Questions about raw transition

[drubole]

Mschauer,

Thank you again.  I really like the idea of that.  The feathers, guts etc. It makes perfect sense to me since, we have alot of ferel cats in and around our home who are goregous.  Never see a vet, winter outside, and are stunning looking. I am going to do some reading.  I live in upstate NY.  I know that the pet center has a cooler/freezer  with dog food, so we are going to see what it is today. Maybe they have cat food too.  And Thank You so much for the liver advice...that is exactly what I was worried about, portion amounts etc. to avoid doing damage.  Just a quick update...we can already tell they are much more satisfied.  They ate 5 times yesterday, but we are up late, so we feed them before we go to bed.  I'm just heaping it in their bowls and putting anything they walk away from back till next time. If they finish it, I put another spoonful in...They are all bordering on thin, except Gabby who is shorter and more "robust"!  I'm thinking I hope he "smashes" these chicken quarters to get them thru the grinder while I am at work..I AM so grateful to have his help, that's why I changed our avitar, because that speaks of "my Man", and of course Dick, as well (snuggling with Dad) Thanks again, hope you had a great day.

 

[mschauer]

You worry me when you talk about "smashing" the chicken quarters to get them through the grinder. There shouldn't be any need to smash them if the meat has been removed from the bone and you should be adding only meat to the 4.4 lbs of backs you made the recipe with.

Please tell me you understand that when you use 4.4 lbs of chicken backs that you MUST add 13 lbs of meat + liver + heart + gizzards with ABSOLUTELY NO additional bone. The chicken backs should be the ONLY ingredient that contains bone.

 

[ldg]

You worry me when you talk about "smashing" the chicken quarters to get them through the grinder. There shouldn't be any need to smash them if the meat has been removed from the bone and you should be adding only meat to the 4.4 lbs of backs you made the recipe with.

Just to reiterate, what needed to be added to the recipe was MEAT, not meat with more bone. "Chicken quarters" include bone.

A balanced diet has a rather narrow window for a proper balance of calcium and phosphorus. Bone has both, but is high in calcium. Meat is high in phosphorus. Dr. Pierson's recipe as it is written is properly balanced with meat and bone (calcium and phosphorus). mschauer provided exact instructions to make the recipe that was made match the correct proportions of Dr. Pierson's recipe. If any more bone is added, the diet will not be nutritionally adequate.

To be clear, to properly modify the batch that was made with chicken backs, the meat you should have added needed to be boneless.

 

[drubole]

I understand the ratio.  I have the recipe on the ****.  The 1/4's we get have the backs attached, so I was mistakingly thinking he was going to (in the future) just grind up the whole 1/4...not so..he's using only the meat from the 1/4's and the backs will be ground. For this batch we had to buy 4 10# bags of legs and thighs to get the amount of meat he needed.  Which is what we added, only the leg/thigh meat. Some course ground and some chunked a bit.  I think it is absolutely wonderful how concerned and helpful you all are.  I am so grateful you are all here, and for all your help. 

 

[mschauer]

Thank you for reassuring us! I was really worried that you might be adding still more bone. 

You are *really* lucky to have someone to remove the meat from 40# of chicken quarters! 

 

[ldg]

Thank you for reassuring us! I was really worried that you might be adding still more bone. :lol3:

You are *really* lucky to have someone to remove the meat from 40# of chicken quarters! 

You two make an amazing team! And you are SOO lucky! :lol3: He's a KEEPER!!!!!! :bigthumb:

 

[drubole]

I came home from work and he holds up this huge stainless steel bowl full of chunked chicken with this accomplished smile on his face...very proud of himself as he should be.   He actually enjoys it. We like watching them shove the hunks to the side and gnaw on it with their eyes closed like they're in kitty heaven... We know it is the right thing to do.  Is it common for them to actually act differently?  They seem more content.  I am doing like you said and giving the Smudgester as much as his little 10 m/o heart desires...Doodle is my sweety pie passive one who will let the kitten push him aside....  Dick wouldn't let Smudge near him, and now they play musical bowls with no noise at all...And Gabby (we call him the "freah air kid") we think he was "dropped off".  People see a barn...at least they didn't take him to the county..we couldn't have ordered a better cat...he seems to want small meals more often (he's a Russian Blue)We do make a good team.  We have a cool "history". So it's funny you should say that! Enjoy your weekend all and thanks for caring!

 

[mschauer]

That's a wonderful report! Your guy should be proud of himself. I hope you heaped praise on him! 

And yes, many report positive behavior changes in their kitties after they switch to a raw diet. I guess it makes sense. I know I'm less cranky when I feel better and I think a raw diet can make them feel better.

 

[mschauer]

I just realized I left out the B-complex in my recipe adjustments. You need to add at least 290 mg of B-complex to your recipe to match Dr. Pierson's recommendations. 

 

[drubole]

Hello Again, Just wanted to update and say, yes, we do add the B complex.  I could only find the tablets, so I just crush them and add them to the water, yolk, sup. mixture.  I have actually been helping with the whole process.  From cutting the meat off the bones, and then chopping and grinding.  We did all the math and weigh everything to the T, even made notes on the recipe of the tares on the bowls we use!  I am reassured by the fact that our finish product looks like that on the Dr.s site. The more reading I am doing the more grateful I am that all 4 cats took to this like it was all they've ever wanted.  The cat that pretty much  told us he wanted raw (stole a chicken breast off the counter)  was thin, and just wasn't acting right and all the vet wanted to do was give him different food...hmmm...This same cat is now actually initiating play for the first time in years, we couldn't believe it!  It makes us feel so good, and grateful!  Thanks for all your help, I seriously couldn't have done it without all of the research and time you all put in for us.

 

[ldg]

Aw, that is GREAT! SO rewarding when they love the food - and you can see them thriving from it! :heart2:

 

[mschauer]

Fantastic news! Yeah, it's definitely easier when our little furries don't resist eating what is best for them!

Thanks for the update!