# first pork - advice



## BrownStandardPoodle (Aug 22, 2010)

Hi!

Bought by first pork picnic whatever. :biggrin: So now what to do??

How should I introduce it? 
1) should I cut off the fat?
2) should I give a whole meal of the pork then in the evening give some chicken wings (I can't seem to find backs anymore). Then the next day a whole meat of chicken quarters then wings in the evening.
3) or should I give chicken quarters for every meal with about 1/4 cup of pork, and then chicken wings in the evening.

Thanks everyone!

Carol


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I would just give a very small piece of pork with a bone in chicken meal once daily. By small I mean the size of a walnut or something. Less than a quarter cup. Do this every other day unless you see diarrhea. If you see diarrhea wait a few days before giving it again.


----------



## BrownStandardPoodle (Aug 22, 2010)

Okay, I fed the dogs the pork. Hope I did it right!

1) I cut off the fat
2) I mixed it up - I gave 
Toffee (85 lbs) - 1 chicken quarter, 1 chicken wing and a palm size piece of pork about 3 inches tall.
Jellybean (54 lbs) - 1 chicken quarter left over from yesterday (pretty much the whole thing), 1 wing. Little bit of pork which she didn't eat at all (why am I surprised - although she didn't need the pork for her calories - I just wanted her to taste it)

I'm not going to give them anything to eat tonight, since I think they're at their calorie limit for today.

Do you think they need more bone for today?

Can anyone help me decide what to do tomorrow, etc.

I'm also about to bag up my cut up meat, but I don't know whether I should cut off the fat.

And what about the bone? Is it too much for them at this point?

Thanks!
Carol


----------



## BrownStandardPoodle (Aug 22, 2010)

Okay, I just saw Natalie's post. So I probably overfed Toffee. Jelly didn't eat any, so I'll try your advice tomorrow. Maybe I should give Toffee some chicken wings tonight - for bone?

Carol


----------



## bdb5853 (May 21, 2010)

I assume your guys are doing well on chicken wings? Some big dogs snarf them and they are the right size to be a choking hazard to a greedy gus. But if no problems, then they are fine. It's a case of knowing your dog! 

Are you feeding about 3% of their ideal weights? 

If you fed a big meal, just feed smaller tomorrow. It doesn't have to be exact. Keep an eye on body condition. If they are looking ribby, feed more. If they are getting chubby, cut back.

Cutting the visible fat off was OK. Pork is a fattier meat. A little fat is OK. A big glob may cause loose stools. 

Are stools still OK?

For tomorrow, I would do a repeat of today. If stools are good, then you can increase the pork a little and cut back some on the chicken.

I think you are doing awesome!


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I wouldn't give anything else for today since you already gave him bone. He could just as easily get diarrhea from overfeeding...

I wouldn't adjust the amount you're giving them even if their stools are good tomorrow. You want to very gradually increase portions but not every day. I would go at least one day in between before giving pork again. 

Ideally on a raw diet, you should strive to feed a different protein source every day...ie chicken on Monday, pork Tuesday, turkey Wednesday, beef Thursday, fish Friday, game meat on Saturday, rabbit/organ alternating Sundays. This is a hypothetical feeding schedule (that you could actually follow if you want...) that portrays a good balanced raw diet. Of course most raw feeders have a "base" meat source like chicken that gets fed every day. So you'd give chicken first meal and then another protein source for the second meal of the day. Depends on if you feed once or twice daily. So to get to the bottom of it, you could feed pork only a few times in the first few weeks of transitioning, and not everyday. Make sense?


----------



## BrownStandardPoodle (Aug 22, 2010)

Yes, their poops are still okay. Haven't had a single problem so far. Yeah!!

So more pork tomorrow? I thought they were to have a day of rest of the new food? But okay - you certainly know more that I do about it!!

Thanks so much!

Carol


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Yes, take at least one full day off the pork...if not more like 2 or 3 days before you give pork again. No reason to feed it everyday.


----------



## BrownStandardPoodle (Aug 22, 2010)

So I'm to feed them pork every other day for a week or for 2 weeks? Then I start on the next type of meat - say fish?

Oh, and the fat I was cutting off, was not fat, but the skin of the pig. Should I have cut off the skin?

Thanks everyone!

Carol


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Is pork the second protein source you're adding in?


----------



## bdb5853 (May 21, 2010)

I have never heard of mixing up the proteins on a daily basis. NOT saying that isn't a good idea! But I don't think it is necessary. Balance over time is what you are striving for. I think it would be a pain to have to thaw out a different protein every day in order to mix it up. 

If I take out a chunk of pork, I feed through that for several days or more in a row until its gone. Then I take out the next thing. Maybe if it's a small piece of rabbit or beef, I feed it for only 2-3 days. Then I move on to whatever is next in the freezer. 

I do strive for at least 70% red meats. I save the chicken for bone content and feed other proteins for the bulk of the meat.

Raw feeding doesn't have to be hard or complicated. Don't back yourself into a corner. Just aim for 80% meat, 10% bone, and 10% organs over the long haul and you will be fine.


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i mix proteins, depending on what i have in the fridge...i take two or three out, defrost them...mix and match....

when i was introducing the dogs.....i would mix a new protein with trusty old chicken backs, so it was usually two proteins at a time....

there are days when they'll have three or four proteins in one day....divvied up between two meals....

if i forget to take something out, then it's one protein....


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I don't suggest mixing proteins unless slowly introducing one for a newbie raw eater. It doesn't allow you to know what is causing diarrhea because you don't know if it was one protein or the other.

But in the case of adding something like pork in, when you know chicken is settling well with your dogs, you're safe to assume the pork is the culprit in the case of any digestive upset. I would only mix proteins like this if introducing boneless meats.


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

oops. i might have read this wrong...i mix proteins now....

when i was new, it was chicken backs, then chicken meat, then turkey necks plus chicken....etc.

chicken was always the fallback protein, since i knew they tolerated that.....i only ever added one protein at a time. and i took so long to add things, that it was five months before they ever tasted kidney LOL

now that they have transitioned...now i feed them more than one protein because i know they can tolerate them....

sorry about the confusion.


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

danemama08 said:


> I wouldn't give anything else for today since you already gave him bone. He could just as easily get diarrhea from overfeeding...
> 
> I wouldn't adjust the amount you're giving them even if their stools are good tomorrow. You want to very gradually increase portions but not every day. I would go at least one day in between before giving pork again.
> 
> Ideally on a raw diet, you should strive to feed a different protein source every day...ie chicken on Monday, pork Tuesday, turkey Wednesday, beef Thursday, fish Friday, game meat on Saturday, rabbit/organ alternating Sundays. This is a hypothetical feeding schedule (that you could actually follow if you want...) that portrays a good balanced raw diet. Of course most raw feeders have a "base" meat source like chicken that gets fed every day. So you'd give chicken first meal and then another protein source for the second meal of the day. Depends on if you feed once or twice daily. So to get to the bottom of it, you could feed pork only a few times in the first few weeks of transitioning, and not everyday. Make sense?


the ideal situation you're talking about, natalie? is that what we're striving for?
we shouldn't mix proteins in one meal? even after transition?


----------



## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I mix proteins all the time because I don't want my meat to go bad, yesterday they got venison with some chicken necks for breakfast.

We mix protein sources when we feed fish mixed with organs and eggs!, if your dogs who are fully transitioned can handle it with no gooey poo then I personally don't see a problem.


----------



## bdb5853 (May 21, 2010)

oops. I'm confused now too.

I agree that I would not put a new to raw dog on several different proteins at once. Just introduce one new meat at a time. Once they are eating meals of the new meat fine, then you can add the next one. Only an experienced raw dog should be eating several different proteins at the same time.

As for mixing proteins, I do it all the time. A sardine with a chunk of lamb and a chicken wing tip, for example. I don't do all sardine for the day, then all lamb for the next day, then all chicken etc. I think it's fine to mix proteins once the dog is acclimated. Some people call this frankenprey because you have al bunch of different meat parts fed at the same time. This is pretty standard raw feeding and not a problem for most dogs.


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

bdb5853 said:


> oops. I'm confused now too.
> 
> I agree that I would not put a new to raw dog on several different proteins at once. Just introduce one new meat at a time. Once they are eating meals of the new meat fine, then you can add the next one. Only an experienced raw dog should be eating several different proteins at the same time.
> 
> As for mixing proteins, I do it all the time. A sardine with a chunk of lamb and a chicken wing tip, for example. I don't do all sardine for the day, then all lamb for the next day, then all chicken etc. I think it's fine to mix proteins once the dog is acclimated. Some people call this frankenprey because you have al bunch of different meat parts fed at the same time. This is pretty standard raw feeding and not a problem for most dogs.


that's what i do....not on a new transition....because i'd want to know if my dog can tolerate various proteins, so one at a time and always with chicken as my base....

but now?

well, yesterday, they had beef heart, part of a lamb tongue, a chicken foot, and pork...divvied into two meals....

today, they had pork ribs for breakfast...and tonight, they'll probably have beef heart with sardine...num.

is that wrong, natalie?


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

magicre said:


> the ideal situation you're talking about, natalie? is that what we're striving for?
> we shouldn't mix proteins in one meal? even after transition?


Sorry to get everyone confused!

Since this thread is for a newbie to raw I was basing my reply to the OP on the fact that she's new at this and mixing proteins too much in the beginning is not the best thing to do.

I said that one should strive to feed AT LEAST a different protein everyday of the week. I mix proteins all the time as well. It's just fine to do so, but just now when switching.

My point is that when adding something in, like boneless pork, you don't want to feed it everyday. Go at least one full day between feeding it. It's better to go a few days between pork meals so as not to rush it. 

If she were feeding bone in pork it would be a different story. But since the OP is adding in boneless pork I don't want it to backfire from feeding it everyday. I think the general guideline when switching is to not feed boneless meals for about three to four weeks...


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

thanks, natalie..that makes sense.....


----------



## BrownStandardPoodle (Aug 22, 2010)

Okay - thanks everyone - that makes sense to me too!

Jellybean had some pork today, and Toffee had none. Jelly was acutally licking her lips today, because she got chicken wings today instead of chicken quarters. She doesn't seem to like quarters. She ate the small piece of pork today that she turned up her nose to yesterday. She was pretty hungry after all of the exercise at the off-leash park. We go for about 1 1/2 hours of running and walking. 

So in the picnic roast - there is this big bone in the middle. Do I give it to the dogs? Or is it not good at this point? And yes - this is my dogs' 2nd protein. 

Since I feed the new protein (pork) every other day, maybe I should be feeding pork alternating with chicken for 2 weeks, otherwise, there's not much time for them to get used to the pork???

Thanks everyone,
it's going well!

Carol


----------

