Raw help?!

So, finally got a chest freezer and my first raw order from Landywoods today.. ordered:
Tripe chunks
Chicken wings
Trotters
Minced course chicken
Chunked hearts
Beef & Kidney
Meaty ribs
Chunked liver

Only problem is the chunks are HUGE and all of the wings are stuck frozen together in the bags.. tried cutting the frozen bits into smaller pieces with a hacksaw but it's an absolute ball ache.. Any tips on how to cut them/tear them apart up when they're frozen like this? Don't wanna leave them to thaw for too long and then refreeze? I'm a vegetarian and haven't got a bloody clue about preparing or storing meat lol!

Also wanted to bag up portion sizes as I'm going away for a week and leaving Biscuit with the OH who hasn't a clue about raw feeding (and I'm very much still learning too) Feeding 2% of her body weight, so 380g per day, and following the 80% muscle meat, 10% bone 10% offal guidelines.. Do you guys have any meal combination recommendations from that list? I've started off gently with minced chicken and a chicken wing. Done so much reading but now that it's here I'm panicking  Help!

Don't worry about the chunks being big - the idea is for the dog to rip & tear the meat, duplicating the wild instincts of a dog, and cleaning its teeth.

You can defrost enough to split apart & then re-freeze. It won't hurt her as dogs can take a certain amount of 'off' meat without any problem at all!

You don't need to be exact with the percentages, just a rough guess will be fine. As far as the bone goes, if you feed too much her poo will be hard & chalky, if you don't feed enough it'll be soft. So just go by that. The offal should be 50% liver and then the rest is any offal - kidneys, spleen etc.

The only worry I had about the chunks being big were that they're weighing in at about 400g each which is way too much for her for each feed? Didn't know whether to defrost the whole thing and chop up to feed over a few days? Wasn't sure how long they would keep in the fridge..

Brilliant thank you I've been wrestling with a bag of chicken wings haha!

Yes, defrost it enough to cut it smaller & then refreeze - no problem!

I know what you mean about being a vegetarian - it takes a little while to get used to handling meat again, and it still feels alien to me even now! 

Definitely defrost and refreeze

With chicken wings that are frozen together, go outside and chuck them at the floor, great stress reliever

Amazing idea haha my neighbours are going to think I'm even more insane than they already do.. But Biscuit pretty much danced to her food bowl and all was gone in about 2 minutes flat so it's definitely worth it

Dogs are not as sensitive with food as we are, so what night smell borderline off to us is still ok for the dogs! I often feed it to my dog frozen though, gives her some extra work! You still wanna thaw it and refreeze it though in smaller portions. It might be a good idea to feed once daily instead, that way you can feed bigger meals.
And next time you order I wouldn't bother with the wings, they are too small for staffies and too much bone in them. For now just make sure she chews them!

Don't worry about ratios just yet. Just look at her stools and adjust according to that. In the beginning you often need more bone and wait with the offall at least a month! Start with chicken only for a week or two. If everything goes well then add a new meat gradually over a few days. Don't add anything new until she is doing well for at least a week. If you can get some pork that is often a good second meat after chicken. Hope that helps

Rachel33 wrote:Amazing idea haha my neighbours are going to think I'm even more insane than they already do.. But Biscuit pretty much danced to her food bowl and all was gone in about 2 minutes flat so it's definitely worth it

My neighbours have always thought I'm mad! Not least because I had a fully grown Stafford when my children were born, and I let him sniff at them & lick their hands!  

Rachel33 wrote:Amazing idea haha my neighbours are going to think I'm even more insane than they already do.. But Biscuit pretty much danced to her food bowl and all was gone in about 2 minutes flat so it's definitely worth it

I always do it if bones/wings are frozen together, i go and throw them about the garden

Caryll wrote:

Rachel33 wrote:Amazing idea haha my neighbours are going to think I'm even more insane than they already do.. But Biscuit pretty much danced to her food bowl and all was gone in about 2 minutes flat so it's definitely worth it

My neighbours have always thought I'm mad! Not least because I had a fully grown Stafford when my children were born, and I let him sniff at them & lick their hands!  

Savage! *Now wheres the number for the NSPCC*...

Annie and Maxi wrote:Dogs are not as sensitive with food as we are, so what night smell borderline off to us is still ok for the dogs! I often feed it to my dog frozen though, gives her some extra work! You still wanna thaw it and refreeze it though in smaller portions. It might be a good idea to feed once daily instead, that way you can feed bigger meals.
And next time you order I wouldn't bother with the wings, they are too small for staffies and too much bone in them. For now just make sure she chews them!

Don't worry about ratios just yet. Just look at her stools and adjust according to that. In the beginning you often need more bone and wait with the offall at least a month! Start with chicken only for a week or two. If everything goes well then add a new meat gradually over a few days. Don't add anything new until she is doing well for at least a week. If you can get some pork that is often a good second meat after chicken. Hope that helps

As long as she crunches the wings they are fine, my ambull eats alot of wings ;)i tend to use them as treats!

Ah that's really helpful Annie thanks She munched on a chicken wing earlier and did okay with it.. she doesn't tend to inhale her food too much and gave it a good ol' crunch before necking it  

 Caryll! Well, of course, what sort of a person keeps a companion dog with a child.. Oh the humanity!

Well.. they started to accept the motorbikes and the metal music and the heavily tattoo'd burly men visiting at all hours. the staffy they didn't mind too much but I'm sure when the see me slamming a bag of frozen chicken wings against a concrete surface they might begin to question things  

ella wrote:

Annie and Maxi wrote:Dogs are not as sensitive with food as we are, so what night smell borderline off to us is still ok for the dogs! I often feed it to my dog frozen though, gives her some extra work! You still wanna thaw it and refreeze it though in smaller portions. It might be a good idea to feed once daily instead, that way you can feed bigger meals.
And next time you order I wouldn't bother with the wings, they are too small for staffies and too much bone in them. For now just make sure she chews them!

Don't worry about ratios just yet. Just look at her stools and adjust according to that. In the beginning you often need more bone and wait with the offall at least a month! Start with chicken only for a week or two. If everything goes well then add a new meat gradually over a few days. Don't add anything new until she is doing well for at least a week. If you can get some pork that is often a good second meat after chicken. Hope that helps

As long as she crunches the wings they are fine, my ambull eats alot of wings ;)i tend to use them as treats!

Ok good! Thanks Ella! I have to be careful since maxi tends to inhale food! I thought all staffy's were the same lol. I give whole chicken quarters instead, works better with her!

You don't have to feed wings, definitely no good for those that gulp their food! But fine for those that crunch up their food.

Having said that Chance crunches once and down it goes!

I'm going to hi jack a little here!! Sorry!! Ella, I'm really interested in raw feeding. Albeit, not a permanent thing! Lola's on Eden, and for a treat say of a weekend, am I ok to give her something raw?? And if so what would be best?

Yes raw as treats is fine

Make sure to feed it separate to her normal kibble, I would start with chicken wings or legs/thighs, you can try holding one end if you think she will gulp it. You can also move on to lamb spine/ribs, pork ribs things like that

Cheers mate. Should I still feed her kibble as normal that day?

i would give her, her kibble early morning for breaky and then give her the raw treat late afternoon, or visa versa

May I say biscuit is looking particularly gorgeous at the moment? And Ellas right about chicken/Duck wings throw them at a concrete floor, much fun!

Had them funny looks for next door doing that also.
Best funny looks now are when we have a party and I give Blue a pigs trotter to keep him happy. Not sure how he does it but 15 mins in it starts to look more like half a chewed up arm

Nosipho wrote:May I say biscuit is looking particularly gorgeous at the moment? And Ellas right about chicken/Duck wings throw them at a concrete floor, much fun!

Thank you ever so much  she's doing alright Lots of hiking lol!