is it ok to feed my dog raw meat?

[whatwoulddexterdo]

I have got from a pet shop, raw chunks of liver. The packet says to give the dog them raw.
Is this ok? They are frozen and you defrost first.

[tabulahrasa]

Absolutely, you don't even need to defrost meat, mine will happily chomp away on it frozen.

As a warning though, liver is quite rich and if they're not used to it it can make them a bit loose afterwards, so you might be better off giving it in tiny tiny pieces rather than any large amount.

[whatwoulddexterdo]

Ok great thanks.
The breeder also suggested I give her tripe?

[NCISaddict]

Perhaps look on a BARF site for advice. I feed my puppy raw food but a complete one from a specialist supplier just so I know I'm giving everything he needs. I'm a bit too lazy to sort it out myself.
He also has bones which I buy frozen from the same supplier.

[tabulahrasa]

If you're going to be completely raw feeding you'll need to do a bit of research, but it's really not that complicated.

If you're feeding a complete food and the liver, tripe or whatever is just as well then just do it.

My dog wouldn't eat enough variety to have him on a raw diet, so he's back on dog food, but he gets bones, chicken and the odd bit of tripe just randomly. The advice is not to give raw food at the same meal as kibble, but other than that it's not a problem.

[LadyTurmoil]

www.facebook.com/groups/rawfeedinguk/?fref=ts Here's a link to a really good raw feeding group on Facebook.

During the time I had my foster dog, she had: (all raw) chicken wings, drumsticks, carcasses, chicken liver, lamb's liver, heart, lamb rib bones, sardines in tomato, frozen sprats, frozen tripe.

I had to fry the chicken liver for 30 seconds which changes the texture, then she loved it, didn't like it completely raw.

A good guide is 80% meat, 10% bone, 10% offal but you don't need to worry about doing that percentage every meal, just monitor it roughly over a week. But loads of websites, FB groups to find with really good advice.

[fanoftheinvisibleman]

Liver really isn't the best place to start but yes, raw feeding is fine and really easy. Do a littlr research as suggested but I would start with tripe or chicken. Make sure the tripe is green tripe though, not the bleached white stuff people eat . Then just sit back and watch them enjoy...with a peg on your nose (tripe honks but is great for them).

[BooBudolphMeowson]

Raw food snacks are easy, and lovely!

Doing a complete raw food diet takes a bit of work.

[InTheRedCorner]

NCIS would you mind posting your supplier please? I'm looking into raw feeding and as far as I can tell I should do chicken carcass plus veg and brown rice for the first week or two and then introduce more.

Mine is a puppy at 7 months and 27kg

[LadyTurmoil]

Don't really need the brown rice or veg at all, most raw feeders do just meat, offal and tripe with the 80% meat, 10% bone, 10% offal ratio. Join the facebook group - great site for resources and chat with other raw feeders. Puppies need higher percentage of their body weight than adult dogs.

[Butterflylovers]

In terms of bones, what do you feed them?
I know big weight bearing bones are a no no, so spine, neck, ribs and tail?
Just a little anxious giving bones as some vets do not recommend it as bones can be stuck.

[fanoftheinvisibleman]

I will feed anything except weight bones of cattle so yes, spine, ribs etc are all fine. You can get mince from suppliers like DAF and MVM with bone in if you are completely risk averse but chomping bones is what dogs are designed for. Mine however is a lazy little goat and is currently refusing to eat all bones except chicken wings. I can't be doing with hunks of spine in my kitchen all day but come March I will go back to throwing them into the garden and we shall start one pf our 2 day stand offs over lamb spine (I always win, he likes them but he is bone idle if you'll excuse the pun!)

[LadyTurmoil]

My foster dog was fed raw and loved it. It really isn't complicated - I only used 1 drawer of a small freezer so you don't need acres of space, although if I had more space, I would do big orders online. But I found enough variety at local butchers and supermarkets. You can add things like sardines in tomato sauce or olive oil, buy sprats (very cheap) chicken liver also cheap etc.

You will find a strange pleasure in watching them chomp up everything - and much less poo to clear up!

[Squills]

My dog, an 18 month old Border Collie, has only ever had raw food. I feed raw chicken with bone, lamb with bone and beef sometimes with bone (ribs) sometimes just the meat. He's really fit, has a lovely glossy coat, loads of energy and loves his food. The benefits for humans are: he doesn't fart, his poos are tiny, his breath doesn't smell and his teeth are shiny and white.

I got a lot of info from the dog's section of Horse and Hound online.

Hope this helps

[NCISaddict]

InTheRedCorner Sorry just read your post, I use Natural Instincts
www.naturalinstinct.com/ the working dog one. He's been great on it and poos are small and not hugely smelly which is a bonus. I buy treats and bones from them too.

[InTheRedCorner]

Thank you NCI very helpful

I popped into our butchers yesterday and they do frozen packs of raw feed which is good news.

I'm going to start on chicken for a week or two.

[InTheRedCorner]

I've also sent you a PM about the introduction offer

[TooOldForGlitter]

I'm becoming quite interested in raw feeding mine and will look at the fbook page but just as a quick question, if I was to go to the butcher to get 'something' to start him off on/try him on, what would I ask for?

[fanoftheinvisibleman]

It is usually recommended to start with one protein type (most people do chicken first) for a few days at a time. You don't need to worry about ratios and variety at the very beginning. Minced chicken is recommended but I went straight in with a chicken quarter, bone and all.

[InTheRedCorner]

I bought chicken mince today (will do an online all in order when I can phone) I'm assuming I need to mix it with veg and brown rice?

I have Brussels and carrots skins in the fridge.

Can I still give her roasted bones from the nursery or should it just be raw from tomorrow?

Planning a visit to the butchers this week.

[fanoftheinvisibleman]

Ittheredcorner no, don't mix with rice. A dogs digestive system is designed to process meat and bone quickly which is why the germs in raw meat aren't the problem they are for you and me. If you add carbs you slow this system down, thus increasing risk.

Veggies are a jury is out thing. If I do feed, it is more of a treat thing. They do not need them. Their nutrition is fully covered by the 80 meat/10 bone/ 10 offal ratio and raw egg is good too.

Never give any cooked bones. Most stories of ill dogs and bones are as a result of cooked bones. Even the pet shop ones. Bones must always be raw.

Enjoy feeding too, it is great fun to watch

[InTheRedCorner]

Thank you fan.

I have a bowl of frozen chicken mince covered and in the fridge for tomorrow. Should I just stick to this (it has some got bone ground in it)! for a few days and then offer the tripe?

My butcher has offered to help out which is great.

So just raw meat and bones with no rice or veg?

What about treats for training?

Thank you all so much again.

[NCISaddict]

You can get dried liver and other treats from Natural Instincts, their mince has bone, a small amount of veg, fish oils and kelp in it.
I know it's more expensive than DIY but with working shifts and not always being the one to feed mine it's easier to do for me. He does get fish sometimes, either a tin of mackerel or sardines in spring water plus raw egg (complete with crushed shell) and live goats milk yoghurt for a treat.

[fanoftheinvisibleman]

Chicken and then tripe sounds like a great idea. I use cooked meat or natures menu training treats.

I use tinned sardines too. One thing mine wouldn't touch was raw sardine!

[InTheRedCorner]

Chicken mince with brown rice and mixed veg is going well here.

Day 2 and the poo is multi coloured, smaller and harder - not harder to clean up

I spoke to our but her who has a year old lab (we have a Rottie pup) and he said no liver because it will go through her and said to give her a chicken carcass plus an egg including shell once a week?

[LadyTurmoil]

You can try a small amount of chicken liver, my foster wouldn't eat it at first, but I fried it for 30 secs and then it was enjoyed! Also gave egg once in a while and definitely chicken carcasses, lamb ribs (lamb is sometimes a bit fatty and can come back up again so, again, small amounts) at first.

It's great if the butcher is friendly, trouble is lots of them don't get whole animals in and therefore don't have many leftovers, but they will have chicken carcasses and bits of beef/lamb/pork. You can investigate ordering online if you have space in freezer to make delivery charges worthwhile...

Have fun, dogs love it!