Dogs - Raw Diet Update
 

This is an update on the a conversation we had regarding putting your pooches on a "raw" diet.

We switched from commercial pet food (Pedigree dry, choice cuts and missing link) a few months ago to a raw meaty bone diet in an effort to ensure the health and stamina of my 90lb male Boxer and 65lb female Lab.

Initially I was using chicken necks and leg quarters as the main sources of meat but after a few raw vomiting episodes it became clear that they weren't chewing the neck bones enough and just gulping them down. I switched over to whole carcasses to force them to learn to chew and began feeding once a day instead of twice a day.

There are always good deals somewhere on whole chickens so there has not been a large cost increase compared to commercial dog food. The dogs main staple is 1/2 whole chicken, warmed to room temperature. I try to cut them in half so that the Boxer gets a bit more, but I don't weigh their food or anything to determine portion size....because they're dogs.

They get a ground beef/steak mix consisting of eggs, banana, some veggies and sardines/olive oil once or twice a week. They also get a whole raw fish (guts and all) once a week.

The results have been very positive, here are the bullet points of my experience thus far.

* Dogs thoroughly enjoy chewing and eating the food and seem very satisfied afterwards. They now have very well developed jaw and neck muscles.

* Dogs strength and stamina has improved on long runs and uphill pulls.

* Dogs have a very full and shiny coat that feels very healthy to the touch.

* Both dogs used to throw up once a week or so on the commercial diet. This is no longer a problem.

* The have completed ceased chewing on anything left out during the day and now have open access to the house while I'm gone...usually about 9 hours a day.

* They rarely fart and never have bad breath.

* And best of all, at our yearly vet exam a couple weeks ago the vet told me they were the healthiest dogs he had seen come into his office. Their muscle to fat ratio was perfect, their teeth and gums were exceedingly clean, and thorough testing revealed absolutely no bacteria or parasites in their digestive system. He was especially impressed with their muscle definition.

So far so good...we're definitely going to stick with it and keep watching them closely. My good friend came over while they were eating one day and asked a lot of quesitons. He switched his black lab over to raw and reported even better improvements than I got.

I've never liked the crap I see listed on the label of commercial dog foods. good for you caring for your furry family members like that man

I feed my boxer Blue Buffalo large breed puppy food. It a holistic dog food and his coat is shiny and he is filling out quite nicely for an 8 month old boxer. He is about 55lbs and you can just barely see his ribs. I'll have to get new pics of him posted.

I've got a female boxer that goes roughly 55 to 60 lbs. she is 2 1/2 and still eats puppy food. tried the adult dog food but it did not agree with her at all. the fattening part of pup food is not a concern as she has 3 acres to run in and we take long walks at night. she is very toned.
I do feed her raw veggies and bananas, never thought of raw meats though. May have to look into it.
The poodle has stomach issues at least monthly on commercial diet.

So do you feed them the chickens whole? i know you said 1/2 a chicken but you give it to them bones and all? Just curious I remember always being told as a kid to never give dogs chicken or turkey bones because they splinter but maybe that was an old wives tale...

Correct, a 1/2 chicken, skin, bones and all. Gizards and lizer if its there. The chicken bones thing appears to be an old wives tale. Apparently only cooked bones are harmful to animals...even poultry bones

correct. once they get cooked they become brittle and shatter. uncooked bones are actually good because htey clean the teeth and contain marrow... (at least, that's what our vet told us a while back)

Amazing how well they do when they're fed what nature intended them to eat, isn't it. :D

Perhaps this was discussed in the previous thread, but what's the expense like?
I know when I try to eat only fresh foods, my grocery bill goes up considerably.

Interesting, just curious how much would you say you spend each week to feed them? I have a seriously overweight lab mix at 110lbs and my pitbull is about 60lbs I'd say.

oh heck yes I know about a year ago when I changed my diet to only veggies, fruit and fresh protein my grocery bill easily tripled. I did see he mentioned getting some good deals on whole chickens though....but I'm sure it's a little more than dog food would be but that's a personal choice you make for you pet.

Brinks is on the same. Wayne is on BB large adult. But man they can clear a room fart!!!

This is interesting... but damn they already cost me a fortune to feed. And this is easy.

It costs us about $3-4 per day to feed them depending on what deals I find. Sams Club is your friend. When I shop the goal is to get meat for $1 a pound...which is what premium dog food runs. $2 a day per dog is a small price to pay to feed my dogs real human quality food. They're stronger and more active than most humans so they need good nutrition.

Feeding has become a bonding ritual as I sometimes feed by hand. It has increased the dogs loyalty to a point where obedience is just a fact of life and not something we have to continuously work on. I feel like it has improved their quality of life.

My buddies wife threw a fit when hre started feeding raw chicken convinced it would kill the dog. He stuck with it and she was amazed at the results.

That doesn't sound too bad, really.
Especially given the benefits you seem to be getting from it.
I'll definitely consider this if I get a dog in the near future.

Kaneman, what did the change do in terms of their poop? Did it take some adjustment time? No accidents or diarrhea??

You are giving your dog chicken bones? Or am I reading that wrong?

Chicken on the bone, to be exact.

Is there a rule of thumb-pounds of meat per pounds of dog? Is it only meat you are feeding them? Any veggies ? I am very interested in this.

There was some vomiting initially which I was told to expect. As far as their poop, the diet has made the poop much smaller and firm and not really that stinky...compared to before. Their poops are about the size of 40lb dog instead of 65-90lb dogs. The idea is that they're able to process and use much more of the food instead of having it go to waste. Its actually pretty funny watching my big ol' dogs take these lil poops.

You read it right, they've been eating the dreaded chicken bone covered in juicy delicious raw meat for months now.

There are some general rules of thumb but what I found what that everyone had their own individual style. I just keep an eye on their ribs and if they start to show I up their food intake. For my size dogs 1/2 chicken per day seems to work pretty good.

Why not gut the fish first? If there are any heavy metals, they'll most likely be concentrated in the guts, IMO

They need the guts (although I could use other non-mercury contaminated guts instead I suppose). To be honest, I don't think they'll live long enough to feel the effects from different contaminates in the water eating fish once a week.

Yeah it's easy and really the prices isnt that bad. I think Buddy is going through a big bag(40lbs I think) every month. It's$50 a bag but that is relatively cheap compared to what it costs to feed growing kids. Oh yeah and buddy can crack them off with the best of them but they have no smell. :idk: I guess he just swallows a lot air when he eats.

IIRC, purchasing pond raised fish lowers the chances of mercury levels in the fish anyway. :scratch: :idk:

Triple, what are you using to grind up the chicken?

Good update Triple, glad to see you're still feeding raw.

I go back and forth on whether or not to start grinding. I've seen such great development of their jaw and neck muscles from the chewing that I'm reluctant to start grinding. Not to mention the cleanliness of their teeth, although I'm surprised to read that you are having similar results using ground food.

I think a balance between the two might be a good compromise for me. Alternate whole and ground every other day in order to give an extra day for bones to finish digesting.

My 2 dogs go thru about 3-4 bags a month of the food at $40 a bag.

I asked the vet about this today. he said its a great diet and works well. The bone in meat MUST MUST be raw. That the stomach can breakdown the bones as long as they aren't cooked. The cooked bones is what most people hear horror stories about. Like the owners left over steak or chicken bones. That is bad cause they are cooked.

He also said that while its a great diet. most pet owners don't stick with it. Its a great deal of hassle and costs more. Some only last a few weeks, others last a few months but most quit due to the hassle.

Hard to believe people consider feeding their dogs a hassle...but then again I remember my mom being hasseled to get my dinner on the table!

I was thinking about that.
Honestly, this is why I haven't moved past the "thinking about getting a dog" stage.
I've owned dogs in the past, but they were outdoor-living, scrap & bag food eating 'dawgs'.
They exercised themselves, entertained themselves (as we would often have two or three), and didn't have to be leashed or taught any particular level of obedience.

However, having a dog in my life now would require a much higher level of involvement.
I live in an apartment, I work nights, I have city ordinances to contend with...etc.
The 'hassle' of feeding raw is a reminder of the kind of things I should add to my consideration.
If and when I decide to bring a dog into my home, I want to do it right. :dthumb:

No doubt man.

I'm sure there are plenty of dogs fed commercial that do fine. What I'm hoping to avoid is having my dogs get all crippled up in their final years.

I thought chicken bones act like splinters and the dog can choke, no?

only if you cook them.

Mine get chicken backs and turkey necks quiet frequently.

Raw chicken bones are okay. It's only after they've been cooked that the splinters are a danger.

ETA: Cuttle beat me to it...

JC

Glad the raw diet is going good for the dogs. Once you get used to it, it doesn't feel like a hassle at all. Its a fun time to hang out with your dogs. The biggest problem Ive encountered is when I leave town and have to get someone else to feed them. In which case I just get the required number of meals ready and wrap them so all the "dog sitter" has to do is take them out and give them to the dogs. just for kicks you got any recent pictures of them dogs? I know theres a thread for that but throw em up here to!

pictures... yeah... got pics of them eating chickens?

I'll get some pics and/or video tonight for you guys.

amazing thread.


got me rethinking my dogs diets.....


Currently feeding Chicken Soup for hte Dog Lovers Soul: Large Breed Adult.

My yellow lab has an actual allergy to corn and shits like it's no body's business when you get him standard food (Science Diet fits in this category).


Anywyas. great thread folks.

http://www.barfproducts.com/?gclid=C...FSQMDQodBnl9GA

Heres a place where you can order raw diet food.

There are a few places here in jersey that sell ground up chicken/veggie mix's. You can even have custom blends made for specific breeds.

We feed our 10 month old Shepherd Royal Canin #24. It's a commercial food but RC only makes foods for specific breeds. #24 is for German Shepherds and targets exactly what they need. Shepherds have very sensitive digestive systems. The only other supplements we give him are primrose oil and vitamin E for dry itchy skin.

I would switch to the raw diet if I noticed any issues with him but so far he's doing great.

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i4...rbackyard3.jpg

This does sound like a very good way to keep a dog healthy, and happy I think.

It does seem to make them happier and even more relaxed. Of course there are a lot of other things we do to contribute to that as well. I'll get some pics up when I get a chance.

At what age would you recommend starting them on a raw diet? Perhaps slowly transitioning to it, say an egg (shell and all), and work up to raw chicken and bones?

I've got a seven month old JRT/Husky mix named Desmo and I think she'd love a raw diet but didn't want to start too soon/quickly.

:)

They can start eating raw as soon as they're old enough to eat kibble. The general thought is to switch their diet cold turkey as feeding raw and kibble together is thought to cause other issues.

Awesome, thanks!!

Here is a quick update along with requested photos. We actually went to adopt a pitbull pup today from a local rescue and were denied because of the diet we feed. There was concern that salmonela poisoning was going to kill our dogs and their rescue. Our dogs obvious display of perfect health was not enough to counter their fears.

I try to find whole chickens for $.75 to $.85 a pound.
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8...c/101_0181.jpg

Cut it in half...I slice a little more on one side to give our larger boxer a bigger portion. This is an entire day's worth of food.
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8...c/101_0182.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8...c/101_0183.jpg

I put it in hot water to warm to near room temp. My understanding is that cold meat slows down the digestive process.
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8...c/101_0184.jpg

Then there is of course the mandatory sit and stare at your delicious chicken until I say differently because I'm bigger than you exercise....
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8...c/101_0187.jpg

Then there is only heaven.
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8...c/101_0189.jpg

What's with the shelter? This s how dogs are supposed to eat.. if anything they should be shocked that someone is actually putting this amount of effort into raising healthy dogs.

Your dog's coat looks great. I'd like to put my dog on this diet, but it isn't up to me.

What's even more ridiculous is that same dog will go to some family that ties it in the back yard and doesn't bother with it, train it or give it attention after 3 weeks when their kid gets bored with it and that's a better option to them.

Un-educated people irritate me to no end. Just because they don't know about it they assume it's un-healthy. Why couldn't they ask for more info from you or take the time to talk to a vet....I guess they don't really care about a good home for that dog.

end rant...:(

That is great. Do you always feed outside?

I talked to my parents about this earlier today, and they both had similar responses. There was the initial shock, then questions, and finally followed by "well, he doesn't like dog food." So we're looking into this in short. We're still uneasy about the bones, but alternating between ground and whole sounds good.

You have a link to said grinder? I see quite a few listed, but if you have good results with the one you snared I'd like to go the same route if we go through with this.

Yea I'm actually going today to pick up a grinder. We haven't had bad results with whole chicken, but with the grinder I can mix together different types of meat, organ, eggs etc to get them good variety at every meal.

Well I picked up a grinder from Cabelas for $40 that clamps down and was pretty impressed. It took a while to grind down 10 lbs of chicken but it got the job done.

Here is my recipe for this weeks mix, already ground up, pre-mixed and packaged so feeding is a snap.

5lb ground beef
10lb dark chicken
3lb white chicken
2 large salmon filets
3/4 container of chicken liver
2 cups yogurt, plain
1 bell pepper pured
1/2 dozen jumbo eggs
some olive oil

They seem to be enjoying it, lol. In the couple of days that our new Pit puppy has been on this diet his coat has already started to show a glossy sheen and the spot of mange on his forehead is healed.

I'm moving Sadie to a raw diet this week. I've been reading up on it, here and elsewhere. It all seems just fantastic. She's getting up there in years - and we're starting to see some health issues. So, I'll feed her by hand for a while to make sure she can do the carcass chewing - it looks like that is the primary concern with older dogs.

But, my butcher is almost excited about it. They custom make quite a few dinner options and have a lot of scrap. Not all of it is *worthless*, it might just not all fit into the portions they are selling. The butcher section manager told me this is well handled and FREE. This includes the fish that doesn't make their date cutoffs - again, it doesn't mean that it's spoiled... just the date for purchase has passed.

I figure Sadie is spoiled in all other areas in life and she's truly a member of the family. I might as well feed her like one. And, that doesn't mean breaking the bank... just taking care of her health.

Thank you for this thread - it brought my attention to it!

Now I wonder if I could just give the dogs raw chickens every once and a while as a treat?

Moira that is so cool! I'm excited to hear about that...and I wish I could find a butcher giving away free scraps too. You're the fourth person I've "converted" to raw so far...I'm startin the dog food revolution baby! Pretty soon men in black suits and sunglasses from Purina and Pedigree are going to be paying me a visit.


GasMan, you *could* feed raw chicken as treats but you won't see the types of improvements described in the thread without a consistent diet. Not to say that the dogs wouldn't enjoy the chicken though. Be weary of alternating raw meals with kibble meals. The kibble slows down the dogs digestive system which keeps the raw meat in their intestines longer than it should be. This can allow e-coli or salmonella bacteria to grow and possibly make the dog sick. However on a raw only diet the food passes as it should without any issues. If you feed raw chicken make that your only meal of the day.

Orrrrrrr....just switch them to raw everyday!

Maybe I'll ask the vet. I was thinking only the chicken for the day... would hopefully fullfill brink's desire to destroy stuff with his mouth!

We have a local place that specializes in raw foods.

It's like Whole Foods for dogs and cats. :lol:

It's more expensive than buying scraps but we love having the meals individually packaged for each day.

http://www.realfood4pets.com/

Just saw a pet raw foods plant on "dirty Jobs" show. Here is the website. Not sure of the prices but they seem to have a quality product.

http://www.greentripe.com/

Their main ingredient is cow stomach complete with grass residue. Looks like a great way to get your veggies and protein. Not sure of the pricing though

Still feeding Raw...and wishing I had an electric grinder. There's a butcher shop where they actually speak ENGLISH but its 5x as far as the 5 around me where they absolutely refuse to try to speak any english. I mean really motherfucker, you can't understand "chicken neck"....come on...

Anyway, the dogs are doing great. I also have a puppy who's been eating raw since the day we got him about two months ago. I feed around a half chicken a day and a couple legs and wings for the puppy. I also have my multi meat mixture that's grinded and frozen to alternate days with.

Grinding by hand is a pain and its kinda gross too. Def gonna invest in an electric one eventually.

Josh,

Sadie says THANK YOU.

It's been almost a month - the pooping like a duck has subsided. And, so far.... it's dreamy. She's turned into a puppy again. So far, so good.

"Pooping like a duck" :lol:

Did you mean loose or often?

When we switched Ana to raw, she went from shitting twice a day to about 3 times a week.

Her nutritionist recommends ground sweet potatoes for loose stool. We haven't used them once.

:lol: No, we expected her to poop often - she always has when changing her diet in ANY way. All the way to changing if she gets some table scrap or weird something.

The girls took her on a walk and called me... "Do we have to pick it up if she poops liquid?" :panic:

That was a few days, into a week. Then and now once a day normal/smaller.

YAAAAAAY!!!!! I have a friend with a 7 year old black lab I convinced to switch and his dog looks like a 1 year old now. Good stuff.

I think kibble is killin our dogs!!

My parents are the LAZIEST people I know. I've told them to read the damn site with the info on and my mom got half way and just stopped and says she doesn't have time when she's sitting there watching tv. They don't want to feed him when they don't know what's going on either. I'll never understand completely, but I think they're trying to say no by means of pissing me off.

hahaha, my parents do that to me too.

They have two boxers, 7 yr old male and 10 yr old female. They had gotten so fat and out of shape that the 7 year old could barely walk. It was sad and pathetic. I volunteered to take them in for a while and get them back into shape. When we started the male could only walk 2 blocks....2 fricking blocks before he would collapse in the street and look like he was going to die. I had to soak him in water while he took 15 minutes to recover.

Eventually through consistency he dropped 10 lbs and was doing 3 mile walks with us everyday with no problem. I also started taking them to the dog park and he was actually RUNNING up a storm, it was amazing.

Nonetheless, my rents were very unreceptive to switching them to a raw diet despite the fact that their teeth had rotted out of their heads etc, etc.
BUT, they are now walking the dogs twice a day and when I went over there last the male had lost another 5 or so lbs and was looking great!

*LAZY* is killing us..... Its an epidemic.

I'm being lazy right now and waiting until my husband comes home to take the dog to the park. I just can't do the 2+ k morning hike with him without feeling like I need a nap afterwards. This pregnancy sleepy stuff is driving me nuts. There's sooo much I wanna do and can't without paying for it later.

I am so looking forwards to after the baby is born and the dog and I can get out with our nifty B.O.B stroller and get moving like we used to.

Until then I need my husbands help to tire the dog out. I can't rough house with him and I can't keep up our regular "old" pace without getting short of breath.

I really don't know how largely overweight people or those with beer guts do it. The one thing I love/hate about having a big dog is that you can't be lazy. rain, sleet, snow or shine, you have to get out and walk. This baby gut I have due to being preggers makes it hard. I can't wait to be as active as I once was...

Not Lazy.

You, momma... not lazy.

Goddang man, we just got back from the dog park. It aint no joke out there folks....its hot.

I have a cat and two labs. One of my labs has some serious hip displasia and it has been acting up recently. All animals eat kibble. I'm seriously considering switching my pets (the dogs, at minimum) to a raw diet.

I need info! Specifically, what to feed them for healthy joints.

I've been thinking about doing research on kitty raw diets. I might do that today instead of posting as much on here. :lol:

Prescription Previcox works wonders for dogs with arthritis and dysplasia. I rehabilitated my Dad's 7 year old male Boxer, who when I got him could barely walk. Through a regular regiment of walks, better diet, weight loss and Previcox he was able to literally jump into my Dad's huge truck when they came to get him a month later.

Make sure your dog isn't at all overweight first of all, extra weight is really hard for them to carry around. Then take him to the vet and ask about Previcox...its going to run you about $70 a month to keep him on it. Once he's on the meds focus on trying to build up his hip muscles to support his ailing joints.

The dogs are not overweight. The one with the bad hip is already on Previcox on an "as needed" basis, and gets a shot in his hip every 3 months.

He had an episode last night where he was refusing to do anything except sit or lay in one spot on the floor. He would not walk. I gave him some Previcox and in an hour or so, he was back to his old self.

He got a fresh shot this morning and the vet suggested we change his diet. I've been kicking around the raw diet idea, this is just the nail in the coffin.

The poor guy is only about 5 years old and he's hurting, pretty badly.

Ahh man, only 5 years old. That sucks.

I bet you've already done a ton of research on it. The raw diet IS supposed to be better for dogs with dysplasia. The vet told us when we adopted our Lab that she'd never be able to run. Now she regularly pulls my wife miles upon miles on rollerblades.

Try phycox tabs. They are all natural and work wonders for hip & joint stuff.

Sadie is in that boat too... we considered prescription drugs. But, didn't want her to be reliant on us in order to walk. It's about quality of life - I wanted to try other things first before going to something she required every day.

She has literally turned into a puppy again. Heather can attest to the change in her attitude - she stayed at my house the last week Sadie ate kibble. And, was at my house on Saturday. Same dog, TOTALLY different attitude. She is really now acting like a puppy, all excited and giddy :lol:

No seriously....she's like retarded goofy happy playful. It's hilarious and awesome. :lol:

So, where are you guys getting the info to get started on a raw diet? How do you introduce it, what kinds of foods do my dogs need, etc?

Wanted to post an update real quick for cat owners.

I broke down and let my wife get a kitty. In an effort to make her part of the pack from our dog's POV we feed her in the same room and same time as the dogs. I quickly learned that she much prefers raw meat over kitty kibble....because she kept getting in their food bowl. So from then on we just feed her raw like the doggies.

I slice some meat off the dogs chicken or whatever and she eats it down. No bone though. Anyway, seems to be working well so far.

I can understand raw red meat, but I would be concerned about the dog getting sick eating raw fish that was not prepared correctly and raw chicken. Why not just feed them raw red meats? And is alot of fat a problem?

How does cooked meats compare to raw?

They have the digestive system to take care of the things in raw chicken that would make you or me sick. You can't feed them chicken alone and I do feed raw red meats as well, depending on what is on sale that week. They also get eggs, cottage cheese, leftovers, pork and so on.

Red meat is $2+ lb vs. chicken at $.59 a lb. so chicken is the obvious choice to make up the bulk of their protein.

As the bones are part of their diet and cooked bones are dangerous to dogs feeding cooked is not an option. I do buy a big bag of quarters every week, boil that and strip the meat for a quick meal that isn't messy when I'm in a rush. Its more of a back up meal. A lot of fat is not a problem because they are not eating carbs, only fat and protein. Whole chickens have a good fat/protein ration.

In the time that I've been doing this I've seen my dogs digestive problems (throwing up, diarrhea, farts) virtually disappear. They have not been sick at all in the last 6 months.

Sadie's medical issues are completely gone. We no longer give her supplements - her annual vet appointment is next week. A year ago she had problems walking, had seizures and would throw up on occasion. She is a retriever, that couldn't PLAY fetch... it's part of her soul to do it - so we had to hide tennis balls from her or she would hurt herself going into the back yard to throw the ball for herself if we didn't do it. She is now back to retrieving like she did a year ago like a puppy - she now jumps, runs and will dive into the air to catch balls.

I completely attribute a raw food diet to this.

She gets yogurt, liver, eggs and banana/celery/peppers in the morning - chicken in the evening.

Thanks Josh. Really. TRULY. Sadie thanks you.... I'd take a picture, but she's afraid of cameras [they steal your soul...] :lol:

These meals sound like mine. LOL...minus the raw meat part, though I eat 12 raw eggs a day.

How do you give the dog raw eggs? Mix is up with other stuff?

It's an involved process... crack egg in bowl - give bowl to dog. :) She LOVES eggs. No, LOVE love LOVE LoVEs eggs.

Yes, my dogs do eat a diet similar to what a bodybuilder would eat...minus whatever carbs you take in during the day. Lots of protein though. Like Azooom said, you crack the egg and put it in the bowl. I just put it in their bowl with a half a chicken. The egg is good for them and adds sheen to their coat.

Moira, it makes me very happy to hear about your success with the raw diet, I'm extremely proud for Sadie! The unfortunate truth is that there are very few kibble diets that are not harmful to dogs. They can't tell us when their stomach hurts and so on so we assume they are fine. The higher end kibbles like Blue Buffalo or Canidae are pretty good...but you just can't beat raw meat for a carnivore.

Ahhh...didn't think the dogs would like plain raw eggs.

My boxer / staffie mix doesn't like the raw liver. The pit bull loves it though. Matter of fact, there isn't anything yet that he hasn't liked.

:lol: I fed beef heart and liver the other day, first time I've ever actually bought a cow's heart. I cut 'em up in thirds and gave them to the dogs.

Organ meat is a much richer than muscle and I guess their stomachs weren't ready for that. Nothing will clear a room faster than raw organ farts. Good sweet Jesus.

I tried to start my cats on raw.....that was the longest kitty dinner time ever. One cat produced exorcist vomit and the other looked at us like we were crazy. :lol:

My husband decided that the reason we have cats and not dogs is that cats are far less maintenance. Raw diet is definitely not low maintenance with the cats.

It was not going to be an easy transition especially since the two cats were going to have completely different difficult transitions. :rolleyes:

We got some beef livers because they are soft and juicy. Cats have never had to chew before and that is the problem with Triumph(the 'what the fuck is this shit?' cat). I cut tiny little pieces up for him and mixed it with wet cat food. He would pick up the liver pieces, realize he had to work to get it down and spit it back out. :rolleyes:

Eva(the 'I love it, give me more!' cat) devoured all that we gave her then 20 minutes later we had bloody vomit to clean up on the carpet. :lol: It was disgusting.

Main point is, we have cats because they are low maintenance. We can put out a bowl of kibble and be gone for a couple of days and they'd be fine. We don't have the type of life that we can be home twice a day everyday, ya know?

This might be already covered but I don't feel like reading 10 pages...

is there a risk for salmonella in raw eggs and meat?

No.

Cool I am going to give Puggy a raw egg now. Can you give them one a day?

Sure, but if he's not used to it its likely to agitate his stomach the first couple of times. Raw white chicken meat might be a safer bet at first.

I've been eating eggs raw for over a year now...never got sick from it. Just make sure the egg doesn't smell or bloody after you crack it open (had 2 of those..almost threw them in the blender too..lol).

Triple, I really believe a lot of that info is put out by the dog food industry. If people ever realize they can feed their dogs better and cheaper by buying raw meats instead of kibble those guys are going out of business.

That above website appears to be run by Foster and Smith which is about as a big a rip-off site as you can find...aside from actually going in to Petsmart.

FYI guys, whole turkeys are on sale at Walmart for $.40 a lb. Stock up while you can!

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8...c/DSC_0389.jpg

My apologies if it's already been said since i haven't gone back and read every post in this thread, but how much are you feeding your boxer? Does he eat an entire chicken per day?

It kinda varies based on what he does for the day. A whole chicken in one day would be something he got if he really worked his ass off. (I.E., pulled me for like 8+ miles.)

Today was a working day and he got a whole turkey breast.

Sadie has this great wookie voice that she has found since going on this diet. She gets up in the morning and "yells" at us if we haven't gotten her breakfast ready :lol: It's somewhere between a growl and a bark - but, like a wookie. We have a great morning conversation.

Josh, really - thank you for introducing us to this. I know it has saved her life.

No problem Zoomie, I'm really proud for you and Sadie. BTW, don't even think about posting details to this diet elsewhere, it is copyrighted!!! hahahaha.

I crack me up.

:lol:

Hey Josh... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwyiIBCwAxc

Thanks man. Really.

I completely forgot I had that old video. Sadie is camera shy, and I'm surprised I even got that many runs out of her on the first video. The second one, I have now figured out if I put the camera at my waist and move my body with the camera she doesn't notice I have one.

Wow, Moira... I don't think Sadie was that energetic even when I first met you guys. That's freaking fantastic!

I've started my girl on a high quality natural kibble for an easy transition from shelter food. But as that bag dwindles, I'm going to get her onto raw food.
She's going to look and feel amazing. :dthumb: