Primal Pets
(31 posts) (16 voices)-
I was planning on it but now she (the 7lb poodle, that is) is on a strict diet to rule out dietary allergies!
Posted 9 months ago # -
My dog and I had a long discussion about going primal and I suggested that since he has a woods behind the house to run about in, that he can start finding and catching his food.
He responded by rolling in a field of cow manure. I'm pretty sure that he was going for a that B.S. reply.
So for now, he is still eating IAMs. But, I do add an egg or some of the meat juices and fats to his dish.
Posted 9 months ago # -
musajen
MemberHere are those posts I mentioned . . .
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-diet-for-dogs/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/natural-cat-diet/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/inexpensive-natural-cat-food/
Posted 9 months ago # -
Okay here are a few questions:
7lb poodle, 9 yrs old. Fed special super good doggie food from vet most of her life.How do I made the switch?
Is it okay to start her on cooked meats? Then progress to raw bones then raw meat?
Is there any danger of feeding her too much of one thing, like ODing her on vitamins from livers and such?
What veggies should I add?
Anyone do this with their dog, and what was the outcome?
THANKS for any help!
Posted 8 months ago # -
jostle
MemberI got my dog @ around a yr old and the previous owner was feeding him a generic food from Wal-mart. Well checking out the ingredients on the majority of dog foods, including so called high quality brands. Most contained something other than meat as the 1st/main ingredient. Even before I was eating primal, i know dogs are carnivores and should have a primary diet of meat. Luckily, Costco does have a house brand that is majority meat, which is what I use for base dog food. Usually, i buy bulk drumsticks or chicken parts and feed him one of those a day straight from the freezer, so he can also workout his teeth. He really enjoys his raw treats. He has also killed/eaten a couple rabbits, cats(this is why we got him free), and birds. He even tried killing a possum @ 3am, but couldn't get through its skin so I chased it off back into the woods. I would say his raw diet is much closer to his natural carnivore diet and keeps him well toned and in shape. One really nice side benefit is that if i didn't tell people, they wouldn't know he poops in the back yard, since you can't smell it.
Posted 8 months ago # -
WOW TJ! What kind of dog do you have?
I guess my main concern is the raw meat thing. I dont want her getting sick, you know? She IS 9, so I thought easing her into it would be best, for immunological reasons. Anyway, how do I start?
Posted 8 months ago # -
I think they only splinter if cooked.
Posted 8 months ago # -
T J
MemberTara tootie
He is a 12 lb. Pomeranian.
You can actually LIGHTLY steam the meat first,( my vet's suggestion) although I give it to my dog raw. Any time you switch your dogs diet, start by mixing in the new with the usual food slowly, over a week or two although with meat they usually can dig around the old food and find the meat first ( if it's kibble, with canned food it may be easier to hide it) I have a friend that made the switch to meat and her dog suffered diarrhea for a few days but now won't go near dog food.
Also, you'll find a reduction in the amount of stool and the frequencyPosted 8 months ago # -
Any veggie suggestions?
Posted 8 months ago # -
T J
MemberStay away from onions and garlic, they are toxic to dogs, but whatever she'll eat should be good. My dog will occasionally eat broccoli, carrots and red bell peppers, but if there is meat around, forget the veggies. Even if I stick it in with ground up meat, he'll find a way to eat around it. You'll find the veggies come out in the stool pretty much undigested anyway
Posted 8 months ago # -
Sweet, Ill give it a go soon, and report back!
Posted 8 months ago # -
revans87
MemberMy dog is not on a raw food or cooked food diet; we just can't afford it, more in the sense of the time commitment, but money too.
However, we feed her "Orijen" dog food, which is "grain-free" and mostly meat and vegetables, but packaged as dry kibble. She is really thriving on the food, and it is a good split the difference option if you're not wanting to go raw.
It is certainly pricier than Iams/Eukanuba (but we buy it in the UK and almost everything is expensive here) in the short-run, but might pay for itself in the long-run through lower vet bills.
And it is a Canadian company and delivers all over the world.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Thanks, maybe ill try that and supplement with fresh foods. We'll see how it pans out.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Miriam
MemberMy cat Lilly is on a totally raw meat diet, she either has an organic pet mince from my butchers containing minced beef, lamb and chicken with liver, tongue and heart with lots of fat and she also has whole chicken livers and absolutely loves those (though she likes to drag them out of her bowl and her ruff normally gets bloody but it is great to watch her). I also give her a little butter for fur balls. This all sounds expensive but actually it is cheaper than buying tinned and dry cat food.
She also has homeopathic worming drops and I use tea tree oil as a flee deterrent.
Since she has gone primal her fur is really glossy, her eyes are bright and her dry skin issues have cleared up.
Posted 8 months ago # -
That's awesome Miriam!
For now, it's Iams with raw eggs and meat scraps.
Posted 8 months ago # -
I wonder... what would make up a "primal" diet for my rats?
Posted 8 months ago # -
Catalina
MemberI have a 14-year old, 50 lb. Border Collie mix (one big fur-covered heart). She was on basic kibble for 10-12 years. About a year ago, I started her on Honest Kitchen, which is a dry/dehydrated (I used the one mixed with some oatmeal, but they have some with no grain). You just add warm water and let it "bulk up." In the meantime, my two-year-old Australian Cattle Dog mix had been getting raw food--I use the Northwest Dinner Bars (beef or bison). I just thaw one, squirt some salmon oil on and sometimes a small handful of dehydrated food (I use Ziwi).
Well, the 14-year-old kept showing interest, so several months ago, I started feeding her the raw diet, and she LOVES it. No health problems from the food--she's doing well, and we walk for a mile or so on the beach every morning (slowly, 'cuz she has arthritis).
I was worried about switching to raw for her, but it's worked very well! (Strangely, I was feeding my dogs better than myself for a while there. . .took a while for it to dawn on me!)
It's a little pricy, but very convenient, nutritious, and (I can see from their enthusiasm) yummy.
Posted 8 months ago # -
PrimalJewishAmericanPrincess
MemberMy Great Dane, Axel Rose, made the switch to primal after receiving the bone cancer diagnosis in December. A week later we had her leg amputated due to the tumor on her wrist. Although the vet made no recommendations other than Chemo (which we opted not to do), we did our own research and found that most commercial grade dog food, (even the best of the "best"), is directly related to the many cancers that our dogs get. A no carb diet is recommended to starve those cancer cells of what they need to survive. As I write this, chicken, beef, and frozen vegetables are thawing for me to cook her food. She gets whatever meat is on sale. This week, it's a rump roast, chicken breasts, and chicken gizzards. I will also throw in some frozen broccoli, carrots, and green beans. Before serving it, I mix in a raw egg for "gravy". She also gets a multi vitamin to make up for anything that is missing, glucosamine for her joints, and some other supplements particular to the cancer. Once a week she gets a frozen raw marrow bone, which is her FAVORITE.
I actually wrote to Mark asking that he push the primal diet for animals. Commercial dog food is like twinkies for us. Pure garbage.
Hints for saving $$$; ask your local INDEPENDENTLY owned grocery store for scraps. Corporations can't do this, but locally owned can. The family that I am buying my 1/8 of a cow from is throwing in the organs and tongue for free for Axel. Also, I hate to say it, but Walmart has the cheepest hearts, livers, and various other parts. When I am short on cash, I throw in some brown rice for filler (I am feeding a dog that weighs as much as me!), it also helps to firm up the stool a little bit.Cats are trickier and you will most likely need to start them on cooked chicken or fish and go from there.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Catalina
MemberAnd there's actually a lot of information out there. . .if you have a holistic pet store near you, the folks in those are usually full of info and happy to share it. And you can google BARF diet (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) and find a ton of stuff.
My cat is still on kibble (much easier if I travel and need someone to stop by)--it's EVO, which is grain-free.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Hi all
I'm new to all this for myself, but can definitely speak to this "Primal for pets" thread.
Dogs and cats are carnivores. Check out those teeth...no omnivorous teeth in those mouths. Should they eat primal? Most definitely. What would primal be for dogs and cats? Meat, bones, organs....no grains, no veggies. An animal-based source of EFA's, and a natural source Vit E tab a few times a week. That's it, nothing fancy. Chicken, BTW, is not the best protein source for dogs, not enough trace minerals available, turkey is a much better source. My dogs and cat have eaten primal for nearly 9 years now. Their diet consists of turkey, beef, buffalo, pork, deer, moose and elk (notice mostly red meats). The cat eats all of this, plus whatever he manages to catch for himself. No itchy dogs, no ear problems, no hot spots, no yeast infections, spotless white teeth, no doggy odor.
For those that are going to switch, do it "cold turkey" (pun intended). Dogs are easy, cats not so much. For cats you may have to do it by using a good quality canned product, and very, very gradually adding in ground raw, changing the ratios over a long period of time. Some cats may never switch, as they are so very easily addicted to kibble.
And, for those who are considering a new puppy and who also want to feed a raw/primal diet....look for a breeder that already does that, and support that growing segment of highly responsible dog breeders. In many cases, you'll find those breeders can offer you puppies who are already multi-generation raw/primal fed! Well on their way to a long, healthy life.
Posted 7 months ago # -
PawsitivelyPrimal
MemberAh, my very favorite topic, dog and cat nutrition. Heck, long before I even thought of feeding myself primal I switched my pets to a raw diet. I feel very strongly that dogs should be fed homemade food (raw or cooked can depend on the dog) but with cats its even more important that they eat a high meat, high moisture diet.
My cats eat a premade raw food (I'm too lazy/busy to make my own from scratch) its basically meat, bones and organs ground up, I supplement with Salmon Oil and an occasional kelp/spirulina multivitamin powder. To keep their teeth clean I would feed chicken necks, but they're snobs so they get expensive quail. That's the entirety of the cat diet.
My dogs eat similarly although they also get veggies, the amount a given dog will need depends general recommendations are 10-25% of the diet. My own are at the 25% which helps with the bathroom tightness that the one experiences. They also get a variety of bones from duck necks to chicken backs to large knuckles from a variety of animals. And as far as they are concerned, kibble is a treat (used for training) but its only that good if hand fed, in a bowl I get a look that says "WTF is this, mom?".
Important notes:
-With your older dog the raw may be too much but try a cooked diet instead. Also an imbalanced diet of one type of meat and one veggie (neither having been fed to your dog before ie. bison and zucchini) for up to 6 weeks is a much better allergy elimination than the "good" food sold at vets. I love vets on the whole but most of them don't know a damn thing about nutrition and Science Diet takes huge advantages of them and pet owners because of it.
-Raw bones are an important part of the diet, it is the best way to keep your pets teeth clean. Please note ***RAW*** not cooked, cooked bones have a much greater chance of splintering causing huge problems.
-Organ meats are the animal kingdoms multivitamin, cats especially need hearts as a meat that is high in Taurine which is vital to their health.
-Salmon oil is the best thing anyone can do for their pet and themselves. Even a dog or cat on the crappiest food can see massive improvements with this one addition.
-With 4 cats in the house I never smell cat litter odor and I have 2 litter boxes that I empty once a week. Yup raw food makes for small, unstinky poo.Works with the dogs too, my 90lb husky/yellow lab mix regularly produces smaller piles than 50lb dogs at the park.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Miriam
MemberPawsitivelyPrimal cats are such food snobs arn't they and who says cats can't read lables, my cat won't eat her meat with fish oil add to it, only fresh sardines or red salmon so that is a once a week treat. I might try the quail as I also tried the chicken necks but she would ignore them.
Posted 7 months ago #
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