# Being forced to give up raw diet



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Uhh...the next best option is to go with Therapy Dogs International instead of Delta....!

Therapy Dogs International allows raw fed dogs and have made it VERY clear that they will NOT be restricting raw fed dogs. This is why I went with TDI instead of Delta with Millie.


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## Rowan (May 27, 2011)

I agree with CM, but if you can't switch, then the home cooked diet is a great option. My three poodles all get home-cooked meals and the best part is you can prepare your meat "very rare."  There are a few of us who feed home-cooked and FJM (I think) has some recipes--there on here somewhere. I'm sure she'll be along to post a link!

Mine get a mixture of the following:

Chicken, Buffalo, Beef, Turkey* (ground or whole and cooked rare)
Chicken or Turkey liver/organ meat (2 or 3 x a week, cooked)
Salmon (cooked WELL), Jack Mackerel (rare occasions as it stinks)
Cottage cheese, cheese, eggs, yogurt, kefir
Sweet potato, broccoli, green beans, legumes/beans, baked apple, blueberries (small amount, cooked and pureed)
EFAs, probiotics/digestive enzymes, vit/min powder, alfalfa/kelp powder

I've been wanting to add Tripe too. That's on my list after reading posts here.  Mine also get Primal raw food on occasion (the nuggets). I make a big batch of the cooked/pureed vegetables/legumes and give them a spoonful with each meal--they love it. 

*You can also incorporate pork and lamb or game such as venison/rabbit. I found lamb and pork too rich for mine, unless fed in tiny amounts. Cook your salmon well as dogs can get a parasite from raw salmon that's fatal.


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## Jessie's Mom (Mar 23, 2010)

i feed jessie prepared raw (just could never make the final plunge) and cooked organ & muscle meats. i feed:

beef, chicken, veal heart 
beef, chicken liver
beef kidney
beef, turkey, chicken chopped meat
chicken gizzzards
lung (when i can find it)
salmon (cooked well)

everything is cooked rare except the salmon.

i started this diet because of jessie's digestive problems which resulted in chronic regurgitation. after hundreds of dollars of medical tests, i took this path on my own. i have to say, if you can't go raw completely, this is a wonderful alternative. i buy in bulk, cook it, measure out 8-10 zip lock baggies, then freeze them. they could be kept frozen for up to six months without compromising the nutrition of the meat. each evening i take out the amount i will need for the next day and let it defrost in the refrigerator.

the only thing i haven't done yet is add the probiotics, digestive enzymes, omegas, and some vitamins. because of her digestive problems, i wanted to keep her diet as pure as possible until i was certain she was on a better path.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I do a mix of raw and home cooked - but the home cooked alone is not going to give the benefits of raw bones and tripe. I use a slow cooker, and simply simmer a mixture of meats to give an approximate ratio of meat 80 -85% mixed offal 15 - 20%. The mince I get already has ground bone in it, but otherwise you need to add the right proportion of calcium - 1 ground eggshell per pound of meat is the easiest. I often add a few veg - carrots and green beans because the dogs like them and they are low calorie, and a little of anything else I have. I'm not convinced they need them, but it fills the bowl up without making them too plump! I don't usually add carbohydrate, though - just very occasionally lentils for a change, or rice for therapeutic purposes. Enough water to come half way up the bowl, and leave it on low overnight. In the morning I let it cool, mix it up, and weigh it out into meal size portions. Mine get chunks of raw tripe, raw beef, and various meaty bones for at least 2 meals out of 3 - if all their meals were cooked I think I would try to source ox cheek and other cheap cuts and give them large chewy chunks rather than ground meat.

I've recently experimented with home-made kibble for travelling - a variation on the much-loved liver cake, using a pound of minced chicken, a cup of uncooked rice simmered in stock and an egg or two, twice baked to get it very dry and crisp. I would't want to rely on it as a long term diet, but they love it, and it is very convenient when away from home.


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