I would say it is better to consult and get the proper guidance from a Vetenary doctor about the diet of the puppy with regular intervals, otherwise the diseases may evolve during certain intervals and that may lead to the death of your puppy. lewis diet book"
Raw Feeding?
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Just a side note or 2 - first, make absolutely certain you do not contaminate surfaces especially with raw chicken. Chickens carry all sorts of bacteria, including salmonella, and it can be transmitted from surfaces, hands, etc, to humans.
Also, if you have a dog with Fanconi, be aware that Dr. Gonto is not in favor of feeding raw - no specific concerns, just that these dogs are dealing with enough and he's concerned about the bacterial overload being just one more thing for their systems to deal with.
I do know a lot of people who feed raw, and as Debra says, while they may not be healthier dogs, it does seem to make sense… That said, we feed commercial, premium foods, and our dogs have done fine. So I'd say it's simply personal preference.Terry
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Ayo was, or I should say is because we have only been trying this for a few weeks and I dont know if he is going to stick to it, BUT… I started mixing raw ground beeef, with his kibble. I basically just try to get the amount of kibble I want him to eat and mix it with some ground beef and he loves it and is doing great with it. He really doesnt like his kibble though, so if there is more kibble than meat he wont eat it. He is doing great on it though, gained some weight, and ( and I cant believe im about to say this) his poo looks healthier!! He used to go kind of soft always and now its .... better.. I have noticed he is a little more energetic though... dont know if it has anything to do with it !!
I dont know abut going totally raw though, i just feel like, the kibble has a balanced amount of a lot of stuff he needs, that i cant measure or know if I am supplying him with on a totally raw diet. -
My boy puppied on raw, then went to kibble, then back to raw, then again to kibble during his 7 years of life thus far. Although I've done a lot of reading, I'm definitely no expert, but everything I've read seems to say one shouldn't mix kibble and raw, especially in the same feeding, because the different digestion times between the two can cause tummy troubles. Although it sounds like your Ayo is doing well on a mixture, dmey, you may want to do some research and keep it in mind.
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I have read that, and I don't… but I truly doubt it is factual. We and dogs eat all sorts of things at once. Think about a wild canid eating a rabbit... you got meat, bones, partially digested stomach contents.
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I agree with Debra - naturally a dog mixes all kinds of food. This puts me in mind of something called an Atkins Diet which I believe suggests that protein and carbohydrates should be eaten at different meals.
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Atkins doesn't so much separate as very much restrict carbs. That said, I just read research that high carbs OR high fat doesn't seem to be medically an issue, but high both disastrous (humans not dogs).
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Like I said, dmey, do some research and make up your own mind. When I was feeding raw (prey model), feeding both together was a big no-no. (But then feeding any kibble at any time was a big no-no.) As was feeding vegetables as a staple, which are considered fillers and of no nutritional value.
IMO, if your dog is doing okay with the mix, keep on keepin' on. Most dogs will do okay on just about anything. They're scavengers at heart.
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Hi, please help
I need your advice as experienced raw Basenji feeders
I got my Basenji girl yesterday and she is on kibble at the moment (she will be 10 weeks on Monday)…so I am planning to switch her on raw feeding. I've red two books about it and I can't wait to start BUT I went to veterinarian today and she sock me with some (stupid) advices; first of all I'm from Croatia and here this is still strange feeding :S
So, she tried to convince me NOT to feed raw; she said that there are 2-3 dogs per month who needs operation because feeding with bones :S and that this is dangerous! That chicken bones are dangerous...That I need a lot of supplements if I decide to do that..vitamins and calcium! I now for fish oil, some veggie bulk and eggs, garlic, apple vinegar..but calcium!
Also, she said that I need to go on urgent operation for umbilical hernia but I found out from friend of mine (Tisa thanks) that this is common for Basenjis
Please, give me advice about it. I suppose that all of this is not true?!
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1. Umbilical hernias are common, but some do require immediate surgery if they are not securely tied off. They can indeed rupture. Get a 2nd opinion but do it fast.
2. I like raw feeding, but it does take work and making sure you balance it. If you would like some good web sites, glad to provide links.
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Thanks, please send me links
And yes, I'll go for 2nd opinion on Monday…but here is hard to find one who is familiar with Basenji beed :S
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If you feed raw with the correct proportion of bone (i.e., not just meat, but also bone and organs), you should still be giving your dog the appropriate amount of calcium. When my dogs get raw (we don't do raw for every meal, but about 30-50% of their diet is raw), they always get pieces with bone. And sometimes I cook meals for them too, but I've learned that they need added calcium in the form of powdered bone meal (something like this) or egg shells crushed and ground with a mortar and pestle.
I have yet to hear of a raw-fed dog that's had to go to the vet for an operation because of splintered bones in their stomach. I've heard of dogs that have chipped their teeth on bone, probably because they were being fed inappropriate pieces (i.e., weight-bearing bones). But cooked bones are the concern, not raw bones.
I am not an expert on raw feeding by any means, but this is what has worked for us.
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Exactly, cooked bone are a problem, raw are not. While as with everything, things can happen, but it would be very rare in my opinion that you would have splintered bones, that is what happens with cooked bones.
As far as the umbilical hernia goes, again, very rare that it needs to be "fixed" immediately. I would suggest if you are going to go back to the same Vet that you arm yourself with material about Basenjis and umbilical herinas. I would venture to guess that at least 75% have them in various sizes.
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@curlytails - yes, I now all about correct proportion RMBs, meat, organs, eggs, and supplements…I really have educated myself about all of this. But this Vet really upset me...she tried to explain to me how a dog wasn't suppose eat raw :S, how I'm risking her life. How dog that live in apartment are different metabolism from ones that live on village ?!? That dog are not supposed to eat meat! That dog are all eater like pigs!! :mad:
I know that everything can happen but I also know that raw bones aren't dangerous, only cooked ones. But I couldn't explain that to this Vet
As far as umbilical hernia goes I also know that is very rare that it needs to be "fixed" immediately"
but she happens to cough me unprepared...she really frighten me. Awwww, I'm really mad at her
But I will go to another vet that has educated in USA and hopefully he will know about Basenjis little bit more, so I will see what he will tell me. Breeder was all friendly about it. He told me to massage her and that it should go away -
Trust all of us here…. even ones educated in the US do not know that it is a common thing in Basenjis...
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And by the way, that is a problem with many Vets, in Vet School as I understand it, they are given maybe if lucky one day about food and feeding… so no surprise that they are really not that educated in different ways of feeding.... Many Vets still don't know how many have allergies to grains, especially corn....
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Nikol, frankly, if your vet is that completely opposed to raw feeding, I would find another vet. But that's my opinion.
Not every vet in the US is open to raw feeding either. In fact, my previous vet was downright dismissive of it. That was one of many reasons that I decided to leave that vet and seek out another practice that was more open to different feeding regimens, including home-cooked recipes. My previous vet basically disregarded raw feeding as "trendy" nonsense, without considering that his attitude was basically putting me down, too. My current vet is not vocal about promoting a raw diet, but at least they will talk frankly about it and not discourage me. Instead of saying "No, that's no use, you're better off with one of our prescription diets" (previous vet), they'll say "Okay, but make sure you stick to X, Y, Z parts, and be careful with disinfecting any surfaces that come in contact with the raw meat." Fair enough.
I do think that raw feeding is getting more attention these days, but it's not just "fashionable," it's a matter of pet owners having more access to information about how things used to be done, and how a lot of people have long been feeding their pets, especially before commercial pet food. And that's not going to go away. It's bad business practice for vets to not be open to at least discussing the pros and cons of raw feeding (and yes, there are both), as opposed to just saying "It's bad, you shouldn't do it."
Since that was my previous vet's attitude about raw feeding, I started to wonder what else they were not up-to-date and fully informed about. I don't know about the umbilical hernia, but it sounds like you're being conscientious and doing your research, so just be confident in that.
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Curltails, good post…. and I agree... Vets need to be open and the need to listen to clients. Not everyone is up to date about advances in health for pets, some are very much old School... but we are the pet owner, we live with them every day... if we are giving feedback, they need to listen. That said, there are very many, too many that do not "notice" their pets needs or problems until it is really serious... IMO, no different then your human children. You need to be aware of changes or problems and you need to be open to different opinions. In many cases there is no right or wrong.. but usually there is a middle ground.
Again about Umbical Herinas in Basenjis, totally common and usually never a problem.
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I don't feed my dogs raw right now..I've gotten lazy so grain free kibble has been it..but we are wanting to dive back in…that being said...none of the vets I've seen over the last 14 yrs have been keen on raw diets..I think..one of the main reasons is because if you do it right, make sure your pet gets all their nutrients..it will make them healthier..thus you don't visit the vet very often, so the vet "looses" a customer..
I also think it has something to do with the lack of knowledge, they are not taught enough or at all about it. Thirdly, many of the large food companies give kick backs to the vets..so of course they want to promote kibble right?
One of the vets I saw had a female partner..she loved the RAW diet and promoted it/supported my choice, but she did it under the table as her partner did not like it..it was like she was afraid to promote it openly.
Get yourself a good book on it..I recommend "Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats", by Kymythy Schultze. or one of Dr Pitcairns books. There are also several websites with tons of info..
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/RawFedBasenjis/ is a yahoo group as well as http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/My dogs favorite RAW staples are/were chicken backs, turkey necks, lamb femures, marrowbones( but only for recreational chewing as they are hard)
I did add very little veggies to my dogs diet, we are talking about 1-2 tablespoons of veggies chopped finely a day..so tiny amounts..like what could be found in prey's stomach..I wish you best of luck and know this…we will be here should you have questions..
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Thank you all soooo much! You are so kind and I'm happy that I have your help
I already read and I have these two books:Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs: The Definitive Guide to Homemade Meals - Lew Olson
Raw Dog Food: Make It Easy for You and Your Dog Raw Dog Food - Carina Beth MacdonaldFrom first one a learned a lot.
So, I will go to another Vet and hope that I would be lucky enough to find it better then previous
If not I will keep on searchingFor Umbical Herina I hope that this shouldn't be a problem; I massage her often and after that she is gone…
Today I add her some raw turkey and she loved it She haven't be crazy about her food since she came; I didn't change anything. She been fed by the same kibble from kennel but she never ate everything
She likes yogurt though.I suppose that I need to grind chicken backs and necks till she grows up? Or is it good enough just to chop in smaller pieces?
Also she don't have full black nose yet...some breeders told me that this is common and should soon fill with black
What do you think?
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If you can massage the hernia and it disappears, you should not have a problem, at least not in my opinion.
Many of the people that feed raw do not grind necks or backs, you would be surprised how well they can eat them.
It will take a while but most of the white on the nose will go black. You may wind up with a spot or two of white, but not much
