thanks for all the advice on the digestion question.

i ground all the neck bones for a few days and he seems to be doing better. he's catching on to the chewing thing too ( a couple days of big turkey necks helped - he had no choice but to chew them up).

anyway, i wanted to throw out the ingredients i'm giving him, and see if there are any holes in his diet i should be trying to fill:

• chicken/turkey necks (just bought some oxtails but haven't given them yet)
• ground meat (hamburger, venison, turkey, lamb)
• fish twice a week (mackeral or sardines)
• pureéd veggies (various mixed - celery, broccoli, carrots, squash, cauliflower, green beans, etc.)
• offal 2-3 times a week (beef heart, liver, or kidney)
• an egg with shell 3-4 times a week

supplements:
• kelp/alfalfa
• vitamin c powder
• omega three capsule
• probiotic (a scoop of plain yogurt 2-3 days a week)
• canned pumpkin occasionaly if his stools seem too compact

everything is rotated to try and be balanced (i based my meal plan on the one Ed has - divided into two meals a day) and i keep him in good supply of beef leg bones for recreational chewing.

anyone see anything I'm missing?

thanks again.

chris bettin

Chris, Sounds like a good plan! I have to say, switching to raw was the best thing I've ever done for my dogs. Even my old schipperke feels better and has more energy. He plays like a puppy now. It does take a little while for them to get the hang of chewing the bones, but he will get it, just keep giving the yogurt. My dogs are so excited at meal time it is worth it just to see them so happy, not to mention healthier.

Debbie

You sound like you've been doing your search, good job! Your diet is almost exactly what I do with mine except I seperate the egg whites (egg white reduces lectin absorption in GI tract) just to be on the safe side, and add apple cider vinegar (2 Tbs per meal). Apple cider vinegar has 19 different vitamins. I also give my animals what ever meat is on sale. I have made it a rule not buy any meat over 1$ lb. Unless it is their birthday! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> Once your pup gets thee hang of the whole bone chewing thing, watch the tail wag as you throw a whole fryer chicken into the feeding bowl. I usually save this treat for after a good training session. Happy BARFing!!!

Sounds good Chris! I also add the apple cider vinegar. My girl is truly a 'German' Shepherd, she gets upset if I forget it! You may want to wait on the oxtail until your guy is chewing well and has the jaw strength for these bones.

I find that I can buy chunk muscle meat a lot cheaper than ground, this way I can control the fat content.

Another note, I was using plain ol' fish oil and switched to the Salmon Oil. Ran out of the Salmon and used the fish oil until I re-stocked. Within three days the dogs were a little smelly! Once back on the Salmon oil, the odor disappeared.

thanks all.

glad to hear i'm on the right track. you see so many different opinions and plans when you start researching this stuff that it can be overwhelming.

and yes, it is fun to watch him when he thinks it's meal time - he goes nuts, jumping and wagging his tail all the way to door. he's always been a food hound, but he never got that happy waiting for kibble...

i'll look into the apple cider vinegar.

question: is the salmon oil just used as a source of efa's, or is it more than that? i give an omega three capsule 3-4 days a week (1 capsule = 1000mg omega 3's) and i know that the muscle meat (especially free range like the venison) has a lot of omega 6's.

thanks.