Thread: Raw feeding - getting started.

Originally Posted by Hayden C

Agree I’m over thinking this. I just want to get the pup off to the right start with the best possible diet to supplement the usual socks, shoes, cloths, expensive hunting gear, electrical cords & furniture diet of a typical Labrador

Totally over thinking it. Unless you feed the pup sawdust he'll grow just fine. He will never get to experience "socks, shoes, cloths, expensive hunting gear, electrical cords & furniture" unless you leave him to explore these options which will be poor handling. When he is an old dog, having served you well on the hill it will not be his diet you will look back on to determine what made him a great dog, but your input into his training, obedience and experience. I recommend kibble because I have never had an issue with a dog raised on it, never even know of an incident with a dog raised on it. People talk about skin allergies etc but that's usually a breeder trying to dodge their their genetic issues and blame it on kibble. I like the boil up regime @Marty Henry recommends but I don;t have hours in the day for that. Vets will always recommend kibble, most often the one they stock because they want to sell it to you, not because it is the best one. Feeding should be taken into consideration, but in the wider scope of things is a very small consideration to one of the animals on this planets with the hardiest digestive system there is.

Oh and yeah, puppies twice a day up to anywhere between 6 - 12 months. Then once per day and I often fast mine through 24 hours a week. An old drover told me this once and I have found letting them have a total clean out is good. You only get blockage issues with brisket if you give them too much.,

Feed it them biscuit things till it's teeth are in then sling whatever is around the place out the door. It will eat it and do well.
Boning rabbits? Um, NO.

Dogs need dental treatment???? This is my 4 1/2 year old bitch, lives off kibble, brisket bones (sparingly) every couple of weeks keep her teeth like this.

Our breeder was a big one for correct balance in pup food. No brand push, just guidlines. I agree with her. Thats when they form bones etc.
Also dont let your pup launch of high stuff etc when young. Or jump into/out of the truck. I have seen a dog buggered from this - and it a was raw meat only from 12 weeks dog. Not clever.

The dog may still get allergies ( our does) but you wouldnt feed a baby an imbalanced diet would you ??

I tried working out once what was needed in a home made diet to cover the required nutrients and gave up. Her indoors was a vet nurse who fed her rottie home made food but only when he was an adult. Bloody cooked meatloaf amongst other things! Still, I get pretty good food now! Woof!!

Buy good food if you want a good healthy dog. Your car may run on old kero and thinners but not very well. And not for long.
You can run on shit food/ red bull/no sleep all day but not well. And not for long as a rule.....

Originally Posted by bang-thud-thump

Our breeder was a big one for correct balance in pup food. No brand push, just guidlines. I agree with her. Thats when they form bones etc.
Also dont let your pup launch of high stuff etc when young. Or jump into/out of the truck. I have seen a dog buggered from this - and it a was raw meat only from 12 weeks dog. Not clever.

The dog may still get allergies ( our does) but you wouldnt feed a baby an imbalanced diet would you ??

I tried working out once what was needed in a home made diet to cover the required nutrients and gave up. Her indoors was a vet nurse who fed her rottie home made food but only when he was an adult. Bloody cooked meatloaf amongst other things! Still, I get pretty good food now! Woof!!

Buy good food if you want a good healthy dog. Your car may run on old kero and thinners but not very well. And not for long.
You can run on shit food/ red bull/no sleep all day but not well. And not for long as a rule.....

You are correct, but I'd like to hear how a raw diet is a better diet than the prepared stuff. In most cases the put together raw diet cannot compete with the scientifically prepared ready to feed dog foods. Yes there is a lot of shite out there, Tux etc... but the best kibbles are first rate. Economically I have found nothing that can compete with Purina Dog Chow. Many years of feeding to hundreds of dogs, without incident and compliments on health, but hey, maybe you're right. The competition for the billion dollar international markets is such that most big pet food companies now have scientists on staff continually working on ensuring their foods are balanced and trustworthy. Most of the bullshit you read about allergies etc are simply that, and I'm sure your breeder made an excellent case, with absolutely NOTHING to back it up.

One last point. Everyone should remain well aware the totality of the requirements to be "a breeder" is to get an entire male canine to mate with an 'in-season' canine female. It doesn't take much. In that group there is a wide range of those with knowledge and those who are totally clueless.

Research, research and more research...if you are clueless you should not be breeding dogs...it is a big responibility and with all the wahwahs out there becoming even more so...accredited breeders...are we not all...even I can say that I am accredited with breeding dogs...

Scientifically proven...how is that...you can always tell if a dog eats only the science and not the animal...it will have dye stains around its mouth...and all that goes towards keeping some people very happy...no one should dispute that the INTRINSIC value of animal flesh is what a dog SHOULD BE EATING...

Kevin has arrived. He is settling in well.

Kevin is a lovely puppy... go well, little one...

Hey Hayden, I hope you don’t mind me pulling up this old thread, how’d you get on with your feeding diet in the first year?

In the end I switched him to 75/25 dry kibble/raw diet. A lot of the research I did suggested raw feeding was the way to go however it was very difficult to ensure that the pup would get all the nutrients he needed.

What's wrong with tux?
It's all my dog gets as far as buscuits , every so often rabbit too. He's 11 now.

The science behind dog foods, like most things made by big corporations, is for the perpetuation of $$$$$$$$ ... the canine has extremely strong jaws and a dental configuration for the consumption of animal flesh/animal skin/paunch and innards, his digestive system is powerful ... so what we do is feed? ... a 'scientifically proven' regime ... so wrong ... but to be fair, to feed dogs on consumer $$$ is so easy, the ingredients are sorted, afterall the science has been done for us ... wrong ... feeding dogs a raw diet takes time and bother, that is why it is so easy to go to the farm co-op, buy a bag of whatevers ... job sorted ...

Feeding dogs is a pretty polarizing issue and you will struggle to get the right information. Part of the reason you will struggle is that very little research has been undertaken. Most information is based upon anecdotal accounts and is swayed by peoples different incentives. There is no incentive for say Mars or Colgate to do research on whether raw food is better than dry. They already make billions selling Hills and Royal Canine, why jeopardize those profits. Nor do I think that it is a coincidence that they are heavily involved in the nutrition courses at vet school or that they sponsor and support a lot of the vet clinics.

Bones - I don't feed my dogs beef bones from mature animals as they are as hard as a rock and could damage their teeth. I prefer something like a veal bone which is softer. But I tend to wait until they are about a year old.
Remove some parts - see Sheepmeasles | Reducing the risk of sheep measles
On avoiding raw food - i just can't see how feeding highly processed food waste to my dogs is in their best interest. feeding a balanced diet is obviously a concern and so unless you are prepared to do a lot of reading and thinking about it an easy option is always mighty mix frozen concentrate.