What a day ..

[steve_r34]

Im not gonna switch him to raw anyway it wouldn't set right hes 8 when he was young I was gonna get him on a raw diet but never did due to b.s ... but I think im gonna try that recipe u have .. looks like it might work out .. ill mix it in with his food until I can weed out the food and have him strictly on that .. thanks for the info lady from tx

[SlitherinSisters]

Looks good! The puppy is super cute!

[Phantomtip]

Nice rack. Adorable pups. On the feeding raw diet. It's not a good idea. Unless you actually hunt the meat source and habe it processed, and grow the veggies completely organic then I would stick with a cooked diet. I love Blue Buffalo Wilderness. It's a completely grain free diet. It's expensive but well worth it in how much healthier my 4 legged children are. What kind of shelving did you use, or did you build the shelving yourself? I'm thinking I will have to get ready to build me one lol. I am looking at a pastel boy and cinny girl. I also want a few more girls. Just don't have the enclosures for them right now.

[steve_r34]

Brought them at Wal-Mart plastic shelving units .. but I put 2 together .. its not expensive they were 20 bucks a piece and heat tape wire and connectors is another 50/55 ... just depends what thermostat u use and how much u wanna spend on it

[JMinILM]

nice productive day. can you come have one of those at my house?

[satomi325]

Congrats on the rack and very cute pups!

Check out the Raw Diet thread: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...aphic-warning*
and Dog food thread: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...od-do-you-feed

You should never feed a dog raw meat. It exposes them to bacteria just like us. They're too domesticated for raw meat, unless you have a wolf hybrid. Here is the recipe. I make it in bulk and it feeds my two German Shepherds 3-4 days. My boyfriend uses a chicken recipe for his Rotts, but this is cheaper and just as healthy. Now remember my recipe makes A LOT! I have 100+ pound dogs and they go through a lot of food. Not to mention they are very active. Also, you'll need a HUGE boiling pot to make this much. If you are feeding a smaller dog just divide the recipe by 3. My mom does that for her pugs.

As a carnivore, dogs have highly acidic stomachs that are designed to digest raw meat. Because they do have these strong acids, special enzymes in their saliva, and short digestive tract, bacteria does not affect them the same way it affects a human.
Domestication does not change their stomachs from being intolerant of raw meat. Domestication gave dogs a small ability to break down carbohydrates due to living off human scraps, which still isn't great. They still thrive on raw diets.

Cooking meat takes out all of the essential nutrients and proteins out of meat. Feeding a properly balanced raw diet is actually the best diet for any carnivore.

All I can vouch for is what my vet told me, and he cautioned me against ever feeding raw. He's the one that gave me this recipe, and he said there are far more risks with feeding raw meat than there are benefits. I have to take his word for it. I'm glad lots of people have great success with feeding raw, but I'm not willing to risk it. Especially when it only takes a few minutes to cook the meat.

My vet from UCD vet school stated that raw is the best.
And the dogs I've seen on raw diets, are some of the best looking dogs I've ever seen. Their body conditions are amazing.

[steve_r34]

Thanks everyone

[TexanLady]

Again, all I can vouch for is what my vet told me. He treats my dogs, cats, horses, donkey, reptiles, and parrot. The recipe I gave is the one he uses, and he cautioned me against ever feeding raw. He said all it takes is one bad batch, and you've got a very sick dog that could end up fighting for it's life. He said you can eliminate the risk by cooking the meat, and it is just as healthy. I'm going to heed his warning, and continue cooking the meat for my pups. I'm glad raw works for you, but I'm unwilling to risk it and will continue to play it safe.

[TexanLady]

"Cooking meat takes out all of the essential nutrients and proteins out of meat. Feeding a properly balanced raw diet is actually the best diet for any carnivore."

And I'm not sure how true that statement can be. I'm definitely not a nutritionist, a doctor, or a vet, but I do know people are carnivores. We eat meat all the time, and as far as I know there is no doctor alive that recommends a person eat raw beef, chicken, turkey, or pork. And yet we are able to get the protein and nutrients we need from them after cooking. I know some of the nutrients are lost in the cooking process, but I highly doubt all of them are. If that were true we would all be severely nutrient deficient.

Again, if raw works for you, I'm glad. I'm glad you're happy with it, and I'm glad your animals enjoy it. To each their own.

[4theSNAKElady]

Wow...this thread go derailed quick...:/. Nice rack, cute puppy.

sent from my incubator