat but half the time they just can't be bothered. It's almost impossible to get either of them to eat two meals a day, especially when it's hot as it has been here in the UK for weeks now. I've switched them to a raw diet since giving up on the Ziwipeak, although they do still have it occasionally; Cuba loves chicken wings and chews them up really well, so I don't worry about it. Tycho just likes taking one and then dumping it somewhere like on a sofa or a chair, so I've given up even attempting to get him to eat them. The whole food thing is exhausting. If I fed them the Wolf Tucker Naked Green Tripe every day of the week I think they'd be happy, but I wouldn't - hardly a balanced diet! Sometimes Tycho will go for as many as three days with no food at all, I can't force him. But I've stopped worrying since reading that rats can easily go for three days with no food - in fact those that do are by far the healthiest - and they are far lower in body weight than even the smallest dog. Very little food is good for all mammals, apparently; humans and animals on near-starvation rations live longer than the rest of us, provided they don't get any kind of illness or get run over by a bus. So I've now given up on my neurotic attempts to tempt. They'll eat when they are hungry, so as long as I'm confident they are not actually ill, I let well alone.


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I have 2 good eaters and 1 finicky eater. There are plus and minuses to both! I was away for a week and the boys gain almost a pound a piece. I had to use a new dog sitter and I don't think she walked them an hour a day. My boys can be stubborn on a leash, since they like off leash. Bella was the only one who was stayed lean!!


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