Quote: Steffanie Lynn

Hi there. Do you all get your recipes from a book or what....? I have been wanting to raw feed for some time but I am rather intimidated on getting it correct. ...

Have you seen this?

http://leerburg.com/feedingarawdiet.htm

What are your dogs eating now? How old are they?

There are so many folks on this board (like Alyssa ) who feed balanced raw diets that you cannot go wrong here.

The LB sample menus are very well thought out, too, including protein variety and the critical supplements (IMO) of fish oil and E.

Hi Alyssa,

We are in the puyallup/sumner area.

Hi Connie. I have seen the link & read it in its entirety for my 3rd time today. My dogs were eating timberwolf organics but just heard some bad press on them wich really makes me want to make the switch even more. I was going to order the honest kitchen in the mean time. We have 4 dogs. 2 american bull dogs 1 male 4 years at 87lbs, 1 female 3 years at 65 lbs, 1 patterdale terrier 4 years male at 27lbs, & 1 female 11yrs shepard mix at 88 lbs.

 Quote: steffanie lynn

Hi Connie. I have seen the link & read it in its entirety for my 3rd time today. My dogs were eating timberwolf organics but just heard some bad press on them wich really makes me want to make the switch even more. I was going to order the honest kitchen in the mean time. We have 4 dogs. 2 american bull dogs 1 male 4 years at 87lbs, 1 female 3 years at 65 lbs, 1 patterdale terrier 4 years male at 27lbs, & 1 female 11yrs shepard mix at 88 lbs.

http://leerburg.com/honestkitchen.htm#leerburg

http://leerburg.com/honestkitchen.htm#introducing

I think that THK Embark and Force are a terrific bridge from kibble to raw, especially when it's done gradually and when THK is supplemented with RMBs the way the package directs.

It's also very handy to keep around for travel, as well as to provide additional variety in a raw diet. (I don't like to give kibble with raw, but THK is dehydrated at low temperatures, and is not at all like kibble in its rate of digestion; THK is made to be accompanied by RMBs.)

The link above gives details for switching from kibble to THK, and that switch incorporates the beginning of the raw diet.

I would order the THK, and while waiting for it I would get the fish oil and vitamin E. In fact, you can order them at the same time:

http://leerburg.com/47.htm

http://leerburg.com/53.htm

I would find some chicken backs and necks or some chicken quarters and get them into the freezer.

This will get you off to a good start with the THK, and then later if you decide to go all raw it will be simple to add protein variety with canned mackerel, ground beef, cheap cuts of lamb, etc., and to pick up some organ meat.

Personally, I would use plain (no sweeteners, no flavorings) live-culture (or "active cultures") yogurt from the beginning, starting small. Probiotics = a good thing. Some dogs need to start slow with probiotics, so might as well avoid any stomach rebellion at all by just starting slow.

In fact, I start every ingredient of the raw diet gradually.

BTW, I am always switching adults and seniors who have been on kibble all their lives, and I can tell you that you are taking a huge step towards better health for all of your dogs. JMO.

I have some questions Connie. Is it better that I do not try & put them on the honest kitchen? Or is it better (per the link you provided) to go from kibble to mixing in THK & then gradually going raw. Or is it just better to make the leap from our kibble to raw & forgo the THK? I am sorry I'm just very confused.

Hi Connie. I mis read the word terrific for terrible. That makes sense about THK being a good thing while going to raw. May I ask you what the yogurt does for my pups? Maybe soothe their tummies or their digestion? Do you have serving suggestions on the amount of yogurt per lb's of my dogs?

 Quote: Steffanie Lynn

I have some questions Connie. Is it better that I do not try & put them on the honest kitchen? Or is it better (per the link you provided) to go from kibble to mixing in THK & then gradually going raw. Or is it just better to make the leap from our kibble to raw & forgo the THK? I am sorry I'm just very confused.

I know that this post was based on a mis-read, but I am answering it anyway.

The change from kibble to raw is done all the time without a bridge of dehydrated (or canned) food. But I do think that when the owner is a little anxious about the change, it's a great way to do it gradually. I also think that THK is an excellent product. It's the only commercial dog food I keep in my house, except for a few cans of Wellness for emergencies.

Thank you Connie! We very much appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge with us!

 Quote: steffanie lynn

May I ask you what the yogurt does for my pups? Maybe soothe their tummies or their digestion? ...

Probiotics are gut flora/fauna that populate a healthy digestive tract. These microflora assist digestion through fermentation and lower the pH of the gut, making is less hospitable to invading "bad" bacteria.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/probiotics/AN00389 lists a few of the benefits of increasing the population of such "good" bugs. That's a people site (the Mayo Clinic), but the benefits listed are not different in a dog's gut. JMO.

I give probiotics every day and particularly as the first food of the day, before the stomach acid production kicks into high gear. The big goal is to get the cultures past those acids and into the gut, so the lower the acid level when the probiotics are ingested, the better (or so I believe). The second best time is after a meal, when, again, the level of acid in the stomach is lower.

The study of probiotics is in kind of early stages, and which strains are most beneficial for which individuals is still pretty much a guessing game. I buy the yogurts with the largest numbers of the most strains.

 Quote: Steffanie Lynn

... Do you have serving suggestions on the amount of yogurt per lb's of my dogs?

I think that many people give 1/4 (or 1/2) cup to a big adult dog, after working up from a tablespoon or so. A couple of forum members have mentioned giving a couple of tablespoons to a small breed dog.

I give more because one of my dogs has allergies and I have found that probiotics are an important tool, like fish oil and E, an excellent diet, keeping pollen, etc., out of the house and off the dog's fur, and so on.

Yogurt is a good protein source for most dogs because fermented dairy is tolerated by dogs far better than unfermented, and because it has a good calcium-phosphorous ratio.

All JMO.