To those who make your own Raw foods?

Question

I am going to be starting my huskies on a partial raw diet, and will be making it myself. I am buying my meat grinder Friday, and I already have the recipe I will start with. I am just looking for any tips or advice from those of you already making your own. What is your dog's favorite, things you add in, etc.. Thanks in advance for any ideas and suggestions !

Added: I will not buy raw. I am going to be making it on my own for quality control reasons and because I have one with allergies.
Added:
Yep, gizzards and all. I am buying a commercial grinder, so i will be grindong the whole bird. I will also be feeding to my cats, and the heart is loaded with taurine, so I am doing the whole bird. I am also doing a venison batch.

Added: mechanic- One of my guys is very allergic to wheat. The only grains i am using are oatmeal and quinoa.

Added:froesaken- during transition they will be on a high protein/meat kibble. Also, grindong the whole bird guaratees optimal nutrition. if you read the back of a package, or talk to a manufacturer, they all grind the whole bird. DHA comes from the brain, Taurine from the heart, etc. And in the wild they eat all internal organs plus neck and bones. (dometicated dogs also don't run 30 miles to catch and kill their prey, therefore you cannot compare nutritional requrements.)

Added: i will be using oatmeal and quinoa as grain for binders and to aid in digestion. Also, my dogs get plenty of natural ches and get their teeth brushed, so it is not a concern. And I'm looking for tips because it is new to me, but trust me when I say, I know what dogs can and cannot have.

Also, once you cook meat, you lose about 70% of the meat protein. Second, once you cook veggies, they lose almost all of their nutritional value.

PLEASE: If you are not giving advice on recipes, etc. I don;t want it. I am looking for tips, not someone to talk me out of it. Thanks.

Answer 1

Grinding the food defeats the purpose. I feed prey model, however part of a raw diet is giving the dog it's natural diet which is whole meats. What do you mean by partial? If they are going to remain on kibble it's healthier not to mix the two. Feed kibble at one meal and at the other give them a chicken quarter or so. Grinding it will also take more time and energy than it's worth.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/

add: Like I said I feed RAW PREY MODEL. What is the point in feeding raw meat if you grind it all. There are many benefits to a raw diet, some of which will not be achieved with ground meat. I also do not recommend prepackaged raw diets. For the same reason you don't want to use it, quality control. Feeding prey model keeps teeth cleaner because of the bone chewing while also helping prevent gum disease, provides a complete balance of nutrition (just as grinding the meat does), makes them slow down to eat and those are just off the top of my head. If I had all my resources pulled up I could use a ton of more space.

add: Reply to poster below me: Cooking the food also removes most of it's nutritional value. Dogs are much better equipped to handle raw meat than we are and the risks are minimal no matter how bad the meat is.

add: I gave you advice on a recipe. Take part of a bird, hand it to said dogs and let them eat it. Try it for two weeks and see what happens. Grinding only accomplishes them gulping the food down.

Answer 2

Why a grinder? Your dog will lose all the teeth and gum cleaning benefits of raw feeding. My dog and cats are all fed raw and have the healthiest teeth and gums you could imagine.

There really is no need for a recipe - just think of it as feeding your dog 'frankenprey' 70-80% raw meat, 10-15% edible bone and 10-15% offal (at least half liver). The amount to feed is about 2-3% of expected adult body per day. My 16.5kg stafford gets 400-500 grams per day.

I recommend that you join one of the yahoo raw feeding lists - RawMeatyBones or rawfeeder are just two. The books by the Australian vet, Tom Lonsdale, 'Raw Meaty Bones' and 'Work Wonders' are great sources of information too. I hope the links are some use.

There is no need to transition your dog - just go cold turkey. As kibble and raw meat are digested differently they shouldn't be fed together anyway. Most people start with chicken - probably half a one would be about right for a husky. Stick with the one protien for a few weeks and then add new things every week until your dogs are eating everything.

Answer 3

Adding a grain to 'aid' in digestion is not logical thinking because dogs are not designed to digest grains and they don't. They go straight through and fill the yard with crap.
There is also really not a need to grind food. Dogs teeth are designed to tear and rip raw meaty bones and it promotes dental health.
You should not mix kibble with raw food. The 2 foods digest completely different and none of the raw feeding experts would recommend feeding both foods.
If you feel that your raw diet is missing things that the kibble will fill in... then please go back and do more research to find out that you do not need that crapinabag in any way shape or form to make your dogs diet complete and healthy.
I have some info on my site along with a sample menu...
www.eastwooddanes.com
You are on the right track in knowing and wanting something better and change for your dog.. but don't over analyze or do more then you need to. It's very simple to feed a dog.
Check out the raw myths.. They are quite helpful.
http://www.rawfed.com/myths

Answer 4

...my brother also has huskies,....5...and he did this a year or so ago...
One of his dogs died, due to contaminated ground beef....that was from an ORGANIC meat distributor.
He stopped. and now feeds only a good quality dry food.....he uses a couple....Actually one, is the closest to a raw diet on the market......
...I'd be careful.
...I give my 3 dogs home made food too, ...but i believe that cooking the food eliminates the risks....
...i wont risk their health after what i've seen, and in fact my brother was not the first one i know who this has happened to.
They enjoy turkey and brown organic rice....with chopped raw vegetables...also organic. They also get all the vitamin supplements they need, that raw diet does not give.
good luck

Answer 5

120 Raw Diet Food Recipes : http://Go.StayEatingRaw.com/?VXZu

Answer 6

My dog is diabetic and on a restricted diet.
I feed him special canned and kibble which includes chicken and pork products, whole grains, barley, rice, carrots, corn and soybean oil as the main ingredients.
Hope this gives you some ideas.

Answer 7

Mine like turkey or chicken gizzards, liver, hearts. I know it's gross, but you can get hearts and livers from butchers if you ask. I use deer meat too during hunting season. People that process the deer offten have tons of bones left over with meat still on them. I also use a lot of brown rice, It's a great filler and packed with nutrients. My crew likes carrots most.

Answer 8

Did you ever tested out Eating for Energy (120 raw food diet recipes) mechanism? Check out this site : http://StayEatingRaw.com/Access . This could probably explain everybody!

Answer 9

As long as your dog has teeth he will not need a grinder. His teeth will be healthier if he has something to chew. Just start out giving chicken wings(nothing grinded) in the evening nd kibble in the morning. The next week off the kibble and feed only chicken,over the next 2 weeks you can start slowly including offal,tripe,and other times of meat and raw meaty bones as well as fruits,veggies,fish and whole raw eggs.

no grapes,no chocolate,no onions,no grain!!!

PS-makes sure to not get onions and garlick mixed up.Add a little garlick to your dog's every meal. not to much just a dash of powdered garlic,to keeo fleas away.

Answer 10

a friend of mine told me about the 'raw' diet for cats and dogs so i asked my vet first. he said he thought it was a BAD idea because the same food borne illnesses that we can get, can also get our pets. that seemed to make sense to me so i made a 'modified' raw diet. both my dogs and cats like it a lot. i serve this warm. i cook oatmeal in broth (beef or chicken, i make my own). i add frozen veggies to this while it is cooking (carrot, corn, green pea, etc mixed already in the bag). i add a tablespoon of canola or olive oil and meat from our meal, or canned turkey or chicken or canned in oil fish . i still feed them a small amount of a holistic dry (eagle pack - see www.eaglepack.com) to get them all the other nutrients not supplied by my diet. my pets have better coats and the cats had NO furball problems.