# first timer Qs - how long can we keep the left over meat?



## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

Hello Everyone,
we just had our first day of raw feeding experience. We adopted a schnauzer + Poodle mix back in aug who is about 2.5 yrs old. We had been thinking of switching to raw diet and today was the 1st day finally. I think it went fairly well. he ate kibble this morning and we had salmon for lunch late this afternoon and we thought of giving him a couple of small pieces of salmon fillet and he totally loved them. 
Later on this evening was the real test when we gave me him a small piece of chicken thigh (off of leg quarter that we had got) for dinner and he kinda licked it n took some bites and chewed on the bone may be a few times but didn't really eat the whole piece. He was also moving the chicken thigh around a bit (he kinda dragged it out of the area where we had kept it for him to eat which is his usual spot for the meals) etc so I was wondering if its normal? Is there anything we can do to better manage this
Another more important question I had was, is it safe to keep the left over piece (the thigh that he didn't eat fully) in the refrigerator or freezer and offer him at the next meal or how long its safe to keep it? 

Thanks in advance


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

First, hello and welcome to DFC. Glad you've joined and happy to have you here.

Second, I would really suggest reading through this link:

How to get started | Prey Model Raw

That will go over the whole transition process to a raw diet, because to be completely honest it sounds like you're already setting your dog up for failure with what you've fed him already today. What we suggest here is to feed nothing but BONE IN chicken parts for the first two weeks straight. 

How much does your dog weigh?


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

Thanks for the reply. We did feed him bone-in thigh piece. He had already eaten in the morning and as I mentioned he also ate a few little pieces of salmon so we cut the full leg quarter we had in half n only gave him the thigh piece for dinner. I did look at that website before and have bookmarked it and we're going to follow the schedule mentioned for 1st two weeks from tomorrow. Wookie is about 15 lbs


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## werecatrising (Oct 15, 2010)

*dealing with loose stool after new protein*

oops, wrong thread


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

OurPreciousLilWookie said:


> Thanks for the reply. We did feed him bone-in thigh piece. He had already eaten in the morning and as I mentioned he also ate a few little pieces of salmon so we cut the full leg quarter we had in half n only gave him the thigh piece for dinner. I did look at that website before and have bookmarked it and we're going to follow the schedule mentioned for 1st two weeks from tomorrow. Wookie is about 15 lbs


Ok, dogs should really be fasted for 12-24 hours before feeding their first raw meal. And only be fed bone in chicken for the first two weeks. Fish isn't added into the diet until about 6 weeks or so. 

To start for tomorrow I wouldn't feed a morning meal and only feed a small dinner, because he had kibble today and a few other raw things. I would start with chicken wings and drumsticks based on your dogs size. I would only give one chicken wing with skin removed for the dinner meal. The next day I would give a de-skinned wing for both the morning and evening meal. Repeat that for the next few days. Then start adding in drumsticks (since they are a little less bone content) that have been de-skinned. Alternate de-skinned wings with de-skinned drummies for the remainder of the first two weeks as long as things are going well. 

Hope this helps!


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

Thanks. I think that was very helpful. We'll follow the plan with wings and drumsticks for a couple of weeks. A quick couple of questions - 
a) Do we alway deskin the meat or its only for the intial part?
b) If Wookie doesn't eat his full meal say for 1st few days, can we actually keep the leftover meat (say wing or drumstick) and use it again with the next meal or not really?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I would for the at least the first few days/week to minimize the risk of diarrhea. Once all goes well for the first few days/week and you see normal bowel movements, then gradually cut less and less skin off. Eventually you want your dog to handle a whole chicken piece with all the skin left on.

Yes, you can keep leftover meat in the fridge for up to a week or so. Dogs can handle past date meats just fine, so this shouldn't be an issue.


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## jjcj (Nov 26, 2010)

Mandy wasn`t sure about raw meat till i started feeding it partially frozen.
She eats it any way now but took to it much better at first if frozen.
Casey eats in anyways he gets it lol


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

I just wanted to give an update on the dinner for Wookie this evening. It went very well with the chicken wing as you suggested. We made him fast and gave 1 chicken wing just a few mins ago for dinner and he ate the whole thing and totally loved it. My wife was saying it was kinda scary to hear him break the bones n eat them 
We just wanted to say thanks to you. One quick question, is he supposed to drink water right after the meal every time? Earlier when he was on kibble he'd drink water after the meal which he didn't do tonight so I was just wondering. Thanks again


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## Northwoods10 (Nov 22, 2010)

OurPreciousLilWookie said:


> I just wanted to give an update on the dinner for Wookie this evening. It went very well with the chicken wing as you suggested. We made him fast and gave 1 chicken wing just a few mins ago for dinner and he ate the whole thing and totally loved it. My wife was saying it was kinda scary to hear him break the bones n eat them
> We just wanted to say thanks to you. One quick question, is he supposed to drink water right after the meal every time? Earlier when he was on kibble he'd drink water after the meal which he didn't do tonight so I was just wondering. Thanks again


First....yeah it is scary the first time to hear them crunch through bone. But, thats what they're meant to do! They are designed to do that and thrive on this diet. You will get used to it very soon.

Second.....you will notice much less water intake when they are on a raw diet. Raw has so much more moisture content and will quench their thirst in a way. They won't need as much water as they do on kibble. When my girls were on kibble I would have to fill a water bowl 2-3x a day. No joke. On raw the 3 of them don't even go through a whole bowl of water in a day.


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## mike594 (Dec 7, 2010)

*Just a thanks to all on this site*

I am still a newb, But I just have to give The helpfull people on this site Kudos. They help all who come and expect nothing in return but a thanks. So I say whole hartedly thank you. I believe you men and woman saved my dogs life, along with countless others. Thanks Mike:biggrin:


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

mike594 said:


> I am still a newb, But I just have to give The helpfull people on this site Kudos. They help all who come and expect nothing in return but a thanks. So I say whole hartedly thank you. I believe you men and woman saved my dogs life, along with countless others. Thanks Mike:biggrin:


That's why we are here :wink:

Thank you for all your gratitude!


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

Had a quick question,
should we be feeding Wookie his daily meal once a day or it should be twice a day? Some websites I was going through mentioned about feeding only once and some talk about feeding two meals so I wasn't sure. Could you please comment on that? Thanks in advance


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

It really just depends on what works best with your schedule and works best for your dog. I prefer feeding once a day.


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

We found a place near our house where they sell chicken feet. Is that something we can give him in first few weeks along with the meal/as a treat? If yes do we need to declaw the feet? 
If not what could we give as a treat (if any) while teaching him tricks?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Chicken feet make a good "supplement" to give because they have a lot of joint health nutrition in them. In other words they are a great addition to a raw diet. You do not need to declaw them or anything at all. Just feed them like they are, but probably too big for training treats....


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

I see; that makese sense. Thanks
How about cutting the chicken feet in smaller pieces for using as treats? If not is there any thing else we can buy for treats?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

You can for sure cut them up but you can also find other treats. I personally am not as picky when it comes to treats as others. I don't mind if they're "species inappropriate" as long as they are high quality.


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## blue (Jan 13, 2010)

For training treats I use tiny peices of banana, apple, carrot, steamed broccoli, etc. Also tiny peices of string cheese, liverwurst, and vienna sausage. Since you feed such a small amount they aren't adding to the diet in any real way. My oldest dog will do about anything for peices of steamed brussel sprouts.


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

Thanks. I know Wookie likes carrots n bananas for sure. We'll try those things you mentioned


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

My wife wants to ask "if its safe to store various different meats together like if she wants to prepare 1-4 weeks meals n fridge or freeze it"? Could you please comment on that? Thanks


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

It is just fine. Right now Max has a number of partly packed meals in the freezer. Some have a bony chicken bit and ostrich, some have bony chicken and beef organ mix and some have bony chicken and hamburger! Done so I could take advantage of already defrosted meat, I get whatever is missing out of the freezer as needed.

For over a year to save space and money I bought a month's worth of bony stuff, boneless stuff and 2 kinds of organ when there was a good enough sale, divided it all up, packed into baggies and packed tightly in the refrigerator top freezer. Usually it was bony chicken and boneless beef, pork, rarely lamb and beef or pork organs. Fish was included later on too.


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## blue (Jan 13, 2010)

I do reserve the top of the freezer for our own human meat. That way if something happens and things drip a bit, the weird stuff isn't dripping on our food. Of course my freezer is a dinosaur and doesn't always feel like staying on temp.


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

My wife just got back from a walk with Wookie and she told me that he yelped when he was releasing the poop. The poop was good (little, solid turd). He has never done that before so we're just wondering what could be the reason or if it's just something random one time thing. She mentioned that he's been drinking water. Would like to know if anyone else has experienced the same thing and if there is anything we're doing wrong. He ate (one meal for the day) small chicken foot and a chicken wing.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I wouldn't worry too much about it. 

Do you mean he's been drinking extra water or something else? It's completely normal for dogs to drink water :wink:


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

My bad. I meant to say he's been eating pretty well and also been drinking a good amount of water. If he wasn't drinking enough water then I would've thought of that as the reason for not digesting his food properly or fully which could result in yelping while pooping. But this morning was the first time we noticed that. He's been on raw now for the past few days and we didn't see this in the last couple of days. Anyway I won't worry about it much like you said. I'll give an update on this in the coming weeks.


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

I know we're supposed to be on chicken (wings and drumsticks) for the first two weeks but I was wondering if it's okay to give Quail as a one time thing on Xmas? We found that our local butcher sells Quail..not sure if Wookie will like it but mostly he will. So we're wondering if we can get that as a one time feast on Xmas eve or Xmas day but wanted to make sure. Can you please let me know. I don't know how much the whole bird weighs but I think it's about the size of his one meal so we're thinking of giving him the full bird (except the head)


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

You would probably be able to get away with it but I wouldn't feed the whole bird. I think that is more than a meal for your little doggie. Maybe half a bird Christmas and the other half New Years. (I may be wrong about the size.)


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

Today is our 6th day of raw feeding and it was going great so far with Chicken Wings, drumsticks along with chicken foot as the supplement. Tonight when Wookie was eating dinner he choked on the wing for like 10 or 15 secs. He's been eating those same size wings without any problems for the last 5 days. He got my wife really scared and we're about to get in the car to go to the vet but in about 15 secs he managed to eat/swallow it somehow and was normal. After that he also ate his chicken foot so he was all good. But we're just wondering was it just a bad one time thing or something that we can avoid? Another thing is I just took him out for a walk before going to bed and he was eating grass on the walk which he has never done before. We're wondering if its linked to the choke up he had in the evening while eating dinner or something else. Please let us know about any info on this. Thanks in advance


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

OurPreciousLilWookie said:


> Tonight when Wookie was eating dinner he choked on the wing for like 10 or 15 secs.


What you saw is not common but happens from time to time. It happens less frequently as the dog gets more experience. Did he swallow the whole wing or just a part that he had chewed off? You aren't breaking the wings up are you?



> Another thing is I just took him out for a walk before going to bed and he was eating grass on the walk which he has never done before.


Dogs eating grass is pretty common. No one knows exactly why but one cause is suspected to be an irritated stomach. In this case, it could have been from the incident earlier.


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

RawFedDogs said:


> What you saw is not common but happens from time to time. It happens less frequently as the dog gets more experience. Did he swallow the whole wing or just a part that he had chewed off? You aren't breaking the wings up are you?
> 
> 
> 
> Dogs eating grass is pretty common. No one knows exactly why but one cause is suspected to be an irritated stomach. In this case, it could have been from the incident earlier.


Thanks for the info. He didn't swallow the whole wing. It was just the tip of the wing (the last piece) that he had chewed off actually..so I don't know what happened. I guess its just a matter of practice so over time he'll learn and yes I am not breaking up the wings. I just got back from the morning walk and he pooped well. It was little softer than his usual but looks like he's all fine and back to normal so it's all good.


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

I just got back from a walk and he squeaked again while he was trying to poop. He actually squeaked n tried to poop and nothing came out n then he moved to another place and dropped a small turd. I wonder why he's been squeaking while releasing the stools though. Today is our 7th day of raw feeding and it has happened twice so far when he did that (both the times while pooping) and I was looking at him when he squeaked which pretty loud and it seemed like he was in pain r something but a few secs later he was fine. Other than these two incidents and one choke up for about 15 secs it's been good so far. I am just concerned about what could be causing him squeak while pooping from time to time. Any inputs on this?. I just hope its nothing to worry about


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

OurPreciousLilWookie said:


> I just got back from a walk and he squeaked again while he was trying to poop. He actually squeaked n tried to poop and nothing came out n then he moved to another place and dropped a small turd. I wonder why he's been squeaking while releasing the stools though. Today is our 7th day of raw feeding and it has happened twice so far when he did that (both the times while pooping) and I was looking at him when he squeaked which pretty loud and it seemed like he was in pain r something but a few secs later he was fine. Other than these two incidents and one choke up for about 15 secs it's been good so far. I am just concerned about what could be causing him squeak while pooping from time to time. Any inputs on this?. I just hope its nothing to worry about


There was a couple of times that my hoodlums did this while leaving deposits. It's a bit unsettling when you hear your dog whine while it's going to the bathroom but I decided to just monitor and if it got worse or, didn't get any better, I would seek answers. 

That problem has gone away, completely, now and I think it was just getting used to the diet, sometimes in the beginning they spit out bone shards from their hind ends and I'm sure that isn't always a pleasant feeling. 

That was the squeak coming from their mouths. I did have a few times hearing squeaks coming out the back blast area and I learned, along with them being in my room at night and stinkin' up the joint, that they get gas when they eat pork. Good times.


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

Max squeaked a few times too. In his case poop is too hard. Perhaps your dog doesn't need the full super high bone start up like so many dogs need? Don't know that I would move to the next protein just yet but might feed a bit less bone on a daily basis.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Mollie actually screamed a few times in the beginning. Embarrassing actually, people came out of their houses! But, to be honest I don't think she has a very high pain threshold.
Her's was a combination of her gut getting use to the bones and of her poop being really hard. Guess I'd scream a bit too if it happened to me!


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

Thanks for all the replies. Its just unsettling to see him squeak loud n embarrassing too. We'll monitor it in the coming weeks and will adjust the bones if needed. It's not really the time yet but I was wondering what would be the next protein we should go with after 2nd week? I don't think we have access to turkey meat unless we buy the whole turkey n cut it up into smaller pieces ourselves. I guess we can go with pork alternating with chicken and fish once or twice a week after 2 weeks as mentioned in danemama08's website but wanted to confirm. Also is it a good idea to buy game hens (we might be buying some around xmas/new years) n feed him say half/full (with organs depending on the size) as a meal in the 1st two weeks or not really?


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

We've successfully finished two weeks on PMR with Wookie..It's been going great so far and he already looks healthier and has gained some weight I think (we haven't weighed him really but just by looking at him we think he's gained some weight) but just the fact that he gets excited to eat his meal (as he hated kibble since from the beginning and was eating barely just to survive ) is very satisfying and rewarding. 
We gave him quail (full bird it was only 0.35 lbs which is about 2% of his ideal weight) on Christmas day which he didn't eat fully for some reason and we gave him the leftover quail last night n he was reluctant to eat that but he did a little bit along with chicken foot n a small piece of thigh but later on he barfed a little bit (the very first time in two weeks) and I think threw up the quail he ate so looks like it didn't really work for him for whatever reason. So I wanted to know if it was just introduction of new meat or just something he didn't like? Also for week - 3 we're supposed to introduce turkey but what if we don't have an option for turkey, can we replace that with something else in week 3 followed by fish or pork in week 4 (provided week 3 goes well)


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

OurPreciousLilWookie said:


> So I wanted to know if it was just introduction of new meat or just something he didn't like?


Difficult to tell at this stage. He may not like it or it may not like him. I would wait 3 or 4 weeks and try it again. One of my dogs doesn't like turkey.



> Also for week - 3 we're supposed to introduce turkey but what if we don't have an option for turkey, can we replace that with something else in week 3 followed by fish or pork in week 4 (provided week 3 goes well)


I can't imagine not having an option for turkey. Most every grocery store in the country sells turkey. If you absolutely can't feed turkey, I suggest staying on chicken another week then introduce pork.


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

Thanks for the response about Turkey. One more question, something like a turkey leg is too much for our 15 lb dog. Do we just let him munch on it for a while and save the rest for another day?


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## bumblegoat (May 12, 2010)

You don't have to feed turkey, I have never fed turkey to my dog and he is doing fine (he has been on raw for like 8-9 months now). Turkey is not an option for everyone, and as long as I don't stumble upon dirt cheap turkey, my dog isn't getting turkey. It is just too expensive here, more than double the price of chicken, even when it's on sale. It's just not worth it.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

*Turkey*

I have a 20 pound Sheltie and 3 collies. I buy the whole turkey and part it myself. My Sheltie love the breast meat and bone and the back. My Collies get teh legs and thighs. Sheltie also loves cornish game hens but quail was too rich for her. I do feed quail but a piece like a leg or wing with some chicken or turkey and she does well. Duck was also too rich so I feed half her daily ration with chicken or turkey and she does well and gets variety. The only duck parts she can get away with is duck neck.:smile:


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## OurPreciousLilWookie (Dec 10, 2010)

we will be finishing our 1st month of Raw Feeding for Wookie tomorrow..Yay ! can't believe its been a month already and things are going great. Yesterday we introduced fish to him for the first time. I bought a fresh whole fish (sardine) from a local fish n poultry market which was about 0.37 lbs so was perfect for his size (15 lbs). We gave it to him as a meal last night but he looked confused and wasn't eating first but later on he did eat the tail side (about 1/3rd) and that was about it. It looked like he was interested as he was sniffing on and off but didn't know what to do may be ?(not sure). Anyway so we put the rest in the fridge and he had fairly loose stools this morning (which we're kinda expecting). When we got back from the walk we tried to give him the left over fish from last night as he hadn't eaten much in the last 36 hours (as he eats his meals once a day) and this morning also he wasn't eating so we tried to cut it up in a few smaller pieces and looked like he was only eating the meat off the central part of the fish but not the bones. He also didn't eat fish head. So regarding this we had some questions
1) Is Sardine the right fish to start with or should we go with something else? 2) I assume we've to give him the whole fish and not cut it up/clean it up before giving it to him. Is that correct?
3) Is it a good idea to mix say chicken and/or turkey (which he loves) with fish till the time he's comfortable eating fish
Any help regarding adding fish would be appreciated. I'll be searching around the forum for other peoples experiences in the mean time. Thanks in advance


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Sardines are great to start with, they can be fed whole, no need to clean them at all. 

You can definitely try mixing it with other foods he does like, but I just recommend giving tough love a chance to work. Give it a little longer and see how things go. If you mix the fish with other foods you're catering to his whims....Which is how picky eaters are created. Think of it this way, he's a human kid who doesn't want to eat his veggies....


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