Ok to give a RAW meal, every so often?

[Anthony8858]

I was making Kira's "stew topping" in our pressure cooker. I accidentally dropped a nice chunk of raw beef on the floor. Kira happen to be nearby, so I left it there for her.
In a nutshell, I'd swear she had a smile on her face, after eating it

SO..... Being the wonderful doggie - daddy that I am, I would like to start giving Kira an occasional RAW meal, and will probably eventually get her to eat RAW as her regular meal. (I'm reading to many positives to ignore the benefits).

What is the best way to do this?

Can you give me very specific instructions regarding ingredients, food prep, and size of meals?

[Josie/Zeus]

For me, occasional raw feeding does not require a complete meal- like providing % of this and that. If you want to give her chicken/beef/whatever, do so. I subscribe to KISS principle. Plus, you are feeding her high quality kibble.

The general rule is 2% of the dogs body weight. My dog is 86 lbs and he gets 2 lbs of food, my dog is built like a tank and if I feed him less than that, he'd look like I'm starving him. Plus he works his little furry butt off everyday.

[sashadog]

As just an occasional meal, I usually stick with meaty bones. It gives the dogs something to chew, their dinner, and takes them enough time that I get a bit of a break instead of them scarfing down their dinner in seconds and being ready to roll. Plus they love it!! Or I'll just grab a bag of the pre made raw patties to give them a treat every now and then. (With a small apartment sized fridge and three dogs, it's a dream to make my own raw...)
I've never had any digestive issues mixing them up between good kibble and raw.

[PatchonGSD]

Just my two cents after a bout of nasty diarrhea with Balen- dont feed the raw and kibble together in the same meal. Try to space a raw meal and a kibble meal (or non raw meal I guess) at least 12 hours apart.

[Kyleigh]

I've been feeding raw for years, for both cats and dogs. The only caution I would give you is to keep in mind when you are feeding raw MIXED with kibble is that the raw food is much denser than the kibble. The kibble will expand in the dog's stomach, and the raw meat is dense / heavy ... so you don't want to feed the same amount of kibble AND the raw ... lots less kibble, and the raw ... or no kibble, just raw. You don't want to fill the dog's stomach so full it can barely move, and then have to worry about bloat ...

[Kyleigh]

OOHHH PatchonGSD ... thanks for that post ... I've not feed kibble in years, so forgot about that VERY important thing to remember ... nasty diarrhea! Not something you want to experience HA HA

[PatchonGSD]

LOL ya I learned the hard, nasty, took forever to get the stains out of the carpet-way.

[Anthony8858]

Originally Posted by Kyleigh

I've been feeding raw for years, for both cats and dogs. The only caution I would give you is to keep in mind when you are feeding raw MIXED with kibble is that the raw food is much denser than the kibble. The kibble will expand in the dog's stomach, and the raw meat is dense / heavy ... so you don't want to feed the same amount of kibble AND the raw ... lots less kibble, and the raw ... or no kibble, just raw. You don't want to fill the dog's stomach so full it can barely move, and then have to worry about bloat ...

Thanks for this. It would be very easy for someone to think they're making the kibble super-yummy.

[Anthony8858]

Can someone give me a sample daily menu for a 65 pound 16 month female?

[Elaine]

Originally Posted by Kyleigh

I've been feeding raw for years, for both cats and dogs. The only caution I would give you is to keep in mind when you are feeding raw MIXED with kibble is that the raw food is much denser than the kibble. The kibble will expand in the dog's stomach, and the raw meat is dense / heavy ... so you don't want to feed the same amount of kibble AND the raw ... lots less kibble, and the raw ... or no kibble, just raw. You don't want to fill the dog's stomach so full it can barely move, and then have to worry about bloat ...

This is a myth. Absolutely no reason not to feed kibble and raw in the same meal. There are a ton of people out there that do this on a regular basis and it's not a problem.

You never want to over feed your dog no matter what you are feeding.