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Post by littleweasels on Sept 27, 2010 11:18:59 GMT -5
I might be getting a dog tomarrow if he is good with small animals. He is 1 10 year old dachshund and he is good with cats. Anyway, what is the best dog food? How easy is it to switch dogs to raw?
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Post by mustelidmusk on Sept 27, 2010 11:32:43 GMT -5
Oh gosh, daschunds have been bred to HUNT small animals. Like ferrets, they've been bred to flush abbits and other small animals (like ferrets) out of their burrows.
Honestly, I would never trust a dog (especially a hunting/prey-oriented dog) unsupervised with any small animal.
-jennifer
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Post by rarnold18 on Sept 27, 2010 11:45:27 GMT -5
It's pretty easy to switch to raw, go cold turkey, that's how I switched all of my dogs and fosters. Just becareful of him with the ferrets Daschunds are a hunting type of dog, they are used for flushing out rodents and rabbits our of their warrens and burrows.
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Post by Heather on Sept 27, 2010 13:02:44 GMT -5
Please be very careful with the dachsies, my daughter has 2. They are darling little sods, eat everything (so switching won't be a problem ...they're labs with short legs ) but they are as good at hunting small creatures as the ferrets. My daughter's dogs are minis. One's a smooth coat and the other is a long coat. Both hunt, I have to watch my ferrets like a hawk and the cats. Both girls will hunt the cats too. My Chiropracter has one too, a wired haired mini. He uses the little one for hunting. ciao
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Post by littleweasels on Sept 27, 2010 13:38:26 GMT -5
I will not trust him with any of my small animals for a while and he will only be around them under strict supervision. I am hoping he will not have any intrest in them and if he tries to attack them I will not be getting him. He is 10 so hopefully he will just not care. What do dogs need? Like how much muscle meat, bone and organs do they need? What kind of meat do I feed him?
I just thought of a plan to make sure my small animals are safe. The ferrets usually get the whole house (except for the bedrooms) for their floor time but I can block off an area with pens so the dog cannot get to them or I can ferret proof a room and let them have floor time in there. I will still supervise the whole time. I will also do that for the guinea pigs when they get floor time. He will not be able to get to the rats, their cage is up too high. The hamsters are in a 50 gallon thats tall so he will not be able to get to them either. I can just keep my door closed so he cannot get to the rabbits. I will still not get him if he attacks them but I will also not trust him is he shows no intrest so I will make sure all the animals are safe.
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Post by bluemoose on Sept 27, 2010 17:36:40 GMT -5
I feed my dogs a prey model diet which is basically frankenprey. What you feed depends on whether you believe dogs to be omnivores or carnivores. Everything I've seen shows them to be carnivores (just not strict carnivores like cats and ferrets) so that's how I feed them. No grains, fruits, vegetables, ect. 80% meat, 10% raw bone, 5% liver, 5% other organs. You can feed most any meat really. Chicken, beef, pork, turkey, ect. Because your dog will be a small breed and because he's a senior, you'll probably want to stick to smaller bones like chicken and turkey rather than beef and pork. I also add in fish/salmon oil and green tripe on a daily basis and a couple whole raw eggs a week, shell and all. Most dogs take to raw without any problem. SO much easier to switch than cats and ferrets. This site has a lot of great info on prey model diets for dogs: www.rawfed.com/myths/feedraw.html
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Post by littleweasels on Sept 27, 2010 18:39:02 GMT -5
Thanks everyone. I will have to go get some meat tomarrow before I get the dog (hopefully I will get the dog) and maybe a can of food just in case he will not eat raw right away.
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Post by Heather on Sept 27, 2010 21:28:33 GMT -5
I can't see him not liking what you're offering A suggestion, fast him for 24 hrs before switching. It will make sure whatever kibbles and other processed foods that he may have ingested are out of his system (easier on his digestive tract and less likely to cause loose stools). It will also make sure he's especially hungry for his first crack at his new food Oh, just a thought....if you feed chicken necks or wings as his first meal, make sure you cut them up. Both cuts are notorious choking hazards for beginner puppers. I usually just take a hammer to them and smash them up a bit. Wings can spring open lodging in the throat (so cut them at the joints or break them at the joints so that they can't open), and necks for some reason beginners like to swallow whole. Just a couple of things I thought of when thinking about raw feeding dogs for the first time ciao
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Post by littleweasels on Sept 28, 2010 23:10:54 GMT -5
I did get him. I brought ferrets and guinea pigs to see how he would react to them. He smelled them then walked away. I gave him some of the ferrets soup and he ate it in like 2 seconds and he doesnt even want to eat his kibble. Will he get diarrhea if I switch him over right away, even if I fast him for 24 hours?
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Post by Heather on Sept 28, 2010 23:31:21 GMT -5
Not necessarily. I switched both my Pyrs to total raw after a 24 hr fast. Shakespeare had horrible gastro intestinal issues which would result in all sorts of ugly tummy upsets every time the kibble fools would change the recipe of their kibbles. Neither dog had any ill effects and never looked back or had kibble again for the rest of their lives. Getting his bone ratio right will be the big considering factor. Older dogs sometimes need more or less that the younger dogs. I know that sounds rather ambiguous but it's how it works. My older pyrenees ate a ton of bone to keep his stools solid, the younger one much less, my wolfhound on the other hand would blow up and have stools as hard a rocks if I fed him that much bone. Ten percent is the approx bone to meat ratio. Keep him on one protein source per week, changing up only once you figure each source sits well and he doesn't have a reaction to it. Once you get his bone to meat ratio worked out then you add the organs and whatever veggie material you want to use (if you want to use, remember dogs can process veggies and it works as the fur for your prey component in frankenprey) ciao
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Post by littleweasels on Sept 29, 2010 12:10:44 GMT -5
Can I feed him a whole quail or would he have problems eating it? The ferrets decided they don't like quail and I dont want it to go to waste. What about chicken feet?
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Post by bluemoose on Sept 29, 2010 12:23:28 GMT -5
He may not recognize the quail as food when it's covered in feathers so you might need to cut it in half. Not sure what the nutritional value of chicken feet is but I'm sure it's fine as long as it's not a huge component of the diet. Just make sure he chews anything small and boney and doesn't try to swallow it whole.
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Post by littleweasels on Sept 29, 2010 12:43:03 GMT -5
The quail does not have any feathers or a head, lol. Its just small and I dont want him to choke on it or have problens eating it. I want to give him chicken feet because he is a chewer and I thought that might be good for him to chew on.
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Post by littleweasels on Sept 29, 2010 12:47:20 GMT -5
I gave him a chicken foot and hes chewing on it and not trying to swallow it whole. Its frozen so it will last him a while.
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Post by littleweasels on Sept 29, 2010 12:51:50 GMT -5
Maybe it will last him a while, he already chewed off the toes. Its keeping him busy for now. He has been following me around but hes to busy right now with the chicken foot.
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