help in feeding raw

Just bought conan a bag of frozen minced beef out of the pet shop to try him on that as ive herd its the way to go? I seen chicken and all ther so but decided to give the beef ago. Should i feed him it once a day or twice?? Should i cook it?? And how much?? Im only learning and need help thanx

Hiya
Theres a few raw feeders on here so im sure someone will be along to help - in the meantime check out the following:

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t14787-raw-diet

and

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t12752-raw-food-menu-for-a-puppy

If you're going to feed raw, you need to do a bit of research first, I'm afraid. Giving him just raw minced meat isn't enough. there has to be a blend of meat/bone/offal.

Have a look at these links before you decide whether you want to carry on or not....
http://rawfed.com/myths/feedraw.html
http://www.rawmeatybones.com/petowners/whatisrmb.php
http://www.krisannriorawfeeding.com/
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t14787-raw-diet

If you still want to go ahead, by all means ask any questions you need to!

So i cant just feed him minced beef? Does ther have to be bones or what?

There has to be a healthy mix of raw meat, raw bones and raw offal. That's why I put the links there for you to read - it isn't just a matter of putting some raw meat down and that's it. That wouldn't be enough to keep your dog healthy.

Basically, the main food would be a meaty bone - chicken wings/carcass, leg of lamb, pork or lamb ribs etc. Then a couple of time s a week a little offal should also be given. Don't forget that the bones aren't given just for their fun qualities, the dog actually eats the bone.

If you want to mix raw & commercial, you can. That would save you getting involved in the bones/offal thing. What you would do then is feed a meal of raw meat (preferably not mince, but mince if there's no chunks available) in the morning and then a feed of dry food at night.

I was thinkn of mixin. Is that ok to do? I dont want to get into bones and stuff.

As long as you don't literally mix them together & feed raw morning & commercial evening, it'll be fine.

However, you will find out soon enough if your boy prefers the raw. If so, you might consider going full bore. It really is a very nice option. My three love it and it isn't as messy or complex as it sounds once you get in a routine. I feed mine a base of chicken quarters that still have the kidney and liver in it so that it can be done quite simply. It keeps them really happy and healthy and they smell less than most commercial foods will have them. Plus they poo less.

Do use cook the meat,warm it up or what? Il try him on the mince meat first to see how he goes. Im considering goin raw. I herd its cheaper too.

no need to cook the meat, raw is fine it has more nutriants

De frost it and microwave for 3 minutes or what?

Just defrost it. You can defrost in the microwave if you want, but make sure you give it a couple of minutes after so that the temperature evens out right through the meat. Obviously, store what you don't use in the fridge!

So i just defrost mince meat and serve? I thought it was harder than that lol if he prefers raw after a while il prob change him to raw.

Don't cook anything, just defrost in a bowl overnight and serve

In agreement with Ella. I just leave it out to defrost and serve. It's better then the microwave option.

krik1690 wrote:So i just defrost mince meat and serve? I thought it was harder than that lol if he prefers raw after a while il prob change him to raw.

If you're feeding raw & commercial then yes, that's all there is to it! If you're feeding only raw then there's a bit more to it, I'm afraid. But even then, once you're used to it, it isn't too hard.

If you go 100% raw you will have to include raw meaty bones and not just mince. However, it really isn't any more difficult than defrosting a chicken quarter, back, or other option and making sure they get some offal every week. The write ups on feeding raw, with pictures should help a lot to explain. The links are above in an early response.

Is it ok to defrost in microwave. I want to try him on it now and havnt left it out over night. Il leave some out tonight for tomorrow morning.

It's fine, but better if it isn't cooked. Make sure you don't feed commercial until tonight or his tummy will be really bad. Just let it cool like Caryll said.

Il defrost it now and try him. Couple of mins in the microwave. Is it better i feed raw in the mornings cuz it takes longer to digest??

Just pick night or AM. I believe I actually digests faster than commercial. Not all that other stuff to break down. Nutrients are readily available.

We feed our girl "whole prey" which means 10% bone, 10% offal (of which 5% must be liver) and 80% meat. She gets beef and lamb hearts, lamb kidneys, a whole chicken (good for bone), lamb bone with lots of meat - it's really not as messy as you might think With the bone, as long as it's a soft bone like chicken, lamb or pork and big enough that he can't just gulp the whole thing in one go I wouldn't worry.

I get lots of support and info from a Facebook group called Raw Feeding (RF). Rascal has gorgeous healthy teeth, shiny coat, is a healthy weight and I get lots of satisfaction watching her rip into a big juicy heart, or tearing at her lamb bone

As Caryll said, there's more to it that just putting down some minced meat (actually, minced stuff is not recommended according to the "Whole Prey" model which is a model based upon how wolves eat). But it's not that hard really once you get used to it All the best and keep us posted!

Whoops, just noticed I'm signed in under hubby's login! It's Rascal-girl here

krik1690 wrote:Il defrost it now and try him. Couple of mins in the microwave. Is it better i feed raw in the mornings cuz it takes longer to digest??

bbimson wrote:Just pick night or AM. I believe I actually digests faster than commercial. Not all that other stuff to break down. Nutrients are readily available.

Feed raw in the morning. Raw only takes about 4 to 5 hours to digest, but commercial (depending on the type used) takes anything from 8 - 14 hours! So if you feed raw in the morning it gives plenty of time for digestion to take place before feeding the commercial in the afternoon.

Do you need to check with vet or anything before changing to raw? Is feeding raw cheaper?

Most vets are against raw so i wouldn't bother they will try to scare you into believing it's really bad for your dog.

On cost i feed my two a 22kg staff and 42kg ambull for £15 a month altogether including things like fresh whole fish

If its good and healthy y is a vet against it?

Because they know nothing about nutrition plus they don't get any profit if you feed raw rather then their food they sell in the waiting room

ella wrote:Because they know nothing about nutrition plus they don't get any profit if you feed raw rather then their food they sell in the waiting room

surly vets know about nutrition ? they most have some idea lol they are qualified after all

Actually there are about 3 or 4 vets in the country who are qualified in nutrition

(rascal-girl here) I look at it this way - as a nurse, I have good medical/nursing training and do a little bit on nutrition but if I want really good solid advice about diet, I see a dietician or a nutritionist. A lot of the nutrition education given to vets is provided by the companies who make pet food - the science diet people, etc etc....

I said to my vet about barf diet and he never heard of it lol

Exactly, vets are not nutritionists so I would never go to them about diet. Oh I will say I don't feed barf but prey model raw

XxTitans-mummyXx wrote:

ella wrote:Because they know nothing about nutrition plus they don't get any profit if you feed raw rather then their food they sell in the waiting room

surly vets know about nutrition ? they most have some idea lol they are qualified after all

Vets deal with what's going wrong with your pet - they are not nutritionists, and will plug whichever company gives them good discounts on food!

krik1690 wrote:I said to my vet about barf diet and he never heard of it lol

Neither have most of them - mainly because they don't want to know! My vets are now quite well up on prey model!

ella wrote: Oh I will say I don't feed barf but prey model raw

I feed a variation on prey model which is entirely my own but seems to work!!

How soon can you start feed in that whole prey diet?
My Aunts pup will be coming home in 2 weeks and would like to talk to her about it if its better for the dog. If I nudge her in the direction she can do some research and make her mind up about it.

We started the day Rascal arrived home at the tender age of 6wks (yes I know, too young, not our preferred option let me tell you!). She's never looked back. I on the other have had periods of deep anxiety!! It's just this year that I've started to really relax and understand that this really is the best diet for her - the proof is in her condition, teeth, coat, level of energy - it's also enormously satisfying watching her thoroughly enjoy ripping into her food