# Noticeable differences with raw feeding?



## UKpoodle (Jul 22, 2015)

I've had Gunther on a raw food diet since he was about 18 weeks old. When we first got him I fed him on dry, grain free, hypoallergenic puppy food but he used to have horrendous stinky wind and he was pooing 6 to 8 times a day. Within a few days of moving him onto raw food the wind stopped and his was only going twice a day. For me this has been one of the biggest upsides of raw feeding - stools become much firmer, smaller and less smelly as your dog is extracting all the goodness from their food and there is little 'waste' to come out the other end! He also doesn't have that 'doggy' smell about him and has lovely clean teeth and good breath. 
Oh and I know exactly what you mean about the green tripe, the smell is something else, basically a mixture of everything that smells bad in the world, with a bit of extra farmyard manure thrown in for extra seasoning! I just have to keep reminding myself that its doing him so much good....and for some reason he finds it irresistible!!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

UKpoodle...that is just great! My little ones haven't ever had much trouble in the gas department. But when dogs do, it is not only most unpleasant for us humans, it's a bit worrisome. We don't want our little dumplings to be uncomfortable or have tummy pains. So, it's terrific how nice, fresh food is so well tolerated...generally speaking. And great that Gunther is doing so much better, not only with gas, but with everything.

My little Jose` can not crush up bones so he's one of my three whose teeth are already not sufficient. He's 14 almost and has had some teeth pulled...poor fella. But I give him one and he sort of mouths it...fools around with it. And I give him a little bone meal or egg shell powder that I've ground up in place of a bone. And then I brush his teeth.

I think too, that Jose` seems more spunky than he did...more energetic. But that could be my imagination or the power of suggestion. But I really do think perhaps he feels better. Or maybe he's just plain happy as a lark with his fresh food. Yesterday it was leg of lamb. This morning it will be beef tongue. Oh, and he shared. He let me keep a slice of lamb to cook for myself. What a treat!

Now I just need to figure out how to get their poops more consistently good consistency. :act-up:


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## UKpoodle (Jul 22, 2015)

Ahhh poor Jose and his teeth, bless him! It reminds me a bit of the the first time I gave Gunther chicken bones, although there is nothing wrong with his teeth, he was (and still is) very careful when eating and he used to spend about an hour meticulously and very delicately removing every last bit of meat and leaving the bone untouched...it took him a few weeks to realise that he could actually eat the bone too! I think being on a raw diet makes him a very careful eater, as he always mouths his food first and kind of checks it out and there are certain bones that he will gnaw at a bit but won't completely consume, as if he knows that they're too hard for his teeth.
I think with Jose and his breath and Gunther's digestive problems its just their bodies way of crying out for some 'proper' unprocessed food. If you think about the way we eat, most of us wouldn't eat the same preprepared ready meals every day, yes they're nice now and again but variety and good, fresh food is what the body thrives on and I don't think its any different for dogs. If I was living off microwave lasagne every day I reckon I'd be having tummy ache and bad breath too!!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Well it is good that Gunther can chew the bones. And good that he takes it slowly and seems to know how to do it so he won't damage his teeth.

Matisse really gobbles them down fast. He's turning into a pig where, when he was on commercial food, he nibbled gingerly at it. Both Poodles did and often would leave some or all of it. It just didn't impress them that much. I just thought they were picky or not pigs like Jose` always was. They did like Taste of the Wild kibble pretty well. And a few other things but not always. Now, that they're on raw, fresh food, I have to hurry up and figure out what I'm doing because they're chowing it down and actually, Maurice is a tad too fat already. He use to be such a wisp of a thing. Even Matisse is bordering on too fat. I have begun to cut them back. It's just all new to me and getting amounts and ratios of things is proving quite the challenge.

Jose` chews on the bones but doesn't cause them one speck of damage. I can let him mouth away on one and then save it in the fridge for another dog later. He doesn't even break the skin. I wish he could chew on the bones better like Gunther. But I guess the fresh food is still better. I just have to add calcium for him. 

Well, thanks for your posts. I learn a little more with everyone's posts. There's always something new. And boy do I ever need an education in this area to be sure!:alberteinstein:Thanks!


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## UKpoodle (Jul 22, 2015)

I wouldn't get too hung up on exact quantities and ratios, you'll learn by your dogs weight change and appetite what's best for them and as long as they're getting some offal and not too much fat they'll be fine. Green tripe alone is a perfectly balanced super food for dogs, the digestive juices it contains act as a natural tooth floss for your dog and its very high in calcium, so you don't need to worry about adding calcium to their food if you're worried about them not eating enough bones!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

UKpoodle said:


> I wouldn't get too hung up on exact quantities and ratios, you'll learn by your dogs weight change and appetite what's best for them and as long as they're getting some offal and not too much fat they'll be fine. Green tripe alone is a perfectly balanced super food for dogs, the digestive juices it contains act as a natural tooth floss for your dog and its very high in calcium, so you don't need to worry about adding calcium to their food if you're worried about them not eating enough bones!


Well, I tried not to get too hung up on the ratios but not only do I think ratios are important, from what I've been reading, try as I might, I can not _not _worry about it. lol. It's some kind of OCD thing or something I guess. I don't think, nor am I able to get things perfectly measured out. But I don't want them to be deficient in anything either on the other hand. They are getting about 10% of either chicken or beef liver, beef spleen or lamb kidneys. That's what I have so far for organ meat. 

Oh yes, tripe...It's such an amazing food, I put a whole thread about it in the health section, it amazed me so much. If I weren't so impressed by the idea of great variety with this endeavor, I'd feed only tripe for Jose` at least. But alas...I do like the idea of variety. So, they're getting a chunk or two of tripe in each meal, not just once a day like I was and before that every other day or so. So whatever they get to eat, be it beef, chicken, lamb, pork, fish, they also get a chunk of tripe. We'll see how that works over the next week or so as far as their digestive situation. And maybe distribute the bones more evenly. (but smaller bones means more choking hazard I guess, though they chomp right down on the smaller pieces pretty well.) That's my idea anyhow. What do you think?

Thanks for you input. I do like to go over these things with anyone who has been doing this for a while...much appreciated.


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## UKpoodle (Jul 22, 2015)

Yes you're right, ratios are important, but I suppose I've been doing it for quite some time now so I've got used to measuring 'by eye'. I do know exactly what you mean about the OCD thing though, when I think back to when I started Gunther on a raw food diet I was exactly the same, weighing out his food as precisely as I could and always worrying that he wasn't getting the right balance, but I'm not as hung up on it now. Plus I get most of his meat delivered frozen, including some bags of minced food which is pre-weighed into 500g portions and has more or less the right ratios of minced bone/offal/meat (either chicken, tripe, turkey, lamb, duck or beef) He might have one of those a day then his other meal might be a tin of sardines, a couple of chickens feet and wings, or a big chunk of beef with a little bone in - basically whatever I have remembered to get out of the freezer! He doesn't necessarily have every single meal perfectly balanced, but over say a 2 or 3 day period it works out. A bit like me I suppose - not every meal is a perfect ratio of carbs/fat/protein etc but I like to think my diet overall is healthy and balanced! I do supplement his food once a day with an omega oil for joints, as I think that's important for large dogs. 
What you're doing sounds fine, by adding tripe to every meal they'll definitely be getting all the nutrients they need. I know people worry about smaller bones, but like I said earlier I suppose I'm lucky that Gunther isn't a gobbler and chews his food carefully, so for me its never been an issue. The bones in chickens feet and wings are relatively soft in comparison to other bones, so in that way less likely to chip a tooth, but not sure if that makes them more or less of a choking hazard (chickens feet are also an excellent source of chondroitin which is really good for healthy joints). A good way to tell if you're dog is getting too much bone in their diet is to check their poo - if they're really straining to go and it's rock hard then it means they're eating too much bone.
You're already doing a wonderful thing for your dogs by feeding them what their little bodies are supposed to be fed - real, natural 'dog' food, so don't worry too much about getting it perfect, it sounds like they're really benefiting from it already.
Good luck x


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

LOL. Yes, at night I go outside with them with a flash light aimed right at their rear ends if they're pooping. I do like to watch what is coming out. When I first started this, poor Matisse, my white Poodle had white poo. OY! Well, I hope I'm balancing everything out all right enough. You're right. I should think more in terms of how I balance my own meals. I eat vegetables in large quantities lunch and dinner and sometimes even breakfast. I love spinach with eggs or peppers. And I try to eat rather small portions of meat. Sometimes just a yam for dinner. The next day will probably be some kind of meat and vegetable. So, yeah...might skip one thing one meal but catch up the next. The problem with these tiny dogs is it seems to make a difference in their bowel contents very quickly if something isn't quite well balanced, like if there's too much bone or too little. I think there may be more leeway with larger dogs. (?) Maybe not. Well, I'm going to keep working at it. I have a freezer full of wonderful meats, organs and tripe. And a whole new freezer! lol. In case you missed this: http://www.poodleforum.com/32-poodle-food/190353-who-says-raw-feeding-doesnt-cost-more.html


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## UKpoodle (Jul 22, 2015)

Poodlebeguiled said:


> LOL. Yes, at night I go outside with them with a flash light aimed right at their rear ends if they're pooping. I do like to watch what is coming out.


Haha! Oh god that sounds like the sort of thing I'd do, my husband thinks I'm 'poo obsessed'...he fancies himself as a bit of a comedian and likes to tell people that I rub it on my gums to test it...!!!!


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## West U (Jul 30, 2014)

I have been feeding raw for about 6 years. Pearly white teeth, no bad breath, no vet bills for teeth cleaning. I gagged and literally got sick when trying to prepare and feed them the tripe, but it sounds like I should try it again. I eyeball every thing. Most of my pre-raw diet dogs died of cancer. I hope to see healthier, older dogs as a result of feeding raw. We have cut down on the vaccinations we give them too. Green Tripe link http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/the-stink-on-tripe/


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

I'm afraid my nose is dead! I ordered tripe from MPC, so I'm sure it was green tripe, but I didn't find the smell terribly offensive. The dogs do love it, don't they?


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Haha West...I posted that same article in the health section. I was just blown away by the health benefits. 

Judy, you're lucky! haha. They sure do love it.


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