Thinking of starting Raw...

[RockyCody]

So I'm scared to start it. I'll be honest. But Rocky is a tall, skinny boy and needs to gain some weight. He eats anywhere from 0-2 cups of TOTW daily - even though it is offered to him morning (he never eats) and night (sometimes he eats).

He's been having problems with vomiting in the morning, I think it's because he's gone so long without eating in bewteen meals that he has acid building up.

My questions are this:
1. WHAT do I feed him? how much - how do you know what the right amount is?
2. Organ meat- where do you get this? (I know, sounds silly - but I have no idea what to even look for).
3. Veggies? no veggies?

How do you even find this much meat in bulk? If I pay at the grocery store this will be expensive....I think.

I'm just a bit nervous and need some discussion about what would be right for him. He's 67# now.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[kathysboxer]

I was the same way when I started feeding Tyson raw 3 long years ago LOL.
It really isn't as difficult as you think.
Start by offering him chicken leg quarters. You feed 2-3% of their ideal ADULT body weight. So if you figure he's going to weigh 70#, offer between 14oz and 21oz per day.
You will need to feed 80% meat, 10% bone, and 10% offal.
Chicken leg quarters are pretty close to the bone and meat ratio.
You may want to skin the chicken as it could upset his belly a little just starting out. Feed only the chicken leg quarters for about a week, to see how he does. If he does ok with that, slowly add a bit of offal (liver, kidney, etc) use only 1 offal for a while to see how he does.
If he does ok on the chicken/offal, go on to a new protein source. Perhaps pork. Do the same as you did with the chicken. Add new proteins slowly in case there is an allergic reaction. Then you'll know what it was from.

I get my chicken leg quarters from Walmart usually. They are the 10# orangeish/redish bag. It is around I believe $7. Buy whole chickens (make sure meats are not enhanced with anything) if they are on sale. You can cut them up and give it to them. It cuts easily with those kitchen shears. Buy meats that are on sale at grocery stores. At thanksgiving, I bought 5 turkeys. Yep, that's right. They were .99/lb. I also keep the giblet bags, as you can feed the neck, kidney, etc. All is fair game LOL.
Also, if you know of any hunters, ask for all freezer burnt venison, rabbit, etc. Some people post ads on Craigslist for freezer burnt meat.
Also, see if there are any local butcher/slaughter houses near you. They can be your best friend
Also, google Yahoo raw feeding groups. It is a huge group with tons of information. Use it along with BW information. There are raw suppliers there too. My supplier out of Ohio is super, and her prices are great as well as the meat.
I also bought a digital scale at Walmart to use to measure out their food. I use zip lock bags, and measure out a days food and divide it in 1/2 (2 bags) and give a bag 2 times a day. I keep the extra meat in the freezer. I really need to buy another one LOL.
Hope this helps a bit. Also, fresh fish (my 2 big "doggies" didn't like it) as well as eggs can be fed. They can eat the whole egg, shell and all. I have to grind the shell for mine or they won't eat it.
Good luck, and don't stress over it. They don't need to be fed exactly right every day. This is over time and they will thrive on it. Also, they won't drink as much water, poop less (tiny poo that turns white in a day and crumbles), and awesome coats and energy.
Also, if the poo is too runny, more bone (I use chicken backs) and if it's too hard, more meat, less bone
He may have runny poo for a day or two while he detoxes. No biggie. It's a normal part of going raw and getting all the "junk" out of their bodies.
Oh, and I don't give veggies. They can't digest carbohydrates, so it would only be a filler. But I do offer fruits once in a while for a special treat

 

[DiverDiva]

So I'm scared to start it. ... My questions are this:
1. WHAT do I feed him? how much - how do you know what the right amount is?
2. Organ meat- where do you get this? (I know, sounds silly - but I have no idea what to even look for).
3. Veggies? no veggies?

How do you even find this much meat in bulk? If I pay at the grocery store this will be expensive....I think.

I'm just a bit nervous and need some discussion about what would be right for him. He's 67# now.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

If you are nervous, one easy way to start is to feed a premade raw mix such as Nature's Variety. The downside is that the premade raw mixes are pretty expensive.

Many raw feeders begin with chicken drumsticks or quarters. My two are smaller than your boy, they are about 55 pounds each, give or take. A chicken quarter is about right for one meal for each of them. I try to get the bigger ones which usually weigh just under 1 pound before I remove the skin and fat. The first time I fed them this, Oscar figured how to eat right away. Mali licked the meat for about half an hour, so I picked up the leg and held it for her. She chomped down on the thigh and started pulling off pieces of meat and eating them. Problem solved.

Once he's happily eating chicken, you can add other meats. Turkey drumsticks were a big hit. There is also a rabbitry in the next state that delivers here about every 6 weeks. Bunny is another big hit, especially the ears, complete with fur.

Look on the internet to see if there is a raw feeding group, such as on yahoo, in your area. That is how I found some of the suppliers in my area.

Before I found some of the suppliers in my area, I would check the grocery stores late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. I found some pretty good deals such as hamburger in 5 pound chubs for .99/pound on Saturday night.

I sometimes buy chicken livers in a 20 ounce tub at my local grocery chain. I will put 2 ounces into each of the dogs' meals if they haven't had any other offal source.

 

[Sansal]

I don't feed a completely raw diet but my dogs have a raw meal here and there. Right now my biggest problem is finding affordable meat + I only have a small freezer so I can't store a lot.
I agree with everything already said, start with chicken legs or quarters. You might want to hold them for him in the beginning to make sure he doesn't swallow the whole thing at once (also, Happy and Sky got so excited in the beginning that they would try to run away with chicken legs and hide under the table and eat on the carpet , so I would probably feed him in the kitchen and have the door closed. Or outside).
The first couple of times can be a bit scary (for you, but you will get used to it ). Be aware that he won't chew a lot. They just crush the bones and swallow them. But that is fine, no need to worry. You might occasionally see him throwing up some bone pieces which is also usually not a reason to worry.
I'm sure Rocky will LOVE it!!

 

[whiskers]

I am watching this thread! I would soooo love to feed raw but am super paranoid I'll do it wrong and not feed what she needs. This thread is helping.

 

[xJazerx]

I am watching this thread! I would soooo love to feed raw but am super paranoid I'll do it wrong and not feed what she needs. This thread is helping.

Agreed. Im mostly paranoid about the bones, .

 

[kathysboxer]

I am watching this thread! I would soooo love to feed raw but am super paranoid I'll do it wrong and not feed what she needs. This thread is helping.

It really isn't that difficult. I think we make it more difficult than it needs to be

Agreed. Im mostly paranoid about the bones, .

I was also apprehensive about the bones. But now I have great pleasure watching them eat raw. A sense of I'm doing all I can for them. Honestly, the bones aren't bad at all. New things are always the hard to start. Once you do, you'll be ok.
I remember one day I was feeding Tyson and Bailey a chicken thigh outside. He was watching them (he was always against raw, not suggests it to anyone who will listen) and he saw Bailey just gulp the thigh whole. He grabbed her and pulled it out of her throat thinking she'd choke. I explained that they will crush the bone enough to swallow it, and if they can't they will just puke it up and re-chew it. He has seen them do that a couple times now, and he doesn't worry about it anymore

 

[RockyCody]

Thank you all SOOOO much. This is making me feel way better I agree with whiskers...I think I'm gaining enough confidence to start!

I want to make sure I have everything set before we start though.

and I have given Rocky a raw chicken leg before - he eats it fine -although I held it. First he just licked at it then he started pulling the meat off then i held onto the bone because I didn't want him swallownig a HUGE chunk - but he was able to break it down, easily. I was suprised.

Ok so I contacted a few local butchers to see if they have any deals or anything - otherwise I'm going to stop at walmart to get some chicken legs to start with.
Thanks

 

[Marybeth18]

I started my 18 month Mastiff on raw last weekend because of severe health issues. He is like a new dog!! I think we will switch Daisy over as well as she is so jealous!

 

[RockyCody]

Do I need to give Rocky any supplements? Prozyme or a Probiotic at all? If so - where do you get them?