(Shelly) Dogs and fasting

[Guest guest]

Shelly,

I want to commend you on your web site. It is fabulous and you have put so

much work into it.

 

May I ask you some questions? I acquired a little 6 year old toy poodle and

I don't really know much about her past, but I would like to try and put her

on a natural raw diet. Some of my questions are:

1. What is the best way to transition them?

2. When grinding up those bones, are they rough with sharp edges?

3. In nature would a dog consume that much bone material and could too

much be harmful?

4. I notice a lot of people add fruits and vegetables both. Would fruit

sugars present a problem with the high fat content of the raw meat in their

bloodstreams.

I hope these questions don't sound too silly, but I'm just learning and I

want to do it right. The sweet little thing will eat anything and I do mean

anything, so she must be lacking in nutrients. It seems like so many people

are feeding their dogs all types of foods as long as they are raw, but I

feel that their carnivorous digestive systems require only certain foods

just as our human digestive systems do. Thank you for your time and any

information you can pass along.

Vegigran

[Guest guest]

Hi Vegigran,

Your questions are not silly at all, it's dangright cornfusing to choose the

correct diet so I follow the motto that the only " silly " question is the one

that is not asked. ;-)

 

Thank you for your kind words on our website. My pookids are pretty much my

greatest passion in life and I love to be able to share them via the web.

 

To answer your questions:

 

1. The best way to transition them is to just take the plunge. Throw out

any and all " dog foods " or better yet donate what you have to your local

shelter or ASPCA. Then go shopping! That's the fun part. <grin> The rule

of thumb to avoid choking by those who may have the tendency to " bolt " their

food is to purchase items bigger than their heads so they HAVE to slow down

and chew. Most people start with chicken as it is not expensive and it is

readily available. I have some Toys as well as the Standards and they can

tackle a chicken leg quarter with no problem but I generally whack it in

half giving them a leg or thigh to choose from. Stick with one protein for

a few weeks before going to something different while her body gets

accustomed to the change in diet.

 

2. Grinding is not promoted by true rawfeeders. You have to imagine your

dog as if she were in the wild. There are no grinders or supplements stores

on the corner. Not to mention a dog was born with it's own grinder in it's

mouth. Notice the difference of the shape of the teeth between them and us.

Since this is new to her though you may want to lightly score the meat so

she more easily gets a grip on it but other than that just take her to where

you'd like her to eat and plop down her meal for the day. Give her about 20

minutes and then take up whatever she has not eaten if she's being picky.

Put it in the fridge and then offer it again a few hours later. Do NOT cave

in and give her something else. Raw bones are much more pliable than cooked

bones, the cooked ones are the ones that will splinter so never offer these.

 

3. Typically the bone in the diet will be 10 to 15%. You'll know if you are

feeding too much bone as rock hard poops will be the result. Not to worry

though just add more meat to the diet and that will subside. You may also

be surprised by the lack of poop. The nutrients you will feed in a raw diet

will be used naturally by the dog's body so the result is far less poop and

little to no smell.

 

4. I don't offer fruits or veggies as part of the diet as dogs are

carnivores but I do give things as treats sometimes or mixed into what we

call Poodle Stew which is prepared once a week when I give mine their offal

(liver, kidneys, heart, trachea, any type of innards is considered offal) I

also throw in raw eggs and usually anything we have in the fridge that has

been leftover that needs to go into Poodle Stew before it will have to go to

the trash. I " ve thrown ALL kinds of stuff in my Poodle Stew and my kids

will eat anything that doesn't eat them first if it's served my Mama. LOL

 

All of this information is just the tip of the iceberg but I hope I have

helped and would be happy to answer any other questions that you may have.

The true experts can be found at the group site below where there are almost

4,000 members who have taught me SO much!

 

rawfeeding/

 

Shelly & the Angels of the Carolina's

www.realpoodles.com

Naturally reared, rawfed, unvaxed versatility in curls!

 

The Fox said to the little prince:

" Men have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it.

You remain responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. "

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery [The Little Prince]

 

-

" Vegigran " <vegigran

> Shelly,

> I want to commend you on your web site. It is fabulous and you have put

> so

> much work into it.

>

> May I ask you some questions? I acquired a little 6 year old toy poodle

> and

> I don't really know much about her past, but I would like to try and put

> her

> on a natural raw diet. Some of my questions are:

> 1. What is the best way to transition them?

> 2. When grinding up those bones, are they rough with sharp edges?

> 3. In nature would a dog consume that much bone material and could too

> much be harmful?

> 4. I notice a lot of people add fruits and vegetables both. Would fruit

> sugars present a problem with the high fat content of the raw meat in

> their

> bloodstreams.

> I hope these questions don't sound too silly, but I'm just learning and I

> want to do it right. The sweet little thing will eat anything and I do

> mean

> anything, so she must be lacking in nutrients. It seems like so many

> people

> are feeding their dogs all types of foods as long as they are raw, but I

> feel that their carnivorous digestive systems require only certain foods

> just as our human digestive systems do. Thank you for your time and any

> information you can pass along.

> Vegigran

[Guest guest]

Shelly~

Thanks so much for sharing this information with the group.

I have been transitioning my 2 yr. old Keeshond to raw food & she has had some

problems with diarrhea . . . is this normal in the transition period? She has

had " Real Food for Dogs " (chicken), & also some raw ground beef, veggies. She

loves it all, but it seems to upset her digestion.

any suggestions?

We have not tried bones yet (still makes me nervous).

Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Leslie

(ps Do your dogs have less odor when raw?)

[Guest guest]

We have been had our 3 dogs (11-yr old terrier, 7-yr old Yorkie and 2 yr old

Rottie) on a 100% raw diet for a little over 2 years. They are thriving. There

are no odors except for the farts sometimes, their coats are shiny and healthy,

no tarter on their teeth, etc. etc. They all act like pups. I would highly

recommend, if you have any questions, researching and joining a few

to learn more. One good group is rawfeeding . I wanted my

Rottie puppy to go from her mama to Raw and she is the picture of health.

 

Here is a good site that I love: http://www.rawfeddogs.net/

 

Not sure if photos are allowed on this group but below is a photo taken

yesterday of my daughter and I with our three dogs.

 

All the best in your journey.

 

Jeannie

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Jeannie,

I didn't see the picture of your dogs and daughter. I would love to see

that big Rotweiler with that little Yorkie.

Vegigran