Just started my dog on a raw diet!

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

Ailinea

Ha!! It turns out he just wanted privacy. Last night and tonight I just sat in front of his kennel because he hates it when I close it. When he still wouldn't eat it tonight, I said to hell with it and closed his kennel door. Went to the computer and didn't hear a peep. Went back into the room about 10 minutes later and he was licking his chops and the chicken was gone! Ha, who knew. Maybe this will solve two problems: he'll associate his kennel with good stuff and not be as anxious to be in it with time! biggrin

Yep, probably. I had a cocker that was strange like that, wanted privacy when eating lol.

Cowboy gets really anxious when I bring him to work. He's behaved enough (USUALLY for me to manage it, and that way I can take him out on my breaks, but he has a fit for about 2-3mins when I first leave him in the stock room, and then he'll sit at the door and not touch any toys or chews till I come back. Last week I gave him a raw elk leg bone. For the first time since bringing him to work, I could actually hear him chewing and when I took a peak in he was actually lying down and eating it.  

[SmoothSavage]

I constantly go back and forth with vegetables. Currently I'm doing prey model with Melon- just meat/bone/organ, plus supplements like fish oil, alfalfa, and kelp.

Riddle is getting veggies daily- dark green leafy veggies, mostly cruciferous. Cruciferous vegetables have been shown to help retard tumor growth and fight cancer, so she gets 1/4 cup daily with her food.

Basically, I don't necessarily think anymore that dogs NEED vegetable matter. But adding it doesn't hurt one bit, and if someone wants to do it, good for them!  

[Ailinea]

Yeah, definitely, if people want to feed vegetables, that's fine, more power to them! My coworker occasionally just feeds her dogs some canned food just in case they're missing any important nutrients.

Do you puree your veggies or do they just eat it raw?  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

Me I like to puree them to break apart the cellulose wall and make sure that all of the nutrients are available for digestion to really get my money's worth. BUT I will also feed them whole as a treat and to force him to eat slower. Especially stuff like carrots. Some of the really healthy veggies, like those leafy greens, he wouldn't eat whole like that. They need to be pureed and mixed with other tasty veggies or with the meat.  

[SmoothSavage]

If you're going to feed veggies, you do need to puree or lightly steam. The cellulose walls need to be broken down in order for dogs to process them and access the nutrients.