Phasing out the kibble...

[Jennifer Goaring]

So I am trying out raw feeding... or at least a mixture of raw and well made non-kibble dog food.  I was told to check out Honest Kitchen dog food which is a dehydrated version of homemade food that seems like a good middle road for us... makes it something easy for us to do and not quite as messy as handing him chicken thighs and other raw meats every meal.  I did also by some raw rabbit thighs (because the bones looked a bit easier for my 6 month old dog to chew -- what do you think?) and I bought some pre-made raw patties from a company that is local... would have to check the label to see who it is...  made in Portland, OR.

My husband will totally NOT get why I am giving up the kibble... but really, every meal we are having to add something to it to get him to eat it and it must not be very good if he won't touch it on its own.  It just feels too much like feeding him boxed mac n cheese everyday... and just the idea of eating the same meal every day seems boring also.

I may post this to to Food Group also -- so sorry in advance for the cross posting. 

(random puppy photo :)

I think I will be feeding the raw meat with bone outside only... I just can't deal with blood/juices/etc/ in the house.  He liked the Honest Kitchen stuff -- ate it all quickly an licked the bowl.  I think it has a weird herbal smell to it, but oh well.  There are many types to try -- but I got the one that said it was OK for puppy-adult and happened to be the only kind our pet store had today.  I am sure I can order different types if I want him to try other things.

I will be mixing kibble in until we use up what we have just because I hate to waste food and it is good quality kibble (Wellness and Evo).  We also have a bunch of sample bags from puppy class that we could use up over time or mix in over time... we'll see.

Would love to read more about what you feed your doodles.  This is all new to me!

Jen G.

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

Hi
I feed totally raw and I start my puppies off on raw at 4 weeks of age. All my breeding dogs and nursing mothers and puppies get exactly the same diet, just different amounts. I have a food list I send to my new puppy owners and I would be happy to give you a copy. I have huge healthy litters and my moms gain weight while nursing even if they have 14 puppies. My vet is always astounded at the health of my girls and puppies. It took some time for them to come on board as my vet does not support raw food. Maybe it is the amount of $ they make selling food there that influences them.

I hear you about the boxed macaroni every day. I always think of kibble as being comparable to a diet of 100% protein bars...so dry. Raw food dogs do not need nearly as much water. That alone is more healthy. You can reach me at [e-mail] :-)

[Jennifer Goaring]

Sent you an e-mail -- thanks!

[Trudy Harlow]

Barb, would you be willing to share your food list with others?  Thanks!

[Emily, Bentley, & Maserati]

Can I email you for that list? I would love to see it as we are getting ready to start feeding raw. 

[Nancy - Opal, Meadow & Tariki]

I have 2 of Barb's pups who are now 3 years old. I had never fed raw food to my previous animals and had lots of concerns. After 3 years, when given the chance to take the dogs off... I chose not to. They are so healthy and feeding raw has become a way of life... takes me NO extra time. I wish I had had the balls to feed my ailing cat raw.

Good for you!! Cheers.

[2hpulka53c8pt]

I feed my dogs DIY RAW and they love it and I love it. Maya's tummy troubles have disappeared and we don't really have health issues with any of the dogs.

I was going to do the half kibble half RAW but with all the kibble recalls I prefer to know what I am feeding my dogs!

[Jennifer Goaring]

So can you give me an idea of what you feed in a typical couple of days? Barb sent me info about what she sends home with her pups, so that helps some. I am still trying to figure out meaty bones vs. the ground stuff since there are good local companies here making the ground, it seems like a good idea -- but I feel like part of the point of raw is tearing meat off the bone... seems like a lot is lost if it is ground (though it sure is simple to give it that way, no prep, no cooking, no way for dog to drag the bones all over the house... easy!)

Thanks! I'd love to hear from anyone else too... I am collecting ideas. I also would love to hear who is using veggies also and who is strictly sticking to the prey model which says no veggies/fruit/extras needed.

Jen G.

[Jennifer Goaring]

Fun to get a reply to the post that I put out such a long time ago!  Sammy turned 1 in October.  we have moved to feeding prepared raw food because it is SO MUCH easier... but then we buy chicken thighs when they come on sale so he gets those every other week or so... for variety but also for his teeth (and his BMs... seems like if things start to get a bit loose -- a bone in meaty item fixes it all up).

I buy Nature's Instinct (I think it is from the Nature's variety line) just because I like how it is packaged... I have also used NW Naturals.  Haven't done the Darwin's stuff because I haven't seen it around here and haven't bothered with the mail order things yet.

I admit, we just given him the food frozen... I didn't it by accident once and found that it slows him down a tad (so from lightening fast to fast) and I liked that... because I think he just inhales his food!  So we kept doing it frozen... no smell or yuck for me to deal with and everything is just kept in the garage freezer.  Seems to work well... he is very healthy -- no trips to the vet ever except his puppy shots, normal BMs, nice coat, etc.  The times we have tried to add kibble he needs bribed to take it and then later has loose stools... tried a couple of times but I am done experimenting with it -- he is good with what he has.  The prepared raw we use does have veggies in it and we tend to move between bison, beef, chicken and rabbit.

 

He does get commercial treats too -- usually those chicken jerky things and some dog biscuits too when I bother to get them....  we still but chew toys too.  I know some raw feeders are big on the idea that if the dog has to work to chew his food, he doesn't need toys -- but Sam is a totally indoor dog and needs things to chew on and play with in the house and raw food doesn't work for me indoors!  We do feed him outside too because I just got tired of him trying to drag stuff around the house... he eats on the back patio.

 

We had one antler... he didn't do much with it, maybe I need to try again.  He really takes apart his chew toys, and he blankets and so forth... big on chewing... sigh.  Oh well.

Jen

[Tracy L Boring]

Jen,

I have a couple of questions to ask you about the raw diet.  I really want to transfer my dogs over to raw.  I give them Honest Kitchen. I add raw vegetables and fruit to the Honest Kitchen.  I also give a holistic kibble from time to time. They love it, but I often wonder if it is a good as the raw diet.  

Did you switch straight from kibble, or did you do a transition?  You said you give the raw frozen patty.  Does that cut down on the mess? I am a little worried about the mess.

Thanks,

Tracy

[Jennifer Goaring]

Hey Tracy!

Fun to see a reply on this older thread. So Sammy is a year old now like I said above. And we do a mixture of things for him. We buy chicken thighs from the grocery store in big packs when they are a good price and when we give him those he gets raw that is not frozen and often we cover the chicken thigh with some kibble. We use a no grains kibble -- good quality stuff -- I think called Nature's Choice? not sure -- just know it would be expensive to feed exclusively -- we get him the rabbit kind because I figure he gets enough chicken and the patties are often bison or beef. So having the chicken thighs at times saves some money I think -- then we buy prepared stuff from the natural pet store. I play around with different brands -- sometimes the kind that comes in chunks and sometimes patties...pretty random. He also still gets leftovers from us sometimes too. He has normal, firm BMs, doesn't throw up anymore (used to some when he was younger -- like if he didn't eat something early in the day). I still feed him on the back patio -- just right outside the door just because he likes to carry his food around. Now that he tries the kibble some, I can sometimes give him people leftovers and kibble mixed up and feed in the kitchen (so if it really pouring rain or super cold outside). I do still give him the prepared raw frozen. I know it would be nicer to unthaw it but it slows down his gulping down his food -- makes him have to work at it a bit and I see no ill consequences in doing that -- he still finishes his raw food in record time (and still picks at the kibble and leaves it mostly there until the next day if I don't throw it out). I have no idea how he eats those raw patties frozen -- but he does!

I admit -- we mostly went straight to raw -- he just wasn't eating hardly at all when we got him. We kept him on the kibble the breeder was using and then added yogurt to it and pumpkin and lots of things trying to get him to eat some. He lost a few pounds the first couple weeks we had him. I am sure he was nervous in a new place too... but still I really just felt stupid trying to make him eat kibble. It really doesn't look all that tasty to me either! So somehow I heard about raw food and bought some prepared stuff and he loved it... then bought a book and tried to "do it on my own" some with stuff from the supermarket because it seemed more economical... but started to get really yucked out by the mess of it all and also felt like maybe I wasn't covering all his nutrients well... so like I said, we went back to prepared and somewhere in there stopped thawing it out. I also tribs those chubs of raw prepared -- but it was just too stinky and gross (even though it is WAY cheaper than the chunks or patties).
Jen

[Tracy L Boring]

Jen,

Thanks for getting back to me.  Does Sammy get any of that in his coat?  I contacted Darwin trying to get some information. I hope to hear from them tomorrow.   Which prepared raw is not bloody and gross? 

My goal this year is to get both on raw diet and to get them both on a natural flea and heart worm treatment.  We live in a very high flea and heart worm area.  I experimented with some natural sprays for fleas, but it did not keep the fleas off, and I had a real mess on my hands.

Thanks,

 

Tracy 

[Joy & Buddy]

Ok, months behind on this thread, but: I started feeding Buddy raw food last May and it has worked wonders.  I use the prepared raw and I use Darwin's, Primal, and Bravo.  Tried Northwest Naturals but he seemed not to do as well on it.  Here's a question, though: I can't get him to go for duck or turkey necks; he just sniffs and walks away from them.  Anyone have any ideas?  Also, I add raw vegies (about 1/2 c per meal) to his food, and a raw egg yolk a few times a week.