How to begin raw feeding?

[direw0lf]

Hi everybody,

Two years ago I got cocker bitch for my girlfriend Ivana. She named her Ira. I have to admit my life totally changed from that moment on. Specially because I was not a dog-person. I liked dogs but, I don’t know about rest of the world, but in my part of Europe (Croatia) they always taught us not to touch dogs and to always wash our hands immediately if we do. Being raised that way I just avoided dogs. My girlfriend on the other hand is obsessed with dogs. There was no way for us to pass a dog (when taking a walk) and not to stop for few minutes so she can admire “how cute” they all are. She had a dog 10 years ago, when she was a kid and there was a war (I promise I will not mention that word again) in Bosnia&Hercegovina, so there was no way for them to buy proper dog-food. Sadly the dog died when a chicken bone pierced his lung or something inside. You can imagine the effect it had on her.
I decided to buy her a dog. I wanted something small but I don’t like those little put-it-on-the-TV dogs that resemble dolls. English Cocker Spaniel seemed perfect… the smallest of gundogs. Imagine  how good it felt when I told her I reserved a Cocker and she screamed with joy and told me that she dreamed of having Cocker all her life. I think you can see from my words that I became a dog-person after all. ;-)

I've been reading past posts on raw feeding and you guys convinced me. Well, I didn't need much convincing because neither me nor Ira like kibbles anyway.
Ira is small for a Cocker, and although judges at shows have only praises for her, they always point out that she is small for her age. Maybe that is the reason she scares so easily. :shock:
That is the reason I would like you to give me some advice on how to begin with raw feeding. I don’t want to scare her of. I read a lot on raw feeding but I would like advice from people who raw feed cockers. What they like, what to avoid, and how one week looks like for your Cocker. Please, if you mention abbreviations or names of some products, explain what they are so I can find alternatives if they don’t have that specific product here in B&H.
Sorry for being so long but when I started I didn’t know how to stop. ;-)

Thank You

Ivana&Ira&Aron                    

[Jane S]

Hello Aron

Welcome to Cockers Online - I think you are our first Croatian member We have several members who raw feed & I'm sure they will be along to answer your questions as soon as they see your post

Jane                    

[Gilly]

Welcome to the forum, I'm sure you'll find it very informative                      

[scoobie]

Hallo and welcome aron
You say that you would like to feed your cocker raw instead of kibble and that you have read about raw feeding I think it's best to tell me what YOU understand about it first
I can tell you what I feed my cocker but that does not mean you have to feed exactly the same to your dog because no two dogs are the same.
I feed (over a period of time)minced lamb,raw eggs,tuna fish,chicken wings,a small amount of liver I also give supplements(added vitamins)vitamin c,alfalfa,kelp
there are various supplements that people give to there dogs for different reasons for example if your dog has joint problems you would probably give cod liver oil to assist this.
I have found that raw feeding is the best thing for MY dog it is a subject that not everyone agrees with and it is personal choice.
You have to remember that you never feed cooked bones
When you decide to change over from kibble to raw you will need to do this very slowly otherwise your dog will have a very bad stomach the best way to do this is to add a little raw to her kibble a nd put less kibble into her dish.
You will start to notice changes in your dog after a few days or so, this is called detoxing this just means the body is getting rid of the kibble and getting used to the raw food do not be alarmed over this, nothing nasty will happen it just means more body smells and more toilet visits for your dog!!
Once your dog is eating totally raw the detoxing will stop
I hope this will help you a little
Edithl                    

[direw0lf]

Hallo and welcome aron
You say that you would like to feed your cocker raw instead of kibble and that you have read about raw feeding I think it's best to tell me what YOU understand about it first

Hmm :-)
Basically, I have a lot of information, but that's just theory... now I need practice.

I can tell you what I feed my cocker but that does not mean you have to feed exactly the same to your dog because no two dogs are the same.

I am aware of that. I still think my cocker will be more simillar to other cockers than to pit bulls. ;-)

I feed (over a period of time)minced lamb,raw eggs,tuna fish,chicken wings,a small amount of liver I also give supplements(added vitamins)vitamin c,alfalfa,kelp

Alfalfa? Kelp? Are these products intended specially for dogs? Where can I get them? Do you have a link to an online store which has them?

When you decide to change over from kibble to raw you will need to do this very slowly otherwise your dog will have a very bad stomach the best way to do this is to add a little raw to her kibble a nd put less kibble into her dish.
You will start to notice changes in your dog after a few days or so, this is called detoxing this just means the body is getting rid of the kibble and getting used to the raw food do not be alarmed over this, nothing nasty will happen it just means more body smells and more toilet visits for your dog!!

Should I give her just minced meet (lamb, pork or  veal? liver?) mixed with kibble or add chicken wing to her kibble? That is what interests me the most, the very begining. :-)

 
I hope this will help you a little
Edithl

Thank you Edith, you did help me! :-D                    

[direw0lf]

Hello Aron
Welcome to Cockers Online - I think you are our first Croatian member We have several members who raw feed & I'm sure they will be along to answer your questions as soon as they see your post
Jane

Welcome to the forum, I'm sure you'll find it very informative  

Thank you Jane, thank you Gilly.
Nice to be first Croatian member!  :wink:
I am from Croatia, but currently I work and live in Bosnia&Herzegovina. So maybe I am first B&H member too?  :-D
Just kidding! There are only two cockers and one cocker puppy in Mostar that I know, so it really feels nice to read what other people have to say about cockers and to look at all those pictures. They are really something special!! I never regretted, even for a split second, decision to get one.

Ivana&Ira&Aron                    

[gina]

Hi Aron

I have a 16 month old Blue roan called Barkley (see picture) who is on a 'non kibble' diet and is a happy and healthy dog.

His diet includes, cooked chicken breast, liver, tuna, all of these are mixed with chopped up raw cabbage, carrots, broccilli and any other green veg and sometimes mixed in with some rice or pasta. I have recently also started giving him a product called 'nature diet' that comes in trays, again with plenty of chopped up raw vegetables.

he then has a few dog biscuits thru the day and then has 2 portions of chicken carcasses that i get form a local poutry farm which he has whole.

He has been on this sort of diet since last October and previous to this he was on Bakers Complete, he seems much happier since his diet has changed.

Again, like the previous posts i can only tell you what we feed Barkley on.

Welcom to COL by the way

Gina & Barkley.                    

[direw0lf]

he then has a few dog biscuits thru the day and then has 2 portions of chicken carcasses that i get form a local poutry farm which he has whole.
[....]
Welcom to COL by the way

Gina & Barkley.

Thanks Gina.
BTW What does it mean carcass in raw feeding? I know that the word in English means dead body of the animal. Does it mean you give the whole chicken?

Aron                    

[gina]

Hi Aron

What the farmer does is gives me a whole box full of the carcasses which are the body of a chicken (without any flesh or feathers on).  Imagine buying a whole chicken and taking away all of the flesh, he also cuts them in half as they are quite big.  The final product is about the size of a mans hand.  Barkley has two of these.

If the chickens were small then i do know that you can just give them to dogs whole and they then chew them and eat them that way.

Hope this helps

Gina & Barkley                    

[scoobie]

aron
when I said that no two dogs are the same I meant that although thay are the same breed (cocker) they can have different levels of activities, the age and the sex of the dog are factors that need to be taken into account when raw feeding because on a bag of kibble it will say how much to feed your dog with raw you need to get the balance right that is why I needed to know how much you understand about this.
I would SUGGEST that you start by giving a chicken wing your dog may not even like it I do not know how old your dog is she could have been eating kibble for years in which case she would not really know how to eat the chicken wing and yet some dogs will eat them up as soon as you hand it to them, I am sorry but I cannot give you anymore information other than by starting with a wing then maybe two wings then slowly give minced lamb or beef I don't give my dog pork because that upsets his stomach, yet your dog may be able to tolerate this. The kelp and alfalfa you can buy on line from health websites just type in the word kelp for example it's no good giving you the place that I use because it's UK postage/delivery .
Raw feeding is very very good once you have learned how much your dog needs and how much .
This diet is tailor made to suit your dog
All the very best of luck
Edith                    

[bluegirl]

Hi,
First of all wecome to COL.
I feed my dog a natural diet and have done all her live.
This is what I feed her. I follow a diet from a book called The complete herbal handbook for the dog and cat by Juliette de Bairacli Levy. You can purchase this book from www.amazon.co.uk

No dog should be feed a meat only diet, so cereals and herbs and supplements all play a part.

First you will need to change from one type of feeding to another this may be done gradually. The book I follow however suggests that you fast your dog from 2-4 days on water only or honey and water if they are very hungry to cleanse the body ready for the new diet.

Every morning give a mixture of wheat, rye, barley, oats,maize,sesame seeds, herbs (parsley), shredded coconut, and a teaspoon of honey. If you soak the mixture over night it will be ready for the morning.


Every evening as a main meal give a raw meat meal. Give large pieces, never minced. A small quantity of fat should be included. Mix into the meat a crushed kelp tablet, 1 teaspoon wheatgerm, 1 teaspoon cod liver oil in winter and 1 teaspoon olive oil or similar in summer 1 heaped dessertspoon very finely chopped raw green herb, such as parsley, watercress, dandelion, celery etc. The inclusion of the herb is important. Grated carrot can also be added. Plus several dessertspoons of bran or flaked oats to replace lost roughage of the skin and hair.

The types of meat I give are chicken, turkey, lamb, rabbit and rarely beef or pork (as this would not usually be killed by a wild dog)

When bones are given, they should be raw only and fed after the meat. They should not be given on an empty stomach. The bones I use are breast of lamb bones and chicken wings.

For natural rearing it is recommended there be 1 meatless day per week, using instead milk, eggs, white cheese with whole-grain cereals, rice,or cooked pulses.
One fast day should follow this, giving fluids only and a laxative the same night followed by herbal tablets the next day.

Hope this diet along with other peoples suggestions is of help to you.
At the end of the day it is a balanced natural diet that your dog requires and it will be your job to ensure this.
All the ingredients that I use can be obtained easily from health food stores, markets and supermarkets.
From Karen and Penny :lol:

[PennyB]

Also try this website as well as its dedicated to raw feeding:

http://www.ukbarfclub.co.uk