Good idea. I'll check out YT.

Here's a small update... I've been feeding my lab some raw turkey necks and chicken backs along with his cooked meal. The cooked stuff is stuff he can handle... mostly boiled chicken, boiled rabbit, steamed tilapia and then some raw veggies blended with a little plain nonfat yogurt (for probiotics), and occasionally a raw egg shell. I've been giving him around one pound of food, twice a day, with about 5 oz. of that pound being the RMB. I haven't given him any red meat yet.

He seems to be doing good. He eats the RMBs without any problems. He mashes them up a bit and then pretty much swallows it. He has not puked at all, so I guess the poultry RMBs are pretty easy on him. His stool looks pretty good. It's changing colors and consistencies a bit, but nothing too out of the ordinary. I'm sure his bowels will need to adjust a bit.

How does all this sound? I've got some more books coming anyday now. Thanks!

John,

It sure sounds like it is going great! It sure is a great feeling knowing that you are providing the best possible diet for him.

I know that when I changed my two over to raw, it was very gratifying.

Eventually, you will want to add organ meats very very slowly and see how he does. I preferred myself to add a small amount daily instead of picking a day to do organ meats.
It really is all about "perfect poops"

There have been times when I gave too much RBM's and had either hard poops or crumbling, very dry poops.
Then I know to adjust for more muscle meat or a bit more organ meat.

I recommend getting a scale, as you can see just exactly how much you are feeding with respect to ratios of meats to RMB's and even the organ meats. For me, it just really helped me to feel secure in knowing I was doing it right.
That way there was no question how much I was feeding.

But when I first started, I was just guessing. It is up to you, but I know that really helped me out.

Good news that he is doing well so far. Let us know when you try the beef and how he does.

Thanks Joyce!

I do have a scale and it has been very helpful. I'm going to keep up the poultry RMBs for now and maybe add a little liver later this week. He's actually had some chicken liver before and had no problems with it. But I'll still ease into it.

When do ya'll think is a good time to try red meat again? Maybe after a few weeks of poultry RMBs and organs, and good BMs? I actually just picked up a side of beef this morning. Luckily the processor had some extra liver and knuckles, so I'm eager to give this stuff to him. However I realize he's needs to ease into it.

Hi John,

So gratifying to read all this.

Yes, wait a few weeks on the red meat. I found it surprisingly hard to be patient in introducing new foods. It's fun, and you want to make sure nutrition is balanced. But as people here reminded me, it's what you do over time--not the next month or two, but over the years. So take the time as you are planning to reintroduce the red meat. Perhaps just two ounces on day one, slowly increasing on the days you feed red meat. I bet that will work. Keep us posted.

I just got through reading "Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats" by Kymythy Schultz, and I have a few questions for ya'll...

1. What time of day is best for feeding? I usually feed twice a day, morning and evening, but I would rather feed once a day. Is there a best time? I guess it really doesn't matter. He mostly exercises in the afternoon, so I was thinking later in the day after his exercise. I was kind of thinking about randomizing the time. Nothing too extreme, but something like anywhere from 3PM to 8PM, depending on exercise.

2. Schultz mentions that the dog's stool will get lighter, firmer, and less frequent while switching to raw. Lately, this has been happening. Since I've been giving him turkey necks and chicken backs for the past few days, his stool went from big brown logs to smaller, firmer, yellowish stool. He doesn't appear to be straining to the point of being constipated or in pain, but it is a little tougher on him. Will it stay like this or will he loosen up a bit as his bowels adjust?

3. Somewhere I read that the ratio of RMBs per meal is 50%. Is this correct? I can't find the text I had read before. 50% RMBs per meal seems like a lot to me. But I guess that's not really saying half the meal should be bone, just RMBs.

Thanks everyone!

1. Whatever is best for you.

2. Yellow stool can be one of two things. Too much bone, which I think is the case here with the description of "straining", or possibly giardia. Giardia is something the vet would need to diagnose and treat.

To correct too much bone, either decrease bone or increase muscle meat.

3. Any guideline is just a reference to get you in the ballpark. Then you can adjust the diet according to the individual dog and the appearance of poop.

Just an update... I've been sticking with ground chicken, ground turkey, turkey necks, chicken backs, chicken necks and tonight I gave him a chicken thigh/leg. His stool has looked much better in color, but the consistency is still changing a bit. I followed Schultz's advice in her book and adjusted his vitamin C, and it definitely seemed to make an impact. More C created some looser stool.

I feel like I'm getting the hang of it a bit more, so hopefully soon I'll get the ratios figured out for sure. Then I'll move on to red meat. But first I'll try to add some organs.

I have noticed that he's pooping less frequently. I guess this is a good thing. Regardless, his energy and personality have been great during all these changes, so he's obviously feeling pretty good.

John...there is hope for red meat! I was cooking a family size pkg of hamburger tonight and wishing Dozer would eat beef because I really didn't need the entire package. While it was still cold, a took a pinch out and offered it to him and he took it...and ATE it. So I took a few ounces out and put it in his bowl and he ate it and didn't throw up! Maybe he just needed more time for his gut to adjust to such a varied dieat and/or beef is extra rich...I dont know what the case is but the amount he ate tonight is the same amount that he would throw up before so Im going to try giving him a little more each time and see what happens.

Thanks Angie. That's good news.

Tonight we actually made a little progress. Last night I tried to give him 2 oz of ground venison mixed in with his regular chicken meal. He threw everything up a few minutes later. I had tried this method previously with the same results. So tonight, I tried something different. I gave him 2 oz of ground beef and 2 oz of ground chicken about 10 minutes before the rest of his meal. He held everything down and seemed fine. So maybe I'll just have to slowly integrate it separately.

I think this method also helps because if he's going to throw up, hopefully he does it before I feed him the rest of his meal - which includes the foods I know he can tolerate, as well as vitamins and supplements.