Raw Food Diet Help

[Lynlovesdogs]

I know this has been done to death.. but after reading countless threads and countless links on BARF diets etc, I am still truly confused. I've just been advised by Robert Macdowell to ease my dog onto a raw food diet (we think she has seasonal allergies ). We only got her this year, and when she came to us, she was constantly on cortisone, her skin was horrible. Since then, she's been on Nutrience Derma (recommended by the vet) she gets pigs ears as treats (done by this lady who does it as natural as possible?) We were also advised by some of our pet food suppliers that she shouldn't be fed chicken because chicken makes her itch but lamb is the best. so we havent fed her any raw chicken but the occasional lamb bone from when we cook. We also give her ACV in her water and glucosamine supplements as well as a fish oil capsule and an egg once a week. I hope that DOLers can help us out.

How do we exactly "ease" her into a raw food diet? What is the right amount to feed her so she doesn't get overweight?

What sort of meat is suitable? and what sort of veges need to be included? Do we just buy meat that we buy?

Thanks so much guys

oh and edited to ask, what's the best place and best value place to buy raw meat/bones etc for her as we're in sydney?

Edited September 22, 2007 by Lynlovesdogs

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

You mention giving your dog leftover bones from your cooking...but I hope you mean that the bones you feed the dog are RAW rather than cooked?

You can research as much or as little as you like on raw feeding for your dog. I guess it's up to you how much you want to prepare yourself vs what you buy ready-made. But you must understand the basics IMO or your dog's health may suffer (which is the opposite of your intentions). Robert McDowell is an excellent herbalist IMO and he offers some very sound advice (except I disagree strenuously with his advice not to desex a pet). Why not start by reading "The BARF Diet" by Dr Ian Billinghurst? It's a great beginners book that gives great ideas for what to feed and how to switch. I did a gradual switch but IMO the rapid switch is fine b/c I put my dog Molly on a raw diet almost immediately she arrived (the rescue group fed her on euk and it was doing her all kinds of harm...terrible teeth and breath for starters!).

Most dogs with allergic reactions aren't actually allergic to food items although that does happen in some cases...mostly the itching we see is b/c of environmental causes such as contact allergies to plants and plant parts. My staffy cross Ruby has had terrible allergies all her life (well, since we adopted her when she was 6 mths old) and we had her on anti-inflammatories and steroids on and off every season. It was awful.

Since we moved back to Darwin, I have been using Robert's SA mix and it's been FANTASTIC. Ruby doesn't scratch any more, her eyes no longer have a yucky discharge and her skin is "normal" again. This is a real miracle IMO b/c her itch was relentless before the herbals and is virtually gone now, less than four months after commencing the regime. Ruby is down to one or two doses a WEEK.

Read Billinghurst, search here for BARF diet and raw feeding, and ask questions! We're here to help and no question is too hard or too silly.

[KitKat]

Not being able to feed her chicken makes it a lil harder...but are you sure that chicken is a problem for your dog?

As to easing her onto raw...you can just do the switch over night...or you can switch over a few days and slowly ease out what dry you feed her.

Suitable meat can include - minus chook of course - lamb necks, lamb flaps, lamb offcuts, turkey necks, turkey bums, turkey wings, turkey legs, beef off cuts, beef ribs, pig feet, pork hocks, pork ribs, rabbit, goat pieces, roo tail etc

Vegies can be your usual run of the mill vegies...just steer clear of onions, green potato, grapes apparently, and tomato i think are the usual ones not to use.

[Lynlovesdogs]

lilysmum: well the vet thinks its seasonal allergies so i've ordered the blood cleanser and the acute skin irritation remedy for her contact allergy AND her allergic rhinitis one as well (for her watery eyes). Where can i buy that book is ti very very pricey? (asa u know some books are)

Kitkat: well we're UNSURE if chicken is bad for her, but thats just wat we were advised. When she first came to us ( any change in diet caused diarrhoea) so we freaked out she used to be fed chicken necks and stuff it hink but she was also on cortisone everydya. so she was EXTREMELY BLOATED

thanks guys keep it coming!

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

lilysmum: well the vet thinks its seasonal allergies so i've ordered the blood cleanser and the acute skin irritation remedy for her contact allergy AND her allergic rhinitis one as well (for her watery eyes). Where can i buy that book is ti very very pricey? (asa u know some books are)

Kitkat: well we're UNSURE if chicken is bad for her, but thats just wat we were advised. When she first came to us ( any change in diet caused diarrhoea) so we freaked out she used to be fed chicken necks and stuff it hink but she was also on cortisone everydya. so she was EXTREMELY BLOATED

thanks guys keep it coming!

Dr B's books are very affordable, I bought mine from Callicoma Kelpies and Pet Supplies by mail order (she's in Grafton NSW) and you can likely source the book from Dr B's website...from memory it was under $20...

You've bought the right herbals. I just got the SA mix and the blood purifying mix...Ruby didn't need the third one b/c her eyes aren't too bad other than the occasional discharge and that's cleared up nicely now.

Try to introduce just one new food at a time and see how she responds. Some dogs will do well on rabbit, for others it's chicken or duck, and others still do best on lamb or roo. Any processed food is more likely to bring on a reaction IMO b/c there are LOTS of ingredients that can be to blame, and often it's a preservative or colour or flavour. Raw foods don't have these ingredients so they're much less likely to cause issues. However, buy the best quality raw foods you can (I use human grade everything except roo mince b/c roo is so expensive for human consumption); buy in season so it's fresh and affordable; ensure you have a good balance over a week or two rather than each meal being "complete and balanced"; and make sure there is plenty of meaty bones as well as minced meat products. Also offal is a real boost to most dogs - I use heart (usually lamb); kidney; liver; and from as many different animals as possible. Veg is just raw veg processed through a juicer (throw the bulk of the juice out and use the pulp) and a small amount of fruit thrown in. Avoid brewer's yeast as a supplement as it is known to cause allergic responses in sensitive dogs. Use kelp, alfalfa, and fish oil as a bare minimum and you may wish to add vit c, garlic and linseed/sunflower mix. And read as much as you can!

[Lynlovesdogs]

lilysmum: that's great info! I've been browsing through coles when I was doing my groceries today and was looking at beef and stuff. which cuts should we buy? is there any that's not safe for them? is it better to mince the meat?

Today i bought some lamb chops, which i asked the butcher to dice and the bone was given to us, I thought of starting out with that and lessen the dry food. Do you think its better to buy in bulk and keep it or to just buy it weekly? thanks again so mcuh its highly appreciated

Edited September 22, 2007 by Lynlovesdogs

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Had a great post and lost it. Basically, shop at the butcher rather than the supermarket as most butchers are very accommodating. Go for Meaty Bones not offcuts or bags of "dog bones" b/c the latter are mostly bone that's otherwise going to be thrown out b/c there's virtually no meat on it.

I'll post more again later...when my brain is functioning again.

[Guest Tiggy]

Kangaroo might be a good option for you dog as it is very lean(good for the fatties) and probably a good one to try for dogs with allergies. It's also cheap! Have you thought about buying BARF Patties? I feed my Staffords a BARF Pattie for breakfast(either Kangaroo, Chicken or Lamb) and for dinner they get raw meaty bones for two days then on the third day an all meat meal or half meat half offal meal. Raw meaty bones I use are chicken wings, chicken frames, kangaroo tails and lamb necks. Hope this helps.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Today I bought a bit of dog food. I got some at Woolies b/c they actually have a good range at times:

turkey wingettes; lamb off-cuts on a tray; beef off-cuts on a tray. Normally I don't buy off-cuts but these pieces were mostly meat with a small amount of bone. The lamb is a bit too fatty, so I'll trim it before I serve it. I wanted some lamb necks and flap (ribs) but they didn't have any. And I couldn't get any organs either so I'll go to the butcher tomorrow and get some heart, kidney and livers.

I don't buy bagged off-cuts unless I'm completely desperate, b/c you can't see what's in the bag and it's often really bad quality...but tray-packed is much better IMO as you can see what's inside and feel each piece to see what the bone:meat ratio is for each piece.

I then went to Lenards and bought:

a bag of necks; a bag of wings; 3 kgs of pet mince (which is minced up carcasses).

I also bought some frozen veg to make a slop b/c the fresh stuff is so expensive ATM and I haven't even bought much fresh for us this week b/c of the prices. Tomatoes are $9 per kg. Pumpkin was 'cheap' at $3.50 per kg.

Edited September 23, 2007 by lillysmum