[Tara]

This will be my first time raw feeding my gsd, apart from a raw egg daily.

Few questions.

She is 7 months , good age or not to start??

What would be best for her digestive system ??

What is the best meet to feed her on daily ??

Will it make her sick?

And does she still need some dry food set out??

Thanks to anyone who can help me out.

 

[onyx'girl]

Read thru the sticky's here. There are many threads that are about starting a dog on raw...spend some time reading and your questions above will have all been answered.
She is 7 months , good age or not to start??
yes

What would be best for her digestive system ??
start with chicken leg 1/4's

What is the best meet to feed her on daily ??
Meat(chicken ~turkey~ beef~ pork ~fish ~venison~ green tripe) , adding in one protein source at a time to ensure she is digesting properly
You should also read about portion size/ balance of raw meaty bones, organ meat and muscle meat. There is much to learn but once you begin it is easy. The hard part is finding good sources for meat at a reasonable cost.

Will it make her sick? shouldn't

And does she still need some dry food set out??
no, I've always transitioned my dogs from kibble to raw "cold turkey"

 

[Tara]

Thank you.

Raw chicken ? It's full of bacteria is it not ??

I'm looking to feed her Raw meat from the butchers.

Will raw meat / steak/ beef whatever be ok.

Sorry if I sound a bit stupid with these questions lol don't want my dog getting sick.

 

[onyx'girl]

Please read the raw threads...there is so much information to learn and you'll see the dogs do not get sick from feeding a raw diet.

 

[sable123]

Please read the raw threads...there is so much information to learn and you'll see the dogs do not get sick from feeding a raw diet.

Depends what you mean by sick. If you are diligent and consistent you can do it properly but unfortunately playing musical chairs with what is on sale is not diligence. Neither is not supplementing with a very high quality vitamin & mineral mix.

Feeding fresh food once in a while or daily is hardly a bad idea but don't be made to feel guilty about feeding a really good kibble. Good and caring people feed mid-grade kibbles and their dogs look just as good and live just as long and play just as hard.

By the way, green tripe and various other "by-products" are what you should be adding not muscle meat.

Don't buy into all the internet pop science that raw feeding is better.

 

[onyx'girl]

Sable123 raw has been around waay longer than kibble...so should we call kibble feeding pop science?

 

[Lauri & The Gang]

Depends what you mean by sick. If you are diligent and consistent you can do it properly but unfortunately playing musical chairs with what is on sale is not diligence. Neither is not supplementing with a very high quality vitamin & mineral mix.

Bull.

I don't supplement with a "very high quality vitamin & mineral mix" and my dogs are fine.

I've asked before and you haven't answered, sable123 - what is YOUR experience with raw feeding?

Mine is over a decade of feeding raw to over a dozen dogs (young and old, healthy and sick) and 2 litter weaned to raw.

Tara - Do you want to feed an ALL raw food diet or are you just looking to supplement your current kibble?

If you are looking to feed an ALL raw diet you will have to include bones in the diet - EDIBLE bones. Very few of the bones you get from a butcher shop will be edible for your dog. You want things like chicken legs, necks, thighs, turkey necks, pork neck bone, etc.

As I said above, I have weaned puppies right to raw so 7 months old is NOT too early.

I'm not sure what you mean by "what is BEST for her digestive system"? Can you clarify?

The best meat to feed her daily depends on if you are going all raw or partial.

If you are going ALL raw you want to provide 3-5 different protein sources per week. Chicken, turkey, duck, pork, beef, lamb, fish, venison, rabbit, buffalo, etc.

If you only want to supplement your kibble then you can use anything you want - just be sure to cut back on the kibble on those days you give the raw meat.

Some of my dogs have been raw fed for over 10 years and have never been sick from it.

 

[Tara]

right, im going to get her raw meat . what do i look for ?

full time diet by the way.

 

[Lauri & The Gang]

Here's the basics:

45% Raw Meaty Bones
50% Muscle Meat (no bones)
5% Organ Meat

She's 7 months old - I would go with about 3% of her current weight as the amount you need to feed each day. Not the NUMBER of things - like 2 chicken legs, it;s the WEIGHT of things - like 7 ounces of chicken legs.

You can find all the details on my website:

Welcome to the Raw Dog Ranch

(website might be having some trouble as we are trying to move it to another server)

 

[Tara]

Thank you ! Any more questions in message you.