LAMB RIBS FOR THE KIDS

Last Saturday, the kids had their first taste of lamb. I bought them Autralian Lamb Ribs and I must say it went well.

Belle and Rascal had 2 ribs each and a breast quarter, while Cleo and Lucky had 3 ribs each and a breast quarter.

Rascal attacked the ribs first and then took a little break and then ate his wings.

The rest of them ate their chicken quarters first and then contemplated how to eat the ribs as it was quite large. I didn't serve them the ribs individually but in a "rack" if you can call it that as it was only 2 and 3 ribs per piece.

 

 As you can see the piece for Cleo is quite large. But she enjoyed it nonetheless... 

 

Lucky decided to have his lamb on the sofa! It was a bit icky but I didn't mind - seeing as this sofa is really theirs anyway...

So yes, they definitely like lamb ribs, and so it shall be a regular feature in their meals from now on.

Observations: 
Every dog was quite content after the meal. This meal was a double meal actually as I decided that they needed to fast the next day to give their tummies a break.

Every dog seemed perfectly fine the next day with no food. No one seemed hungry so that was good.

They all had good poos the next day as well although it was a bit darker than the normal light yellow/grey colour.

Thoughts:
Apparently, alot of raw feeders practice fasting their dogs on a weekly basis. This is supposed to be very good for them, and Lucky already does it on his own... He skips a meal once a week and he seems perfectly fine. I am not sure if I will do this every week just yet though.

Source : RawFed.com

"Fasting is implemented by many raw feeders with great results, and mimics a condition seen commonly in wild canids. Fasting is known to have wonderful benefits in cleansing and toning the body while helping the dog lay down muscle, not fat.

The fast also allows raw feeders to feed bigger raw meaty bones on the other days and gives the digestive system a "break".

One technique commonly used with fasting is called the "Gorge and Fast" technique. The dog receives a large meal the night before the fast, and then fasts the entire next day.

Some people give a light breakfast the morning after the fast, while others just wait until evening to feed the dog its full meal.

Some feeders incorporate this technique even further by having several fasts per week, each preceded by a gorge night (where the dog may eat something like a whole chicken or a whole turkey or half a goat in one sitting).

This mimics a more natural way of eating and allows the dog to actually eat until it is full, allowing the stomach and intestines to fully function as they were designed to.

Regardless of what method you choose, once the dog is old enough/ready, at least one day of fasting should be incorporated.

Often the dog will dictate this for you, particularly if it has had a large meal the day before. If your dog eats sporadically—heartily one day, then picking at food the next—incorporate a fast day on the day your dog would usually be picking at its food. Also keep in mind that canids are incredible fasters and can go for weeks without food (Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation.)."

So whose bed is it anyway?

Cleo and Mishka claiming ownership of the bed this morning!

Kids Snoozing in their Thundershirts While a Storm is Brewing

A storm is brewing... The rain isn't here yet but we've had lots of lightning and rumbling thunder.

Thankfully all kids are calmly snoozing in their Thundershirts.

To get one for your furkid email me at cleopatrathelabrador@gmail.com or for more details visit:

http://www.cleopatrathelabrador.blogspot.com/p/thundershirts.html

MISHKA THE CAT AND RAW FOOD

Hello folks...

I know I havent written much about raw food and Mishka the cat... I guess it's cause it was progressing quite slowly...Apparently, cats can either take to it immediately or take ages to make the switch. In my case, Mishka took about a month before I could get him on 100% raw.

So for those of you who might be interested in making the switch to raw for your cats, here's how I did it...

Firstly, I stopped the kibble "buffet" for Mishka. He used to have his kibble available 24/7 and would just eat whenever he felt like it. So I started putting the kibble down at set times 3 times a day for about 30 minutes a time and then removing it. 

Then I introduced chicken breast meat (cut into tiny pieces - almost like mince) for one of the meals. He started eating the chicken quite happily but would not have alot of it. This was then increased to 2 meals a day. So he only had kibble once a day. 

It is important not to mix the kibble and the raw food in one meal (in my opinion) as they have different digestion rates. So your kitty might get a tummy upset if you mixed it. I usually make sure there's a 6 hour gap between kibble and raw...

By week 4 I finally managed to get Mishka on 100% raw chicken meat. He was however determined not to have any BONES! He would really turn his nose up at the bones. 

I have therefore, decided to grind the bones with a bit of meat and feed it to him, and he loves this... He still gets 2 meals of just raw chicken meat (cut into pieces - a little bigger now) and 1 meal of ground meat and bones... :-)

I tried to introduce some liver and gizzard to Mishka a couple of days ago... He hates the liver but is quite happy with the gizzard... So I will have to look for some other ways to supplement Mishka I guess. 

 

What I have learnt however is that with cats, you just have to keep trying and not give up. And apparently, if they dislike something one day, the could like it a couple of weeks down the line.

This morning he had a meal of raw mackerel and chicken which he enjoyed. However, it is also important not to give your cat too much fish as it is not a natural food for cats. See Raw Meat Cat Food for more information.

Observations:
Mishka started pooping alot less when I added the raw meat to his diet. And his poop was a lot less stinky.

He did give me a scare though once we were 100% raw. After the first few days, he only pooped once every 2/3 days - which was fine as I have read that some cats do this as the food that they are now eating is so muhc more digestible that there is very little waste.

However,by the end of the first week, he didn't poop for 4 days. I felt his stomache and it was quite normal in my opinion but I took him to the vet anyway. My vet checked him and didn't think there was anything wrong either. But told me to bring him back if he still does not poop in another 2/3 days.

Mishka pooped as soon as we got back from the vet, and he pooped the next day... And then he went for 6 days without pooping... I was worried again by day 4 but he felt normal and so I told myself that he will go to the vet again by day 6 if he still does not poop. He finally pooped on day 6 (yesterday) and this morning.

Mishka did not show any signs of being ill or abnormal during this time, so although I was worried I kind of knew that he wasn't sick per se. His eyes were bright and he was alert. His stomache felt normal and he was active and playful as usual. And he was eating all of his food. So I will see what happens over the next week - we will be on Week 7 of raw, Week 3 of 100% raw. Yay!

The most significant change in Mishka so far is that he really is shedding alot less. I have mentioned previously that he had to be brushed every day with a slicker brush and I get about 4 or 5 loads of fur each day. It went down to about a load a day, and now I only brush him once every 2 or 3 days and I don't even get half a load of fur! This is really great...

The other thing is that Mishka has always had an issue with his ears. I constantly have to check his ears to make sure that they are okay. His ears also seem to be improving now... :-)

Introducing Liver & Gizzard to the kids

I introduced chicken liver and gizzard to the kids for their breakfast today.

Cleo and Rascal gobbled it all up in a few seconds. Lucky struggled a little but ate it in the end.

Poor Belle, however, could not quite understand what these things were. She tried really hard to eat it but just couldn't. :-(

So for the first time ever, Belle skipped a meal!

I'll try again this evening and see if she will eat it.

UPDATE: Belle didn't manage to eat the liver and gizzard this evening either. She tried really hard to eat them but gave up after a half hour... Poor thing...

Vege Purée!

Made a vege purée with yoghurt for the kids today: lettuce, capsicum and cherry tomatoes.

They all loved it except Cleo as usual.

CLEO CHOMPING ON A CHICKEN LEG QUARTER

THE QUALITY OF PET FOOD INGREDIENTS