First of all, thanks for the great welcome everyone! I am excited to be sharing my dogs' adventures here.
We all know dachshunds live to eat. Mine are no exception. I get home from work a little after 3 p.m. each day, and they get fed then (only once a day - more on that later). On the weekends or other days when I'm home, though, they start getting really restless in the afternoon. We refer to it as "Thor-thirty" as he's usually the first to sound the alarm. This can include barking, going nuts at my every move, and general harassment as shown below (note all this activity is occurring ON me):
As I mentioned before, I feed raw and have been doing so since 2004 when Napoleon was about 7 months old. It just seems logical to me - dogs need to eat fresh, whole, species-appropriate foods so what better than raw meat, bones and organs? My dogs thrive on this diet. I get comments often, especially at the vet, about how they are in such good shape - not overweight at all! Their teeth stay fairly clean and they don't have doggie breath or odor. Their coats are shiny and soft. Best of all, their poop is small and infrequent.
I noticed a couple people mentioned in the comments that they're interested in learning more about raw. Here is a really good site with a really good explanation of how to start: http://rawfed.com/myths/feedraw.html
There are many ways to feed raw -- you can buy premixes or even follow "recipes" to the letter or whatnot. I mostly feed whole cuts of meaty meat, which helps clean their teeth and gives them a mental workout too. Recently I've been able to get tons of great stuff: Green tripe, rabbit, and even emu! I rotate all that with chicken, turkey, beef, pork and canned fish that I buy at grocery stores, and that's about it. It seems simple to me, but I've been doing it for so long that I've gotten into a nice routine.
Sometimes I find odd items, or find other ways to get creative with the raw food. For a couple years around Thanksgiving, I'd dole out a special treat....
And yes, they ate them whole! They stopped when they were full and then I saved the rest, and they fasted the next day.
If you're interested in feeding raw, I highly recommend you read "Work Wonders: Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty Bones" by Dr. Tom Lonsdale. It is available at amazon.com for about $10 and online for free as a PDF at www.rawmeatybones.com. A great read!!
Links with more info:
http://rawlearning.com/
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding
http://www.rawfeddogs.net/
http://dogaware.com/
A whole MESS of raw feeding links
Now you may ask, is it expensive? What about germs? Etc. Please check out the links, especially the rawfed.com/myths one. All do a super job of explaining.
I measured food when I started feeding but don't anymore, at least not too much. I just chop things up or buy them so they are about as big as my hand and/or fist. You will want to keep an eye on your dogs' ribs and waist. If they get skinnier, feed more. If they chunk up, just start feeding less. You should be able to see a waist behind the ribs and feel the ribs but not see them. The general amount is 2%-3% of your dog's ideal body weight per day. For most of my dogs, that's about 1/4 lb or 4 oz. Fred eats a bit more and Po can do with less.
It does require a bit of research and reading to start feeding raw. Join that yahoo group, subscribe in digest form or just read the posts at the group web site, and just soak up all the info. You will learn how people feed, and what people feed. You can ask questions too but you will learn a lot just by reading.
It's easy to be intimidated by the list, but just read and learn. They're very anti-ground-raw, but if you just have one small dog and not a lot of time, a pre-made raw food could be a good option for you. I just found a coupon for free boxes of Bravo! Balance, so I've rotated that in to my dogs' menus because, hey, can't beat free!
Also try to join a local raw feeding group or co-op. My local list is pretty busy and has lots of great meat sources and helpful people!
I'm planning to do a meal log for the next week so I can show you all examples of what my dogs eat and what I supplement their diets with. In the meantime - anyone have questions? Leave them in the comments and I'll try to address them.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Friends
Posts
13 comments:
We had a neighbor who only fed his dog whole raw chickens. He swore by it! I've never had the nerve to try it...
Understanding that I've done a crapload of research both pro and anti raw, I'm 100% moving in this direction with my dogs. With so many tummy troubles with Calvin, I'm tired of putting my trust in other peoples' hands. We're transitioning to homemade food anyway using Sojo dehydrated so it's just another stop on my way to eventually going the route that makes me feel more in control of my dog's health.
Thanks so much for all the links and information. I'll be sending you my questions, I'm sure!
Wow!!! Baxter wishes his mom were so brave. When Baxter first came to his forever home, we started him off with Inova EVO, a high protein kibble. He had the best coat ever. But it would turn out that Baxter needed a lot more fiber in his diet and thus we switched to the Inova Reduced Fat Kibble.
LOVE the colors in the bathtub picture, and can't stop thinking how Baxter would be in utter heaven if given the opportunity to gnaw on a whole turkey!
I did the research a year or so ago and think it's a great idea. I haven't done it for more than a treat now & then. Perhaps I should just jump in and try. What do you think about starting an older dog? Digger is 10. I think raw would be beneficial.
For the older dog - absolutely!! One thing I didn't mention in the post is that I've fed all of my foster dogs the raw diet too. My Isabella is an older girl and came to me with broken bones (pelvis). With the help of the diet and a great joint supplement, she is trotting, running, jumping, and even kicking her back legs after she pees! And this is in a matter of months. Just go for it - never too late.
Nothing to do with food, but here is a link to a pic of my two
"Miniature Long Haired Dachshunds"
Rusty and Dasher, with our Rabbit, Thumper
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b99/SonjaHelga/My%20Dogs/Rusty-Dasher-Thumper.jpg
Thank you very much for writing about Raw Diet. I've heard lots of good things but don't know where to start. Thank you for all the reference!
I feed all of my dogs raw, including 4 dachshunds. They LOVE it and are so healthy. I don't feed the whole prey model, but do feed total raw. Go for it if you've been thinking about it and not tried it yet.
It seems hard at first, but when you get the hand of it, it's really easy and for us about 1/2 the cost of dry dog food. We have a large freezer and buy bulk so it is cheaper.
Also, hardly any poop and it is very dry and turns white, it's only bone meal. Also, we have the most beautiful teeth.
I've started old dogs and puppies on it alike and all do well. We use a little probiotic powder to help them out at first.
I'm glad to see you writing about it hear and giving so many great links (some I didn't have) and such positive information and reinforcement!!
Forgot to add, another great resource is www.rawdogranch.com/. She offers an Excel spreadsheet to help figure out quantities and percentages. Very helpful.
I feed my dogs Wellness and they are all perfectly healthy with nice teeth, soft coats, and are not an ounce overweight. I think every dog has different dietary needs, and as a responsible pet owner, its our job to determine what's best. So if its raw food, homemade, or dry dog kibble, its our choice. I have to say, I am personally not a fan of the raw diet.
I read on one of those sites that veterinarians and animal hospitals are against raw diets because they don't want to lose profits - which is ridiculous! Who is more of an animal health advocate than a veterinarian??? If you feel your vet doesn't have your pet's health and best interest at heart, please find one that does. Just my two cents.
Btw, that turkey photo is hilarious!
Rusty and Lila are eating pellets (what you guys call kibble) at the moment and thankfully i have never had any problems as far as feeding, or their health as a result of what they're eating.
So I'll keep them on it - but this is all so interesting and definitely something I'll keep in mind.
Thanks for all the informative links!
Oh and I added you on Flickr. :)
Hi Franny, I think actually this was more an article on what it's like to feed raw and giving resources. I don't remember anyone saying kibble was bad. As you said, you chose what is best for your dog and go with personal preference - that makes total sense.
I also have greyhounds and that was what I was refering to about clean teeth. Greyhounds have notoriously bad teeth that have to always have regular cleaning. I've been thrilled because I've not to have them under for a teeth cleaning since I started raw.
I like it, but it's not for everyone, that's for sure.
Hi Amy, I completely agree with you. This was an article about what its like to feed raw and giving resources. And I also don't remember anyone saying kibble was bad either. I was just simply stating what I feed my dogs (kibble) and how they are doing on this diet (great).
I have read through the links and although I don't agree with certain statements made by some websites about veterinarians and how all kibble is bad, I must retract my previous statement and say that I may become a fan of the raw diet.
I'm very glad this entry about raw diets was posted because it has definitely clarified my misconceptions, and I know it has done the same for others who have thought twice about what they feed their dogs. Which is why I love this blog!
I apologize for any misunderstandings. If you'd like to talk, please email me: nina@doxiementary.com - I'd love to hear about your personal experiences with the raw diet and about your four doxies and your greyhounds. :O)
Post a Comment