Raw food diet.... tips, advice please

[freckles22uk]

Ive got a 9 year old sheltie, and Im going to go down the raw food diet with her, she does like raw meat as she scrounges when Im cutting meat in the kitchen for scraps, and she has had the odd chicken carcass in the past, Ive been reading up on what I should/should not feed, and there is a lot of conflicting advice.. so any help will be gratefully received

My dog 'Foxy' is 9, weights 28lb, spayed female, shes quite greedy, but has lost 10lb over the past year, Ive been feeding her dry food, with a small amount of tinned mixed in, but her teeth dont look so good these day, her coat, IMO could look better.. she not an overly lively dog either, as she broke her front leg as a pup (both forearm bones) and it does bother her now an again,

I cant feed her 'pre prepared' food as Im in Spain, but the meat counters here sell pretty much every part of an animal... brains, trotters, tails, the rest of the offal, bones etc..... though this does not make these parts cheap like in the UK, as the Spanish happily eat them so are not really seen as waste...

thanks in advance

 

[Dizzykizzy]

I'm surprised no-one has replied yet....
I think one useful tip I got was to introduce one thing at a time, ie all chicken products then after she has settled (at least a couple of weeks) try introducing a different meat.
You need to feed between 2 and 3% of ideal body weight and monitor her for weight loss or gain. We also feed raw eggs in their shells.
HTH a little

 

[PorkChop]

I started by feeding a chicken drumstick in the morning and minced chicken in the evening. Then gradually I introduced other types of meat, and never had a problem. The only thing my dogs don't like is liver, and tbh my don't get a great deal of offal, I expect I should be feeding them a bit more.

When I first introduced bones I would hold onto them whilst the dog started eating it, so they got the idea that it had to be chewed! I used to feed chicken wings as they are so cheap but I always worried about them wolfing them down!

My springer spaniels get about 1lb minced meat of an evening and a piece of chicken on the bone in the morning to give you an idea of quantity.

 

[gunnergundog]

If your dog has been used to multiple protein sources (chicken, lamb, pork, beef etc) when on dry then I personally for an adult dog wouldn't be as cautious as others are suggesting for introducing new cuts of raw. Also, don't forget fish! Sardines and other oily fish will be great for her coat......as indeed are the eggs mentioned above.

If she is a good doer then bulk up her meals with fruit and veg - low cal but leaves the dog feeling full.

 

[freckles22uk]

Thank you .... but its on hold at the moment, had to take her to the vets yesterday as she started to struggle to get up, vet had found pain in her back, so shes on anti-inflamatories (along with tablets to help her stomach) ... and the only thing I can get her to eat is hot dog sausages... I 'think' she might of done the damage when she jumped to bite the hose the other day and twisted and fell funny...

She does love raw chicken and pork, well any meat really, she is always on the scrounge! now the sardines... are these tinned?

 

[gunnergundog]

now the sardines... are these tinned?

Raw or tinned. Not all dogs on a raw diet will eat raw fish, but it's worth a try. If you go the tinned route avoid the ones in brine, also the ones in tomato as she is an older dog and may be getting a touch of arthritis as time goes on. Personally, I prefer the ones from Sainsbury in spring water; these have a lower sodium content than those in oil.