Wow, so much info, thank you! I will keep reading up about the raw diet for sure... So you don't add any vegetables? How do you know how much to feed him? I'm not sure about the chicken backs/necks. I actually live in a university town, though, which has a butchering school, so I should give them a call and see if they would have any available. I read in one of the posts that too much chicken can make dogs itchy, is this something you have also seen?

The vaccinations were given at 6 and 8 weeks, I was told that was what I should do, little did I know! Is there anything that you avoid so as not to get the diseases the vaccinations are for? I guess the rabies vaccine I do need to get (state law), though.. any thoughts on that one?

Thanks for all the info and I will definitely ask more questions as I research the raw diet. I will start with the links you've put in this post so far, thanks a lot!

Hey Yuko,

Not to get too off topic, but logistically - how on earth do you have enough bunnies to feed 3 dogs every day?! Do they get a bunny once a day, or twice? Do you own the bunny farm, or is it someone you know - and do they really reproduce THAT quickly?? How many of the little hoppers do you keep and what is their rate of reproduction?

I've been insanely curious about this ever since you originally let us in on your feeding regime...

~Natalya

Meghan, your pup is ADORABLE by the way - stick around and you'll learn more than you ever wanted to about raising, training and feeding the little tyke...

Cheers,
~Natalya

Lol, I realize it's a lot to digest at once

Don't feel pressured to jump into anything. I always sound more enthusiastic about this than I mean to...

How much to feed:
2-3% of the dog's body weight a day for adult dogs
5-10% of a puppy's body weight a day (make sure you keep your puppy THIN growing up!! it's the best thing for his joints)

Vegetables: not really. I share some table scraps (usually bits of vegetables and meat) with my dogs so they get a little that way. I also kill rabbits for them which they eat whole (including stomach and guts) so they consume whatever plant matter is in the rabbit.
I usually feed things like dandelions, clover, parsley, cabbage, carrots, broccoli etc. to the rabbits before killing them so my dogs do get some veggies from the rabbit's stomach and guts (less work for me too, no pulping and chopping involved)

Oh, I do include mixed frozen berries in my dogs' diet. Berries are a great source of vitamins and antioxidants and are very easily digested by dogs, unlike most vegetables (no cellulose in berries). They're also a more species-appropriate food than say, broccoli or potatoes. Wolves eat berries in the wild.

As for the chicken, you're absolutely right! Feeding nothing but chicken can result in an itchy dog with a poor coat.

First of all, I don't think it's a good idea to rely on any one protein source. It's very important to include variety in a dog's diet. You don't need huge variety, but the dog should get not jsut chicken and white meats, but also a good proportion of red meats like beef and pork.

Organ meats (liver, kidney, lungs etc.) should not be fed too often, but it is important to include them in small quantities. Meats such as hearts and fresh tripe are excellent as well.

There's nothing wrong with chicken (even though it isn't the most nutritious of meats) but I would balance it out with red meats. Chicken is only a very small part of my dogs' diet.

I suggested chicken because the backs and necks are very soft bones that are easier on puppies than the harder beef or pork bones. A dog that's new to raw should also start off with soft easy bones so that their system gets a chance to adapt to the new diet.

Pork riblets are another great bone source, even for small puppies.
The only thing I wouldn't really recommend is wings (chicken or turkey). Wings have little meat on them and are mostly bone, fat and skin.
Some dogs have trouble digesting them. Besides, wings tend to be expensive - no sense in paying more for something less nutritious

HAHA!

Natalya, rabbits are not a huge part of my dogs' diet. They're certainly the favourite for all my dogs, but they don't usually get any more than 1-2 whole rabbits a week. Less in winter.

Their rate of reproduction is absolutely insane. One female can breed every two months or so and produce about 7 babies at a time.

I don't breed mine at that rate

I don't have a farm, just 4 pet rabbits and a huge backyard. A friend of mine does have a farm so I get my meat rabbits from her (she actually breeds pet rabbits but she lets me have some for my dogs as a favour; we have a baby rabbit exchange system in place ).

Summer is a great season for rabbit-breeding. If you take the time to pick some wild grasses and flowers and you keep the rabbits outside, you save a fortune on bedding and feed.


But again, rabbits are just a small part of the diet. I have a lot of pork meaty bones (riblets, necks and feet), pork organ meats, beef hearts, spleens, tripe (TONS of tripe), kidneys, deer heads, deer hearts, chicken necks and backs, turkey, lamb & llama bones and beef tracheas stuffed into my freezers at the moment.
Best of all, I got all this for free from Taro's breeder (well, I did build her website in exchange )

Once hunting season starts in the fall, the deer and moose meats will start pouring in too.

The only time I have to buy the meats is in winter when there's less free stuff to go around, but even then I buy in bulk from restaurant suppliers so it's still cheap.

Sorry Meghan... as Natalya stated, you'll most likely learn far more than you've ever wanted to on all this feeding stuff

Great explanation Yuko!! Your dog's lucked out with you as their mum - I try for as much variety as possible, but moose meat just isn't easy for me to get my hands on. I'm hoping once we move this fall I will have better access to some good butchers...

Ian took Oscar out walking yesterday and apparently a squirrell electrocuted itself on a powerline and dropped right out of the sky in front of them!!! Not only did Ian not let Oscar go after it the twitching little body, but as they stood staring at it - a CAT snuck out of the bushes, picked it up and ran off with it!! I'm sure Oscar was just beside himself.... you never know what's up with those city rodents though, could have been terribly unhealthy (it obviously wasn't very SMART! )

Cheers,
~Natalya

 Quote:

He will be a hunting dog so want to make sure he is OK for water, woods, etc. She also wanted to check Remi out before giving him the vaccination to make sure things had cleared up, so maybe there's hope for her?

Welcome to you and your cute floppy eared friend. I just want to tell you that I own a breed that is used heavily for hunting, both 'real hunting' and field trials. MANY top Toller breeders do not vaccinate their dogs, or follow a limited vaccine protocol and this does not affect their hunting job.

Vaccinating against things like lyme and giardia seems to have little do with if a dog gets those illnesses and are extra shots a dog does not need in my opinion.

As for the main puppy shots, could you not have the dog titre tested to make yourself feel better that they show some immunity response to parvo/distemper ect... ? I stoppped vacinnating my puppy at around the time you would be and he has had positive titers ever since.

Yuko has provided some AWESOME advice on this thread, as have others. In the end diet and vaccination protocols are a personal decision. I would take some time to get educated on the subject and then you will be better able to decide for yourself.

I have a regular vet, a raw friendly vet and a homeopathic vet (also a regular certified vet) all in my roster. Thing is that since I swithed to raw and stopped medicating and vaccinating my dog I haven't needed them, aside from doing yearly bloodwork

Welcome again

A belly rash could be caused of course, by a number of things. Urine on the skin, the pup laying in the grass or dirt or food allergies. My pup had a rash also on his belly when I got him and the vet sold me a bottle of solution to use. My pup at that time also had some yellow pus on the outer skin of his penis and the vet told me it was normal for puppies to have this and to use the solution on that area also. The rash and the pus went away after a week or so and hasn't returned yet.
My dogs eat an all-natural kibble and occasionally raw bones so they haven't had any illnesses or infections. I also don't allow my dogs to be vaccinated once they get their initial shots. They do get the rabies vac every year because it is required here in Florida by law.

 Quote: Natalya Zahn

Great explanation Yuko!! Your dog's lucked out with you as their mum - I try for as much variety as possible, but moose meat just isn't easy for me to get my hands on. I'm hoping once we move this fall I will have better access to some good butchers...

Ian took Oscar out walking yesterday and apparently a squirrell electrocuted itself on a powerline and dropped right out of the sky in front of them!!! Not only did Ian not let Oscar go after it the twitching little body, but as they stood staring at it - a CAT snuck out of the bushes, picked it up and ran off with it!! I'm sure Oscar was just beside himself.... you never know what's up with those city rodents though, could have been terribly unhealthy (it obviously wasn't very SMART! )

Cheers,
~Natalya

Poor Oscar. He didn't know what he had 'till it was gone!!!!

 Quote: sandra faye johnson

Poor Oscar. He didn't know what he had 'till it was gone!!!!

sad but true...