therockabillydolly Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 have been trying to intoduce lola to natural instinct RAW FOOD for working dogs (human grade turkey mince & bone, salmon oil, butternut squash, carrot, apple, and an extra shot of vitamin c) to be honest it looks great and if it werent for the bones id be cooking it for myself. but lola doesnt seem too pleased, she will have probably a small mouthfull a day and leaves the rest. i have tried the *when she is hungry enough she will eat it* approach with little succes - she just mooches for whatever your eating that little bit more and im very jubious about giving her titbits as she has been done and i dont want her to gain excess weight. she is a good weight at the moment she is on the heavier side of her ideal weight but i dont want her to get too thin or fat. i really am a firm beleiver in feeding high quality food as i think it really does reflect in the animals overall condition today while i was cooking dinner she was being exceptionally scavvy and being as she hasnt really had a substantial meal in nearly a week i poured the cooled chicken juices out of the roasting tin into her food bowl and stirred it into her raw food. SHE WOLFED IT DOWN obviously it would be very pricey to roast a whole chicken every day just for the juices for 1 dogs food and in excess i imagine it could be quite fatty so does anyone know of a premade gravy product that is good (preferably with no crap/salt in or one that all natural) or recipes for gravy that are good to add to raw ??? i saw one consisting of blended/mashed chicken livers but i thought this would produce more of a puree than a gravy and i dont think that would really encourage her any more than raw already is. the only others i have found are by: seapets wagg (who i refuse t use as i think their food is absoloute junk) please let me know any secrets/recipes or reccomendations id be really gratefull i dont mind ordering in bulk offline as i do this with her raw food already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 tuna, sardines - you can get dog gravy from pets at home too we roast the whole chicken and give them it lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arooroomom Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 You can try chicken broth. Sometimes I use that, warm it in the microwave, dilute with water and mix it in. That's only when we've doing something really active and I NEED them to eat. What you don't want to do is create a picky Husky. Err well you don't want the Husky to train you rather. Honestly, I would just continue to offer her the pattys and wait until she eats. The issue with changing a kibble fed dog to raw is that raw doesn't have the artificial flavors and especially the smell that kibble does. In reality raw is very plain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therockabillydolly Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 what bones as well? i was told not to give dogs cooked bones as they get brittle after cooking and can splinter and get stuck in their throat??? lucky dogs though getting whole chickens! i couldnt afford to do it all the time. once a week maybe. but not all the time. if we had 2 or 3 dogs then sure but for just lola its a bit indulgent. we are going to look in pets at home tommorow. but i wont buy it if its full of crap. will try her with tuna though. i have a few tins in my cupboard that i cant bear to touch since i watched hughes fish fight on channel four! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
husky princess Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 i boil up the bones and left over meat and skin to make the dogs chicken stock (or what ever meat i have cooked). this works a treat and is very appreciatative! much cheaper and healthier than any purchased 'gravy'. they particularly like lamb stock empty a tin of sardines in some water, soak for at least an hour and pour a bit over the food adn save the rest in the fridge. this should encourage her to eat too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
husky princess Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 what bones as well? i was told not to give dogs cooked bones as they get brittle after cooking and can splinter and get stuck in their throat??? no dont give her cooked bones...only raw bones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahNukka&Shadow Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 How are you serving the food at the moment? I also feed a similar type of product but I microwave it to defrost it so its nice and warm and then add a little warm water aswell just to get it all juicey for them they hardly EVER turn their noses up unless their feeling poorly! Also whatever meat my hubby has had for dinner I tend to add hot water to the pan it was cooked in and poure that over it too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therockabillydolly Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 thanks claire i thought i was right in thinking that one. i know raw is ok cause its more flexible and good for teeth i will try that tip with boiling the bones for the stock sounds a good idea at least then i know what my girl is getting - im very jubious about proccessed dog food. i just dont agree with it personally. i think its a bit like feeding a person nothing but chicken nuggets burger and chips instead of fruit and veg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 oops yeh i should have mentioned we strip the meat off the bones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
husky princess Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 im very jubious about proccessed dog food. yeah im moving over to more and more raw food too. If you have a abatoir (sp?) near you its worth a trip to explore what you can get there for so much less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therockabillydolly Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 i defrost it over night in the fridge - i dont defrost in microwave - as i used to breed royal pythons (which were fed frozen defrosted weaner rats) and know that defrosting raw meat in the microwave encourages bacteria to grow on the food because its an ideal tempreture for it to breed on. i have just been mashing it up so its all not in one big lump and putting it down for her then taking it away after 15 mins. however i will try adding a bit of water... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therockabillydolly Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 you know i havent actually looked into abatoirs but its a great idea! what are the best animal parts to get if i can find one? we have a lot of open countryside near us so im sure there are some nearby i could try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahNukka&Shadow Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 i defrost it over night in the fridge - i dont defrost in microwave - as i used to breed royal pythons (which were fed frozen defrosted weaner rats) and know that defrosting raw meat in the microwave encourages bacteria to grow on the food because its an ideal tempreture for it to breed on. i have just been mashing it up so its all not in one big lump and putting it down for her then taking it away after 15 mins. however i will try adding a bit of water... I only ever Microwave one meal at a time, I dont do then whole lot and leave it standing or anything so I doubt any bacteria is gunna grow in the 5 minutes between it defrosting and the dogs eating it.. but if you know something I dont please let me know!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therockabillydolly Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 i thought you would have done nix dont worry i wasnt pointing the finger! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therockabillydolly Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 i dont know how long it takes for bacteria to breed i know its very quickly. but im not sure if that only aplies to snakes as their digestive systems are different to dogs and humans. i just know i was told if i needed to defrost prey items to either defrost overnight or if in a hurry to pop them in a sandwich bag and submerse the bag into boiling water until it was defrosted but not to the point were it was *cooking* which is usually a minute or two in mice. but i imagine you could do the same with raw food by just putting the pack into warm water for a few hours??? not sure as like i said snakes are completely different to dogs. anyone with more knowledge on the subject is welcome to quote me on it and correct me though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid_Wolf Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 guys, bacteria doesnt matter!! think about a dead bird, rabbit etc, that has been baking in the sun for a few days, has gone a bit slimy etc etc, they dont get ill from eating it do they?? their stomach acids are 10x stronger than ours, and their digestive tracts are much shorter, so anything that isnt killed by the acids, is pushed through and out the other end so quick it doesnt affect them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahNukka&Shadow Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 guys, bacteria doesnt matter!! think about a dead bird, rabbit etc, that has been baking in the sun for a few days, has gone a bit slimy etc etc, they dont get ill from eating it do they?? their stomach acids are 10x stronger than ours, and their digestive tracts are much shorter, so anything that isnt killed by the acids, is pushed through and out the other end so quick it doesnt affect them Yeah thats what I thought Sid, thanks for the confirmation, had me worried there for a sec.. although I have been doing this for MONTHS now so common sence dictates that if we were gunna have a problem with it we would have encountered it by now so I wasnt tooooo worried! I think the pups actually like it warmed anyway makes all the smell come out so it seems really tastey for them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arooroomom Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Bacteria is not the issue. I mean obviously don't feed a rotting carcass that's infested with maggots.... But I pretty much regularly take frozen containers of meat out of the freezer and just leave it sitting on top overnight so it's defrosted in the AM. When morning comes around I pop it in the fridge and serve for dinner. I don't even warm it up. Sometimes they get it mostly frozen. Please don't be concerned with bacteria. Unless you're feeding a high mix of kibble with raw (which can cause the raw to digest more slowly) don't worry about it. And if you are... feeding a meat that has been left out to defrost isn't going to harm the dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid_Wolf Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Yeah thats what I thought Sid, thanks for the confirmation, had me worried there for a sec.. although I have been doing this for MONTHS now so common sence dictates that if we were gunna have a problem with it we would have encountered it by now so I wasnt tooooo worried! I think the pups actually like it warmed anyway makes all the smell come out so it seems really tastey for them! the amount of stuff that kira has got hold of, rotting rabbits and birds... if it did have an adverse effect on them, she would be dead by now, she scoffs them wayy to quick. Now if she finds something, i will (if i can stomach it), take it off her, bag it up, and serve it for dinner lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 I make a roasted chicken most every Sunday for dinner and it always includes gravy for mashed potatoes. I make extra gravy and pour the leftovers into an icecube tray. Pop it in the freezer and when firm, pop out and into a zip lock bag. When Sarah needs a treat or isn't keen on her feed, I pull out a gravy cube and thaw with a little hot water,then mix with her food. She loves it! I've done the same thing when I make a pot roast or any other meat that has a gravy or juice. I should note that I defatten my gravies and use cornstarch for a thickener, so she isn't getting a lot of fat. Did I mention that Sarah is a little spoiled? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 I make a roasted chicken most every Sunday for dinner and it always includes gravy for mashed potatoes. I make extra gravy and pour the leftovers into an icecube tray. Pop it in the freezer and when firm, pop out and into a zip lock bag. When Sarah needs a treat or isn't keen on her feed, I pull out a gravy cube and thaw with a little hot water,then mix with her food. She loves it! I've done the same thing when I make a pot roast or any other meat that has a gravy or juice. I should note that I defatten my gravies and use cornstarch for a thickener, so she isn't getting a lot of fat. Did I mention that Sarah is a little spoiled? fab idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 fab idea! Thank you. It really is a good use for the gravies that are always left over. One batch of leftover makes a whole tray of cubes, and since she doesn't get it every day the cubes stretch out a good while. I got the idea from my first child. When she was beginning to eat solids, she absolutely refused to eat any jarred baby food except fruits. I had to make all the rest of her food, and since I was working I'd spend an entire Saturday making veggies and meat and such for her. I used the ice trays to freeze single serving sizes of the baby food. Made it easy to defrost and serve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunc Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 morrisons do a dog gravy and its a pound a bottle from Monday on promo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therockabillydolly Posted February 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 have brought some gravy granules from pets at home - not much in it just potatoe starch and beef fat basically. mixed some into her raw this morning but no interest shown. have also left a seperate bowl of iams biscuits which she hasnt touched and a kong chew full of peanut butter she hasnt even sniffed at out all day going to attempt mixing in some tuna to her next meal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 Sarah LOVES tuna in water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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