Done my research, time to begin feeding. Correct anything!

[vhrocks323]

Aright guys, so i've bought books, talked to various people, and looked around quite a bit on the internet. I think i'm ready to really begin the raw feeding, but i want you all to review what i put on here, and give me any advice! Btw, i went to return some kibble the other day, and i told the girl at the store i've decided to go to raw feeding, and she goes "you aren't getting it from the grocery store are you?" And i replied "you know...i've researched this and a dog will be fine eating meat from the grocery store. They are designed to handle bacteria so much better than humans are anyway." And she's like "well...i hope he doesn't get sick. That food was not intended for him to eat, it's made for human consumption." Then i asked her if she had any advice on what meat to give my cats (at the time i didn't really know) and she quickly went "oh we have some stuff right over here you can give them in the fridge" .....i'm pretty sure she was ONLY trying to keep me in that store..that's why she was rolling her eyes at me when i said i'm getting my meat from a grocery store. Ugh.

Anyways! So to start with, i'm assuming chicken wings, back and necks are best, and to do that for maybe a week or two. I will be feeding 6% of my puppy's body weight since he's growing, 3 times a day. Later when he's and adult i'll be feeding him 2-3% of body weight, twice a day.

I will be adding the following items to his food every day:
-Probiotic pills, opening the capsule into his food. 1 per day.
-apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp a day.
-kelp tablets 2 while he's a puppy and 4 when he's and adult or 1 teaspoon of powder a day. OR if i can't find kelp, i'll use fish oil, 1200 mg soft gel, 1 a day.


Weekly Menu

Monday: Ground beef, beef heart chunks. Carrots, celery.
Tuesday chicken necks, thighs. green beans, broccoli
Wednesday lamb necks, meat, or bone-in-breasts. Zucchini, carrots.
Thursday Pork chops, steaks, or necks. Omit Veggies
Friday Ground turkey, breast. carrots, green beans.
Saturday Chicken livers, necks. broccoli, cauliflower.
Sunday Tilapia, Whiting, Salmon (NOT from Pacific Northwest). Omit veggies.


oh, and i will also be adding 4 drops of standardized grapefruit extract to the raw meat, just to be sure i get rid of the bacteria.

Thank you all for reading this!

[Verivus]

I would take out ALL veggies - it is completely unnecessary. I would also stick to one protein source for at least the first week and introduce new ones one week at a time. Where are your organs? I don't see any listed. You need at least 5% liver (at least 2 different types, ie. beef, pork, chicken, etc) and 5% other secreting organ.

[vhrocks323]

Originally Posted by Verivus

I would take out ALL veggies - it is completely unnecessary. I would also stick to one protein source for at least the first week and introduce new ones one week at a time. Where are your organs? I don't see any listed. You need at least 5% liver (at least 2 different types, ie. beef, pork, chicken, etc) and 5% other secreting organ.

Well i read somewhere that the carrots are good for them. My uncle gives his dog carrots every day with the other raw food. So i'll just keep those in. And i have my organs...that was the beef heart and chicken liver. I read for cats and dogs you shouldn't be feeding them organ meat more than twice a week because it's very rich in Vitamin A. That's why i don't have them listed for like every day.

[SchDDR]

Unless you're pulping them, dogs can't derive any benefit from vegetables, as their stomachs aren't really made to digest them.

If a grocery store is your only source of meat, be prepared to spend significant amounts of money. I'd be seeking a butcher or some other source of *bulk* meat, to save money.

Pork can cause diarrhea in dogs, so beware that it may not be a realistic meat source.

What protein source are you planning on keeping "novel" for the dog in the event of allergies?

[Verivus]

10% of the diet must consist of organs. 5% of that MUST be liver, the other 5% is another secreting organ. Not sure what you're reading, but it's wrong. Beef heart is NOT an organ. Beef heart is considered a muscle meat. I must have missed the chicken liver. Chicken liver is fine, but find at least 1 other liver source so you can balance out nutrients. You will also need at least 2 other secreting organs (ie. spleen, kidney, thymus, etc) for that last 5%. In the beginning it may be easier on the system to give their alloted 10% everyday, since too much organ at once can cause rocketbutt. Some people choose to give a week's worth of organs split up in 2 days instead of feeding OM everyday. It's just a matter of preference.

The vegetables are honestly useless. It's fine for snacks, but they really contribute nothing to the diet. My own dog likes to eat carrots and she ends up pooping them out undigested.

[vhrocks323]

Originally Posted by SchDDR

Unless you're pulping them, dogs can't derive any benefit from vegetables, as their stomachs aren't really made to digest them.

If a grocery store is your only source of meat, be prepared to spend significant amounts of money. I'd be seeking a butcher or some other source of *bulk* meat, to save money.

Pork can cause diarrhea in dogs, so beware that it may not be a realistic meat source.

What protein source are you planning on keeping "novel" for the dog in the event of allergies?

Actually, i found a store that has some pretty cheap meats. It's called Fiesta. I'll be sure to avoid the pork then..my dog is currently having some diarrhea issues. He has a bit of a sensitive tummy. And i'm not sure what you are asking...do you mean what is my main protein source going to be for him? I would say chicken, if he gets allergic to other things. I've already given him a chicken thigh, he is definitely not allergic to it.

[SchDDR]

No, you need to have a source of protein that the dog has never eaten. That allows you to feed a dog solely a diet of something it has never eaten, in the event of allergies, so that you can do an elimination diet.

You feed a diet only of novel food, and slowly add items back one by one, until the dog shows a reaction. In that way, you determine what the dog is allergic to. But, you have to be able to feed a diet of a protein the dog has never eaten before, for quite some time [months, if not longer] to do so.

You need to plan to start by feeding one thing, and slowly adding variety.
Starting out with so much variety generally ends in explosive diarrhea.

[vhrocks323]

Originally Posted by Verivus

10% of the diet must consist of organs. 5% of that MUST be liver, the other 5% is another secreting organ. Not sure what you're reading, but it's wrong. Beef heart is NOT an organ. Beef heart is considered a muscle meat. I must have missed the chicken liver. Chicken liver is fine, but find at least 1 other liver source so you can balance out nutrients. You will also need at least 2 other secreting organs (ie. spleen, kidney, thymus, etc) for that last 5%. In the beginning it may be easier on the system to give their alloted 10% everyday, since too much organ at once can cause rocketbutt. Some people choose to give a week's worth of organs split up in 2 days instead of feeding OM everyday. It's just a matter of preference.

The vegetables are honestly useless. It's fine for snacks, but they really contribute nothing to the diet. My own dog likes to eat carrots and she ends up pooping them out undigested.

Hmm, alright. Quick question though...does this apply to cats as well? I only had beef heart for their "organ meat", but if it's not an organ then i dont think that will work. Alright soo i guess the vitamin A over dosage isn't an issue? Do i need to be feeding organ meat every single day or just every other day? I'll do chicken livers and either some other type of liver or beef spleen. I'll have to check the store to see what they have. And i guess i'll just blow off the veggies since they have no use.

[Verivus]

Originally Posted by vhrocks323

Actually, i found a store that has some pretty cheap meats. It's called Fiesta. I'll be sure to avoid the pork then..my dog is currently having some diarrhea issues. He has a bit of a sensitive tummy. And i'm not sure what you are asking...do you mean what is my main protein source going to be for him? I would say chicken, if he gets allergic to other things. I've already given him a chicken thigh, he is definitely not allergic to it.

I would try the pork before ruling it out. I have never had a problem with pork. Just never feed wild pork. As for your other questions, no beef heart is NOT considered organs in the raw diet. The only reason I can see as to why you would have vitamin A overdose is if you do not have enough variety. This is why I suggest having at LEAST 2 different types of liver and 2 different types of other organs (4 different organs total) in order to try and keep a balance. This applies to cats AND dogs; neither are immune to imbalanced nutrition. Whether you feed organ meat everyday or not depends on your preference. I prefer balance by the day, so they get their alloted organ meat for the day everyday. Some people will feed a week's worth of organ in 2 days out of the week for the entire week for balance over time. The veggies can always be a treat, but it has no nutritional value.

Remember, the more VARIETY you have, the more likely the diet will be balanced.

[SchDDR]

Oh, it's definitely worth trying pork.
Just don't decide in your mind that it's a definite food source.