Dog Community

question about raw diets

Posted : 1/19/2009 7:15:56 PM

Baileys been on an all raw diet for over a year now(it might be 2? im not sure). And was on and off raw for a year before that. My ferrets are on raw now too, but ive only had them for a few months now. Ferrets are pretty strict carnivores.. I know dogs are different.. ive been wanting to get Bailey a bigger variety of food. He gets all sorts of meat, whatever i can get. Chicken, beef, pork, lamb, fish(salmon usually) turkey, liver, heart, kidney, and other things like pig feet and chicken feet for snacks. Hes never really had any sort of grain or veggie in this main diet. In the summer he'll get grass sometimes... but thats about it. He doesnt have any problems with eating raw, he never has. Hes never sick either. He has allergies, but he got those when he was on kibble(all different kinds, tried everything to fix it) and on raw, and it was the same. Almost every site i find about it says somthing different... I cant decide whether i should be giving Bailey veggies and such, or just stick to meat only. So... im hoping to get other peoples opinions on raw diets for dogs.. And whether they need things other than meat only... And i was wondering if anyone would be willing to share what kind of different foods they feed in a raw diet for thier dogs. Thanks Smile

birdydog

Posted : 1/19/2009 10:39:06 PM

It's really up to you. Everyone has their own indiviudal ideas on raw diets. I try to limit my dog's grain intake, simply because I don't believe it's necessary. I do vegetables in small doses, just as treats and rewards for training. I usually give pieces of raw squash or apple wedges, so they can knaw on them. Frozen green beans and carrots slices I use for training treats. Dogs can't really properly digest vegetables in their raw state. So in order to get the most nutrients out of them, you'd have to cook them and puree them to break them down, so the dog is more able to process them. I don't bother, because they're not a huge part of their diet. Adding things such as eggs, cottage cheese or yogurt is another good way to add more variety to Bailey's diet, as well.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 1/20/2009 9:13:30 AM

My dogs like veggies. Emma's on phenobarbitol, and it makes her starving, so she gets veggies to fill her up. They get tidbits from my plate, and I'm a vegetarian. They get very few grains.

Basically, I feed them anything Emma tolerates. Lamb, turkey, fish, beef, venison, etc.

brookcove

Posted : 1/20/2009 10:10:11 AM

My dogs need lots of calories to meet their energy requirements so I meet the "extra" with starches rather than mineral-filled animal proteins. This gives their kidneys a bit of a break, I feel. We're talking about dogs that would be consuming up to 12 times the amount of phosphorus recommended for their size (NRC 2006) if I tried to meet their needs with meat and bones alone - so I'm not saying this applies to every dog.

Spicy_Bulldog

Posted : 1/29/2009 1:20:05 AM

I just feed mine meat (and bones) but some people add veggies. It is up to you. Do what works best for your dog.