the RAW diet????

I do.  I follow the book _Raw Dog Food_ which will tell you about how much to feed and the just of what to feed.

For my dogs (Portuguese Water Dog, Bichons), I grind the RMBs (have had some broken teeth issues from the big beef leg bones) and the RMB's I use are all cuts of chicken, some turkey (wings/tails), and pork riblets.  If I can get ahold of some inexpensive lamb cuts, I'll use that too.  They do get ground beef and turkey here and there.

Their veggies I steam and then pulverize in my blender.  They also sometimes get a bit of rice and oats.  For supplements, I give salmon oil and kelp and occasionally a multivitamin. Read lots of books to get an understanding.  Everybody does it a little differently, you'll find a groove that works well for you.

 I agree. LOTS of research.  I feed both my dogs a pure raw diet. My oldest (Lab mix) has horrible allergies and this diet has done amazing for her. Check out my thread Before and After in this section.   I don't add veggies for a number of reasons but the main one being I'm lazy and hate pulverizing stuff. And my dogs don't like them any way.

A good book to read is raw Meaty Bones by Tom Lonsdale also join the yahoo group Rawfeeding. This group has helped me tons.   

My dogs diet consist mostly of chicken, turkey, duck, pork, some lamb if its on sale. And we're trying goose in the next week.  As for supplements, I don't give my JRT anything but my Lab has a bad heart so she gets CoQ10, Hawthorne Berry and Vit E. 

You can give Salmon oil to help their coat before you make the switch.  Oh! And unless you have a very open minded vet, be prepared to defend your choice. 

There's quite a few of us on here who feed all raw or a few times a week. Ask away!

 Whoops! Didn't see the questions! Lol. Sorry!

gibby411

How did it work out, was the cost any differant than having them on kibble? Our dogs are shedding like mad, I notice their skin is not all the great either. We are going to be putting our mastiffs on this diet they each weigh between 100-110 lbs. How much should they get per day and is giving them veggies okay also. Not alot of veggies, I just dont want to take that away from them bc they love their carrots. thanks for any info.

The cost in the beginning is a bit high HOWEVER if you have a large freezer, you can stock pile meat and the cost goes down. For example Maze and Sandy (43lbs and 14lbs) would go through a 35lbs bag of kibble in a month at the price of 60$ a bag. Since the switch (and stock piling) I spend maybe 20$ a month on meat.  Hitting sales, scanning asian markets, stuff like that will save you tons! Also talk to your local butcher as well. Some times they may have deals if you tell them it's for your dog. 

As to how much to feed, the basic idea is to start at 2% of their ideal body weight and increase or decrease from there, depending on the dog.  

My dogs have been eating raw for about 2.5 years now, and I'd never go back!

Their diet consists of beef, chicken, pork, turkey, fish (when possible), eggs, hearts, and organs. I feed a tiny amount of veggies (pureed in a blender - the only way dogs can digest them!), the main reason being that one of my girls, Gaci, had some anal gland issues when she was younger that resulted in some scarring. If her poops are not bulked up a bit (to make them softer), she can have painful bowel movements. Other than that I'm not sure it is all that beneficial, but I add them because I know it won't hurt and they are getting *something* from them. I mix up what I give, from pumpkin, to beans, broccoli, carrots, peas, greens, berries, apples, etc. I also feed canned tripe from time to time.

I feed two main types of meals:
-  Raw meaty bones, in the form of pork hocks, beef ribs, or larger chicken/turkey pieces - anything that takes them time to chew up and eat that they can't gulp (they don't consume the rib bones, but they chew on them for a bit).
- In-a-bowl-meals: this is where they will get their egg, fish oil, veggies, ground chicken (bone/meat), and organs.

 The only supplement I give them is fish oil, because I know I don't feed enough fish for them to get their omegas.

The result: They don't have the doughy appearance that most kibble-fed dogs have. They have super-clean teeth and less stinky breath. Their coats are wonderful and eating RMB's gives them a great mental exercise that feeding out of a dish can't compare to.

The Rawfeeding group on Yahoo is a great resource and it's where I got most of my information from. Another fabulous resource is http://www.rawfed.com/myths/. There is a ton of useful info there!

thank you for the info I will look into the group. I am trying to find online about beans. I know green beans are good but what about the bag beans I would make myself? Not baked beans the white beans is that okay I would over cook them to get them more watery. I am having a heck of a time getting infor everything keeps going back to green or bbq. I am not worried about the gas but I am worried about the bloat. My plan is to cook up their meals ahead of time and freeze them into bricks. plus they would still get their raw of course. thanks for any more info.

Welcome to the forum; I love your avatar.   I'm going to suggest that you have a raw diet formulated by either Sabine Contreras;

Better Dog Care, Better Dog Nutrition - Creating Healthy Lifestyles for Canines: Main Page

 or Monica Segal;     Welcome to Monica Segal 

 I've had diets formulated by both of them and they are excellent people to work with. They have the knowledge and skills to formulate diets for your dogs based on the latest guidelines by the National Research Council. Honestly, there are many diets on the internet and many books with diets for dogs, but I have found that in many cases, the authors haven't taken the necessary courses in animal nutrition and aren't knowledgeable enough to formulate diets that will meet all of your dogs needs.

You may find that this booklet written by Monica is adequate enough without scheduling a consultation;   Raw Food Recipes 2nd Ed. 

It's only $6.95.