So many questions. Too many answers!

[arby665]

First of all I want to thank everyone for all of the information on here. I have learned so much and I now have about half a notebook filled with notes.

Now, here is my issue...I have now spent well over a month researching the raw diet. Just when I think I have it all figured out, I read something else that thoroughly confuses me. I realize that everyone has their own way of doing things but if I could just get a few things clarified, I would feel much better.

My pup will be about 10 weeks old when I get her and would like to start her on a raw diet right away. I'm also wondering how much to feed. I have read anywhere form 3%-10% of her body weight. I have also read to go by the parents weight. Mom is 85 lbs and dad is 105 lbs. Though I am told he is not yet at his full weight. I believe he just turned 2 yrs.

1. Some people feed raw eggs and some boiled (shells and all). What is the difference. Also, does an egg replace something else in the meal?
2. Some add supplements and some do not. Why?
3. If I need supplements how do I know which to use?
3. If adding tripe to the meal, is it in place of something else? Or just added as an extra? Is this considered OM?
4 Yogurt. Yes or no? I've read both!
5 Can the food be frozen for a certain amount of time? I have access to deer parts right now. I want to know if I can freeze now and it still be good end of DEC or early JAN.
6 What parts of the deer should I get? I did read not to feed the brain or spine. Anything else I shouldn't feed?
7 I have seen sardines and tilapia listed as both RMB and MM. Can it be considered both?

Sorry for the long list. I actually have more questions but will save those for later. Maybe I am over thinking this and the more I read the more confused I get. It is really important for me to do this right. I want my girl to be as healthy as possible. Thanks!

[lhczth]

Good place to start:

Welcome to the Raw Dog Ranch

1. I feed eggs both raw and HB. The latter is usually fed as a treat and not a normal part of their diet. Only one of my dogs will eat egg shells. The eggs I feed are from free ranging (loose running my land free ranging) hens so are an excellent source of B vitamins, essential fatty acids, protein, and more. No, they don't really replace anything. They are just part of the diet. I feed eggs a few times per week which comes out to around 1.5 - 2 per day.

2. I feed only salmon oil as a supplement. The rest comes from the diet.

4. I feed tripe as a meal once per week. Others feed it every day. I see it as a MM.

5. I feed organic yogurt a couple of times per week. Not sure if it is needed, but the dogs like it and it seems to help with my older dogs' digestion (as does the tripe).

6. Yes, I freeze all the time since I buy in bulk.

7. Ony part of the deer I will not feed is the leg bones (same with mutton). I don't like how hard and brittle they are.

8. My dogs don't like raw fish so I feed canned on occasion. I consider this a RMB since it does not contain OM. If you were feeding whole fresh fish (guts and all) it would be considered a complete meal, but most people don't feed it that fresh.

[Kyleigh]

The link is a perfect place to start!

1 - raw and hardboiled ... Kyleigh will peel the hardboiled eggs herself and leave the shells for me to compost!

2 - I feed only salmon oil as a supplement too, and coconut oil as well

3 - supplements - talk to your vet / or someone on here that REALLY knows because you'll get a HUGE list of everything and it can cost you an arm and a leg.

4 - I give a table spoon or two of tripe in every meal (it reeks to high heaven ... fair warning)

5 - I gave organic yoghurt after Ky's spay just to "help her out" (likely she didn't need it), and otherwise don't give it to her. It's not a bad thing to have, but not a necessity

6 - freeze, freeze and freeze!!! Most of us that do raw have freezers dedicated to the dog's food ...

7 - Same as above

8 - Kyleigh doesn't like raw fish, but loves it grilled on the bbq ... any fish will do for her!

[arby665]

Thank you both so much for answering! I have been to that website and many others. The coconut oil was actually another question I had. How much do you give? I also read that if you give salmon oil that you should also give vitamin e. Any thoughts on that?

[arby665]

Also, looking back at my original post I wasn't really clear about the freezer question. What I really want to know is what is the max amount of time that you would freeze the food? Also, do you use containers or freezer bags?

[Castlemaid]

Originally Posted by arby665

My pup will be about 10 weeks old when I get her and would like to start her on a raw diet right away. I'm also wondering how much to feed. I have read anywhere form 3%-10% of her body weight. I have also read to go by the parents weight. Mom is 85 lbs and dad is 105 lbs. Though I am told he is not yet at his full weight. I believe he just turned 2 yrs.

Some people like to have everything calculated and weighed and punched into spreadsheets with formulae. That is fine, but I'm too lazy for that, and go by rule-of-thumbs, and I adjust amounts up or down as needed, based on my dogs' condition and activity level.

As a starting point, go for about two lbs a day, divided between two or three meals. Watch your pup - if she seems thin, feed more, if she seems rolly-polly, feed less, dogs can really vary with how much they need. For example, my 65 lbs rottie mix puts on weight at a drop of a hat, and she gets about a pound and a half a day sometimes less. My GSD is 82 lbs, active, and of a slim build, and needs about three lbs a day or more to keep in good weight.

1. Some people feed raw eggs and some boiled (shells and all). What is the difference. Also, does an egg replace something else in the meal?

Egg whites contain a protein called Avidin. It binds with biotin, and important nutrient, and makes it un-available to the body. So a diet high in raw egg whites only may result in a biotin deficiency. However, the egg yolk is high in biotin, so feeding a whole, raw egg balances the avidin and the biotin out. There is controversy as to whether this is enough to balance out the biotin, and if the amount of avidin in the egg white is so high as to bind up all the biotin in the yolk, AND 'spare' biotin' in the liver and blood, giving a net negative biotin availability.

So far, I've only read about paper calculations and philosophical discussions on the subject, without actual lab tests or long-term nutritional studies on the subject - and I'm not convinced that paper calculations and internet discussions actually translate to real-life applications.

I have no issues feeding raw eggs on a regular basis, and have been doing so for years. As part of my dogs' raw diet, they get raw liver on a regular basis, which is very high in biotin, so I'm not concerned about any deficiency. Plus, each time I have had blood work done on Keeta, who has been on raw for over five years now, it comes back stellar.

Cooking the egg de-activates the avidin, so some people feel more comfortable feeding cooked eggs instead of raw. Either way, raw or cooked, eggs are a very good addition to a dog's diet.

2. Some add supplements and some do not. Why?

Don't know? Different feeding beliefs and philosophies. I do minimal supplementing.

3. If I need supplements how do I know which to use?

I'd say read up on what people are using and why, and decide for yourself if you feel that is something you should be using too.

3. If adding tripe to the meal, is it in place of something else? Or just added as an extra? Is this considered OM?

Tripe would considered something extra.

4 Yogurt. Yes or no? I've read both

Can't hurt unless your dog is sensitive to milk products.

5 Can the food be frozen for a certain amount of time? I have access to deer parts right now. I want to know if I can freeze now and it still be good end of DEC or early JAN.

Yes, properly frozen meats, if kept frozen, is good and safe for YEARS. People give me stuff from their freezer that is one or two years old to feed my dogs, and don't tell them, but I save some for myself and enjoy!

6 What parts of the deer should I get? I did read not to feed the brain or spine. Anything else I shouldn't feed?

In some areas, Deer are affected by some kind of Deer Waisting Disease, which I think, is like mad cow desease? The prions responsible for the desease live in the brain and spinal cord, and are just about imposible to kill (freezing or cooking does not kill prions). So people are advised to not feed the head or the spinal cord to be safe.

7 I have seen sardines and tilapia listed as both RMB and MM. Can it be considered both?

Sure, why not?

Just start slow, once you get into the swing of things, it does not seem so complicated nor so overwhelming. Some good questions though!

[Kyleigh]

I found a bag of frozen meat from about 3 years ago ... she ate it with no effects!

I use freezer bags, much easier (and I recycle them LOL)

Coconut oil ... i use about a teaspoon / meal

Vit e - this is a supplement - you'll get bombarded!!!!

The other thing to keep in mind is that YOUR dog is going to be different from my dog, and everyone else's dog.

There is a GENERAL way to feed raw, and then you make adjustments as you go along. In 8 months you'll be whipping out that raw food, and plopping it in a dish like a pro!!!

If the poop is white / hard ... too much bone the day before, feed less!

If it's runny / explosive ... too much oil / fat / tripe / organ ... could be anythign ... could be because they drank icky water that day!

You'll learn to monitor your dog's poop and go by that !!!

You should see if your vet supports the raw diet - makes it much easier to get info from one that agrees with the manner in which you will feed.

I have a holistic vet for Kyleigh and he's on the same page as I am for raw feeding. Lots of vets aren't!

[arby665]

Thank you all for answering. I know that once I get started this will not seem so bad but for now I am just very nervous about screwing this up. The only thing I can compare this to is being 9 months pregnant with my first daughter. I felt so clueless and overwhelmed. She has turned out wonderfully by the way.

[Kyleigh]

Honestly, until you get the hang of it, it's overwhelming!!!! There is SO much out there. I don't measure, I just dump a whack load of stuff together and hand it to her. A dog doesn't need a perfectly balanced meal every single day. BUT, everything should balance out over 4 or 5 days ... there's enough of us on here that feed raw so don't hesitate to ask more questions!

I know there's some really good stickies in here too ... so be sure to check out those also!

And have fun with it ... I love experimenting ... let's see ... will Ky eat chicken feet? YUPPERS Rams testicles? After she's played with them she'll eat them!!!