getting well in to the raw diet thing - suggestions please

coliel

hi
i have been doing lots of research on raw feeding since i found out about the poisen (tinned and mixer food) i had been giving to my last dog gypsie and at first my new pup merlin so thank you for opening my eyes! since researching i cant believe the crap that they use! i had always given raw meaty bones for their teeth as has my father with all his dogs but now i am seriusly thinking of feeding a raw diet to my pup and also mt ferret as even the "good" brands like burns and jwb dont seem to be any where as good as people think and they bothe tend to have far to much carberhydrate this is where i am confused as from what i have read in the raw meat diet they dont tend to have any carbs! and i thought this was needed for energy?
so i have some questions as i would like answeres from real people actualy feeding this diet!
1-what about carbs
2-when i ferret or my partner shoots a pheasent can the dog have the whole thing including fur/skin or do they mean prepared as already i would take the meat off for us and give the ferret the rest but some times you get one you dont like the look of! for your self!
3-when it is wet outside how do you avoid it getting every where?
please dont say just give it to them in the kitchen with the door closed as i cant cope with the idear of dead animal bits lurking in my kitchen and remember i have 3 children who are only young!
4-also some sites recomend raw veg and others just raw meaty bones and others with table scraps!
5- this is my last how do you tell what will give the dog the runns as if gypsie found something and ate it while out walking she would be outside all night pooing! some times even when i had given him a table scrap that obviosly didnt suit!
sorry about the essay but its so great to ask questions to real people who obviously love their dogs as much as i do. once again i can only apolagise about the bad spelling love coliel

Twig

1) Dogs don't need carbs, they get all their energy from protein and fat, besides they can't digest foods high in carbohydrates as carbs are only found in plants, and dogs have a VERY short digestive system.

2)Sure! ALthough you may want to remove most of the feathers.

3) Its best to feed on a floor that can be washed down, or like me, you can buy a puppy mat and let them eat off it on wet days.

4)There are two types of raw diet, the BARF diet and the Prey Model diet. The BARF diet is the most common one that is over complicated and has many supplements. Dogs are Carnivores, not Omnivores, ie compare a bear's teeth to a dog's. Therefore the whole pureed veg, kelp extract etc thing is totally unneccessary. Also, the BARF diet recommends 50%, way way TOO much, whether a dog caught an elephant or mouse, it would NEVER consume 50%.

The other diet, is the Prey Model Diet, 100% raw meaty bones and offal. This is what I feed. Smile

Its about 10% offal, 20% bone and 70% meat. It is based on the wolves natural diet, and as our dogs are domesticated wolves, its also their natural diet.

www.rawfed.com/myths will get you started. Wink

I feed mainly ox heart, lamb shank, beef brisket, boneless shin, weekly calf or lamb liver and limited poultry. She also gets the odd egg and tinned sardines or mackeral as my mum refurses to feed raw fish to her. Rolling Eyes

When starting, stick to ONE meat for 4-5 weeks, especially as your dog seems to have a sensitive tummy. Chicken is probably best, just don't feed too many wings and necks, they can make part of a meal, but not a whole meal as they are too boney and can cause constipation. Wink

If I feed chicken, Hannah will get maybe a couple of wings, a thigh and some chicken livers. Wink

Although, don't feed offal until shes been on it a few weeks. You can also buy chicken halves and quarters from some butchers. Wink

coliel

thanks
the carbs bit is realy intresting as alot of info says dogs should be fed carbs and that it is the best sort of energy!
i thought too much protien was bad?
love coliel

Twig

Theres an article about carbs on that link I posted in my last thread which may be useful to you, especially the bits about glucose. Smile

Too much protein is bad, but I think that comes from commerical food which is often too high as it has extra protein added, hence dogs can't eat cat food. Wink