A Question for RAW Feeders
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dadomer
New member
You might want to go back and read the posts that were made on a recent thread in this forum called "Started BARF."
I hope they will address many of the issues that are of interest to you.
The Honest Kitchen or Aunt Jeni's are two extremely simple ways to get started in raw feeding, and you can stay with them for the life of your Newf(s).
If you go with Honest Kitchen, the simpler of the two, you would want to use their product "Embark" for the puppies.
But these two options are only the tip of the ice berg and raw feeding can be so much more diversified once you get started and comfortable with it.
I hope they will address many of the issues that are of interest to you.
The Honest Kitchen or Aunt Jeni's are two extremely simple ways to get started in raw feeding, and you can stay with them for the life of your Newf(s).
If you go with Honest Kitchen, the simpler of the two, you would want to use their product "Embark" for the puppies.
But these two options are only the tip of the ice berg and raw feeding can be so much more diversified once you get started and comfortable with it.
Brinks' Mom
New member
My puppy came from a breeder with an only RAW feeding diet. I give him Canidae All Life Stages which is grain free and I continue with some raw (turkey necks, chicken backs) for some of the meals. He gets fruit and vegetables too...apple, green beans, cantaulope, rice, pineapple, eggs. Hope this helps you a little.
dadomer
New member
Good for you and better for yor Newf(s)!
For those of you new to raw feeding, you need to be aware that the GI system of dogs cannot break down cellulose, the cell membrane of most fruits and vegetables. Therefore, in order for them to realize the full nutritional value of raw fruits and vegetables, you need to put them into a pulp form by using a blender, food processor, grinder, etc.
KatieB
New member
Just a note use a food processor it's much easier than a blender. When we started raw we used a blender and now kick ourselves for not having gotten a food processor earlier....so much easier and you can make larger quantities to store or freeze for later use...it also has cool uses for human food as well haha.
Leslie
New member
Carmela, is there another Canidae all life stages? The only one I know about has brown rice and white rice as ingredient #3 and 4.
EVO is not recommended for puppies, one year for for regular dogs and 2 years for giants. I got this information a year ago so it may have changed with the newer formulas.
EVO is not recommended for puppies, one year for for regular dogs and 2 years for giants. I got this information a year ago so it may have changed with the newer formulas.
Laura_Loomis
New member
When I had a newf, I fed fresh raw, too, cause the premade was just too expensive, other than the occasional trip when a tube is easier to pack in the cooler, or tripe which I just refuse to process myself. Ick!
BUT, that said, I have had very good luck with Bravo! http://www.bravorawdiet.com/ and Farmore http://www.farmoredogfood.com/
Personally, I prefer Bravo. They have a greater variety.
Laura
PS: No affiliation with either. Just a satisfied customer.
[ 05-16-2007, 10:04 AM: Message edited by: Laura_Loomis ]
BUT, that said, I have had very good luck with Bravo! http://www.bravorawdiet.com/ and Farmore http://www.farmoredogfood.com/
Personally, I prefer Bravo. They have a greater variety.
Laura
PS: No affiliation with either. Just a satisfied customer.
[ 05-16-2007, 10:04 AM: Message edited by: Laura_Loomis ]
For those of you new to raw feeding, you need to be aware that the GI system of dogs cannot break down cellulose, the cell membrane of most fruits and vegetables. Therefore, in order for them to realize the full nutritional value of raw fruits and vegetables, you need to put them into a pulp form by using a blender, food processor, grinder, etc. [/QB][/QUOTE]
Ok im not trying to ask a stupid qustion but I might so hang with me here....
What exacly does "pulp form" mean? Just grinding it up? I was thinking about putting some raw in Bensons diet. Maybe not the meat but fruit and vegetables. And I want him to be as healthy as he can be with the food I prepare for him. So tips?
Ok im not trying to ask a stupid qustion but I might so hang with me here....
Brinks' Mom
New member
Leslie.....YOU'RE RIGHT!!!!!!!
I never realized that there is Rice in that bag!!! and here I am not giving him the Chicken and Rice flavor because of wanting to play it safe with all this recall fiasco!! Ok right now I'm speechless and feeling quite stupid.
Well on a brighter note....Canidae is NOT having a problem with their ingredients and Brinks' coat looks amazingly shiny and healthy along with no skin or ear issues, no stool problems etc. So far so good. As for the "pulping the fruits and vegetables" Do his teeth count for the pulping before it reaches his tummy????
I never realized that there is Rice in that bag!!! and here I am not giving him the Chicken and Rice flavor because of wanting to play it safe with all this recall fiasco!! Ok right now I'm speechless and feeling quite stupid.
Well on a brighter note....Canidae is NOT having a problem with their ingredients and Brinks' coat looks amazingly shiny and healthy along with no skin or ear issues, no stool problems etc. So far so good. As for the "pulping the fruits and vegetables" Do his teeth count for the pulping before it reaches his tummy????
Newfs Forever
New member
Lauren,
Try to make the veggie/fruit pieces as itsy bitsy as possible. I use a grinder first, then put them through the processor. I add some water to it so that it almost becomes like a slurry.
Not to be graphic, I get the veggies to a cowplop
consistency.
HTH about the veggies, NOT the cowplop!
Try to make the veggie/fruit pieces as itsy bitsy as possible. I use a grinder first, then put them through the processor. I add some water to it so that it almost becomes like a slurry.
Not to be graphic, I get the veggies to a cowplop
consistency.
HTH about the veggies, NOT the cowplop!
dadomer
New member
Good thought, but, no, the grinding action of the teeth cannot come anywhere near to what is needed to maximize the actual absorbtion of the nutirents you are trying to give them.
Both fruits and vegetables must be raw (not cooked)and they must be totally crushed. For example, grating is not sufficient.
Please keep in mind that we are trying to mimic the gut content of the hypothetical prey our Newf is eating. This is a very important element of raw feeding.
I do not have a juicer, but I am told that a juicer works best for this particular application. I use either a blender or food processor depending on which fruits or vegetables I am working with.
Also please keep in mind that there are "above the ground" vegetables (asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, squash, etc., etc.) and "below the ground vegetables (carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, etc., etc.). Since each group supplies different nutrients, ideally we would feed some of each group each time we are feeding raw vegetables.
Brinks' Mom
New member
thank you Dave....I guess I'll have to change my routine around a little bit when using the fruit and vegetables. What about the eggs? Should they be raw or cooked? I scramble them until they are "half cooked".
dadomer
New member
Hi, Brink's Mom,
I think what you do is just fine.
However, the "purist" would feed raw eggs, including the shells. Again, in keeping with the concept of the prey model, if our Newfs were to find eggs in the wild, they would eat them as they found them, raw.
I feed my little guy about 3 raw, organic eggs per week, including the shells. He loves them.
dadomer
New member
Hi, Lauren,Originally posted by Big_Ben:
If I give Benson some raw foods will I have to worry about his business not being so sturdy? :lmao: Yuk
If I am not mistaken you are either a preteen or in your early teens, so please don't feel bad about asking any questions. In fact that's a good one!
The good news is that a natural diet makes for more natural "business," so you can actually expect better stools.
However, a very important adjunct to help your Benson transition to a raw natural diet from a kibble diet is to supplement his diet with probiotics/digestive enzymes. Aunt Jeni's makes an excellent one called "Enhance." You would simply feed 1-2 pill(s), depending upon Benson's weight, with each kibble meal 5-7 days before you start feeding raw, and then continue to do so with each raw meal for many months.
Here is a link to Enhance, and I am sure there are many other good products out there that other NNers can share with us.
Aunt Jeni