Raw feeding, it’s not Rocket Science
Firstly, I must stress that I am no expert, (although I know some people who are! details at the end) I have no qualifications on canine nutrition, just like I have no qualifications on human nutrition! but both my furry and human family are fit and healthy.
Raw feeding is not rocket science. We have been conditioned over the years by vets and pet food companies that our dogs need ‘Dog Food’ "Dogs need complete and balanced nutrition in every meal." This is nothing but propaganda from the pet food companies designed to make people buy into commercial dog food. This is not how the canine body—or any other body—operates! Take your own diet, for example. Do you eat a complete and balanced meal every time you eat? No! You eat a variety of foods over a period of time, and yet your body generally does very well and exhibits no signs of nutritional deficiencies
There are different methods of feeding a raw diet. The two prominent ones are the BARF, (bones and raw food or biologically appropriate raw foods) And RMB’s (raw meaty bones). People who feed BARF believe that in addition to feeding raw meat you feed raw vegetables as well, personally I don’t stress if they don’t get any Veg one week.
Once you decide to feed raw you are faced with a plethora of choices. Should you feed ground raw? What about veggies? Grains? Supplements? It can be extremely daunting. I first started to feed Raw about 10 years ago; I was introduced to it by a lady called Shirley Robinson. At first I fed a ground raw diet that had veggies, supplements and some kind of grain i.e. oats, rice etc each day. After a bit of dabbling & research I was led to the conclusion that feeding raw meaty bones was the most appropriate diet for my canine family. I have though, continued to feed my dogs at least one meal a week of a complete dog food, (Arden Grange) this is purely because, for the life of me, I cannot train my husband to take a bag of food out of the freezer each night to defrost to feed the dogs the following day. Therefore, when I am away, (and I go away quite alot) my husband’s needs have to be met by finding a bag a dog food & measuring scoop in the larder.
Now, a little definition, a raw meaty bone (RMB) is not a bone with a little meat. Think of a chicken leg, wing or thigh and that is what I am referring to when I talk about RMBs. Another good example is Lamb bones, ribs, chops etc. Dogs are able to chew up and digest raw chicken, and lamb bones. These bones are only dangerous to our dogs in the cooked form. Beef ribs and shank steaks, for example, are also good examples of RMBs but the dogs cannot chew up the beef bones. I freeze all my meat first, and then defrost overnight, this I find helps to kill all the nasties in the meat, just as it does when we cook our own food.
When introducing a chicken wing for the first time, you could try holding on to the wing to encourage chewing rather then swallowing. Chicken has almost the perfect ratio of meat, bone and organ and is the ideal food to start feeding, the bone is easily eaten and digested by the dogs. It takes the dogs a couple of weeks to adjust to the new diet and there could be diarrhea if you don’t take your time to introduce the need feeding bit by bit, day by day. The bone in the chicken will help to produce firm stools (bone poops). After a couple of weeks you can start to add other meats. For the first couple of weeks it is also a good idea to give the dog some plain natural yogurt. Try to feed small amounts of the raw food in between meals, rather than together with their dog biscuits, this is because raw is ‘raw’ and commercial is cooked, raw and cooked food are digested at different rates so this may lead to digestive problems.
What benefits can you expect from feeding raw? Overall you will notice an increased level of health. My dogs are never treated for fleas. My dogs seem to need to go to the vet less. Their teeth are pristine, all of the bone chewing, meat ripping and masticating keeps their teeth in great shape. Raw also helps dogs who are prone to allergies. Their meals are entertaining for them and very enjoyable.
The main thing when switching to a Raw Diet, is DONT GIVE UP!
I feed twice a day, once in the morning and again in the evening. Along with the bone I feed, my dogs also eat the minced meat that I now sell. If you would like to buy some food when I am not around, please delve into the freezer & leave payment on the side. The food that I sell is almost at cost price, if you need me to ‘hold your hand’ and help you to become a Raw Feeder, then just ask, it will be a pleasure for me. I have most of the following foods for sale from my freezer.
Chicken – my dogs diet is based on Chicken, its highly nutritious and they can the whole bird, carcass, drumsticks, wings, legs, necks., the lot.
Lamb: Lamb is another excellent addition to your diet,
Beef.
Turkey: I have wings & necks for sale, drumsticks are a great feast as well.
Pork: I have fed pork in the past without problems, but I do know pork is not tolerable to some dogs ‘don’t feed hog to a dog’ was a saying of old.
Offal & organ meats: Yum yum! Liver, kidney, heart, tripe, lungs.
Eggs: My dogs also have raw eggs a couple of times a week, raw including the shell mixed up with their meat.
Fish, Venison, Partridge/pheasant, Rabbitt,Tripe, rice, pasta, fruit, veg, cottage cheese, table scraps! A good dog vit/mineral supplement. Cod liver oil? The possibilities are endless!
In time, you will design the diet that suits YOU and YOUR DOG, and you will feel quite proud of yourself in the process.
– Search the net – Use your initiative – Follow your instincts
Useful web-sites
www.holisticvet.co.ukwww.rawmeatybones.com
www.krisannrio.comwww.ukrmb.co.uk
Sharon Arnold June 09. www.fromek9.com
