I am so glad to have seen so much interest on how we started on a raw/real food diet for our German Shepherd Dog.
It seems many of us can relate to health problems we have encountered while feeding our dogs dried processed dog food. It was also amazing to read many recovery stories and complete turn of health by starting our dogs on raw/real food.
For me, feeding Boaz in this way helps me reflect on my own diet and what I’m feeding my family and how I can improve upon that as well.
In part 2 of a raw food, real food diet for our German Shepherd Dog, I’d like to share with you what I feed Boaz. One thing I’d like to stress again and again is that this is what’s working for my dog. He is 8 years old, so an older dog, and I was told he may have cancer. Knowing this, I knew I had to focus on his bone health and at the same time stay away from all sugars and grains as cancer can feed on both of these.
I have taken bits and pieces and combined both a BARF raw diet with elements of the Weston Price Foundation Diet.
He is looking phenomenol and as of yesterday I couldn’t even tell if he had a limp in his front leg anymore. It’s been truly amazing to see him turn a 180 when feeding him foods God has intended for us to eat.
Boaz’s Diet
Since Boaz is an older, large breed dog, I feed him nourishing bone broth nearly every day. I want to make sure he’s getting the glucosamine, chondroitin and minerals extracted from the bones.
I also make sure to feed Boaz raw organ meats 2-3 times a week. Organ meats contain nearly every nutrient including B vitamins, folic acid, minerals like phosphorus, iron, copper, magnesium and iodine. They also provide the important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.
Also important is making sure that Boaz is getting vegetables into his diet. Every week in his own batch of broth, I include vegetables with dark leafy greens which he devours.
The calcium in his diet is coming from the raw beef and chicken bones and fermented dairy of yogurt and cottage cheese. (When feeding dogs bones, make sure they are always raw. Never feed your dog cooked bones of any kind as they can splinter and cause intestinal problems.)
For his essential fatty acids, I give Boaz a teaspoon every day of fermented cod liver oil and cold pressed flaxseed oil.
Boaz’s diet consists of the following:
- chicken organ meats and necks
- beef liver
- raw chicken legs and thighs
- homemade beef and chicken broth
- cooked chicken
- cooked vegetables (carrots, celery, turnips, fennel, potatoes, kale, spinach, parsley)
- meaty soup bones
- grassfed “dog” bones
- homemade yogurt
- cottage cheese
- raw eggs
- cod liver oil
- flax seed oil
I wish I could say that all of the chicken and organ meats are from pastured animals. Unfortunately, it’s not. Since our farmers market hasn’t started yet this season, I’ve been unable to speak to different families to see if we could work something out. As soon as the season starts, I do want to see if I can get some of these organ meats at a cost that will work for our family.
At this point, I purchase a “cage-free” whole chicken from Wal-Mart once a week at around $7 per chicken.
I purchase all of his organ meats at our local Mexican Grocer. I enjoy shopping here because you can find every kind of organ meat behind the counter and if you speak Spanish, someone who can help you right away. Every other week I buy three pounds of chicken organ meats (hearts, liver, gizzards) including the necks and two pounds of beef liver. I have them separate the chicken organs into three, one pound packages which come to about $1.50 per package. The beef liver comes to about $1.50 per pound.
Although I wish these things were from family farmers, I think the benefits of even industrial raw food is currently doing my dog much better than dried processed kibble.
Boaz’s Day to Day
*Update – As of 12/16/2012 – We have increased the amount of food Boaz is eating. It still consists of the same food, just in larger amounts.
Below is a sample menu of what I feed Boaz throughout the week. I feed him about 2lbs of food once per day. Once we get into the summer and he’s more active, I’ll keep an eye on his weight and adjust to his needs.
On one day early in the week, I cut the legs, thighs and wings off the whole chicken.
Boaz will eat that raw. I then use the breasts and back of the chicken to make his broth, cooked chicken, and vegetables for the rest of the week.
His menu changes weekly as to what I feed him on which day and what vegetables I include in his broth, however, it should give you a general idea of how I feed my dog.
Sunday
- 1lb chicken organ meats
- 2 raw eggs
- 3-4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup homemade yogurt
- 1 teaspoon cod liver oil
- 1 teaspoon flaxseed oil
Monday
- 1lb raw beef liver
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 3-4 cups beef broth
- 2 raw eggs
- 1 teaspoon cod liver oil
- 1 teaspoon flaxseed oil
Tuesday
- Raw chicken legs, thighs and wings including organ meats that came with whole chicken.
- 1 teaspoon cod liver oil
- 1 teaspoon flaxseed oil
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
- Full dog bowl of cooked chicken, vegetables and broth
- 1 teaspoon cod liver oil
- 1 teaspoon flaxseed oil
Saturday
- Raw meaty soup bones
- 1 teaspoon cod liver oil
- 1 teaspoon flaxseed oil
Throughout the week, I’ll also give him dog bones to snack on. At $1 per 5lbs of grassfed dog bones… not bad!
I want to guess that we’re probably spending around $10-$12 per week on his food. His vegetables comes from food that I’m already buying for my own family. His yogurt and cottage cheese is also from what I’m already making for my family.
I may start clabbering some raw milk for him and making his own small batch of cottage cheese.
Tips for Saving Money to Feed Your Dog Raw/Real Food
- Talk to family farmers. Many are throwing soup bones, tongues, and organ meats out. You may score a deal!
- Visit your local Mexican market. You’ll find better varieties on organ meats usually at lower prices.
- If you live in rural areas, visit a local meat locker. They’ll usually give you large meaty bone scraps for free. I was given at least 50lbs over the winter.
- Save your veggie scraps and put them into your broth for dog food. One thing… don’t feed your dogs onions or garlic. It’s not good for them.
This is what I feed my dog. Again, he’s a large breed older dog with giant teeth that can gnarl through any bone. If you have smaller or younger dogs you’ll have to make adjustments as to what they can and cannot eat.
This is what’s working for us now and my hope is that by visually seeing how I feed my dog, it will give you confidence and take away some of those un-necessary fears.
Resources on feeding your dog a raw/real food diet
Does this look similar to how you feed your dog? Please share or ask any questions in the comments below.
What a great balanced diet for Boaz! I got started on feeding raw for our Ferret. Ferrets in the US are generally factory farmed and have a host of health problems as a result, many contracting cancers at a young age due to poor breeding and dry kibble full of carbs. Ferrets are obligate carnivores and should only have 5% ‘roughage’ in their diet. Like cats, they also have taurine needs, and I’ve been having problems finding a source for hearts so your tip about the Mexican grocery is a God-send!
Here are my tips for those of us with smaller dogs/cats/ferrets.
With bones, start small (non-weight bearing) so that the animal has time to build up jaw strength for the larger bones. I’m proud to say our ferret can demolish a chicken thigh bone in a matter of minutes now (Duck is his fave treat tho!).
Be prepared for your Vet. Many do not/will not support a raw diet (I’ve learned they get substantial kick-backs from pet food companies, including paying student loans! Scary!) Have your materials printed out in advance. Show your resources. Some Vets are receptive (mine is thankfully!) but I’ve heard stories of Vets refusing to treat because of a raw diet.
Another benefit of RMB diets is the smell, feces and natural pet smell is diminished to almost nothing. You can’t tell we have a litter box in the house and our ferret smells like grape kool-aide, not the typical musty odor of ferrets. I’ve heard the same thing from Cat owners about their litter boxes too.
I’m so excited to see you advocate raw for our pets too! You are such an icon Diana! Love you and love your blog!
~Kelli
Thumbsup
Thanks so much for sharing this, Diana… Definitely something I need to look into further!
Thanks Jen!
Wow, Diana! You got this down good. I am almost thinking of going back to raw food for our dogs. We did it when they were pups, but we stopped because it was getting too much and we were premixing everything. Ugh, it was getting too much!! BUT I like what you are doing though, MUCH simpler!!
Like you getting meat at the Mexican store… I live in a Latin American country where I can buy soup bones and organs cheaply. Hmmm, I don’t have any access to grass-fed or even cage-free meat. But I guess it is better than processed food, huh?
Also, are you worry that Boaz will attack your chickens because he is eating raw chicken?? That happened to us when we had a dog we were adopting in Costa Rica. We were giving her raw chicken and she went nuts over my chickens and killed 2. She was a mutt and a rescue, so that could be a part of it. I would think my dogs wouldn’t because they know better… they never bother my chickens. They know that I will put HOT sauce in their mouths if they so much growl at them. I did that when we had a Honduran dog and she killed 8 of my 10 geunia hens. She had too much wild blood in her and she was known among the neighbors to attack their chickens. Sigh. Anyway, yeah, has Boaz done anything?? Otherwise I would LOVE to try out what you are doing. Sounds like he is doing really good even though the meat isn’t organic or grass-fed… that shows it is better than processed food! The kind we are using is the Kirkland brand and it is the best we can find here. My dogs love it, but I know they would love it even more if I gave them raw food again. I’m sure they miss it… once in a while Daisy would be lucky to catch a rabbit!
Well, I will need to talk to the hubby about it. We are so busy already and I haven’t been myself since I learned of my pregnancy, but maybe he would be okay with this idea. Do you freeze all your meat? How long before you pull them out to defrost to feed Boaz?
I know you pointed out that this is what works best for your dog, but I am thinking it will work really well for my dogs too as they are large breeds too. Duke could really use help with bone structure and all that.
Thank you so much for sharing what you do. This is very helpful and I am now motivated to reconsider doing raw food again.
No problem Mare. Let me see if I can answer your questions…
Boaz hasn’t killed a chicken in quite awhile. He killed one when we first got our chickens, but discipline took care of that right away 😉 He’ll chase them every now and then, but so far so good!
I do freeze my extra organ meats and soup bones. I pull them out the night before and in the morning they’re thawed out.
Yeah, I’m really glad it’s really simple to feed him this way ;D That’s also great that you can get soup bones and cheap organ meats! Boaz loves tongue and beef heart as well. If I can get it, I give it to him.
Let me know if you start up again 😀
Thanks Diana!! A one more question… thank you for your patience!
You only feed Boaz 2 lbs of food once a day? I feed my dogs dry kibble twice a day. I’m sure they weight about the same as Boaz if not a little more. But I know there is more filling nuritions in raw food than in dry food.
Yeah, this is so much more simpler. The information we found told us to GRIND EVERYTHING and mix it all and then pack them into 1 lb each. Ugh, it was an all day thing to make a batch of dog food to last 2 weeks. Grind veggies, cutting up organs, etc… it was awful. The smell alone was gross. Would NEVER do that again! Later we found out it wasn’t neccessary to do that, but we didn’t want to go back to feeding two big dogs raw food. Now, I am rethinking that…
The only concern I have is when we leave for the states… we will have to change them over to dry kibble if we went raw again. We lock up our house tight and the big freezer is in my house. It would not be able to run in the small house that our worker will live in with his family while we are in the states. I’m concern that it will cause harm to the dogs switching them back and forth.
Again, I’ll have to talk to Jon :o) We’ll see. Thanks!!
PERRRRFECT ! This article couldn’t have come at a better time , we JUST got a dog a couple of days ago , shes a 7 mth old Great Pyrenees and we are transitioning her from “kibble” to this diet. Since we are both new to this , we have started to do some more serious research and this is perfect . I love your daily breakdown . Thank you so much for sharing your experience !!
I had to comment here because we also have a 7 month old Great Pyrenees!!! We’ve had him since January and love him to death. As I was reading this I was thinking about transitioning him over 😉
Totally worth the effort. I couldn’t take the raw part though, I cooked my food into little meatloaves and stored them in the freezer. They were more portable and tidy. My dog wouldn’t keep his food in the bowl… As you say about preferring to have locally raised meat, any step is a huge improvement over commercial dog food. Good for you!
this is fantastic! i didn’t know you had a German Shepherd, too! this is very close to what i feed Aurora. she and i “share” a glass of raw milk every day! she has even learned the word ‘milk’ because she gets so excited when it’s time to drink it. and she likes the orange flavored fermented cod liver oil the best. so grateful you shared this to show how a real food diet tremendously helps pets!
I love seeing your breakdown-very helpful!! And much simpler than some I’ve seen.
I was astounded at how chicken wings cleaned our late collie’s teeth. Her teeth were so bad-the vet wanted to schedule a cleaning under full anesthetic. And her breath!
I put her on raw food and those teeth were WHITE in less than a month. And her breath no longer wilted the houseplants :~)
This is fascinating to hear, and heartening that you’re not breaking the bank feeding him this diet. I’d love to see one for cats as well, if anyone out there has tips.
Just wondering…Where are you getting the cod liver and flax seed oils at a decent price?
Obviously I’m not Diana, but today I saw a bottle of organic flax oil at Walmart for $5. I think that is a bit below what I’ve seen at the health food store (I normally buy ground flax because I can hide it in my kids’ food easier). They had an empty slot for cod liver oil that was priced at $2.50, they had flavored cod liver oil for $7. I only bought the flax oil today.
Krisha, I’ve been getting organic flax seed oil from Trader Joes. $7 a bottle. Not bad at all! The CLO is Green Pastures fermented cod liver oil that I have extra from. I will probably end up switching brands once I run out.
I like to sprinkle turmeric on my dog’s food. It has amazing anti-cancer properties and helps with inflammation. I read one doctor said if he could do IV treatments of turmeric, he believes he would cure cancer. My family uses it daily. So one day while in the pet store, I saw a “natural” dog cookie that had turmeric in it and started sprinkling some on my dog’s food the next day. Start slow to see if you dog can handle it.
I also give my dogs a bit of pumpkin everyday. It keeps their stools firm. And can even stop diarrhea if you amp up the dose.
And don’t forget to give your babies good water! I put a few drops of Concentrace mineral drops in their water bowl each day, because even though I give them broth, my Lab is a runner and drinks a lot of water every day. I like to ensure that each drop is full of the minerals he needs!
Susan, these are great tips! I’m going to look into incorporating turmeric. Thank you!
Thanks again! Inspirational. We have seen amazing changes with our dog on raw/real food (even in the last 2-3 months). It’s always fun to see what someone else is doing and get new ideas.
Hey Diana! I’m almost in tears reading these 2 posts about your dogs and Boaz’s new diet. Our dog, Mokey, is a black lab mix, and over the last 6 months we have had an incredibly difficult time with her health! Last summer we had to take her in to the vet for a pretty bad yeast infection in her ears. (It’s a common problem in labs, especially — curses to those silly breeders who thought floppy ears were a good thing! No air flow!) We were sent home with antibiotics & ear wash and instructions to follow a regular ear cleaning routine. Not long after the meds were gone, she started losing hair in patches due to “hot spots” (very itchy patches of skin that she would just scratch & scratch or chew on to relieve the itch). Her breath started to stink. Her eyes got goopy. Yep, the infection was back. This time wide-spread. I decided to go my own way, since the vet solution obviously didn’t amount to much. I, too, looked into what could possibly be causing this yeast problem, and guess what I found nearly everywhere I searched? You got it – her food. She’d been eating Purina Puppy Chow/Dog Chow since we got her at 8 weeks old. Have you seen the ingredients in that crap? Horrendous! I immediately stopped feeding her that & began feeding her raw deer meat that we had in our freezer, homemade yogurt, and a tbsp. of raw apple cider vinegar in her water bowl once a day. Her symptoms improved slightly. But just slightly. For affordability’s sake, we have also tried out Trader Joe’s Wholesome Natural dog kibble. In know it’s dried and processed, but at $7.99/bag/10 days it’s affordable, & she seems to have little reaction to it. We’ve narrowed her reactions down to food allergies & sensitivities, which when they flare up allow a terrific breeding ground for that fowl yeast! Not sure what her specific allergies are, but after a recent vet trip confirmed the food allergies, systemic yeast infection, AS WELL AS a skin staph infection! She’s been on meds for those 10 days & is due for her vet follow up. It’s a real struggle to analyze financially what would be best for her. I know deep down that raw/real food is it, but convincing my husband is another story, & convincing our budget is even more of an issue. Thank you for sharing your journey & how your dog food budget breaks down! It’s very helpful & I truly appreciate having a friend who’s gone through similar issues with her pet(s), even if they’re not exactly the same. 🙂
P.S. Staph & yeast are opportunistic pathogens, which, when allowed a “sterile” environment will take over as much territory as they can. This is what I believe happened this time around with Mokey. The antibiotics from her first ear infection wiped out all the normal flora (aka good bacteria) in her system, which not only allowed the yeast to come back with a vengeance, but also paved the way for Staph – a normal skin flora! Crazy stuff! Don’t even get me started on antibiotics. lol
Bethany, goodness. I’ll be praying for Mokey! It seems so many dogs these days have allergies. I to was feeding Boaz the Trader Joes dog food for awhile before going raw. Really, I started to see HUGE improvements when I did that. You know, I do understand the budget. Last week I was able to pick up 2 “natural” chickens at Costco for $10.00. So at $5.00 a chicken it’s a bit cheaper than what I was buying. Hopefully when the garden kicks in, a lot of his veg will come from there as well. Thanks for sharing Bethany! Love ya!!
ear problems are almost always due to grain in the not-so-healthy dog kibble. get your pet off the grains and the yeast infections will clear up. 🙂
I’m embarrassed to say that your sweet doggy eats waaay better than my family. What a lucky fellow he is! On a good note, you’ve inspired me to be more diligent with our own healthy menu. Thanks. :}
Thank you for this post! As I mentioned up above in reply to someone else, I have a 7 month old Great Pyrenees. I have been feeding him the Solid Gold brand “Wolf Pup” for giant breeds, the main ingredient is bison and it’s the best dry dog food I can find. I would love to get him over to a raw foods diet.
I am glad you also mentioned the non-killing of your chickens, as when I had a couple organically raised chickens I did give him the organ meats (and he LOVED THEM) and then I thought “ooops, what if that was a bad idea for the chickens?” (we don’t have them *yet* but are getting them this month). Also I am glad to see that he should be able to eat the raw bones, I always thought chicken bones were always a no-no.
Again thank you so much for this post!
Kim, cooked bones of any kind are bad for our dogs. Especially cooked chicken bones.
I decided to dive right in, and today when I went grocery shopping I was able to get:
1 package of 2 turkey wings for $3.94
1 package of 2 turkey legs for $3.00
1 package of beef intestines for $5
1 package of chicken giblets for $2
2 1 lb tubs of chicken livers for $1.50 each
1 bottle of flax oil for $5
1 container of plain greek yogurt (for the probiotics) for $3
Right now he is munching out on a turkey wing, acting like the luckiest dog in the world!
I am also going to start this with my cats. Most of them have always been indoor kitties, and they don’t know what to do with the livers, so I may be chopping them up for them.
This is actually quite exciting!
OH I forgot, I also got a 3 lb package of pork neck bones for $5. 🙂
All of these were from WalMart.
It is exciting! Thanks for sharing Kim!
So glad I came upon your site. I too feed mostly raw (some cooked) to my dogs. I did want to comment about feeding liver. Its should only be 10% of the total meat amount. Otherwise too much liver can be dangerous because of the Vitamin A it contains (compared to Vit A from veggies which is safe in large amounts). So just wanted everyone to be aware especially if cod liver oil is being added which can be too high in Vit A (I use Carlsons as it is not high in A). Diana, do you take the skin off the chicken before you cook it? That is the only problem i have with buying a whole chicken, afraid I will get too much cooked fat which can cause pancreatitis (I know it won’t harm them when its raw). I usually get the skinless thighs to cook but would be cheaper if I bought a whole chicken. I do have to cook for a senior dog I adopted as she has a poor appetite although she does love to eat the raw necks which is great for her teeth :)My other dog eats all raw and often I purchase the Primal 5lb chubs which are just meat/bone and then I add my pulverized raw veggies to it. brit
Brit, thanks for the suggestions. I’m going to look into Carlson’s for the dog. As far as the skin, I do not remove it from the chest cavity and back. He eats the rest raw. I’m going to look into pancreatitis. Thanks again!
I’ve had my three dogs on a Prey Model + “high quality” kibble diet for some time. Some things I have learned…
My understanding is that the cod liver oil is not good to give our dogs due to the high vita D/A content. I give mine salmon oil. Also, the raw bones keep their poo from getting too soft, so the RAW bones are necessary for them to eat when eating raw meat.
When moving to raw, start with chicken and do not give the skin, but gradually add to the diet over weeks.
Dogs do not have the enzyme to digest fruits or veggies, so pureed veggies are best or slightly steamed if they are going to be added to the food. broccoli is not to be fed raw and only once weekly.
I researched for over a year and landed with the Prey Model(just raw meat/bones/organs & salmon oil)but not sure if is balanced for the long haul. I do give my old golden digestive enzymes to help him digest the foods, he’s 11 yrs.old.
Dr. Karen Becker has a recipe book for raw feeding with recipes, but it is very time consuming with added supplements, etc. I can’t afford it with 3 dogs in the family. But she insists that all this added so that there are no imbalances down the road.
Did you research other feeding methods, such as the Prey Model? What made you decide to go with the B.A.R.F. method?
Interesting that you said broccoli should not be given raw. Our vet said it was the healthiest treat for our pup, so we’ve been giving her broccoli for years (not regularly, as she usually doesn’t get treats). But I’m wondering why broccoli isn’t good for them
Joanna, from my own research I’ve read it in various places.
Libby: Can you give me the “list” of what you RAW feed to your dog?? I am just starting out on researching this BARF diet for our poor 7 month old purebred (German import at that) German Shepherd puppy! I want to switch him to raw diet…but my husband is also not convinced. We have been battling diarrhea with him since bringing him home at 12 weeks of age and numerous trips to the vet and medications. The diarrhea always resurfaces. He chronically has ear problems and reddened skin tissue in his ears and he is miserable. His ear is bleeding! We have tried so many different expensive kibble brands. He has had diarrhea for over a month. Tomorrow the vet wants to send his blood work off to Texas A&M to see if he has EPI (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency)…but I don’t think it’s this AT ALL…I think it’s the damn kibble we’ve been feeding him, even though it’s Blue Buffalo Simple DIet for sensitive dogs. Any suggestions?
Diana I am sure Boaz is not having a problem with the cooked skin or you would know by now – was just curious if you removed it 🙂 I think the only mistake people can make is not giving them raw bones or anything for calcium, I also add ground egg shells if not feeding any bone. Its disheartening that we read so much info on line that says we will kill our dogs if we make our own food. What a laugh, they are poisoning our dogs with their products 🙁 Thanks for all your help 🙂
Great info! I was wondering what people do about small children in the house with a dog who eats raw food. We had a dog prior to having kids and I would feed her raw meat in the back yard but when it was time to come in it always grossed me out a bit. She liked to carry a raw chicken leg around like it was her treasure! She now lives with my sister (and eats organic dry food) and when I take the kids to visit her there is a lot of contact with kisses and licking hands and faces. Just wondering what you think about transferring bacteria that won’t hurt a dog but could harm a child. Thanks!
Hi Natalie. That’s a great questions. You know, I don’t have that problem since my German Shepherd doesn’t lick people. I’m going to look into that and see if others do anything or even worry about transferring bacteria.
I’m so grateful to read your story. I babysat this 8 year old German Shepherd for this person 2 years ago who basically dumped her and left her with me forever. She was broken hearted for 2 weeks. Sad! But I love her very much. She is very happy. It’s 2 years later I’m worried about her health. I feed her and she wants more food all the time. She has gained weight. She has a bump on her paw that now has an open sore. Not sure if it might be what your dog had and her poor hips are bothering her. She is hot all the time and likes to go outside or in garage to lay where it’s cooler. I also have fan on in house even if it’s freezing outside. Your a blessing sharing with everyone. The raw food diet is going to be a life saver for my dog I’m sure about it! I’ve been reading and German Shepherds do require certain foods. It could be for all or most dogs also I really dont. But I will say there has been so many issuses with dogs health over the years. I remember my mom give our dogs those “soup bones” etc. I don’t remember our dogs going to vet all the time with issues except to get their vaccinations. Now days they are diabetic they are getting pancreatitis you name it. I trust the raw food diet and I am going to do this for my dog ASAP. It can not cause any harm in my option like all these dog foods are today. Organic is a lot safer and if we go back to growing gardens raise our own chickens etc we would probably not have as much cancer as there is today. I realize people are so busy but our lives and health should be the most important. Our foods today have Too many chemicals over cooking foods which take vitamins out of them and that’s what our foods that are quick and easy to get and already made also called processed foods we just pop in oven to cook and eat. But there’s nothing like fresh homemade foods that not only taste good but are full of healthy things our body has to have. Thank you so much for sharing and you make it easy to understand and do! God Bless You!!!
Natalie, I have been feeding my dog the raw diet for just over a month now and have seen no problems with him licking us or the children. No one has gotten sick 🙂 I’m certainly no expert or anything.
I have been feeding my 3 DSD’s and 1 Golden Retriever an all raw diet for over 3 years. My oldest Shepherd (11 yrs)was recently found to have extensive cancers in his chest and abdomen, and sadly had to be put down. The vets were so surprised, as he had never had one symptom for them to check. I believe he was asymtomaic due to his wonderful diet.
I was always taking my dogs to the vet for itching, hot spots, ear infections, diarrhea, etc,etc. Now, I only have to take them in for their yearly check ups!! All those other problems don’t exist on the raw diet. If people are hesitany to feed raw because of the extra price, I tell them to add up what they spend for vet apointments, treatments and medications all year. The diet is less, believe me.
I feed salmon oil, and I give probiotics twice a month to restore normal flora. Eggs and shells. No grains.
With all the bacteria that is in chicken, doesn’t it concern you that your sweet Darling will get sick from this? I make my dog’s food and use many of the same things you do but I ALWAYS cook the meat. *smiles* Well, if it’s raw or cooked, I think it’s better than the processed garbage that is out there for dogs. Was very interesting reading what YOU do! Thanks!
Hello! I’m very intrigued with this idea, not only because it saves money (we’re German Shepherd breeders and have numerous dogs)but also because of the health benefits. However, I’ve heard that a diet including large portions of raw meat makes dogs violent. In the past, when I’ve fed my dogs raw meat, my dogs – who have always been docile, obedient, and easygoing – started killing chickens. I’m not sure if there was a relation between the two, but I didn’t want to risk it. Did you notice any behavior changes in Boaz after he’d been on this diet a while?
Hi Esti. That’s a good question. Now, I want to just make it very clear that I am in now way trained or can recommend a raw diet for anyone’s dog. This is just what is working for my family and my dog. Make sure to do ALL the necessary research before making any kind of decision. As far as violence, my Boaz is an EXTREMELY docile dog. He’s SO good. My mailman comes looking to pet him every single day. He’s a giant dog but such a sweetie. Boaz has been on this diet for nearly a year now. He’s in the backyard all the time with loose chickens and could care less about them. However, Boaz was trained the first couple years of his life and is very obedient. I hope that is of some help.
Great post! Thanks for putting it out there for the world to see. We feed our two GSDs a high quality kibble and incorporate some raw meats, but as we learn more from sites such as yours and others, we’re going to transition to a raw diet.
Well my mind is made up. We will be starting a raw diet in the near future. My 8 month old GSD has had itching issues for months and now hot spots. My poor MOOSE.
Thank you Diana I hope BOAZ is doing good.
Dee, he is! My Boaz was also getting hot spots. For the past two months, we’ve added these vitamins to his diet as well ;D
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SSN04M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000SSN04M&linkCode=as2&tag=alibiofspinio-20
It’s called The Missing Link. Vitamins for dogs. We like it!
Dee,
Did you ever start doing the raw diet? I have a friend whose lab has hot spots and allergies. Just wondering if it has helped your GSD as well? Thanks!
Diana, I may have overlooked it, but did you gradually transition Boaz, or did you just begin giving him all real food?
Kelly, I did transition him, but not slowly. We started by adding in raw chicken and within a couple weeks started feeding him entirely raw/real.
Another question! Do you give Boaz Missing Link instead of cod liver oil and flax seed oil, or in addition to it?
I’m giving him Missing Link in addition to flax seed oil. Since we’ve run out of CLO, I’ve stopped giving that to him.
I hope you don’t mind my million and one questions! I’m likely to have more!
We’re most likely bringing home a German Shepherd on Sunday and I want to start her out the right way–though she’s one and has doubtfully been fed this way! I just can’t stand the thought of doing traditional dog food on several levels.
How many chickens would you say you buy in a week for Boaz? For the three days when you say you give him a bowlful of cooked chicken with the veggies in broth…I’m curious as to about how much meat it is (total).
Also, when you give him dog bones, are they just raw beef bones?
Your posts have been the *most* helpful that I’ve found! I’ve been reading all week to prep myself for life with a sweet dog! It seems totally doable and not labor-intensive.
Thanks so much for taking time to reply, and so quickly! 🙂
Thank you for this! We are starting raw with our German Shepherd puppy and so far so good. Our one problem is how she likes to drag the raw chicken across the floor. How do you feed raw without the risk of Doggy spreading food over a room and having to clean up every time?
I Have a Dalmation. What do i need to avoid feeding her? She is currently on a processed food and i want to switch but not sure how i should start her out…. she is 1 year old. What should i feed her for her first meal and how do i avoid her getting kidney stones like i’ve heard they are prone to get. Thanks
I love that I came across Your page! Love the pics and breakdown on what you feed a day. My question is how do you make your homemade chicken broth.
Jennifer, I use this same recipe…
http://www.myhumblekitchen.com/2009/10/miracles-of-broth/
wow thanks for this lovely menu….
i have a question…. i feed my germanshepard rice and meat … is this good for them? i do feed them with minced vegetables too.
So do you give the dog raw chicken bone? I thought they splintered too easily! I am really curious about exploring this for my aging Gordon Setter.
Megan, yes, but only raw. Chicken bones will splinter once cooked.
I currently feed my golden retriever a raw diet but she’s 9 and recently she’s been getting constipated. Can you ever feed them too many bones? I am wondering if that might be the issue. Of course she may have also foraged something she shouldn’t.
I called my vet and was basically chastised for feeding my GSD raw meat and eggs. I was calling to make sure I was giving him everything he needed and they shut me down and told me to visit the American Veterinarian website just to prove I was doing something horrible to my boy. This is the only diet I have tried that my poor guy doesn’t throw up once a day and have indigestion from. He is so happy every time I feed him now and has been gaining weight. I am not going to quit, but could not believe the way they treated it. I feel like I was swatted with a newspaper.
Just a comment for anyone else who happens upon this. Hearts and gizzards are not actually organs, they are counted as meat. All organs should be things that secrete something, like glands, intestines, stomachs, livers, spleens, and so on. Also, tripe from grocery stores is bleached and basically useless; what you actually want is green tripe — it’s basically the Holy Grail of raw feeding for animals as it has almost all the nutrients your pet could possibly need. It’s also hard to find unless you know a butcher or can find a local raw feeding co-op.
And for anyone having trouble with their vet : Don’t worry about it. Vets get zilch for actual nutritional education. An acquaintance told me that her vet friend said they only get 4 hours of training on it and most of the info is provided by the major kibble companies. Is it any wonder they don’t know Jack about giving animals the food they evolved to eat naturally?
Hello Diana
I am about to take on a rescue 7 year old gsd and will be giving a raw diet, also keen on not using tradition flea/tick treatments and have read that a glove of garlic in feed helps to repel along with a spray of water, peppermint and orange oil to use on the coat…however i note that you mention to not give onions, which i was aware of, but you also say not to give garlic? can you please inform me of why and do you have any suggestions on a natural treatment for fleas and ticks please…many thanks…Sue
Would also like to know if organic coconut oil is also ok to give as it has many health benefits for humans and something our family takes and uses on a daily basis…many thanks…..Sue
Hi Diana,
I know it has been some time since you started this diet for Boaz. I am just writing to see how it worked out and if it was beneficial in the long run. I would like to start my 7 year old shepherd on a diet similar to this as she has been suffering with allergies for a few years now, and I am desperate for any effective solution. Any feedback you can offer is much appreciated!
Thanks!
Anne, my sweet Boaz has since passed. For me, it definitely made a difference in his health especially when I started him on the raw food diet. He was a bit older than 7 when I started him on it and the difference it made was astounding. I think it helped him live out the rest of his life more comfortably. Next year, we’re buying a new German Shepherd and we’re starting him on a raw diet from the get go!
So sorry your sweet boy passed on. Know doubt the raw diet helped him. My daughters chihuahua moved in with me last year he had been on crap dog food, I changed him to a raw diet his coat is lovely he lost weight I walk him everyday with my rescued min pin/chi he is 16 no bones as he has one snaggle tooth and 4 others. I have a 18 month rescue German Shepherd he was on crap dog food put him on raw. I get mine from Susie’s doggie delights here in Phoenix she is in Colorado as well. I get the chicken ofal and beef ofal chicken necks and chicken backs. she has duck bison turkey and rabbit they are more expensive. My big boy is 90lbs i give them Sojo’s it is organic dehydrated veggies fruits and herbs I mix it with the meat. they all get organic fresh eggs the lady only charges $3 a dozen, the little guys get wild caught cod from cosco. I will do the veggies and broth. Years ago I fed my German Shepherds raw then I had a failed foster I cooked for him as he had a lot of tummy issues I think he would have been better off on raw. I had a rescued Jack Russel/Chi he had hemangeoma sarcoma cancer very rapid growing, I was cooking for him put him on raw no treatment just vitamins and I did Reiki on him he lived for 13 months he was happy my vet was amazed. Oh I give the doggies organic cold pressed coconut oil. For those who are starting raw good luck you won’t be sorry.
Sorry for the mistakes!!! I give them the green tripe it’s like cat nip they love it, the smell is horrible but not to them.
Thank you Diana and everyone else who has kindly shared information. I am starting this diet for my own GSD, Kona, who is eight months old. I was so sorry to hear about Boaz but he obviously had a family who adored him. Best wishes for the future, Tanya
Hi Diana,
I am very impressed by what I have read. Also, my heart goes out to you and am so sorry to hear about your dogs getting sick. I’m sorry, wish I could say more.
I have a 7 year old German Shepherd named Rocky who I would like to start on this type of diet. I was wanting to make sure that it would be ok to transition him directly to the raw food recipe?
Any input and advice would be greatly appreciated.
What would you suggest for a 5m old Gs? Thinking of raw diet for our Dutch. 4lbs
Amount of food/how many times etc.
We are so blessed to be receiving a full blooded black GS – This is the diet I want for him but if he has not been fed this up until now (he is 1 1/2) is it ok to introduce to him right away? Do you have to gradually introduce this or just jump right in? I haven’t read through all the comments but I have also grown up thinking dogs could not eat chicken bones that they would choke? I am assuming that is very wrong?? Thanks soooo much for taking the time to put this together so detailed to help newbies like me!!!
Many blessings 🙂