[Chocx2]

Since starting to feed raw, one of my dogs, my male started eating the dirt out of my planters? Anyone have any thoughts on that? He was a parvo puppy, his whole litter at five weeks of age got sick, several litter mates died, several days of blood transfusions and plazma ect. Could that have anything to do with it? Or is there something else I need to do?

 

[DaneMama]

What are you feeding on a regular basis?

 

[Chocx2]

turkey necks / neck bones from lab, buffalo, beef, them some recreational bones during the week but I have to find a place to get other stuff. Because I am feeding primal and bravo which is expensive.

:redface:

He is a lab though

 

[rawfeederr]

Nope, my dog hasn't started eating dirt since I started raw. My dog contracted parvo as a puppy too.
Eating dirt seems kind of unusual though.. I hope you find out the cause!

 

[DaneMama]

Sounds like mostly bone in meats. Remember that they should be getting mostly muscle meats, some bone and some organs.

How long have you been feeding raw?

How old is your dog?

 

[Chocx2]

He is two and he is only been eating raw since January I ordered from BARF today.

Do you think the packaged food has alot of bone in it?

I ordered alot of meaty bones and hearts and livers. Is it ok to mix meats like beef and turkey?

 

[RawFedDogs]

Do you think the packaged food has alot of bone in it?

I don't like the BARF patties. They have a LOT of inappropriate ingredients. It has way too much bone and they are expensive.

I ordered alot of meaty bones and hearts and livers. Is it ok to mix meats like beef and turkey?

Yes, you can mix protein sources without problems once your dogs have been eating raw for a few months. You should consider feeding only meat, bones, and organs and forget the packaged stuff. Meat, bones and organs have all the nutrients your dog needs. If you haven't yet, check out the web page in my sig.

 

[rawfeederr]

I agree with RFD, cut the BARF patties. Feed a real raw diet of only raw meat, bones, & organs.

And yes, it's fine to mix protein sources, I do it all the time so my "dog" doesn't get bored! :smile:

 

[Jodysmom]

I know bonemeal is sometimes used as a fertilizer..could this be the case?

 

[Jem]

My dog ate dirt out of the planters for the first couple of weeks on raw. It wasn't until the raw diet was completely balanced, that she stopped. I haven't seen her do it since, but it has been winter...? I never really did know why she was doing it. (Although, she did it as a puppy when she was on kibble too?) I wouldn't be too concerned, just make sure you are providing a balanced raw diet that is lacking nothing. If you have any questions about what a balanced one looks like, feel free to post on the forum and many people can help you out.

 

[Chocx2]

pricey?

I went today and found chicken leg/thighs for under a 1.00 a pound what I ordered from BARF was meaty bones, ground, tails, livers, hearts I have been weighing the meat and feeding the large dog about a pound a feeding? They were crunching on the bones in the chicken legs but seemed to get through them.
How would I balance her diet out? Do I need to add anything.
I put collards in the food processor and give her about a teaspoon of the greens she seemed to be struggleing to move her bowls so I added the veggies for ruffage?

 

[RawFedDogs]

When you say "leg/thighs" are you talking about two seperate pieces or one piece we call "chicken leg quarters" or just "chicken quarters"? Ground what? What kind of tails and how large are they? Are you feeding any of the BARF patties? You balance out the diet by feeding a variety of animal parts from a variety of animals, mostly meat, some bone, and some organs. That is balanced.

Don't analyze every bowel movement. You will drive yourself crazy. Her BM's will be more solid because of the new diet therefore sometimes a little more difficult to get out. Its not a big deal. In a carnivore's diet, bone is ruffage. Again, there is no need for veggies. It will take her a few days of no veggies to get herself all sorted out and on a routine with BM's.

 

[Chocx2]

I started feeding them with primal brand which is a grind, bones, organ meat, muscle meat. Thats not cheap, and I was giving them meaty bones. Now I am giving them a quarter, leg and thigh and maybe some ground meat. I have gotten some deer meat. I am mixing it and I weigh it. My biggest dog eats about two pounds a day, she is extremly active. She is the one that has lost her hair and wasn't keeping weight on. My male was eating dirt, not alot but he still does it and he was eating grass outside.

 

[RawFedDogs]

If it were me, I would phase out Primal. Concentrate on meat, bones, and organs and feed ground only occasionally .... like maybe 2 or 3 times a week. Gradually add in a little more variety. Deer meat is wonderful ... get as much of that as you can.

Don't worry about exact weights of each meal. Learn what a meal looks like and feed that. If a dog starts getting heavy, feed less and vice versa.

You are doing good. It will soon be second nature to you. It will soon become just the way to feed a dog. :smile:

Also, don't worry a lot about "doing it right". There is no right and wrong way as long as you feed meat, bones, and organs from a variety of animals. Moslty meat, some bone, and some organs. You won't find any two people that feed exactly the same way. Everyone has his own little quirks.

Some feed veggies, some don't. Some give supplements, some don't. We all have one thing in common ... our dogs are healthy.