Questions for raw feeders...?

Cold turkey swap = The best.

Chicken is by far the best to switch on. Warning: You will get loose/soft stools for 3-6 days in general.

Don't add organs for a week or two, they won't suffer any vitamin deficiencies in that short amount of time. As far as not feeding chicken necks, that's the number 1 food in my kennel, for every dog 8 weeks and older. I've NEVER had a problem, although my adult chow hounds swallow them whole, but an 18 pound dog will probably have to chew. Besides, dogs are "designed" (naturally selected rather) to tear flesh into swallowable chunks and knock it back, NOT to chew and grind thoroughly. For a dog that size you'd need to feed exactly .54 pounds I'd round down to half a pound, if the dog loses weight, feed more, gains weight, feed less...I don't even weigh food anymore. Not hard to tell if you're feeding too much/too little, lol.

I order my food from a restaurant supply and have it delivered to my office. A lot of times I go grocery shopping for my house dogs, probably 80% of their food comes from Deimer's Grocery :)

Lastly don't over think it. You'll be fine :)

First pic: about a 20lbs pup eating a neck, no big deal as you can see.

Last pic: The little white specks on the crate floor = pieces of raw eggshell, great reason to feed them inside the crate!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45507559@N03/42756868...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45507559@N03/42604530...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45507559@N03/42604528...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45507559@N03/41935798...

I prefer a cold turkey switch, sometimes with a fast the day before starting raw. Some people feed both kibble and raw (in different meals) but I prefer to go raw straight away and don't see the need for my dog to be digesting two very different food types.

Chicken is the best to start with. Has nice meat/bone content, and is easy on the system. Usually you feed chicken for 2-3 weeks or until the dog is producing nicely formed solid stool. Then you can slowly add in organs, and other meats. Usually one new item at a time until you've worked up to a variety. Some dogs can go with variety sooner, some need it slower. Your dogs rear will tell you if you're moving to fast.

As far as where to get meat, Walmart is fine, so are grocery stores. A lot of my dogs meat comes from the exact same places I get mine from. I've also found nice deals and cool organs at Walmart. Just watch that you aren't feeding something with added broth, or solutions. That's especially common with poultry. If the fine print says anything other than a % of retained water, pass on it.

I will also take people's freezer burned meats which can yield some nice results. I haven't had a score like I did a couple years ago for quite awhile. But one summer I ended up with a freezer full (200-300 lbs) of locally raised beef for $20.

Your dog would need 7.2 ounces a day using 2.5% of his body weight.

I switched my dogs to raw "cold turkey." I fed them their last kibble meal, fasted them for one day to make sure it was all out of their system and then we started fresh the next day. I was worried about stomach upset because we dog owners are so used to hearing about a gradual change needed when switching kibble. Not only did my dogs not have any issues but I saw improvement in their stools from day one.

Is started with chicken and I believe most others do as well. I fed nothing but chicken for about two weeks but started introducing organs in the second week. I feed my dogs both chicken and turkey necks and have never had a problem with it. I think you would only have a problem if your dog has a tendency to be a gulper instead of a chewer.

I get my meat from my local regular grocery store as well as local ethnic and international grocery stores. I live in Washington D.C. and was surprised to learn that there actually were a few butcher shops in my area. I also found a few co-ops where communities get together and order meat in bulk from some of the outlying farms in Virginia. You may have something similar in your area that you are unaware of.

Good choice - and well done for doing all the research into this.

I really have known some people go cold turkey / love the pun !!! or gradual. I'm always a little cautious to go completely straight over although it is best for them. Having kibble and raw for a few days won't hurt too much but definitely make the change as quick as possible owing the the different acidic levels needed to digest raw/ kibble.

Definitely start on chicken. On that everyone agrees. Keep on chicken for a good week or two and then add lamb or rabbit next, saving the pork and beef until last. I would add tripe and fish somewhere in the middle along with raw eggs and offal. Keep the offal to very small amounts to start with otherwise this can give the runs.

Aim for 2 to 3% of bodyweight per day and adjust that accordingly when you see how the dog does on it. It depends a lot on age, exercise and metabolism. My little b*tch of 32 kgs was eating the same amount as my large 50 kgs male but maintaining weight.

Shame you have no butchers near you as you can source so much so cheaply. I spend £1.25 per day per dog and that is with organic chicken as their base food.

Vary the meats as much as possible as you get further into it but leave chicken as the base meat that is given more than any other. Make sure there is enough bone content in the meats as well.

So welcome to lovely white teeth, fresh breath, no smelly gassy tummies, and virtually no poops but little solid pellets. They drink very little water also on a raw diet.

As stated already canine will consume something given the possibility and interior the wild you will consume what you may to sidestep starvation. As for the fiber: eco-friendly Tripe. Tripe is the lining of the 1st or 2nd abdomen of a ruminant, frequently cows finding on kind. Its an suggestions-blowing source of fiber. the final public of content has already been moved and is around the comparable of what may well be left had the animal been extra down by utilising cows, gutted, abdomen and gut torn open and then shaken empty. purely like another carbs even with the indisputable fact that fiber isn't too extreme on the checklist of necessary nutrients for a canine in need of one who's amazingly sedentary or has weight or different appropriate wellness subject concerns. even with the indisputable fact that prey kind diets are as quickly as the canine has been began on it are scaled to its point of activity. A greater in lively canine would purely decide on 2% of its weight whilst in comparison with the greater lively/working canine that desires greater to maintain weight particularly than income or drop extra pounds.