Absolutely overwhelmed!

[HannahBanana]

Hey guys,

So I've been researching everything I can about the raw diet and, as a chef, I'm kinda sold! However, with all the info out there I am so overwhelmed I feel like my head might explode!
Where do I start?! Is there a simple portion to weight guide out there?! Can I do raw and kibble/wet food?!
Help!

 

[pirasha]

Hello!

I've read the mixing could possible cause issues as the kibble is digested as a carb while the raw is digested as a protein. Not to say that all dogs have issues with this but I've heard that some do.

I've got my Poppy on have kibble half raw, she gets kibble (arcana ) in the morning and raw at night. I do this for 2 reasons. The first is if I have to get someone to watch her it's a lot easier to hand them kibble then having them measure out raw. Plus some people find it super gross. The second reason is I have to ration the raw into three small feedings over 10 minutes or so and I just don't have time to do that in the morning. Poppy LOVES her raw...so much that she eats it as fast as she can. If I give it to her all at once she usually ends up throwing it up within five minutes of eating because she gulps so much air. Smaller amount helps with that

are you planning on going with a commercial raw or mix your own? I know that Primal has a really nice calculator on their site to calculate how much to feed per day based on weight : Feeding, Transition and Safety for Raw Dog Food Diets

dog food advisor has a nice calulator too, but you need to know the kcals the food has:Dog Food Calculator | Dog Food Advisor

Hope this helps...I know other people on here know A LOT more than me so I'm sure they'll put in their input as well Good luck on the raw! I've noticed such a huge difference with my pup

 

[KimB3384]

[MENTION=1737]HannahBanana[/MENTION], it's great that you're considering raw. I personally think it's the way to go and have had great results with it.

I would recommend you decide which route you want to go because there are two ways to do raw, BARF and prey model. BARF includes fruits and vegetables, while prey is focused on meat/bone and what the dog would eat in the wild. Those aren't complete descriptions, they're just to give you a general overview. But the model you choose will impact how and what you feed.

I feed my Frenchie a modified prey model diet. I don't give her fruits or anything that can break down into sugar because she has yeast issues and I feed grinds because my dog is a gulper. There's a line of foods called Vital Essentials that's based on prey model feeding and they have a freeze-dried option which is nice if you're traveling or need to board.

Not sure where you're located but there are a number of different raw vendors who are great sources for your meat. If you're lucky and you dog has no allergies, you can probably survive by buying your meats at the grocery store or butcher. My girl is allergic to nearly everything, so we feed goat, rabbit, and bison. I get most of my meat from a place called Hare Today. Many people here use ReelRaw or Raw Feeding Miami. The nice thing about using meats from one of these vendors is that the meat/organ/bone ratio is already worked out in many of their selections. If you do it on your own you're going to need to do a little more research to make sure your ratios are sufficient.

It sounds very confusing and overwhelming, but it can be really easy. Maybe decide which way you want to go and then post that and ask additional questions. There are people here who do BARF who could help you if you choose that route, and there are lots of us who do prey. We're all here for you

 

[Jakeyjake]

You can also check out Dog Food Advisor for reviews on commercial brands of raw and freeze dried options.

 

[KimB3384]

Yes, Jakeyjake is right - dogfoodadvisor.com is a great source for information, but you really need to decide how you want to feed raw first because just looking at a list of recommended foods can be overwhelming. Do you want to do it yourself, or would you rather rely on a commercial brand to make the ratios for you? Do you want to feed fruits and veggies, or do you want to feed just meat? Do you want to do supplements? Once you think about your answers to those questions, we can help guide you in the right direction.

It's easier to start with a commercial brand first and then gradually move to doing it yourself, but you still need to decide if fruits and veggies are going to be part of the diet. There are very few brands that are meat-only, but we can help you find them. If your dog has no allergies, doesn't have any issues with yeast, and tolerates most proteins well then your options are almost unlimited. But we're talking about French Bulldogs here. High-maintenance and Frenchie are synonymous. I'm a control freak and I also need to control what mine takes in, so I can't feed just any old thing. And not all commercial raw brands - even well-rated ones - are the same. Again, seems overwhelming and confusing, and it can be at first, but there are enough people here who feed raw and can give you as much or as little detail as you want.

 

[MaplesMommy]

Its great that you're doing your research on what to feed! Awesome!
My Frenchie and my two cats are on a 100% species appropriate,raw diet. I would never feed anything else. But Im certain you are already well aware of all the benefits that come with a raw diet.

The general rule of thumb is 2% of body weight is what the dog needs daily. Puppies need more, so do dogs with crazy high metabolism but Id start on 2% -2.5% of the body weight(if you want to maintain the current weight) and then adjust if needed. When you feed a raw diet is has to be 80% muscle meat,10% bone,10%organ. You are pretty much mimiking what they would find in a wild prey.
And thats all! Go ahead and add supplements, fruits & veg. You dont have to,but unless you buy all grass fed meat from rich pastures,you might want to add some extra nutrients. I buy grass fed meat but I still add some boosting, nutrient rich herbs and vegetables/fruit.
Dont get to caught up with 'barf' or 'prey model', just feed fresh. I dont add vegetables every day on a strict basis but when I have some in & make smoothies, why not share
Especially in the beginning Id go with something that is already pre balanced for you,so you dont have to do any 80/10/10 calculations. And most commercial raw diets are refundable incase your dog is a picky eater.

If you have any questions,feel free to message me

 

[Cbrugs]

I just started feeding raw to Jax a few months ago due to allergies. I was totally overwhelmed at the beginning but he has been doing so well on it that it's worth it. I don't want to be bothered by figuring out the calculations so I get the pre-made grinds that already have the meat/bone/organ ratio measured out. I usually get the Vital Essentials frozen patties at a local pet store and then I order buffalo patties online. I don't add fruits or veggies in but sometimes if I am chopping something he can eat, I will give him a couple little pieces.

I started out giving Jax 2% of his body weight which came out to 10 ounces a day but he lost 3 pounds which I am sure was because he wasn't eating the sugar/carbs anymore from kibble and he still looks good but I don't want him to lose any more weight so I am now giving him 12 ounces a day. That's something you will have to play around with to figure out.

 

[HannahBanana]

Thank you everyone for your help!!! I think I'm going to keep him on his kibble/wet (Merick) until he's a bit older and then begin to introduce raw to him! Thanks again!

 

[hannah]

Instead of making my own thread I thought I would just add to this one! We are switching to a raw food diet! We are going to try Pets Go Raw which is a company here in BC. Pets Go Raw | Quality Raw Food for Your Pets
The food comes pre portioned and pre packaged in sausage link type packages that you thaw out.

We are going to do kibble in the morning and raw at night for a while and then fully transition if everything goes well! We are super excited! Going to pick up our first box today... I think we are going to choose the full meal option which consists of 75% meats and 25% veggie/fruit (carrots, apples, pumpkin, and romaine lettuce). Also includes organ meats, fresh whole eggs with shells and kelp. Meats used are chicken, turkey, beef, bison and wild Pacific salmon. They also do a “blend” of beef and turkey. Chicken, turkey and salmon are “bone in”.

They recommend substituting with a good oil and we already have salmon oil so will continue to use that

Anything else you guys recommend picking up to get started??

 

[MaplesMommy]

Instead of making my own thread I thought I would just add to this one! We are switching to a raw food diet! We are going to try Pets Go Raw which is a company here in BC. Pets Go Raw | Quality Raw Food for Your Pets
The food comes pre portioned and pre packaged in sausage link type packages that you thaw out.

We are going to do kibble in the morning and raw at night for a while and then fully transition if everything goes well! We are super excited! Going to pick up our first box today... I think we are going to choose the full meal option which consists of 75% meats and 25% veggie/fruit (carrots, apples, pumpkin, and romaine lettuce). Also includes organ meats, fresh whole eggs with shells and kelp. Meats used are chicken, turkey, beef, bison and wild Pacific salmon. They also do a “blend” of beef and turkey. Chicken, turkey and salmon are “bone in”.

They recommend substituting with a good oil and we already have salmon oil so will continue to use that

Anything else you guys recommend picking up to get started??

Sounds like you got it all covered

If you want to, you could always add additional things like coconut oil,Spirulina,wheat grass things like that, but you have the basics covered

 

[eeturk]

Mine has allergy issues and we just started adding quercetin to his raw. It has made a huge difference for those of you with seasonal allergy sufferers!


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[KimB3384]

Mine has allergy issues and we just started adding quercetin to his raw. It has made a huge difference for those of you with seasonal allergy sufferers!


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What dosage are you giving? We take a daily supplement that has 75mg in it and it seems to do an okay job. Not great, but okay. I've always wondered if I should seek out something stronger.

 

[eeturk]

What dosage are you giving? We take a daily supplement that has 75mg in it and it seems to do an okay job. Not great, but okay. I've always wondered if I should seek out something stronger.

200 mg/day split into two meals. The guide I'm following says the dose should be their weight times 8.


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[KimB3384]

The guide I'm following says the dose should be their weight times 8.

That's perfect info. Looks like we do need to up our intake. Thanks!

 

[eeturk]

That's perfect info. Looks like we do need to up our intake. Thanks!

No problem! We were skeptical but last night my SO said "wow your health store crap really works" [emoji23]


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[hannah]

Sounds like you got it all covered

If you want to, you could always add additional things like coconut oil,Spirulina,wheat grass things like that, but you have the basics covered

Another question! I called into my pet store to ask some questions and told them I would be trying kibble in AM raw PM and they also mentioned trying freeze dried as a topper possibly instead of pets go raw? She said it might be more cost effective.

I am about to do some research on the difference between freeze dried and frozen raw but thought I would ask you guys too?

Any preferences or reasons why one is better than the other or are they pretty much the same just packaged differently?

My options are NRG Pet Products | Dehydrated Dog Food | All Natural Dog Food or Stella and Chewys

 

[KimB3384]

Freeze-dried is more expensive. Usually by a decent amount, too. It's handy for traveling, but the process to make it is a little more involved, so it's reflected in the price. What's ideal, if you do travel a lot or board your dogs, is if you can match a freeze-dried version and a frozen raw product. I've mentioned before that I can't feed fruits and legumes to Beezy so I needed a product that came in both a frozen and freeze-dried form with matching ingredients so that we'd have no issues with switching between the formats. Vital Essentials worked for me. It's easier if your dog doesn't have any issues.

 

[hannah]

Freeze-dried is more expensive. Usually by a decent amount, too. It's handy for traveling, but the process to make it is a little more involved, so it's reflected in the price. What's ideal, if you do travel a lot or board your dogs, is if you can match a freeze-dried version and a frozen raw product. I've mentioned before that I can't feed fruits and legumes to Beezy so I needed a product that came in both a frozen and freeze-dried form with matching ingredients so that we'd have no issues with switching between the formats. Vital Essentials worked for me. It's easier if your dog doesn't have any issues.

I wonder why they told me they think it would be more cost effective to do freeze dried. Maybe because it would just be a topper on the kibble? I will have to work through some numbers

 

[KimB3384]

Yes, I'm sure that's what they're saying - if it's just a topper you won't use as much. But you'll still have to buy both and, really, I've never understood the whole topper concept. To me, you're either in or you're out, do you know what I mean? I can see using it to get your pet started on raw, but if you're just using it as a topper for every day kibble you're defeating the purpose of feeding raw. Your dog will still be getting the processed kibble and that's usually why people want to switch to raw - to get away from kibble. I suppose it depends on what your ultimate end goal is.

 

[HannahBanana]

[MENTION=1737]HannahBanana[/MENTION], it's great that you're considering raw. I personally think it's the way to go and have had great results with it.

I would recommend you decide which route you want to go because there are two ways to do raw, BARF and prey model. BARF includes fruits and vegetables, while prey is focused on meat/bone and what the dog would eat in the wild. Those aren't complete descriptions, they're just to give you a general overview. But the model you choose will impact how and what you feed.

I feed my Frenchie a modified prey model diet. I don't give her fruits or anything that can break down into sugar because she has yeast issues and I feed grinds because my dog is a gulper. There's a line of foods called Vital Essentials that's based on prey model feeding and they have a freeze-dried option which is nice if you're traveling or need to board.

Not sure where you're located but there are a number of different raw vendors who are great sources for your meat. If you're lucky and you dog has no allergies, you can probably survive by buying your meats at the grocery store or butcher. My girl is allergic to nearly everything, so we feed goat, rabbit, and bison. I get most of my meat from a place called Hare Today. Many people here use ReelRaw or Raw Feeding Miami. The nice thing about using meats from one of these vendors is that the meat/organ/bone ratio is already worked out in many of their selections. If you do it on your own you're going to need to do a little more research to make sure your ratios are sufficient.

It sounds very confusing and overwhelming, but it can be really easy. Maybe decide which way you want to go and then post that and ask additional questions. There are people here who do BARF who could help you if you choose that route, and there are lots of us who do prey. We're all here for you

I've completely let time get away from me while we wait for his giant bag of Merick Grain Free Puppy to run out. Once that happens is really love to contact you to pick your brain more. While is absolutely love to have the time to make it myself, the idea of getting to the butcher every time we need to reup and grind seems like an unlikely conquest. We seem o have several local raw dog food companies here (NYC) so it might just come down to figuring out what's the best and most cost effective. Thanks for all your help!