RAW FOODS

[Richard Crowe]

We feed our goldendoodle, Holly, who is two and a half year old and 65 pounds; Nature's Variety Raw Beef patties.  She does extremely well on this food.  Her weight is perfect and her coat is beautiful.  Most importantly her stool is firm.  This was not the case when feeding kibble or even other raw food products. We also supplement our Maltese diets with Nature's Variety when they need extra nourishment - especially our rescue pregnant females and nursing mothers.

 

However, in the light of so many food producers using inferior or even poisonous ingredients in their products, we would like to have more control over what we feed Holly.

 

We already cook London Broil in a slow cooker with carrots and then process the meat and vegetables in a food procesor to use as an additive over the kibble which we feed our Maltese.

 

I am wondering if we couldn't use that London Broil raw with carrots, egg shells and vegetables to make our own psuedo Nature's Variety raw beef food. We could possible even add pumpkin to the mixture.

 

Our freezer has a shelf which will freeze food very quickly.  We would not need to store the food frozen for an extended period since we could replentish it at intervals.

 

The added benefit would be a food less expensive than Natures variety but, which should be every bit as nutricious.  We usually pay between $1.69 and $1.99 for London Broil when it is on sale.

 

Has anyone experimented wit this type of feeding?  If so, what were the ingredients and what were the results?

 

 

[Christina and Cooper plus Benny]

I also feed Cooper exclusively RAW - he gets NW Naturals and Primal. I have not experimented with my own RAW, as I am too afraid of the possibility of making Cooper sick and that I wouldn't perhaps feed a nutritionally adequate diet. I like that commercial RAW foods are nutritionally complete and I can just rotate the protein source and that every batch is tested for pathogens and contamination. I know many people here in Portland that get meat scraps from butchers and make their own RAW, but I know it's more involved than what I want to do. Plus, the commercial formulas include ground bone, and that simply can't be done at home. I worry that egg shells would not provide sufficient calcium?
I supplement Cooper's diet with fresh fruits, veggies and yogurt, but that is as far as I am willing to go....

[shelly]

Christina - Tori eats only canned and some kibble food - which FINALLY has been stable with her digestive system.. but what fruits and veggies to you give? I know GRAPES, RAISINS< ONIONS AND GARLIC are all no-nos... I gave her a few pieces of cantelope and sweet potatoes (cooked). Thanks!

[Christina and Cooper plus Benny]

Cooper gets fresh carrots, bananas, blueberries, sweet potatoes (cooked), fresh cooked green beans, a few strawberries, and some apple (but he doesn't really love apple). No spinach, tomatoes, grapes, raisins, onions or anything with too many seeds (I have heard mixed results about cucumbers and stuff????) No celery due to the strings.

[shelly]

Great! so much to try....I was giving her carrots - cooked steamed, but she doesn't chew them and sometimes were coming out whole from both ends - sorry - that's a gross description! But she does get them in her canned food, which seem to be digested! lol
Do you cook the apples to soften or just fresh pieces. Sorry so many questions. We don't give store bought treats (contrary to what my relatives think I should do) so I'm always looking for something to use as treats other than small pieces of bread or bagel - which she LOVES, but too fattening...

[F, Calla & Luca]

You might want to look into the Raw Food Eating Doodles Group (now that's a mouthful).

[karen & Tobey]

My Puppy Tobey...Gets cooked carrots & raw Broccoli mix in with his dry food...also he loves his apple sauce ( unsweetened) mix with moistened dry food in his kong frozen.

[Vicky &amp; Cassidy]

That is exactly what I have been feeding Jamaica ~except that it is all raw. This is Day Three of Feeding Raw~ and so far it has been very successful. Dogs don't do well on carrots as they can't digest them, hence they come out the other end..... We are still working out the details, but she is getting chicken, ground round, whole eggs, sardines, green beans, cottage cheese, yogurt ~ ALL RAW. No kibble at all. Just do it! (As I was told (lol)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Actually, dogs can digest cooked carrots; most vegetables have cell walls made of indigestible plant cellulose. People can't digest it either; cooking vegetables slightly will break down the cellulose and enable the nutrients to be absorbed. For humans and for dogs, cooked carrots are much more nutritious than raw ones.

[Lesley, Wellington & Bingley]

Yes Welly is fed raw meat (either minced beef, lamb or rabbit as chicken gives him itchy skin) and raw veggies/fruit. The veggies/fruit are put in the blender which makes them digestible. Variety is the key, as many different meats/veggies and fruit as possible (not onions or grapes).

He also gets a multi vit/min tablet daily to make sure he gets all he needs.

And raw bones 3 times a week - so he has beautiful teeth!

He eats 1 pound of meat a day plus about 4 scoops of veggies, split into 2 meals.

He's never been healthier! And DIY is easy once you get into the swing of it. Finding a good meat supplier is the hardest bit.