Diet Details As Promised

I previously described my search into the raw diet. Some people are strongly against raw diets, so I usually employ the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" method as suggested by members of my RawFeeding groups. Or I just say I feed the dogs a homemade diet. Most of my close friends and fellow doxie-owners know I feed a raw diet, and while they might not feed one, we don't jump down each other's throats about it. I feel that what you feed your dog is a very personal decision, and since feeding kibble is so ingrained into our society, people should not be blamed or made to feel guilty if they feed their dog kibble. It never, ever occurred to me that there was another way to feed your dog until I moved to Washington (admittedly, a little more green and liberal state).

So, enough of that! I began feeding the dogs chicken drumsticks, one a day. I found a whole package on sale at Costco for $.99/lb. The boys took right to it. Some dogs do have trouble adjusting to eating raw food, but my boys knew what they were doing! :)

SWIFT:
After about a week, Swift looked lean and slim and trim. He actually had a waist! Dachshunds are supposed to be quite thin; you should be able to see their waist when looking from the top, and you should be able to see one to two ribs when looking from the side. Swift's poos seemed to be just right - he was going less often and the stools themselves were much smaller and harder. After a while though, they were pretty white and crumbly. Swift's teeth looked beautiful! His tartar and plaque were almost all gone, and his gums were nice and pink. I was afraid he was losing too much weight and his stool was getting too white...

KOOL:
Kool loves crunching the chicken bone. He's very delicate and sits on the mat while he eats, but he doesn't use his paws. It doesn't seem that Kool has lost any weight. His poo is still pretty soft, and he goes less than he did before, but still pretty often. The biggest change in Kool was his teeth! He does have some tartar and plaque left, but a lot of it is gone. (He is 8 after all). His gums are still a little black, but there is much more pink than there used to be. The vet has wanted to clean Kool's teeth for a while, but I'm hoping that the raw diet will help postpone that surgery as long as possible (if not forever!). And boy, does Kool's breath smell nice! He used to have the worst breath. And we all know Kool is a little kisser, so it could get pretty gross at times. But this new diet really helps with sweet-smelling doggie breath! As with Swift, I did have some concerns - but they seemed to be the opposite. Kool wasn't losing weight, and his stool was still pretty loose.

After doing a little more research and asking some questions on my rawfeeding groups, I discovered that while chicken is a great way to start off, chicken drumsticks are way too bony. The boys need more meat - that will help Swift's poos clear up. As for Kool, I need to start feeding him BFFLO - Big Food Fed Less Often. That means he should get two-three days' worth at a time, then skip a day or two. That will help him get the proper proportion of bone and meat and should help regulate his weight and poo. I also have to add in some red meat and liver, but those will come later. My next step is find a way to get these boys the right proportion of meat and bone. Time to find a whole chicken and see what damage they can do...

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