[Bunch of Rascals]

Ok...again I am posting a question about something that has been addressed on and off in a few other posts but the views are so scattered! My apologies in advance...

We are feeding raw and sticking strictly to the 50-45-10 ratio providing variety with at least 3 different sources, 4 on occasion, every week. We add an egg every other day along with pumpkin every once in awhile as needed. I am researching supplements more and am trying to get my hands on some green tripe. I was pretty confident on our menu and was speaking with our breeder the other day, just the usual update and pics kind of thing, when she asked how the raw diet was going. I told her everything above and she said that we were missing fruits and veggies which were very important...25% of his daily intake important! I had done months of research before we ever got Frankie on feeding raw and was under the impression that they were not crucial. Ok to add in if you felt so inclined, but not a important enough to make up a quarter of their diet. She suggested I replace one of his meals with a freeze dried food called Sojos and continue the other with the current ratios that I am following. This would give him the proper balance he needed. I am just so confused at this point. I thought that we had gone into this well educated and were doing the best for our pups. Now I wonder. :help:

 

[Jax08]

I think there are two thoughts on this...

1) Green tripe suffices for any vege/fruit needed
2) Add fruits and veges.

I give Jax fruit/vege's once in a while. I supplement with Vit C, fish oil, Vit E and joint supplements. She also gets green tripe and some pumpkin throughout the week. My big vitamin I want to make sure she gets is Vit. C, which comes from fruit and vege's.

 

[krystyne73]

all my dogs eat fruit n veggies

 

[natalie559]

Fruits and veggies contain nutrients like all other foods. As long as the nutrients needed are being met then to me it doesn't matter whether the nutrient comes from a meat or plant source. One things fruits and veggies do that most meats do not is provide antioxidants. If that's important to you you should feed them.

I personally do not use percentages at all. I learn what nutrients the dog's needs based on weight, learn what nutrients come from the foods I choose to feed, compare the two and supplement the difference. I wrote more about this here, and for a puppy the needs are ever changing,

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/b-r-f-raw-feeding/85948-how-i-create-balance-homemade-diet.html

Personally I feed potatoes and carrots and feel they make a nice addition to my dog's diets.

 

[DeeMcB]

I don't feed fruit & veggies at all (except when I'm eating a banana and Ez gives me puppy dog eyes) but use the Whole Prey model. I give pumpkin from time to time for gastric upset, not nutrition. I also supplement with fish oil.

Whether or not they need F&V depends on which side of the fence you fall on. I've seen great looking, healthy dogs on both sides.

 

[lhczth]

I have 3 dogs that love fruit so they enjoy some a few times per week as a treat. They also might get any left over veggies I can't eat. Other than that, fruit and veggies are not a normal part of their diet. 2 of my dogs won't touch any of this.

I stopped using tripe after getting a batch that had started to turn. Now I can't stomach the smell to feed it.

I use only salmon oils as a supplement.

 

[Bunch of Rascals]

Thank you all for the insight. I feel better about it now, at least not feeling like I am harming my pups anyway! VERY interesting thread Natalie...overwhelming as far as information, and I will need time to "digest" everything but quite interesting. I guess once you "get it" it comes easy but seems complicated to me right now. Supplementing starts this weekend! Thank you all again...I love this forum

 

[Lauri & The Gang]

I told her everything above and she said that we were missing fruits and veggies which were very important...25% of his daily intake important!

If you want to feed fruits and veggies to your dog and you want them to actually get any NUTRIENTS from them you have to 'predigest' them first. Either freeze them, thaw and feed or steam them, cool and feed or run them through a juicer or blender and feed.

Dogs do not have the ability to break down the cell walls of fruits and veggies so if you give it to them unprocessed it won't do them any good.

My dogs get green tripe when I can get it and some leftover fruits or veggies after WE eat, but nothing on a regular basis.

If I did feed f or v I would NEVER make it that large of a portion of their diet.

All that being said, my gang have been fruit and veggie free since I switched to raw (not counting the occasional taste here and there and green tripe maybe once a week).

Kaynya has been raised since 9 weeks of age like that. Tazer & Winnie have been fed that way for over a decade. Spike and Feugo were WEANED to that.

None have had any problems.