# Hi, new here!



## horsecrazybvh (Sep 1, 2010)

Hi guys, my name is Jessica, Im 19 and love animals. I pretty much have a zoo, 3 horses, 1 cat, 1 dog and a bunch of fish. 

The dog is the important one right now though. His name is Ruger. He is a 5 1/2 month old doberman mix currently weighing 50lbs. The reason I joined is because Ruger has terrible gas. The stink from them seriously makes you gag. I posted about it on a horse forum with a bunch of dog lovers and I was directed here. I was told that raw may be the way to go. I have been browsing around for a little while, and decided that I think I want to make this switch. 

I have paid enough in vet bills already for him. lol. He got parvo right after I got him and spent a week in the vets. We didn't think he was going to make it. But he is now healthy and happy, well other then the farts. I currently feed him Blue Buff, kibble. 

Im really excited about this as it seems like it is a much better way for him, and thats all Im worried about. I want the best for my companion. 

So hello everyone! I will probably been on here a lot! 

I would love advice, opinions and whatever else you guys have to offer! I am a sponge absorbing knowledge right now! 

I attached a picture of Ruger sitting in front of the fish tank!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Hello and welcome!


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## hbwright (Jul 14, 2010)

Welcome, Ruger is a very good looking boy. Are you sure he is a mix, do you know his parents? He looks very doberboy to me. I don't see anything that makes me think he would be mixed. 

I just switched mine over not that long ago (mine has a tail too) along with my young boxer girl. They are loving it but J (the dobe) is getting a little thick around the middle. I have to add that with my boxer, although she still gets gassy, mainly with the egg and fish meal, it is a LOT better that it was.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

welcome to the forum.....awesome that you want to switch and do what's best for that beautiful boy.

whilst raw helped both my dogs....they still pass gas, just not as much....i figure it's normal.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Welcome to the forum, you've come to the right place! Having Bull Terriers who were constantly gassy (phew) on kibble, now that they have been on raw for almost 2 yrs they only get gas when I give them fish mixed with eggs!


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Welcome to the forum!


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Hi and welcome! :biggrin:
Congrats on making the switch to raw. Your dog will love you forever for it! It really is the best you can do for your pup.
I agree....are you sure he's a mix? He looks like pure Dobie to me. He is just gorgeous! I love Dobermans.

Start asking questions and start reading! There is a lot to learn. Where are you located? There may be a raw feeding co op for you to join near you. If you join a co op you have access to great prices and great meats.


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## ubershann (Jul 29, 2010)

Hi! I'm pretty new to raw myself. Been researching it for a while but just made the switch a few weeks ago. Mine used to get gas sometimes (it was so smelly!) but I haven't really noticed any since switching to raw, even when I've given her eggs and fish. Maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones? 

No matter what the outcome with the farts, your adorable dog will be much happier and probably much healthier after the switch. Mine has always had a super shiny coat but I've noticed that now it shines like I've never seen a dog's coat shine before!


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## BrownStandardPoodle (Aug 22, 2010)

Wow!! That's one gorgeous dog!!! VERY shiny coat. Welcome and good luck!!

Carol


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## horsecrazybvh (Sep 1, 2010)

Thanks for the warm welcome. I live in southcentral PA, between chambersburg and carlisle. 

And Im positive he is a mix. We ended up adopting 3 of the puppies and the mother into my family. I have this guy, my mom and sister each had a brother and my dad took the mother. The mom looks like a tiny GSD mix while both of the brothers look like rotties. lol. I actually get asked if Ruger is a greyhound by most people around here. And the puppies have already beat their mom in size, so the unknown dad must have been pretty big!

And Im ok with him passing gas, but it was 24/7 terrible stinky gas, we started feeding a small amount of yogurt and it seems to have really helped. My boyfriend and I have been talking about the raw and we will be making the switch, we just aren't sure how soon. We have to find some places to get the meat. We are going to check out some of the butchers around here and see where that gets us.


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## ubershann (Jul 29, 2010)

horsecrazybvh said:


> We have to find some places to get the meat. We are going to check out some of the butchers around here and see where that gets us.


I know there's different schools of thought on raw feeding, and many here do PMR (which is great!). I don't do PMR and I find great deals on meat at the local grocery store. Meat that is getting within a couple days of its sell-by date will have a few extra dollars off, and I'll check out what kind of meat might be on sale too. A lot of the time I can find some type that is going for a 2-for-1 special. 

Tiki can't really eat chicken but I've still found great deals on pork and beef. A couple days ago I got almost 3.5 lbs. of pork for just over $3. I've gotten beef ribs really cheap (great for when I need to take lunch with us), and her favorite is ham shank. It's not raw, it's smoked, but she thinks it's the best tasting food she's ever had! I think it's like dessert to her. She also loves bananas so I toss some in with the rest. 

Ask about meat that's getting close to the sell-by date. You might be able to get some really great deals on it


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

do you have an all year farmer's market like they have in lancaster county?

if so, you can get some awesome meat prices....


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## horsecrazybvh (Sep 1, 2010)

Im not sure about the farmers market thing. I will talk to my dad about those, he knows all the little markets and everything around here. 

We are going to try some of the amish butchers around here that do a lot of wild game, I think we might be able to get some decent deals with them. 

What exactly is PMR? 

And I will keep my eyes on the stores for good deals too! Thanks for the tips guys, Im very thankful for your help!


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## hbwright (Jul 14, 2010)

PMR is prey model raw, 80% meat, 10% bones, 5% liver, 5% other organ. 

Looks like you lucked out and got yourself a great dobe look-a-like. Maybe the dad and he just got all the great genes.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

hbwright said:


> PMR is prey model raw, 80% meat, 10% bones, 5% liver, 5% other organ.


Hehe, HB, you've been hanging aruond the yahoo rawfeeding group a little too much. We are *NOT* nearly as rigid with our feeding here and they are over there. We don't go by percentages.

Around here we feed mostly meat, some bone, and some organs. Percentages don't really matter. We feed a variety of animal parts from a variety of animals. Our feeding is no more complicated than that. :smile:


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

RawFedDogs said:


> We are nearly as rigid with our feeding here and they are over there. We don't go by percentages.


I think Bill ment to say that we AREN'T as rigid here as they are over there. :wink: Over here it is much more relaxed. Our goal is balance over time and ratios/percentages are not as important and set in stone. ((I like it here. :biggrin)


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

saraj2878 said:


> I think Bill ment to say that we AREN'T as rigid here as they are over there. :wink: Over here it is much more relaxed. Our goal is balance over time and ratios/percentages are not as important and set in stone. ((I like it here. :biggrin)


YES!!! You are right. I just corrected it in my post. Sorry for the mistake. There is a lot going on here right now and my mind isn't working very well. :smile:


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2010)

ubershann said:


> .... I don't do PMR and I find great deals on meat at the local grocery store. .... Tiki can't really eat chicken but I've still found great deals on pork and beef. A couple days ago I got almost 3.5 lbs. of pork for just over $3. I've gotten beef ribs really cheap (great for when I need to take lunch with us), and her favorite is ham shank. It's not raw, it's smoked, but she thinks it's the best tasting food she's ever had! I think it's like dessert to her. She also loves bananas so I toss some in with the rest.
> 
> Ask about meat that's getting close to the sell-by date. You might be able to get some really great deals on it



If this isn't PMR then exactly what is this??


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

horsecrazybvh said:


> Im not sure about the farmers market thing. I will talk to my dad about those, he knows all the little markets and everything around here.
> 
> We are going to try some of the amish butchers around here that do a lot of wild game, I think we might be able to get some decent deals with them.
> 
> ...


that's exactly what i'm talking about. lancaster county has a huge farmer market....i don't know that you're near lancaster county...

i know where chambersburg is...they have a pretty large amish community and i'd bet they have the same type of thing, where they sell their wares and apple butters and quilts and beef, chicken, and pork....especially when you buy a 1/4 or 1/2...

you can get some great prices on chicken and beef and pork at these markets...


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

LabbieMama said:


> If this isn't PMR then exactly what is this??


what ubershann was saying was that she doesn't feed a prey model raw....because she adds in things like fruit and cottage cheese...correct me if i'm wrong....and maybe other things...there is also a model called BARF, where veggies and fruits come into play..

the way i feed my dog is mostly proteins ( red meat, white meat, fowl, fish, rabbit, lamb), some bone, and some organs and other offal, like kidney or spleen or pancreas. Prey Model Raw involves feeding the widest array of body parts one can get.

if you feed the entire animal....then you're feeding whole prey.

the general guideline is 80% protein, 10% bone, and 5% liver/5% other organs

it's a guideline...some are very strict...some are a little more laid back..

some feed the exact ratios every meal, some balance over time....

some dogs need more bone than others..

some dogs get green tripe, some don't.

some people bag their dog meals, some take proteins out for the week and feed off that and then defrost and start over...

usually, eggs are the only dairy included in a PMR....

but again, every one has their own method....

generally, the feeling is to feed raw meaty bones...so the food has more meat than bone on it....when that's not possible, then depending on how much weight.....a sample meal might include a pork rib, a piece of pork roast, and some beef or chicken liver, depending on the weight of the dog.

some have liver night....

there are so many ways to do this..it is sometimes overwhelming....

from anal retentive (me) to relaxed (RawFedDogs), there are many ways to feed raw.


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## ubershann (Jul 29, 2010)

LabbieMama said:


> If this isn't PMR then exactly what is this??


This is just another version of raw feeding. I don't do the meat covered bones (except for beef ribs once in a while, but she doesn't eat the bone). My boss (pet food store owner) does the same as I do and her 8 year old Newfie/lab is incredibly healthy with great teeth, etc. PMR is not for me, though I know it is a very healthy way for dogs to eat. I make sure I meet all the nutritional needs plus her chewing/jaw muscle needs and do it in a way that is workable for us. She is incredibly healthy, well behaved, has the shiniest coat I've ever seen on a dog and super white teeth. She gets comments on her coat and teeth almost every day that we're out. Plus she absolutely loves her meals now :smile:

I go to the grocery store every 2 or 3 days for myself (I never know what I'm going to want and if I buy too far ahead the food tends to go uneaten) so it's been easy for me to just pick up food for the dog when I'm there. If I didn't shop as often I'm sure I could still go with the same plan (whatever's on sale or marked down) and freeze anything that won't be used within a couple days. I have a couple premade bars in the freezer too in case I forget run out, that will last for a full day which gives me time to restock. 

So basically I feed raw, but I don't do the meaty bone style which is what I understand is a major part of PMR


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