Brand new to raw diets

[Simms87]

Hey y'all! I have a 19 week old cane corso male names groot! He is 50lbs so far and just awesome! I don't ever think I will own anything other than a mastiff for the rest of my life. With that being said Even though he is 50lbs I can see ribs and hip bones he gets two large bowls of kibble twice a day and puts on weight but still I see his hips and ribs.... I want to try out raw for a bit to see if this helps... I don't know much about it and was wondering if I could get the basics from you guys! For the first week I want to try and use stuff I have on hand. I fish and hunt and currently I have a freezer full of bass and catfish are these ok for dogs? What else should I add? I have 10 or so green apples lots of broccoli....

Any and all suggestions are welcome

 

[angelbears]

There is already a ton of information here on the forum. Just do a search and you will find answers to most of your questions.

As to the fish. I don't feed much fish. I wouldn't feed warm water fish. According to where you live you will want to be careful feeding what you hunt. Check with local authorities disease and parasites that may cause a problem.

We feed all meat no fruits or veggies in their meals. However, if we are having broccoli or any other veggie for dinner, the dogs are surely going to get a bite or two.

 

[musicdeb]

This is my experience with the raw diet with my boy, Titan.

Ok, first of all the basics. Raw diet is 80% meat, 10% raw meaty bone and 10% organ meat. The pup is fed 2-3% of their expected weight. Expected weight is based on parent*s weight, usually take the average of the parents. For example, the pup is expected to weigh 100 lbs., you would feed the pup 2-3 lbs of meat per day. For simplicity, you feed the pup 2 lbs of meat per day. You then would feed him approximately 1.5 lbs of meat + 2 ozs of raw meaty bone and 2 ozs of organ meat.

Organ meat is not started until at least 2-3 weeks on raw diet. Organ meat is liver, kidney, spleen, etc. Hearts and gizzards are meat because they are muscle.

The best meat to start raw diet is chicken legs, leg quarters, chicken breasts, and/or chicken necks (use these sparingly due to the high bone content). The chicken legs and leg quarters are pretty close to the 80% meat and 10% raw meaty bones.

Raw chicken feet are a great source of glucosamine. Titan eats his raw chicken feet frozen.

The pup will chew the bones once or twice and swallow, do not be alarmed that is normal. Pups will regurgitate, that is normal.

You will notice the pup will drink less water and the poop will dramatically reduce in size and occurrence. Titan*s poop is about the size of a cat*s poop and he usually poops every other day.

Do the chicken for about 2-3 weeks and then you can slowly introduce other meat and organ meats. Other meats are any meat you can buy at a grocery store or coop.

If the pup starts to have diarrhea after starting new meat or organ meat, reduce the amount of meat you are giving them until the diarrhea subsides.

I have fed Titan raw diet since 2012 because he had severe skin allergies and chronic yeasty ear infections due to the chicken and grains in dog food. It took 8-12 months to notice a difference but he no longer has skin allergies or chronic yeasty ear infection. I went the route of the vet prescribing antibiotics, steroids and special shampoos. It would clear up for a couple of weeks and start again.

FYI: Although pups are allergic to chicken in dog food, they seem to be ok with fresh chicken. However, be aware that some pups are allergic to chicken and/or all poultry.

Hope this helps. Let me know if I can help you further with feeding your pup raw diet.

Check out the Raw Diet sub forum in Health & Nutrition with a wealth of information re: raw diet.

“Do your research, form your own opinion and go with gut. Do what is best for your pup and your budget.”

 

[Simms87]

Thanks! I started looking for a freezer and checking craigslist last night for people selling off there last years meat but it seem pretty picked over... There is a wild game processor down the street from my house so I may go talk with them... But chicken it is for a bit he has had scraps of cooked chicken before off our dinner plate but not had any bone before at all.

 

[angelbears]

Remember, NO cooked bones. You need to be able to feed at least 4 different kinds of meat and 10% organ with liver being no more than 5% liver.

 

[Simms87]

Is it normal for mastiffs in general to look on the skinny side until they stop growing so quickly?

 

[DennasMom]

It may or may not be "normal" for mastiffs to be skinny - but thinner is definitely healthier. The slower they grow, the better... so being able to feel - or even see - a few ribs is preferred. If the hips are poking through, and don't have some padding, that might be a bit underweight, though.

We transitioned Denna to raw when she was 6 months old, so almost the same age as your pup. We had a few issues with 'loose poops' - mainly from feeding too much at one meal and/or introducing new/different proteins too soon.

A good source of "how to" (at least, the way we tried to do it) is available here: Raw Fed Dogs - Natural Prey Model Rawfeeding Diet

The best recommendations I can give you are:

1. go SLOW - one protein (i.e. chicken), no organs for at least two weeks... then add in new stuff in small portions. You'll notice on that link, liver is not introduced until week 11!

2. if you start with chicken, buy whole chickens, whack them into 4 pieces, and feed one piece per meal the first day (probably be <1lb per meal), then increase from there (assuming poops stay solid) until you reach your desired lb/meal.

3. we started with 2 meals a day (and still feed 2 meals a day) - keeping the meals smaller I think helps the transition, too. Gives the system time to shift gears and get caught up with the new digestive process - which includes higher stomach acid production.

4. balance nutrition Over Time. I normally try to balance out each week, but some people aim to balance monthly. That means - for me - each week I'll pull enough stuff out of the freezer to get my 80/10/10 (meat/bone/organ) ratios set, then just feed random items from the bucket in the fridge for meals during the week.

5. veggies - not "necessary"... but I add them in often. They add bulk to the poops (hint: they're not fully digested) - which I'm hoping helps Denna keep her anal glands clear. She also doesn't do well with lots of bone, and will get constipated, and veggies help provide some stool-softening for her. Our regular veggies include squash, carrots and broccoli. I use a frozen mix, hoping that the freezing process has broken the cell walls some, allowing some nutrients to be bio-available to the pup. If you use raw, you'll often notice them coming out in the poop in the same form they went in.

6. fruits - also not "necessary" and not very digestible... but Denna LOVES her fruit. She's still working on getting the last raspberries off the bushes in the yard. She also ate waaaaay too many fallen apples off the ground when staying with my MIL one weekend... and got the runs.... so, not something to over-do, for sure!!

Enjoy! It's an adventure, but I find it to be totally worth the effort.

 

[musicdeb]

Is it normal for mastiffs in general to look on the skinny side until they stop growing so quickly?

Not usually. Can you post a pic of your pup standing from the front, side and rear? Be more concerned with body condition than weight as slow and steady growth is key to a healthy mastiff since they continue to grow until 2-3 years of age.

 

[joepro]

Hey guys do you all do your chicken frozen or refrigerated? I feel like the refrigerated chicken would be more susceptible to bacteria or germs. Also I heard the frozen is good for helping to strengthen their jaw muscles and make their heads bigger

 

[musicdeb]

I freeze the chicken first because I buy a month's worth and take out 2 days worth to defrost in the fridge. The only meat Titan eats frozen is chicken feet. I believe frozen chicken legs or the like would be difficult to eat and could possibly break their teeth.

 

[Brinsdad]

We don't feed anything frozen , we buy in bulk frozen and defrost the day before , some people feed chicken wings etc frozen if your dog gulps as its ment to help slow the dog down and give them more chance to crush the bones


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