Help with Raw diet for lurcher...

[tobiano1984]

I'm keen to put my lurcher onto the raw diet, as I've seen it make a real difference to others. She's 6 years old, spayed, and about 26kg. Til now she's been on dry working dog food (which agrees with her more than normal dog food), occasional raw meat (usually chicken wings/legs) and carrots/broccoli stalks when we have them and she also picks pears from the neighbours orchard!! She's quite a veggie lover. And she also supplements this with horse food when she can get it...

So, I'm looking for suggestions about what to feed/how much etc and where to get it. I'd rather not spend a fortune on meat from the supermarket - is it best to ask butchers for off cuts? And what meat is good? I've been told beef and pork aren't great. She usually has chicken and lamb, but we have a game butcher near us and thought maybe venison carcass would be good...

Also, she's recently started to show her age a bit more and gets quite stiff after a big run - like many lurchers she spends 90% of the time fast asleep, but when she runs she RUNS and now the evening/day after she's had a burn around she's very stiff and uncomfortable looking. Are there doggie supplements to help this? She loves the micronized linseed I give the horses, so wondered whether I can just feed her some of that as I know it has anti-inflammatory properties and good for joints.

Thanks in advance for any help devising her diet!

 

[RockinRudolph]

There is a sticky at the top of the page with tons of info on feeding a raw diet so I'm sure you'll find all you need to know in there. My 2 have been on raw for about a year now and are doing great on it.

 

[{97702}]

Mine are all on Manifold Valley Meats products - they love it, look fantastic and it suits them down to the ground. My elderly greyhound, who has always struggled to put weight on all her life, is 25kg and has 2lbs of food a day, my other greyhound x whippet (who is VERY active, weighs 25kg and has never had a problem keeping weight on!) has 1 1/2 lbs per day

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Find a good supplier first. Read the sticky above, everything you need to know of is in there.

 

[Leo Walker]

Manifold are good. I've just changed to Naturally Healthy Dogs as they use a couple of different suppliers and get a bit more variety. Chicken feet are good for stiffness apparently. Mine love them frozen and get them as treats quite a lot. I get things like liver, kidney, heart and some bones from Morrisons, which adds even more variety

If you can find a butcher who will give you freebies you can get away with spending next to nothing, just make sure you are feeding a ratio of 10% bone to 10% offal to 80% meat. Be aware that I have 2 lurchers and both need more than the recommended amount. My bitch probably evens out at about 3% as she will go through phases of not eating. My dog goes through between 5 and 10%! He has an incredibly fast metabolism and weight can melt off him literally over night! Luckily hes a pig and would eat till he burst so its not a problem getting enough food into him.

Its the best thing you will ever do. I'm always stroking mine as their coats feel like silk. They are better behaved and literally glow with health