caslero

My two Dobes are fed a raw diet and fed twice a day - @ 5.30am and 7.30pm. They will also eat anything they can scrounge from us during the day as well (leftovers from our food, fresh fruit etc) ;) I would agree with others here in the thinking that small dogs should be fed twice a day as well.

Sorry to hear about your Dane Dobermanns are also prone to this problem and I have some info and links on Wobblers - also known as Cervical Vertebral Instability (CVI) on the Dobe Club of NSW website. The link is here (Wobblers info is about halfway down the page): http://www.dobermannnsw.homestead.com/healthissues.html Hope this is of some help.

Apparently they are a good source of calcium. Some of the K9 raw nutrition lists actually recommend saving any eggshells that a household may have, drying them and then putting them thru a coffee grinder and add the resulting powder to your dog's food as a calcium supplement - this is of course if you don't feed raw bones which themselves supply enough calcium :D My two get a couple of eggs a week.... I just crack the shell slightly and they lick all the liquid out and then eat the shell too

Hi guys - thanks for the mention..... Here's the links to the stories of the Endurance Tests I did with my two Dobes: http://www.caslerodobes.homestead.com/ETTest.html http://www.caslerodobes.homestead.com/CaseyET.html I also did the ET with a friend's Dobe two weekends ago and he passed with flying colours.... but those first 6kms were a doozy - he was chasing the Border Terrier in front of him and I didn't even pedal and rode with the brake on for the first 6kms!!! Yikes!!!!!

Yeah I agree - I don't even feed my Dobes chicken legs - I'm sure they would be fine with them but I worry about the size of some of those drumstick bones LP - re organ meat. I've found that my local Woolies are stocking airtight sealed packs of diced beef heart, kidneys, liver etc (seems they're catching on to all the raw feeders on the hunt for good stuff for their dogs). These packs are quite handy and you can just cut open an edge of the packet and squeeze/scoop out a portion to sprinkle over the top of their regular meal...... no need to get your hands dirty with those slimy lil suckers! And.... the dogs luv 'em Re disease in offal - I feel that the stuff you'd get thru Woolies and the like would have to be human grade - wouldn't it?? so would think you'd be pretty safe using that.

My understanding is that there needs to be a balance between Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids. As poultry (main part of their diet) contains Omega 6, I supplement with the fish oil caps (Omega 3). A lot of the nutritional lists/sites I researched when first starting out seemed to recommend this supplement too. Yes, my Dobes have never been shinier since using this diet and any dandruff probs/dull coat they had has disappeared I do occasionally use Vit E as well but ran out a while ago and haven't had a chance to get any more. The glucosamine/chondroitin with MSM is mainly for my older Dobe who has arthritis/bony growths in his feet and pasterns (bad conformation) and it has really helped with his lameness...

This list is a good one.... just make sure you go on "Digest" as there is a lot of activity on this list... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Nutrition/

I've been feeding raw for 3.5yrs now and have really cut down the amount of vegies I feed. Like Espinay2 I tend to focus on meat and any vegies I feed are "leftovers" or a clean out of the fridge..... my dogs do get given any soft or old apples, pears etc (in fact my male goes into "stealth mode" and sometimes steals what he wants straight from the fruit bowl !) and they both love munching on raw carrots and pumpkin. If I do give them a vegie mix I use some frozen vegies as a base (just "thaw" under warm water from the tap) and add spinach, pumpkin, a whole raw egg, some garlic and just wizz around in the blender til it is a green slop - luckily both the dogs love it and will "drink" it straight from their bowl. My usual meals for them are based on chicken and lamb (just whatever comes out of the freezer the day before) - they are fed twice a day.... and are something like this: am: chicken wings. pm: chicken wings and lamb breast am: chicken wings. pm: lamb breast, chicken wings and 1/2 tin of sardines am: chicken frame. pm: chicken frame, lamb breast & a whole egg am: chicken necks. pm: chicken frame, necks and beef heart am: beef mince. pm: chicken frame, beef mince + 1/2 tub of natural yoghurt am: tinned mackerel. pm: chicken frame and lamb breast am: lamb breast. pm: lamb breast and pork mince am: chicken wings. pm: chicken wings, lamb breast and chicken giblets The only additives I feed are 3,000mg fish oil per day per dog (1,000mg per 10kg bodyweight) and glucosamine chondroitin for joint care. Don't stress too much about the diet, just remember "balance over time" - I don't weigh the food but just keep my eye on the dogs - if they are looking a bit thin I will increase a fatty food like lamb breast, or if they are looking a bit podgy I will reduce accordingly Here's a link to some interesting info on feeding vegies: http://b-naturals.com/Jul2005.php?PHPSESSI...8bd4ca9d66d51ac

Hi Knobbles I get my chicken from here: Giglio's Fresh Chicken 629 -635 Elizabeth Drive Bonnyrigg 2177 (02) 9610 4557 I usually get 50kg at a time (the joys of a chest freezer! :D) and a mix of breast bones (frames), necks (incl. skin) and thigh bones/wing tips etc. for $1 per kg. They also sell 5kg bags of wings there for @ $10-12. I bag a combination of these chicken parts into large Glad snap-lock bags and freeze - taking one out at a time to defrost in the fridge as needed. 50kg of chicken as a base (plus the addition of lamb flaps (from Woolies), mince, fish etc.) lasts my two Dobes @ 5wks

Hi Myszka :rolleyes: I've fed my two occasionally with pork mince or pork offcuts - all human grade meat - with no probs. The only issue with feeding pork I've read about is with Trichinosis - see link below http://www.petpeoplesplace.com/Advice/dogs/feeding/08.htm Apparently freezing pork meat for a period of time will kill off this parasite.... that being said according to this site: http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/archives/experts/swine/1294.html Trichinosis occurs worldwide except in Australia and on many Pacific Islands So tell Sexy Rexy to get some "Pork on his Fork"

packsapunch - LOL great visual re your Dobes.... I can just imagine it being like feeding the seals

Hi Myszka Will have to try some whole fresh fish with the gang here and see how they go.... they had tinned mackeral with their chicken backs tonight... gotta looove that fishy breath! :D Caffiend42 - there were only leftover prawns for the dogs as I think we all had OD'd on them by that time - my husband and I bought over 2kgs of the things for the in-law's xmas dinner, only to find that most of his family didn't like prawns! (what the!?!). Hubby and I had no choice but to help put those prawns out of their misery btw - my dogs are both supplemented with Glucosamine Chondroitin with MSM. Glucosamine is also called chitosamine, and is a natural substance that is found in the covering of shellfish..... maybe those prawns aren't such a bad thing! :D

My two get the homebrand sardines or mackeral in oil once or twice a week. They also got a xmas dinner of some leftover cooked king prawns (I took off the heads) - they looooved them I feed raw and know that some people feed their dogs whole salmon heads etc. I haven't been brave enough to do this yet.... the thoughts of those fish eyes popping across the floor somehow gross me out! LOL

Ashley Sorry to hear that your dog possibly has Wobblers (also known as Cervical Vertebral Instability - CVI). What breed do you have? Unfortunately, Wobblers can often occur in Dobermanns - I have put some info on Wobblers on the Dobe Club of NSW website "Health" page - see link below (the page also contains some links to more info from the US). Hope this is of some assistance to you. http://www.dobermannnsw.homestead.com/healthissues.html

1. what do you feed? Combination of the following: - Chicken frames, wings, necks, giblets, livers - Lamb breast - Mince beef/pork - Mackerel Supplements: - 3000mg Fish Oil per day - 500mg Vit E every second day - Glucosamin Chondroitin with MSM daily - raw egg (incl. shell) - 1 or 2 times a week - natural yoghurt - 1/2 tub 1 x a week 2. how often? Twice daily 3. how much? Don't measure or weigh - go by look of dog as to whether they need more or less. Typical meal may be 4 chicken wings for morning meal and 1 whole chicken frame and 1/2 a lamb breast for pm meal + supplements 4. what breed, age, sex and weight is your pet? 2 Dobermanns: 1 x 7.5yr old Male, 40kg 1 x 3yr old Bitch, 32kg 5. where do you purchase your ingredients from? Woolworths (human grade meat) Chicken wholesaler for frames, wings, necks (50kgs at a time) Supplements - Health Food Store 6. have you always fed your dog this diet, or did you change over to it gradually? Changed to this diet approx 3yrs ago.... gradually over a week or so... if yes, how did your dog react? No probs - were more keen to eat their food (no leftover food anymore!)... no upset stomach or "detox" problems were encountered. 7. what have been the advantages and disadvantages? Advantages - seeing how much more the dogs are enjoying their food, being able to control the ingredients in their diet and knowing they are not being subjected to preservatives and chemicals in processed food. This diet is more cost effective as well. Disadvantages - none really, though preparation of the food takes a bit longer and travelling with the dogs poses some issues in storing food so that it stays fresh. 8. have you seen changes in your dog, ie. coat, energy levels? Big improvements in both dogs, especially my male (who was 4yrs old when I changed to a raw diet, whereas my bitch was 5mths) - much shinier and thicker coats, better muscle mass and maintenance of weight. Increased energy levels. Smaller, less frequent and odour free stools.