Crit my (mainly) raw diet for Stanley (13 weeks)Is is balanced?

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oldie48

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Hi, Stan is doing well, looks about right weight, developing well and is mostly a calm pup, a bit of zoomie last thing but nothing major and poos all nicely formed. I've failed to get him onto ready made raw, he just doesn't like it and he's pretty much off kibble, which he's never really liked much. He's on 4 meals a day and gets raw meat chopped smallish, some fish (sardines mainly + little bits of crispy fish skin when we have fish) some cooked veg (sweet potato, carrot and broccoli so far) sometimes he gets a little cooked rice if there's some over. He gets goats milk with every meal and I supplement the calcium with ground egg shells. He also gets a little coconut oil. He gets a raw chicken wing a couple of times a week, which I supervise carefully and which tbh fills me with dread ( I am terrified he'll choke or have an obstruction) but he loves it and is getting more effective at dealing with it. I've also introduced small amounts of offal (heart, liver and kidney) and he gets the occasional egg. I'm finding as long as I introduce new tastes slowly, he'll eat up if he's really hungry. He ate some parsley yesterday. Nothing so far has given him an upset tummy.

I'm feeling a bit more confident in what I'm feeding him and he is certainly looking great. Am I missing anything out? I am intending to to move him onto more bones when he's bigger but I really do worry about it! I know some folk will disagree with the rice and egg but he likes both. TIA and Leowalker, I agree that Morrisons is great, got all the offal very cheap, chopped it up and I've now got free flow chunks in the feezer.
 
It sounds fine. Try not to worry! Floyd got a months worth of preprepared meals, then went onto the same food as the big dog. He doesnt get veg unless he scrounges a bit of carrot, he quite often gets a slice of toast or a lump of cheese, he gets the odd egg, and a diet of minces and whatever bones Morrisions offer. He was a year old yesterday and hes big, shiny and the perfect weight and clearly feels very well :)
 
Leo Walker said:
It sounds fine. Try not to worry! Floyd got a months worth of preprepared meals, then went onto the same food as the big dog. He doesnt get veg unless he scrounges a bit of carrot, he quite often gets a slice of toast or a lump of cheese, he gets the odd egg, and a diet of minces and whatever bones Morrisions offer. He was a year old yesterday and hes big, shiny and the perfect weight and clearly feels very well :)
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thanks, I've read a lot on the internet and tbh some of it is a bit confusing. OH is teasing me as he says I spend more time prepping for Stanley than I do for our meals but actually it's not much trouble at all, it's just the bones that worry me!
 
Mine love them and it keeps them quiet. They get them frozen in the summer. Ribs are good if you are worried about gulping. Or some bigger recreational type bones so he can learn to chew slowly, although some never do and they are fine.

When we started letting Floyd have them without someone holding them I put them in a bag and beat them with a hammer so the big bones were broken up and easier to chew.

I give them these for non messy treats as well, which they chew on, so would have the teeth cleaning benefits if you are really worried about bones. I did feel horribly sad when I stroked the soft fur, but they love them so much I got over it :) They do cow and lamb ears as well

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dog_treats_chews/venisondeer/morechews/578307
 
Wow, who knew you could buy such stuff! I let my neighbour shoot across our land and he gives me rabbits, we usually eat the best bits and ditch the rest, clearly there is a home for them rather than the rubbish! Thanks for your help, it's great to have someone to discuss this stuff with.
 
My lot get any raw scraps. I give sprats in season and yes, I visit Morrisons! Rather than gound eggshells, try a whole (smashed, so he gets the idea) raw egg occasionally. The basic prey model is 80:10:10, meat, bones, offal, but my lot don't cope well with that much offal. I don't add veg, but they get scraps as I cook.

Typical menus include: small pig trotter plus a heart. Green tripe plus 2 inches of liver. Kidney plus veal ribs. 2 inches of liver, handful of sprats, handful of heart, handful of beef mince. Chicken carcass, lung, raw egg. Whole rabbit, skin on. A pigeon, mostly plucked, wings off, handful of sprats.

I have a supplier who delivers from Ipswich downwards, The Dog Food Company, fab quality, but you may find cheaper. I just found a guy who uses Smithfield market and will basically get me what I want.

You can add all sorts, my basics are the Dog Food Company minces which include bone, so if you're worried about him having whole bones. I grew more confident, hence whole chicken carcasses/bunnies. They learn not to inhale!

I feed by eye, but as he's a puppy, you might want to stick to the suggested percentages of 2-3% of expected adult body weight.

I've posted this so many times, but always worth another go! https://www.petforums.co.uk/threads/raw-feeding-everything-you-need-to-know.111437/
 
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oldie48 said:
. I've also introduced small amounts of offal (heart, liver and kidney) .
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Heart is classified as muscle meat and not offal.

Your 10% offal should ideally be 50% liver with the remainder coming from other organs eg kidney, brain, lites, spleen etc etc

I don't feed fruit and veg; there is a school of thought that it is best fed raw and pulped in a liquidiser. This is to make the fibrous material easier to digest and so that any nutrients aren't lost in the cooking.

Don't panic about balancing everything out on a daily basis or even over a week; so long as everything works out over a month you will be fine.
 
gunnergundog said:
Heart is classified as muscle meat and not offal.

Your 10% offal should ideally be 50% liver with the remainder coming from other organs eg kidney, brain, lites, spleen etc etc

I don't feed fruit and veg; there is a school of thought that it is best fed raw and pulped in a liquidiser. This is to make the fibrous material easier to digest and so that any nutrients aren't lost in the cooking.

Don't panic about balancing everything out on a daily basis or even over a week; so long as everything works out over a month you will be fine.
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Thanks, he really likes heart and it is very cheap, less keen on kidney but is getting to like liver.
 
cinnamontoast said:
My lot get any raw scraps. I give sprats in season and yes, I visit Morrisons! Rather than gound eggshells, try a whole (smashed, so he gets the idea) raw egg occasionally. The basic prey model is 80:10:10, meat, bones, offal, but my lot don't cope well with that much offal. I don't add veg, but they get scraps as I cook.

Typical menus include: small pig trotter plus a heart. Green tripe plus 2 inches of liver. Kidney plus veal ribs. 2 inches of liver, handful of sprats, handful of heart, handful of beef mince. Chicken carcass, lung, raw egg. Whole rabbit, skin on. A pigeon, mostly plucked, wings off, handful of sprats.

I have a supplier who delivers from Ipswich downwards, The Dog Food Company, fab quality, but you may find cheaper. I just found a guy who uses Smithfield market and will basically get me what I want.

You can add all sorts, my basics are the Dog Food Company minces which include bone, so if you're worried about him having whole bones. I grew more confident, hence whole chicken carcasses/bunnies. They learn not to inhale!

I feed by eye, but as he's a puppy, you might want to stick to the suggested percentages of 2-3% of expected adult body weight.

I've posted this so many times, but always worth another go! https://www.petforums.co.uk/threads/raw-feeding-everything-you-need-to-know.111437/
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Thanks, really helpful and I'd not ome across the petforum.
 
I am not against raw feeding (I have fed it in the past with no issues) but only gunnergundog is giving any advice on a balanced diet.
It is not easy to get a raw diet balanced especially for a growing pup.
Vegetables definitely should not be cooked other than potatoes.
Rice and pasta are grains and don't benefit the dog much in fact they are the digest thing that lower quslitydog food is criticised for containing.
Honestly I would keep trying raw prepared foods or feed a good quality dry food if you want a balanced diet for a puppy
 
twiggy2 said:
I am not against raw feeding (I have fed it in the past with no issues) but only gunnergundog is giving any advice on a balanced diet.
It is not easy to get a raw diet balanced especially for a growing pup.
Vegetables definitely should not be cooked other than potatoes.
Rice and pasta are grains and don't benefit the dog much in fact they are the digest thing that lower quslitydog food is criticised for containing.
Honestly I would keep trying raw prepared foods or feed a good quality dry food if you want a balanced diet for a puppy
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deleted
 
twiggy2 said:
I am not against raw feeding (I have fed it in the past with no issues) but only gunnergundog is giving any advice on a balanced diet.
It is not easy to get a raw diet balanced especially for a growing pup.
Vegetables definitely should not be cooked other than potatoes.
Rice and pasta are grains and don't benefit the dog much in fact they are the digest thing that lower quslitydog food is criticised for containing.
Honestly I would keep trying raw prepared foods or feed a good quality dry food if you want a balanced diet for a puppy
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I've researched raw for 7 years. I have three very healthy happy dogs. I think I'm ok to offer advice, actually. I'd be interested in seeing any studies you have on carbs being pointless.

Vegetables should be blitzed to break down the cell walls otherwise they're pointless.

All dry foods are extruded and frequently stored/transported for prolonged periods, even the so-called good quality ones. Inevitably, that's going to involve some form of preservative.
 
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cinnamontoast said:
I've researched raw for 7 years. I have three very healthy happy dogs. I think I'm ok to offer advice, actually. I'd be interested in seeing any studies you have on carbs being pointless.

Vegetables should be blitzed to break down the cell walls otherwise they're pointless.

All dry foods are extruded and frequently stored/transported for prolonged periods, even the so-called good quality ones. Inevitably, that's going to involve some form of preservative.
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I did not say no-one had the experience to give advice but what the OP listed as being fed was not precise enough to say it was balanced not, and there was very little informative advice coming back.
I also did not state carbs were pointless!!!
 
twiggy2 said:
I did not say no-one had the experience to give advice but what the OP listed as being fed was not precise enough to say it was balanced not, and there was very little informative advice coming back.
I also did not state carbs were pointless!!!
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TBH i just wish Stanley would eat a ready bought puppy food. I got on the raw diet because he wouldn't eat the kibble and started to do some research and could see the sense in it. I realise now that I fed my last two BTs on rubbish but they both made it to nearly 15, one of them did have poor teeth and gums though despite trying to keep them clean with chews and brushing (which he hated). However, I did have a bit of a breakthrough this morning as I tried him on yet another ready made raw food and he ate it! I honestly do worry about the bones element of the diet which is why I've been supplimenting his diet with goats mlk and eggshell as I'm concerned about his calcium intake and would prefer to buy a balanced puppy food if I can find one he will eat (pref with a bit of enthusiasm). Anyway, thanks to everyone who has offered their help and advice. I'd pop an up to date picture of him on here but photobucket has given up and I don't know how to add them now.
 
Open the picture in Facebook, click on it, select copy, post it between these, no spaces.
 
cinnamontoast said:
Open the picture in Facebook so it is enlarged, right click on it, select copy image address post it between these, no spaces.
Click to expand...

Added a bit to your instructions as everyone seems to miss the bit where you enlarge it!

If you are on an Ipad, then right click, open in new tab, select the information in the address bar and then cop that between
 
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