Raw Pets

waywardsister · Raw Pets

No, not eating our pets raw...FEEDING them raw ;)

I belong to a Yahoo group on the subject, but I hate the layout of Yahoo groups. Yes, I'm picky. I am, however, as passionate about feeding my 4 pusses raw as I am about feeding myself properly (some raw...I'm getting there) and would love to chat with others who feel the same. Plus, I still have a regurgitation issue with one cat, Nemmy, and it's driving me NUTS.

I've been feeding the pusses a premade raw thing but am transitioning into making my own. The premade is just meat/bone or meat/organ, I don't bother with the ones that have veg in them. They like it, but it's pretty ground up and I know they need chunks to chew on. They also get sardines sometimes, and I tried them with snails today (canned) but they were not the huge hit I thought they'd be. Will try them again though.

So anyone else wanna talk raw pets? Pretty please?

Hellistile

My cats like raw sliced beef (not ground) in small chunks (I get that from the chinese market) and ground bison meat. This along with canned food (never dry) to keep them healthy otherwise the older one weighs 25 pounds and gets very lethargic and sleepy and pre-diabetic (add another 200 pounds and that's also me in a nutshell).

Dogs I think are omnivores but benefit from a raw diet. Dogs and cats should not be fed a diet of dry grains no matter what anyone says. It's like us, they get fat, sick and dopey from too many carbs.

Shinigami

Things to never feed your cat

Here's some links about home prepared cat food from about.com

Hellistile

It's ironic that most of those foods that are toxic to cats are almost all vegetables Laugh

waywardsister

Shinigami, thanks for the links. I am going to get a grinder soon, but for now I'm adding meaty chunks to their premade raw.

HS - The veg thing! That's why I don't give my pusses the premade with veg. I have no idea why they include it. When I did try them on it, they turned their noses up and wouldn't touch it.

I just discovered that there was a pet thread in another section! Embarassed

My cat Nemmy still vomits occasionally. He was a big puker on kibble, not so much now with raw but enough that it worries me. He's a gorger though - I wonder if it's him overeating? He will eat what the other pusses leave behind. He eats more like a dog.

Willeke

I don;t know about cats, but had to smile when I read that dogs are omnivores, NO, they are carnivores, you only need to take one look at their teeth and you can see that they are much better equipopoed for tearing meat than we are.
It's funny, I justr translated part of a book about dogs and the vet who wrote it went a long way to explain how dogs are really carnivores and then at the end of the chapter suddenly told us that we feed them grains and vegetanbles for that's better for their bowelfunction!!! Now I'm asking you!!!

I feed my dogs raw, and the main thing is to get bones in - especially because mine are still pups, 11 months old now.
An important part is the raw green tripe, very sitnky but very healthy - and they love! Once I had a cat who really loved the tripe too.

There are a lot of raw food groups but I am now only a member of a specific breed group for raw feeding my breed, Irish wolfhounds.

Have fun with it!

RedTulipMoon

i am interested in feeding my dog raw meat and bones..but wouldnt even know where to begin. Right now we feed him IAM's dog food..and i feel guilty now that i know and understand how bad the crap is for him..i have been giving him more and more meat table scraps and less IAMs lately!! But the thing is...i am on a SUPER tight budget and we can barely afford meat for ourselves. Now honestly..is there a way to feed my dog meat that wont cost more than IAMs??? where do i get it? would it be ok to feed him mostly chicken? or do i HAVE to feed him beef??

Willeke

your dog needs variety, but the best raw diet (imho) is based on raw green tripe. I don't know where you live, I couldn't find the tripe in Texas, but it must be there. You may need to find a slaughter house, or find information on line.
I was a member of a general raw feeding list and they were very nice, but couldn't give me the info I needed. Now I'm on a list for my breed and there I get all the info.
Here in the Netherlands you can get frozen meat, chicken and tripe for dogs. Mine get one lb of meat or chicken in the morning, something with bones for lunch - chickenwings, ribs etc - and a pound of green tripe for dinner. But they are still pups - 11 months old.
They are very fit and energetic and LOVE their food!

on http://www.rawmeatybones.com/ you can download for your own use one of the leading books on this subject!

have fun and good luck!

bubbaM

I don't have a cat, but my daughter has a puppy. The breeder said carrots were a good treat, and he does like them, but whenever we give him carrots he gets indigestion and it does sound like he regurgitates some of it. His temperament gets bad, too.

I was thinking with respect to Nemmie that maybe she has a hiatal hernia. Have you ever had her checked. I'm sure a vet could tell just by touch. Or has she ever been checked for parasites? That's the first thing that comes to mind if a human had those problems. I would think, though, that raw would eventually clear up either problem.

waywardsister

I'm thinking based on observation that Nemmy gorges! He really does some mornings, just wolfs the food down - his, and then leftovers from the other cats. He's a big boy. Not fat, just very solid. Husky.

That said, perhaps I should keep an eye on the poop just in case? Would they show up in poop?

Willeke - is the tripe good for cats too?

Anyone notice personality changes when they switched their pet to raw?

Willeke

yes tripe is good for cats too and they love it!
Personality changes, no not really, just looking better and running more than before (the male pup. but that can also just be his age)

cygnus

This is Dr. Wysong a vet. He is the best imo on the topic of what to feed your pet.
You will find here all you need to know about raw foods,bones and myths about bagged dog foods.

we used to give our now deceased golden retriever(14 years old) ,chicken livers , beef hearts and thawed,raw chicken wings. Pretty cheap cuisine.

as long as the bones are not cooked they are excellent for your pets.

I have his book somewhere ,but I can't find it at the moment

http://www.wysong.net/faqpets.shtml#close

bubbaM

Our puppy has a definite personality change when we give him raw meat. He gets really barky and starts to nip. My daughter isn't convinced about raw being better, so I had to stop giving him raw meat. When I read the ingredients of Science Diet, it bothers me to think that's our puppy's diet. There's rice, wheat, and corn gluten in that stuff, and i read that grains aren't good for dogs. It also contains soy oil! But it's my daughter's dog, so I have to go along with it.

The parasite being visible in the poop would depend on the size of it. I don't know alot about animal parasites, so I don't know if there are any very small ones. I do know, though, that parasites don't like raw beef, and I think if Nemmie had any parasites, a few days of that and you might see somthing. I don't think it's natural for a dog to overeat, but it could be a liver or pancreas problem and not parasites. You don't hear too much about animal problems being related to specific organs, but at the same time, I am starting to hear about dogs in families who don't eat right getting diabetes from being fed table food. It would be very interesting to see how Nemmie does (male or female?) on a raw/animal diet, and if that were to work itself out the way it does with humans.

Willeke

Science Diet is the worst, imho, it's just like cardboard!

I now for I had to switch my dog to it because the vet couldn;t interpret the lab tests when he had Eukanuba!! This was in Texas, I didn;t feed raw then yet, I picked that up again when I came back in the Netherlands.

Maybe the pup got his real character, not tranquilized by carbohydrates anymore?

But I understand the problem if it's not your dog, then I would advise Eukanuba, that's well known among the breeders that I know. Science Diet has a LOT of profit m,argin for the veterinarian, so.... that's why they recommend it.

bubbaM

Thanks, Willeke, I will look up Eukanuba and give the information to my daughter, and then just pray for a breakthrough to her brain.

You know, our pup is very spunky, and maybe it is more of his character coming out when he doesn't have so many carbs. That's a very interesting perspective on it, and I'll tell my daughter that. He likes men because they box with him and don't say ouch like my daughter and I do when he gets his teeth on them.

Bubba

Willeke

what's the breed? then I can tell you what the character should be!

if it's a pup, they ALL try their teeth out on you and you should just not accept that! Just say a LOUD auch, really loud and as soon as s/he lets go, it's a GOOOOOD doggy, that's the way to teach them, it's how parent dogs do... And best is then to give something to chew on ( a raw bone for istance <g>, and then again it's a GOOD puppy.

bubbaM

It's a coton du tulear. He's a multifaceted type puppy. At times he'll climb on your lap when a neighbor walks out the door, and at night when you take him out he barks at everyone that passes by as if he's a big courageous dog. He likes to sit on your lap, but he also likes to box. My daughter trained him not to nip the way you explained it, and he usually doesn't, except for when he's playing with guys too much and they let him or as I said before when he eats raw meat.

If you know more about the character of a coton, I would appreciate hearing about it.

Thanks,
Bubba

Willeke

I just translated part of a new doggy book (Bruce Fogle, Dogs), and it has the Coton in it, It's a pretty rare breed and should be a loyal and sweet natured companion, gentle with children and friendly around other dogs.
The rest of the text deals with grooming and its origin, and it says it's related to the Bolognese and the Bichon,
Their need of training is average, so that might be a good idea - it always is actually.

Hope this helps a bit?

bubbaM

Thanks Willeke. That's interesting that you translate books. What other language/s do you speak?

That does sound like our coton. What is your dog?

Bubba

Willeke

I speak Dutch and English fluently, Germana nd Franch a bit and a smattering of a few other languages. I only translate books now and then for the pay is very bad, but it is wonderful work. My main income comes from other translation work like manuals for emdicla equiopment, but also for tractors; and financial statements etcetera.

My dogs are Irish wolfhound pups, they're 11 months old now.
Here they are at 8 months:

and here playing in the backyard:

They are a bigger now but I don't really have many recent pics.

Bobi-p

What beautiful dogs!

NikkiLC

what wonderful dogs

I have a 2 yr old chocolate labrador and a border terrier that can fit under the lab Happy

Willeke

Thanks Bobi and Nikki, I am very happy with them! Today I've taken them to coursing, and all they could do was watching - it was an official European coursing contest so they couldn't try their "feet", but it was good to see how fascinated they were by the going on.
I will ceretainly go and givce this a try when they're old enough.
They're still such babies, they're both totally exhausted from all the excitement and the hour's drive there and back, and are completely out for the count right now!

bubbaM

Hi Willeke, your dogs are beautiful. They look so healthy, too. They're big! How much do they weigh? I can't imagine what it was like teaching them to go for a walk. Our puppy weighs less than 15 pounds and can give me a workout. I know it's all about obedience. We sometimes watch a show called The Dog Whisperer, and he can take any dog for a walk and not have a problem.

When I brought up to my daughter about Science diet not being that good for her puppy, she said she thought it was okay. But her puppy has been scratching himself alot lately and one spot is looking really sore. So we started looking for allergenic substances such as shampoo or laundry detergent, and then we were going to finally try switching his food. Well,when I was in her room the other night I noticed that she had a container of Eukanuba dog biscuits. We started talking about it and I told her that I heard that brand was really good. She checked it out on line and then bought some today. The ingredients do look better than Science Diet. When she opened it up she said it had more of a food like smell to it. I told her what you said about Science Diet being like card board.
Thanks for the info.

Bubba

waywardsister

Willeke, your dogs are gorgeous! I can't wait to have a dog - for now, four cats in enough.

I noticed a huge difference in two of the cats' perconalities when we switched to mostly raw (and now, just raw).

Nemmy (Nemesis - one of my two males) became a sweet little lap cat after we switched. He'd always been stand-offish before. Now he's all over everyone.

Copper, my sisters cat, was very timid and rarely ever around; now, she's a lap cat and loves to play. She meows for affection, and even luvs up to my BF. She started sitting on the couch (never ever did that before) and yesterday actually jumped on the coffee table (NEVER seen before - she would freak if we put her up there) and snatched a leftover piece of steak, which she devoured in seconds even though it was bigger than her paw.

They all like to chew on our fingers now though...I sense a takeover in the works.

I don't know why Nemmy upchucks, which he did this morning. He doesn't feel sick, cuz he'll go right back to eating after. I wonder if his tum is sensitive due to years of kibble? He also has an ear infection now (from a scratch) so that could play a part I suppose.

I think Innova is a grain-free kibble? Not sure...I know there is one.

Willeke

they do need some time to get used to raw food and especially bones require more stomach juices. Mine have done some upchucking also, although mostly the boy, which is strange for he is the fastest eater with the meat, but with the bone shis sister beats him again and again and she has no trouble.

My only problem now is to get some more on her since she is a racer and is getting is bit too thin for my liking.

Any suggestions?

Willeke

a new post about this - does anyone lknwo what i can do to get some emat on my girl dog? She is so thin, it's not good for the show we're going to next week, and I really don;lt know how to get her to gain some weight. Should I start giving her carbs after all??
Hoping somebody has an idea!

woof_woof

My current dog is 4yo. All her life she eats only raw meat and bones. Picture of perfect health.
I always wondered how much you have to hate your dog to feed him/her the commercial pet food...
I've seen many dogs changing from eating commercial food to proper food. No transition needed for healthy or even slightly sick dogs. Few days of some digestion problems (just don't give too much bones in the beginning) and after few days it starts to work perfectly.
Transition periods (like half kibble/ half raw, 25% kibble / 25% raw, etc) are IMO harmful since the digestion must do the full switch to properly digest raw meats/bones.
Stop the kibble. Fast the dog on water for 1-2 days and start with all meat.
For a not working dog one meal a day is more then enough.

And you've got the healthy and happy dog.

Willeke

well, it is not good for wolfhounds to be fed only once a day, the chance of torsion increases dramatically. Much better to feed thenm twice - and I still feed mine even three times a day, with a snack like chickenwings or something for lunch.

For the rest I totally agree, I really enjoy feeding them and they LOVE eating - most of the time.

waywardsister

Hmmm...I don't know how you could put weight on her really, besides feed her larger quantities? My kitties either lost or gained weight, depending on which they needed to do, when I switched to raw.

Nemmy finally figured out how to chomp through a bone - now if the rest of them would catch on! I'd love to just throw down some chicken wings or thighs and let them have at it.

Willeke

If I feed her more at one meal, she will not eat at all at the next!
I've tried chees enow and she ;loves that, and have some cream cheese too, let's see what that does!

But Í don't think I'll do a lot of showing so after this weekend it's not a problem anymore.

Willeke

hahaha that's what I do at lunchtime, just throw six chickenwings onm the floor and let them sort it out, works great!

'For obvious reasons I dont do that with the green tripe or the cubed heart, though.

waywardsister

Okay - Nemmy is puking up the beef/organ and I don't know why. He regurgitates it, then goes back and eats more. Is he just trying to make mummy worry herself sick?

Willeke

he's probably just getting used to it. Mine look at me a sif I'm trying to poison them when I change something, even if it only from cubed of beef heart to ground beef heart!

Jst keep an eye on him, puking and eating again doesn't do him any harm.
and saves you a yuckie cleaning job <g>
Willeke

waywardsister

Yes, he seems to get sensitive when his food changes. If they've had turkey for awhile then I give beef, or vice versa, he upchucks. The mystery of why cats puke continues...

Do your doggies ever barf?