Beginning raw..

[OffgridAlex]

I have read a lot about raw here and elsewhere and have always been very interested but to be honest it just seemed too expensive to consider....however today I stopped in at a wholesale butcher a short while from me....



The boss was really pleased to see me, apparently they pay a lot for waste disposal so he was only too glad to give some of their waste to me.

He gave me a huge box of what he called chicken snot: they buy in whole prepared chickens and cut them down into portions and breast pieces etc, everything else gets binned



Really meaty pieces in there along with a small amount of organ meat that I guess wasn't cleaned out at the slaughter house.

It was all cut fresh this morning from human grade meat and he said I can have as much as I want. I took 15kg today to freeze at home.

So now I have the basis of a raw diet for duke, My chickens give me more eggs we can eat so I have plenty of these and I know another butcher that will give me red meat bones for free.

I am going to sit and read now and try and shape a raw diet for Duke - I am happy to spend what I will save on kibble on supplements or other foods if he needs them

[onyx'girl]

chicken snot!! love it! The red meat bones shouldn't be considered part of the diet(too dense) but are great recreational chews.

[GatorBytes]

Lucky you...my dog cannot digest fat so I am limited to skinless chicken breast, frames for bones (cannot eat lamb bones, marrow bones, barely beef neck bone - def. not pork bones) with almost all fat stripped off...

so costs me approx. $6 a day IF I can get chicken on sale - cannot even buy pre-mix - too much fat...I did buy some bunny pre-mix 1lb was $5, so when I add in the other things to bulk up rations it's $7

sigh.

and the above doesn't incl. suppliments

Hope your dog can do fat

[jprice103]

Originally Posted by GatorBytes

Lucky you...my dog cannot digest fat so I am limited to skinless chicken breast, frames for bones (cannot eat lamb bones, marrow bones, barely beef neck bone - def. not pork bones) with almost all fat stripped off...

What signs are there if a dog cannot digest fat? I thought the fat was an important part of raw, but lately I've been taking the skin off of Cheyenne's chicken thighs and legs because she is starting to gain too much weight. I was concerned that removing the fat would hurt the overall benefits, but figured there was still enough.

Again, just curious as to what indications there are that a dog can't digest fat, i.e. loose stools, vomitting, etc?

[Jax08]

Jessica - per my vet: dogs do not need alot of fat. I was always concerned about making sure Jax had enough fat but my vet told me to keep it on the lower side to avoid pancreatitis. Just for example, at training one night I went thru 2 hotdogs...common reward....the next day she had BW done at her yearly physical and her pancreatic level was 2000 over what it should be. My vet was pale when he came into the room...PALE...we went over everything in her diet and when I mentioned the hot dogs he let out a big breath. TWO hotdogs put her level thru the roof. He just saw a dog that was going to have to be euthanized because of pancreatitis so he was truly relieved when he figured out the problem.

Think about what they would eat in the wild...lean, grassfed, animals with little fat. I don't even feed pork that much because it's corn fed and very fatty. I stick to beef/venison/various poultry and once in a while I'll give some skin with her meals but mostly I throw it out.

[jprice103]

Originally Posted by Jax08

Jessica - per my vet: dogs do not need alot of fat. I was always concerned about making sure Jax had enough fat but my vet told me to keep it on the lower side to avoid pancreatitis. Just for example, at training one night I went thru 2 hotdogs...common reward....the next day she had BW done at her yearly physical and her pancreatic level was 2000 over what it should be. My vet was pale when he came into the room...PALE...we went over everything in her diet and when I mentioned the hot dogs he let out a big breath. TWO hotdogs put her level thru the roof. He just saw a dog that was going to have to be euthanized because of pancreatitis so he was truly relieved when he figured out the problem.

Think about what they would eat in the wild...lean, grassfed, animals with little fat. I don't even feed pork that much because it's corn fed and very fatty. I stick to beef/venison/various poultry and once in a while I'll give some skin with her meals but mostly I throw it out.

Thanks Michelle! Now I don't feel so bad about taking it off, and will now also take it off of Panzer's food also! I had figured that in the wild, they eat the skins, so they should be eating those as part of a raw diet. Again, they get fat in the ground beef, ground turkey, and ground lamb, so its not like they don't get any fat!

And that is scary about the hot dogs! If it does that to them, think about what it does to us! One of the reasons I don't like hot dogs I guess!

[Jax08]

I wouldn't stop feeding skins. I just wouldn't feed them every day. I'm not sure if they eat the skin in the wild or tear around it. Angel (Wild Wolf) could probably tell you that from her experience at the wolf sanctuary.

[onyx'girl]

I would think wolves eat skin and fur. Skin has many benefits(and really should be considered as organ) but fed in moderation just like organ meat.

[Wild Wolf]

Originally Posted by Jax08

I wouldn't stop feeding skins. I just wouldn't feed them every day. I'm not sure if they eat the skin in the wild or tear around it. Angel (Wild Wolf) could probably tell you that from her experience at the wolf sanctuary.

Wolves and other wild canines typically only consume a small amount of skin, sometimes more fur than usual. It is usually the scavengers (mostly birds) that pick at the skin. Fur has a purpose, and biologists and observers have seen segments of bone emerge from the animal in stool wrapped in fur. The biologist I studied under always used to say that nothing cleared the digestive tract better than a nice clump of deer fur.

Skin isn't a "prime" piece of meat, wolves always go for the organs first and the red muscle meat around the chest/ribs and back limbs. Once all of the choice parts are gone, the wolves pick at the lean meat on the forelimbs and such.

[Mendozaalexr]

is this ok to do or does there need to be something more added to his diet...

That is not me in the video I found it on youtube and thought its something simple and easy to do... but if its not a very healthy choice of meats to feed as a regular meal to my 15 week old gsd then I wont do it..

please watch I need some thoughts

Raw Food / BARF For Dogs - YouTube

Raw Food / BARF For Dogs - YouTube