This is a typical weekly haul from my butcher. The boys have 2 carcasses and a couple of wings or a back each every day. There will be bits of liver and kidney attached within the frame. Occasionally they will have neck and ribs of lamb or beef ribs, but their main diet is chicken.

That is one big haul of chicken lol

Ha ha - I know - every Sunday morning we make our pilgrimage to the butchers and  then I spend the next hour bagging it into portions for the freezer, watched intently by the boys!!!  Thanks so much for starting the group Rita.  I think it will be wonderful support for those who are keen to start but hesitant and a great platform for regular raw feeders to share ideas and advice.   It's one of those topics that many people have very negative - almost aggressive opinions on so a group of like minded people is most welcome!!!!  : )

I think raw is the best food we can feed our dogs, if I put a bowl of dried food and raw down I know what my dogs will pick :)

I have one young bitch who has been fed Natural instincts since 7 months old as she had a terrible appetite but I would like to feed all of mine a raw diet so have joined so that I can pick up some tips on how to prepare my own food for them

Welcome Angela, if you have any questions please ask. 

I made the switch to raw last year for 3/4 of my dogs. I had wanted to make the change and did so after discovering the puppy I kept from my litter appeared to have a wheat intolerance. She's done great on raw ever since.

James put on a bit of weight and for a while i was struggling but have since discovered it's a possible thyroid problem so will be able to really assess how well he is doing on raw once this other issue is under control.

My dogs main meat source is chicken - usually getting a frame, thighs, wings or drumsticks daily, plus "scrap" veg leftover in the fridge, occasional lamb flaps, sardines or mackeral, liver, kidney and lamb heart when I can get it. I gave them some brains the other day which they seemed to enjoy!

Welcome aboard Angela

I've tried but can't seem to source tripe in Australia... a shame as I have read how good it is for dogs.

I think that freezing stuff for 24 hours usually gets rid of any nasties.

I try not to encourage fussiness in my dogs but sometimes there is stuff they just won't touch... James doens't like liver raw but will happily eat kidney... Spartan wil not touch kangaroo even though it's one of his "safe' foods (he's allergic to a bit)... sometimes they just dont like certain foods.  I'd be encouraging and trying to source other foods besides chicken though - variety and balance is the key with raw afterall.

Frozen beef or lamb is fine Tracie...we've one dog who won't eat it frozen. I'd normally give them frozen lamb necks or ribs as they last the dogs longer. A nice treat on a hot Summers day.With the raw diet you do need to feed organ meat...have you tried cows heart. Most dogs love heart as it's a muscle meat. Our dogs hate liver!!

Glad to hear Steo isn't the only one to hate liver!

I'm very new to this lark and only put my two youngest on raw for now. The puppy is fine and has tried lots of different things though mainly on Natures Instinct while I find my way, but I've read things that say they MUST have liver and was really worried as Steo definitely would starve if I put any in his food. To be honest he's not overly keen on chicken sometimes, but he can be 'off' his food every couple of days, so I don't really know if its raw food he's not keen on.

Do I persevere and how long for?

Sue have you tried the green tripe from Natures Instinct...it will make any fussy eater eat. I don't know a dog who doesn't love the smell and taste of green tripe.

 Not unlike liver, kidney supplies good quality protein, essential fatty acids and many vitamins including all the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Kidneys are a rich source of iron and all the B vitamins. They also have good levels of zinc. 

You could also try lambs hearts which you'll get alot off soon. €0.30c in my butchers and the dogs love them. 

Sue: Steo sounds like his brother.. keen on NI and raw, but only for a while, then we need to rotate with cooked meat or with naturediet.. no food lasts for > 1-2 weeks;)

and definitely no tripe nor organs  of any kind ! Would this be a family thing? ;)

btw: i think the need for tripe, organs, etc is only when we do the mixture of raw food by ourself.. Of  course it would be cheaper to go for the self-made option.. but NI is already a complete food, so we dont need to complement with tripe nor anything else if they dont like it..

We stick with chicken/turkey variety a lamb necks and spine for a treat, for now..

My two are the same..hate liver and kidney...I puree them and mix in with their veg with a bit of garlic....they then eat it without knowing...other than that they never leave any thing....they love their food

Thank you for your replies.

Yes Rita I have used NI tripe and Steo and puppy both like it, but if I give too frequently Steo will still turn his nose up! I think he may be the sort of dog who would accept a 'fasting' day as used to be advocated, but i will soldier on:)

Silvia, I think you may be right..a family thing maybe! Ask Sue :)

Jennie, I tried to hide the finely chopped liver ( less than half an ounce) but he still looked horrified...puppy helped him out!!

I'll keep plugging away and keep giving different things like you do with toddlers!!

Hey all - don't forget, offal (organ meat) is an important part if you are making raw mixes yourselves... Heart is not included as it is classed as a muscle meat, but it is still a good source of meat for the dogs..

this week, we experimented with some lamb necks, pig trotters and whole raw white fish fillets... they LOVED them all!

Mine love fish Andrea...the first time Riley had a whole fish (small one) with its head on he gave such a funny look..think he did not like the fish looking at him lol..

Welcome to the group Andrea! our dogs love fish aswell..salmon strips are their favourite. Our supplier of raw food can supply full prey now like whole rabbit...I think our dogs would play with it rather than eating it lol 

Our setter Rio has been on a raw meat diet since he was 6 months old ,we also adopted a little spaniel cross from Dogs Trust last year called Indie,she is also now on raw meat diet,they both love it and their coats are beautiful and,no smelly breath,i would recommend it to anyone.

I am an advocate of the BARF diet, and started our little bitch Ruby on the diet the vary day we picked her up. She is doing splendidly.  I am very much a believer that raw is best, contrary to what her Vet might think.  I have seen firsthand what cooked wheat based diets do to dogs and I am just sorry for the dogs.  Both dogs suffer from skin conditions, drink a large amount of water, appear to have low energy levels and smell dreadful, even after being bathed.

Unfortunately, it’s just easier for some people to open a packet and dispense biscuits/kibble than take their dogs health seriously.  Would the same people feed themselves dried biscuits?

Welcome to the group Linda and Rob.

Murfee will be 1 year old on Monday and is growing well but his stools are quite loose sometimes.  He mainly eats chicken but has a variety including duck legs, lamb chops (excess fat removed), pork ribs and chops, oxtail, sardines cooked and raw but when he has liver or green tripe his stools are very loose i want him  to have a varied diet so that he receives all the nutrients he needs.  Do you think a probiotic supplement would help i thought it might have been the Advocate at first but now i think it's a digestive problem as in the evenings after his meal he can be a bit windy.  He eats very quickly, even if he has half a chicken for dinner it's gone in a couple of minutes.  Any advice?

How much liver would you give? Liver but can be too rich for them and play havoc with their digestive system. If you find he's to windy you can add charcoal to the dogs meal, this helps to absorb the gas. 

AAAARGH!!

Sorry! I'm so frustrated. My 2 year old Steo tends to be a bit uninterested in food sometimes. Now the 8 month old pup is copying him and feeding raw has gone on the back burner, simply because they will not eat it! Not even green tripe! Honestly you'd think I was poisoning them the way they look at it and back off!

I've reverted to Naturediet which Steo used to have (before he went off that!) and at least they're eating something... for now.

I hope I can get them back to it later:((

Hi Sue.. I know the feeling.. with Oberon we keep rotating: Naturediet , Natural Instinct (this can be raw one week or coocked in microwave the following week, since luckily for him they amount to two "different" foods ;)) , or chicken /turkey or beef mince. We usually add a steamed slice of ox tail in the evening (sometimes it was lamb neck, but I found it too fatty and gives bit of dundruff)

None of the above lasts more than a couple of weeks, but rotating between them every 7-14 days makes Oberon eating well.  But yes, I reckn the "look at this poison in my bowl" and stepping back with sad eyes toward the corner of the room which is the further away from the bowl..sometimes IS can be such strange dogs :)

Hi Teresa.. I am not a nutritionist so I cant tell the reason of this.. But, at least for Oberon, lamb neck seems to be too fatty (gives a bit of dandruff, that stops immediately once we stop the lamb). Also, I would never give pork meat since in italy we consider this too fatty for dogs.. We stick on beef/chicken/turkey. Maybe you wish to try to remove all meats which are a bit fatty for a while, and see how it goes? Also: sometimes loose stools may be a sign of over-eating: maybe you wish to check if he has loos stools in those days in which  he has eaten a bit more?

Sue how long would you leave the food down for? Dogs are very crafty and they know we will swap the food if they don't eat it. I had such issues a few years ago of dogs not eating now they eat anything I put down. Leave the food down for a few minutes if the dog doesn't eat it, lift the bowl and give it in the evening. A dog will not starve itself, Ole fasted for 2 days refusing to eat he has never done this since. He knows if the bowl is lifted he won't get anything till the next feed. I used to have to swap the food every few months and he'd turn his nose up at feeding time. 

I meant to say the dogs always think something better is coming along and will refuse to eat what you put down. That's when people start cooking food and trying anything to get their dog to eat. I've done this myself in the past.

Yes Silvia, i think you could be right about too  much particularly inone meal i was thinking this myself and i've noticed after breakfast he seems to digest his food better ie no wind and i don't give him so much in the mornings.  However he is not overweight vet weighed him in a couple of weeks ago at 28.5kg he is a year old but yes maybe too much in one meal.  What about probiotic biotic has anybody used this seems a bit expensive but if any good i'll get it reviews seem to be good.  Also has anybody tried stag bones (literally stag's antlers) i've heard their good recreation bones

When speaking to the homeopath he said to get the probiotic from the fridge. The shelf ones will have most of the bacteria dead. I'll be trying stag antlers for our dogs soon, I've heard nothing but good reports about them. 

Well as to how long we leave food down...about 15 mins but no longer as they aren't interested. Have put them together for competition..still not interested. Have even brought in the top dog even though he's not having the raw at the moment...a bit of growling and standing over from Steo and then walked away!

We then bring the bowls out again the next meal....nothing....we went for 5 meals and then caved in and topped it with cottage cheese which they ate, but not the meat underneath....Steo is a rather lean boy and I'm worried if the pup isn't eating. So this has gone on for about 3 weeks or so and yesterday I gave Steo Naturediet which he wolfed down. Then I gave it to Callum and he too wolfed it down, so I guess I may be colluding with them and I swore I wouldn't!

I will not give up on raw completely (I've got a few freezer drawers full anyway!!), but I need to feel a bit stronger and to do that I need Callum to be a bit older so I'm not so neurotic about his development.

By the way the stag bars are really good...they last ages if my lot are anything to go by, and clean, so they can have them on the lounge carpet with no problem.

Thanks Rita and Sue definitely going to get some stag bones because knuckle bones and oxtails are a bit messy on the carpet so he'll just have to have those in the garden or kitchen.  I gave Murfee yoghurt and honey when he was younger but wasn't sure at the time if the yoghurt was making him a bit loose maybe again i was giving him too much, would once a day, 1 tablespoon? be enough do you think? Sue have you tried them with chicken wings Murfee has always loved these from the beginning i think he was a bit frightened of half a chicken at first he used to poke at it and bury in the garden i think you just have to introduce slowly or try them with a bit of soft meat mixed in the Naturediet i buy economy pork chunks or lamb chops add a chopped clove of garlic pour over water to make a gravy and add some chopped fresh herbs i usually have basil and coriander on the window cill and maybe a teaspoon of honey dogs like bears love honey and is very good for them i they are unwell and can't /won't eat

mmm teresa, I would be be careful with yogurth (= may give loose stools) and garlic (most people consider it a bit of a dangerous food, although not as much as onions that are a no-no..) 

ha ha: chicken wings for the Oberon's brother??? (Steo and Oberon are bothers) you must be jocking;). Oberon falled in love with them for ~2 months during his first year of age, and since then absolutely hate them , I know the feeling ;)

anyway, Sue: certainly you want to use the freezer's contents, maybe you can microwave for 3-5 minutes some of the raw meat, if is without bones... This is what we do, and apparently they believe is a different food ;)

we also leave the bowls for 10' at most, and it didnt worked with us: i mean, if it has to be a no-no day there is nothing we can do..

Sorry to say Sylvia but you are misinformed about garlic some people may think it dangerous for dogs but not all and if you look up holistic sites for dogs you'll find that it has many benefits such as keeping pests/fleas at bay and good for digestion as with humans.  Don't believe everything that allopathic vets tell you most of them don't agree with raw feeding at all and consider that dangerous!

Garlic is OK in moderation. While nothing has been conclusively proven one way or another on the use of garlic as a home remedy for dogs, cautious and limited use seems the best approach. 

Teresa yoghurt is fine if given a few times a week it must be plain natural yoghurt with no sugers added. To much will give the dog diarrhea.

I agree 100 per cent with garlic being fine.. I have fed mine raw garlic since tiny pups you would have to feed a bucket load to cause problems you have to be careful with all natural remedys I also use the "Billy no Mates" and fingers crossed have had no unwelcome visits..I also use pure essential oils to keep my dogs free of ticks and fleas yet again you have to be careful but I am qualified to use oils and they smell nice..lol...mine love yoghurt and have every morning natural bio with their breakfast...neither have ever had diarrhea...and are both thriving on a raw diet...I try not to use chemicals in any way shape or form I make everything myself from their treats to their shampoos....

Ok, thanks for the info on eating garlic, much better than:) Sorry for posting the wrong info! 

No Problem Silva....its not the wrong info...just not totally correct..if that makes sense lol...you just have to be careful...

Lol Finn....that sooo made me smile.... :0)

LOL Finn, you should see the shoulder of beef I cut up. It looks nicer than the steak we get in the butchers 

I have fed   RAW   since  1993,  we get locally sourced   chick/tripe/beef/lamb and local game and rabbitts  ,we mince our own and buy chicken backs/carcass  and wings from a local chick farmer,  I have reared 4 litters  on this  and  can thoroughly reccomend it, its   natural,easy and cheap, leading to better health/weight and skin and coat condition

Welcome to any new arrivals to the group. 

Dianne what weight is your dog? you normally feed 2-3% of the dogs body weight per day. 

Dianne I give bones to Rosco and he has chronic bloat. I give him lamb necks something big for him to naw on. I cannot give chicken with bone as that protein always makes him fill with gas. Is your boy a gulper?.As a general rule, avoid bones of a size that will tempt the dog to swallow them without chewing. 

Rita have you tried a a probiotic in his food although Murfee wasn't bloating he did suffer with wind but after a week of Optibac in his food his stools were firm and he doesn't suffer with wind any more.  Optibac for bowel calm  is for human consumption and was recommended by Ainsworth homeopathic chemist i order it from the internet.  He can eat anything now even a bit of our food stools always firm and no wind give it a try!

Sorry forgot to mention Murfee also gulps his food

Hi Teresa yes I've tried probiotics but haven't heard of the Optibac. His gas is mostly brought on my neurological stress. If there's a situation he isn't happy with he will start to fill with gas. Can take hrs for him to subside. Worked with a Homeopathic and a few different vets. Activated Charcoal is the only thing that gives him some relief. His stomach is stapled.He can go a month without any bloats then something triggers it and he could have a few bad days.