Raw diets,

[Alanward87]

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Was just curious as to how many people raw feed, also specifically curious as to any boxer owners who raw feed.

I was generally just curious as to people's preference for mince or chunks of meat and if there was any reason for your choice? Personally I don't like to give bone as part of a mince as I don't feel they are getting any of the benefit of oral hygiene. What's peoples view? I'm a noob to raw feeding so I may be wrong on my assumptions as it's mainly guess work trying to navigate the vast amounts of conflicting information on the internet.

 

[JoanneF]

I feed partly raw. I cant feed it all the time as we travel a lot with our dog and the combination of storage and finding a reliable provider abroad makes it difficult. So I take several kilos of Gentle (which is formulated as being compatible with raw feeding) for convenience and give chicken wings a couple of times a week, mainly for dental hygiene.

 

[JudyN]

I feed mince rather than chunks because it's cheaper - and easier to get mixes, such as chicken & liver. The mince is bone-in, but I also give a chicken carcass a day. I agree that it's much better to give some whole bone rather than just mince, for the benefit of the teeth. When he needed an X-ray under sedation last year, the vet checked his teeth and declared them pretty much perfect despite him being 9 years old.

 

[Buddy1]

We raw feed our dog and I agree with you: having so much information on the internet is not always helpful, especially as much of it seems contradictory.

The main meat content of our dog’s diet is in the form of mince as we find this more convenient (is easier to store in the freezer, comes in packs which are the right daily amount and it is easier to buy a variety of different meats). The mince we buy only contains meat, with no added bone or organs (only because we feed these separately). Organs /offal are fed in chunks and bones given whole.

 

[Alanward87]

I agree mince is certainly more convenient I have been feeding some as mince and some as full cuts of meat just for a bit of variation as I want sure if one was preferred over the other. We do travel regularly too but mainly in the UK so I have a chest freezer full at home and have a freezer for the car so I can take plenty away with us.

Is there such a thing as to much bone when feeding mince with bone then whole bone also?

 

[JudyN]

Is there such a thing as to much bone when feeding mince with bone then whole bone also?

Yes, I'm sure it's possible. The carcasses I feed have a reasonable amount of meat on too, which helps. You can find charts for you to calculate meat/offal/bone ratios and aim for 80/10/10%, but all dogs are different and it's easiest just to monitor their output - if it's too soft, they need more bone/less offal, if it's too hard and crumbly, they need less bone/more offal.

Did you see this blog post I linked to in another thread? Lurchers for Beginners: The Raw Truth - greydogtales

 

[Mad Murphy]

George and Murphy get a mince chicken/ goat/ chicken and salmon which has bone, organ etc in it and they get lamb heart. They also get a bone each Sunday just to chew on for dental and fun.

 

[Alanward87]

Yes, I'm sure it's possible. The carcasses I feed have a reasonable amount of meat on too, which helps. You can find charts for you to calculate meat/offal/bone ratios and aim for 80/10/10%, but all dogs are different and it's easiest just to monitor their output - if it's too soft, they need more bone/less offal, if it's too hard and crumbly, they need less bone/more offal.

Did you see this blog post I linked to in another thread? Lurchers for Beginners: The Raw Truth - greydogtales

Thanks for the link I will make that my night time reading for tonight when the kids are in bed in the caravan.

You are right though no matter how gross it can be the poo often tells you all that you need to know.

Just wondering I have been able to find % guidelinesand dietary advice for some breeds but struggled to find if there is anything specific to boxers as a result stick to the 80, 10, 10. He seems fine but if as a breed they get on better with a higher fat content or slightly different ratio than it would be nice to know also. Either way I'm certain his current diet is far superior to his 'custom' tails blend lol. His coat, poo and attitude to food would also agree.

 

[JudyN]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if 'recipes' of what works for different breeds are simply dreamt up by people guessing, say, 'Hmm, athletic lively dog... might need extra protein,' with very little in the way of actual science behind it. And if their approach works for them, they assume it must be right and if they've been doing it for years and have healthy dogs, other people respect their opinions, and tell others... Take everything with a pinch of salt, then do a bit of background research to see if there's any basis in it (because, as an example, there are very real considerations that need to be taken into account when feeding dalmatians).

 

[Alanward87]

Thanks for all the input guys its greatly appreciated.

On a similar note does anyone have any advice on managing meal times. He is good at eating the majority of his meal in or close to his bowl. When it comes to carcass, wings basically anything containing bone dodsley cant help but come lay on the living room carpet so find myself unable to leave his side during meal time. Any tricks to help keep him in one area? I do still have hos puppy pen but wasnt to sure about forcing containment for meals. Ohhh and I cant just shit the door. I decided to make my ground floor all open plan so there are no doors to close.....

 

[JudyN]

Are there door-sized gaps you could put a stairgate or similar across?

I feed Jasper in the garden, unless it's hammering it down in which case he's shut in the conservatory. Some people feed their dogs on towels and if the dog takes the bone away, move them back to the towel until they learn that that's where they're meant to eat. Only do this if your dog is very relaxed around his food though!

 

[Alanward87]

Unfortunately not, I took most of the walls out too, it has been said by the wife that I got carried away lol.

I will give the towel option a go, he is very relaxed about all food. I didn't want him being possessive about food so from bringing him home i give him his dinner, bones, carrots or similar and after a while take them off him for a minute, then give them back to ensure if needed to i can take what he sees as food away without aggression. It seems to have worked well he let's me take food without aggression and doesn't rush to eat as he knows that 99.9% of the time he does get it back.

 

[Mad Murphy]

I must admit I dont like the habit of taking a dogs dinner just to teach it not to be food envious I much prefer the idea of asking for the bowl and adding a bit so that they get the idea that any time you ask for their bowl or interfere with the food its because they are getting something better or extra.

 

[Alanward87]

I had not considered that way, sounds a good way to go about it but from a more positive perspective. Previously I just relied upon praise and fuss for no aggression and waiting nicely but will certainly give it a go.

 

[JoanneF]

Agree with Madmurphy - if you were in your favourite restaurant enjoying a favourite meal and you believed that someone was going to take it away, how do you think you might react? Many dogs learn that they have to guard their food this way for fear of someone taking it. I wouldn't even take the bowl to put in something better - I'd just drop in some chicken as i pass.

 

[JudyN]

I agree with JoanneF. 'Rewarding' him for not showing aggression implies that he may feel, but suppress, the aggression. You don't want him to suppress aggression (or even just a dirty look), you want him to be 100% relaxed in the first place.

I would work on teaching 'trading' instead, starting with objects of such low value that he's actively thrusting them into your hands in exchange for something better, and building up to more valued items - but never more valued than the reward you are offering. (Hopefully by the time it's a freshly-caught rabbit he has in his mouth trading will be such a habit that he won't consider that you're unlikely to have anything higher value in exchange!)

 

[Mad Murphy]

George has learned in just a few weeks to trade.. when he picks up stuff on the street he gets told to put it down. If he does he gets rewarded..
No punishment and no shouting just a nice trade.

 

[JudyN]

Just something to be aware of, some, very guardy, dogs struggle with trading (not looking at you, Jasper....). Some dogs actually seem to think, 'If you're offering me that lamb steak in exchange for this plastic measuring spoon, you must REALLY want the medicine spoon... MUST PROTECT IT AT ALL COSTS!!!'

However, with a LOT of reward-based work, we moved from him getting snarky if I so much as looked at him when he had a pilfered sock, to him raiding the laundry pile to find a sock and bring it to me in exchange for a treat. He'd even then snatch it back off me and give it to me again... I still reward him for bringing me random stuff but I'm a lot tidier now! And it's darn cute if I drop my hanky and he picks it up and brings it to me.

 

[Alanward87]

I decided to move my boy onto a raw diet a while back. The argument made by raw feeders on here along with honeys book and guidance was just too compelling.

Anyway now he has had some time to settle into the diet I just thought I would provide an update. I have to say from day one of the change in diet the changes were amazing. On kibble my boy was farting constantly and smelt so bad it burned your nose. Since around day 2 of the move this stopped overnight. He still passes wind occasionally however the smell is not offensive. Along with this his poo is perfectly formed, solid, slightly tacky and lifts off the patio without leaving a smear. Well poo before the raw diet sometimes was ok but mostly sloppy and misinformed.

He was never a fussy eater but now gets really excited when I touch his dinner bowl so he clearly prefers it. In addition one thing that shocked me was how much his poo reduced in size and also how much his water consumption decreased. Still passes urine in similar quantity but gets alot from food now. Generally he is gaining weight and growing nicely. His coat is in great condition. Full of energy and generally happy. Moving to raw really was what was best for him. It's nowhere near as expensive as you may expect or anywhere near as difficult as you would expect. Well worth a try for anyone considering diets for their little fury friend.

 

[Caro Perry]

Sounds like it's going well.

I've had to stop raw feeding Harri unfortunately. I'm far from convinced that it would be an infection risk but as a therapy dog he isn't permitted raw.