[rawfeeding] Re: General questions...

"Jersey" <heytruebluesavvy@...> wrote:
> 1.) About how much a month, total, does it cost to feed raw to one
dog? (I'm not looking at costs per lb or comparisons...I'm looking
for actually total amounts of money people spend a month on the rfd.)
*****
Doesn't strike me as the most logical way to approach expenses, but I
suspect (since I don't buy monthly I can only guess what I might
spend monthly) for a 60lb dog I average $45.

> 2.) What are the nutrients, vitamins, supplements, etc that I need
to make sure my dog has daily or weekly in his meals?
*****
They're all in the meat, meaty bones and organs you feed. Every last
one. Supplements are useful for specific health issues, otherwise,
pfft.

3.) Can he eat something that has a handful of nutrients one day and
then something else that has the rest of the nutrients he needs
another day?
*****
The "nutrient" thing is a throwback to formulaic diets constructed in
a laboratory. When you feed whole raw meat, organs and bones you are
feeding actual food. When you feed actual food, whatever it is you
feed that day provides its own nutrients. As long as you are feeding
species appropriate food--whatever that is, whatever day you're
feeding it on--you're providing high quality, highly bio-available
nutrients.

You might want to check out the USDA Nutrient Database. by comparing
the value of porksay, to beef, you'll see that both meats are quite
generous with a full range of nutrients.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

> 4.) What is the best way to introduce a raw food diet to a puppy?
(details please!)
*****
Ditch the kibble, feed raw. There is no free introductory offer: you
simply do it. Nike was right.

Perhaps you might join Yahoogroups (http://www.yahoogroups.com), then
link to the rawfeeding list in order to browse the archives. The
requests for detailed switch-over instructions--for pups, for adults,
for seniors, for dogs with significant health issues--number in the
hundreds, as do the answers. Be easier on everyone I think if you
were to use the archives.

> 5.) What meats out there are the best for dogs to eat?
*****
Meats, meaty bones, organs. A good raw diet is primarily but not
exclusively meat.

"Best" as I define it is whole natural grassfed ruminants, small
mammals and high Omega 3 fish. I'm sure others define "best"
differently. Regardless of how one's dietary dream team
materializes, the best foods are minimally processed and species
appropriate body parts that are easily acquired and reasonably priced.

6.) What meats out there have some side effects? (like diaharea (sp?)
*****
Diarrhea is generally a symptom of bacterial overgrowth or
parasites. Loose stools OTOH are generally caused by too much food,
too much new food, and too much fat. Any meat--any food--can cause
loose stools. Handler error is the most common cause of digestive
distress.

What are fatty meats? Pork and lamb primarily, but any meal with
more fat than the dog can comfortably handle can cause digestive
issues. What are lean meats? Meats with little subQ fat and little
marbling, like white fish, emu, wild meats.

Side effects other than digestive distress might be weight gain or
loss, dry coat/skin, protein sensitivity, financial woes or shopping
dependency. Any meat is capable of producing these results.

> 7.) What meats out there should I avoid feeding?
*****
Try to feed minimally processed food. Try to feed grassfed food.
Try to feed wild, sustainably harvested fish. Beyond that, only
avoid those body parts that a. your dog doesn't do well on and/or b.
you cannot afford.

> 8.) How long does meat need to be thawed out for, generally, before
its completely edible to be consumed?
*****
Meat, meaty bones and organs can be feed frozen if needs be, and they
can be fed at any point along the continuum between frozen and room
temperature.

> 9.) What are some good starter bones in meats that a puppy could
safely chew and consume?
*****
Rib-in chicken breasts are good to start with. Most chicken parts
except those that are exceptionally bony like necks, backs and wings
can be used to great advantage. Backs are useful for adding to a
meaty meal; wings when attached to the breast or at least cut
generously from the whole bird are good, too.

Other possiblities are pork riblets or at least a bit of pork neck
bone; game hens, whole quail, rabbit, perhaps lamb breast/riblets.

> 10.) I have over half of a 39 lb bag of Purina Puppy chow left, not
to mention whats in the storage container - I'm not one to waste
something that I buy...is it ok to feed him raw one day, kibble the
next and rotate in that order until the kibble is gone...or will that
screw up his digestive system?
*****
It's probably doable in terms of not significantly messing the pup up
but Purina Puppy Chow truly sucks, so why don't you simply bite the
bullet and donate it to a shelter. No, it's not good for shelter
dogs either, but shelters need donations and your pup needs real food.

Feeding through a bag of Purina Puppy Chow to save--what? Twenty
bucks maybe--is false economy.
Chris O

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