Changed to Raw :-)

nala2012

I bought the duck necks and chicken necks off him and there was a good bit of space left in my chest freezer. I'm not sure exactly what size it is though it was the average size in the shop! I bagged them 400g each and they stacked up nicely was pretty hard work seperating everything but well worth it.

tk123

Now I have some very bad news for you all... Our dogs are going to have slight frames and won't have the same muscle density as a dog fed Hills compete dry food. The reason is that a complete food like Hills has control of the protein levels but like you and me all animals are different so no two cows will have the same protein levels therefore we can't be sure of the amount of protein we feed on raw and should mix in some dry Hills especially for a puppy.... Nurse just told me that in the vets - I didn't want to get into it (a cat had sprayed the exam room lol!! ) just told her I didn't agree as Bailey has put on loads of muscle since switching and is thriving so I know the puppy will too and that I always get complements on how fit and athletic Bailey looks. The vet nodded when I said the lol!

We are finally seeing a dent in the chubs! I'll clear out the freezers of my stockpile and will be going back to Donald Duck necks :P Should I mince them for the puppy or maybe cut them in half? I might try her on a half one and take it from there.

ferretone

tk123 wrote: »

just told her I didn't agree as Bailey has put on loads of muscle since switching and is thriving so I know the puppy will too and that I always get complements on how fit and athletic Bailey looks. The vet nodded when I said the lol!

:rolleyes: Lola's a freak like your Bailey so! After her spate of injury last year, she never seemed to get the muscle tone back on her old dry diet, but this has come on so much since she's been raw-fed these past few months.

I guess we humans had better start getting nutritional analysis done on each individual fruit, veggie, piece of meat we use too, or else switch to a processed diet

orchidsrpretty

Ive been feeding my dog raw for the last 3 momths and she is really thriving. She has gone from 16kgs(rescue) to 24kgs. Her coat is amazing, her breath is.... well as fresh as doggie breath can be:)

I give her a lot of chicken thighs and drumsticks etc, which she loves, but tbh being a vegetarian the sound of her eating them makes me feel a bit sick. I was thinking of getting a mincer, less than 50€ if possible. Have been looking on amazon but I dont really have any idea what would be suitable to grinding bone, or if this is even a good idea. Was thinking that I could buy whole chickens and put them through a mincer? Is that possible or safe to do so? Would a "meat grinder" do the trick or should I be looking for something else?
Thanks.

tk123

orchidsrpretty wrote: »

Ive been feeding my dog raw for the last 3 momths and she is really thriving. She has gone from 16kgs(rescue) to 24kgs. Her coat is amazing, her breath is.... well as fresh as doggie breath can be:)

I give her a lot of chicken thighs and drumsticks etc, which she loves, but tbh being a vegetarian the sound of her eating them makes me feel a bit sick. I was thinking of getting a mincer, less than 50€ if possible. Have been looking on amazon but I dont really have any idea what would be suitable to grinding bone, or if this is even a good idea. Was thinking that I could buy whole chickens and put them through a mincer? Is that possible or safe to do so? Would a "meat grinder" do the trick or should I be looking for something else?
Thanks.

I have a mincer and it powers thru chicken bones but if the sound of the bones crunching is making you feel sick the sight of the minced chicken (it's bloodier than you might think because of the bone) and having to clean the mincer by hand (well mine is stainless steel so can't be put in the dishwasher) would be worse for you imo. Also you're going to have to portion up the chicken before it passes thru, trim the fat/ski etc
I got this one when it was on offer for £61 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/kitchen-home/dp/B002LZUEPS

toadfly

I have a Kenwood Chef, does anyone know if you can get a mincer attachment? Only way I can figure to feed raw to the small dogs is by mincing but after buying the freezer I can't afford it.

Found it, actually that's not bad!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B000C3OB7S/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?creative=22206&creativeASIN=B000C3OB7S&linkCode=asn&ref_=asc_df_B000C3OB7S14309833&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=wwwetalecouk-21

tk123

It looks the same as mine - all the same disks and sausage maker etc lol

orchidsrpretty

tk123 wrote: »

I have a mincer and it powers thru chicken bones but if the sound of the bones crunching is making you feel sick the sight of the minced chicken (it's bloodier than you might think because of the bone) and having to clean the mincer by hand (well mine is stainless steel so can't be put in the dishwasher) would be worse for you imo. Also you're going to have to portion up the chicken before it passes thru, trim the fat/ski etc
I got this one when it was on offer for £61 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/kitchen-home/dp/B002LZUEPS

Thanks for that, will keep an eye on that one, and buy when the price is right! Have come to terms with all things meat(having never eaten it and rarely being around it) so should be ok. Maybe I should just get over it,:)

toadfly

tk123 wrote: »

It looks the same as mine - all the same disks and sausage maker etc lol

Bought it :P Thanks for advice!

tk123

Are duck necks (with fat and skin removed) fatty do you think guys?! I need to make Bailey's diet SUPER low fat and reduce the % of fatty acids in his diet. I'm hoping I can stick with the necks but give less meat and more veggies to bulk out his meals?

borderlinemeath

tk123 wrote: »

Are duck necks (with fat and skin removed) fatty do you think guys?! I need to make Bailey's diet SUPER low fat and reduce the % of fatty acids in his diet. I'm hoping I can stick with the necks but give less meat and more veggies to bulk out his meals?

Duck is higher in calorific content than chicken, but the duck necks are far meatier than the chicken necks. Cut one in half and see how much meat is actually on it.

Would Bailey eat the sardines or the slab of salmon do you reckon? I know that fish is always the option for keeping weight off rather than meat.

tk123

Oh but the fish is stinky lol!!

borderlinemeath

tk123 wrote: »

Oh but the fish is stinky lol!!

It's not that bad at all. The block of salmon doesn't smell like the chubs. I grind or cut it into chunks that fit in tupperware for the fridge so it's airlocked. The sardines don't really smell at all when raw, except I had to cook a few batches for my fussy pair and baked sardine is not all that pleasant:D

toadfly

Got shoulder of lamb today in supervalu. Will those bones be ok for Lexi? Ones I gave her from the butcher before splintered but don't know what type they were.

tk123

I give shoulder bones all the time but Bailey always leaves a few shards.

toadfly

Thanks TK. I'll be in the kitchen the whole time anyway so will keep an eye on her.

toadfly

Hey TK I got the mincer. What size would you use for chicken legs?

tk123

toadfly wrote: »

Hey TK I got the mincer. What size would you use for chicken legs?

I always use the biggest one, bend the leg back and forth at the joint then feed in from the thigh end first. Don't forget you can do your veg in it too!

Prefect too for the humans if you have leftover roast etc - mince the meat and veg and you have an instant (shepherds)pie / cobbler

Whispered

Lately, due to a variety of reasons, the boys have been fed a combination of the raw diet and some (admittedly low quality) dry food. Harley now seems to be constantly itchy, all over his body. It's 100% not fleas, so I can only guess it's the change back to dry with not enough meat.

So today I'm going to get some good quality meat, hearts, lamb breast etc and try get back into it.

EDIT: Guilt gone. They've had a dinner of tripe mashed with veggies followed by some chicken and a raw mince kong. Just wanted to let you know what happened when I let the raw feeding slip.

tk123

So Lucy is 4 months old now and has been having gRAW/minced duck necks with veg...when to try her on something that's not minced and what to try first - a duck neck/drumstick/wing? She gulps the mince down so think wings might be dangerous. She's getting upset tummies from the Luath they use as treats at daycare - she's not even been given any just what she finds on the floor and still has bad poo that evening and possibly the next day ... That and the fact she's growing before our eyes has her looking skinny so want to get her to a healty looking weight!

LittleMissDiva

Hello tk123,

when we strated giving bones Conner advised us to give duck necks as they are the best for getting used to bones. Alfie is a "gulper" too but handles the duck necks perfect

tk123

LittleMissDiva wrote: »

Hello tk123,

when we strated giving bones Conner advised us to give duck necks as they are the best for getting used to bones. Alfie is a "gulper" too but handles the duck necks perfect

Just gave her a small one - it was gone so fast I don't know of she chewed it or just swallowed it :eek: I supposed we'll find out soon enough lol!

borderlinemeath

At least with the necks it's just vertebrae rather than long bones. One of the pups that was born here at Easter (so that makes him just under 6 months) is on raw and he's the same, he gulps them whole. I tried holding one to make him chew it and he just bites it in two and gulps half of it. So far so good and no ill effects from it.

bluecherry74

borderlinemeath wrote: »

At least with the necks it's just vertebrae rather than long bones.

Good point, I never thought of that! Henry's a gulper too. I find if I hold the end of it until he starts chewing, he'll generally chew most of it. If he grabs it a little too fast it just disappears like a seal swallowing a fish. :rolleyes:

borderlinemeath

bluecherry74 wrote: »

Good point, I never thought of that! Henry's a gulper too. I find if I hold the end of it until he starts chewing, he'll generally chew most of it. If he grabs it a little too fast it just disappears like a seal swallowing a fish. :rolleyes:

Yep, straight down the throat. The pup, a GSD, is one of 4 dogs in the household (himself, his mother, another GSD and an Irish setter) so feeding time is literally handing out necks to each one so he gets his last and I hold onto it for as long as he'll let me or until the others are finished and ready for the next one! He's a hoover so tongs are sometimes used!

tk123

How much is the pup getting each day out of interest?

borderlinemeath

tk123 wrote: »

How much is the pup getting each day out of interest?

Last time he was here he was getting about 8-10 necks a day, around a kg I reckon. He's a small enough GSD, as is his mother, he's maybe around 25kg in weight.

tk123

borderlinemeath wrote: »

Last time he was here he was getting about 8-10 necks a day, around a kg I reckon. He's a small enough GSD, as is his mother, he's maybe around 25kg in weight.

:eek: Poor Bailey gets.... 2(!) a day + his veg to keep him lean.

borderlinemeath

tk123 wrote: »

:eek: Poor Bailey gets.... 2(!) a day + his veg to keep him lean.

Aw, poor Bailey! Once pup reaches his adult weight I'm sure it'll cut back a bit. What does Lucy get?

tk123

She's up to 550g - slowly increasing to be safe. She's growing faster than we can increase it lol!