Feeding your dog raw food

[Dace]

Hey Free?

I read that if i go raw my pooch neeeds vit E and fish oil daily. Would that just be a regular suplimnt like mine? If so, how much?

 

[freemotion]

I would like to see where you read that, about the vitamin E and fish oil. It would probably be good, I'd just like to see the reaoning. Off the top of my head, I would say if you are feeding CAFO raw (as I am ) then yes, it will likely be low in ALL oil-based nutrients. But if you can at least supplement with some pastured fats such as egg yolks and cream from pastured critters, you will be fine. If you can supplement with something from pastured animals such as raw meaty bones, organ meats which are often discarded by people raising their own meat, etc, you will be fine. If you are raising your own pastured meat/poultry for your dog/cat's complete diet, and it is grain-free, you shouldn't need to supplement at all.

As for digestive flora, yup, kefir is a great way to go. Dogs likely do a lot of replenishing by eating the poo of herbivores, too, along with some intestinal contents when they eat whole critters that they catch or scavenge in the wild. I've observed dogs practically eating their weight in horse poo, even the coyotes. I've seen farm dogs whining outside of foaling stalls, waiting for the opportunity to stuff their faces with nursing foal poo. Yum!

I'll just use kefir, thanyyouverymuch.

 

[freemotion]

Oh, and if you can get your hands on some green tripe, that would be fantastic for dogs with digestive issues. It is the lining of one of the stomachs of a cow, usually. You can get it ground and frozen in one pound tubes from some raw food suppliers if you want to try it with your dog. Do a search for someone nearby and see if you can order a pound. If it works out well, you might be able to get a processor to save and grind one for you to freeze in appropriate packages. I've read that some dogs do very well on a diet almost exclusively of green tripe. I'm not a fan of feeding only one or very few foods, but some dogs have special needs.

 

[tortoise]

Hey Free?

I read that if i go raw my pooch neeeds vit E and fish oil daily. Would that just be a regular suplimnt like mine? If so, how much?

There are a couple reasona for this. If your dog is eating mostly skinless meat, you will have a hard time getting enough calories in your dog. Oils are calorie dense.

It is also for skin and coat health, but as FM says, any oil will work for this.

Fish oil - particularly salmon oil - is an excellent anti-inflammatory. Many dogs switching to raw diet have health or mobility problems. This anti-inflammatory is excellent. Be careful you are not giving fish LIVER oil. Not good for daily use.

Any time an oil is added to a dog's food, vitamin E must be given with it. Over time, breaking down the oil will deplete the dog's vitamin E levels. This is important enough that raw-feeders I know say DON'T add oils if you don't add vitamin E. The amount of vitamin E that needs to be added is very low. A 100 IU capsule every other day is plenty.

And yes, you can use your own salmon oil capsules. Or you can buy it as a liquid because dog's love it! It smells terrible! I gave 50 - 60 pounds dogs 2 grams (2 capsules) daily. Start out gradually to avoid an upset stomach though.

If you want to give capsules, you can train a dog to take them easily. Pierce the capsule or trim off the end and squeeze it a little bit as you give it to your dog. S/he'll love it! I tossed them to my dogs as treats. They would bit them open to tast the yummy goodness of salmon oil.

 

[freemotion]

I meant to add the Omega III (fish oil) reasoning as far as humans are concerned. Oftentimes, we apply these reasons to our animals and they are not always a concern.

With people in this country, the typical American has a diet with a ratio of Omega 6's (and others) to Omega III's of anywhere from 20:1 to 50:1, usually on the higher end of the scale. This is because of the prevalence of veg oils (mostly Omega 6) and olive oil (Omega 9) and very little, if any, Omega III's in the diet. The ideal ratio is 2.5:1.5. That is why high-quality fish oil can be so anti-inflammatory, because it brings the ratio close to healthy so quickly without any other changes being made in the diet. (It is also why I have fits when I see a supplement label with fish oil and soy oil in the same capsule! They kinda cancel each other out! )

Raw feeders who feed no grains and no veg oils of any kind should be good with the Omega III's that are in the fats of pastured animal meats and poultry, eggs, and full-fat dairy, especially kefir, which is super digestible.

 

[tortoise]

You get pastured meat for your dog? That must be crazy-expensive.

 

[freemotion]

No, my dogs and cats have to eat Frankenchickens from the store for now. :/ At $0.49 per pound for backs. But they all get stuff from my own pastured animals....dairy and eggs. I spoon off some kefir cream for the dogs each night when I make kefir, and they get some egg almost every day, depending on how generous the hens are...not so much right now. Everyone gets a bite of bison when we eat it, which is fairly often, like once or twice a week.

 

[tortoise]

When I did raw, I refused to go over $0.50/lb. I got a lot direct from a butcher/meat locker for free to $0.15/lb. But I had to do a lot of calculations to get some things worked out and when you feed backs, it's no worry at all.

Sounds like your dogs get a lot of variety. That's awesome!

 

[freemotion]

It really does take some work and some close observation, but that is right up a farm nerd's alley! I am proud to report that the surgeon warned me not to let my dog get fat after his knee surgery, as that would cause trouble especially while he is on three legs, and he was .2 lbs lighter at his two week check-up. He gets one small back, trimmed of the tail and all big chunks of fat, five days a week. Then all the variety of tastes of good stuff that make up the rest of his diet. Tonight it was a few feta trimmings as I packaged up a few pounds of feta that I made. Oh, and some bits of Gouda from my recent recipe, as I was eating a hunk of it with my supper.

 

[MsPony]

@ the horse poo comment Free!! When Jax was a little bitty pup, thats the first thing he sought out! When he goes near horses, thats the first thing he goes and searches for. I let him, my horse eat well.

However, as stated, apparently chicken poo doesnt agree with lab tummies like horse poo does. I was, super super tired when it came back up, so he just ate it again because I wasnt able to pick it up right away. Stayed down the second time

Im going on an internet search for tripe and tendons and ligaments....

ETA: I FOUND SOME LOCAL SOURCES!!!!