# Jakes Raw Food Blog



## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Well rather than hijack another thread and people getting all confused I decided to start Jakes blog on raw feeding.

Dunno how long it will last as it all depends on Jake, so here goes.

Prior to starting. 
I asked questions, read websites and got some excellent advice on here. Nipped to Tesco's and bought some Chicken Breast. Not sure if its on the bone but will find out once I defrost it.

Day 1 - 16th February
Morning Jake has his usual kibble and JW soft food as the chicken isn't yet defrosted. On the afternoon around 4.30pm ish I think it was, I give Jake 3oz of chicken breast. There aren't any bones in it but as its the first day that's okay. Well Jake sniffed at it, dragged it around for 5 min then spent the next 1 1/2hrs hiding it in various places. Then around 6pm ish I realised I couldn't see the chicken, now he's either hid it really well or eaten it in secret... 

Day 2 - 17th February
Never did find yesterday's chicken and I have looked evrywhere he had access to at the time yesterday. So maybe he did eat it.. Today for morning I give Jake a fresh piece of chicken and he did try for about 10min to eat it. It did look like he was having trouble biting bits off it and eventually left it.

It is now 4.15pm and all he has done is give the chicken a sniff and walked away. I know he is hungry as he keeps looking at me with pleading eyes everytime I go into the kitchen, oh I feel such a bad mummy...and I am so tempted to just give him his kibble..


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## Quinn (Dec 11, 2008)

Don't give him his kibble! He isn't starving.
Jake isn't a small boy, if my 3.5 lb girl can chew through bone with her tiny mouth he should be able to figure it out. 
What type of cut did you give him?


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

5.50pm Update

Oh dear I am so so mad at myself, I let Jake and myself down.. the chicken breast had gone horrible and dry and Jake kept looking at it and then at me (with those sad eyes) then going to his bowl.

I succumed and give him his soft food and kibble and he wolfed it all down. I convinced myself I needed to do this so that he got his evening primrose oil.

I promise tomorrow is a new day.. I have already took out the thighs and they will be defrosted by morning.

Sorry guys and I know your gonna kick my butt....

Deme x


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## Quinn (Dec 11, 2008)

*kick kick kick*

Don't just leave his food on the floor all day. Leave it down if he's not eating it after 10-15 minutes take it away. Then offer it again later. 
And DON'T GIVE IN. All you are doing is making it harder on yourself and on him. Now he thinks you'll give in whenever he doesn't eat. Going for 1 day, even more then that WONT kill him. And chances are he'll eat before then.

Owners create picky eaters!

Are you feeding him bone in or boneless?


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Today it was boneless tomorrow it may be boned if the thigh is on the bone, I won't know until it defrosts.

Is it worth cutting the boneless chicken piece into little pieces until he gets the idea or leaving it whole


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## phoebedog (Sep 19, 2009)

Those sad eyes will do it everytime lol
Not sure if you should but I cut the boneless up. They still have to chew it but once they're are better astablished with it I probably wont cut it up.

Great idea in doing a blog. Wished I'd have thought of that lol


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## Quinn (Dec 11, 2008)

However he will eat it at first. But I'm warning you if you start raw and aren't giving him any bone you are in for some yucky poo! The ONLY thing that makes that poo firm is bone. And he has yet to have any bone yet from my understanding? Make sure to try to get some in him. Most times they enjoy chewing the bones.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

You may have to baby him along a bit. Take the thigh and cut off some of the meat into tiny little squares and see if he'll eat it that way. Once he has eaten it and is getting used to the taste, then hold him on your lap and hold the thigh bone (that still has a covering of meat) and let him chew on it while you're holding it. I had to do this for Brody at first. Once he learns that he can chew and eat the yummy meat covered bone, you won't have to hold it anymore. But sometimes they need some teaching as to what is expected and of course praise him while he is eating it. You can be an actress and pretend like you're eating it and reassure him that it is good.


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## 3l3ctric (Apr 5, 2009)

Some dogs take to it immediately (mine were like "raw food, where have you been all my life?!") and others take awhile. Have you tried feeding him in a kennel so he can't take his food all over the place? 

Also, I would recommend cutting up some chicken into smaller pieces to start with and freezing some of it, leaving a couple small meals' worth in the fridge. This way you won't waste much. Some dogs like their food warmed up a bit (put into a plastic bag and floated in warm water for a bit), others don't care if it is cold. Put him in his kennel for breakfast, give him 15 minutes to eat the food, and take it away if he doesn't. Try again later in the day, and repeat for dinner. 

Once he's taken to it, don't cut it up anymore and quickly introduce bone.


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

3l3ctric said:


> Some dogs take to it immediately (mine were like "raw food, where have you been all my life?!") and others take awhile. Have you tried feeding him in a kennel so he can't take his food all over the place?
> 
> Also, I would recommend cutting up some chicken into smaller pieces to start with and freezing some of it, leaving a couple small meals' worth in the fridge. This way you won't waste much. Some dogs like their food warmed up a bit (put into a plastic bag and floated in warm water for a bit), others don't care if it is cold. Put him in his kennel for breakfast, give him 15 minutes to eat the food, and take it away if he doesn't. Try again later in the day, and repeat for dinner.
> 
> Once he's taken to it, don't cut it up anymore and quickly introduce bone.


oh boy! do you mean floated with the warm water with the chicken in the bag?...or do you mean floated on warm water with chicken in bag? LOL...sucha silly question but i know dexter is the type who hates cold food..he likes everything warm and fresh...hmm might have to give this a try

and jake! wonderful idea on blog  hope your boy gets it..i'm still working on it too


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## Quinn (Dec 11, 2008)

Double post


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## Quinn (Dec 11, 2008)

Put in a bag (most raw feeders buy in bulk or some type of larger quantity and cut up and bag the food in advance so they have the portions frozen to just pull and thaw).

You have your chicken in a baggie and put in a container of water (not really really warm, like room temp ish or a little warmer I've heard you don't want it hot enough to start cooking even a little). 
Some people even just leave it sitting out for a bit so it isn't warm but isn't cold. Or some people heat it a little. Whatever gets him to eat really at first is ok, but the idea is to wean him off of his pickiness as best you can. Warming isn't a big deal, but adding flavoring and such you'll want to try to decrease.


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Day 3 - 18th February
I am pleased first off that the thigh is on the bone so somthing for Jake to crunch on.
With anticiaption at 8.40am I placed the thigh in his bowl and then let him in (Jake was outside in the garden). He came racing in wagging his tail for all its worth and went straight to his bowl. I expected him to sniff the chicken and walk away.. but no.... he give the chicken a few tentative licks then took it out the bowl and started chewing on it. . I thought this would last a few minutes and he'd leave it

Well it is now 9.35am and Jake has only just stopped eating his thigh, there is still about half of it left but at least he give it a good go. He does keep checking that its still there.

I am really pleased but there is a long way to go so I am just happy that he has shown an interest. it must be strange going from his wet food and kibble to this funny looking pink thing ..


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

18th February - Catch up
I had to go out and left a message for OH to give Jake his chicken at 1pm that he had left from this morning. This was the message I got
"Jake tried twice to bury his chicken but I wouldn't let him so he decided to sit down and eat it all up"

Ahh so the idea is don't let Jake bury his food lol

Anyway come 3.30pm I give Jake another piece of thigh and.... he ate every bit of it straight away. I guess he's not a fan of chicken Breast and prefers the thigh.. and man does he love crunching on those bones.

So today was a great day and I am so pleased with my little boy, lots of cuddles and play time.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Yay Jake - you are doing awesome!!!


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## Quinn (Dec 11, 2008)

SEE! Bravo for you and Jake! And your OH! Wooohooo!


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

yay jake!!! eat one for dexter! LOL


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## phoebedog (Sep 19, 2009)

Well done Jake


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## rubia (Jul 3, 2008)

pigeonsheep said:


> yay jake!!! eat one for dexter! LOL


This is so funny..because I have looked at all of those really sad pictures of Dexter...


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## 18453 (Feb 6, 2010)

So jake is a leg and not a boobs man then lol! Well done trying daisy on breast with bone she loves it!


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Day 4 - 19th February
Jake was so exciterd this morning to get his Chicken Thigh, bouncing and spinning in circles and wagging his tail.

The piece was quite big and he ate the lot, it took him a while but he ate it all up. However one minute he had this big piece and then it was gone. Thinking he had hid it I looked around the room but it is nowhere to be seen. I'm thinking he just swallowed it 

On the evening about 5.30pm I give him a small piece of Chicken Breast seeing as he had aquite a bit this morning.

Well he chewed at it for a little while then proceeded to look for a hiding place for it. Everytime he went to hide it I just said Agh agh. He then sat down and chewed some more then it was gone.

All I can think of is that he swallowed the whole darn thing.. Now I am scared he is gonna choke himself by doing this.

Also I think, why swallow it like that, it would be better to make it last and enjoy it for longer..

The good thing is that he is eating the chicken, the bad part is swallowing huge chunks of it.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I think Jake will be fine. Sometimes they swallow pieces that seem too large but no harm done. Their stomach acids are strong and it will pass with no problems. I've heard of dogs swallowing entire chicken quarters without chewing at all and having no ill effects! Obviously not optimal, but it does happen. 

Most of the time dogs don't chew too much or thoroughly. They will crunch crunch grind swallow and there it goes. 

If he continues to eat quickly or is gulping it down, you can feed bigger pieces that he has to work on more, or feed semi frozen so that he has to spend more time chewing.


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks for that info Brody the half frozen sounds good as the large pieces he still swallows whole once he's chewed them down to size..lol


I cant wait till day 15 when I can introduce other meats...


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

rubia said:


> This is so funny..because I have looked at all of those really sad pictures of Dexter...


LOL!  they were sad weren't they! he's very very happy now since he's backed to his cooked meats 


keep going jake!!! :hello1:


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Jake loved his soft food but was very fussy with kibble and would spit it out all over the floor lol.

The chicken he loves and yep Jake is a leg man not a boobs man..lol I think what he prefers is crunching the bones.


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## Quinn (Dec 11, 2008)

Dogs really only chew something so its small enough to swallow. With humans our digestion starts in the mouth, with our saliva. With dogs the point is just to get it down the hatch, and digesting starts in the stomach. Their teeth weren't meant to make it into mush, they just want it to fit! If he's swallowing it and not choking he'll probably be okay. 
Phoebe has choked before though. Once to the point where i think oxygen was being cut off to her brain as she was bumping into things! But thankfully I remedied that! Phoebe is also a dog that chokes on kibble, or wet foods, so no surprise there


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Day 6 - 21st February
Missed yesterday as Saturday was a very emotional time as was today hence the late posting.

I guess I am safe to say that Jake is gonna take to raw feeding, unless he turns his nose up at Kidney etc.

I bought some quail for him today and to be honest I found it hard to look at something so small with its legs still intact. (he hasn't had any yet its being frozen) My OH said how much did that cost, thats a bit of a delicasy for Jake isn't it?" I told him it was on special offer, twe packs for £5. His reply "But that's £1.25 for each one" I said "Oh but he'll only get one each week as a treat" hey hey.....!!! 

Well back to the chicken, Jake gets really excited now and doesn't hide it, nope he eats every little bit straight away.

Wish I'd started the change earlier but better now than never.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Yay little Jake! You know what's good for you.  Just super to hear about his success. So proud of you guys!!


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## Quinn (Dec 11, 2008)

:hello1:

How awesome! Lucky Jake with his quail. My guys have never had quail but hopefully will get to sometime soon.


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Day 7 - 22nd February
As Jake is eatign his chicken okay I was not gonna update until I started introducignhim to other meats.
However yesterday three times he growled at me with his chicken and today I tried some of the advice I was given.

I still got one growl for which I corrected him for and after that I fed him the chicken from my hand. He was really good and at one point the chicken fell out of my hand. Jake picked it up and immediately when I took hold of it he released and let me take it. So that was a really good positve and I praised him loads for it in the hope he would learn it was a good thing to let me have it.

Other than that he really does love his raw chicken...


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Day 10 - 25th February
Well Jake has definately took to raw, he loves his chicken. up till yesterday eh was still giving little growls and once barred hsi teeth. EEK!!!

Last night though I again fed him by hand and when I stroked him he looked more concerned than anything else. Today he had his chicken thigh and he was great. Hopefully the dominance issues will have now stopped. Fingers crossed 

Only four more days left...


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## Muzby (Jan 28, 2009)

Good job, Jake and mom! We're so proud of you both for doing this. 

Almost time for beef! YAY! Oh, and if yoiu can find it - try a little rabbit. Our guys LOOOOVE rabbit (it's a more bitter meat, and they seem to prefer it to chicken for this reason).


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Oru tesco's does rabbit bits so will try him on that.. when I introduce other foods do I still feed chicken thighs, just wondering about the bone content thats all.


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Just a question regards weight of raw food, does the weight include the bone?


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Yes, the weight includes the bone. Until you get used to eye balling portions, you can use this tool - 

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

You put in the type of food. Select the raw portion you want, and it will give you the breakdown of calories/nutrients, etc. in it. At the top it will say how much of the part is 'refuse". That is the bone content. 

For example, if you are looking at a typical chicken thigh, it is 21% bone. 

So you could feed a chicken thigh, and then the next day - feed a boneless meal. (If you wanted to do chicken thigh again, just take the bone out and feed the meat). Over the 2 days - that would average your 10% bone, which is your ideal.


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Day 10 - Continued
Oh shucks, you can tell I am new to thsi raw feeding, today I decided to get back on track with Kyles training especially the call back. 
Off went to the park after Jake had asked to go out about 5 times running to my jacket then his jacket and then his leash, I took the hint and off we went.

Well the recall was hit and miss but what surprised me most was when I offered a tasty treat that he usually goes mad for he was not that bothered.
He ruin back to me do a circle aroudn me then look away. I put the treat to his nose to get his attention and he didn't even take a sniff never mind open his little cute mouth.


I thought, "Heck he can't be full, he hasn't eaten since 9amand its now 4.30pm" well that was it, straight to tesco'sand I bought some electric scales. Got home and weighed a portion of the chicken thigh the same size as what he has been getting and also weighed a piece of breast approx the same size as he has been getting.

Shock !! The breast weighed 2.7oz and the thigh weighed 5.8 oz. So I have been giving Jake on average 8.5oz of food every day. No wonder he's chubby and never hungry.

I am so please I bought these scales today and as from tomorrow I'll cut his food down to the 6oz a day that I was recommended on here to give him.

8.5oz and some days it could have been more.. oh gawd I would have had a little porky Chi if I hadn't realised this.

Mind Jake is happy with all the chicken he's been getting..lol

Jake just looked at me as though to say "What I'm being rationed huh !!" 

Deme x


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Day 12 - 27th February
well today I tried Jake with quail and he don't like it, we offered it to him 3 times and what he did was just drag it around the carpet and the quail had loads of blood in it and this was getting on the carpet everywhere.
Next stop was the bin lol

I hope he eats liver, rabbit etc ok..

Just to ask if he turns his nose up at Liver etc will I have to stop the raw feeding as surely chicken all the time won't be good long term


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## Muzby (Jan 28, 2009)

I wouldn't give up quite so easily.  If he doesn't act interested, keep offering it. Don't toss it, just give it a rinse and freeze or refrigerate again. He needs to know that what you are offering is dinner, and if he doesn't want to eat it - he doesn't eat. It's that simple. 

He could just not know how to eat the new things, and his hesitant reaction isn't that it isn't YUMMY just that he's not sure how to go about eating it. You need to be patient and stubborn, don't give in just because he decides to push his boundaries. He's at the age where he's starting to test you and see what he can get away with, it seems.


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

oh Ok I never even realised that, I guess he's like the spoilt kid that trains teh human to give them what THEY want to eat.. lol

I fell for that quick didn't I.

The only thing is there is a lot of blood and he drags it across the carpet which doesn't please OH


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Train Jake to eat on a towel. We use a big beach towel. Put it down on the floor and give him his food on the towel. If he drags it off, put it back. Repeat until he gets it. They learn fast. Brody starts jumping around and licking his lips when he sees the towel comes out because he knows it means he gets his dinner. 

Some people feed in a crate. I've heard of people feeding in the bathtub. ha. I wouldn't feed raw on the carpet either. Ewwwwwwwwwww!


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## Quinn (Dec 11, 2008)

I feed all my guys crated (or some cuts I have to hold for Phoebe because she's insane). 

Also don't start saying your going to have to stop raw if he wont eat things. You're moving too quickly. And getting ahead of yourself. (Also I totally believe when you put ideas into the world things happen - especially with dogs haha). I've known dogs who go MONTHS without eating organ and they are fine. Also to get them to eat if they really wont you can sear it a little if you have to. But first try it raw. Halpert doesn't LIKE liver but he'll eat it. He spits it out, picks it up again, spits it out again, etc etc before finally eating it. Phoebe doesn't really LIKE organ but thankfully Chihuahuas have to eat such a small amount of it that it isn't a huge deal. Remember only 10% of their diet is organ.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Brody's not a huge organ fan either. There are lots of ways to get it into their diet.... sear it lightly so it's not slimy, sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on it, tuck little pieces under the skin of the chicken and he won't even know its there, freeze it and feed kind of slushy. You can even cut it up into teensy tiny pieces and mix with tinned/canned food that he really likes. Any way you can get him to eat it.

I do Brody's organs once a week on the weekend as a whole meal. He gets a chunk of liver and a chunk of beef kidney typically. He's not a fan. So I dice it up into teensy tiny pieces and he will eat it that way. No, he's not getting the chewing benefits of it, but he eats it and that's all I care about. I make sure he's hungry when I offer it or else he might not want to eat it. If he doesn't eat it, it goes into the fridge and he gets it for breakfast. Repeat until he eats it. 

Some dogs can't tolerate an entire meal of organs and will get loose stools. It's a case of knowing your dog.


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## rubia (Jul 3, 2008)

I don't know how much this matters but Jake is still a younger pup and he is a bit larger than average so he might need more food than other chi-s. He also gets lots of outdoor exercise, at the field and such with you and the horses. He might just be hungrier.

It sounds like you are doing a fantastic job of it.


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks everyone, yes I am jumping the gun aren't I, I guess it is because I want Jake to have the best of everything (like we all do with our babies lol) 

I also worry needlessly that I am not doing things right... I am a bit of a pessimist and should try to be more optimist.

Jake is quite a chunky guy and lately I haven't been able to get him to the field as it is way to muddy (like soup really)

I must say though I have already noticed an improvement in his coat since starting raw
which is great.

I'm gonna try the towel idea and stick to it lol

Thanks everyone

Deme x


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