So I'm back! And I actually have a dog now! Her name is Cricket and she is a Shar-Pei Beagle mix (we think). She's been on Orijen since we've gotten her in June and now we're finally in a place to start feeding raw! We've been beginning to hoard meat (mostly just buying whole young chickens) and are really excited to start feeding her raw! Does anyone have any good tips before starting to feed raw?
OldGnarlHead
Good for you! You have the chickens - that's all you need to start. Figure out about 2% of her weight and tomorrow morning start feeding raw 
We can help with the amount if you need it, just tell us how much she weighs. If she's a puppy, figure out about what she's going to weigh as an adult.
We can help with the amount if you need it, just tell us how much she weighs. If she's a puppy, figure out about what she's going to weigh as an adult.We're actually waiting until I get my first paycheck to start to be safe. I just got a job and we have more Orijen to finish up (it's so expensive we're using every last bit of it). She consistently weighs 44 pounds and she's 1y 4m so she's done doing all of her big growing. She's crazy active though. She could play for hours on end every day if we let her. Most days she gets around an hour of play (fetch, chasing, tug) with us or about an hour to two hours of play with another dog/dogs. We're also planning on enrolling her in play groups while we're at work so she'all be getting even more play. She's a play machine. (Kinda just like talking about my dog. She's the best :3). So what part of the chicken should I be feeding first? Also we can't seem to find any turkey to move onto that isn't super high in sodium (haven't found one under 300mg yet).
Congrats on the new dog! Start with feeding the leg quarters, and I would save the backs for any emergency poop issues later, if too much organ was fed or something.
It can be hard to find unehanced turkey, but if you can find whole necks they are easy to handle, and you can add boneless chicken breast with them that you cut off the whole chickens.
It can be hard to find unehanced turkey, but if you can find whole necks they are easy to handle, and you can add boneless chicken breast with them that you cut off the whole chickens.
Yeah we don't have a lot of places around here to buy odd meat bits. We've only checked one place though but our local butcher block has some okay things. Right now they have no turkey or chicken which I think is odd but eh.
So what bones are okay to feed her? I know any weight bearing bones are a no-no but what about like ribs or things like that?
So what bones are okay to feed her? I know any weight bearing bones are a no-no but what about like ribs or things like that?
Yea, if you need to you can go on to pork, then duck.
Pork ribs, lamb ribs, and deer ribs are fine to feed, but beef ribs are really really dense compared to them. I don't feed any beef bones, but the others are fine for mine, and they are Aussies, just for size comparison.
Pork ribs, lamb ribs, and deer ribs are fine to feed, but beef ribs are really really dense compared to them. I don't feed any beef bones, but the others are fine for mine, and they are Aussies, just for size comparison.
I'd post a picture of Cricket but it keeps having problems uploading. I'll go through photobucket when I get home. I'm probably going to go meat bumming today, will probably buy some more chicken and pork. I have to thaw out the chickens I have now to break them down because I don't have a stand alone freezer yet and we have a small space right now.
At the beginning do you think I could feed Cricket some backs and breast to balance out the bone? I don't particularly want to keep accumulating chicken backs if I don't have to. Also if she is 44 pounds, should I feed about the 2% equivalent of her weight in quarters Or less until she gets kinda used to it?
At the beginning do you think I could feed Cricket some backs and breast to balance out the bone? I don't particularly want to keep accumulating chicken backs if I don't have to. Also if she is 44 pounds, should I feed about the 2% equivalent of her weight in quarters Or less until she gets kinda used to it?
Just save the backs, and go with quarters. Much better meat to bone ratio in them.
Really, I don't go by percentages, I go by body condition when I feed, and knowing each dog as an individual. I also take into account activity level as well. Considering her size, try feeding two quarters at a time and see how that goes. You can increase or decrease as needed.
If you really want to go ahead and feed the backs, I would also add a couple of breasts at least with it, and if she seems constipated, add more breast.
Really, I don't go by percentages, I go by body condition when I feed, and knowing each dog as an individual. I also take into account activity level as well. Considering her size, try feeding two quarters at a time and see how that goes. You can increase or decrease as needed.
If you really want to go ahead and feed the backs, I would also add a couple of breasts at least with it, and if she seems constipated, add more breast.
Okay sounds good. I just have to know cause I'll probably be cuttin up the chickens I have tonight. I'm really excited to switch her to raw. I'm hoping it'll make this persistent rash she has go away. I'm not going to tell her vet though, she was already upset when I told her that I switched Cricket from Hills Science Diet to Orijen. I might switch vets cause I don't like we much anyway.
It wasn't not prescriptive thank god, it was just the sensitive stomach and skin kind.
So I went on a meat hunt and I HIT PAYDIRT. Here's a list of all I bought tonight:
20lbs of chicken quarters (.69 cents a friggin pound)
6lbs of turkey necks (they're 105mgs of sodium a serving but I've read that 100mgs is okay so I figured it wasn't that bad? It hasn't no other added ingredients)
5.5lbs turkey thighs (are these okay to feed or are the bones too big?)
2.5lbs of chicken hearts and gizzards
1.25 lbs chicken liver
All for $46 which is $1.30 a pound!
Cricket won't stop pestering me to get to the meat.
So I went on a meat hunt and I HIT PAYDIRT. Here's a list of all I bought tonight:
20lbs of chicken quarters (.69 cents a friggin pound)
6lbs of turkey necks (they're 105mgs of sodium a serving but I've read that 100mgs is okay so I figured it wasn't that bad? It hasn't no other added ingredients)
5.5lbs turkey thighs (are these okay to feed or are the bones too big?)
2.5lbs of chicken hearts and gizzards
1.25 lbs chicken liver
All for $46 which is $1.30 a pound!
Cricket won't stop pestering me to get to the meat.
Awww she's gorgeous! I had a Doberman that wore a t-shirt. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. She's very beautiful.
And you did great on the meat; I would feed the turkey necks for sure even though they're a little salty. Just maybe not all in the same week. Turkey thighs are likely ok too although if you think the bone is too dense for her you can cut off the meat and feed it as boneless. I don't feed my dogs turkey legs because there's just so much heavy bone but the thighs have less bone. Honestly, I've never found thighs to buy. Only legs.
And you did great on the meat; I would feed the turkey necks for sure even though they're a little salty. Just maybe not all in the same week. Turkey thighs are likely ok too although if you think the bone is too dense for her you can cut off the meat and feed it as boneless. I don't feed my dogs turkey legs because there's just so much heavy bone but the thighs have less bone. Honestly, I've never found thighs to buy. Only legs.
Thanks! We love her to bits. When we first got her she had lost about 40% of her fur due to an extensive skin infection and over time her fur grew in beautifully.
And awesome! I need to find more turkey I can feed, so I might cut up some of the thighs to feed with the necks when transitioning. They can swallow decent chunks of bone and their stomachs will deal with it, right? Im trying to find decent enough turkey to feed while moving up the meat ladder. Also looking for a standalone freezer since all that meat nearly took up all of our freezer space!
And awesome! I need to find more turkey I can feed, so I might cut up some of the thighs to feed with the necks when transitioning. They can swallow decent chunks of bone and their stomachs will deal with it, right? Im trying to find decent enough turkey to feed while moving up the meat ladder. Also looking for a standalone freezer since all that meat nearly took up all of our freezer space!
I agree, you did great on the meats! That was a great price too.
In the beginning, too dense bone can be hard to digest, and if the pieces are too large they may vomit them back up. The better their bodies get at handling raw, the better it gets. However, some bone can be too big and they just can't handle it. Part of the issue with turkey bones, being dense they do tend to splinter more, and sometimes break teeth. Just watch and see how she handles the thighs and go from there with them.
And by the way, great pictures!
In the beginning, too dense bone can be hard to digest, and if the pieces are too large they may vomit them back up. The better their bodies get at handling raw, the better it gets. However, some bone can be too big and they just can't handle it. Part of the issue with turkey bones, being dense they do tend to splinter more, and sometimes break teeth. Just watch and see how she handles the thighs and go from there with them.
And by the way, great pictures!
Yay, thanks! I wish there was footage of my face when I saw there was turkey necks. Like I did a whole double take and mini dance.
Okay that sounds fine on the bone thing. Would it be okay to give her like chicken backs/wings/drumsticks and boneless turkey then? I'm pretty sure there was rib-in turkey breast at the store but it was expensive.
Also, how do you know how much bone you're giving once you're on full 80/10/10 mode? NaturalFedDogs I know you like to eyeball it off of their poops but I'd like to be as on-point as I can at first so I can get better at eyeballing it. Isn't there like a table or something that has the average percentage of bone in a cut of meat?
Okay that sounds fine on the bone thing. Would it be okay to give her like chicken backs/wings/drumsticks and boneless turkey then? I'm pretty sure there was rib-in turkey breast at the store but it was expensive.
Also, how do you know how much bone you're giving once you're on full 80/10/10 mode? NaturalFedDogs I know you like to eyeball it off of their poops but I'd like to be as on-point as I can at first so I can get better at eyeballing it. Isn't there like a table or something that has the average percentage of bone in a cut of meat?
I wouldn't give any turkey yet. Wait a week or at least. One protein at a time, that way if there are any issues you know where its coming from.
There are some people here who can better help you with the amount of bone in each cut, honestly I don't really worry too much about it.
There are some people here who can better help you with the amount of bone in each cut, honestly I don't really worry too much about it.
Okay, got it!
Man my poor dog... when we first got her she had this awful skin infection and rash and sometimes it flares back up. The vet thinks it's flea bite dermatitis but I don't believe that at allit's on her stomach not her butt.. she's been biting herself all night and it's driving me nuts cause I want her to not be so itchy... it always seems to come back when she has a bout of diarrhea and we are at our wits end of what it could be... We think maybe some kind of food allergy but we have no idea. we're desperately hoping raw will help.
Man my poor dog... when we first got her she had this awful skin infection and rash and sometimes it flares back up. The vet thinks it's flea bite dermatitis but I don't believe that at allit's on her stomach not her butt.. she's been biting herself all night and it's driving me nuts cause I want her to not be so itchy... it always seems to come back when she has a bout of diarrhea and we are at our wits end of what it could be... We think maybe some kind of food allergy but we have no idea. we're desperately hoping raw will help.
That was actually one of my questions which sounds stupid but you always hear about the progression of chicken to turkey then pork, beef, organ and so on and I wasnt sure if you went chicken then turkey with no chicken, etc, but I get it now, it's like a pyramid not a line.
We were going to get Cricket one more bag of kibble but now I think we'43 just going to start once she's done with this bag. Why not. I already have the whole house stocked with meat, I get paid in a week so we can buy a freezer to start stocking up on more meat. Why not! I'll have to consult with my significant other, of course but I bet he'll be down on not spending $50 on a small bag of Orijen. Can't wait to get a freezer and can't wait to start buying squirmy meats like heart and liver. Can't wait to have a freezer to fill with meat to feed my dog.
tl;dr: I woke up at 6am and have been doing nothing except thinking about meat since then.
We were going to get Cricket one more bag of kibble but now I think we'43 just going to start once she's done with this bag. Why not. I already have the whole house stocked with meat, I get paid in a week so we can buy a freezer to start stocking up on more meat. Why not! I'll have to consult with my significant other, of course but I bet he'll be down on not spending $50 on a small bag of Orijen. Can't wait to get a freezer and can't wait to start buying squirmy meats like heart and liver. Can't wait to have a freezer to fill with meat to feed my dog.
tl;dr: I woke up at 6am and have been doing nothing except thinking about meat since then.
I'm thrilled that you are so excited about it. Your dog will be too. Going raw was a miracle for some of my dogs' allergies, and not for others. I have a foster dog that's been on raw for over a year and we're still working on her skin issues. I believe much of the skin problems can be attributed not only to food but to vaccines, chemicals, pesticides etc. we bombard our dogs with over the years, as well as a genetic propensity from inbreeding. The immune system doesn't repair itself in a week and some things just take time. I know how frustrating it is to watch them itch.
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