Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 9:32 pm Post subject: Switching to raw....
It's only really been since I joined LF that I've thought about the whole kibble/raw thing. Porscha is fine on wainwrights but I'd like to consider changing to raw if it means it's better for her. She's a 25kg dog, can anyone typically tell me how much raw I would need to feed and what ratio of meat/veg is healthy?
Have a look at this thread Jo, Kayc has explained how to work out amounts to feed, whats good and whats not in the fruit/veg department and even a "menu" to give some idea of what to feed and when
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 6:31 am Post subject: Re: Switching to raw....
_True_Blue_Rosemary wrote:
She's a 25kg dog, can anyone typically tell me how much raw I would need to feed and what ratio of meat/veg is healthy?
Can I just say, don't get too hung up on percentages of bone to meat, or meat to veg, etc, or weighing out portions so she has the same amount each day, as with this sort of diet, everything balances out over time. It's a much free-er, more natural way of feeding.
When I first started feeding Ollie a raw meat and bones diet I did a lot of research and bought two or three books on the subject.
Ollie is a good-doer and has on average 2% of his body weight in food per day.
Each morning he has a choice of , minced beef, minced lamb, lamb’s heart, sardines, tripe, minced wild rabbit (with bone and offal in) or a mixture of minced heart, lungs, liver, kidneys etc which my butcher makes up. This is mixed with finely chopped veg, fruit, kelp, alfalfa, garlic, nuts, salmon oil, any suitable leftover veg from our meals, etc. He also gets raw eggs including the shell 3 or 4 times a week.
In the evening he gets raw meaty bones in the form of chicken wings (usually 3), chicken carcass or lamb ribs. He also gets beef marrow bones now and then which he scrapes away at until there is just a stub left.
You must make sure you have a good, regular source of raw meat and bones and a large freezer.
Hi Jo - I was really worried about it to start with but in fact it's turned out to be pretty easy. I just tweak bone amounts depending on what comes out the other end!!
One of the best things about raw feeding, aside from how well Olly is gastrointestinally on it, is how wee and non-revolting his poops are. Such a difference from when he was on kibble. No wind, no bad breath, nice shiny teeth.
I don't feed him any fruit or veg - he gets the odd kitchen scraping and generally he leaves carrots and things in his bowl. He gets oily fish and eggs now and again, but otherwise just meat, offal and bones. Mainly chicken and lamb, with venison, rabbit and beef now and again. He eats all bones except marrow bones which he just gnaws at.
How much would you say you spend feeding your dogs raw?
I'm hopeless at Maths but I'll tell you what I pay for my basic feed. Tripe 60lb = £20. Minced chicken carcasses 60lb = £10. Minced beef and bone 60lb = £20. Raw chicken carcasses £2.50 for about 25-30 in a bag. Then I add carrots, runner beans, peas, apples, in fact any veg of fruit which is on special offer in Tesco and I go down the reduced aisle and buy up liver, lamb, fish, etc as it's going cheap. On top of that I buy a 15kg bag of Wainwrights Salmon and Potato about 3 times a year, for a stop gap (if I've forgotten to defrost their dinner), for treats and for ease on holidays, etc. Plus any lamb or beef bones I can get from the local butcher for free . About the only thing I don't feed is Pork, because it always upsets my normally very stern consitutioned dogs tums and rabbit/game, because you just don't see it round here. I would if I could get hold of it cheaply though.
Their daily diet between the three of them consists mostly of 1lb raw tripe for brekkie (Pood only has a tiny bit) and possibly a small handful of kibble in treat balls, etc. Dinner is 1lb of either chicken or beef, with mixed veg, or a chicken carcass each (Pood has a small one or half a large one). But then if I have other bones, they will have these or if I have other meat, fish or offal, they have these either for brekkie or in with their dinner. They also have any cooked leftovers and they eat anything from salad to yorkshire puddings .
I doubt feeding my 3 costs me more than £1 a day and that's for the 3 of them . I do realise I'm very lucky to have found such a good quality supply of meat, so cheaply though.
Jules that seems very good value - is that a local meat supplier? I reckon it costs me about £1.50 a day to feed Olly - he's not very fond of tripe sadly. Picky little darling!!
[quote="_Juleswith their dinner. They also have any cooked leftovers and they eat anything from salad to yorkshire puddings .
I doubt feeding my 3 costs me more than £1 a day and that's for the 3 of them . I do realise I'm very lucky to have found such a good quality supply of meat, so cheaply though.[/quote]
Jules that seems very good value - is that a local meat supplier?
Yes. I was lucky enough to find a chap who supplies the local racing greyhound kennels. He turns up in his freezer van every week and people from far and wide arrive to buy his meat for their dogs. The chicken carcasses I get from a butcher who supplies meat to the local restaurant trade, so they are all really fresh and human grade, plus they have quite a bit of meat left on them.
It's amazing what you can find if you scrabble around a bit. I wouldn't be able to afford for mine to eat so well if I had to buy from well known pet meat suppliers but as it is, my lot can eat really well for far less than if I had them on cheap kibble.
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