Switched dogs to raw diet...WOW

[roosterdown]

Another "raw diet" question for those more knowledgeable: How about fish & fish bones?

I do lengthy remote wilderness canoe trips and Walleye, Pike, Lake Trout and Smallmouth are on the menu regularly. I've fed her cooked fish, but am curious about raw fish and about the bones - both cooked and raw.

 

[MDR]

Not sure if I am more knowledgeable, but our dogs get fish spines, and tails. Haven't had an issue yet.

Typically pike, char, trout and whitefish.

Another "raw diet" question for those more knowledgeable: How about fish & fish bones?

I do lengthy remote wilderness canoe trips and Walleye, Pike, Lake Trout and Smallmouth are on the menu regularly. I've fed her cooked fish, but am curious about raw fish and about the bones - both cooked and raw.

 

[ianpadron]

Another "raw diet" question for those more knowledgeable: How about fish & fish bones?

I do lengthy remote wilderness canoe trips and Walleye, Pike, Lake Trout and Smallmouth are on the menu regularly. I've fed her cooked fish, but am curious about raw fish and about the bones - both cooked and raw.

I wouldn't worry about uncooked fish bones personally. Pretty soft and pliable. I would avoid cooking them unless you were boiling (further softening them)

Fish do tend to carry a shitload of parasites so a quick freeze-thaw cycle isn't a terrible idea when you're not on a wilderness trip.

Pacific salmon in particular carry a nasty little fluke that can cause "salmon poisoning", only effects canines.

You'll see a lot of sled dogs in AK that live exclusively on boiled, smoked, freeze dried salmon...bones and all

 

[welkin]

Has anyone had any issues with raw food for their dogs and parasites? I've been feeding mine venison scraps (Oregon blacktail) and he's come down with a case of hook worms. This could be total coincidence of course. The meats been kept in the freezer for a couple months (roadkill deer). I've eaten some pretty rare steak from the same animal and I don't have worms.

 

[manitou1]

I didn't read all the posts, but be sure to supplement with avgoid source of calcium such as ground egg shells. Can be bought on Amazon.
Too much orotein with little calcium is deteimental and causes kidney disease/failure in dogs.

It has to be a balance and you can go online to see the formulation.

Too much protei, not enough calcium: Bad.

Too much calcium, not enough orotein: Bad

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

Has anyone had any issues with raw food for their dogs and parasites? I've been feeding mine venison scraps (Oregon blacktail) and he's come down with a case of hook worms. This could be total coincidence of course. The meats been kept in the freezer for a couple months (roadkill deer). I've eaten some pretty rare steak from the same animal and I don't have worms.

Yes. Keep dewormer on hand. It doesn’t happen very often, but it does happen. I give mine a dewormer every 3 months regardless. It’s super easy and cheap. Just feed him one big ol’ chewy pill and he eats it no questions asked.

 

[welkin]

Good to know. It looks like hookworms do not survive freezing temperatures, and after a couple months in my freezer, I doubt he picked them up from the meat he's been eating.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Has anyone had any issues with raw food for their dogs and parasites? I've been feeding mine venison scraps (Oregon blacktail) and he's come down with a case of hook worms. This could be total coincidence of course. The meats been kept in the freezer for a couple months (roadkill deer). I've eaten some pretty rare steak from the same animal and I don't have worms.

We use Nexgard Spectra for flea/tick/heartworm and it knocks out all those intestinal worms also, so we don't worry about that. One of my dogs eats a ton of trim and scrap and such because she's diabetic so no kibble. Her staples are chicken, with bones and all with beef kidney but she has elk and venison that would otherwise be trashed... the more bloodshot the better she loves it lol.

 

[ianpadron]

Has anyone had any issues with raw food for their dogs and parasites? I've been feeding mine venison scraps (Oregon blacktail) and he's come down with a case of hook worms. This could be total coincidence of course. The meats been kept in the freezer for a couple months (roadkill deer). I've eaten some pretty rare steak from the same animal and I don't have worms.

Any dog that spends time outside will eventually get worms if they're not regularly de-wormed. At least that's been our experience.

Our golden had some sort of worm this past summer and we thought maybe it was the raw food, but our other dog tested negative, meaning he likely picked them up outside the house.

Now we just zap 'em with some de-wormer every few months since they're constantly in nasty water, hunting in pastures, dead animals in their mouths etc. Apparently one of the most common places for worms to be picked up is from game birds, so hunting dogs like ours are particularly at risk.