An update on Paddy's Raw Meaty Bones diet

[Trudy Harlow]

We have now been on RMB for nearly 6 months and Paddy is doing extremely well.  Last year at this time, he had had one long, continuous ear infection -- we'd get it treated and cleared up, then as soon as we finished the treatments, we'd be back at the vet's with another one.  This year, since January, he has had only one ear infection, and that was in, I think, March.  Yes, he still itches pretty regularly, but he has no hot spots, very little discoloration on his feet and around his mouth, the compulsive licking is about gone....I do give him an antihistamine just about every day, but I was doing that before.  And this spring and early summer have been about the worst for pollen in my memory -- everything bloomed at once.  I myself have had to double up on my allergy meds.

So, overall, I'm thrilled.  Feeding him has become relatively simple.  He is still a picky eater, but I don't worry about it now.  I just leave the food down for 30 minutes and it goes back in the fridge for the next mealtime if he doesn't eat it.  He will eventually eat it.  And, he has begun to eat chicken, which I'm thrilled over because it's a much cheaper food for him than beef or pork.  He is eating beef liver and heart every week, and he loves canned sardines (haven't found a source of fresh ones yet), plus he has seal oil capsules every day.

I would say that this is the best thing I've ever done for my dog.  And by the time I add up what I've spent on vet bills and premium kibble over the years, I think I'm coming out less than even with the meat, bought on sale at the grocery, BJ's and Costco.  Once I'm able to branch out and find cheaper sources, it will cost significantly less.

And, watching Paddy get into the "zone" while he chews his food and his bones -- well, that's worth everything.  He loves to eat his food now.  He might look like a little lamb, but he's really a wolf in sheep's clothing!  :o)

[Trudy Harlow]

LOL, Elizabeth, I did too -- well, I already had the freezer, but now it's primarily filled with Paddy's food. I don't feed mince because Paddy needs the "ripping and tearing" exercise for his jaws and his teeth.  The RMB diet discourages mince as well, so we've just never fed it.  I certainly would in an emergency, though.  He's never had a chicken wing and I probably wouldn't give him that because he might try to swallow it whole.  When he eats chicken, he gets a quarter at a time (he weighs 50 lbs) -- so he'll eat a chicken leg and a thigh, or a large breast -- plus a piece of another type of meat, such as a beef shank.  I try to feed him large pieces, but he still doesn't quite know what to do with them, so he gets smaller chunks that make up the large pieces.  He's still getting a lot of ripping and tearing exercise though.

Good to hear your Maltese has improved so much on the diet!

[Elizabeth & *Kosci*.]

My girl was Born and raised on a raw diet and will eat anything, I find the cheapest is chicken wings but not enough meat so will feed beef mince and kangaroo mince in combination with the wings.
Chicken legs are our next favourite and a lot more meatier.
I have a Maltese as well and has had to have teeth removered due to rotting before the switch to raw and she has had a huge improvement in the condition and overall health contributed to the raw diet..
So with vet bills in concideration a raw diet would work out cheeper than kibble. But I did buy a freezer to hold the meat in bulk...lol

[Trudy Harlow]

Ricki, definitely when we first started, he was a messy boy.  He never learned to clean himself, but now he does better.  He does not have long mustaches, and I do keep his muzzle trimmed closer now.  But occasionally, if I see a need, I'll wash his muzzle off with a little light vinegar water, which is what I learned to do when we first started out.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I'm so glad that all of your efforts have resulted in improvement for Paddy. WTG!

I'm curious as to how you keep your doodle's face clean when he ius eating raw meaty bones? Doesn't he end up with a greasy muzzle?

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Unfortunately we live in a small city in the middle of nowhere in Norther Ontario - no halal or asian markets here! I am going to check prices of beef hearts at the local butchers though 

[Trudy Harlow]

Love that picture, Kimmy!

Actually, I think Paddy  likes to have what we're having.  If we are eating chicken, he wants chicken.  If we're eating pork, he wants pork, and so on.  He's a funny boy, but I love all his little quirks!

[Kimmy & Chewie]

Great news indeed! Glad to hear that Paddy's on the mend :)

I know exactly what you mean about them being in the 'zone' while eating raw...I can't take my eyes of him when he's eating either. He just looks so happy. Chewie's been on raw diet since I got him a year ago.  He's staple diet is chicken. He loves chicken and beef, but does not like pork. He used to get dry/flakey patches on his bum/back legs, but that all disappeared after I start giving him fish oil supplements :)

Here's Chewie tackling a whole chicken (usually he gets chicken quarters/halves).

 

[Trudy Harlow]

By the way, Kaytlin, someone suggested Asian and Halal markets as cheaper sources of meat.  I'm interested in finding lamb hearts and hope I can get them at the local Halal market.

[Trudy Harlow]

Kaytlin - the seal oil is produced legally in Canada.  That's all I know.

Re the chicken -- one day, I got some raw chicken out to prepare for our dinner (actually chicken that had been in the freezer, intended for Paddy, LOL) and his nose went up in the air and he showed real interest.  I let him sniff a piece and he was licking his lips, so I gave him one of the quarters and he ate it right down.  I don't know what changed with him.  I hadn't offered it in a long time and perhaps he was tiring of the red meat diet.  Now he'll eat it in the rotation without complaint.  He still won't eat rabbit or turkey, and he still won't eat a chicken joint all in one piece -- I have to separate the leg and the thigh.  It's as if he just doesn't know how to handle that awkward piece of meat.  Funny!  I'm not complaining, though.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Thats great! Cooper has been back on raw for a few months and we have had NO GI problems at all. She is like Paddy and will not eat chicken (we even tried her on turkey but thats a no go too). How did you get Paddy to finally eat the chicken.... just wait it out? I have worked out it only costs a little more to feed Cooper and my 3 cats raw than the kibble (I think it was $120 instead of $100) assuming I go over to the US to buy meat (its 3 times the price here in Canada). If i can get Cooper to eat chicken it will be less.... Not sure I like the sound of seal oil.... Cooper gets fish oil