LOTS of questions ...

cdnbxrlvr · #1 10-14-2009, 06:58 PM

We have been feeding raw for over a year. We stick to chicken backs and ground chicken(bone in) with fruits and veggies (not sure why we need the fruits and veggies yet). I give her sardines and yogurt or cottage cheese at least 1x per week and egg with the shell on another day. We have kelp and herring oil that we add 3-5 days per week.
I am not brave enough to give her tripe. I don't know if I should cut it up or how much to give her?
I was told to avoid beef in boxers at all cost. But from reading posts many seem to be doing well on it. Is this beef and boxers just a myth?
She does not do very well with turkey so we only give that once or twice a month to give her a little variety.

Is there anything else I can add to provide her with a well rounded diet?

Poetic_thing · #2 10-19-2009, 12:22 PM

There are tons of things you can add: pork (bones and all), beef (and softer bones like ribs), deer (bones and all), lamb, duck, goose, goat, rabbit, moose, elk...see where this is going - anything goes.

As for the tripe you can cut it up in to smaller pieces or grind it up. My crew get a couple ounces with every meal - they LOVE it

Also don't forget about the organs (from all animals), liver, heart, kidney, lung, spleen, etc. When adding organs start very little and gradually increase. They should be getting 10% of organs of their diet.

Rox

ehayes21 · #3 10-19-2009, 05:36 PM

I am not sure where you've heard that beef should never be fed to boxers, but I would be inclined to believe you've been fed a myth.

Variety is the key to a well balanced raw diet. And you certainly need more than just chicken and turkey. Is it a personal thing with giving tripe? Tripe is a great addition to the diet, and while it stinks to high heaven, most dogs flip for it.
My main rule of thumb for feeding raw is that my dogs never eat the same thing 3 times in a row. My protein sources are whole raw fish, chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, pork and venison. Within this variety, I make sure they are getting the appropriate amount of organ meat from different sources as well - this includes tripe (from either beef or lamb), kidneys (chicken, turkey and beef), heart (mostly beef and lamb), liver (turkey, chicken, beef).

Hope this helps.

cdnbxrlvr · #4 10-19-2009, 06:49 PM

Definitely helps.... the lady we get our raw food from is from my limited experience very informed, or so I thought. She advised us when Roxy was a pup that boxers should steer clear of beef. She could have a knuckle bone once a week for about 15 minutes but that was all. She also told us about the "ace" drug most vets use here for sedating dogs which can be lethal in boxers...we figured she had enough expertice.
Tripe is said to be so foul smelling that I honestly haven't had the will to open a package. I did pick some up recently for her, just haven't opened the package - but I will!
We do feed her whole fish, which she loves.
Turkey doesn't agree with her at all.
I will definitely give the beef a try.

ehayes21 · #5 10-19-2009, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdnbxrlvr

Definitely helps.... the lady we get our raw food from is from my limited experience very informed, or so I thought. She advised us when Roxy was a pup that boxers should steer clear of beef. She could have a knuckle bone once a week for about 15 minutes but that was all. She also told us about the "ace" drug most vets use here for sedating dogs which can be lethal in boxers...we figured she had enough expertice.
Tripe is said to be so foul smelling that I honestly haven't had the will to open a package. I did pick some up recently for her, just haven't opened the package - but I will!
We do feed her whole fish, which she loves.
Turkey doesn't agree with her at all.
I will definitely give the beef a try.

While I agree that Ace is something you should steer clear of, the rest, well...NO. Beef is fine for dogs, as long as they don't have an allergy.
The smell of tripe is enough to steer clear from, it's strong, but not that bad after you get used to it.

Just feed it outside. That's my suggestion.
Have you checked out Yahoo's raw feeding group? And their Carnivore Feed Supplier group? if not, check them out. I found a fabulous supplier, who offers tons of variety for a very good price. And if I am not mistaken there are a few good groups up there in Canada that can help you with variety.

**Jan** · #6 10-20-2009, 07:26 AM

Beef is definitely okay. My dogs eat lots of it as I have a whole cow in the freezer.

You are right to question fruits and vegetables. They are really not necessary and dogs actually have problems digesting them. Feed them if you want, it won't hurt.

You really need to feed more variety and don't forget offal, like liver, kidney and heart etc. It should be 10-20% of your dogs diet.

I would also join the RawDogCanada Yahoo Group. There is a page where they list suppliers in Canada for raw meat.

laneysmom · #7 10-27-2009, 02:12 PM

I am just wondering how we can feed our dogs raw meat? For humans we gotta beware of e-coli, salmonella, etc...would that not affect our pets too? I guess I just do not understand raw feeding.

Please Work · #8 10-28-2009, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laneysmom

I am just wondering how we can feed our dogs raw meat? For humans we gotta beware of e-coli, salmonella, etc...would that not affect our pets too? I guess I just do not understand raw feeding.

The digestive systems of dogs are different than that of humans. Dogs have a shorter digestive tract which means the meat passes through faster without giving bacteria time to colonise. Their saliva contains an enzyme called lysozyme giving the saliva antibacterial properties. Their gut is also very acidic (more so than humans) which helps stop bacteria "setting up home".
Feeding kibble is no safer in terms of e-coli and salmonella than feeding a raw diet.

Here is a link to the raw feeding myth "THE BACTERIA IN RAW MEAT WILL HURT YOUR DOG"
Myths About Raw: Will the bacteria in raw meat hurt my dog?
I'm sure you will find it very interesting.

sydgavy · #9 10-29-2009, 05:17 PM

I have been feeding raw for about 6 months. My dogs love it. M.J. was a little scared at first and she had some tummy issues but she is doing great now. I have only had her a little over a month.

I feed 80% muscle meat, 10% bones, and 10% organs. I try to mix up they organs, they love liver but don't like kindeys very much. I feed beef. I have never heard to stay away from it with any breed. The only thing i am skeptical about is fish. Some fish needs to be frozen for a few days to kill parasites and i haven't figured out exactly which fish it is. I do feed sardines, canned salmon, and i add salmon oil to every meal.

Yahoo is a great place to get advice about raw feeding. There are a lot of raw feeder there. One of my contacts on YA got me started with raw feeding by helping me make sample menus so i was getting them the right meat/organ/bone ration.