A correspondence with Sabrina -- Advice on rawfeeding resources

One of our buddies here on Dogster has been getting interested in feeding how we get fed. She pup mailed me with some questions. Mom thought that she'd post the info here for other dogs to read. That Sabrina had some great questions.

Do you have a favorite website or book that you think explains things the best? I'm a little overwhelmed and it seems everyone says something slightly different. I'm good at following recipies and stuff in the kitchen, so I guess I would like something that's a little more step-by-step if you know what I mean.

Well, you sure don't have to be good at recipes for this, but I totally hear where you're coming from! Ummm, OK. As far as resources go for the prey model thing, here's my top picks:

First are the Yahoo! Groups groups. They are email server lists and SOOOooo annoying to use, but the folks on there are so knowledgable. If you are seriously interested in the prey model thing, these groups can't be beat. The main group to discuss food and feeding is at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/
There is a sort of "off topic" list of the same people to discuss things not directly related to food or feeding at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RawChat/?yguid=229789893


Tom Lonsdale is the name of the guy who is like what Ian Billinghurst is to the BARF folks. To be honest, I haven't read any of his books cover to cover, mostly 'cause I haven't found any at the second-hand bookstore or the library. He's got a website you can find at http://www.rawmeatybones.com/ that has lots of articles and his book "Work Wonders" as a PDF file.

A book I got recently and LOVE is called "Raw Dog Food: Make it Easy for You and Your Dog" by Carina Beth McDonald. She feeds a veggie mush which isn't really part of the prey model thing, but basically if you ignore the veggie sludge info (or embrace it if it makes sense to you and Sabrina does OK with it) it's a great resource. You can get the book off Amazon, and find used copies thru them as well. Though not a huge book, it covers the basics, has a great "how to", and is a really amusing read. The book has a webpage at http://www.raw-dogs.com/default.htm

Ummm, another little book with some good info is "Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats" by Kymythy Shultze. Her website is at: http://www.kymythy.com

There's a great website at http://www.rawfed.com/myths/
Check it out for sure.

http://www.rawfeddogs.net/ is another fantastic website made by a prey-model feeder. His name is Kevin and he's on the Yahoo rawfeeding group offering his expertice quite often.

About the organ meat-- what percentage should I give? 10% is what I've been told but I want to make sure. Also, does it matter what kind of organs? I mean, are organs just like intestines, or do things like hearts and lungs and stuff like that count as organs, too?

Yeah, 10-15% of the diet should be organs. Half of that 10-15% should be liver, as it is a big organ and would make up a significant part of a whole prey animal. You can feed organs from any kind of animal (chicken, beef, whatever). Heart is both a muscle and an organ. Lots of raw feeders use it as sorta both. It's really dark and rich. Kidneys are something you can usually just buy at the grocery store. Spleen is also a good one. Lungs and intestines and all that can definitley be part of the diet! I find mine at an Asian supermarket. As a veggie yourself you might find them super icky, but Sabrina will love 'em I bet. One thing to avoid is tripe meant for people. They use lye to bleach it making it not-so-great an option for the dogs. If you can get your hands on green tripe (unbleached) on the other hand, you have found something great. It's a wonderful food for the dogs. I'm still looking for a green tripe connection. THe organs are richer than muscle meat. My girls can totally handle a whole meal of just organs, but I've heard that some dogs can't. If she's sensetive to them and pukes or has diarrhea after you can feed her little bits as a 'side dish' with RMB meals.

About the veggies-- I know I need to add veggies to the mix, how much do I add just to make sure? I have a blender at home and can make my own veggie mix, but what do I put in it? Are there any veggies I especially need or need to avoid?

Actually, you don't have to do the veggies. It is really up to you and Sabrina's system. If they make you feel better, go ahead, but you really don't have to and Sabrina will probably be better without them. I did the veggie sludge making for the first two or three months when we started raw, then as we read more decided to stop. It was after I stopped with the veggies that I started to see the major improvements in my girls. The bully breeds in particular seem to have issues with grains, fruits, and veggies, so they might not really do right by Sabrina. See the fist two myths on the http://www.rawfed.com/myths/ page for a more complete explanation. The Carina Beth McDonald has a pretty good section on veggies if you want to do them, and that dog Fudge who's been posting on the forums I think gave some advice on veggies.