Another Question about the RAW diet

Probably a really silly question but i've just bought a massive bag of tripe chunks for the dog, and im now wondering if they count as part of the 80% muscle meat or 10% offal?
 
Xara trying to insist on being let in with a mouthful of tripe!

She was incredulous that I stood behind the door and refused to open it.....
xaratripe.jpg


I gave in eventually:p
 
LOL Oberon

In our household, tripe lasts just long enough for the dog to breathe in once ... and then it's inhaled like it never existed.
 
I am not best pleased that big dog has suddenly started refusing tripe. He ate sme really reluctantly a few weeks ago then threw up. :( The pups ate it no problem and they used to have really dodgy tums, so I don't think it was a bad batch. He still won't eat it and I'm a bit gutted as it's normally a large part of their diet. :(
 
D often refuses tripe as well. She threw it up once but R hoovered it up in a nanosecond. *boak*

She is more inclined to eat the human grade bleached stuff from the butcher but it's £4/kg and she prefers it cooked. I made the effort a few times but the microwave still honks so I've given up.
 
Oberon I'm the same as you, anything messy or smelly (most raw things) are fed in the garden! I decided to vary my doggies raw diet from the stuff that can be bought from the supermarket/butcher and placed an order last week from rawtogo. I just ended up buying a little of everything - tripe and trotters have been a big success so far, and lamb shanks.
Also on the order were stuffed hooves (the description just said stuffed with chicken mince) and they STINK and also I am racking my brains trying to work out what kind of hoof? It dawned on me tonight that they're real hooves, not cloven which surely limits them to being....i hate to say it.....but donkey?horse? I'm horrified. Please someone give me piece of mind and tell me that its not real hoof at all!
 
Its not around long enough in my house to stink!! Defrost in a tupperware- dog hoovers it up in seconds. Those who are struggling with it have you tried the tripe mixed with chicken/lamb/ butchers mince etc? Mate at works dog wont eat it straight but will eat it if mixed with something else.
 
moppett said:
...It dawned on me tonight that they're real hooves, not cloven which surely limits them to being....i hate to say it.....but donkey?horse? I'm horrified. Please someone give me piece of mind and tell me that its not real hoof at all!
Click to expand...

Of course it isn't now put your fingers in your ears! Just think of it as everything but the neigh or bray is being used and not incinerated!!!

I feed tripe frozen as I can't stand the smell. I buy the freeflow mince or chunks of green tripe from Pets at Home and feed it straight from the freezer and they don't turn it down. Blue hates liver though and I have to mix that with minced beef for him to eat it and he leaves it till last, but the threat of Digger being around is usually enough for him to down it!
 
I never thought i'd be feeding raw to my pup but on a visit to the petshop I decided to try the Natural Instinct range... It has the consistancy of tinned food but smells and looks better!! Pup seems to like it as well :-)

My concern is that he is not getting anything to chew... he has an antler but I haven't tried him on a meaty bone yet. Is it essential that he has bones to chew on as part of the diet? I'm a bit nervous of giving him one TBH. Any tips? I've got another dog (elderly spaniel who likes to watch him eat- he doesn't appreciate it!!) so I guess I would need to feed in the garden? But then he doesn't like staying in the garden by himself!

Oh and this tripe buisness- guessing it's a good food for them? COuld I start mixing in cuts of offal/ meat with his daily ration of Natural Instinct after a couple of weeks (obv cutting down on the Natural Instinct)? I don't think the Natural Instinct range has any offal in it..
 
Yes bone is an essential part of the diet, it provides nutrients, roughage and cleans the teeth. You could try starting with chicken wings and keep hold of it while he eats if you are worried, so he chews it more or a bigger Turkey wing and let him get on with it! The supermarket wings are very good as the chicken is younger and the bones softer. I feed lamb ribs as well, they can be chopped into meal sized sections and the bit at the end of the ribs is more gristle than bone. There are several companies that supply prepared raw diet on this thread, so you might feel more confident using them to start with. Some supermarkets do stock packs if lamb bones at a very reasonable price.
Liver is the best offal nutrient wise and it is the one I feed most of because of the vitamins and minerals. Green tripe gives your dog part digested plant matter, but the intestines themselves are not high in anything essential. Hearts give them something to really chew on and again massages the gums and is good for the teeth, but is more a muscle than offal.
Chicken is the best meat and bone for dogs it has the highest number of nutrients and is softer bone wise. Turkey bones can be a bit hard but Turkeys are on a par with chickens. Rabbit is good especially if you can stomach feeding it intact with the skin on! Lamb is next in value then pork, which some dogs find too rich and lastly beef. Beef bones are very hard and I don't feed them apart from oxtail when it is on offer.
Fish heads are good if they will eat them and some wont!

My staple is chicken with offal fed once a week, sardines in tomato sauce with eggs now and again, muscle meat with liquidised veg once a week and lamb ribs once or twice a week depending on how many I've got in the freezer.
 
Raw bones are fine, it's the cooked ones that are awful. Here's proof: Turkey drumstick:
IMAG0522.jpg


Pig trotter:
IMAG0523.jpg


My advice would be to start by smashing up a chicken wing so the bones are easier to chew. Hold the end so he doesn't inhale. You will most likely be amazed at the way in which he inhales them!
 
I'm new to the RAW diet so will probably be here a lot with questions!

I started feeding the odd bone because I was concerned about my dog's teeth. They are looking so much better (in such a short amount of time) that it has really made me question what I am feeding her.

So I've started slowly with some chicken wings and lamb mince (plus the odd egg and a bit of tinned salmon) - so far, so good. She certainly likes it much better than her old kibble! (Arden Grange). I understand that offal is needed - so will try to get her some liver or kidneys asap.

I have to admit: feeding the chicken wings really scared me. She seemed to have no problem with them at all - however, I've had it so firmly drummed into me that bones are dangerous.

But chicken wings are OK aren't they? They seemed quite soft (from the supermarket). Are they also OK after freezing? Freezing doesn't affect the suppleness of the bone (as cooking does) at all?

And I assume chicken legs are also OK? (from the photos above of turkey drumstick chomping!!).

Is there anything I should really avoid? It is a bit tricky for me as I have very little understanding of meat, the cuts, bones, etc. I've been a vegetarian since I was 13 so don't really know what I'm doing (obviously I'm busy reading up - but the Internet often seems to contradict itself, being full as it is of so many opinions).

One thing I've noticed - my dog seems to be eating grass more than usual - could this mean anything?

All help and advice/reassurance greatly appreciated! My dog btw is a smallish collie x springer and weighs around 13 kilos.
 
That's light for a collie x springer!

Any part of the chicken including whole carcasses (available from decent butchers, most meat will be stripped off, a bit left, often come in trays of 15kg, for example) is fine.

Freezing does not adversely affect chicken bones etc.

Grass eating is normal: my two youngsters eat quite a lot.

The general rule is lay off weight bearing bones of ungulants i.e. cow leg bones. They are very dense and the dog may break a tooth.

The usual ratio is 80:10:10 meat, bones, offal, although this is variable according to your dog and how he reacts. Introduce offal super slowly as it might provoke sloppy poo reactions, so tiny lumps to start. Liver is widely available in all supermarkets, kidneys too, especially Morrisons.

Ask away, there are plenty of people with great ideas and experience on here. :)
 
I would avoid turkey necks though,if your dog is a glutton like some of mine,one bitch swallowed it narrow end first ..so it stuck.Luckily I was right there and soon had her upside down and did a hard manouvre on her chest..and out it popped.Never fed them again though.
 
Advice for starting puppies on raw (or switching an older dog) from a lady who has raised a litter of malamutes on raw and still feeds all her dogs raw.

You need to start with one food, preferably chicken, mince, necks, wings, legs and carcasses.

The bigger the portion to begin with the better as it can't be swallowed whole, as is the tendency for some new to raw in their haste. Once that meat is tolerated, say about one to one and a half weeks you can introduce another meat, perhaps tripe or rabbit and just go on from there. You will have to give a small portion of liver or kidney twice a week to start but just a small amount as liver can make them runny but it is an essential part of raw feeding as it has vitamins that other meats do not. If it isn't liked in the complete raw form it can be flash fried for around 30 seconds each time.

I can't help with weights as I don't go by them personally. I give what looks right in the bowl, remembering they don't need as much raw as commercial as all of it is used by their body with very little waste, hence the smaller poops. There are so many variations in a dogs requirement that the weight ratio is purely a guide and should not be a hard and fast rule. For instance in your case you have a growing puppy so I would slightly increase the amount you feed in each meal, if the pup seems ravenous after a feed then add just a little more. A working dogs of 40kgs would need more than an older less active pet of 40kgs, that's why the ratio is a guide only.

As the dog grows you'll be able to see what amount it needs, feeling for ribs and if it looks over weight. I currently have one of mine on a diet and have cut his meals by one third as he's laid on weight due to no off lead runs, now with field exercise and a short term diet he'll soon be back to his ideal weight. So the amount he was having which suited him well in winter now in summer is too much so I adjust it. I would find the weight thing so complicated with all the different sized dogs I have here and some who use more energy just by running around the house than others who go for long walks on lead.

You do need lots of meaty bones in her diet and Tom Lonsdale recommends the diet consists of around 60-70% of such. I raised a litter of eight Mal pups onto raw at three weeks of age and T-Bo from seven weeks with the method described above and all are fit healthy dogs, all of whom are still raw fed. I like my food from a supplier who gets it directly from the abattoir but you could start on raw from PAH, Prize Choice tripe chunks are very good as are the beef chunks but the beef are very expensive. The minces are a bit 'commercialised' as they are not very bloody and are quite an 'empty' kind of light mince, where as mince from my butcher for pets or from my supplier is heavy and more like real meat. You do not need any supplements or added vitamins as each meat contains many different forms, each is nutritionally unique.

FYI.
A little insight into different meats:
Beef is very high in good quality protein has less fat than other meats but is low in essential fatty acids. Chicken has lower protein than beef, lamb or pork but is high in essential fatty acids, it has low sodium and above average potassium, it is low in calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. Beef should always be frozen before being fed to dogs as we have Neospora Caninum in some cattle stock in the UK, it's very rare but has been fatal to one dog over here. An Overview of Neospora Canium and Raw Food Diets I always freeze beef even if it's human grade just to be on the safe side, but you don't have to worry about it too much because it is very rare anyway. Lamb is high in fat and as it contains zinc also it is particularly good for the skin and skin conditions where other meats are not so good. For zinc deficient dogs lamb neck or shank contain the highest levels of zinc and along with the fat are the best cuts to feed. Pork is an excellent meat full of good quality protein, high in vits B1, 2 & 3, and high in the essential amino acid Taurine. We don't have to worry about Trichinosis in the UK as we don't have that disease in our stock, we do not have the Hydatids worm either. The total cholesterol in a lean piece of pork is actually lower than in chicken, chicken being one of the fattiest meats (including carcasses) you give your dog. Rabbit especially whole is obviously an excellent food as it contains everything a dog needs the head is particularly full of nutrients in the eyes and brains. Liver is an excellent source of many vitamins including all of the B vitamins, and vitamins A, C, D, E and K in great quantities it also has minerals Zinc, Manganese, Selenium and Iron. It has essential fatty acids both of the omega 3 and 6 type. Kidneys are high in fatty acids and vits A, D, E & K as well as iron and all the B vitamins. Brains supply protein, cholesterol, and most of the B vits. Hearts have high levels of the B vits and fatty acids.
So you see how important it is to vary the meats in a raw diet but it's nothing that is rocket science and so easy once you get the hang of it.

Hope this is useful.
 
Grass_Proof a cheap axe from B&Q is an invaluable tool for raw! you can use the sharp end for older dogs to bash it about a bit and the blunt end to separate frozen stuff!!
 
ok so m thinking of ordering some natural instinct for my girlie and giving the occasional chicken wing for treats.

I wondered how people deal with the hygiene issue of raw meat ? Do you feed in bowls and then wash after each feed? Those who feed off kennel floor etc are you not continually scrubbing? and with it having had raw meat on it does itnot have to be cleaned with proper antibac stuff? :o
 
You can defrost carcasses enough to separate then refreeze for dogs, it will be fine.

I used to be really precious about the hygiene thing, spraying then wiping blah blah. I got bored and I'm not dead yet!

The bowls are washed rarely :o unless the neighour is checking on the boys during the day and she very obviously washes them and leaves them displayed :o The dogs eat in the kitchen and are great at 'washing the floor'.

I appreciate with a baby crawling round soon, you don't want to have raw meat slopping everywhere, so a quick wipe with a spray disinfectant and an efficient mop would probably be good.

My three eat within feet of each other, no nonsense.
 
Right, I'm feeling a bit confused! I'm getting a lab x poodle (yeah a designer dog :eek:) puppy in a couple of weeks, she'll be 10 weeks old then. She's been weaned onto burns mini bites. I lost my old dog to cancer and since doing a lot of research I want this pup to have the best diet ever :) However, I confused because after reading this whole thread from start to finish, I've come away confused to whether I just bring her home and start RAW (I'm thinking the natural instincts puppy stuff to break me in gently, as I want her diet to be balanced and suitable for all the growing she has to do plus I've been a vegetarian for 21 years) or whether I wean her off the burns kibble slowly. What should I do? Is the natural instincts stuff good? Also, I'm very aware she will want plenty of chewy stuff to tide her over when I'm out the house doing the horses. What will keep her occupied and fulfil her need to occupy those little jaws? Thanks in advance for any help.
 
Replace two out of four meals with natural instinct then start offering small chicken wings, bashed up, hold one end so she doesn't inhale. You can switch if you're going to use natural instinct pretty much over the course of a week or two until its all raw. It'll be tons cheaper to source from a supplier but I can understand as a vegetarian you might want to stick with ready made.

For keeping her occupied, give her a stuffed and frozen kong, use her natural instinct food to stuff it. You could also popin chunks of carrots, cream cheese, bits of matteson's sausage, anything, really.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top