Hi Everyone ~
My name is Shannon, I am new here. I found this site while researching a raw diet plan for my 5yr old Cocker Spaniel and have found a lot of great information here. I ultimately decided to make the switch due to my dogs allergy problems. Over the past 5 yrs the vet has given me creams, lotions, sprays, shampoos, benedryl, diet change, allergy formula dry food and most recently I switched him to a holistic diet. The diet change worked the best but still has not resolved the issue. My vet said that he is probably allergic to corn but from what I have read lately he may be allergic to the grain.
I have just begun a raw diet plan. This is what I have done thus far....

Day 1 - Dry & Canned dog food w/ 1 small raw beef back rib ( the rib was a test just to see what he thought)
He wasn't very interested at all. I stuck it in the frying pan for about 30 seconds on each side. He loved it after that.

Day 2, 3, 4 - I had a whole fryer chicken in the freezer which I cut up and divided between these days. He was not at all interested in the raw chicken. He walked up to his bowl real slow and just sniffed a little and then walked away. I put it in the frying pan for a minute or so to cook the outside layer and added cooked white rice. Once I did this he was happy to eat it.

I have read that it may be easier to begin with chicken necks & backs. However, I have not had any luck finding them at the grocery store. I purchased turkey necks instead.

I have also read that rice & meat should not be fed at the same time because of they way they are digested.

Day 5 (yesterday)- I chopped up the turkey necks and fed them alone. At first I thought we found a hit but after eating 1 or 2 pieces he lost interest. I picked it up and put it in the frying pan for a minute or so and he ate another 1 - 2 and then lost interest again.

To me, it seems almost like he doesn't know what to do with.
I guess because he has never had to work this hard for his food, and he just seems to be confused. He picks up a piece licks it, moves it around, chews for a minute and then spits it out.

I ended up picking up his bowl and putting in the refrigerator last night. I will give it to him again tonight at dinner time. I am thinking that when he gets hungry enough he'll eat it.

I seem to be having a very hard time with the switch. His stools are fine and he is not throwing up. I have not given any dry or canned dog food since I made the switch. I don't know if I should continue cooking for a while or just leave it until he just get hungry enough.
Taking into consideration all of the benefits, this is something that I really want to continue.
Any hints or tips that you have experienced would be appreciated. My cocker spaniel is about 47 pounds. Oh, I almost forgot, already I have noticed increased energy level. He bring me his ball and runs through the house like he is crazy. It is good to see a difference already.

Thanks,
Shannon

edited to add - BTW is there a difference between green tripe and regular white tripe. I asked for green tripe at the grocery store meat dept and he looked at me like I had 2 heads. ~ HUH ???"

Edited by Shannon Ebron (01/23/2008 09:04 AM)
Edit reason: to add question

You can always try getting the chicken ground up with the bones. You can always try a butcher shop, sometimes they keep the carcasses after removing the breast meat. You can ask them to keep them for you. I have a butcher that saves all the carcasses and will grind them for me. I find that my dog, doesn't really like chicken skin, so I'll give it a quick fry, just enough to give it a bit of colour then she'll eat it. Chicken's the only thing she does that with.

Green tripe still has all the stomach contents..digested grass etc, hence 'green' It's gross but dogs love it, you can buy it canned for dogs. Tripett is one brand. It's sometimes not easy to find fresh. I get mine from a local raw food distributor, it's fresh and frozen into nice convenient blocks. I find the canned stuff alot smellier than raw. If you're wondering about the smell..think cow barn that hasn't been cleaned out for a few days!!

You may want to think about this food:

The Honest Kitchen

It is a great way to help ease your dog onto the raw diet and is also great for the "picky" eater. I use it a couple times a week, or if I am low on meat and when I travel.

You can make some into a saucy gravy and pour it over his food to make it more enticing or you can give it as a meal with meat (bone-in or boneless) added in.

Some dogs do not know what to do with raw at first, this is normal and he will catch on. Don't give up. Just make sure he has plenty of fresh water and that he does not start to drop a lot of weight.

My advice would have been to starve the dog for a day, then introduce raw. If the dog doesn't eat, fine, he doesn't eat. But the next meal will be raw, and the next one, and so on until the dog eats it...

You all need a labrador! I don't know what the hell a finicky eater is!

Yea, that is kind of what I was thinking with the turkey necks. I know when I get home from work tonight he should be nice & hungy.
I also like the ground chicken & gravy idea too.

My dog has alway been a picky eater. When I was feeding him canned food he would never eat the chunck, it always had to be the ground formula.
I really just think he is confused.

 Quote: Rick Miller

You all need a labrador! I don't know what the hell a finicky eater is!

Closely related to goats those pesky Labs are....

 Quote: Carol Boche

 Quote: Rick Miller

You all need a labrador! I don't know what the hell a finicky eater is!

Closely related to goats those pesky Labs are....

Then my Lab must be a fashion model in disguise...he always seems to be teetering on the edge of an eating disorder

 Quote: Sarah Morris

 Quote: Carol Boche

 Quote: Rick Miller

You all need a labrador! I don't know what the hell a finicky eater is!

Closely related to goats those pesky Labs are....

Then my Lab must be a fashion model in disguise...he always seems to be teetering on the edge of an eating disorder

Sarah,

That would be a Malinois disguised as a Lab.....

 Quote: sarah morris

Then my Lab must be a fashion model in disguise...he always seems to be teetering on the edge of an eating disorder

Poor guy...what's that, Bella?

Bella says, "I'll have his! "

Shannon, I know the kibble companies spray the kibble with animal fats to make the stuff taste really good to dogs, perhaps there is something in the canned food that is similar. So, it may just take a few missed meals before the raw meat sounds good to your dog, but once the dog figures it out, wow, do they love it!

Also, you should consider salmon oil. This adds a funk to the food that may be irresistable to your dog. I use the capsules, so I am not sure if the smell actually wafts out into the room from the salmon oil, but with the tripe it is a sure thing. In the words of James Brown:

Too Funky
Give me some air
Too Funky
Give me some air--open up the window man!

Too Funky, Too Funky
Funky in here
Say it again
Funkity-Funk!!

Sorry, I just get that song in my head when I think of tripe...

Just be sure that when you add the salmon oil, you give a dose of Vitamin E along with it. (The dog uses it's Vit E proccessing the Salmon oil. This will make the dog's coat luxurious. I was very impressed with the Salmon oil...

 Quote: carol boche

 Quote: rick miller

You all need a labrador! I don't know what the hell a finicky eater is!

Closely related to goats those pesky Labs are....

I think our dogs may be somehow mysteriously related....

My Ridgeback will eat anything, he's a huge chow hound. He once puked up three whole socks on my carpet. Maybe it was to show me I was indeed starving him to death, "see what I'm forced to eat to control my hunger mom?"

I will also pump the salmon oil onto the raw meat, he seems to like it better.