chichihuahua Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 (edited) Hi all, I have a 3kg small breed dog and I'm interested in starting him on a partial raw diet. At the moment he is feed Science Diet twice a day (morning and night) and I was hoping to introduce some raw food, maybe a bone for his morning meal or some mince mixed in with his kibble. I'm just a bit uncertain how to approach this. He's very small so I'm worried about him potentially choking on bones, also I'm not completely sure what to feed him exactly in terms of raw meat. Is it the same as the kind you buy at Safeway or Coles, that you use for making hamburgers and cooking? That kind of raw beef mince? Or it is some sort of special unprocessed kind? Do I need to heat it up or do I just give it to him straight from the freezer? Do I only give him bones/mince/liver etc or should I also incorporate steamed vegetables? I've also heard some people talk about how some dogs can't stomach raw food and I'm just wondering if that's an issue relating to the size of the dog. Basically, is it okay for me to feed my chihuahua X raw food, and is so, what kind and how do I exactly prep it (ie. do I just purchase a large bone with some meat on it and let him gnaw at it straight from the freezer?). Thanks for all your help! Edited April 8, 2009 by reality_22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyra20007 Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 A Raw food diet or BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) is suitable for most dogs although it does take a bit of effort on you part. I have 2 Dobermann on this diet and it takes me about 2hours a month to make all their food and I freeze it in individual weighed servings so it becomes as convenient as any processed dog food. Everything you should be feeding should be human grade (Your Butcher can become your new best friend) and all must be served raw - no steaming veges just raw chopped / grated or juicing them is great you just mix the pulp back into the juice. The food should be served at room temperature (defrost some in the fridge and take it out a couple of hours before feeding) feeding frozen is OK in summer to help keep them cool but best is room temperature. My Dogs get a combination of - (All food is human grade) 30% Minced Chicken Frames 30% Minced Beef 20% Minced Liver/Kidney/Heart/Brains (or chopped finely is fine) 10% Vets All Natural soaked for 24hrs before mixing To each defrosted serving I then add some grated carrot/zuchinni/apple/spinach. I give them an egg / cottage cheese / yogurt once a week (with a small dog you'll probably only give a bit of an egg) They also get whole fresh sardines every couple of days. I also add supplements daily to the defrosted serving which contain kelp / garlic / spirolina / shark cartlidge / glucosamine etc (links below) Pet pep up Greenpet essentials Greenpet Omega 3 Oil Mine get bones for breakfast - for a small dog you could ask your butcher to cut lamb breasts into small strips you could also cut up a chicken frame with scissors and freeze it in breakfast size servings. Also chicken wing tips are good for small dogs. Read some of the links below to get an idea of what is involved (you get organsied pretty quick ) Research research research is the best way of learning about feeding a natural raw diet. http://www.barfworld.com/index.shtml supplements http://www.vetsallnatural.com.au/PDFS/CMIX.pdf http://www.petpepup.com.au/ingredients/act...onstituents.php http://www.greenpet.com.au/pet-shop/cart.p...;category_id=74 http://www.greenpet.com.au/pet-shop/cart.p...;category_id=76 Perhaps a good starting point is Premade BARF patties that you can buy at good pet shops. The bonus for you is you won't have to mix up 50kg at a time - you will be mixing smaller amounts which should be easier. If you have any questions just send me a message - I am always happy to help people get into raw feeding as I know it can be overwhelming and time consuming at the beginning but it is definately worth the effort as the rewards are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniMum Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Hi reality Good on you for looking for advise. Meat on the bone is the major part of raw food diets for dogs. One of the easiest ways to introduce raw meaty bones into the diet for a small dog is to use chicken necks. The bones are soft and there is a fair amount of meat on them as well. Chicken wings are also good. Other meats you could use are offal, fish and some muscle meat. You can get it from supermarkets, or you may find a butcher who sells it cheap. I look at what is on special/what is reduced. You can feed straight from the freezer if you want, my guy hates it frozen, so I thaw it out. Both are ok. There are a few people on DOL with chis who feed raw, so I don't think size is an issue. A change in diet can cause short term problems if it is done too quickly, so it is best to make small changes, just replacing part of the kibble with raw at first. Do a search in the forum on BARF and Prey Model diets, they are the two main raw diets. You will find a heap of information on a balanced raw diet in here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 (edited) I've fed 1kg puppies a BARF diet so feeding a 3kg dog should be no problems. With the pugs I chop the chicken necks up into quaters or thirds. With the puppies I used minced chicken carcusses instead of the necks. Edited April 9, 2009 by puggy_puggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chichihuahua Posted April 9, 2009 Author Share Posted April 9, 2009 Thanks for your advice guys, I will head down to the local butcher tomorrow and seek out chicken necks/liver/human grade mince (not sure what that is exactly). Pretty soon my dog will be eating better then I am! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyra20007 Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Thanks for your advice guys, I will head down to the local butcher tomorrow and seek out chicken necks/liver/human grade mince (not sure what that is exactly).Pretty soon my dog will be eating better then I am! Any food you buy from a butcher that is fit for human consumption is deemed ' human grade' Raw meats that are sold as 'pet quality mince' may contain parasites and are not recommended to be fed as part of a raw food diet as the parasites can be transferred to the animal. Your butcher will be able to help with the meats you need. Think about some supplements so that you balance the diet completely - many criticise raw feeding but they only half do it . Like I said it takes a little planning and a lot of research but the rewards are huge (less vet visits / longer healthier life for your dog / less smelly poos ) Good Luck with the butcher. (Joes meats are great!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozjen Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I have a small Papillon who would not even be 3kg and who only has half his teeth as he is a senior and has only been on raw for the last 4 years. He thrives on raw and has never had an issue handling it, whether he is given a whole small chicken carcass, or portion, a lamb leg portion or even a good sized peice of meat or a small lamb heart. I want him to work his jaws and teeth as much as possiable so do not worry about cutting up meat or breaking up bone. He handles it all with gusto much to the disapointment of my Aussie that hopes he will leave some for her to finish. If he gets a large meal one day I just balance it out the next. About 5 years ago I was told he would be on heart medication for life or he would be dead within a year. Once we went raw and his health improved so much I decided to see how he would go without his medication but monitered the situation closely. He didn't even have one day of health issues and has been off medication for the best part of 4 years. During this time he had to have an operation to sew up his shoulder and leg after a dog attack and came through with flying colours. He also never tires of chasing a ball so I figure raw has given him a new lease on life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 He thrives on raw and has never had an issue handling it, whether he is given a whole small chicken carcass, or portion, a lamb leg portion or even a good sized peice of meat or a small lamb heart. I want him to work his jaws and teeth as much as possiable so do not worry about cutting up meat or breaking up bone. Great!! the thing a lot of people neglect is to give a dog TIME to work on getting their food. it is the time gnawing and chewing which cleans teeth, exercises jaw/neck muscles, provides entertainment, and aids digestion and relaxation...... I would think a chi would be very happy to spend 15 minutes demolishing a chicken wing or whole neck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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