I want to start RAW feeding the dog

[PuraVida]

And of course I've googled but I'm bewildered

Could anyone just tell me what to buy and how much / what to feed her?

She's a miniature dachshund so weeny and prone to obesity!

The easiest way to start is by using minces which contain meat, bones, organs and sometimes veg as well. You can get those from companies like Natural Instinct or Nutriment. There are more popping up all the time as it's becoming a really popular way to feed.

If you want to feed less prepared stuff (as in actual chunks of meat, offal and bones) then this thread has loads of really good information about getting started.

You can always start with the minces then gradually add in other stuff as you get more confident.

Basically it's 80% meat, 10% offal (

Whoops posted before finishing

Half the offal should be liver. The final 10% is bone (not weight bearing)

The amount you feed is based on the weight of your dog. 2.5-3% of their weight

Thanks so much. Tat is helpful

Might start with the mincey stuff and throw in the odd bit of meat

I kind of imagined her gnawing on drumsticks but in reality I don't really want that happening all over the floor - which is what'll happen.

I hate all the commercial food, but I wouldn't raw feed, too risky. Anecdotally, my friends dog got a blockage from a bone and needed surgery and also raw fed dogs are exposed to disease like salmonella, which are contagious to humans.
Start with the prepared as wyld advised if you are going to raw feed.
Too difficult to get a balanced diet for your dog in many cases of home made raw. It seems to be the in thing. I feed Millie's wolf heart and it is great all natural but still kibble, worth a look.

I don't feed raw (Skiners Field and Trial) but I know a lot of people who do successfully. Home made works out a lot cheaper than prepared.

I've just ordered a starter pack from nutriment. A rough calculation tells me (2% of 11 pounds) she'll only need about 100g a day so it's never going to be break the bank expensive and yes, those are very good points about making your own. Truth be told I'm just not organized enough for it.

Regrettably she will not touch kibble. After years of persisting we gave in and she's been having tinned shite. She's not even mad keen on that but will at least eat it eventually. Odd considering her one aim in life it to Get Food. Only if it's human food though

Nutriment sounds an excellent choice. Have heard good things. And you know she is getting a balanced diet.

The completes like Nutriment are a good way to start. Be aware though that they may contain too much bone for your dog. A raw poop is much smaller and firmer than a kibble poop. If it is rock hard, white, or crumbly, that means too much bone. It may be fine though. I do mainly DIY now after starting on Nutriment. I buy from a mail order supplier and follow the ratio of 80% meat, 10% bone, 5%liver, 5% other organ. If you employ normal food hygiene methods it poses no more risk than kibble (there have been a number of kibble recalls for salmonella). Dogs on raw revert to their normal highly acidic digestive tract, so can easily cope with bacteria they normally encounter, and digest bone. Kibble alkalises the digestive tract, which is why kibble fed dogs given bones may be at risk. However generally unwise to give load bearing bones. Softer bones, like chicken, lamb ribs are easily chewed, but know your dog. Mine are chewers, not gulpers so, so I know that bones will be crunched well!

dogsdinner2.webs.com/ This is a really good website.

Join some FB groups who advocate raw feeding like this They have files showing UK suppliers and loads of other info.

Don't be put off by those who are picking up roadkill in the US and feeding whole moose!! Start slowly with chicken, careful with quantity of offal at the beginning as it causes loose poop but you'll be fine. It's really not that difficult.

Add eggs, sardines, tripe (frozen from P@H) a few times a week and you're laughing! I could get about 10 days' food in 1 drawer of small freezer for a 15kg dog so doesn't need to take up loads of room. I never found that raw smelt any worse than kibble!

I feed my pup Nutriment, he loves it!
Just remember that as they go up in weight then so does the price. It's also a bit of a pain when you are going somewhere, we put what he will need in a Tupperware still frozen, so that its defrosted when we get there.

My pup loves his natural instinct food - not sure how long he'll be on it though as he's huge and it now costs a fortune - also have to order it every 2 weeks as takes up a lot of room in the freezer.

Thanks all. Very helpful

Dog is 8 so no more growing to do much to many people's surprise

Oh no, definitely not any growing to do at 8, she must be soooo cute and tiny!

This is good website honeysrealdogfood.com/
Growing up our family dogs were raw fed, once you get in to the swing of it it's fairly simple. My girl gets a 50/50 mix currently as I've not got an awful lot of freezer space but as my milk stash diminishes over the next few months this may change.

Popping over from the litter tray for a raw feeding thread (I did grow up with a pack of dogs and my mum still has 3!). I swear by Nature's Menu - you can order the chunks frozen from their site and it's all complete and balanced. There are also feeding guides. I'm kind of evangelical about it because it provided the solution to my rescue's colitis, having tried every treatment and expensive specialist food the vet had to offer.
.
www.naturesmenu.co.uk/

It's not risky to raw feed at all. I don't have the statistics, as I'm on my phone and the file is saved on my laptop, but more dogs get salmonella from kibble than from raw food. I'll try and post the info tomorrow.

Raw feeding changed the condition of my dog in just over 2 weeks. His coat is beautiful, his teeth are white and clean, his breath is nice and his poops are firm and not smeary messes all over the pavement.

It does take time to get used to and get it right but once you've been doing it a couple of months it becomes easy.

If your budget allows it I really recommend the company Honeys. They are there for you with advice all the time. It's quite expensive, £160 a month for my dog, he is a large dog of 42kgs though, but they balance it for you perfectly so the dog is getting everything he needs.

Sorry I see someone has already mentioned Honeys.

More dogs have been known to choke on kibble than get bones stuck, too. Be aware that if you do feed bones, you will see pieces being passed for the first couple of weeks. Raw bones are not brittle like cooked ones.

Whilst the percentage is 80:10:10 as another pp said, this can be over a week as opposed to a day. The percentages for her weight can be reduced: I feed by eye, so if he's getting fat, I reduce feed. If she'd like it, get her a Kong and stuff it with food, keeps her entertained, makes her work for her feed.

gide I would genuinely be interested to see the statement on kibble choking backed up.

I would like to offer you this:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3003575/

It seems our veterinary colleagues are facing the same challenges as medics in the rise of the internet professional -people without any relevant qualifications, limited experience, and of course ignoring pesky little things like meta-analysis and systematic reviews (the highest level of literary analysis on a subject which critiques all the other studies done). Instead there people sprout their biased, unscientific and quite frankly often dangerous clap trap.

The potential dangers of the BARF diet are well known in the veterinary profession, and frequently get stuck across palates, cause perforated bowels, and problems from haemorrhagic diarrhoea and malnutrition to chronic constipation.

ginhere is a study on salmonella also, with none of the samples of commercial fed products being positive for salmonella (despite what anecdotal things you may here from the pro raw masses).
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC339295/

If you would be able to find the time perhaps this article would be of interest to you. www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/raw-meat-and-bone-diets-for-dogs-its-enough-to-make-you-barf/

Honestly, feed your dogs how you like - that is ultimately your choice but please don't spout uninformed and incorrect information as 'facts'.

I've still not got around to finding the articles on my laptop.

If your dog escaped or became lost tomorrow what do you think he'd eat? Would he immediately source the nearest factory producing Pedigree chum or would he hunt, catch and eat whole live prey? Of course dogs are, by nature, scavengers so he'd raid bins first. But then, what? He'd catch rats, rabbits and other prey and he'd eat them. It's bizarre that wild dogs aren't extinct what with not having Bakers and dentastix on tap.

But clearly eating the scrapings of the abattoir floor mixed with grain is very good for dogs.

I really wouldn't want my children cuddling our dog after she'd eaten raw chicken- the salmonella risk must be huge.

Your article isn't independent research, it's a vets! Try harder.

No more risk than having eaten kibble.