doggo123 Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 The "premium" kibble I was buying for my 2 dogs (10 year westie & 8 year old westie) was about $60 for 2 weeks supply, this kibble was the one they would finally eat without any problems, all other dog foods I had tried previously they would stop eating, or feel sick on. So 6 months ago I looked into how much it would cost to just buy meat/veg and it turns out that I can make them 2 weeks of food with real food for less than $60/fortnight. So I've just been feeding them mince meat & roast chickens with variety vegetables for fiber. They love it and I have noticed that their paws are no longer cracky looking, their noses are always moist, and their coats just look "cleaner" in a way I can't really describe, but their coats definitely look cleaner. Another thing is that they also don't smell like kibble anymore, kibble food always gave them a weird odor, this doesn't happen with the meat/veg. For mouth health, well I brush their teeth once a day, so the main difference there is that there is no more kibble stink to their mouth, other than that I've always brushed their teeth once a day so tartar/calculus is not a problem. That said, I have read around online that people are saying that feeding real meat to dogs is bad because it has too much fat, and too much fat can harm the dog. Is there any truth to this? I lift weights and I track my own diet really well so I know the macros I am feeding the dogs. I would say they get a bout 30-40g protein per day, and maybe 20-30g fat, which seems a bit high for their bodyweight, considering for myself I eat about 2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. They're both 7.5kg, so 30-40kg protein for them works out to 4-5 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. That does seem a little excessive...so I am wondering if perhaps that is too much protein for them, unless dogs are just different in that they have higher protein needs than humans? Sorry for the ramble hope this makes sense lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doggo123 Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 2 minutes ago, doggo123 said: They're both 7.5kg, so 30-40kg protein for them works out to 4-5 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. That does seem a little excessive...so I am wondering if perhaps that is too much protein for them, unless dogs are just different in that they have higher protein needs than humans? Sorry error here, meant to say 30-40g protein* not 30-40kg, woops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 I'm no expert, but I think you may end out with unbalanced calcium to magnesium... some bone or dairy could help. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazm Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 I fully support fresh food. I have always fed this to mine. She eats cooked mince and cooked chicken fillet with a mixture of veges. Occasionally some kangaroo meat, sardines once a week and chicken necks a few times a week also. She also gets some rice, cheese and egg thrown into that mix as well. Quite a variety of foods for my little one. And for her teeth she loves chewing on bones a couple of times a week. I don’t actually brush her teeth and for a mini schnauzer I have been told by the vet that she has very good teeth. As for the content of fat etc I’m no rocket scientist but I do weigh her food and watch what she eats and for her size she is fine. And fresh food does work out cheaper 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 If you want to feed alternative to kibble you are better off feeding raw. You need to feed a balanced diet including raw meaty bones and a small amount of offal. What you are feeding now is an extremely Calcium deficient, Phosphorus dominant diet - but please don’t go just adding calcium to the mix. It’s not that simple. As a start you could read the book “Give a dog a bone” by Billinghurst. It’s based on BARF rather than raw feeding but it’s a good start for beginners. There are some good raw feeding Facebook groups too if you are interested. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest crazydoglady99 Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 ^^^ agree! That book 'give your dog a bone' absolutely changed my life. I own 3 copies! You can get it to read on phone too. Also please look up Augustine Approved. There's heaps of great feeding info on their website. I think it's great that you are thinking about your dogs' food, and asking questions. Good on you!! If you Google 'barf' which is 'bones and raw food' you'll find some good info too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackiemad Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 As others have said, there's no real calcium in the current diet. I'd also worry that there might be some small deficiencies in some amino acids without offal too. Check out some raw feeding websites and then add in as much veg at you want. Nothing wrong with feeding a balanced raw diet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 (edited) On 8/1/2018 at 12:51 PM, crazydoglady99 said: ^^^ agree! That book 'give your dog a bone' absolutely changed my life. I own 3 copies! You can get it to read on phone too. Also please look up Augustine Approved. There's heaps of great feeding info on their website. I think it's great that you are thinking about your dogs' food, and asking questions. Good on you!! If you Google 'barf' which is 'bones and raw food' you'll find some good info too. I have my doubts about Billingshurst. Anecdotes are not good evidence and he offers little more than anecdotes to back his arguments. It's probably been removed, but the original book included raisins in one of the barf patty recipes. His book on raising puppies advocated, if I remember rightly, whelping and raisng the litter in a big box of sawdust... Or was it woodchips? Some dogs thrive on the diet he advocates, others don't, and some dogs thrive on cheap supermarket food and tables scraps. There's far too little hard evidence. However, the need to balance mineral intake is well established and backed by considerable research. Edited August 2, 2018 by sandgrubber Typo plus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 Yep I’m going to read the e-book then discuss the ins and outs with my puppy people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PANDI-GIRL Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 @doggo123 How are your 2 Westies, have you made any changes in their meal plan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha bet Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 (edited) One of the easiest ways for people to feed raw and have good balanced diet is to follow the Vets All Natural (VAN). The Complete Mix has been around d a long time and Dr B Syme has been researching this for decades. hence us Joe Average can be fairly safe to accept that he has provided a good balance for the vitamins and minerals needed for dogs. I have been using this for over 8 years and weaning and raising litters of pups from 3 weeks of age. This is what we recommend to the puppy families..... We use the VAN and add either beef or roo meat (uncooked) along with a scoop of Greek Yoghurt and a drizzle of oil... Also adding some sardines and ox neck bones... We find this works well for most dogs and yet is still pretty affordable and often cheaper than some of the expensive dry such as Royal Canin or Eukanuba. We basically don't throw away anything... soft veggies can be cooked up into a stew and supplement the diet.... leftovers from the table go in their bowls or in the chook bucket.... Keep it simple ... Edited August 18, 2018 by alpha bet 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 (edited) Yep I do similar - keep it simple, feed fresh, raw and real. And don't get too hung up on it. Mine get a brilliant raw mix made locally along with eggs, yoghurt, carrots, zucchini, a little leftover pasta and rice, cheese, woolies canned mackeral and sardines, chicken necks (natures toothbrush for dogs) and anything else suitable and on special at the supermarket - all human grade - nothing labelled 'pet food' or 'not for human consumption' (why?) - and 'roast chook' on Friday nights (skin on!). Mine do the westie dance for their dinners and its soooo much cheaper than the expensive rubbish in packets. And its not hard. I just shop for them when I shop for myself. All my dogs lived to well over 16 years so I like to think their diet has something to do with that. Edited August 19, 2018 by westiemum 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddy Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 On 01/08/2018 at 10:51 AM, crazydoglady99 said: ^^^ agree! That book 'give your dog a bone' absolutely changed my life. I own 3 copies! You can get it to read on phone too. Also please look up Augustine Approved. There's heaps of great feeding info on their website. I think it's great that you are thinking about your dogs' food, and asking questions. Good on you!! If you Google 'barf' which is 'bones and raw food' you'll find some good info too. And a hefty side helping of incorrect information, conspiracy theory and pseudoscience. I wouldn't recommend that site to anyone who wanted to understand nutrition as a science, rather than as a belief system. The guy heavily pushes vegan diets for dogs as "healthier and more natural". As far as I'm concerned, he's a ****ing idiot. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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