Starting Raw Again - Need a refresher

Hello all,

So I stopped feeding my dog raw for a bit because I had a roommate and their just wasn't enough room in our apartment freezer and he was throwing up sometimes that it just was not practical in that environment.

Now I have my own place and I plan to switch him back to raw. It has been about 8 months since he has been on a raw diet.

I went to my local pet store and picked up an Answers Straight Turkey 4lb and Beef 4lb as well as Answers Raw Goats Milk. I may also pick up some Answers Detailed, I wanted to start with Straight as he has food allergies, just not 100% sure to what as of now.

I have one of the Beef Cartons thawing in my Fridge as well as the Raw Goats Milk.

Should I be adding anything else to his food to ensure he is getting everything he needs nutrition wise or are those two a solid combo? Suggestions?

Thank you!

I'd also add in their fermented fish stock, since you aren't getting any omega 3 with the Answers straight and raw milk.

Honeys Owners said:

I'd also add in their fermented fish stock, since you aren't getting any omega 3 with the Answers straight and raw milk.

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Will do, they also sell that locally.

So according to Answers Feeding Calculator, should this work:

Also, I cannot remember however this is the Daily Amounts, correct?

Also, I have been looking at mypetcarnivore.com which proteins would you recommend I try?

They have:
Beaver
Beef
Chicken (Skipping that)
Deer & Elk
Duck
Fish: Herring, Whitefish, Trout, Sardines, Whiting
Goat
Lamb & Mutton
Pork
Rabbit
Turkey

Thanks!

I don't like that feeding calculator at Answers pet food. Assuming you have a 27 pound dog, you probably need about 790 calories or about 2/3 pound of raw food per day plus extras. I'd give 1/3 pound raw food twice daily plus the fermented fish stock 4 oz 3-4 times a week and 4 oz. raw goats milk 3-4 times a week. I'd cut a pound into thirds and seal them in ziplock bags. If he gains weight or loses weight you can adjust amounts later. Most dogs seem to lose weight on rabbit since it's lean.

Try one protein for about a month and see how he does before you move on to next one. Safest ones to start with are duck,rabbit, pork. I don't like deer and elk since there's a higher incidence of wasting disease in them. I wouldn't try anything too exotic like beaver since you want something to fall back on later if he gets really allergic.

Honeys Owners said:

I don't like that feeding calculator at Answers pet food. Assuming you have a 27 pound dog, you probably need about 790 calories or about 2/3 pound of raw food per day plus extras. I'd give 1/3 pound raw food twice daily plus the fermented fish stock 4 oz 3-4 times a week and 4 oz. raw goats milk 3-4 times a week. I'd cut a pound into thirds and seal them in ziplock bags. If he gains weight or loses weight you can adjust amounts later. Most dogs seem to lose weight on rabbit since it's lean.

Try one protein for about a month and see how he does before you move on to next one. Safest ones to start with are duck,rabbit, pork. I don't like deer and elk since there's a higher incidence of wasting disease in them. I wouldn't try anything too exotic like beaver since you want something to fall back on later if he gets really allergic.

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Appreciate the recommendations! I feed by cups, not pounds - do you know approximately how many cups would be around 1/3 pound?

Can I thaw the 4lb container, separate it and re-freeze the other half or does it need to be separated basically frozen and then back in the freezer?

Unfortunately, Answers only has Turkey, Pork, Beef and Chicken. I am avoiding the chicken. I got him Turkey and Beef. I would love to order more Proteins I just am not sure who sells them like Answers with the ground bone and organs. I have looked at mypetcarnivore.com many times and they are always out of stock.

When I switch him to the Raw, should I just give him the Answers Straight alone for a week, then introduce the Fermented Fish Stock and finally The Raw Goats Milk in a gradual fashion, or?

Should I be including anything else besides rotating White / Red meats, Goats Milk and Fish Stock?

I would thaw out the 4 pound container in the fridge for about 4 hr until it's easily cut but still frozen. Then you should be able to cut it into 4, which make 4 x 1 lb chunks. Then cut each 1 lb chunk into 3, so you have 12 X 1/3 pound chunks, each one good for one meal and in its own ziplock bag. Then refreeze it which is fine, since you never totally thawed it.

Some dogs will throw up on cold or frozen raw dog food. What I do with my dog is take the 1/3 pound meal serving that's in a ziplock bag out of the freezer, and put it into the fridge into a glass Tupperware container 24 hr before serving. I warm it up immediately before serving by adding a little bit of filtered microwaved water into the dog food bowl and mixing it with a plastic knife.

One pound = 2 cups = 16 oz

If you want to think in cups, 4 pounds = 8 cups. But each meal is about 1/3 pound or 5.33 ounces which is about 5/8 cup, which doesn't work out evenly. I think it's easier to think of pounds when cutting up.

I think you can add the goats milk and fish stock right away if you want- probably start with the goats milk the first week just in case your dog has a fish allergy so you'll see an allergic reaction once you add the fish.

It's probably a good idea to add some steamed vegetables and possibly some fresh fruits as snacks since the straight Answers doesn't have any.

I add sea kelp to my dog's frozen raw dog food, but you shouldn't need that because of the fermented goats milk and fish stock.

I also give my dog:
1) cetirizine ( Zyrtec ) antihistamine 10mg daily during spring,summer and fall for allergies.
2) turmeric powder 1/4 tsp twice daily with actiflex-4000 1/4 tsp twice daily for arthritis

BennyTheBulldog said:

Appreciate the recommendations! I feed by cups, not pounds - do you know approximately how many cups would be around 1/3 pound?

Can I thaw the 4lb container, separate it and re-freeze the other half or does it need to be separated basically frozen and then back in the freezer?

Unfortunately, Answers only has Turkey, Pork, Beef and Chicken. I am avoiding the chicken. I got him Turkey and Beef. I would love to order more Proteins I just am not sure who sells them like Answers with the ground bone and organs. I have looked at mypetcarnivore.com many times and they are always out of stock.

When I switch him to the Raw, should I just give him the Answers Straight alone for a week, then introduce the Fermented Fish Stock and finally The Raw Goats Milk in a gradual fashion, or?

Should I be including anything else besides rotating White / Red meats, Goats Milk and Fish Stock?

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Jax is about 27 pounds and he eats about 5.3 ounces per meal so twice a day. I rotate between Answers, Tucker’s, Primal, Vital Essentials and Northwest Naturals. I also rotate between the goat milk and fish stock. I contacted Answers before and they said if you add the goat milk to the straight formula then it is complete. Answers is a very high quality raw food company.

I make 2 weeks worth of meals at a time. I thaw enough to handle, separate into containers and then refreeze and then I pull out two containers a day for the next days meals.


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