Bulldogs World

the rule of thumb is 80% meat 10% bone 10% organ   feed 2 to 3% of the estimated adult weight.....my 52 lb male get about 1 1/2 lb a day....dont keep caught up in the exact measuring....this is a fun thing....no veggies...dogs cannot digest plant products we add veggies only becasue it makes up feel good....so leave all the little extras out for a good month....again keep it simple keep it easy.....for bone i  like chicken necks...their very cheap..i get about 50 of 6 dollars and throw one in every other day....

your stools may get loose...remember kibble contains products to firm the stool up....so a little loose stool is not bad add a couple of extra chichen necks...

as for grinding and not grinding do what you like.....i give both...dogs process their food in their stomachs not by chewing....thats why most dogs gulp food down....they need to chew to clean their teeth and gums....i love lamb ribs for this....

audrey just started a year ago and i am sure she will let you know...how her  little girl is doing...which is great.....so didnt carol and k.

as i suggested to both of them start slow...get comfortable.....the biggest mistake is to rush in...have some thing happen and stop....slow and steady...

ask lots and lots of questions their are some great raw feeders on this board....who will be their to help you....

also many people talk about their dogs poop turning white.....ok if the poop comes out white thats to much bone back off....it turns white after a day or so...

also when starting a raw diet i use and suggest cod liver oil capsules for the omegea...as you go along sardines,salmon is fine.....charlie and his pig foot.....a great natural chew..clean his teeth and gums

This raw thing has me really interested right now.  Little back story, please read no further if you are against hunting........................My family drew 6 elk tags this year and i have a lifetime hunting for bird, fish and small game stamp.  I live in Wyoming and i have 5 adult bulldogs.  6 elk is A LOT of meat!  I usually throw away things like the ribcage and brisket, heart, liver and so on.  After reading some about the barf or raw diet i have a couple of questions also.  If i do it, i believe i would choose two of my dogs to do it with at first to see how it goes, my wife is terrified of the splintering bone or choking on a bone thing.

1.   Being as a elk is a large mammal, can only the rib bones be used for the calcium portion?  Should i save the leg bones for snacks and play?  Remember BIG bones. I should get 150lbs of meat, no bones, off of one elk so the bones would add considerably more to that number.  My family will eat 2 to 3 elk in a year, so i will have (hopefully) 3 extra elk and of course rabbits and game birds thrown in too. 

2.   Should i just skin the rabbit (looking for disease) and throw the whole rabbit to my friend, or do i gut it first?  My cat kills local bunnies all the time and he eats pretty much everything.  We have a overabundance of rabbits in my neighborhood.(i think he wants to try out a fawn deer too, but he can't get close enough)lol

3.   Whole fish?  really?  with or without guts?

4.   Can simple bonemeal added to the elk meat be enough for the calcium portion and then the bone chewing (big leg bones) be enough for the teeth and exercise?

I know these questions may be gross for some, they are out of my own ignorance.  I do not have access to large butcher shops or anything like the distributors that i see other people using, but i do have access to nature, the real deal and am wondering if i can combine my love of the local opportunities with my love of bullies on a healthier diet.

this is the University of Wyoming's info on a cow elk's content(meat only)

Crude protein percent  21.8

Fat percent  7.8

Moisture percent  68.2

Ash percent  .09

Calories (per 100 grams)  205

Collagen percent  2.7

Muscle pH 5.5

thanks ahead for any answers.

feeding bones just freaks me out. I do feed chicken necks chopped into bite sized chunks.  But I do give mine raw beef marrow bones and bison bones.  They need something to keep their teeth and gums healty and they manage to chew off small pieces of bone.

My co-op has lots of interesting meats available and as soon as I get a frezer I'm going to try some other options.  Curious if any of you have fed Emu? 

and they're loving it,  I know I will have to take this one day at a time but I was excited to see them eat it.  It took Mercedes about 45 mins to eat 2 breast with parts of the backbone attached.   Look at her!!!!

Sasha got a thigh with part of the back bone and it took her an hour and a half to eat.  I went to pick it up and she was not done so I left her alone until she finished.  Check her out!

Let the raw feeding begin.  We are ready to take this journey.......  woohoooo

on another site that several fed Emu. I tried to get some from Kofi, but the source only sold to co-ops now.

I think that's great that you have it available to you!