# Raw diet questions?



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Kaylee said:


> I want to feed my future dog raw food, because honestly I think dog food is gross, and I don't want to feed my dog stuff that I don't like touching lol. I've researched it and I'm thinking I'm going to feed meat, some bones, or the bones that come in the meat for teeth cleaning, vegetables, and maybe a calcium supplement (eggshells). Wild canines don't eat the stomach contents of their prey, but I know that people who can't get veggies in the winter eat a lot of fat, which has those vitamins in it. So dogs in the wild eat the fat on say, a deer to get vitamins, but my dog isn't likely to get much at all, so I should feed some vegetables to give him those. Does that sound right? What do you guys feed? If you feed vegetables, how much and what kinds?
> 
> Also, how much does it cost to feed a standard poodle per week? I'm thinking at $10 per week, maybe, but I'd like to hear from people who actually do it.
> 
> Can you feed them kibble after starting, with no transition, and then go back again? Would it make them sick or something? I'm just thinking if I take my dog over to my friend's house I would rather let him eat with their dogs than lug over a cooler full of raw meat.


Let's see, I'll start by saying that dogs and humans are completely different creatures, with different nutritional needs and different physiological and physical makeups. So, just because you have experienced that humans crave fat in the winter if they have not eaten enough veggies, does not mean that a dog would react the same way. 

There are many different methods of feeding raw. There is pre-made raw (quite expensive, but convenient). However, it does contain veggies and fruits, which some people do not want to include in their raw diets.) 

There is prey model raw, which involves feeding the meat, bone and organ of various prey animals, This diet is composed of 80% muscle meat, 10% edible bone and 10% organ. This diet does not include veggies or any other plant matter.

Then, there is the BARF method, bones and raw food. This method sometimes includes grinding up the food and does include extras such as veggies, fruits and dairy. 

Raw Meaty Bones diet is another one.

It is important to research a raw diet before starting it. It is the best thing, in my opinion, that you can do for our dog, but you do have to take care to balance the diet over time. This is quite simple to do once you have basic understanding of what they need.

Finally, if you do choose to feed a raw diet that includes edible bone, you will not need to supplement the diet with egg shells, as the calcium is included in the edible bone.

I suggest looking at these links:

http://www.poodleforum.com/32-poodle-food/12659-links-feeding-homemade-raw-diet.html

As far as cost, it will depend based on the cost of meat in your area. But figure this: you will feed approximately 2% of your dog's ideal body weight in food. So, you can do the math to find out how much meat your dog will eat per week, and then have an idea after you look at the cost of various meats in your area.


----------



## Kaylee (Jun 11, 2011)

Ok, thanks. I've been reading a bunch of stuff on this, but everyone seems to say something different, so I'm not sure what's right. I guess that's the problem with the internet. Those are some useful links.

I wasn't sure about the calcium, because something I read said that bones had lots of phosphorus as well as calcium and so it didn't count...But that site also had a lot on some other supplements, so reading some of those sites you linked to now I'm thinking it wasn't very good.


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Kaylee said:


> Ok, thanks. I've been reading a bunch of stuff on this, but everyone seems to say something different, so I'm not sure what's right. I guess that's the problem with the internet. Those are some useful links.
> 
> I wasn't sure about the calcium, because something I read said that bones had lots of phosphorus as well as calcium and so it didn't count...But that site also had a lot on some other supplements, so reading some of those sites you linked to now I'm thinking it wasn't very good.


Meat has phosphorus, bones have calcium. If you feed a good balance of meat and bone, your balance will be good.


----------



## Kaylee (Jun 11, 2011)

Ok, that clears things up. Thank you!


----------

