Creekside Border Collies

Why did you switch to a raw diet? Several reasons! Allergies that developed in Boomer and Pat, disgust at
the pet food industry in general and the fact that 2 year old Tap had to get her teeth professionally cleaned
due to tarter build up ($400) and that everyone else was also headed in that direction, with most likely annual
visits! I have heard for years from raw feeding friends and holistic veterinarians how the natural grinding,
crunching of bones and chunks of meat worked miracles on teeth and bad breath. After becoming
discouraged with a daily brushing regimen, trying to scrape tarter off myself as well as adding an expensive
special formula to the dog's drinking water and still not getting the results I hoped for (and the work required
for my multiple was in itself prohibitive), I began to truly research the idea of raw feeding and liked what I
learned!

How did you switch? Impatient to begin, I made the switch cold turkey. One day I was feeding kibble, the
next, raw! At the beginning, they ate one protein source and a veggie "pre-mix" (Urban Wolf) and I added
enzymes to help with the digestion of this new form of food. None of the dogs had any tummy upsets, no
loose stools, no "detox" symptoms, just a VERY new interest in mealtimes!

Is it expensive? No lying here...Yes... It certainly can be for multiple dogs! Some of the stuff I get really
cheap or free (pigs feet, beef heart, tongue, leftover fish, chicken necks and frames/carcasses, green tripe,
deer offal (thank you local hunters) and our own mutton for example), other stuff is more expensive (beef,
duck, whole chicken and turkey, rabbit etc.). If I get it to average about $1 per pound, I'm doing pretty well,
and after just recently learning that a friend of mine pays $25 for 4 lbs of Science Diet from her vet, I KNOW I
am doing REALLY well! Also, think how much I have saved in veterinary bills for teeth cleaning this year, and
every other year, alone! Yes, the raw diet is AMAZING for teeth and breath! Even Boomer, who in his old
age, had developed tarter so thick on his teeth they were like seashells - ended up with the teeth of a much
younger dog...His breath was no longer "dragon breath", but neutral smelling and totally inoffensive!

How do you ensure the diet is "balanced"?

Remember, balance over time...and follow the "prey model" : 15% edible bone, 10% organ, and the rest
muscle meat, offal, connective tissue, skin etc.

To get this "balance" I feed them approximately: 50% RMBs (Raw MEATY bones) such as chicken (whole
when on special or legs with back attached are also usually very cheap. I feed necks of chicken, turkey and
ducks as well as wings from any fowl; mutton/lamb (necks, ribs, etc.), pork: feet (a great teeth scrubber, but
needs added meat), hocks, ribs and necks, beef ribs (the softer ones), whole rabbit (when I can find it for
less than $5 per lb and only as a special occasion meal), and am constantly searching for new and
interesting sources. 10% of their diet is organ meat (mostly liver, but also kidneys, heart, lungs, spleen
etc.), and the other 40% is meat and offal of any prey animal - mutton, beef, pork, eggs - whatever is on
sale - and a little bit of veggies (what ever I get on the cheap rack!). They also eat fish once or twice a week
(depending on how much I can get cheap or free) and include salmon heads and "skeletons" with fins, whole
fish (usually at their "sell by" date - cheap!), sometimes canned salmon which I buy in big 1.5 kg cans at the
local Cash and Carry (restaurant supply). Spur only likes the "non-scaly" fish such as mackerel, Pat also
doesn't like the texture of raw fish, so generally will only eat the canned variety.

But how can you be sure they are getting all the nutrients they require? At the beginning, I was really
worried about this and was reading a lot of books on BARF diet and mixing meals with all kinds of
ingredients - talk about complicated!!!! Quickly, I switched to the prey model (whole foods, and yes, already
dead :) and it is simple! Variety - just like us! And the key is balance over time - just like us! There really is
no need to supplement if they get their nutrients in whole foods (better anyways!). I do blood work on my
dogs about once a year to see that they are getting everything they require, and so far, all levels have been
perfect (TIP: when going for blood work at your conventional veterinarian's office - ie. a vet that is not pro raw
- fast prior to the test - then even they won't suspect you're not feeding one of their brands of kibble!). I am
so lucky in that my vet Dr. Anne Marie Gagnon believes in the holistic approach (rather than only the
treatments of symptoms), is pro raw and pro minimal vaccines! My dogs love her!

How much do you feed? My very active dogs get about 3% of their body weight per day, more if they are
really active (i.e.. in summer and trial season). For the young males, this often means about 2 to 3 lbs per
day!

Where do you buy this food? Where possible, I always try to buy "naturally raised". But I figure even non
organic whole fresh food is better than an extruded, heat processed cereal nugget (kibble) that contains
garbage, road kill and other non identifiable ingredients, including - are you ready - dead dogs and cats!

I buy all my beef and pork (including offal) from a local abattoir - who is getting to understand my crazy
demands! He still thinks I'm nuts, but I nearly cry when I see his dog eating grocery store kibble when he has
access to all the good stuff!

I buy my duck necks and wings from Brome Lake Ducks in Knowlton, QC; chicken necks from Ferme des
Voltigeurs in Drummondville, QC; I get deer offal from local hunters; mutton from my own farm (processed at
my local abattoir); eggs from our own free range chickens; fish and other varieties of meat at the grocery
store. Usually past sale date or "Manager's Special" (ie if it doesn't sell today, it's getting tossed). We have
gotten raw Jersey milk from a local farmer too - but dairy seems to give my guys the runs - so it is a rare,
special treat - Jersey Milk Popsicles!

What about traveling? Easy! I just go to he local grocery store and buy what I need for the trip! I can easily
find grain fed, hormone free chicken, beef or lamb. Always organic eggs and if I am in a real pinch (i.e. no
refrigerator in hotel room) - there is always canned salmon or mackerel. I buy a lot of Cornish hens when
traveling (which are a "luxury" food in Canada and SO expensive - like $10 a pound or something - IF you
can find them at all!) as they are "whole foods" (with organs) and so easy to feed...Just unwrap and hand it to
the dog! (Tip: feed outside!)

Aren't you scared about bacteria and splintered bones? At the beginning I sure was! But the health risks
are not greater than when feeding dog food: Rancid kibble, choking on kibble and not to mention the gradual
deterioration of mouth health that leads to irreversible health problems when dogs do not get the natural
cleaning action of raw meaty bones.

The first time Spur basically swallowed an entire chicken carcass whole was a very scary thing to watch! Of
course, when I tried to take it away - he only gulped it faster. I now feed in crates, or outside in separate
areas, which cuts down "competition" and they relax and enjoy their dinner. Now all the Creekside dogs are
expert grinders and crunchers - especially Spur! Sometimes, dinner can take the dogs 2 hours to eat (pigs
feet!). What satisfaction! Like us when we enjoy a prolonged gourmet meal. And so far, all the bones they eat
have been digested with no constipation (... except when they work through several spring thaw deer
carcasses scattered about our hiking trials!) I do sometimes see bits of bone in the dog's poop. But it all
seems to pass through easily. Many people who feed raw grind everything including bones in a meat
grinder, or buy a commercially available raw dog food (such as Mountain Dog Food, Bravo or Karnivore).
While the dogs do get the same nutritional benefits, they loose the teeth cleaning and meal satisfaction
benefits feeding big meaty bones provides. However, if your dog is a gulper, then this is a safe way to feed
raw. Another good rule of thumb - especially for gulpers - is to feed pieces that are bigger than the dog's
head, to encourage tearing and grinding and gnawing. Sheep's head, anyone?

Won't eating raw meat make my dog a killer? This is a great myth about raw feeding that it will turn your dog
into a hunter. Nothing will develop that already wasn't there - it won't be raw meat that makes your dog hunt
and kill other animals, or suddenly decide to bite people.

What about food possession and resource guarding? Certainly, real food will have a MUCH higher value to
your dog than a processed cereal nugget (kibble), and some food possession may manifest itself now that
your dog actually cares about his meals! But again, it would have already been there to some degree. The
most important thing you will need to do is to make your dog feel like he doesn't HAVE to guard his food, or
that he will lose it to a packmate. All the proactive resource guarding exercises can be helpful when first
introducing your dog to real food. (MINE! by Jean Donaldson is a good book for ANY resource guarding
problem). My own dogs eat comfortably together, but I am policing the area to be sure no dog feels that they
may loose there portion. Each dog knows when they are finished and don't generally bother the others -
even my fierce resource guarder, Spur! I do all the exercises referred to above with all my puppies and new
dogs to ensure that any guarding behavior is quickly nipped in the bud, or at the very least, totally toned
down to where the other dogs are bothered by it. I will not tolerate it if it includes guarding from people.

How can I get started? See some of the links below to help you. The key is, don't make it too
complicated...Balance over time! Some of the books referenced are useful, but their BARF diets are way too
complicated, required complicated recipes, hard to find ingredients and a lot of manual labor! It doesn't need
to be difficult!