More raw feeding help please!

honeydlc

Hi all!
Ok, so I started Rosie on her new raw feeding exclusion diet yesterday. She ate a wing for breakfast, which she ate fine, although it took ages bless her! Then for dinner she had some meat and skin, which she also ate fine.
This morning I gave her offal, and she won't touch it, even though she's obviously hungry Sad

(I know she's hungry because I just caught her in my neighbours house, on the table eating cat biscuits Embarassed

) I've tried handfeeding it to her and warming it up. What should I do??
Thanks! XX
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Georgia, Honey Bear, Rosie, Obi, Timber, Mia, Oscar and Mango XXXX

littlelab

Perhaps she doesn't like Offal, what are your giving her?

Kidneys smell and taste very stong and for the new raw fed dog can be quite overwhelming, liver is good as is heart.

It maybe she simply doesn't like Offal
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Natalie and Co xxx

Twig

I wouldn't try her on offal yet, let her tummy get used to raw meat, then try offal. I'd wait at least two weeks on chicken alone, and then try her on some liver or kidneys. Too much variety may cause her to be sick.

Like I said on another post, wings are best left when feeding with a whole chicken as the bone percentage is very high and can cause constipation. Thighs are better. Very Happy

Once she handles meat she may be more ready to try offal, what offal did you try her with?

Have you joined the yahoo feeding group? They are excellent and many new to raw get help with all sorts of probs, and not eating offal is one of the many probs I've seen being posted.

Spud

From what I can remember, I think she's cut up a whole chicken and just fed the wings as one meal from it.

Yeah, I'd leave the offal for a week or two until your pup has adjusted as they are quite rich. Scamp used to refuse to eat poultry and offal unless it was frozen, until I decided to put my foot down. If the dog is hungry, she'll eat it; it took me a few meal times of being firm but now he wolfs down anything that I set in front of him Smile

honeydlc

Thanks

The wing was cut off the chicken and I made sure it had lots of meat attatched on the 'bird' side, so I think it was ok Confused

She ate the offal in the end (it was bits like heart, I think Shocked

, and liver etc) before I read your posts not to give it to her yet Embarassed

. Luckily she seems fine, no diarrhoea or anything, she must have a cast iron stomach Very Happy

I'll hold off giving her anymore though for a week or so.
Thanks again! XX
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Georgia, Honey Bear, Rosie, Obi, Timber, Mia, Oscar and Mango XXXX

poppydog83

Hi,im sorry to sound stupid here. But what are the benefits of feeding dogs raw meat?

Twig

poppydog83

oh that website and info so interesting. Thanks for that. How much do u roughly spend on raw meat to feed your dog(s)?

Twig

Spud

I was looking for bulk meat suppliers on the internet (and found none!) and the commercial places that sold mutton were awfully expensive. I was in Morrisons the other day and found lamb that was around £2 per kilo. I limit myself to £3 if I can help it, though lately I've been managing to feed Scamp on £1 a day (he needs about 600g). I bought 2.2kg of pork for a fiver which was pretty good for a supermarket. Keep meaning to ask about some brisket that I saw in the butcher's window.

I've found the best deals by going shopping just before closing time. The butchers will often be trying to get rid of their meat as it's better to make a cheap sale than to throw it away, and the supermarket tend to lower the prices every half hour or so until they close when the meat is due to be out of date the next day. I've managed to feed my dog for 29p that way. Wink

Twig

I always hoped Mutton would be cheap as it was from older animals....all well!

I believe the UK barf club sell bulk meat, but although I thought about it, I honestly don't feel comfortable with ordering meat as what if it is cheaper non-human standard? I dunno, in an ideal world, I would, but I don't trust em or anyone else. Laughing

I get a whole chicken leg for 65p or a HUGE turkey leg for 99p which are cheap meals, and I just add a bit of non-meat poultry if its too high in bone.

Spud

As far as I'm aware, most people on BritBARF order from Landywoods or AMP, the company that supplies my local petstores. I was looking for online human-grade wholesalers, rather than dog meat, but to no avail.

I do feed turkey legs, but am trying to feed more red meats and it is fairly expensive through butchers and supermarkets. I'll manage on special offers for now!

coliel

hi
i am very intrested in all of your comments on raw feeding and how bad commercial dog food is. please could you let me know if feeding porridge in the morning with a raw egg mixed in, then burns (is this as bad as all the rest) for lunch and then again for tea and then a raw meaty bone to chew on through out the day when in the garden is ok for my 17 week old pup i have to admit my last dog just had normal tinns and mix and saddly died of a brain tummer she also had dry skin and i feel very sad that i did not know how dreadful her diet was. i can not feed a full raw dit as i have 3 small children and i would be to worried about raw meat in my house.
thank you from coliel

honeydlc

Hi there Coliel. Sorry to hear about your last dog, please don't feel bad, it sounds like you did your best for her, I think it's shocking that the pet food companies are able to sell us substandard food for our beloved pets and get away with it!
I'm no expert, but on the scale of foods, Burns is definately towards the top end, much better than supermarket brands etc. I'm not sure what good porrifge would do, I've never really fed it to the dogs, but I know that raw eggs with the shell and meaty bones are good.
I've recently started my little dog Rosie on a food called Natures:menu, it's raw ingredients but minced up, frozen and sold in bags of 'nuggets', so you get some (though not all) of the benefits of feeding raw without the preparation, I also give her meaty bones as well for teeth cleaning etc.
Here's a link to this food-http://www.naturesmenu.co.uk/products/frozen/banquet-nuggets/index.php
The 'raw feeding purists' wouldn't think it was the best thing in the world as it's minced up, but I have to say it's much easier than chopping up carcasses and what have you. I just tip some out the bag in the morning into a plastic tupperware pot, leave it in the fridge to defrost then tip it into her bowl, she loves it and is full of beans so it can't be that bad Very Happy

Anyway, hopefully others will join in with their opinions, good luck to you and your pup! XX
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Georgia, Honey Bear, Rosie, Obi, Timber, Mia, Oscar and Mango XXXX

Violette

Can't comment on the raw foods bit, because I don't use them. I use James Wellbeloved, and find it good.

But the porridge bit, I can comment on. It is practically staple food for a lot of farm collies - all the collies on the family farm where I grew up got it for their breakfast every morning. An enormous pot was made up and put on the aga the night before, and it was shared out between humans and dogs the next morning. Just the thing to line the stomach in preparation for a hard day's work giving those sheep what for!

They got fed other things as well, of course - but the porridge for breakfast was a standard. Just be careful with added salt (but that is a Scottish or Irish addition, English folk tend to add sugar instead), and go easy on the milk as some dogs don't tolerate dairy very well.

Obviously amounts etc will differ depending on age, type and activity of your dog - but porridge itself won't be any problem. Can't remember any of the numerous collies being sickly, or dying of anything other than old age or normal natural causes.

Meg loves it too, but as she isn't a working dog, she only gets a little sometimes. She must have sassenach tendencies, because she loves hers with a little honey!