Raw feeders - has anyone given up and gone back to kibble?

[{97702}]

Raw feeding right at the minute is driving me nuts - of course I try to keep everything scrupulously clean etc but particularly with the hot weather there seem to be endless flies, smells and mess

Has anyone gone back to feeding kibble from feeding raw? My dogs all LOVE raw, so guilt is the factor which keeps me feeding it Originally I did it to try and improve their teeth, but in actual fact it has made no difference at all

 

[Superhot]

Why have you got a problem with flies etc. I fill a bowl with enough frozen mince every morning and cover it with a lid, or put it in a cupboard or drawer and it's thawed by teatime. How long have you been feeding raw?

 

[{97702}]

I've fed raw for about two years

I put the wrappers in the outside wheelie bin, which stinks in the hot weather and attracts flies? Also the products I order from MVM contain a fair amount of liquid so I am forever cleaning up spills (using antibacterial spray of course!) when I am unpacking and feeding the stuff, the venison/dark meat products smell particularly strong etc etc

 

[dappyness]

I did... It was far to much hassle (hides from the raw brigade!). The dogs became quite food aggressive and remembering to defrost stuff was such a nightmare.

I know I will get the - just be more organised..... it's not hassle if you do it properly and feed them apart

but ... you know what..... Im happy... Dogs are happy and very healthy so I figure why not.

Your not a bad owner just because you dont want to feed raw. Remember it suits some lifestyles and doesn't others.

 

[{97702}]

LOL Dappyness I'm glad I'm not the only one I have a freezer full of stuff to use up so there won't be any immediate change, but I am sorely tempted....

 

[Dexter]

I defrost mine in a tall plastic tub. Take them out, in the bowl, liquid dwmn the sink. Wrappers in a carrier bag and in the wheelie bin. Nappy sacks would be good if smells are a problem though

I wouldnt ever go back. Dogs look amazing, their temperaments changed for the better and they just love their food. My bitch is food aggressive and it is a pain, but I just work round it.

I also feed their food frozen at least twice a week when I forget to defrost it, or if its really hot like today. They dont mind at all. Today they really appreciated big frozen lumps of beef spleen to chew

 

[{97702}]

Yep I do that Dexter - obviously the flies in Gloucestershire are quite tenacious as they still seem to be around

 

[Triskar]

I have as well. Now that there is Eden Holistic and Simpson's 80:20 as well as the phenomenally expensive Orijen, I reckon my dogs are getting a better ancestral diet on Eden than they were getting with me feeding raw. And it's working out cheaper as well, since I'm not having to give a joint supplement now - the feed contains a joint support pack - or kelp tablets since it includes seaweed.... and I need the extra freezer space this year for the incredible crop of plums we're going to have this year!

 

[MissTyc]

I try to get the bags off while it's still frozen so any liquids defrost into the tupperware and dog licks that clean. I defrost in the morning for evening and evening for morning ... the bags do smell sometimes but I keep my wheelie bin outside far away from the house so I don't really care.

 

[{97702}]

LOL MissTyc perhaps I should just move my wheelie bin then

 

[MissTyc]

Works for me!

More seriously, do you package your own meat for freezing? I found that packing it as loosely as possible means the bags don't freeze onto the meat itself and then you can remove them quite dryly. In fact they come off dry enough usually that I can stick them in a box and reuse for the next load of meat. Liquidy bags I agree are very yucky and yes they do stink and the only solution is to make sure the stink is further than my nose's range.

 

[s4sugar]

Put the wrappers in a carrier bag in the freezer & put in the bin on bin day.

Saves a lot of smells & flies.

 

[Superhot]

I wash wrappers out before putting into the bin. Spray inside bin with fly killer if flies are a problem.
Don't feel guilty, you have to do what suits you as well as your dog!!

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Partially with big dog who started to refuse raw except for chicken. I still slide him as much raw as possible.

 

[vieshot]

I don't have any issue with flies? Meat comes from the freezer into a plastic container which once defrosted goes in the fridge. Dog bowls are cleaned up immediately after dinner and packets are bin bagged up and kept in a big sealed container in the back garden until bin day.

Nothing is left around for flies to get at.

 

[blackcob]

Maybe try switching suppliers for one with a 'drier' product? Mine are fed about 60% chicken wings at the moment and are just chucked them straight from the fridge, no liquid or gloopy packets hanging around. Blocks and bags of minced stuff are defrosted in tupperware in the fridge and rinsed out with every use. They're still more bother than chicken bits, hence the chickeny bias.

 

[{97702}]

i think that might be it BC - I hardly feed any chicken now, it is mainly venison/pork/lamb/beef/tripe - chicken is SO easy and clean in comparison

 

[CorvusCorax]

No flaming from here I do half and half now as I hand feed for training/do a lot of tracking and hand feeding using raw is minging, and leaving raw food on a track means it will get carried off by crows etc!!

I defrost in tupperware or biscuit boxes, then placed inside a plastic feed bin. And I feed the defrosting juice, just pour it into a bowl (feel free to boke!!!)

I try to use a good fish based dry food. DUCK is a good dryish frozen raw alternative but it is pricey.

 

[Spring Feather]

I live in a country where the summers are incredibly hot and humid and my dogs are fed part RAW and part kibble (Orijen). I have 10 bowls in the dog room that are always filled but my dogs rarely do more than pick at them throughout the day, usually only eating from them late at night. Mine are fed RAW through the day so plenty of hours prior to their kibble. I don't use bowls. I have 7 big dogs and all RAW is either fresh or frozen. The frozen I thaw on a kitchen counter in the paper packages. Once thawed I throw it all outside away from the house. The dogs each pick what they want and take it off to wherever they want to eat it. I always wash out the packages thoroughly before they go in the garbage. I live on a farm so there's always some flies around but we have screened doors and windows so there's not too many in the house and because the dogs all wander off with their food there aren't any more flies around the house than at any other time.

 

[lexiedhb]

Nope- and I wouldnt but can see why folk do- for me its the delivery bit- supplier leaves it and it can be semi defrosted by the time i get to it- blergh- luckily have a dog who is happy to clean up and spills!!

 

[{97702}]

Oh I can so identify with that LexieDHB - I tried pooling deliveries with a group of people to save money, the last time the delivery had arrived at 9am and I couldnt collect until 5pm it leaked all over my car

I am going to be patient and wait until I move house in 3 weeks time, that should mean that I have a fridge/freezer for canine use as well as my chest freezer, so will hopefully make things easier I will also have access to an Aga for instant incineration of dog food wrappers

I have fed Duck CC and really liked it (as did the dogs!) but with 4 of them it is too expensive It costs me over 120 pounds per month to feed them as it is

 

[Toast]

I think it crossed my mind once maybe when I found myself pretending to eat a pig's trotter to make my Rottweiler jealous so she'd eat it. (We have raw meaty bone eating issues)
Buttt... She looks so great I couldn't possibly deny her. That, and she won't even entertain kibble now!! I defrost mine in a Tupperware box and wrappers go straight in the wheelie bin. Any blood goes down the sink.

 

[DanceswithCows]

I don't have a choice, the *second* one of my dogs goes near any kind of 'product' I get a vet's bill

No flies, juices or smells here - I just feed it frozen. Like a meat ice lolly for them, gives them more to chew. Done it for years with many different dogs and no problems with any.

 

[Nikki J]

Raw feeding right at the minute is driving me nuts - of course I try to keep everything scrupulously clean etc but particularly with the hot weather there seem to be endless flies, smells and mess

Has anyone gone back to feeding kibble from feeding raw? My dogs all LOVE raw, so guilt is the factor which keeps me feeding it Originally I did it to try and improve their teeth, but in actual fact it has made no difference at all

Nothing will clean a dog's teeth once they are brown and plaque-y from years of eating kibble except descaling by the vet under anaesthetic. It is one of the fallacies about switching to raw that unfortunately once the tartar is laid down it is irremovable except by professional scaling.

Having said that PLEASE stick with it, DON't give up. It is very hard I know especially in this hot weather to maintain a good standard of hygiene in the kitchen, but it is possible with the judicious use of lock n'lock boxes, separate chopping board, knife etc. To give an example, all the dog raw food preparation is done on top of our range cooker (with it turned off of course!), never on the work surfaces. We do have a dish washer, so everything goes in there - mixed up with the human dishes - and is washed on an 80 degree intensive wash. If you don't have a dishwasher, then you must wash all the dog stuff separately of course using a separate cloth or brush from the one you use for human dishes, and leave everything to drain on a separate drainer or dry with paper towels.

Store everything in the fridge in sealed lock n'lock boxes and you will be fine. They are airtight, there is no smell, and just make sure you wash your hands thoroughly and dry with paper towels after touching the raw food.

Stick with it - your dogs will thank you for it, and so will your bank balance!

 

[djlynwood]

Nothing will clean a dog's teeth once they are brown and plaque-y from years of eating kibble except descaling by the vet under anaesthetic. It is one of the fallacies about switching to raw that unfortunately once the tartar is laid down it is irremovable except by professional scaling.

Having said that PLEASE stick with it, DON't give up. It is very hard I know especially in this hot weather to maintain a good standard of hygiene in the kitchen, but it is possible with the judicious use of lock n'lock boxes, separate chopping board, knife etc. To give an example, all the dog raw food preparation is done on top of our range cooker (with it turned off of course!), never on the work surfaces. We do have a dish washer, so everything goes in there - mixed up with the human dishes - and is washed on an 80 degree intensive wash. If you don't have a dishwasher, then you must wash all the dog stuff separately of course using a separate cloth or brush from the one you use for human dishes, and leave everything to drain on a separate drainer or dry with paper towels.

Store everything in the fridge in sealed lock n'lock boxes and you will be fine. They are airtight, there is no smell, and just make sure you wash your hands thoroughly and dry with paper towels after touching the raw food.

Stick with it - your dogs will thank you for it, and so will your bank balance!

This is great advice.

Ive been feeding RAW for over 7 years now and its like second nature getting it ready.

Ive also often fed them frozen meat and bones and it does not bother them in the slightest.

Its also ok to refreeze meat that has defrosted (as long as its for the dogs! not for human consumption)

 

[Mince Pie]

Nothing will clean a dog's teeth once they are brown and plaque-y from years of eating kibble except descaling by the vet under anaesthetic. It is one of the fallacies about switching to raw that unfortunately once the tartar is laid down it is irremovable except by professional scaling.

Balls, my dog is nearly 7 and has been eating kibble his whole life. He has great teeth - to the extent that when he was sedated for a hip x-ray the vet asked if I wanted his teeth done when he was 'out'. When I got the bill I noticed there was no charge for his teeth, only to be told they were in excellent condition for his age and they didn't need doing. This is a well respected animal hospital.

 

[sandymere]

The middle way may be easiest, I use a complete as a base then add in meat bones, veggies etc as available. In the summer its butchers waste such as lamb ribs etc and in the winter is game, rabbits, they have caught that are skinned/gutted then halved and frozen. As its all human consumption grade it can defrost overnight I the fridge if warm weather to be fed in the morning. There is no need to feed raw every day, just a couple of times a week will surface to give a boost of decent protein along with teeth cleaning if you give bones.

 

[djlynwood]

The middle way may be easiest, I use a complete as a base then add in meat bones, veggies etc as available. In the summer its butchers waste such as lamb ribs etc and in the winter is game, rabbits, they have caught that are skinned/gutted then halved and frozen. As its all human consumption grade it can defrost overnight I the fridge if warm weather to be fed in the morning. There is no need to feed raw every day, just a couple of times a week will surface to give a boost of decent protein along with teeth cleaning if you give bones.

Its not a good idea to feed RAW and kibble together. RAW is digested faster than the kibble. The kibble sits in the gut longer as the body has to work harder to process it. This in turn means that the raw food stays with the kibble in the gut. We all know what happens to meat when it is left.

 

[{97702}]

Nothing will clean a dog's teeth once they are brown and plaque-y from years of eating kibble except descaling by the vet under anaesthetic. It is one of the fallacies about switching to raw that unfortunately once the tartar is laid down it is irremovable except by professional scaling.

Stick with it - your dogs will thank you for it, and so will your bank balance!

Sorry to pick out just two aspects of your post NikkiJ as you have posted some good advice (which I actually already follow) but one of my dogs had teeth which were scaled under anaesthetic (with 14 extractions) before he came to me, he has been on raw all of that time, and he still had a large number of teeth out a couple of months ago so he only has 7 teeth remaining. That is what I meant about not helping with teeth, not trying to redress damage which had already been done by feeding kibble - some greyhounds just have rubbish teeth

Also my bank balance most certainly does not thank me, it costs me on average at least £45 per month more to feed raw than it would to feed Skinners Duck and Rice which I previously used

More generally, I choose not to feed frozen meat/bones to my dogs personally, I fully understand that others make the choice to do that & that it presents them/their dogs with no problems, it is just something I dont want to do.

 

[NinjaPony]

To be honest I will not be feeding my new puppy raw. It doesn't fit with my lifestyle, and as a very small papillon puppy I don't want to risk bones etc, they have teeny little teeth. So my puppy will be fed Lily's Kitchen, expensive yes but full of proper meat rather than "meal", organic, and containing very good quality ingredients. I will probably feed a mixture of wet and dry so there is variety and add cooked chicken as well on occasion.
Don't get me wrong I know that RAW is a very good diet but I don't think its for me.