Quote: Anna Anderson

Sorry, I am not understanding....if you are mixing the ground meat with Innova does that mean I still need to put bones in it?

The Innova is balanced (calcium added). The egg is balanced (by the shell). Yogurt contains calcium.

Boneless muscle meat is not calcium-phosphorous balanced.

 Quote: Anna Anderson

Sorry, I am not understanding....if you are mixing the ground meat with Innova does that mean I still need to put bones in it?

Raw meat should never be fed without bone- it can lead to a serious nutrient imbalance in the dog.

The Innova dry food isn't designed to correct the protein/phosphorus/calcium imbalance that is created when raw meat is fed without bone.

Meat with bone, or not at all.

Edited by (04/08/2009 06:13 PM)
Edit reason: Ah, I was typing while Connie posted.

Yes, otherwise the calcium/phosphorous ratio is off balance and over time that is a problem, especially in a growing pup.

It is also not recommended to feed raw and kibble together in the same meal because the different digestion rates cause the dog to be exposed to more of the bacteria in the raw meat.

Soft poultry bones would be perfect for a teething dog IMO especially of they were cold or even partially frozen.

For the Innova to provide enough calcium to make up for an equal amount of added boneless meat, it would have to contain double the calcium needed for feeding straight Innova.

A half-pound or more of boneless meat at a meal is basically half of the pup's diet calcium-less.

 Quote: alyssa myracle

... Raw meat should never be fed without bone- it can lead to a serious nutrient imbalance in the dog.

As pointed out, this is even worse with a puppy, who is growing teeth and bones and who needs the calcium that "comes" in meat as bones (or the balanced commercial food).

 Quote: Jennifer Lee

It is also not recommended to feed raw and kibble together in the same meal because the different digestion rates cause the dog to be exposed to more of the bacteria in the raw meat.

YES.

You can read about how sick I made my dog, here:

http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=208519

I did the same to Nico several years ago when I was transitioning to raw with her.

Boy, I must of lucked out with my other GSD. She would never, ever eat dry food or dog treats...she hated it. This was years before the raw food was popular, so I would cook her steaks, hamburger, pork chops, stews, chicken, turkey etc. That is all she ate for 15 years. She went to a Vet three times in that 15 years, once when she got a pricker in her ear drum, once to get spayed and once at the end when she was passing away.

Is the cooked meat different or was I exteremly lucky?

 Quote: anna anderson

Dry food alone is not going to cut it for a dog...mammals can't live on dry food alone without having body problems..."

ok, sorry but that is a very broad statement to make.

What type of body problems are you refering to that are caused by a dog being fed dry food that don't occur in a dog that isn't?

A dog can live just fine on a high quality kibble. To say they can't and will develop body problems is not justified.

while I do agree that raw feeding is the way to go, I do know it's not for everyone and if someone doesn't want to delve into the world of raw then thats their own choice. So when I see a thread where someone is asking about kibble and all the responses say "go raw, go raw" it kind of irritates me.

We all realize now that raw is the better way to go, but if I feed my dog kibble does not mean I care any less about him than anyone feeding raw. And to say that he will have body problems because he is fed kibble irks me to no end.

And feeding raw & kibble at the same meal is incorrect. They should be fed at different times as they are digested at different rates. You shouldn't be mixing the two together.
And even feeding them at different times isn't the best thing to do (from what I've read on here).

 Quote: Anna Anderson

Is the cooked meat different or was I exteremly lucky?

Cooked meat is different (and of considerably less nutritional value to the dog... but it tastes yummy and makes them happy.)
The cooking breaks the meat down so that it digests at the same rate as the kibble- thus, no risk.