First Time Puppy Owner

Me three!!!

Hey Ocean - There are bones, raw meaty bones, muscle meats and offal. Brsiket bones are classed more as just bone rather than a raw meaty bone and a chicken maryland is more a raw meaty bone. liver kidneys, pancreas, spleen, lungs and brain are all classed as offal - personally I am not sure if I can stomach feeding brain but once I start handling all this weird and wonderful things I am sure I will consider it! http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...363&hl=Fish Here is a thread about feeding fish - seems that most dogs do not have a problem with eating entire fish raw. I know a friend who lives on the canals at pacific paradise up here fishes off their boat mooring and gives their Goldie a few of the catch once a week and he just gobbles them up - alive!

Bugger :D Could we perhaps pm you our emails and you email it on to us? Or does she want to keep it as her intellectual property?

First thing I have learnt is to do the calculation of body weight - 2% to start off with and increase if they lose weight - ie 2% of 35kg x 2% = 700 grams! Next thing I have learnt is that you need about 70% - 80% muscle meat, 10% -20% bone and 10% offal - I think Check out post #204 http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...2826&st=195 Still got to wrap my head around that calculation (been a bit off colour the last couple of days so brain function isn't the greatest ) Hope that helps - but trust me there are way more knowledgeable people on this thread!!!

By the way what is illegal to sell in butchers is Green Tripe in Australian!

Great place huh! Yep like a massive meat supermarket!!! :D By the way did you have a look in the human deli windor where they seal steaks, chicken and mince and stuff - you can get turkey wings, chicken marylands, wings and drumsticks pretty bl**dy cheap too! Also do not be fooled by the chicken offal mince - it does not contain very much offal as such (maybe a liver or two slip through but they I know do try to take these out as they sell them separately) rather just minced chicken frames!

It's the chicken drumstick with thigh still attached. Have a look in your Coles or Woolies deli section and you will see them with the rest of the chicken products!

Haha, that's me too! Glad I'm not the only one! Awesome thanks guys - I mean I guess thet are on a kibble that is the closest to raw food as there is so thats also a help I guess! Not liking the veg! Do you mix it right through?

You're much more organised than me! ;) My pup just gets a lamb heart for lunch 7 days a week, a chicken back for breakfast 5 days a week, and the other two raw meals (liver, kidney, veges, porridge, yoghurt, fish) whenever I can be bothered playing dog chef during the week... ;) Honestly I am not that organised - more so sh*t scared that I would stuff up their health and thus I need to have everything written down and in amounts!

Thank you so much everyone - I am so grateful to you for all your hellp and will post reports about what they are like on it how they react and what not! You guys really are the best and thread is bl**dy awesome! :p One last question - would you still add kibble for a week with the diet and reduce the amount of raw foods for the time being or straight swap over???

Cool Star - I mean I can always adjust along the way and might even make another of the meals with the chicken mince into just lamb mince! ;)

Hey, remember when I said this in post 166? ... :p . I should have just stuck to that! ;) ;) No this is fantastic - I want their diets to be as close to 100% as I can! ;) So I appreciate everyones input!!!

I just make it up! ;) ;) ;) :p

Star would you suggest I further reduce the chicken mince and up the muscle meat? When formulating this I was concerning the fact that the Ca ratio of chicken compared to red meaty bones/ See I am not 100% sure as to whether Benson reacts (even though it might be mildly) to beef so am going to steer clear of it for now and irentroduce it after a good 3 mth period to see if is a protein he is allergic to.

Yep, I always make enough to freeze lots Cool thanks Huski - aws thinking it would be painful to use the food processor so many times a week! ;) My first vegie batch will include 4 different vegies - aucchini, carrots, broccolu and baby pak choy (on special for $0.98 cents for a bunch!)

Not trying to nit pick in our lovely friendly thread. But remember that RMB aren't all bone. If we take the RMB as being 40% bone and 60% meat (which is pretty typical) then the overall diet is roughly about 73% meat, 10% organ, and 18% bone. I (personally) wouldn't give much less bone than that. ;) Just wondering about the pet mince though, as it's generally just a chicken carcass with almost no meat. I worked it out the opposite way, about 60% bone & 40% meat because of the amount of pet mince. Would that still be okay for the overall diet? * ETA - oh, and here's a little job for you all (please) :p http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=174068 Mind reader! ;) I was just about to ask this question .... well more along the lines of how do you guys calculate this???

Hi Ocean - Salmon Heads I will be sourcing from Scarborough at Morgans Seafood and Lambs Tongues from Jack Purcell's Meats at Virginia. Edit - Check out post number 2 of this thread! http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=156406

I have another question for you lovely raw feeders - do you freeze your vegies that you either pulp or process???

Personally I have liked Artemis Macimal Dog but have decided that I need to eliminate even more things from Benon's diet just so I am satisfied that things such as tomatos's and apples are not further contributing - which are contained in this product. Yet that is not to say they are causing any of his issues, however I have decided I need to be in control of what he consumes now. Also re testing - I had my guess about what he was allergic to prior to the testing however oats had not been one I would have thought off, so due to the testing I have discontinued use of Aloveen as it contains oatmeal and use Ruffs & Coco Itchy Skin shampoo as Pyohex and Malaesba where too harsh for weekly washing after a while and caused dandruff. However it is an expensice journey and I am so fortunate that I have insurance or otherwise I would not known what I could have done for Benson. It's a hard road too as nothing is simple and results are a long time coming! So it's a choice everyone needs to make according to their own situation.

Ok revising plan - THANK YOU LAFFI! And THANK YOU YG! Day 1 - split meal (halved and mixed together) 200 grams of Chicken Pet Mince (which is chcicken frames some skin and necks minced - checked this out yesterday) 200 grams of lamb heart minced 200 grams of lamb liver minced 100 grams of processed vegies with a tablespoon of yoghurt. Day 2 - breakfast Chicken Maryland Dinner 1 tin of saradines 100 grams of salmon from tin 100 grams of processed veggies and a table spoon of yoghurt Day 3 - breakfast 2 Lamb Flaps Dinner 200 grams of roo mince 200 grams of lamb tongue minced 100 grams of processed veggies and a tablespoon of yoghurt Day 4 - (halved and mixed together) 200 grams of chicken pet mince 200 grams of roo mince 200 of lamb kidney 100 grams of processed veggies and a tablespoon of yoghurt Day 5 - one brisket bone (250-350 grams) and natural treats Day 6 - breakfast 200 grams of chicken pet mince 200 grams of roo mince Combined with one entire egg - shell and all and a tablespoon of yohurt Dinner 1 Salmon Head Day 7 - Breakfast 200 grams of chicken pet mince 200 grams of roo mince 100 grams of processed veggies and a table spoon of yoghurt Dinner Turkey wing So this is what has changed RMBs 400 grams 200 grams of Chicken Pet Mince ? Large lamb or beef brisket bones 1 Chicken Marykand (300 grams) ~300g Half a chicken frame 2 Lamb Flaps (200 grams) This might be too much or in the meat section??? ~300gTurkey wing 400 grams 200 grams of chicken pet mince ? one brisket bone aprrox 250-350 grams 200 grams of chicken pet mince ? a large brisket bone 200 grams of chicken pet mince = 1.8kg bones + 3x brisket bones MEAT 150 grams 200 grams of lamb heart minced 1 tin of saradines (~150g) 100 grams of salmon from tin 200 gra,s of lamb heart 150 grams 200 grams of roo mince 2 1 Salmon heads (? 1-1.5kg) 200 grams of roo mince 200 grams of roo mince 200 grams of roo mince 200 grams of lamb tongue minced = 0.9 kg + ?1-1.5kg? =1.9kg ORGANS 50 grams 200 grams of lamb liver minced 50 200 hramsof lamb kidney So would this be more balamced Laffi? Sorry I don't know how you calculate this

Oh bum YG :D I was so hoping you would calculate stuff up and double check it cause I am really only guestamting I think I have enough of everything over the week to cover all the nutritional requirements but still I am no expert like you guys - need to read alot more yet! Oh Neat I am so sorry to hear that. What breed is Lucy? I swear it's one of the worst things a dog can get as you are so incredibly helpless. We are doing okish at the moment trialing immunotherapy and it seems to be keeping at a reasomable level of itchiness. Plus I think the addition of Lughie to our fur family has aided in that Benson is further distracted from chewing constantly. Yet I don't think we will be one of the lucky ones and have Benson sured - yet at least it can be controlled to an extent. I'm crossing fingers that raw feeding will further assist as even though he didn't register high in regard to certain things on his panel of results he could still be mildly allergic to ingredients in the dry food he is currently on and this may further assist in elminating any allergen as I know exactly what he is eating and there are not more than 20 ingredients in total.

FTPO that sounds like a FANTASTIC selection!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am jealous I was shocked at the range Laffi as previously when I have gone they only had chicken frames, marrow bones and beef offcuts in bags and the occassional pigs head - but demand must be increasing!

Hey Huski - I think you have to go early and on a saturday to get the good stuff! But yep the Turkey wings were in the butchers counter and there was a 5 kg bag of both the wings and drumsticks in the same window and at slighty cheaper prices - drumstick by the kg were $2.99 but 5 kilo bag was $2.50 a kg. I worry about pork products such as trotter as I have heard they are cleaned with quite harsh chemicals - as are pigs ears prior to being dried?!?!? Or is this an old wives tail/tale???

Oops :D Yes I did - Virginia!!! ;) Ok want to run a few more things past you guys please Took the boys for a weigh in yesterday arvo and Benson is 37.7kgs and Lughie is 35.2kgs. So according to feeding at 2% of body weight I would have to feed about 700 grams each, daily - correct? (of course will adjust if lossing too much weight to 2.5% or 3%) So my thoughts about a diet so far are detailed below. Please let me know if I am not meeing all their dietary needs using this formula and where I should adjust! Day 1 - split meal (halved and mixed together) 400 grams of Chicken Pet Mince (which is chcicken frames some skin and necks minced - checked this out yesterday) 150 grams of lamb heart minced 50 grams of lamb liver minced 100 grams of processed vegies with a tablespoon of yoghurt. Day 2 - breakfast Large lamb or beef brisket bones Dinner 1 tin of saradines 100 grams of salmon from tin 100 grams of processed veggies and a table spoon of yoghurt Day 3 - breakfast Half a chicken frame Dinner Turkey wing Day 4 - (halved and mixed together) 400 grams of chicken pet mince 150 grams of roo mince 50 of lamb kidney 100 grams of processed veggies and a tablespoon of yoghurt Day 5 - one brisket bone and natural treats Day 6 - breakfast 2 Salmon heads Dinner 200 grams of chicken pet mince 200 grams of roo mince Combined with one entire egg - shell and all and a tablespoon of yohurt Day 7 - breakfast a large brisket bone Dinner 200 grams of chicken pet mince 200 grams of lamb tongue minced 100 grams of processed veggies and a tablespoon of yoghurt Also note that I am adding to Benson's diet (he has atopy) 8 fish oil tablets & 4 Evevning primrose tablets that have been punctured every morning and 2 FO and 1 EPO tabs a day to Lughie's and and Vit E tablet once a week. I am going to sprinkle a little kelp onto every bowl type meal as well. Edit - please note that the only two types of minced things I am buying are roo and the minced chicken frames the rest I will be doing in my food processor.

Ok well I went on an expedition yesterday to Jack Purcell's (Virgina - Brisbane) to see what they had on offer. I found they had minced chicken frames for $1.30 a kg, beef, lamb and ox hearts, lambs fry (which I gather are livers), chicken giblets (? ) chicken livers, pork tounges, cheap chicken wings and drumsticks in bulk, turkey wings, lamb shanks, and 5 kg vacuum sealed bags of roo. This is going to be my shop for the boys I think!!!