Raw food for pointers??

[SCT]

I'm going to get a #40 case of chicken backs, necks, livers, and hearts as a supplement to dry food, but along with dry food. Primarily because they need their teeth cleaned, but also for nutrition. Does anyone else do this and have you seen any adverse affects?? I can get it packaged in 1 lb packages for $.89 per pound. Considering I pay about $1.40 per lb for dry food it sounds like a win win situation.

Thanks in advance,

Steve

[KwikIrish]

That's a decent price. I used to do legs and thighs for $.60/lb, but would prefer necks and backs, they just aren't available around here. I am also on the road with the dogs 2-5 days a week and raw isn't feasible anymore. Both the dogs and I miss it! You'll see cleaner teeth and less waste.

[RoostersMom]

I'd feed totally raw if I was home more. Love the less stool and the way the dogs look when on a fully-balanced raw diet. I supplement a lot during deer season - waste not, want not.

[ezzy333]

That's a decent price. I used to do legs and thighs for $.60/lb, but would prefer necks and backs, they just aren't available around here. I am also on the road with the dogs 2-5 days a week and raw isn't feasible anymore. Both the dogs and I miss it! You'll see cleaner teeth and less waste.

That should be good for the dogs but remember when you are comparing price the chicken in half bones and the meat portion is 70% water so you are buying a whole lot less food than you do when you buy dry food. The 50 lb. box of chicken has about 7 or 8 lbs. of actual dry chicken meal or meat. AA whole lot less calories so you can't figure or feed a lb. against a lb.

Ezzy

[SCT]

Didn't think about the raw food that way easy. So I will just use it as a supplement on a daily basis. I know when I've fed raw hamburger I liked the stool size but only did it for a couple days at a time.

Will my dogs gain weight if it is just an added small meal?

[Winchey]

Did the raw thing for a while, wasn't worth the trouble to me. Was always told you aren't supposed to mix raw and kibble because of the different lengths of times to digest raw vs. Dry.

I feed twice a day and this article suggests it is ok to feed raw for one meal, so I would consider the raw again in place of one of their meals a couple times a week for their teeth and what not.

http://www.barfworld.com/blog/?p=1795

[SCT]

Thanks for the article Winchey, that's actually what I planned on doing. Two separate meals about 12 hours apart, but it's good to have this info.

[MonsterDad]

Backs are excellent for keeping teeth clean if fed consistently as are turkey necks because they are really tough.

I will say is that if your are going to spend the money on raw products green tripe and beef heart would be at the top of the list. Beef heart is cheap and butchers can get then for you individually wrapped.

The other thing to remember is that your dog may not eat the dry food as well if you go down this road.

[SCT]

I have fed them turkey necks many times. Doesn't have any affect on their appetites with dry food. My dogs will eat anything as fast as I give it to them. Sure tough to put weight on them though.

[SD Pheasant Slayer]

Just something to consider and be aware of: https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/ ... Diets.aspx

[Hattrick]

This thread cault my attention. So what is the benifit with feeding raw for the dog? Is it to lean out for better performance or just a cost issue? High protien and low carbs lean people really fast too. One thing that sits in the back of my mind is could it cause a problem with retrieving shot up game, kinda like i think i will just eat this bird instead bringing it back?

[KwikIrish]

Raw is definitely not cheaper per say, unless you can supply your own meat. Deer season made it cost efficient for me in the past. People would package their kills and I would take the carcass. I could usually pull about 20+ lbs from each, if not more, but I am not picky.

The dogs will have less stool for clean up.

My dogs teeth will be immaculate when I'm feeding raw.

And overall, I feel better about my dogs eating cleaner

I have fed our dogs the remains after I clean a quail or pheasant. Never, have they ate one in the field. Dogs aren't dumb, they know the difference between their food bowl and their job.

[Hattrick]

Do see a difference in performance?

[SCT]

For me it is primarily for keeping teeth clean. Like Kwik said, it doesn't change their behavior around game birds from what I've seen. And from my experience, they don't get skinny, but rather look more physically fit. Too much raw meat without bones can cause problems because the high phosphorous levels in raw meat. That's why RAW chicken necks, backs, etc are a good all around food. Enzymes from the gut are probably necessary too if it was the only food you gave your dogs (hence the green tripe statement I'm assuming), but I've never done it that way.

[ezzy333]

For me it is primarily for keeping teeth clean. Like Kwik said, it doesn't change their behavior around game birds from what I've seen. And from my experience, they don't get skinny, but rather look more physically fit. Too much raw meat without bones can cause problems because the high phosphorous levels in raw meat. That's why RAW chicken necks, backs, etc are a good all around food. Enzymes from the gut are probably necessary too if it was the only food you gave your dogs (hence the green tripe statement I'm assuming), but I've never done it that way.

I have a nine year old with pretty white teeth and a seven year old with considerable stain and a little tarter and neither have ever had their teeth brushed nor have they ever been fed raw. Much of the difference comes back to the individual acidity in the mouth.
One thing I never do after a pup learns to eat at 3 to 5 weeks is give them wet kibble of any kind and since I have started that I have never had a problem with any dog's teeth.

Ezzy

[RoostersMom]

My beagles consistently have ugly buildup on the teeth - they're only 2 years old - I feed chicken parts with bones to help clean the teeth up. Works great for my dogs. Has also worked for the bigger dogs - and some fosters that have come in with bad tartar. A few weeks of necks and deer ribs, the teeth get cleaned up nicely.

[MonsterDad]

Clean teeth has a lot of out-of-pocket value.

Where I live it costs over $500 for a thorough cleaning, so that would translate into about 650 lbs of chicken necks. At least 5 necks per day.

[RickB]

There is a lot to commend a raw diet. However, one real problem with raw diets is the lack of energy. It is a simple case of mathematics. Here is a blog article I wrote on the topic: http://www.chicagonow.com/training-the- ... bad-idea/

Rick

[ezzy333]

I am not downgrading the fact that bones help keep teeth clean. I just think there are other things that help if that is the only reason for feeding raw. But the raw is something the dogs like if you have the time and money to do it properly.

Ezzy

[SCT]

Rick, energy or lack of it shouldn't be problem if I basically feed the same amounts of dry kibble along with raw a few times a week. Yeah, my food bill goes up a bit but it has to be good for a dog this way.

[RickB]

Do I understand you correctly? You are saying that you are not planning to change the amount of kibble you feed. Rather, you are just *adding* some raw stuff without dropping the kibble amount. Do I get you right? If so, then, yes, the available calorie count won't change. It'll go up a bit.


Rick

[SCT]

Yes Mike, that's what I'm saying. Just adding some good raw food to their diet, specifically bones, but organs and a little meat as well. I have fed hamburger and/or turkeys necks in the past. Never enough to make much of a difference, except a longer feed on hamburger for the male I was feeding it to really made him look good. Not lean, just tight and ripped.

[SCT]

Hey Mike, nice article. I didn't know you were a falconer. I make lots of hoods every year.

Steve Tait

[RickB]

Steve:

Since you didn't call me anything obscene, it isn't a big deal, but my name is Rick, not Mike. I know your name...certain names come up when one talks hoods...yours is one of them. Yes, I'm a falconer. Been flying since 2000, if I remember correctly. Since I live in the suburban jungle, mostly redtails have lived in my mews. Flew a couple of coopers (too cold here) and one passage gos that I couldn't do anything with. The gos is probably the ideal bird around here for variety of prey and cold tolerance. But passage goshawks are few and far between here, and I am too tight with a buck to spring for a captive-bred one .

Be well...

Rick

[SCT]

Sorry Rick, for some reason I was thinking of MikeB.