[susan tuck]

Arkane is now 8 months old & has always been on raw food diet. I have been feeding chicken frames/necks & Bravo raw turkley blend (ground turkey meat/organs/bones/veggies). Should I be feeding other kinds of proteins like beef, pork, lamb, buffalo, etc.? I added the turkey because I was concerned that feeding soley chicken might result in oversentizing to chicken & cause an alergic reaction.
Thanks,
Sue

 

[Connie Sutherland]

Arkane is now 8 months old & has always been on raw food diet. I have been feeding chicken frames/necks & Bravo raw turkley blend (ground turkey meat/organs/bones/veggies). Should I be feeding other kinds of proteins like beef, pork, lamb, buffalo, etc.? I added the turkey because I was concerned that feeding soley chicken might result in oversentizing to chicken & cause an alergic reaction.
Thanks,
Sue

I try to give a variety for the sake of variety (different micronutrients), so I do try to veer off the chicken. Otherwise I tend to fall into a chicken rut for dog food. I don't feed pork, but I know people who do.

I try to add rabbit, some beef (slowly at first), lamb neck, and fish. One thing to remember is to keep some "novel" sources up your sleeve -- just in case there every is a food allergy, which is generally to a protein, you'll want to have some never-fed meats available. So I don't feed buffalo or ostrich, both of which I can get raw locally, just in case.

 

[susan tuck]

Connie, What kind of fish & is it fresh? Also, how often do you feed fish?

 

[Connie Sutherland]

Connie, What kind of fish & is it fresh?

I buy wild only (many excellent reasons for not buying farmed, of any fish), and I find that Trader Joe's has great prices on frozen fillets. Fresh is pricey, even here. Also, since I would freeze it anyway to feed it to dogs raw (just in case of any parasites), might as well buy the cheaper frozen.

Wild Pacific salmon is the one that you can't feed raw because of "salmon poisoning" (Pacific salmon feed on snails that carry a fluke that contain a bacteria that is harmful if ingested by dogs), but canned salmon is wild Pacific salmon, cooked, and safe. I rinse it to remove some salt, and maybe that removes a little good oil, but that's the way it goes........ :lol:

And I'm giving fish oil anyway.

 

[susan tuck]

So do you stick with Salmon? Do you feed it like once a week? Yes, I've heard about the thing with the Pacific Salmon, that's why I only use 100% wild norwegian salmon oil.

 

[Connie Sutherland]

So do you stick with Salmon? Do you feed it like once a week? Yes, I've heard about the thing with the Pacific Salmon, that's why I only use 100% wild norwegian salmon oil.

Oh, no, I buy fillets of sole and other fish (frozen and cheap).

I add a fillet or two once or twice a week and I use a can of of red salmon (with skin and those soft bones included) whenever convenient. I get that at TJ's too.

The fillets of fish I get at TJ's are packed in a way that you can whack the package and break off a fillet or two. But the kind in large chain stores sometimes all have to be thawed at once. When I was buying those I just made fish the whole meat for a meal or two.

I had a very allergic dog who had no allergies to white fish, so I got lots of practice feeding fish! She also had pancreatitis when she first came to me, so white fish was a good efficient protein source for her. So I got in the habit of using fish as part of the dogs' food.

 

[susan tuck]

Thanks Connie, you sure helped me out when I made the leap to RAW, & now I am going to brave the waters & feed raw fish, too. :lol: Hey, you know what I just realized? Yesterday Arkane turned 8 months, so that means you have been helping me out on these diet issues for over 6 months now, because I was talking to you about it before I got him. Wow, time DOES fly! Your patience & generosity are greatly appreciated.

 

[Connie Sutherland]

Thanks Connie, you sure helped me out when I made the leap to RAW, & now I am going to brave the waters & feed raw fish, too. :lol:

Raw frozen, right? I know people do feed raw fresh, but maybe it's better not to, unless we happen to be sushi masters and can recognize parasites instantly....... :lol:

 

[Connie Sutherland]

BTW, I have read and heard good things about "lamb flaps" to add to the raw diet, but I have no idea what that is. I do feed lamb neck when I can get it, having read good things about that too.

 

[susan tuck]

Yes, raw frozen. I sure don't want any parasites.

 

[Connie Sutherland]

..... Yesterday Arkane turned 8 months,....

Wow, that's cool! He has had six months on excellent food, thanks to your decision when you got him! =D>

 

[susan tuck]

I think so too. Especially when you consider how much they really enjoy it, too. Dean & Karla also feed raw, so he was weaned on it. That & mothers' milk! But seriously, I can't thank you enough for sharing your knowledge & being so patient.

 

[Maren Bell Jones]

Ooooh, I can't wait til I get in some $$$ from my wedding in about a month. A chest freezer for the raw meat and some additional Cutco knives for food prep are on my list of must buys! I really like Chicken Soup, but I still think I'd be better going with raw.

 

[Connie Sutherland]

Ooooh, I can't wait til I get in some $$$ from my wedding in about a month. A chest freezer for the raw meat and some additional Cutco knives for food prep are on my list of must buys! I really like Chicken Soup, but I still think I'd be better going with raw.

Oh, man, you lucky duck......... I would loooove a separate freezer!

I manage with the one in the 'fridge, though, feeding two dogs. But boy, would it save money if I could stock up when there was a sale...!

 

[Maren Bell Jones]

The chest freezers are actually pretty fairly priced. Most seem in the $150-200 range and look like they could go in the garage pretty easily. Might even pay for themselves after a couple of years of use if you buy bulk. Even though there will just be me and future hubby, we still buy a lot in bulk from Sam's Club and that sort of thing, so we can't fit a bunch of junk for both us and the three dogs in the freezer.

I also just wish my ferret would eat mice like he's supposed to because a raw whole prey diet is really really good for them since their digestive tract is so short. He prefers to just sling the little thawed mousie guts around his cage instead of really eating it much. :roll: I get a limitless supply at our research lab (which my snake takes full advantage of). Hmmm, coyotes and wolves eat mice. Wonder what the dogs would think...would work real well with toy breeds!

 

[Connie Sutherland]

.......I also just wish my ferret would eat mice like he's supposed to because a raw whole prey diet is really really good for them since their digestive tract is so short. He prefers to just sling the little thawed mousie guts around his cage instead of really eating it much.....

What does he prefer to little thawed mousie guts?

 

[Connie Sutherland]

worms

The chest freezers are actually pretty fairly priced. Most seem in the $150-200 range and look like they could go in the garage pretty easily. Might even pay for themselves after a couple of years of use if you buy bulk. ......

Oh, I am certain it would. I just have no room for a chest freezer.

I was thinking that even the kind that's half that size (like a chest but more the size of a washing machine) might be good. I'm short on counter space, too, so it could be another counter.

That would probably hold a lot of carefully-arranged dog meat. Plus, then I could pre-freeze all the raw stuff and be extra-careful about parasites. There's a thread on another site about freezing all RMBs to avoid worms, and it made me think I'm pretty lax, just feeding fresh chicken and lamb from the natural food store "as is," only freezing the extra!

That thread also mentions testing for worms every few months, another thing I have been extremely lax about........ I never thought of it! I guess I figured I would test if I saw a problem or if I saw evidence.

I'm not protesting, though. It seems like a good idea.

Does anyone here do regular testing for worms?

 

[Maren Bell Jones]

He eats Chicken Soup kitten, which is incidently rated higher than like 95% of all the ferret diets out there...and much cheaper too! I've been told by some ferret folks on a ferret forum that I should just give him a live mouse to kill and eat, but eh...my snake does just fine with frozen thawed mice, I don't see why the darn ferret is being so picky when the dogs and the snake aren't. :lol: Then again, ferrets have all the same problem that dogs and cats do with commericial diets. Back when they were first domesticated like 2500 years ago or whatever to hunt rabbits and whatnot, I'm sure they didn't get to eat a commercial diet either.

But as far as the parasites go, I don't check for them except during their once a year fecal. One of my fosters about a month ago had tapeworms, ick...had to make sure to pick up after him very well! Even though our mice in our research lab are cleaner than the average pet store mouse, I still freeze the mice for at least a week or two to kill the parasites, though occasionally if I'm in a pinch, she (the snake) gets a freshly killed mouse.

Edit for typo

 

[Bob Scott]

marin, I've had snakes in the past that wouldn't touch anything but a live mouse. could be your ferret is the same way. Nothing like a little "prey drive" to stimulate the appetite. :wink:

 

[Maren Bell Jones]

That is true. My friend's captive bred ball python is quite picky, as they are notorious for being. Sometimes she doesn't like white mice, sometimes she doesn't like male mice, sometimes she doesn't like frozen thawed and wants prekilled. Never bothers my jungle carpet python who has never said no to a frozen thawed mouse. She's actually popped a few mice before with how hard she hits and coils them. I'm going to have to start her on rats in about six months.