So I wanted to start a thread in here for any of us that feed the dogs a raw diet (and really for anyone who doesn't as well).
I was wondering what some of us like to feed our babbies in addition to the obvious (raw meat and bones). Do any of you have special treats that you like to give occasionaly?
For instance Zaire and Charlie love Wednesday nights (the start of my weekend) as they get a little treat after dinner. They cant get enough of their carrot pulp, mango pulp, and plain yogurt. They LOVE it and are always such good kids for the whole day on Wednesday they just know its the dessert day. 
I have been wondering about a raw diet….I don't think it is something I will switch Jack over to entirely, but I would like to be able to get some variety in there. So, I have some pretty ignorant questions:
Do you feed raw chicken? Is there a worry of them getting salmonella?
Same with pork: is there a concern of trichinosis?
I can only get Jack to eat Broccoli: which is probably his favorite thing in the world....I've tried Carrots, mushrooms, sweet peppers, squash, lettuce, green beans....all to no avail. I've tried these because they are foods that we eat on a regular basis. Any other ideas?
What veggies/food can they absolutely not have under any circumstances?
Wait- that sounds like jack only eats Broccoli….what I meant was that is the only veggie I can get him to eat 
There is NO concerns about feeding raw meat (bones and all)…. However one thing, if you are going to feed raw, do not mix with regular food... make sure that if you give raw meat/bones that it is separate from a regular meal of kibble.
And as far as veggies, are they cooked? Have you tried "mushing" them up with the broccoli? And if he likes Broccoli he most likely will like Cauliflower too.. they seem IMO, to really like the root veggies (grown in the ground). Yams and sweet potatoes are great for them also.
Broccoli he will eat raw or cooked….he loves to have bits of the stalk raw. In fact, I've started keeping the stalk in the fridge for him and using that for treats instead of regular ones. He will do ANYTHING for some broccoli. I tried Cauliflower, and he isn't as big a fan of that. I will have to try some sweet potatos....do you cook them and mash them or just raw, in little pieces?
Sorry somehow this posted twice***
The kids love sweet potato. I feed it to them raw, but in order for them to digest them correctly yuou really need to turn them into a mush. I use a food processor. Dogs digestive systems can't naturaly break down plant cell walls (they got their plants partialy digested in the stomach of prey in the wild).
Also the kids cant get enough of Mangos and grapefruit (Though you have to be real slow with the fruits to let them get used to digesting them.)
I am dumb when it comes to this stuff, but why is it safe to feed dogs raw meat, but it's dangerous for us. For example, like stated earlier, how come raw chicken doesn't carry risk for disease? Just wondering… 
I am dumb when it comes to this stuff, but why is it safe to feed dogs raw meat, but it's dangerous for us. For example, like stated earlier, how come raw chicken doesn't carry risk for disease? Just wondering…
For the same reason that it is OK for wolves to eat raw.. they are part of the caine group.. that is how their bodies were meant to eat.. raw… wild dogs do not eat cooked meat.. it is raw.. and bones included as that is were much of the best part is... the bones and marrow...
There are so many sites.. but here are a few links to FAQ on raw
http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm#top
http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html
http://www.doggienews.com/lib/food/dog-barf.htm
Well, yeah, but….. my concern is this:
the meat that the wild dogs eat comes straight from the source, and it is a prey source that is natural to their environment -- no bacterial build-up in a dirty butcher shop or barn, you KNOW that they are eating only natural foods and no additives, or fillers {wild animals don't eat hay, oats, etc} that are perfectly matched to their dietary needs, and no dog has as its natural prey domestic cattle and chickens.
Raw feeding has always intrigued me, but I'm not ready to make that leap yet.
I have been thinking more and more, as I pass our local butcher shop each week, that I am leaning toward occasional treats of raw.....but am just too nervous to jump on in.
May wind up being a raw feeder yet, though.
I should say this – after I posted this, I tried to delete it and move it to another spot because I realized this thread is for raw-feeders, not for people who have questions about it, but I couldn't figure out how to delete the post, only to edit it.
Sorry, didn't mean to thread-jack.
I've been feeding tayda and lenny raw for about 5 months now… they LOVE it and are doing awesome. for treats I feed them baby carrots. I know they can't digest it whole like that but i find them to be convenient treats cause i'll grab a handful for myself and then just give them one or two each. I've also given them bits of beef jerky as treats as well as raw eggs, bits of hot dog, cottage cheese....can't think of more right now...
I should say this – after I posted this, I tried to delete it and move it to another spot because I realized this thread is for raw-feeders, not for people who have questions about it, but I couldn't figure out how to delete the post, only to edit it.
Sorry, didn't mean to thread-jack.
Well I guess I will let you get away with it this time. It is a big deal for us as humans when we first give raw diets to dogs. I really didn't think I could do it at first ( I became a vegiterian in 1994 when I moved out on my own). But my parents had always fed raw to their pups. I fed Charlie a kibble diet for the first 8 months I had him, Then he developed a wheat and corn alergy. He lost a 2 inch strip of fur around his tail, and broke out in nasty red hives all over his body. 
I FREAKED OUT, as you can well imagine. Here I was with my first dog in over a decade, and I fealt like I was killing him because I had taken an easy way out. So I thought about cooking himm meals, I figured that way I could regulate what he was being exposed to. So like the good son that I am I calle dmy mom for some advice. Well she said to me "Daniel, if you are goind to have to be handleing meats when your cooking for him, why don't you consider a raw diet?". Her reasoning with me was that if you prepair the meals for a month and then just freeze them in 3 to 4 day portions, it is actualy less time consuming than doing the same thing but having to cook.
So I descided that mom probably knows best. I will say that from what I have observed with Charlie (within a week his skin looked great, and within a month his hair had grown back in) I will never go back to a kibble diet again.
**Plus I just love that I am giving the little ones more than just the same old kibble every day. I know I would hate to have freeze dried pellets every day.
Oh Charlie and Zaire LOVE cottage cheese. I haven't tried baby carrots with Zaire, because Charlie has never eaten carrots whole (He just really loves the carrot pulp). I think I will try with the little girl. Charlie also loves (and begs for) Spinach.
Chicken Feet!!!!…...Yes that's right.
My good friend who also feeds raw was in town visiting this week and yesterday we went to a little asian market in my neighborhood. They were having a sale on chicken feet (I think you are supposed to use them in soup). So she says to me "Oh we feed theese to our dogs" (Boxer and a Shiba Inu) "as treats they love them". So I figgured why not, bought a couple, took them home. Well the dogs LOVE them, and it is really funny to watch them eat up the feet.
Well, yeah, but….. my concern is this:
the meat that the wild dogs eat comes straight from the source, and it is a prey source that is natural to their environment -- no bacterial build-up in a dirty butcher shop or barn, you KNOW that they are eating only natural foods and no additives, or fillers {wild animals don't eat hay, oats, etc} that are perfectly matched to their dietary needs, and no dog has as its natural prey domestic cattle and chickens.
Raw feeding has always intrigued me, but I'm not ready to make that leap yet.
I have been thinking more and more, as I pass our local butcher shop each week, that I am leaning toward occasional treats of raw.....but am just too nervous to jump on in.May wind up being a raw feeder yet, though.
I think I will most likely start supplementing Roo's EVO Diet when he is completely switched over, with some Raw vegetables. Since Miranda and I are on the South Beach Diet anyway, we have a lot of fresh veges around so it just makes sense to give what I can to our pets.
I do not know about anyone else, but the walks and time I now spend with my Basenji Roo, and my Boston Terrier Bonzo, have really impacted all of our life's in a healthy way.
Last week I lost 6 lbs just doing our daily walk and the South Beach. Bonzo has lost the few lbs she needed to and is eating less and differently since we started the walks. Roo is achieving good muscular development and growth and is not Rolly Polly.
I really think paying attention to Diet and exercise is really good for all involved.
Jason
