I keep seeing (not just in this forum) references to how complicated raw feeding is and that vets don't recommend it because it involves lots or work and research.

I'm starting to worry that I'm doing something wrong because the way I understood raw was very simple

10% organs (5% of that has to be liver)
Green tripe kind of optional but a good thing to give and not more that 10% overall
40% meat
40% meaty bones with the understanding that meaty bones have lots of meat

So straight up EDIBLE (not recreational) bone would be about 20%

Also can give raw eggs occasionally, fish

And switch the meats around, don't give all beef for the rest of his life. 2-3 different meats minimum but the more variety the better.

Total weight of stuff fed daily is 2-3% of the dog's adult weight (so if his breed usually grows to be 100# then 2-3# a day)


Supplements are optional, glucosamine is always good to give and maybe fish oil



Did I misunderstand raw? Or the above is correct and is considered to be complicated and requiring lots of research?

Yes, variety is important. For me, after the calcium and phosphorus are addressed (just below), variety is probably the next most important consideration. Then long-chain Omega 3s, for replacing the long-chain 3s missing in modern slaughter meat (fish oil and fish, below).


"And switch the meats around, don't give all beef for the rest of his life."

How are the meals mainly beef if they have RMBs?

Or maybe you mean beef is the added muscle meat, added to RMBs of poultry (or maybe rabbit)?

There is not much wiggle room about calcium and phosphorus for a growing dog, and even less so for a growing dog of this breed (GSD). And there isn't much for RMBs in beef. So for practical purposes, most people probably form the RMB basis of the diet around poultry (sometimes rabbit), with the variety provided in the added muscle meat.

http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=32656&page=1#366438




Yes, fish is good. (No raw salmonids from the Pacific Northwest -- or with unknown provenance -- because of the Neorickettsia helmonthoeca that can infect an otherwise pretty harmless parasite called Nanophyetus salmincola. This is a canid-only problem, fixed by cooking the fish if there's any doubt about provenance. Raw salmon disease/poisoning is usually fatal if untreated. It's simple to treat, but the vet and owner often don't realize what's wrong.)




Yes, you should be giving fish oil, plus Vitamin E.

http://leerburg.com/webboard/printthread.php?topic_id=33466




Raw eggs would be limited.

http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=27038&page=1#289518

http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=24177&page=1#251044



"10% organs (5% of that has to be liver)"

Half of it should be liver (50% of the organ meat given). That may have been what you meant.

Omg good thing I posted this

I give him salmon. Rarely but still and it was uncooked. I now see what people mean about research.

So what do I do now?
How do I make sure he is OK?

I will read your links and then reply

ETA these I can reply about right away
Yes, of course half is liver)))))) I talk crooked, lots of misunderstandings because of it.
I meant 5% from the 100% lol, now that I'm reading this I don't understand how I thought it'd mean that


As far as beef and RMBs lol. Good catch))))) I repeated a line from somewhere I read without thinking about it.

Yes, my RMBs are lamb ribs (he eats them whole, hopefully that's OK, they're very soft though), chicken, turkey (threw up some small pieces of bones a few times so now I'm careful with them), duck and rabbit

Raw salmon from where? When?

If it was from west of the Cascade Range, and raw, is the dog sick?

I don't know where it's from, I bought it 2 months ago, maybe 3# in all and gave him the last of it 2 days ago.

He doesn't look sick. I'm abt to look up the symptoms of the disease. I'm not buying salmon again.

Is there anything else I can't give raw? Is there a list somewhere?

Omg I just read about it.
OK, I see the dangers of raw with no research.

I think this site lists everything a dog shouldn't have. Hopefully it's a complete list. I will post more if I find

http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/02/foods-that-dogs-should-never-eat.html?m=1

I kinda doubt that it was from west of the Cascades, because you're in NY. You can find out with a call to the store.



"Is there anything else I can't give raw?"
I pointed out the two biggies from what you posted: no raw salmonids from the Pacific Northwest, and limiting raw eggs, as well as how much (too much) calcium there is in shells left on the eggs.




If you mean "foods not to give your dog," yes, there are many lists all over the 'Net:

This post contains several of them:

http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=29471&page=2#324761

Also, http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=28637&page=1#311739

I was looking for raw food specifically.

I'm almost fanatical about raw, I try not to give him anything that's cooked.

Anyhow, eggshells? Lol I didn't think he can have them, i'd throw them away

So it looks like I'm OK for the most part


Few more questions
1. In one of the links you posted I saw you mention a can of sardines. Do you give him the canned sardines in oil? How often?
2. To be on the safe side I won't give him any raw fish. So any cooked fish is OK? But what's the point? Cooking kills nutrients, no?
3. What kind of fish oil do you buy? Salmon oil, cod oil, what? Also, people fish oil or specific for dogs?
4. What brand of vitamin e do you buy? How much do you give? Just follow the label?
5. I saw you mention coconut oil for omega 3's I think. Anything else for omegas? How often?

I give frozen sardines and canned in spring water. Start small.


Cooking kills some vitamins. The ones it does, you would not really be giving fish to provide. Vitamins are a distinctly lower tier on "why to eat or give fish."

http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=33111&page=1#373432
http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=32322&page=1#362206
http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=30154&page=1#335464
http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=28065&page=1#312659



There are many threads here on fish oil and vitamin E.

Fish oil:
http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=28810&page=1#313510
Vitamin E (kind, as opposed to brand):
http://leerburg.com/webboard/printthread.php?topic_id=33466

The dosage is weight-based. It's in pretty much every thread about fish oil.

For 80 pounds, I personally give about 8 grams of fish oil (work up to it). Some would give 4. I personally would give about 400 IU of natural E with mixed tocopherols. Some would give that every other day.




Coconut oil:
http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=33031&page=1#372112