ya - good luck with the cats. I switched kibble on a cat once and it starved itself nearly to death. Since we had 3 cats, I didn't realize it wasn't eating til its eyeballs turned YELLOW. Then it was tube-feeding, force-feeding, $1000 and a month later he was ok and back to the original kibble! (Not saying raw would be the same thing but cats can be picky to the point of DEATH...lol)

Patty, if you want some suggestions on how to switch cats over to raw, PM me and I'll tell you my experience. I hesitate to call it "advice" because I've only had to switch one, but it was a challenge. Thank goodness my vet had previously warned me (unrelated to raw) about the hazards of a cat not eating.

There are HUGE benefits if you can do it. Just as with dogs, you'll find your cats will be healthier, easier to keep at an ideal weight, and have sparkling teeth and healthy gums.

Regards,

Anita

My lab did the same thing the first time! Now (A month or so later) jump, jump, whine, smile, sit, head tilt, and finally...ok!...gobble, gobble, chomp, chomp...

chitterlings are pork intestines,i wont feed raw pork to my dog

I have not fed chitterlings, but I do sometimes feed raw pork

Personal choice of course, but in Canada there has not been a case of trichinosis attributable to pork in 15 years. If you want to be extra sure deep freeze the pork before thawing and feeding.

Below quote from this website
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/default.htm

 Quote:

How can I prevent trichinellosis?
Cook meat products until the juices run clear or to an internal temperature of 170 o F.
Freeze pork less than 6 inches thick for 20 days at 5 o F to kill any worms.
Cook wild game meat thoroughly. Freezing wild game meats, unlike freezing pork products, even for long periods of time, may not effectively kill all worms.
Cook all meat fed to pigs or other wild animals.
Do not allow hogs to eat uncooked carcasses of other animals, including rats, which may be infected with trichinellosis.
Clean meat grinders thoroughly if you prepare your own ground meats.
Curing (salting), drying, smoking, or microwaving meat does not consistently kill infective worms.

Just don't feed your dog any bear meat

Cheers,

I'm wondering if I'm feeding enough to my dog. Bayley's 16 months old, 55 lbs or so, spayed, husky border collie. Usually she gets a mix of ground beef with Urban Wolf, approx 1/2 lb raw, with a salmon oil capsule mixed in and a bit of yogurt 1 tsp. Then at night a chicken leg and thigh. Every 2nd or 3rd day I add a slice of raw liver, prob about 4 oz and an egg with shell. She eats everything although she's still a bit slow getting through the chicken...I think she's still figuring that she actually has to chew!! Anyway she goes for at least one 45 minute run a day, more if it's not too hot here. I have noticed with the extra salmon oil her coat is improving and she's not shedding nearly as much. Her energy level seems to be good. The major thing I notice is that she's not drinking nearly as much water and much smaller poops.

Her stool will be smaller as she is using most of what she eats and dogs get alot of water from the raw food. We are used to seeing our dogs drink so much because we have fed dry kibble. If her weight and energy level is where it should be than I think you are doing well

Patty, I too was amazed at the lack of water ingested by our dog compared to the other dogs I had had during my life. This is the first dog we've done 100% raw food with and I can promise that she's the healthiest dog I've ever owned. She'll sometimes not drink any water all day because she's getting it from her food. We'll have it right in front of her and she'll stick her tongue in it and walk off.

And yes, when you feed raw the waste is much much smaller because so much more of the food is being consumed. Most of what dogs fed kibble poop out is additives, fillers, and chemicals and that's why it takes so long to break down when expelled. You'd be hard pressed to find any evidence of my dog in the back yard if it rains a day or two...everything breaks down completely. And I'm also assuming that other critters have a go at it, too since it's completely biodegradable...

Ed's and Ciny's feeding schedules and ratio of food to weight are very helpful...search for them on Leerburg.com. There's a formula that you can use to determine if you're feeding enough or too much that Ed/Cindy use that's pretty easy to use. Good luck.