As we are thinking about feeding, may I ask a stupid question please?

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_Acolyte_

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People who feed raw to their dogs - what do you feed, and how do you feed it please?

I shall keep Islay on an all-in-one I think, but would like something for her teeth which are appalling (common with greyhounds) so thought bones would be good for her!

So not sure whether to ask the butcher for big bones she can chew at (concious of the yucky bits getting all over the carpet though, it is already covered in kaogel!) or trying raw feeding?
 
Ask for a marrow bone. I get them off my butcher & the dogs love them!

They don't leave much for mess though!
 
We have the pedigree denta stix for our dog which he loves to chew on. He gets one pretty much every day I think, and for an 11 year old dog he has good teeth. Our other dog can't eat them though, well she does - but vomits it up after
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They don't leave mess, as he eats them all up.
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Although I don't really feed raw I think you can give them any raw meat including chicken (with bones) as raw they don't splinter. Some people give frozen meat too. Raw veg is good. Such as carrots etc.
 
For gnawing (to clean teeth) denser bones such as beef can be given but only as recreational.

I feed turkey necks, chicken wings, chicken carcass, lamb ribs etc etc all raw. My dog has fab white teeth and no doggy breath!
 
Well although the idea seems odd to me, I do remember Talisker eating a whole pigeon without any problems at all so I'm not actually sure why I am reluctant to try it!

I can see a trip to the butchers this weekend, depending on how Talisker is - dont want to be giving Islay bones if he cant have one.

I have tried the Dentastix, but mine crunch them up and finish them in about 3 mouthfuls so they never have much effect on the teeth
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I seem to mention it a lot but I swear by carrots, healthier than dentastix and take a bit longer to get through... it took mine a while to get used to them but now they adore their daily carrot and my vet always comments on my gsds amazing teeth, they are sparkling white and he's nearly 9 years old!!
 
It’s probably best to google BARF if you are looking at raw feeding. It stands for Bones And Raw Feeding and there are websites out there that give loads of info and advice.

It is best not to feed the same every day as different bits of animals provide different vitamins etc, such as offal for iron. The dogs also need fruit and veg in their diet and that is the bit I found most time consuming, whizzing up the fruit and veg into a pulp every day was a pain in the backside!

However, it was a cheap way of feeding – I got fruit and veg from the grocers that was on the turn and either cost pennies or was free. Offal was bought cheap from either the butchers or the supermarket at the end of the day. A neighbour used to leave me rabbits hung over the fence that he had trapped so that took care of the meat, and it was changed occasionally for minced beef which I got from a lady who sold it wholesale to pet shops but let me buy it cheap for 10p a pound.

The dogs condition was fantastic and I would recommend the diet, it just got very messy and time consuming with 5 dogs. However, if I was back down to one or two dogs I would definitely go back to it.
 
Me Me!!

I have really looked into it and there are two methods of feeding really the BARF ( which seems to include veg and fruit ) or the RMB ( raw meaty bones ) I am feeding the RMB diet.

Alfie has recently started on it and you need to introduce it gradually ( never in the same meal as dry food ) I have started off introducing one protein source at a time i.e chicken.

Alfie is currently fed Minced chicken with bone, minced beef, beef and tripe, liver, chicken wings, chicken carcass, lamb ribs, chicken legs.

He will eventually have rabbit and fish added. You need to make sure you feed enough bone and offal ( liver/kidney ) to make a balanced diet or they will lack in calcium or vits etc..
 
Not stupid at all! Pleased you are interested.

Here is something I posted on a previous thread I replied to recently:

I Only feed mine a meal once a day, they may get treats in between but they have one main meal. Treats = Eggs occasional table scraps, beef jerky etc.

If you feed supermarket economy chicken wings they are usually from young birds and therefore the bones are quite soft, to help her you can use an axe to chop up the bone in the wing to help her along, this techniques can also be used for oldies, or smaller dogs.

I do not balance mine over a one week period it’s more like 2 and this is what one medium sized dog would get typically.

1 Chicken Carcass with some meat still on it
1 side of a Rack of lamb ribs
Can of pilchards or very lightly cooked fish
5-6 Chicken Wings
1 Chicken Carcass with some meat still on it
½ lb minced meat with liquidised veg (2tbl spoons) an egg and some chopped pumpkin seeds
1 side of a Rack of lamb ribs
1 Chicken Carcass with some meat still on it
Offal of some kind (Heart or tripe with a bit of liver mixed in)
5-6 Chicken Wings
1 Pigs Trotter
1 Chicken Carcass with some meat still on it or ½ a rabbit
½ lb minced meat with liquidised veg (2tbl spoons) an egg and some chopped pumpkin seeds
1 side of a Rack of lamb ribs

Occasionally I will swap meals and put in things on special offer like oxtail, pheasant or even venison in season. If a dog is loosing weight I will up Muscle meat content and if it’s putting it on more bone. If you feed lamb bones they can be quite hard but the bones on the ribs nearer the sternum are more cartilage than bone and ideal for those with teeth problems. Again you can help by taking an axe to them. You can even buy them complete from the butcher make a nice stew from the meat and give the dogs what's left.

Best source is to befriend a local butcher, they are really good and have a variety of bones and meats usually for a very small cash outlay as they have to pay to burn all the offcuts!!! My two's main meals cost £5 per month!!! Butchers are the best place to get chicken carcasses and lamb rib bones.

If you are in a hurry or running low then supermarket value ranges of chicken wings, Morrisons do a "soup" pack of lamb bones for about 60p and they also do lambs hearts, which can be hard to find. At the moment ASDA are doing Turkey legs 2 for about £1.20. I feed pet shop green (uncleaned) tripe and the occasional veg meal but blended, basically look for the reduced section! I also buy chickens/Turkeys on offer take the crown off for me and give the dogs the rest.

Hope that helps
 
my 2 year old has had marrow bones and dentastix since a puppy and he has the whitest brightest teeth going..he puts Liberace to shame! My 6 year old did not have that benefit but has since she was about 3 and it is helping her teeth, they are lovely at the front but were a bit tartar ridden at the back at one point. Marrow bones leave hardly any mess, unlike some petshop bones I have got them that leave carnage all over the floor!
 
I feed barf to my dogs, never anything else, I researched it in great depth beforehand and wish I had done it years ago as my dogs health has improved greatly, I use www.landywoods.co.uk they have very good prices, for instance 15-18 large marrow bones for £3.50 !
And delivered to your door once a month for £3.53 delivery charge!
You need to order minimum of £40 worth though so unless you have a large freezer go in with a few friends as I do to spread the costs, Oz
 
Re Pumpkin Seeds

They are added to help with natural deworming, they are sligtly abrasive and dislodge any worms from the gut. You can also used crushed egg shell for the same purpose.
 
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