CockersOnline Forum
Cocker Specific Discussion => Feeding => Topic started by: jak3 on August 07, 2012, 12:44:50 PM
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Does anyone feed there dog homemade dog food? I'm looking into making Alfie his food at home using meats veg rice etc, however I am worried that he maybe won't get the nutrients etc he needs, I have read so far to add powdered egg shells and omega oil , is there anything that he would be lacking on a diet like this ? Or is a home made diet hard to get right? Thanks .
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Does anyone feed there dog homemade dog food? I'm looking into making Alfie his food at home using meats veg rice etc, however I am worried that he maybe won't get the nutrients etc he needs, I have read so far to add powdered egg shells and omega oil , is there anything that he would be lacking on a diet like this ? Or is a home made diet hard to get right? Thanks .
Cooked or raw?
Lots of people feed a diet of raw - which is mostly entirely home made.
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are you talking about a raw food diet ??
i would not give a dog any rice as they can not convert carbohydrates to sugars and store the
energy in there bodies to use later... they dont get much from egg shells... omega 3 is very good
you can add supplements like keeper mix
http://www.dorwest.com/Catalogue/Dietary-Supplements/Keepers-Mix (http://www.dorwest.com/Catalogue/Dietary-Supplements/Keepers-Mix)
you should be feeding 80% meet 10% of the total diet pure bone 10% of the total diet should be offal
Liver or Kidney...
for dogs once you cook any of it Meet or veg you take most of what they need out of it...
there are some good book out there that may help you
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0975717405/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0975717405/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00)
and Honeys natural feeding handbook for dogs
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Sorry should have been more specific, I mean cooked, as you might know from my previous posts I'm going through a stage of trying to find something Alfie will eat and enjoy, I tried the natural instinct food lately which he isn't keen on and is a chore to get him to eat and I know you can't cook that food because of the bone but just looking into other options is a cooked meat diet not ideal? As he is not a fan of raw food.
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Sorry should have been more specific, I mean cooked, as you might know from my previous posts I'm going through a stage of trying to find something Alfie will eat and enjoy, I tried the natural instinct food lately which he isn't keen on and is a chore to get him to eat and I know you can't cook that food because of the bone but just looking into other options is a cooked meat diet not ideal? As he is not a fan of raw food.
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Charlie was quite fussy he's still a bit fussy but I feed him wainwrights (from P@H) - he gets the trays of wet food and as a bit of a treat he gets their pouches (which he loves)!
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I'm not sure about cooked homemade diets TBH, hopefully someone will be along who can help you.
I know how frustrating it can be when you have a picky eater, but be careful how quickly and often you switch to another food. Before Bingley switched to raw he would turn his nose up at kibble quite often, and as he was so young and tiny I panicked and thought it would be an absolute disaster if he didn't eat a meal. Having moved on to raw now it's not so much of a problem, but we still get it occasionally. Bingley isn't so fond of certain NI flavours, and in the past (in his kibble days) I always reacted to his refusal so quickly and offered something he would eat. You have to be careful not to make a rod for your own back, as I think if we chop and change all the time they know if they refuse something it will be replaced by something else.
The other day he turned his nose up at his dinner, so after about 20 minutes I think I took it up and made no fuss. Put it down an hour and a half later and he ate it.
Have you tried hand feeding him a bit of the raw? Bingley wouldn't eat it out of a bowl immediately, i got some on my fingers and let him try it, then he would eat it happily.
Good luck whatever you decide to do :D
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Iv looked at the wainwrights wet food trays, that was going to be another option as he seems to like the wet food but alot of the wet food timed food don't seem very good, would you recommend the wainwrights ones for nutrition and things?
With the raw food he will go over sniff it and wLk away and just sit and stare at me as if to say no mummy I want something else , I tried it heated a little in the microwave yesterday which he picked at but problem is he is with my oh during the day and he doesnt have access to heating facilities so makes it difficult to do this with his first feed, also which doesn't help the oh has an adversion to blood etc so the diet is even harder to stick to when he finds it hard to feed him it, whatever we go with I am going to stick it out for a while because like you said feel like we are changing every other week when he gets bored!
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Believe me you have my complete sympathy, it is very difficult i know! :blink:
Wainwrights is good I believe. NatureDiet is very good, Bingley had it for a while inbetween kibble and raw and he enjoyed it. Although once opened it has to be stored in a fridge, would that be a problem for your OH?
You'll get there in the end, don't give up! Feeding was more of an issue than I expected it to be.
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Is naturediet raw? I think if we found something Alfie liked he would go with it but right know neither of them like it so fighting with it myself lol, I tend to feel guilty if I think he's not enjoying his food and have prob created more problems than iv solved lol.
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No Nature Diet isn't raw, no blood or scary bits for your OH to contend with :005:
It just looks like firm pate in the tray.
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I have an incredibly fussy dog, and was totally surprised at how much she loves the wainrights wet food. I was also surprised at how good the ingredients are. NatureDiet is also great quality (and you can heat it up for a few seconds in the microwave). Lily's Kitchen is another, although that is expensive. It's the Wainright's that holds Brodie's interest though.
Brodie also gets bored. I have alway been very aware of not constantly changing food in case she became even more fussy (if that is possible), but now I have about two or three wet foods that I rotate with the Wainright's. So far, so good! She is off her food at the moment, but she is having terrible problems with her ears and I think it's pain-related.
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Thanks everyone, I think I will go with the naturediet or wainwrights they seem like the best option!
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i would not like to eat the same dinner very day of my life.....
dogs are the same... one day my dog has rabbit the next he has beef then duck
and so on
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i would not like to eat the same dinner very day of my life.....
dogs are the same... one day my dog has rabbit the next he has beef then duck
and so on
Oh no I do agree completely! Don't get me wrong. We have a few flavours in rotation too.
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i would not like to eat the same dinner very day of my life.....
dogs are the same... one day my dog has rabbit the next he has beef then duck
and so on
Yeah I agree, I wasn't sure if it was ok to mix and match with different flavours? As long as it's the same brand?
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sorry iam just so into raw feeding
Bob had Rabbit for his breakfast today we got it from Makros... it did take a bit of
cutting up, but he loved it he also had some veg and i give him keepers mix
for dinner he is going to have a chicken carcass
i cant tell you how fantastic his teeth are at the age of 8
he has never been to the vet other than to have his jab's
he is a fab weight, has a fab coat,
the more i read about it the more i am convinced that this is how it should be
dogs are carnivores, so why do we think it is better to feed them rice and grain
Bob will chase birds, rabbits, squirrels, BUT i have never seem him run into a wheat field and come out
with a mouth full..... but let me tell you if he ever got a small critter he would eat it...
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Read about your Makro bargains Pudding, i will have to get down there!
Never tried rabbit actually, will have to give it a go.
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I Agree that raw would be the best for him but he just won't eat it, it's strange if we give him a bone from the butchers with raw meat on it he goes crazy for it but when iv tried him on the natural instincts food in his bowl he just looks up at me and walks away! So frustrating because I want to give him what's best for him!
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Read about your Makro bargains Pudding, i will have to get down there!
Never tried rabbit actually, will have to give it a go.
[/quote
it was a whole frozen rabbit..... i had to let it part thor out and then cut it up
it made 7 meals ..... i kept 3 out for this week and put 4 back in the freezer to use next time
the Duck feet are fab as well i just feed them as a treat...
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Out of interest Jak, have you tried him on a chicken wing?
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No the only raw he's had is the natural instinct food, would it just be a whole chicken wing with the bone raw I would give him? Sounds daft but just the type you would buy at the supermarket?
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I Agree that raw would be the best for him but he just won't eat it, it's strange if we give him a bone from the butchers with raw meat on it he goes crazy for it but when iv tried him on the natural instincts food in his bowl he just looks up at me and walks away! So frustrating because I want to give him what's best for him!
have you tried buying some diced turkey or pork from a supermarket... pork ribs maybe he will go for that
NI is very minced maybe he does not like the texture.....
i started off with chicken wings.... at first it took him some time to work out what to do with it
if your OH is not liking it then you could make it up in his dish so all he has to do is put it down
and if you keep it out of the fridge over night it will be room temp
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No the only raw he's had is the natural instinct food, would it just be a whole chicken wing with the bone raw I would give him? Sounds daft but just the type you would buy at the supermarket?
yes that it, and they are very cheep....
there is a fab Facebook group if you are on FB let me know and i will give you the details
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I am another raw convert but don't use a prepared food like natural instinct as i prefer to give max more texture to his meals and a wide variety of meats. I completely agree with what pudding has written.
If he likes bones I would try chicken wings or lamb/ pork ribs. Also poultry necks are good too. I then use chunks of heart or turkey for a Meaty meal and Minced tripe etc. if max had mince every day he would not be happy, chewing and crunching bones seems to be very satisfying!!
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Don't have a Facebook ( I know only person who doesn't lol)
I will give it a go with the chicken wings would he just get one per meal? Or mixed with anything, will give the diced and meat chunks a try agin thou how much and does it get mixed with anything or just give him the meat?
Is it ok to leave the meat out the fridge overnight would it not go off or bacteria etc?
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Lamb ribs are Bingley's absolute favourite. He has lots of raw meaty bones, chicken wings etc so gets quite a variety.
How old is he?
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He is just coming up for 9months
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Don't have a Facebook ( I know only person who doesn't lol)
I will give it a go with the chicken wings would he just get one per meal? Or mixed with anything, will give the diced and meat chunks a try agin thou how much and does it get mixed with anything or just give him the meat?
Is it ok to leave the meat out the fridge overnight would it not go off or bacteria etc?
ok how much does he weigh...... Bob is 13.5kg so i feed him 2 meals of 155g
you need to work around the rule of 80% meat 10% of the total diet to be pure bone and 10% should be offal liver Kidney
but to start with i would give him his dinner as always and give him a chicken wing as a treat.....
then you can start to give him one meal with 155g of say some diced meat or you can give differant thing in one meal
the 10% bone and 10% offal is given over a long time like a month, so you can give a little each time you feed or you can give it in one feed...... if you need any more help with it just pm one of us..... i am always here week days
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Is it ok to leave the meat out the fridge overnight would it not go off or bacteria etc?
yer its ok for dogs.... you can even re freeze thing's
if you dont want to leave it out over night. you could stand it in some hot water.... just to take the chill off it
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Thanks for the help will give it a go, he weighs 16kg last time he was weight may be more know he grows like crazy lol.
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he will need to have a bit more then, if you are happy with how he looks
you have to work it out by so much % of there body weight... i cant remember off hand
but if someone else does not let you know what it is by tommorrow then i will find it out for you
and post back on here
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For some reason between 2 and 3% for an adult dog is in my head. I'm not 100% on this though, I think it is more for pups. If you go through a search engine you should get some answers :)
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Yeah happy with his size he actually looks a bit thin sometimes he's just a big solid boy lol, yeah I seem to be finding 2-3% of there body weight seems about right! Thanks .
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yep, I base it on 2% and one of my boys is 16kg and get two meals a day of 160g each meal
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Great I will go with that and give it a go! Thanks again everyone!
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Wainwrights and naturediet are both good wet foods.
Charlie didn't like the nature diet hence he is on wainwrigths. I also thought the nature diet felt a bit icky and greasy where the wainwrights doesn't seem to.
P@H sell both, they both come in trays. It might be worth buying a couple of trays of each and seeing how it goes?
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Thanks for that will maybe give them a go, he has ate his first ever raw meal tonight he had raw beef mince with a little bit of natural cottage cheese through it! However tried him with a chicken wing and he just pushed it with his nose and looked at me then walked away, don't think he knows what to do with it lol!
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Thanks for that will maybe give them a go, he has ate his first ever raw meal tonight he had raw beef mince with a little bit of natural cottage cheese through it! However tried him with a chicken wing and he just pushed it with his nose and looked at me then walked away, don't think he knows what to do with it lol!
Thats more than I get from Charlie with chicken wings haha. Hold it up for him and pull bits of meat off for him - thats what I did with Charlie with bones (he still won't entertain chicken wings)
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Another wainrights wet fan here. It is really excellent food and Archie absolutely loves it. He became really fussy and refused his kibble/nature diet mix that he was weaned on. He wasn't interested in raw at all but the wainrights proved a massive hit and still is. He likes a nice raw bone to chew on every now and then to keep his teeth clean.
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We like Wainwrights too, although Penny will eat Nature Diet just as happily. I mix hers with kibble to give a bit of crunch. We've tried chicken wings and lamb ribs and she loves both. Tried kidneys - bad result. Tried herring - another bad result so won't be trying them again for a while. You just have to experiment and see what suits your dog. I agree with Pudding that a variety of food is a good idea. That way you can be sure of getting all the nutrients required.
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Is it possible to mix say the wainwrights food for his first meal then raw meat- chicken wings beef etc for his dinner? Or does it need to be the same consistency ?
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I think that's perfectly acceptable. Just go with what suits your dog. I often give Penny Wainwrights with kibble for one meal and a mix of raw meat and veg for another, and leftovers for another. The only thing she won't eat is plain kibble.
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Thanks for the help, when it comes to thinks like this I am hopeless lol, he is my first dog so still learning!
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as long as you dont mix cooked (kibble... wet ) with the raw....
as the raw and the kibble digest at differant times so it is better to give about 2 hours
in between, so yes it will be fine to feed kibble for one meal and raw for the other
you can also give them eggs and the shell crushed up and fish (tinned) like pilchards
and veg as long as you blitz it, if you leave it as is, it will just go in and come out the same
if you blitz it they will be able to digest it
did he like his raw dinner last night
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He had beef mince raw last night for his dinner and he went nuts for it! Licked the bowl clean and was looking for more! I was shocked, gave him a chicken wing to try but he just kind of pocked about at it and licked it, he then picked it up and ran outside with it and pocked about some more but was as if he didn't know what to do with it lol, he then turned his back for a minute and a seagul made off with the chicken so he wasn't best pleased so not sure if it will take him some time to get used to it?
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Great stuff glad he enjoyed it..lol @ the chicken wing xx
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are that fab news..... there are some good book to read
Tom Lonsdale:- feed your dog raw meaty bones
and Honeys natural feeding hand book for dogs.... this is the one i like
this is a beef rib with some blitz veg .... he does not eat the bone, just strips it clean
(http://i50.tinypic.com/2jcv2s.jpg)
this is pork ribs with bit of Ox Kidney and some mince lamb
(http://i47.tinypic.com/ip4huu.jpg)
chicken carcass this is the first time he has had this
(http://i49.tinypic.com/s0y0pt.jpg)
Morrison's is a good place to get bones from.... they say stock bones
(http://i45.tinypic.com/117fvhy.jpg)
i also make fish ice cubes for him ..... just pilchards and some oxo
(http://i48.tinypic.com/10ifql5.jpg)
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Thanks thats some good ideas, is it best to give him the bones type meal for one meal and something like mince or meat chunks for the other or can you give two meals of bones? Is it best to mix and max as long as the total adds up to the weight for the meal?
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you can mix up meat and bone...... you will just need to keep an eye on his poo
the more meat in the diet, the softer and darker it tends to be...
if it very hard and pal then you have given bit too much bone
and your next meal or 2 should not have any bone in
and the same if its too soft then you need to add bone to the meal
dont forget you will need to add some offal Liver or Kidney as well
not too much liver in one meal as this can make them a bit lose
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Ok thanks! Sorry for all the questions lol would you give him liver/ kidney say once a week as a meal or a little through all his meals to spread it out! They bones from morrisons look good I will need to have a look for them. Would you count the weight of the full bone for his meal even if he doesn't eat the bone just the meat from it?
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No problem i am happy to help ask as many questions as you like
you can give it in one meal, not one a week, but once a month, you would need to see how his poo is
as it may make him very lose.. Kidney is not so bad.....
I give Bob his liver in very small amounts in each meal....
right if he is not going to eat the bone then you will have to judge how much you think the bone will weigh
if it a pork rib then i weigh the whole thing and he would eat it all
some of the bone that dont have too much meat on them i give as treats like the lamb spines and the duck feet
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He had beef mince raw last night for his dinner and he went nuts for it! Licked the bowl clean and was looking for more! I was shocked, gave him a chicken wing to try but he just kind of pocked about at it and licked it, he then picked it up and ran outside with it and pocked about some more but was as if he didn't know what to do with it lol, he then turned his back for a minute and a seagul made off with the chicken so he wasn't best pleased so not sure if it will take him some time to get used to it?
At least he showed interest. Hopefully he'll get there with the chicken wing :).
I've also given tinned fish - I think Charlie is a large part cat as he loves his fish. If he could eat it all the time he would. Don't get tinned fish in brine, I get the stuff in oil for Charlie as it's good for his coat too :).
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Im hoping the raw diet will help with the poo's he has always had quite runny ones but will keep an eye on it and judge if hes needing more or less meat/bone i think he would eat the bones in the meat he had his first proper bone last weeked and he loved it took him all day to get through it thou, but was quite a big bone! Im a bit more optamistic about the raw diet now just seems to have issues with the raw chicken so far but hopefully if i introduce things gradually he will take to it quite well.
With the tinned fish how often would you feed that ? and would you mix it with anything?
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Here is my thinking on Tinned fish.....
Tomatoes are not good for dogs and can damage the digestive tract over time. Once in a while wont hurt.. Don't use ones that are canned in oil either. The oils they use are very low quality, usually soy or cottonseed. All vegetable oils are not very good for dogs, even olive oil. They are high in omega 9 which dogs do not need and will block essential omega 3 & 6 form being absorbed.in brine is too salty
But canned in water is perfectly safe. Also do not feed fish that can be high in mercury on a regular basis, like tuna. Pilchards or other small fish are fine.
you can add it to anything you like.... i make ice cube treats
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Ok another silly queshtion - If was to give him fish (fresh) would it be raw or cooked i would give him? Is it beneficial to give fish every know and then?
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raw fish is very good for them.... should be oily fish...for the omega 3
i have tried Bob with fresh sardines with head and tail on but he is not into them
i have now got him a bag of whitebate he likes them
i dont feed raw salmon as there is something called Salmon poisaning
When the salmon come back from the sea and swim up freshwater rivers to their breeding grounds they may become infected with a particular parasite. It's the parasite that causes the poisoning if an infected fish is caught and then fed fresh and raw.
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Ok I think im getting the hang of it, oily fish but not tinned fish in oil lol? so oily fish such as Sardines, trout, mackrel? and this will provide them with the omga 3 they need instead of using suppliments, does the bone provide them with the calcium they need :huh: ? want to make sure hes not missing in any vitamins etc he needs or that hes not getting to much of any particular type.
So... meat/bones, wizzed up veggies, Fish (oily), liver/kidney, .... am i missing anything, is there any supplements he should be getting on top of this?
Thanks.
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It like any thing once you get its not too hard...
i give heart as well this is a mussel meat not offal
I have started to give Bob Keepers mix
http://www.dorwest.com/Catalogue/Dietary-Supplements/Keepers-Mix (http://www.dorwest.com/Catalogue/Dietary-Supplements/Keepers-Mix)
got mine from eBay bit better price
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I never knew tomatoes were bad for dogs :-\.
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Yeah!!!!! Alfie ate his first full raw dnner tonight! He had minced lamb and a beef bone, ate the minced lamb instantly but the bone took more persuation, had to cut bits of meat off it and feed him it so he got a taste for it but eventually he took it and striped the meat from it, he didn't eat the bone thou had a wee chew on it but don't know if the bone was a bit big and he got lazy lol but defenetly a good start!! Although with the bone he didn't just stand and eat it he carried it around shaking it everywhere is that normal?
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are that is fab to here.... beef bones are a bit dance so he may not have been able to eat it
try a pork or lamb rib bone
Bob dose not eat the beef bones...
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I never knew tomatoes were bad for dogs :-\.
Tomatoes are in the Nightshade family i think it is the green parts of the tomato
And the seeds, i don’t think small amount will do them any harm
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I have some lamb bones for him to try tonight! He just seems to have bother eating raw meat for his first meal he seems to be really fussy with this meal, maybe because is my oh that feeds him it and I think I spend more time trying to tempt him to try it. So he is still on his kibble during day but we are getting there!
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Hi just wanted to know how you have been getting on
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Hi getting on great, he's having the Jwb wet trays for his lunch still which he's loving and he is eating meats at night now he loves pork ribs so he's had alot of them and he likes mince beef, pork and turkey. He also likes beef bones which he takes the meat from but havent had much success with the chicken yet but getting there never thought he would eat it as well as he is and also his toilet is much better! :D
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Oh that is good to hear..... if you need any more help just let me know
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I will do, thanks for the help! :D