# Is Raw Messy?



## Max'sHuman (Oct 6, 2007)

Random question, I know, but I'm considering switching Max to a raw diet and I am wondering how messy it is?

I base this on the bloody scene of ChrissyBzs fish feedings and the memory of giving Max a Dingo bone that had a red filling and left little red flecks on the carpet.

If it is messy, what do you do about it/how do you do damage control?


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## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

I feed him outside. I tried to do it inside on a towel, but it was a pain. Now I just toss it onto my patio or yard, and he licks up whatever mess there is. And since it's outside, I don't need to disinfect it.

Blood will get on the ground, but the dog usually licks it up.


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

When the weather is nice my dogs eat on the patio. If it is wet or cold they eat in the laundry room with a gate across it. Then I go in and just wipe down the floor with a few wet wipes, mop weekly with a bit of bleach in the water.

If you have kids, especially small ones, in the house you may need to keep raw food and kids well separated. Kids have a tendency to touch everything and then put their hands in their mouths. Not good with raw meat around.


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## Shaina (Oct 28, 2007)

I've been wondering the same thing, Max'sHuman. I kept picturing pools of blood and bits of muscle left everywhere...ew


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## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

Shaina said:


> I've been wondering the same thing, Max'sHuman. I kept picturing pools of blood and bits of muscle left everywhere...ew


Nah, no pools of blood or bits of muscle.


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## Max'sHuman (Oct 6, 2007)

Suspicious confirmed. I guess I'll have to wait until I move into the new place in August. Since I'm renting I MUST keep the inside of the apartment clean and the current one doesn't have a patio. But my new one does. So good to know. Thanks guys!


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## lovemygreys (Jan 20, 2007)

Feed in a crate or, I know some people that put down shower curtain liners for meals and teach their dogs to eat on that.


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## digits mama (Jun 13, 2007)

Painters drop cloths if it is yuckky outside. after they are done I toss them in washing machine. I use an xpen too so they dont drag around the house.


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## ChrissyBz (Aug 10, 2007)

ROFL Max! I do the messy stuff(such as fish) on the porch. Their main diet is boneless beef chunks and oats. That all goes in a bowl inside and doesn't create much mess. And when the dogs are done with the fish out side all that is left are a few scales.
Everything else is GONE.

I find this to be not too much work and the really only feasible option, where I live. In the US there are a lot more options.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

When I give my dogs their raw chicken quarters, I just put an old towel down. Moose gets his in the yard (no towel necessary, LOL!), Toby gets his meal in the bathroom, and Penny gets her chicken in the entryway. I have to feed them in separate areas because the high value of the raw chicken causes them to fight if they're together. Penny and Toby get excited when they see me getting the towels out. They don't drag their food off of the towels, and I just gather up the towels and wash them separately in hot water.


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## Max'sHuman (Oct 6, 2007)

Thanks for the tips guys. Guess I'll have to invest in a drop cloth or liner or some sort if I do the switch. I think Max would really enjoy a raw diet and I am starting to lean more and more towards it. Even the premium foods keep having stuff go on recall and I don't want to have to check every day to make sure Max's food is still safe. It's so irritating. Why can't companies whose only job is to manufacture dog food get it straight? I just want Max to be healthy...

Oh and I just wanted to add, thanks for the recipe Chrissy. That actually looks pretty good. I'm going to save it for if I do the switch.


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## rosemaryninja (Sep 28, 2007)

A big plastic sheet works fine for me if Spunky is eating inside. You can just hose it down in the shower later.


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## ticman (Feb 3, 2008)

When I was feeding raw exclusively, I always fed Shadow in her crate and then just wiped it down with vinegar. Never a problem. I now supplement with kibble and use Bravo frozen. I use a dish and it's gone before she can even think of dragging it around the house. 

Chicken necks (for cleaning teeth) is still done in the crate.


Don't forget to supplement if going raw exclusively


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## reynosa_k9's (Dec 14, 2007)

Ticman, I don't understand why anyone would need to supplement if " going raw exclusively"? As long as you're giving the recommended amounts (2-3% of ideal body weight, 80% meat, 10% bone and 10% organ) The RAW diet is fully rounded. Maybe fish oil for the OMega3 but if the pet is getting salmon that shouldn't even be needed. 
As for leaving any mess, mine eat outside except in the case of bad weather than I have to feed them inside. Fortunately the downstairs is all ceramic tile floors and easy to clean. I never have blood or any body parts lying around after 'dinner'. Each of dogs go behind eachother to lick the eating areas clean.  I just need to follow with a quick wipe down. 

Jihad
and the pound puppy crew.


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## ticman (Feb 3, 2008)

I was following the raw routine and I think I got off track with not varying the "protein" types--meaning I ended up feeding chicken almost at times to the exclusion of all other meat sources. I did do salmon oil. What I noticed was all of a sudden the hair on the ears was coming out in clumps and the hair on the hindquarters was very very sparce. I stopped the raw and put her back on Flint River Ranch. Hindquaerters hair has come back slowly; ears flaps are still bare but hair is not falling out. I have added Wellactin as a supplement. 

So the problem may have been mine for not varying raw diet enough. Have to admit the teeth were great and the breath was sweet and the stools were tiny.

I am now feeding Orijen with Bravo lamb Blend (meat bone and organ mixed) and chicken necks for keeping teeth clean. Orijen daily; Bravo 3 x week; Chicken necks 2 x week. I am pleased with results so far.


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## Max'sHuman (Oct 6, 2007)

Thanks for the reminder/advice about supplements and switching around the proteins. My plan, if I go on it, would be to have a fish dinner once a week and then one other protein (at least) once a week, along with the organs meants and an egg. Meat would be served on the bone.

I think I am still going to wait until I move so I can mostly feed on the balcony and then just use the plastic sheet when it's nasty out. My apartment now is too small to take the risk, especially since my roomate might have some objections. Well, OK, the biggest problem of all is sharing the freezer with someone. Half a small freezer is not enough room to store his food. So I'm taking my time doing lots of research so I can have a full plan ready.


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## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

Max'sHuman said:


> Thanks for the reminder/advice about supplements and switching around the proteins. My plan, if I go on it, would be to have a fish dinner once a week and then one other protein (at least) once a week, along with the organs meants and an egg. Meat would be served on the bone.
> 
> I think I am still going to wait until I move so I can mostly feed on the balcony and then just use the plastic sheet when it's nasty out. My apartment now is too small to take the risk, especially since my roomate might have some objections. Well, OK, the biggest problem of all is sharing the freezer with someone. Half a small freezer is not enough room to store his food. So I'm taking my time doing lots of research so I can have a full plan ready.


I generally buy..

26 Pounds of Turkey Neck, Quarters, and Chicken Quarters.
2 pound Kidney
2 Pounds Liver

When I find it, I get whole fish that's not gutted. once a week. If not, Fish oil twice a week.

Deer meat (without bone) is cheap, but I don't think it's legal to sell. Maybe if you make friends with the butcher. I get 20LB for $11.

At first I weighed everything... but now I just eyeball it all. He gets one leg, or one neck, with a portion of offal that.s about 2.4oz (give or take 1oz...) and deer meat about 5-6oz.

Something like that. But Ollie's much larger than Max, so you probably will need to be more specific with your portions. I know Briteday is due to her dogs size.


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## Max'sHuman (Oct 6, 2007)

My Dad is a hunter so I have a hunch I could get a lot of free deer meet if I wanted it. However, it tends to come in giant hunks frozen in trash bags so it would be a bear to store and parcel out. I bet I could sweet talk him into chopping it into reasonable-ish pieces or donating organs or something. 

I hear that many raw feeders start out anal about measuring and then get used to eyeballing it because it's about "balance over time". 

I can just picture how much fun Max would have gnawing on a chicken thigh though. He seems like a raw meat kinda dog


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## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

Max'sHuman said:


> My Dad is a hunter so I have a hunch I could get a lot of free deer meet if I wanted it. However, it tends to come in giant hunks frozen in trash bags so it would be a bear to store and parcel out. I bet I could sweet talk him into chopping it into reasonable-ish pieces or donating organs or something.
> 
> I hear that many raw feeders start out anal about measuring and then get used to eyeballing it because it's about "balance over time".
> 
> I can just picture how much fun Max would have gnawing on a chicken thigh though. He seems like a raw meat kinda dog


Ollie looked at it like a toy, at first. And only ate a little of it, opting out for kibble. It took a fair amount of fasts for him to realize that the meat in front of him is food.

But yeah, it depends on size though. Briteday said with small dogs, ounces make big difference. I mean, a 10 pound dog, an ounce of food ends up being a relative ton of extra food.


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## sherbear59 (Feb 19, 2008)

I love all the pictures ,,,,,,,


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

briteday here...yes, small dogs can pack on the pounds quickly if you are not good at "eyeballing." I measure out on a scale at least every few days. They do get some add in's every so often (had some yogurt on the brink of going bad last night!) and they do have an interactive ball that dispenses kibble bits. 

But it is amazing to me how fast they can put on weight. After a slew of bad weather for a few weeks I put their harnesses on for a walk the other day. OMG! All of the harnesses had to be adusted to fit! Every one had gained enough in just a few short weeks without regular walks that I could no longer fasten their harness. 

So be careful about "balance over time" with a smallish dog. I think of "balance over time" more in terms of getting all the nutrients in every meal. It doesn't happen at my house so I strive to make it happen in 2-week increments.


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## Max'sHuman (Oct 6, 2007)

Alrite good to know. This is why I love DF, the experts can always help put me back on the right path. I wonder what the rate of conversion is of people who join DF feeding one thing and then change to Canidae or raw ?


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## reynosa_k9's (Dec 14, 2007)

Ohh Ticman, I'm really sorry to read you had a bad experience with raw feeding.  At least your baby is recovering.
I hope sometime in the future you'll try it again. If not full time then at least some of the time. Maybe the chicken you were getting had too many additives? Some of the grocery stores chicken has salt and other seasonings added in it. I've almost grabbed some by mistake myself. (have to read the fine print on the packages sometimes)
Maybe you can try checking out the yahoo raw feeding forum for more info on the subject.
Anyway, regarding to the mess, like I mentioned before; fortunately my downstairs floors are all cermaic tile. The guys had liver last night and boy oh boy was it a bloody mess! They had to eat inside due to rain. Yuck! They're such good cleaners though - licking nearly the entire floor clean. lol I just followed behind with my cleaning rag and spray bottle. 

Jihad
and the pound puppy crew.


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