Over the past 1 year of raw feeding, I have learnt that I really have to understand Rossi gal's needs and suit the diet to her needs, rather than what is deemed as 'correct' or 'logical'. Guidelines are just...guidelines. I have to be flexible when it comes to her needs. For eg, if she needs more food, I will just increase it for her. I dun wanna starve my baby.
Lesson 2:
Just as each of us is different from one another, the same goes for our dogs. Each one of them is a unique individual.
While one can have an iron-cast stomach that is able to handle a variety of meats very well, another is more sensitive and needs more time to adjust to it, so things just gota slow down a little.
As much as I want Rossi gal to be in the former, she actually falls under the latter group, the sensitive one.
Lesson 3:
Meat, bones & organs vs Meat, bones, organs & veggies.
In my humble opinion, both have their own set of benefits. Which one to go for, also depends on one's belief. But for me personally, the deciding factor is Rossi gal.
She has been given both, each one for an extended period of time. Based on her daddy's and my observation, we have come to the consensus that the former works best for her.
Lesson 4:
RMB (Raw Meaty Bones) is the answer to the sparkling pearlies seen in many raw fed dogs. Rossi gal has nice pearlies too. All thanks to her regular gnawing on her 'natural toothbrush'. :D It's a wonderful exercise for her jaws too.
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| A glimpse of Rossi gal's pearlies |
Giving a big RMB 'encourages' the dog to work on it. It also helps to prevent gulping, as well as the much feared, choking.
Between the chicken drummie (left) and the lamb rack (right), Rossi gal takes a longer time to finish up the chicken drummie, as it is bigger and requires her to work on it more. For the lamb rack, she takes a shorter time to finish up, as it is much smaller.
She looks very satisfied each time she finishes her drummie too, another reason to give her a big meaty bone.
Lesson 6:
Variety is good for the diet. I want her to have variety. She does best on lamb, followed by pork. However, for introduction of new meats into her diet, I have to do it slowly, for eg. adding a couple of slices to her bowl each day, just to avoid upsetting her sensitive tummy.
Lesson 7:
Organs like heart, liver and kidney are a rich source of nutrition, and also an integral part of the diet.
I have read of raw fed dogs who could take a whole meal of organs, whereas there are also those who couldnt and are fed small amounts of organs over time instead.
Rossi gal, is again in the second group. If I give her too much organs at one time, she will experience *cannon butt, so I gota include small slices of organs into her meals over the days. I will also arrange to add in the organs either in between her RMB meals or on the day of her RMB meal itself, so that the bone content can help her handle the organs better and firm up her poo.
*A term I picked up from an overseas raw feeding forum that I frequent. I enjoy reading this forum. It's so open, relevant and informative...unlike some local forum. ;I
Lesson 8:
Recently, I learnt from my fellow rawbie friend that fats are needed for healthy maintenance (& growth) of their 'coat of glory'. Great info!
I read up abit more and found that fats are actually good for our dogs. It does not affect them in the same way it does to us, like cholestrol or heart disease. Fats are essential in their diet, for energy, skin and coat, among other things.
Rossi gal is able to tolerate the fats from lamb and bone-in chicken much better than other meats, so I will normally just leave on whatever fats there is, for her consumption. It's only when the fats seem to be too much, then I will trim some off. For other meats, I gota trim off most of the fats when I first introduce the meat. Then when she gets more used to the meat, I will start to leave some fats on.
Knowing the importance of fats, I wanna include more of it into her diet. But then again, too high a fat content can also cause her poo to loosen. Therefore, I gota do it slowly.
Lesson 9:
I love perfectly formed solid poops. I love them so much, I want to see them all the time. I always read about others going on about how perfect their raw fed dogs' poops are. But unfortunately, nothing is ever perfect in my world.
Rossi gal has her share of good poop days, as well as not-so-good ones, depending on what she eats for the day. For eg. organs tend to make her poop softer.
Well, I have my share of bad days too...as long she remains her usual playful and greedy self, it's all that matters.
Lesson 10:
Raw is not a miracle diet. I used to think it's a miracle diet when I first started on it, but eventually realised that it's actually not...~Bubble Burst~
Raw is a "Species Appropriate Diet." I believe our dogs are made to consume raw. Raw Benefits health, yes, I agree. Many dogs switched to raw gained benefits to their health.
Going raw benefitted Rossi gal's health too, especially her skin. I see it as the best diet for her, in terms of healthfulness.
