What do you feed?

Another question, can I get sick from my dog's food? We cook our meet so it doesn't make us sick, but what about our dog's food? A dog eats some raw meat then comes over and gives kisses, could we get any harmful bacteria from this?
I know, I know. Overthinking again! :rolleyes2:
 
Tabitha said:
Another question, can I get sick from my dog's food? We cook our meet so it doesn't make us sick, but what about our dog's food? A dog eats some raw meat then comes over and gives kisses, could we get any harmful bacteria from this?
I know, I know. Overthinking again! :rolleyes2:
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I suppose it's possible, but hardly likely to happen.
 
Tabitha said:
Another question, can I get sick from my dog's food? We cook our meet so it doesn't make us sick, but what about our dog's food? A dog eats some raw meat then comes over and gives kisses, could we get any harmful bacteria from this?
I know, I know. Overthinking again! :rolleyes2:
Click to expand...

So have you seen the unending list of kibble recalls from salmonella? Do not assume that kibble is "safe" and raw meat is not. They both have germs, they both have salmonella. Just handle the dog meat how you handle your meat, and it will be OK. Probably don't let the dog drag meat around the house, train them to eat in a place you can easily clean. Other than that, you should be fine.
 
ClantyreSheltie said:
So have you seen the unending list of kibble recalls from salmonella? Do not assume that kibble is "safe" and raw meat is not. They both have germs, they both have salmonella. Just handle the dog meat how you handle your meat, and it will be OK. Probably don't let the dog drag meat around the house, train them to eat in a place you can easily clean. Other than that, you should be fine.
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Yes I did see the kibble recall thread, but that's not the reason I asked, it had been a worry of mine for some time. I'm planing on getting some crates for feeding and travel. I had plans to do this before and I fined it more necessary with raw than kibble.

Also I met a woman at Petsmart yesterday who used to feed raw and she told me what she normally gave her dog;
70% meaty bone (usualy chicken or turkey but sometimes beef)
25% various raw meats (including gizzards and the heart)
5% rice, veggies, or fruit

I know some of you have a problem feed your dogs plants. Is this a good meal to feed? She also recommended that I get pumpkin puree to help with the transitioning. She said that the pumpkin softens hard stools and vise versa.
Thanks for all your help!
 
All I'm saying is that I don't see a germ load difference between kibble and raw. Both need to be treated as if they have germs.

I have had no issues transitioning dogs from kibble to raw, cold turkey, as it were. NO PUMPKIN. That is an inappropriate food source, and will not help a dogs stomach get the right gut flora. Bone is a wonderful fiber source, and so meals higher in bone will keep them from getting cannon butt, but too much will constipate them. Many people start with chicken legs and thighs. Drumsticks are bone-heavy, thighs are good. Necks, wings, and backs should be considered to be almost all bone, and are not good as a meal on their own.

Most people start with chicken, get things stabilized, figure out what the dog can handle, then start adding in other meat sources.

What her diet is missing is organ meats. Kidney, liver, pancreas are considered organ meats (though I don't feed pancreas). Everything else is muscle meat. Dogs don't need rice, veg or fruit, but we don't need ice cream, so... you can feed it for fun, but it doesn't need to be a staple of the diet.
 
The ratio of bone to muscle meat changes depending on what year it is and what book you are reading! Back in 93 when Billinghurst rocked the Aussie dog world by suggesting that Give your dog a bone was a GOOD thing, his diet was more bone than is suggested now.

I was a helicopter dog mom for years with my two boys and their food. I ground my own veggies and fruit, weighed and measured everything! After years passed and they were happy and healthy, the prevailing wisdom was less bone and no veggies were needed...so ok. But they did fine on the diet I had them on, and then they did fine on the diet with less veggies.

Bottom line for me--any diet with human grade food is better than the junk in a bag. I'm old enough to remember when everyone's dogs got fed table scraps (and cooked bones!!) and they lived long healthy lives. I also remember when the brainwashing started--don't ever give your dog table scraps!! Feed only our special dog food! Ah the power of advertising!
 
I think the "official" ratio is like 80% meat, 15% bone and 5% organ meat.

Lew Olson's book is wonderful for explaining all of this, BTW. From raw to cooked to specific menus for specific ailments.

I didn't feed any veggies, and I didn't weigh past the first week. I didn't grind, chop, mix, cook, sear, nothing. I fed meat, if the dogs got fat, I fed more, if they got skinny, I fed less. They got organ meats once a week, usually chicken livers, and sometimes got whole cornish game hens (happy dogs!).
 
ClantyreSheltie said:
I didn't feed any veggies, and I didn't weigh past the first week. I didn't grind, chop, mix, cook, sear, nothing. I fed meat, if the dogs got fat, I fed more, if they got skinny, I fed less. They got organ meats once a week, usually chicken livers, and sometimes got whole cornish game hens (happy dogs!).
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Yep--its just that easy! I worried for nothing. My boys were never sick, always loved dinner time, and had clean teeth.
All you need to do is find some cheap meat sources, do a little math to get the amount to feed and away you go!
 
Well! I've got about a month of kibble left and when it's gone it's gone for good, or that's my plan anyway. I know Proplan is a fairly good brand (compared to the crap I used to get) and a lot of people feed a raw/kibble combo, but I'm just sick of my dogs eating something prepared by the government! I'm done knowing I can do better and not doing it.

The BARF book is in my Amazon shopping cart and I'm getting it ASAP. I plan to read the whole book by the time I switch to raw. I've got about month to learn as much as I can, but it sounds like the only way to learn at this point is to buy the book and get my hands dirty:razz:!
Thanks everyone for all your help! I'm still open for suggestions if you have any:yes:.
 
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