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Raw Dogs, Cats & Ferrets

[ website | 50 Most Frequently Asked Questions About The BARF Diet. ]
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the "catkins" diet [Oct. 20th, 2004|02:53 pm]

alegria_a
Ah, this is amusing. A bit annoying due to the ignorance of the writer and the dearth of actual facts, but it is amusing nonetheless.

Fat British cat slims down on the "Catkins" diet
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scared and confused. please help!! [Oct. 20th, 2004|12:16 pm]

angelemma
[mood | worried]

ok. i apologize in advance.. because this may be really long. but i need some serious advice/help. and, some of you may remember, that i posted here many times before asking tons of questions. and some of these are repeat questions..... i'm still just *really* nervous.

now..where to begin?
(side note: i'm a tech at a vet clinic.. and a lot of this has to do with problems i've had at work)

Bones/Salmonella:
a couple of weeks ago, i took Chance (60 lb border collie X) in to take a picture of his hips. when looking at the film, one of the Dr.s said "hmm. what's this? it looks like he's got some really hard stuff in his bowel.. what are you feeding him? is that BONE??!" i, hesitantly, admitted that it was chicken RMBs. and she gave me a ton of crap about salmonella. i told her i didn't want to argue about it. she went and told everyone else in the clinic. the lab tech came and attacked me because of the bones. "that shit rips you up inside. it cuts your ass on the way out! what are you thinking??" i tried to tell her that *raw* bones are ok.. but the more people attacked me for it....the more i started to doubt it. in fact, that Dr. hasn't been friendly to me since then. bitch :( . so..i guess i just want someone to reassure me? about salmonella and bones. bones ARE ok so long as they're raw, right? and.. why don't i have to worry about salmonella again..?

and then. i'm sure i'm just paranoid. but i fed him that Tues. night. and Wed. we took the xray. we had to sedate him, so i didn't feed him at all on Wed. and he didn't pass any stool until Thurs. night. is that normal? it's not getting all stuck up in there is it?? :(

Feeding Schedule:
can somebody please just *tell* me what to do? i don't feel safe "winging" it. i'm paranoid i'm not feeding enough mix, RMBs, extras, etc. how often should i feed: boneless meat/veggie/xtra mixes (any good recipes, also?), offal, and RMBs? is mix in the morning, RMBs in the evening too much of one or the other? i don't feel comfortable leaving it up to my judgment. :\

Thawing/Feeding RMBs:
so.. can someone basically tell me step by step what they do with RMBs? starting from getting home from the grocery store? for some reason, i'm having a difficult time getting a logical routine down. if you buy a bag of RMBs, do you open it up and separate it into servings? what do you store it in..ziploc bags? i feel like i'm making it *much* more of a pain in the ass than it should be. where do you store it? do you just put it in the fridge to thaw it?

i know someone just asked about this- but i'm also trying to find a logical place to feed the RMBs. he takes them into the living room once i give 'em to him..and eats them on the carpet. he likes to stand as he eats them.. so it'd be a bit crowded in his crate. the kitchen is that fake wood.. but it's hard to make him stay in there. i have a porch.. but it's kinda nasty :P suggestions?

Choosing RMBs:
i've been bad. i've been giving him mostly chicken RMBs. i don't know if i'm looking over them.. but i don't see many other choices? i guess i just need to try and find a meat market? can someone list the basics that you rotate between?

Treats and Chews:
so.. rawhide is bad, yes? Chance LOVES having chews to keep him busy. is there anything other than raw beef knuckle bones? (do they sell those at the pet stores.. Petco, etc?). what about treats? do y'all make homemade treats..? he's in training..and i had just been using kibble to train him. i don't know what to use instead?

Teeth:
Chance's teeth are already looking fabulous :D ..but before i switch over my 8 yr old cat, who has a good bit of tartar build up, i was wondering if she should have a dental.. kinda start with a clean slate? or just let the RMBs take care of it? and.. maybe a dumb question.... but do RMBs wear down the teeth? break any of them? i'm just concerned since she's getting up there in age.



and i really just don't know what to do about work. i considered switching back just to get them off of my case. i think they are actually *judging* me, now. should i recommend some books or websites? or just ignore them? :\

thanks a lot everyone :)

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[Oct. 18th, 2004|04:46 pm]

marybeans
[mood | hopeful]

This link was sent to me by someone against raw feeding http://secondchanceranch.org/rawmeat_crane.html and contains a lengthy article with many cited sources exploring the Mythology of the BARF diet. I was wondering if anyone had read it/had found an equally cited article that dismisses it, as is the case with this link http://www.mybluedog.com/rawmeat.html that has been rebutted by Billinghurst.

All the sources cited are legit and respectable, I'm hoping to find a similarly respectable article for BARF feeding. It's hard to switch skeptics with "proof" that just comes from another BARF website (example someone says dogs are omnivores and a link to a BARF site that says they are carnivores is supposed to prove them wrong). Sorta like trying to prove to someone still deciding who to vote for that the Republicans are wrong by citing Michael Moore. Skeptics just don't buy it even if it seems obvious to those already in the fold.

Any links would be appreciated.

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Persuading my cat to eat raw chicken [Oct. 18th, 2004|11:03 am]

cforrester
[EDIT:] I've been thinking that they're thighs, but they're actually legs. I haven't got a clue how I confused the two, but I've corrected my entry. ;)

I've been having trouble with trying to get one of my cats to eat raw chicken. She's my oldest cat, she's twelve. I've also got two other cats, one is four or five and the other is two, I think. I've been feeding them raw for about a month now, starting with chicken legs. My young cats have taken to it quite well, but my oldest cat absolutely refuses to touch the chicken.

The first thing I did was trying to get her to eat by not giving her anything else to eat. I even cut little pieces of the chicken off of the bone and tried to feed it to her, and she refuses. After about a week of not eating, I did what my friend suggested and dipped a piece of chicken in the water from a can of tuna. She ate that, but she refused to touch any chicken without tuna water on it.

She'll eat cooked chicken happily, and she'll eat bacon and ground beef. I've been feeding her ground beef, but I want to get her to eat chicken because she needs some bone as well as meat. I was wondering if anyone has any tips for getting her to eat chicken? She's always eaten dry kibble. She absolutely refuses to eat canned food or any kind of moist food.

Thanks!

[EDIT:] Also, anyone looking for meat in Montreal... I'm in Lasalle. The butcher I go to for meat is on Dollard, on the left side of the street if you come from Newman, just past a big produce store. It's a small place in a strip mall thing, it's called "La Préférence". Their address is 1387 Dollard, and their phone number is (514) 367-2153. If you want, you can go in and ask for the special package posted by the entrance. It's between $60 and $70 and you get quite a bit of meat.

Last week, when I went, they had chicken legs at $0.99 a pound, so I picked up enough of it to last for two weeks.
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[Oct. 17th, 2004|04:06 pm]

marybeans
Hello,

I was just wondering if anyone here was a Raw Foodist themselves?

I've found the FAQ for Raw Foodists and Raw Dog websites/books to be basically the same (except people generally don't eat raw meat).

http://www.living-foods.com/faq.html

I know raw grainless diets for dogs/cats are very popular among the atkins diet croud, but I was wondering how many of ya'll don't eat cooked grains/foods for the same reasons you feel it pertinent to feed raw foods, and not cooked foods, to your pets.

Also, raw foodists never eat grains, only sprouted grains. How do you feel about sprouts/sprouted grains for your dogs?

I know all about why commercial dog foods are bad for dogs, etc. I know about mystery meat and the horrors of the pet food industry. I've spent a very long time working in pet stores that sell raw food. I'm just curious as to how many people put the same thought/logic into their meals as they do their pets. I'm seriously not trying to stir anything up here, or "troll" (this is my first post here so I don't want people to get the wrong impression), I was just flipping through my "RAW, the Uncook Book" and the question came to mind.
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[Oct. 17th, 2004|05:37 pm]

tviokh
[mood |smelly]
[music |Louis Prima - Please No Squeeza Da Banana]

Fishy offal:

Smells terrible, furballs love it.
We food process ours as our animals have some odd hangup about eating whole or large slices of organ meat.
They seem like they'd rather starve (dogs have gone 48 hours without eating to avoid it) than eat it whole, but ground they'll snarf it up. *shrug*
If yours will eat the stuff whole, just mix everything together.

You'll need:

1 package of raw smelt. Usually it's dressed, but if you can get it whole, do it.
1 tin of sardines in spring water.
1 package of chicken hearts & gizzards
1 tub of beef liver, or if you buy it by the package, about 1/2 of a whole liver.

Put the smelt into the food processor. Process until it's a nice mince.
Scrape that into a bowl and add the liver, gizzards and hearts. Process that until it's a creamy mince. The liver will make it almost like a thick, chunky (and horrid smelling) gravy.
Pour that over the fish mince.
Open the sardines, pour the water over the other stuff in the bowl.
Crumble the sardines either with your fingers or with a fork.
Mix it all well and serve to animals.

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Spreading Salmonella? [Oct. 13th, 2004|07:27 pm]

niki090909
[mood | curious]

Hi Guys. In my continuing research of the pet nutrition I came across something interesting regarding the Raw Diet.

"In a scientific study, feces from nearly 1,000 sled dogs in Alaska were tested for Salmonella. Most of the sled dogs that are run long distances are fed raw diets because of their incredible need for immediately available high-quality proteins and fats. And alarming 70 percent of the dogs were found to be shedding salmonella in their feces." Dog Health & Nutrition for Dummies, M. Christine Zink, DVM,PhD

I've seen pictures of pet's being fed raw meats right on carpeting. I'm curious what precautions you all take to keep yourself safe and how you would disinfect something like carpet?

After you feed your pets do you wash their paws off? Couldn't the pet's paws spread the bacteria around the house even after it's meal? Especially those *evil* cats who like to jump on everything?

Thanks! :-)

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[Oct. 10th, 2004|12:24 pm]

freekykiki
I just got back from the asian food store where I got:
2 pretty whole chickens (with head, feet, & giblets but defeathered) ($.99/lb)
6 quail ($6.99/6)
pig feet ($.89/lb)
chicken parts (various chicken parts, mostly wings and drummettes) ($1.09/lb)
chicken drumsticks ($.89/lb)
chicken thighs ($.89/lb)

they're still out of pigeons :-(

So I'm at the checkout and the lady comments about how good the stewing chickens are and I tell her that I'm just getting the stuff for my dogs (well my cats are getting some of the stuff, too). She goes, "Your dogs eat good!"

Then, a little bit later (since it took a while to ring everything up) she goes, "Your dogs eat real food - no plastic bones for them!

I'm sure she still probably thinks I'm a little off for buying all that meat for my dogs, but it still made me smile.
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Small dog question... [Oct. 8th, 2004|12:29 pm]

clarityat3am
Who out there has a small dog that they feed raw to? My little one is all of 5 pounds and I was wondering what types of things I would feed her (size wise anyway) since she is so small? Also, I was curious to know how many people feel the need to incorporate fruits and veggies into a raw diet or if it's necessary at all? Thanks for all your help!
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[Oct. 8th, 2004|12:33 pm]

hieronymos8
[mood |productive]

Before I ever heard of the "Raw Diet" I was a little nervious about changing my Pit Bull's diet. But as I read more and more about it, it seemed like a good idea, since pit bulls are prone to skin irritations, I decided to give it a shot. And seriously, the itching and dry coat has stopped, and he's lost weight, he looks really healthy. I've been feeding him the raw way for about a year now, and I love it. I'm feeding my Rott puppy the same way, and hopefully it will be as good for her as it is for Zeus. The raw diet I believe is much better than grain, or cornmeal, why would you want to feed your animal you yourself wouldn't go near????

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Whee pics! :D [Oct. 5th, 2004|09:52 pm]

tviokh
[mood | complacent]
[music |Voltaire (Oh My Goth!) - When You're Evil]

Two of my three cats cooperated for dinner eating pictures tonight.

Ashleigh is the grey one; she's 16 1/2 and was switched to raw at 13.
Kyle is the black one, he's 9 and was switched to raw at 7.



More inside. )

The bones from the legs are now long gone. I couldn't get any good pics of them cracking into that, they all turned out blurry. :\

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Just switched to Steve's Real Food [Sep. 26th, 2004|09:40 pm]

rondie
Hi,

I just started my girl on Steve's yesterday. She LOVES it. I can give her a frozen cube as a treat, and she is ecstatic.

I had been feeding her prepared food, of my own concoction... turkey, potatoes, yogurt, occasional egg.

I feel Steve's with the added EFA and digestive enzymes my vet recommends are my best hope yet at helping her cope with her allergies.

When a dog throws up blood after eating rice or wheat, yet tests negative for food allergies, there are obviously some issues with grain. :)
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[Sep. 25th, 2004|10:39 pm]

suetrys
I finally noticed I had been the topic of raw dogs with an *eyeroll* from the owner of the site. This is in reference to losing two dogs 8 yrs. old, a min pin and a pom mix that I had put on the raw food diet in the hopes that they would lose weight and better their lives. Only six months into the diet both my dogs died, leaving me with many questions of what happened. Both came down with sugar diabietes, along with other serious immune problems. The owner of this site seemed to feel that I had accused the raw diet as the cause of my two dogs deaths, and wondered what I fed my dogs. I am very willing to explain the very simple diet of raw meat the two litttle dogs ate. I am also willing to share the pain they suffered changing their diets from a good kibble to raw meat in the hopes that I would better their lives, of which I did not, obviously, since my dogs are now buried in my yard. I am only looking for answers, not flaming, as to why, when I switched my two little healthy dogs to raw, they became ill, and died. As always, this post is dedicated to "Buddy and Trouble"
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[Sep. 26th, 2004|01:42 am]

phoenix1979
[mood | curious]
[music |My JRT snoring.]

Hi, after reading up a bit on feeding raw, I have decided that I am going to do A LOT more reading and switch to raw in the next couple of months.
I have an 11 year old JRT, a 2 year old GSD and a 5 year old cat.

I have a question about my cat though. She had to have 10 teeth taken out due to an allergic reaction caused by the kibble she was on, I've switched to a different brand but am desperate to get her off it as I don't want it to happen again and she won't let me clean her teeth very often. Will she be able to eat a normal raw diet with less teeth or will I have to add different things that will require less chewing?

Also, will feeding raw improve her teeth if any more damage has been done? They look ok at the moment, but I know most of the teeth she had out looked ok, only one of them out of the ten looked as if there was anything wrong with it.

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Hm. [Sep. 25th, 2004|07:05 pm]

xiggaroo
Hey everyone, I just found this community via a comment [info]tviokh made in [info]stupidpetowners. I've heard of the raw diet before, but always just shrugged it off because the pups I live with (Rio, Choc lab about four, and Riley who was sold as a 'purebred border collie' - which is bullshit, he has a spitz tail, but whatever) technically are my dad's - meaning HE feeds them, no one else. Oddly, for as possessive as he is, he still feeds them IAMS. Don't get me wrong, he adores them and wants the best for them, but he's very... traditional. Meaning, IAMS is easy and everyone does it, so thus he does too.

And I'm sick of it.


Does anyone have any good links I could show him about this? I've been searching my beloved Google and have found a few decent articles, but I figured you all would have a bunch as well.


EDIT:: Ah, stupid me. One should always check the info before posting... *blush* Anyway, I'll leave this up as an introduction.
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[Sep. 24th, 2004|11:37 pm]

musicaldreams
How do you go about finding a contaminent-free butcher? I'm looking to adopt two border collies, and my two pugs have struvite crystals and I will not put them on science diet. Wysong suppliments and diet for now, but if I can find a place so I can start feeding a raw diet, I'll try. I just need to get past my, well, vegetarianism and touch the meat. I am fine with them eating whatever they need, but I don't like touching meat.
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getting up close and personal with organ meats.. [Sep. 22nd, 2004|12:40 pm]

bicyclette
So apparently freezing beef kidney doesn't work out so well. It looks pretty cool, though, in a gross way.

Chopping beef heart nearly made retch, though. The consistency.. :shudder:
Good thing the dog likes it so much.
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Yet another raw dog encounter. [Sep. 18th, 2004|09:10 pm]
grave_medicine
[mood | amused]

I just ran to the supermarket for my weekly shopping and found they were having a sale on some of the less used meats. Plus the meats getting close to their "sell by" dates were marked down. So I stocked up on beef, calf and chicken livers, goat, beef soup bones, turkey necks, ham hocks, fish, etc., along with my daily requirements.

I make my way to the check-out lane where the cashier says:

"Gee, you eat a lot of meat."
"Not really. Most of this is for my dogs."
"You cook for your dogs?"
"No, I feed it to them just like this."
"...You feed your dogs raw meat?! What kind of dogs do you have, Rottweilers?!"
"Nope. Just a four pound Maltese/Miniature Poodle mix and a fifty-four pound mutt."

This was punctuated by someone behind me saying, "Oh god, I think I'm going to be sick." Heehee. Well, that's just too damn bad. I came home and fed my babies, who weren't repulsed in the least by the salmon/chicken liver/egg dinner mixed into their feeding bowl, which they licked clean.

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By way of introduction.. [Sep. 18th, 2004|02:09 pm]
grave_medicine
[mood | amused]

[x-posted to [info]thedogcommunity, where I was prodded to join after my post]

This morning I ran to PetSmart to buy some dog toys, bird seed and a new bird feeder. There I was accosted by a little old lady selling Nutro [dog food]. She asked what I feed my dogs. "Whatever they want," was my response. Since she was obviously confused, and probably thinking I'd give them the choice between Popeye's and McDonald's, I clarified.

"Sometimes they want liver, sometimes they want a big slab of ham, sometimes they want beef heart or ox tail or fish.."
"...You feed them raw meat?"
"And eggs, some fruits and vegetables when they ask for them, maybe a little brown rice and some clipped herbs. Usually whatever I'm eating just goes into their bowl before I cook the rest."

She was appalled. First she compared my babies to savage wolves [a double insult because wolves are one of my favourite creatures and because Toby's only a four pound Maltese/Miniature Poodle mix] and then went over to the cat ladies from the local Humane Society a few aisles over to have a shrill little conversation with them about me.

Accustomed to seeing me there buying stuff for the wild birds and my furry babies, the manager drifted over with a concerned look and asked me what happened. After I gave him an account of the whole situation he just frowned even more and said he'd deal with the situation, and to inform him if I was contacted by the Society. All I could do was smile and say, "No, let them come. They already have me on record because they handle all of Toby and Ripley's medical needs and that's where Ripley goes to obedience school. Besides, let them see my savage wolves in their natural habitat -- a pool."

Geeze, some people. I'll admit when I first heard about these raw diets, I was a bit concerned. It made sense, but still.. dogs are horribly domesticated. How could they possibly derive all the nutrients from a purely raw diet? Granted, our version of a raw diet is much more balanced than they'd get out in the wild, but still! So I started off gradually, mixing the stuff into their kibble, then occasionally giving them a purely raw meal.. Now I'm the one being told my dogs are savage animals. But you know what? My dogs are always excited to see what they're getting for dinner and Toby, who lived for eight years on kibble and canned food, is absolutely thrilled with a good meaty bone he can nibble to death.

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veggies? [Sep. 18th, 2004|12:52 pm]

bicyclette
So far Nino's been eating a lot of chicken quarters, and as his week-long intro to raw is over, I'm looking to mix some new stuff in to his diet. I'm thinking muscle and organ meats, and I just found an awesome source of raw goodness here in Houston (Bones to Go) but I'm curious about veggies. Nino's a greyhound, and from what I hear racing greys tend to get veggies and raw meat as additions to their diet at racing kennels, but so far any offering of veggies gets me a look like I've grown 2 heads.
Is it hugely problematic to not feed fruits and veggies if he doesn't seem to want them? Or is there a way to make them more palatable? If necessary, I can douse most anything in plain yogurt and it'll get eaten. ;)
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