10.31.2011

Tasty Tuesday - Raw Diets Part II



Hi, everyone!  It's me, Phoebe ... back on this Tasty Tuesday for a blog hop kindly hosted by our friends Sugar the Golden Retriever and Kolchak the Puggle, to talk to you about the way Mom feeds us.  It is called a Prey Model Raw Diet.  Mom's gonna take it from here ... because honestly, I don't prepare the meals around here ... I just eat them.  Ok, Mom, it's all yours!

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Thanks, Phoebs!  Well, first of all, for anyone who missed our Tasty Tuesday post two weeks ago, you might want to start HERE.  This post is the second in a who-knows-how-many-part series pertaining to raw diets for dogs and cats.  How many more posts we do on this subject will depend primarily on what type of response we get.  From the few emails and comments that we got on the first post, it appears there is some interest in the subject, and since it is something I have been doing for some time and know something about, I figured it might be helpful to some people.  

What I probably won't do, though, is post a lot of pictures of the raw food itself, or of the dogs and cats consuming it.  I do have some, and could take some more, but since I know that a lot of people are squeamish about raw meat, I'll probably do more telling than showing.

The first thing I want to do is correct an error I made in the previous post (in the calendar section).  In the Thursday section of the menu for the dogs, it stated that the Thursday meal was comprised of nothing but some kind of kidney.  The fact is, some people with dogs who have cast iron stomachs can probably feed a meal of nothing but organ meat and not have any  issues.  MY dogs, however, are not those dogs, and probably most people's dogs are not (and if you have a Husky, Malamute, GSD, or any Nordic breed, you can almost guarantee that you don't, and you probably already know this!).  Therefore, when I feed organ meat, which is stool loosening, I always feed it with something containing edible bone (such as a Cornish hen drumstick) or something else that acts the same way in the body (such as a chicken foot, which, by the way, happens to be a great source of naturally-occurring glucosamine.)  I also listed some ground meat in those calendars, and while the calendars I posted were really intended just to show the type of variety that is possible, I did used to feed ground meat occasionally, but I don't anymore.  There have been too many issues recently with cooked ground meat for me to feel comfortable feeding it raw.  The only exception to this is certain ground products from raw feeding suppliers that are known for their high standards of quality and safety.  In general, however, if you want to feed ground meat, I'd suggest you grind it yourself, but it is honestly not necessary in the majority of cases.  

Here are some commonly asked questions about raw feeding: 

WHAT IS IT: 

Well, the short(ish) answer can be found in the previous post.  But it's worth noting that the way *I* define raw feeding may not be the way another raw feeder defines it.  There are definite subgroups within the raw feeding community.  Some feed BARF (an acronym that stands for either Bones And Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, depending upon whom you ask), and which calls for pulped raw veggies and fruits in addition to the meat and bones, and which generally doesn't contain organ meat.  There are also those who feed whole prey -  (whole rabbits, for example).  This, for the record, happens to be where I draw the line.  What other people do is what they do, and I make no judgments, but my own personal comfort level (and my love for bunnies, guinea pigs, and other small furries) does not allow me to feed this way. The raw feeding method that makes the most sense for me is prey model raw, which is also sometimes called Franken-prey, because in this style of raw feeding, we are essentially "building" a prey animal from various sources.  Some chicken, some beef, some lamb, a little of this, a little of that, all of which, together, makes a balanced raw diet.  And then, of course, there are the ever more numerous commercially available raw options, but that is a post for another day. 

On this note, though, there are those people (I call them the raw purists) who believe that feeding raw means eliminating 100% of all commercial foods from their dog or cat's diet, even when those commercial foods are raw foods.  Again, I make no judgments, but neither do I draw nearly such a hard line in the sands of my own raw feeding methodology.  I try to be very selective about what commercial treats or foods my dogs and cats eat, and they don't eat them much, or often, but they do eat them, and I'm also not going to get all bent out of shape over letting the dogs have a random ingredients-unknown cookie from the bank or the dry cleaners, or even the occasional french fry or pizza crust.  My point being that everyone's comfort levels are a bit different, and that's ok.  Feeding raw doesn't mean you have to eliminate absolutely everything other than raw meat, bones, and organs from their diet ... unless, of course, you want to or other dietary restrictions such as illnesses or allergies dictate that you must.  

IT SOUNDS GROSS AND DIFFICULT AND UNNECESSARY, AND OH, YEAH, GROSS!  SO WHY DO PEOPLE DO IT?:

Ah, the million dollar question! Without a simple answer, of course.  Talk to ten raw feeders and chances are you'll get at least seven or eight different reasons for why that person chooses to feed a raw diet to his or her companion carnivores.  Some people have dogs with severe allergies or other chronic conditions, have tried countless commercial foods with no abatement in the symptoms and their dogs have been "cured" by a raw diet.  Others lost pets in the mass pet food recalls of 2007, or know someone who did, and this prompted them to seek out another way of feeding their pets that allowed them more quality control.  The reasons can be myriad, but for myself it's a combination of reasons.  I've seen what a raw diet has done for my own animals, and I'm 100% convinced that it's the best thing I can do for them diet and nutrition wise.  

TEN FEET TALL AND BULLET-PROOF:

There is a group of individuals (and again I'll call them the purists, with no judgment, implied or otherwise, attached to this label), who will claim that feeding your dogs or cats a raw diet will, in essence, make them ten feet tall and bullet-proof.  They'll tell you that your dogs will never have doggy breath, they'll never get fleas or ticks, they'll never need to go to the vet, and yes, they'll even tell you that their $hit (er, poop) won't stink.  So how true (or not) are these claims?  

From where I'm sitting, no, feeding your dog or cat a raw diet will not make them invincible.  In fact, as distressing as this knowledge is, there is nothing that will.  Genetics will still play a part in the overall health of the animal, and a raw diet can only do so much.  What a well-thought-out, properly executed, balanced raw diet WILL do, I believe, is give each individual animal the best opportunity to be the healthiest he or she can possibly be, given genetics and prior history.  

BUT what I can also tell you is that even though I live in Florida where fleas are practically a fact of life, I have not had to administer Comfortis, Advantage, or other flea control in so long that I literally can't remember when I last had to give it.  And for what it's worth, the poop of raw fed dogs and cats IS essentially odorless, as well as very small and firm, which means it's easy to pick up on walks or to scoop out of the litterbox.  The reason for this, incidentally, is because unlike many commercial foods, a raw diet doesn't contain fillers or unnecessary ingredients.  It is, instead, exactly what our companion carnivores, however civilized they might otherwise seem, were intended to eat, and as a result, more of what they're taking in is actually being utilized by the body.  Correspondingly, there is far less waste.  I'll also tell you that as far as I'm concerned, a raw diet saved Finn's life.  He was one sick little kitten when he arrived on the scene, and he remained so for some time afterward, but it was when he basically transitioned himself to a raw diet (after nabbing a roughly twelve ounce piece of beef off the counter one night that I was cutting into chunks for the other cats), that he started making strides toward health.  I don't think he'll ever be as strong and vigorous health-wise as the other two cats, and he's unfortunately not ten feet tall and bullet proof, though HE certainly thinks he is, but I do fervently believe that raw has helped him be the healthiest he can be. 

WHAT WILL I TELL MY VET:

Ok, let's say you have a passing interest in a raw diet, but you're unsure about having to tell your vet what you're feeding at Fido or Fluffy's next appointment.  A valid concern, because many vets are not on board with raw diets, particularly those that are "home made."  The reason for this, honestly, is probably because, as vets, they've seen some pretty crazy stuff over the years, including, I'd imagine, some sick or malnourished dogs or cats whose owners were feeding "a raw diet" that consisted of some raw hamburger and nothing else, or something equally ridiculous.  This is where I'm going to remind you that ALL RAW DIETS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL.  Raw feeding is not particularly complicated, and in fact a lot of it is common sense.  IF you follow the general guidelines, feed a decent amount of variety, keep your eye on the recommended percentages, which again are 80% muscle meat, 10% edible bone, 5% liver and 5% kidney or other secreting organ, and use your common sense, there is absolutely no reason why you can't successfully feed your dogs or cats a raw diet.  

One thing I implore you not to do as it relates to this topic, is to lie or be less than forthcoming with your vet about what it is that you are feeding, whether it's a raw diet or kibble or canned food or whatever.  The truth is, your dog or cat's vet plays a key role in keeping them healthy, and in order for them to be able to do their job effectively, they have to know the truth about what kind of care, and what kind of diet, the animal is getting at home.  If you don't have a vet you can be honest with, who will listen to you and respect your opinions, even if they don't always agree with them, then, in my opinion, you probably ought to find another vet.  I've had some amazing vets over the years, and I've also had a few that were less than stellar.  I worked really hard to find not just one, but two, (one Western and one holistic) vets I really, genuinely like and trust, and who are willing to listen to me, talk things over with me, and be true partners in the health care of my animals.  Sometimes we agree, sometimes we don't, and generally I'll heed their advice.  Fortunately, they're both fully on board with the diet I'm feeding, and feel that my animals' overall excellent health (Finn's issues and Tucker's mild hypothyroidism notwithstanding) is testament to the fact that the methodology behind the diet I'm feeding is sound, and that it's working.  And if at any time it seems that it's NOT working, then I want them to tell me, and I'll reevaluate what I'm doing.  What I'm certainly NOT ever going to do, and what I beg YOU not to do, is lie to them about it.  And actually, you'd be surprised at how many raw feeding vets there are out there. Frequently looked at as a fringe movement, even a cult, in the past, raw feeding gets more mainstream all the time.  

WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE RAW MEAT "COOTIES?" WON'T I GET SICK?

This, honestly, is a sticking point for many people.  You hear all the reports about deadly salmonella and pretty soon that innocent chicken breast starts looking like less and less like dinner and more and more like a weapon of mass destruction.  And yes, I know all about biological/germ warfare, and I'm not meaning to make light of it, or of the very real, well, reality, that improper handling of any raw food has the potential to lead to serious illness.  But what I can also tell you is that in the many years I've been feeding a raw diet (first BARF, then prey model, and also some commercial raw stuff thrown in now and then), I've never once been ill in any way that I could trace to the fact that my dogs (and now my cats) eat a raw diet.  Tucker is eight years old going on nine, and my experiences with raw feeding predate his arrival.  Go back, in fact, all the way  to 1992, when I got Dakotah, my Malamute mix, about whom I've occasionally written on this blog.  That's a lot of years of raw feeding, and I'm still here and going strong, knock wood.  

Having said this, however, if someone in your house is immuno-compromised, you might want to give some serious consideration, and consult a doctor, before starting a raw diet, out of consideration for those individuals.  Some people like to wear gloves (I have some vegetarian friends who raw feed who do this) because they are grossed out by touching the raw meat, but I personally don't.  I do employ some basic precautions, but neither do I don a bio-hazard suit before preparing meals for the fur monsters.  And while I've had food poisoning from takeout Chinese, I've never had it from handling raw meat, either the stuff I've fed to the dogs and cats or that which I've handled prior to cooking it for myself.

Which leads me to the point that I think a lot of people who are a bit reluctant to handle all that raw meat sometimes forget.  Which is that unless you are a vegetarian/vegan, you handle raw meat all the time, prior to cooking or grilling it.  And so long as you don't go around  licking the raw chicken or asking Fido for a kiss after he's eaten his raw meal, the chances of you contracting a food-borne illness because you feed your dogs or cats a raw diet are, in my opinion and experience, actually pretty slim.  

Ok, I think this'll have to be it for this week.  Next week we'll delve deeper into the exactly what, exactly how much, and other pertinent questions pertaining to actually transitioning your dog or cat to a raw diet, as well as executing it properly.  Or, will there even be a next week?  You decide.  Are there any questions about raw feeding that you'd like answered?  And to my fellow raw feeders, is there anything I'm forgetting to cover that you think is really important?  



Happy Halloween!

Hi, everybody ... it's me, Finn!  How 'bout this? TWO MONDAYS IN A ROW!  I am feeling pretty manly these days!  Anyway, Happy Halloween!  Last year I was still a baby and Mom said I was too young to go trick-or-treating.  But this year I'm almost two and Mom said I could go trick-or-treating with the rest of the kids. So I've got my costume and my pumpkin and tonight after dinner I'm ready to hit the neighborhood!  I bet I get lots of treats!  Happy Halloween, everyone! 


10.27.2011

Evening Walk ...

Hi, everyone ... it's me, Tucker!  Every evening when we come home from work, we like to take a stroll around our neighborhood and check out all the smells, just to make sure everything smells the way we remember it, check our P-mail, and just stretch our legs after a long day at work.  There's a nice park near the house where dogs are allowed, and we walk to or through there quite a bit.  Tonight Mom brought the flashy box along to document the experience.  Don't ask me why ... but here we are!






10.24.2011

Man-cat Monday Mandate with Finn

Hi, everyone ... it's me, Finn.  I talked to Tucker and he said that I could have today's post.  Normally Tanner takes the Monday posts, because he says that I'm still a baby and not really a man-cat yet.  But here's the thing.  I'll be two years old in just a few months and I think it's time I started laying down some Mandates of my own. 

Here's my first one ...

Mom, you WILL tickle my belly RIGHT NOW! 


10.23.2011

Sunday Picnik

Hi, everyone ... it's Sunday and we're having a picnic!  Oops, I mean a Picnik!  Happy Sunday, everyone!







   

10.22.2011

Saturday Shopping Trip


We're going toy shopping today!  What's everyone else up to?

P.S.  Mom has been acting VERY secretive lately ... ordering things online late at night, whispering with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt K., and generally behaving in a suspicious manner.  We found out this morning that all of this craziness was due to a Halloween costume contest she was planning on dragging us to today.  And not only was she plotting to torture US in this fiendish manner, she had co-conspirators in Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt K.  They were planning to dress not just Phoebe and me, but Cosmo and Riley, too, and I think even cousin Bella, in some sort of theme outfits and parade us around in public. Can you believe this?  But, as usual, the W word kept her busier than she planned, and praise the pumpkin gods, she didn't have time to get our outfits sufficiently perfected.  So she said we would NOT be parading today and to "make it up to us" she is taking us shopping for toys!  Phew!  Talk about dodging a bullet!  

10.18.2011

Tasty Tuesday - What Is A Prey Model Raw Diet?

Hi, everyone ... it's me, Phoebe! Tucker is taking TASTY TUESDAY off so I am here with Mom to talk to you about what Mom calls a Prey Model Raw Diet.  I don't know why she calls it that really.  We just call it dinner!  (And in the case of the cat kids, breakfast as well, because they eat twice a day and we only eat once a day.  Speaking of which ... does that seem unfair to any of the rest of you?  I asked Tucker and he said that's just how it is.  That's why we get cookies in the morning and the cats don't.  But I guess cookies for breakfast is pretty good.  Ok, then I guess I won't get mad at Mom.)   



Oh, er ... hi, Mom!  There you are!  I was just telling everyone how much I love you!  I guess the floor's all yours! 

 Me, thinking about dinner!  
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Thanks, Pheebs!  Hi, everyone! On this Tasty Tuesday, kindly hosted by Kolchak of Kol's Notes and Sugar the Golden Retriever, I'd like to talk briefly about a PREY MODEL RAW DIET.  In a nutshell,  a prey model raw diet is comprised of three main elements:  muscle meat, organ meat, and bone.  If I'd better prepared for this, I could have taken pictures to better illustrate, but not only am I a poor planner, I wasn't entirely sure about how anyone would feel about seeing pictures of a bunch of raw meat.  I don't happen to be squeamish about it, though even after many many years of raw feeding I still don't really like handling raw liver, but I know some people are, so it's probably a good thing in that respect.

Depending upon how this initial post is received, I can talk in subsequent Tasty Tuesday posts about exactly which cuts of meat fall into which category, but in a nutshell, in a prey model raw diet, 80% of the diet is muscle meat (which also includes things like hearts, gizzards, etc.), 10% is edible bone (which can vary depending upon the size of your dog, but for Tucker & Phoebe basically works out to various types of poultry bones), 5% is liver, and 5% is other organ meat such as kidney.  Some raw feeders do a modified version of raw, called BARF (I know, sounds gross!) whereby raw pulped veggies and fruits are included in the diet. If you're interested in what sorts of veggies and fruits you might include in the diet if you were going to fed the BARF method (which stands for biologically appropriate raw food OR bones and raw food, depending upon whom you ask) I actually noticed recently when I was perusing THIS BLOG  that Jennifer at NEVER SAY NEVER GREYHOUNDS had some great blog posts, with pictures, for various recipes of what she called SLOP (Superior Life Optimizing Pudding).  An example of one such post is HERE. 

I actually used to feed the BARF method, but a couple years in, I discovered the prey model method, and not only does it make more sense to me - it's a lot easier!  So it's a win-win.  However, I do include in the diet small amounts of green tripe (usually raw which I obtain from a raw feeding supplier) or canned (such as Tripett) if I happen to run out.  Green tripe is the stomach and contents of ruminant animals (sheep, deer, goats, etc.) and it basically takes the place of any vegetable matter in the diet, as well as being more bio-available to the body than whole raw, or even pulped or cooked, vegetables.  Additionally, it has a perfect one to one calcium to phosphorous ratio, which is something you must always keep in mind when feeding a raw diet.  

Below is a monthly menu plan for Tucker & Phoebe.  Please keep in mind that this diet includes a lot of variety and is meant to be fed to dogs that are already accustomed to raw feeding.  Giving this much variety to a dog who had not had raw food before would be a good way to spend a lot of time mopping your floor, if you get my drift.  Newbie raw dogs are started on a lot of bone in chicken, as they typically need the stool firming qualities of the bone to offset the richness of the meat.  And you absolutely DO NOT want to give a newbie raw dog any organ meat, again due to the high likelihood of stomach upset.  Frankly, the biggest mistake a lot of people make when switching their dogs to a raw diet is that they try to move too fast and don't give their dogs time to adjust to the new diet.  The same can be true of cats, I suppose, although cats generally present a different challenge in that they are so finicky and reluctant to try new things that the biggest hurdle can be actually getting them to try the raw food.  More on that in subsequent posts (again depending upon how well, or not, this one is received.)



Sunday

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday

Week 1

Beef liver, sardines, & a chicken foot


Boneless sirloin


Turkey wing


Boneless sirloin


Pork kidney



Lamb tongue


Bone-in chicken breast & tripe




Week 2
Lamb liver, canned salmon (packed in water), & a chicken foot



Duck hearts


Bone-in rabbit 


Goat RMB (non-edible bone – bone will be taken away when meat Is gone)


Beef kidney




Remainder of Wednesday’s goat RMB (if any – if not, some kind of boneless red meat – beef, lamb, etc.)


Bone-in rabbit & tripe


Week 3
Pork liver, sardines, & a chicken foot


Chicken hearts/gizzards


Whole dressed quail 
Bone-in lamb shank with non-edible bone (bone is taken away when meat is stripped)

Lamb kidney




Remainder of Wednesday’s lamb shank (if any – if not, some kind of boneless red meat – beef, lamb, etc.)



Bone-in rabbit & tripe


Week 4
Chicken liver, canned salmon (packed in water), & a chicken foot


Lamb heart








Beef tongue








Ground bison






Pork kidney








Beef gullet 

Bone-in Cornish hen drum & tripe







Here is a sample monthly menu for the cats:  



Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Week 1

Chicken gizzards/hearts  (served at both meals)

AM:
Cornish hen (meat/bone)

PM: 
Cornish hen (meat) + chicken liver


AM:
Beef tongue

PM: 
Boneless chicken (usually chunks of breast or boneless thigh)

AM: 
Bone-in chicken

PM: 
Ground bison

AM:
Finely ground beef tripe 

PM: 
Chunks of beef (stew meat, sirloin)

AM:
Rabbit  (meat/bone)

PM: 
Rabbit (meat) + beef kidney

 AM:
Chunks of boneless pork

PM:
Ground bison
Week 2

AM: 
Beef heart and boneless chicken breast 

PM: 
Turkey hearts

Roughly 5.5 ounce whole dressed quail (from Hare Today) cut in half with kitchen shears – half for breakfast, half for dinner

** This is essentially a whole prey item, minus feathers, head, beak, and feet, and contains all components of the raw diet:  meat, edible bone, and organ


Chicken gizzards/hearts
(served at both meals)

AM: 
Bone-in duck 

PM: 
Ground lamb

AM:
Chunks of boneless chicken breast

PM:
Lamb heart

AM:
Cornish hen (meat/bone)

PM: 
Cornish hen (meat) + lamb kidney


AM:
Finely ground beef tripe 

PM: 
Chunks of boneless chicken breast
Week 3

AM: 
Ground boneless turkey thighs 

PM:
Duck hearts

AM: Rabbit  (meat/bone)






PM:  Rabbit (meat) + pork liver 

AM:
Boneless beef (sirloin, stew meat, whatever)



PM:
Lamb heart

AM: 
Bone-in rabbit 





PM: 
Chunks of boneless ostrich steak

Chicken gizzards/hearts (served at both meals)

AM:
Pheasant (meat/bone)





PM: 
Pheasant  (meat) + beef kidney

AM:
Finely ground beef tripe 



PM: 
Ground turkey
Week 4

AM:
Pork heart

PM:
Beef lung
(this is one of those “sounds like an organ but it’s really meat” items)


AM: 
Turkey thighs (meat/bone)

PM:
Turkey (meat) + chicken liver




Ground goat (boneless, served at both meals)


AM: 
Bone-in duck 

PM: 
Ground bison or lamb


AM:
Finely ground beef tripe 


PM: 
Chunks of boneless turkey thighs

AM:
Duck (meat/bone)

PM:  Duck breast (meat) + beef spleen

Chicken gizzards/hearts (served at both meals)



Again, this is just a brief overview of what a prey model raw diet can comprise.  The great part about a raw diet is that if you have a dog or a cat who is allergic to chicken or beef or whatever, you can tailor the diet to account for that.  The more variety the better, but it does not have to be as extensive as what you see above.  There's obviously a lot more to cover on this topic - because although at the root of it, the concept is very simple:  IE to provide the most species-appropriate, bio-available food to nourish our companion carnivores, the variations are almost endless, and can be discussed and debated ad nauseam among raw feeders.  I'm happy to answer any questions that anyone has, and any future posts on this topic will basically depend upon what kind of reception this one gets.

Here is the one token raw picture for this post - it's chunks of raw, bone-in pheasant with some pork liver.  This was Finn's breakfast one day.



Ok, so ... I hope I haven't completely grossed everyone out.  So what say you?  Interesting topic to delve into in future Tuesday posts or too gross to discuss ever again?  Let me know what you think!