Pam - I have never had a problem with adding raw meat to kibble, and have a dog with EPI so I am constantly on poop patrol. I have read you shouldn't do it - but never had a problem with my gang.

I have ben switching over to raw. I alternate days of raw and kibble only because my older dogs were more resistant to the switch. I don't mix the two. After the first of the year, I plan to be raw only. One question I have is about green tripe. I have seen honeycomb tripe at the store. Is this the same thing?

Hi Everyone,
I've been feeding my 11 mo old, 50 lb, Cider,
a raw diet for about 6 months. She get 2 meals now
but I'm about to move her to one meal a day.
Breakfast has always been difficult. I don't feed
meat during this meal. Mostly,she gets veggies with yogurt,or fruits with cottage cheese. I used to add grans but don't now. Dirreah has always been a problem unless she gets chicken w/ bones for dinner. When she gets ground beef, veggies are added and her poops are beautiful. When she is given a hunk of meaty bone, she won't eat a veggie side dish. Lately, she's becoming "choice conscience". Sometimes I set down a free range chicken and she turns up her nose at it....grrrrrrr. Tonight I have a pot roast meat dinner with broc. beans, carrot, kale powder, safflower oil, sea salt, herbs and a dash of cider vinegar JUST SITTING in the bowl...she won't touch it.grrrrrrrrrr. I'm about ready to chuck this diet. It's costing me a small fortune and I'm sick of throwing good food out. Besides, I am getting very concerned about her not getting all te vit/min she should. Have any of you gone through this with your dog?????
Thanks, Bree

Hi again..
I must add to my post.....
Cider does not like chicken or turkey necks, gizzards or liver. Hearts she'll eat.
Mostly she likes chicken wings and whole chicken parts cut into big chunks.
Maybe I am adding too many veggie combinations.
I use a food processor to pulverize everything. still, if she has meat chunks, she'll shake the veggies off. Only in ground meat and chicken does she get the veggies but lately, she'll only eat about 1/3 of a lb instead of the pound of ground I put in her bowl. Is it time for me to call a Vet? She will eat kibbles and cooked food. Goes nuts for it but I have been trying not to give her anything but raw. Is this a blinking game or is something wrong? Thanks Bree

I would let the dog fast for a day then start again with one meal per day. If the dog is turning up her nose a free range chicken, she's not hungry.

Well If I read any more books......or online articles on the subject of feeding, think I might just be ready for the funny farm.

I think Scott is a 100percent right here Bree, your dog is not hungry. Went through this more than once with my little guy. Learned fast that a few skipped meals are not going to do any harm, I refuse to make up anything else, he eats what’s been put down or not at all.

In several of the articles I have been reading, it has been recommended that you use a human grade multi vitamin crushed up in your dogs food. The reason human grade is recommended is that they all state that there is no regulation assuring your getting what you should in the pet ones.

Pam

Pam, Which multi vitamin do you recommend?
Also, I'd love to know where everyone is getting
their meats and meaty bones. What types of meat cuts are used and how much food you're feeding
your dogs. For me, the more specific you can be, the better I'm able to make adjustments.
A few missed meals and fasting is something I will continue to do, this time, with more conviction and tighter time frame. Thanks, Bree

Morning Bree,
Well due to lack of knowledge have to admit since I got my dog just been picking up his meat at the supermarket. Which although expensive has been possible due to the fact he is a small breed. With my new dog coming around April and being a much larger breed (bouvier)food source has to change.

I have been lucky enough to hit on a breeder who has always fed a natural diet, so has been a great source of info. She has given me the name of two places she deals with who do live kill, I guess they are abattoirs, all I have to do is put in my order. She also said if you have a butcher near you they will often order in what you want.

I’m sure many here will also have good sources they can share, and if you post the area your from we might be able to aid you in tracking down a good place to get the food. I’m in Canada, so won’t be much help if your in the USA but as I said others may be able to help.

I’m not sure about the amount your larger breed should eat, but most good natural feeding books will give you an idea on amounts. There is also some good information on this site and others. Use your preferred search engine, and you will be amazed at how much info is out there. At this point though, you have to learn to be a little discriminating. If you would like to email me I will forward some links you may find interesting.

I’m not sure of the rules here yet Bree, so don’t know if I can post the brand name of the vitamin I use. But just go to the pharmacy, often their brand will do just fine. In fact I’m still reading on this one, I just use a children’s one right now due to my dogs size.

Well hope some of this has been helpful for now. Hopefully those here who have more extensive knowledge on this subject will also have some great input and advice for you.

Pam.

As of this weekend, my three terriers are now totally raw. The only problem I had was the old Border was a little reluctant to eat raw chicken wings. He was always a slow, not very enthusiastic eater. Two days without dinner, and he now, not only eats it, but he is the only one of the three I have to break the bones with a hammer. He inhales the whole chicken wing with very little chewing.(16lb dog swallowing a large, whole chicken wing was scarey) He would swallow it whole, yak it back up, take a crunch or two, and swallow again. Two or three times of this each meal made me decide to smack his with a hammer a few times. I took about a month to switch over totally and can see a definate attitude change in my 11 and 9yr old Border Terriers. They are much more active. My 6yr old JRT was always nuts, so I'm glad his activity level hasn't picked up. One more change I made was their feeding arangements. They always were fed within a few feet of one another in the kitchen. When one finished, they would just go sit by the door waiting to go out. They are now fed in their crates. They like they raw diet so much, it was creating little monsters hoovering over the ones that finish last.