Raw Diet For Dogs

[mumtoshelley]

Just wandering if a raw diet would be better suited to my chihuahua Rascal? I did try a raw diet with Shelley which she loved but she did gain weight and was only getting 560grams of food a day. What does everyone buy for there dogs? do you feed any mince at all? or do you just feed raw meaty bones,muscle meat and organs. Does anyone feed any vegetables and fruit. Also how cost effective would a raw diet be? Right now I'm spending $80 every 2 months for black hawk kibble then another $60 a fortnight for raw minced meat and bones.

[sheena]

My 4yo 18 kilo BC girl gets 1/2 a turkey neck for breakfast every day, & at night she gets 1 metric cup Black Hawk with either, 1/2 can sardines, or an egg, or a couple of tablespoons of mince or diced beef. The 6 month old BC 18.5 kilo BC Puppy gets the same, but an extra 1/2 cup Black Hawk. They are very, very active dogs. The raw component including turkey necks would'nt cost me more than about $10 per week. They also get training treats which I cook up myself.

[Mason_Gibbs]

I feed my older dog half a cup of canidae morning and night with 250g meat a day plus a bone. Seems to work well for him. I did all raw but he just lost condition and was never as shiny as when I added some kibble in. He also gets whole frozen sardines from the fish market, cheese, lamb hearts and liver.

[mumtoshelley]

My guys love the black hawk and are doing well on it. At the moment I have just started Rascal back on his normal diet since being back from the vets. Right now I noticed Rascal has little to no energy his still on antibiotics has

8 days worth left to take. I'm not sure why Rascal doesn't have any energy the only thing I can think of is the hills prescription w/d food he was eatting. I can tell he has lost some weight already.

What I have been feeding my dogs is human grade raw minced meat be it beef,lamb,chicken,pork,turkey and veal in the morning twice a week the raw minced meat gets replaced with a raw meaty bone, Then at night they get black hawk kibble.

[Sandra777]

Being ill knocks dogs around a lot, he may lack energy because he has been sick and being only small it takes a lot more out of them than a bigger dog (think 6 year old sized human vs adult sized human). I wouldn't mess with his food until he's back to normal.

I raw feed and don't use mince for anything except very small puppies, but with a Chi I think you would need to get advice from people used to feeding very small dogs as what I can tell you about raw feeding a dog which can chew up a pigs head probably isn't very relevant to Rascal :D

[minyvlz]

I feed a raw diet to my Maltese x, Westie & kitten. They get only meat, bones and offal. However, I believe that veggies are okay to feed esp in your case where you dogs need to lose weight. Fruits are just sugar so I would skip giving them to an overweight dog. I would also not feed any mince (currently I only feed mince to my kitten who is teething). Mince is cheap but not good for a dog's teeth and pet mince contains too much bone. If feeding meat-only mince perhaps stuff it in a chicken or feed additional meat. Having only small dogs the cost is pretty low. I try to feed big foods (not too big of course) and then take them away when they're done. This gives them a workout and the feeling of satiety. They can also eat small whole prey like poussins, quail, rabbit etc. Cheap good meats are pork shoulders, whole chickens and anything on sale you get at the butcher's or supermarkets. For bones you can give chicken necks, wings, legs etc. If your dogs eat fast then feed frozen.

I used to feed kibble (many brands incl BH, Canidae, Artemis, Nutro) and none worked as well for my dogs as raw. My Westie also isn't itchy or red anymore and tartar is not a great concern for my little Maltese x. Of course, the output amount is awesome. My dogs poo once a day and there is little to pick up. Gives me confidence that they are using more of what they're eating.

[persephone]

Whatever you feed him .. if he continues to get treats from otheers in teh family, he won't lose any weight

For now- continue with his normal food, but 1/2 the amount. Easy . He won't lose a lot (to your eyes) each week .. he is only tiny ... but, if he does not get treats, he will lose weight.

[Staranais]

if he does not get treats, he will lose weight.

What she said.

Also, depending on why he was in hospital, I wouldn't personally be starting a dog on raw right now. A healthy dog's system is good at handling the bugs on raw food. A sick dog, sometimes not so much.

[sheena]

Unless you really know what you are doing, it would be easy to get the balance wrong if you switched him over to raw. His kibble is a complete & balanced meal, so best to check how much BH you are meant to feed to a normal weight Chi which, up to 5 kilos is 20 to 70 grams per day, & feed him the minimum, & cut out ALL other food, including chicken necks, treats & extra meat. Also check that he doesn't have a secret supply of chicken eggs. If he has free access to chook poo, then it's likely he could have access to a nest somewhere.