# Raw food questions..need advice!!



## yvettelovesgoldens (Mar 30, 2009)

Hello,
These questions are for all of you that have your dogs on raw diets. Im just learning about it, I feed my golden dry kibble and some fresh foods. My girl has been eating kibble for 11 years, no health problems. But Im always up for new and better things! lol
I am getting another pup in about 6 weeks. Im interested in the raw diet.
Do you feed all meats raw and not cooked??
How easy or hard is it to switch an old girl onto the diet?
How much time do you spend preparing foods on a weekly basis?
Is it possible to feed one meal kibble and one raw per day? pros and cons?
What positive changes have you seen in your dogs?

My father- inlaw hunts deer and wild turkey, so I do have access to fresh meat.
I also work from home, running a daycare so I do have time to be in the kitchen.I dont want to jump into anything and I want to learn as much as possible.Thanks for your time,
Yvette


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

bumping up


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

yvettelovesgoldens said:


> Hello,
> These questions are for all of you that have your dogs on raw diets. Im just learning about it, I feed my golden dry kibble and some fresh foods. *My girl has been eating kibble for 11 years, no health problems. *But Im always up for new and better things! lol
> I am getting another pup in about 6 weeks. Im interested in the raw diet.
> Do you feed all meats raw and not cooked??
> ...


Looks like you have had a pretty successful formula. I would stay put with your older girl. In fact, I would do the same with your new pup. But there are a couple here that are on a raw diet. You might try the below lab link. They discuss raw diets.

http://www.lab-retriever.net/board/natural-diets-f34.html?


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I'm totally not sure about this but I thought I heard some time ago that raw meat diets for dogs can be a huge issue in facilities that require a license for care ... like nursing homes. That's because bacteria like e-coli and salmonella pose a health concern for humans, and especially young children. Not so much for dogs (typically).

If you need to have a license to run your daycare, you might want to check on that.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Yvette
I strongly recommend you do a lot more research before seriously considering starting to feed a raw diet. 
Here are a number of authors who have books on the subject
Ian Billinghurst
Tom Lonsdale
Kymythy Schultze
Richard H. Pitcairn
Carina Beth Macdonald 

I switched my dogs over almost 12 years ago due to a dog that was having problem keeping wieght on and terrible coat condition. And it helped dramatically. But it is a commitment.


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## Popebendgoldens (May 16, 2008)

yvettelovesgoldens said:


> Hello,
> These questions are for all of you that have your dogs on raw diets. Im just learning about it, I feed my golden dry kibble and some fresh foods. My girl has been eating kibble for 11 years, no health problems. But Im always up for new and better things! lol
> I am getting another pup in about 6 weeks. Im interested in the raw diet.
> Do you feed all meats raw and not cooked??
> ...


Congrats on thinking about going raw. I have been feeding raw for over 10 years and my dogs look great.

As Hank mentioned, please read the authors he has listed. 

Here are some more links. Dr Tom Lonsdale's website is www.rawmeatybones.com. 
www.rawlearning.com has a lot of information on it pluse links to some great Yahoo groups on raw feeding.

It is real easy to switch any dog to a raw diet. Most dogs take to eating a raw diet like ducks to water.

Btw, I feed 8 cats and 2 goldens a raw diet and they are finished with their food in under 15 minutes. 

I don't think you will have problems with the raw food if the dogs are fed in their crates or somewhere where the children have no access. That way there is no cross contamination. 

I always wash my hands after touching or handling any raw meat, even if it is just for a second. It is second nature to me. Btw washing hands is a good thing to teach young children. If taught well perhaps they will always wash their hands, once they grow up.


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## yvettelovesgoldens (Mar 30, 2009)

Thanks everyone,
I will continue to educate myself on the raw diets. Not sure yet what Im going to do!
Yvette


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

My two have been on a raw diet for over a year now. Both are doing extremely well on it. Small, well formed poops, and usually only one per day which is great. Soft healthy coats and no dry itchy skin. All meat and bones are fed raw, never cooked. DEFINITELY do your research before switching to raw, and I also recommend feeding one of the pre-made raw brands for a while first to get them used to raw and also allow you to do more research. It's more expensive, but Nature's Variety is what I used with mine and it was great. My dog was on the NV pre-made raw for about a month and a half before I switched to my own raw diet with him. I would recommend either switching 100% to raw or not at all, rather than doing half and half.


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## agoldenliferanch (Aug 1, 2008)

Hi,
Congrats on your decision to research raw feeding! It is a commitment but worth it to those of us who do it and see great results in our dogs. There are as many ways to introduce raw to your dogs as there are kibbles on the market. There's the BARF method, the prey model, and various combinations which include diets from holistic vets. It can be overwhelming to decide which method is going to work for you, your family and your dogs.

Expense wise, depending on the method chosen and how many dogs you're feeding can be cheaper than some of the better kibbles. 

To answer one of your questions, yes you can combine kibble with raw, one at one meal, one at the other...some dogs have digestive issues with trying to feed kibble and raw in one feeding.

After you've done all your research and started on your path, you're likely to change things up a bit and that's fine too. There's no one way, it's a journey but know that you're researching and learning new and improved ways to feed your dogs and that's a cool thing. Good Luck!

PS - We feed a combination raw/holistic diet that's working for us!


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## Suzie G (Jun 29, 2008)

Hi, Suzie G. here

I have been feeding my Newf raw for almost 10 yrs. I also started our 22 mo old Golden girl on raw at 7 wks. I wouldn't feed any other way. I started out feeding raw using the BARF model and soon realized that raw feeding did not need to be that complicated. I am now feeding raw using a whole prey model. No grains,no fruit , no vegs. Only raw meaty bones (mostly meaty ) , raw meat , offal. (liver,kidney etc. ) No supplements except wild salmon oil. As little ground meat as possible. Nothing cooked. If a wolf would eat it -my dogs eat it. Very easy.

Check out www [email protected]


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

I feed almost all raw, apart from the odd leftovers etc. from our table. Cooking is just more work I don't want to do!
To switch a dog, the best thing to do is go cold turkey, give her a half meal the first day with some pumpkin, then if she's ok with that increase the next day. We do this a lot at the boarding kennel I work at, sometimes the owners are leery of doing the switch or figure it's easier to let us do it for them.
My prep time is usually take frozen items out of the freezer to thaw, split into four bowls (three dogs, one cat) toss supplements on as needed and serve. Usually under five minutes.
I don't feed kibble, so it would be hard to say, however I feel they do fine on one meal a day of raw. It's not hard to travel with raw and in some cases the kibble can continue to create problems in the dog so you're not getting the full benefits (if your dog is allergic to something in the kibble and still gets it daily....). Plus it's more work to feed two meals a day with different things.
Positive changes..... vet visits are for checkups, not for sick dogs. No dental work needed. 11 year old nutcase golden who jumps at apples in the tree, bounces like a goof and refuses to act her age (got stuck under the couch a few weeks ago chasing a ball - ran, slid ten feet on her side and then was wedged under there.... so very 'mature' of her).

Now for the 'daycare/kids/nursing home' risks....

I had a dayhome for several years with the dogs eating raw, no sick kids. My son had open heart surgery as a baby, was in a sterile hospital for three weeks, came home just shy of one month to three raw fed dogs and a raw fed cat. No problems. Mind you the dogs eat outside or in their crates, I don't give them a bone to eat on the couch. I wash up everything and don't allow the kids to play with the raw meat OR the dog poop. They also visited my work (a nursing home) often, no problems. 

Personally given the fact that kibbble has a long, long shelf life, questionable ingredients and isn't always stored in the best manner (I worked in a pet food store and we always had mice running around on the bags), I'm more grossed out at the thought of my kids handling kibble. 

Lana


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## Maya's Mom (Apr 13, 2009)

For those of you who feed raw, what would you estimate the cost is per month? I will be bringing home an 8 week pup in early May and am planning to try to follow the slow growth plan. Does that work with the raw diet? I've read it's important that pups don't get too much protein so they don't grow too fast. How does that work with raw? Do you feed fruits and veggies as well? How do you know how much to feed? At this point I'm just curious and not seriously considering it, but I'm interested. If I decide to go this route, I would do more research. I guess my main concerns are the slow growth/protein thing, cost, and knowing how much to feed. Thanks for the advice!


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Maya's Mom said:


> If I decide to go this route, I would do more research. I guess my main concerns are the slow growth/protein thing, cost, and knowing how much to feed. Thanks for the advice!


Hello and welcome to the forum :wavey:
You need to FIRST do your RESEARCH and then decide if you want to go this route. There are a number of great sources of information on this subject recommended thru out this thread.


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## Cody's pet (Jun 3, 2009)

Hi, I'm new, have a 6mth old goldie and I want to feed him raw food. I've sort-of been going it half-half, because I was unsure, then I cooked for him (veg), but gave lots of raw meat also, now I am moving to all raw food. He's a very big boy, at 6 mths he's 22" tall and weighs 30kg (I'm trying to get it down a bit). His sire and dam are both champions, good hips & eyes, sire 24" and dam 22", so they're big dogs.

How much should I be feeding him each day? He still has 3 small meals per day, but he's a real beggar.


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## agoldenliferanch (Aug 1, 2008)

Hi, the rule of thumb in raw feeding is 4% of its weight for a puppy during its first year and then approx. 2% after a year old. Of course, this can be modified for your dogs particular needs.


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## Cody's pet (Jun 3, 2009)

agoldenliferanch said:


> Hi, the rule of thumb in raw feeding is 4% of its weight for a puppy during its first year and then approx. 2% after a year old. Of course, this can be modified for your dogs particular needs.


Because my dog has a tendency to pick up weight and I have been told less rather than more, I have put him on 2%. His breeder also told me his father had reached his full size by 8 months and my dog seems set to follow suit. Do you think 2% is too little?


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## agoldenliferanch (Aug 1, 2008)

Cody's pet said:


> Because my dog has a tendency to pick up weight and I have been told less rather than more, I have put him on 2%. His breeder also told me his father had reached his full size by 8 months and my dog seems set to follow suit. Do you think 2% is too little?


Hi...sorry for delay in responding, have had internet issues the last few days

Well, it really depends on how your dog looks on the diet he's on now and monitoring his waistline as your move him over to raw. My youngest Cooper is 18 months old and I just moved him down to approx. 2.5% from 4% about a month ago because he was staying on the thin side. 

Raw feeding is all about watching and learning! If your pup looks on the skinny side bump up the amounts for awhile until you see some weight gain, then back off a bit!

Good Luck!


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## Cody's pet (Jun 3, 2009)

Hi agoldenliferanch. Thanks so much for that bit of help and don't worry about the timing I understand internet issues, I've had a few bugs myself tonight.

At the moment I am happy with his waistline, but he seems to think he's starving  This is par for the course with goldens, but either way I will keep your good advice in mind and keep an eye on him.

What I have noticed since changing his diet is that he actually _has_ a waist now. I hadn't realised it, but it seems he was always a bit bloated before and now he's not. Interestingly enough I spoke to the owners of his litter-mates this weekend (we had a puppy-reunion) and their dogs are all allergic to wheat like my boy. Neither of their parents are allergic to wheat and the breeders can't remember any food allergies previously in the bloodline, but then this sometimes happens even in the best breeding programs so I am not stressing about it. What matters is that my dog is now healthy and happy and his scratch-scars are healing. His teeth looks great and the breeder was so impressed she was begging me to allow her to show him. He got a lovely grooming and his hair and nails clipped and looks like he's ready to strut his stuff tonight. I personally prefer his "natural" look, but they had so much fun I couldn't say no. And he loved the attention.


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## Suzie G (Jun 29, 2008)

Hi, Suzie G. here

I am feeding a Newf and 2 yr old Golden for almost free. Most of my meat comes from Craigs List ,Freecycle ,hunters ,and people cleaning out their freezers. I spend money on liquid wild salmon oil, eggs and whole rabbits. I spend MUCH less than I used to back in 1976 when I fed Newfs Iams Eukanuba.


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## yvettelovesgoldens (Mar 30, 2009)

I never thought of rabbit!
Im really interested in the raw diet. All the owners I have talked to that feed raw wouldnt go back to kibble. I guess its a big step and can be a little over-whelming at first but then once you get experienced its all good!


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