# Prey Model Raw Food Diet



## HavaBaloo (Mar 24, 2009)

Is anyone here following the Prey Model of the raw food diet?

That is what I am following and I was just wondering what your experience has been. It is all still new to me and I guess I am looking for any advice or suggestions you may have.

http://www.rawfed.com/myths/preymodel.html


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

Well I feed raw but not necessarily the prey model. I mix in ground meat and bone, some organs, vegetables and supplements. Sometimes I will use a prepackaged one such as Urban Carnivore. 

My guys have been doing great on it. Bogie has been on it for about 2yrs and Brando about 1.5yrs.


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

I feed my Beamer commercial raw and raw bones, and still give him extra suppliments to go along with it, such as Nupro and fish oil. He has been doing realy well on it for the past 1.5 years now. As long as Baloo seems happy and healthy and full of energy (and his coat is good), then I'd say your doing great!

Ryan


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## HavaBaloo (Mar 24, 2009)

Thanks Ryan and Daniel, I do worry if he is getting enough, I put out 2 - 3 oz in the morning and he usually doesn't eat it all and feed again at around supper time. We goto the vet for the 1st time since his arrival on Apr. 14th and I am wondering what she will say about his diet. I am not sure what the vets here think about the raw diet. 

I think I am going to start him on some fish this week for the Omega-3, but haven't been giving him any other supplements. He certainly has lots of engery and seems fine especially since I have only had him for 2 weeks.

How do you give Beamer the Nupro? Sprinkled right on his meat?


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Yeah, dump it on the meat and mix it in real good. If you don't mix it in, it will go all over your floor and his face.. lol

Ryan


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

I have to say... I am now also feeding some commercial raw... but the prey model? I quite frankly do not want my boys developing their prey instinct. I have heard of a friend of a friend who throws her German Shepherds whole chickens feathers and all. and thinks nothing of letting them feed on a dead deer if she finds them on her property. I think this takes the concept too far. I want a companion not a hunter. It also takes a lot on you to make sure they are getting everything they need. just my two cents.


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## HavaBaloo (Mar 24, 2009)

I live in the city, and I get my meat at the butchers. What I mean by prey, is that I don't supplement or do the raw veggie burgers, or serve the meat ground up, that the BARF diet does. I feed whole chicken legs etc with meat on bone. 

Myth: RAW MEAT WILL MAKE MY DOG BLOODTHIRSTY.
What does this mean, exactly? How does feeding a dog what it was designed to be fed make it bloodthirsty? By nature the dog is a carnivorous predator. A dog that chases things (with or without killing them) is just being true to what it is: a dog. Feeding a dog meat is not going to turn a dog into some vicious animal that will attack every living thing that moves.

It is really a personal thing, and I am still learning. I have learnt alot from my breeder and am no expert that is for sure 

I am glad that you are feeding some commercial, but if you are feeding kibble, because of the time to digest, make sure your not feeding them to close together.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Angie, I was just sharing my personal opinion. Of course you have to do what you feel is best for your pup. I was referring to the extremes. And I also worry that some (not you) go into the raw thing half hearted and do not give their dogs everything they need. Just stating that it is a huge commitment! and once you have fed your dog raw (especially prey model) do you think they will eat commercial after that? 

I have also heard both from my vet and a canine nutritionist that the digestion rate of raw vs kibble is also an urban myth most dogs can handle it. I do however feed kibble in the am and raw at night


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

If you are only feeding whole chicken legs then your Hav isn't getting a proper diet. You are missing organ meat which is incredibly important when feeding raw.

To be honest I find that my guys seem to do better with ground meat with ground bone in rather than feeding full chicken backs and legs. I find that chicken backs and legs have too much bone and tend to upset their stomachs much more easily as they are more likely to swallow larger pieces. I feed my guys chicken necks about twice a week to give them something more to chew on.

As to your vet, they will tell you how bad feeding raw is and will probably try to scare you into buying their food. I know that's what my vet tried to do.



HavaBaloo said:


> I live in the city, and I get my meat at the butchers. What I mean by prey, is that I don't supplement or do the raw veggie burgers, or serve the meat ground up, that the BARF diet does. I feed whole chicken legs etc with meat on bone.
> 
> Myth: RAW MEAT WILL MAKE MY DOG BLOODTHIRSTY.
> What does this mean, exactly? How does feeding a dog what it was designed to be fed make it bloodthirsty? By nature the dog is a carnivorous predator. A dog that chases things (with or without killing them) is just being true to what it is: a dog. Feeding a dog meat is not going to turn a dog into some vicious animal that will attack every living thing that moves.
> ...


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

That nupro makes quite a difference in the flavour of the food, don't you think? Do you add a touch of water to make a little bit of gravy?



Beamer said:


> Yeah, dump it on the meat and mix it in real good. If you don't mix it in, it will go all over your floor and his face.. lol
> 
> Ryan


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

I am lazy (both with getting meat and knowing what to give) so I do the commercial raw as well and try to change the protein source. I do throw on a bit of supplements now and then and do RMB as well. Ironically this weekend I was at an agility show andthe guy next to me asks me what I feed my dogs- Belle is on raw and Dash and Dora on Evo to make a long story short. He starts to lecture me about raw and recommends science diet- he ended up being the local vet


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Thos vets and Science Diet.. lol.. won't they ever learn?? lol

Daniel, I do not add any water to make a gravy, Beamer does not need any help making his beard dirty.. 

Ryan


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

My Vet actually encourages raw unless there is a problem. I love my Vet and trust her to tell me what she knows and she also admits what she doesn't.


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

Beamer said:


> *Thos vets and Science Diet.. lol.. won't they ever learn?? lol*
> 
> Daniel, I do not add any water to make a gravy, Beamer does not need any help making his beard dirty..
> 
> Ryan


Ryan~ They _do_ learn... everything they're taught in those Science Diet sponsored classes they take in vet school :biggrin1:

Anybody know anything about Northwest Naturals?


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## HavaBaloo (Mar 24, 2009)

There is no commercial raw that I know of here, and I actually like buying directly from the butcher here, it is supposedly "organic" so I know what he is getting. I don't only feed chicken legs....I feed lamb, beef and will be starting pork. I feed organs as well, liver and chicken hearts. It really depends on what they have in stock. 

I had bought some Mother Natures Puppy Treats and Innova Evo Chicken when we found out we were getting the puppy, and knew that the breeder fed raw and were planning on switching, but he did not want any of that. So I have been working with the breeder and doing my own research and have stuck with the raw.

I am looking for suggestions on treats too, what do other raw diet members give for treats? Is it okay to still give the Mother Natures treats?


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Hi Angie,

For treats, we give high quality all meat jerky.. (beef, bison, and chicken hearts) We also treat him with our people food to sometimes.. chicken breast, salmon, other meats..

And the occasional non-meat treats.. for special events.. lol

Ryan


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

I make my own jerky but I sometimes use people food too.


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

HavaBaloo said:


> ...I feed whole chicken legs etc with meat on bone...


How about Fish? Do you feed a whole fish? or a fish head? or a full egg (shell and all)?

I have done some reading (dogforums.com has some good links) and I want to try raw with the puppy (when I get it). DH goes fishing during the summer (every weekend) and we have fresh fish for the entire year that way. I can give the dog some nice Black fish heads (lots of meat there).

I hope you don't mind me asking. I have read a lot, but still have questions on raw for puppies. Do you just give him a piece of chicken neck/leg/back with bones, say to a 14 weeks pup? What % are you doing? I know a puppy can eat up to 10% of its weight (not that a Hav puppy will weight much anyway! LOL).
Tks


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## HavaBaloo (Mar 24, 2009)

I was looking at the fish at the market today, but all they had was salmon and I forget what other kind. I bought fish oil capsules but baloo won't eat if I pour it over food so I will have to buy whole fish. There is a specialised fish market on the other side of town so I will go there this weekend to see what they have.

I think for the younger pups you should start with smaller things, maybe chicken wings and cut up chicken. The bones will feel great on their teeth. I didn't get Baloo until he was 7 months but my breeder has this to say about feeding raw to young hav's:

Feed 2- 4 ounces of fresh raw meat twice a day. This can include the following:
Fresh ground raw turkey, chicken or lamb. Fresh raw beef including roasts, hearts, kidneys and livers. Avoid ground beef unless you grind it yourself from quality cuts. USDA allows too much infected beef to pass through grinding because they assume it will be cooked.

Fresh raw chicken and turkey wing pieces, backs, thighs. Also,
fresh raw chicken and turkey giblets. Whole lamb and pork ribs with
meat. Your puppy will eat the soft bones along with the meat. 
Pork shoulders and butts….have the butcher cut them down
into 4 inch chunks. 

Always observe your puppy when she/he eats meat with bone.

Providing meaty bone meals satisfies your puppy’s teething and chewing 
needs and may help save your shoes. If your puppy is really teething
and seems uncomfortable, freeze chicken wings and let them gnaw
as it is very soothing to sore gums. 

Feed one egg once or twice a week. You can cook the egg as cooking does no harm to the cholesterol content. Raw egg is fine too, but can be a little messy with a long coat. Another option is to freeze the egg in the shell. They delight in “crunching” this treat.


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Dogster.com has a great raw food forum area and is filled with some SERIOUS raw feeders.

http://www.dogster.com/forums/Raw_Food_Diet

Ryan


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

Thank you so much for the info! This is GREAT!!! (off to pick it up from the printer)

I found that OMA's PRIDE main location is not too far from me, so I will be able to pick up some fresh meat there! eace:

I am getting all ready and worked up, and I don't even have a pupy yet! ound:


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

With eggs I would recommend boiling some water, then taking the water of the stove. Place the egg in the water and let sit for 5 min. Then take out and serve. This is better than both raw eggs and fully cooked. They will still be a bit runny.


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

To be honest, for a young puppy I would just start out with the Oma's patties with the ground bone in it. I think a young puppies stomach can become very easily irritated by the bones. I'd wait until maybe 4-6 months before giving them some type of bone. I'd then start with chicken necks.


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

DanielBMe said:


> To be honest, for a young puppy I would just start out with the Oma's patties with the ground bone in it. I think a young puppies stomach can become very easily irritated by the bones. I'd wait until maybe 4-6 months before giving them some type of bone. I'd then start with chicken necks.


I am affraid of ckn necks, they are small enough to get stock and make a pup choke aren't they?
And yes, I would start with the patties first to see how it goes, then move on to bones!


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Zury, You ould just hold onto the chicken neck while your pup eats/crunches it.. Then once he/she knows whats going on, hopefully they will chew before swallowing..
Beamer learnt very fast!

Ryan


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

Beamer said:


> Zury, You ould just hold onto the chicken neck while your pup eats/crunches it.. Then once he/she knows whats going on, hopefully they will chew before swallowing..
> Beamer learnt very fast!
> 
> Ryan


Ahhh, Thanks!


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