I will be getting my berner in a week and just wondering if many people do the raw food diet. I see a lot of benefits to it, but obviously more preparation time and balancing of protein carbs veggies supplements etc.

I have come to the conclusion that I will feed him Go! Grain Free adult kibble until he is older 9mths or so, then switch over "maybe"....after I have done more research on this issue.

I checked different foods on Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble and the Go seems like a pretty good food and the boxer I used to have ate this brand and loved it.

Another question is, does anyone continue feeding a good brand of kibble but also add any "cooked" meat, plain yogurt, veggies etc to there existing diet of kibble. If you do this, at what age should you start cooking for your bernese, maybe 9months is to long to wait????

If anyone does cook for there berner, is lean ground beef and brown rice the main ingredients in there recipes.
Also I have heard fish once a week (poached and deboned) is very good for them also.

Any info would be appreciated, as I just want to do what is best for my dog, and I believe diet and exercise to be very very important.
If anyone has any recipes they use, please feel free to post them, I would love to see what others are feeding.

c'mon berner people.....100 people have looked at this and no one has a reply.....lol

My female Berner is on raw during the winter months, other then that she is on dry kibble. She does great on raw and I find it no more expensive then a good quality kibble. I do not cook the meat before I give it to her as if loses a lot of it nutritional value when it is cooked, plus cooked bones like chicken could splinter and get stuck in their throats. Raw is not for everyone, or every dog. One thing to keep in mind is when you do start feeding raw your dog will go through a clensing process, where his/her body is detoxing and poop may be runny and slimmy, this is normal and after the body adjusts to digesting raw you will have no problem. Also, start with just one meat type at a time. I started with chicken and fed it for a 2 weeks before introducing a new meat, turkey, I found the only thing my dog could not eat was pork, but every dog is different. I am no expert on this I only know from personal experience. There are tons of helpful sites that would be able to better assist you. Have you tried talking to your vet? I know not all vets know the benefits of raw and most will try to stear you away but you may be able to find a holistic vet to help you out?

thanks Kierstyn for responding, I appreciat the info....i have bought books, searched the net etc and now I am just getting confused....lol
so much to know re: supplements, vegetable intake etc etc...

I also had a boxer....is your's hyper as hell to.....lol

One thing to remember is that dogs are natural born carnivores, some may disagree, but dogs are not designed to digest vegetables, with a raw diet these, along with suppliments are not needed if the correct portions are fed.

Raw food needs to be fresh and uncontaminated. On the other hand, commercial dog food is more convenient. Just make sure you buy pet food of a trusted brand. Many people prefer a mix of raw and dry kibble for their dogs. Do what you find convenient and according to what your dog shows preference for.

If you decide to feed veg and fruit blitz them in a processor frst so the dog digests them.

You can freeze them in ice cube trays this way and just defrost a few at a time.

Originally Posted by dean9922

I will be getting my berner in a week and just wondering if many people do the raw food diet. I see a lot of benefits to it, but obviously more preparation time and balancing of protein carbs veggies supplements etc.

I have come to the conclusion that I will feed him Go! Grain Free adult kibble until he is older 9mths or so, then switch over "maybe"....after I have done more research on this issue.

I checked different foods on Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble and the Go seems like a pretty good food and the boxer I used to have ate this brand and loved it.

Another question is, does anyone continue feeding a good brand of kibble but also add any "cooked" meat, plain yogurt, veggies etc to there existing diet of kibble. If you do this, at what age should you start cooking for your bernese, maybe 9months is to long to wait????

If anyone does cook for there berner, is lean ground beef and brown rice the main ingredients in there recipes.
Also I have heard fish once a week (poached and deboned) is very good for them also.

Any info would be appreciated, as I just want to do what is best for my dog, and I believe diet and exercise to be very very important.
If anyone has any recipes they use, please feel free to post them, I would love to see what others are feeding.

Hi,
I am a total raw advocate. I put my now 19 month old Berner on a raw diet at 6 month after months of battling diarrehea for several months. I am lucky enough to have a neighbor who has fed raw for years and has mentored me along the way plus I have done lots of research and read quite a few books by now. She finally convinced me to get it a try since nothing else worked and within 3 days the diarrhea stopped. He has wonderful poops now lol. His teeth are beautiful and his I get so many compliments on his coat. It's wonderful. Does it sound like I'm bragging. Sorry Anyway, I started him off on chicken wings. He was still getting 3 meals a day at that point. A adult dog should get 2 to 3 % of their total body weight but a puppy can get anywhere from 5 to 10%. I have never fed more than 5% because I like my dogs lean. NO rolly polly puppies. Not good for their joints. Yukon is now 100 lbs and gets about 2 lbs a day. I gave the chicken wings for about 2 weeks because I was nervous about switching stuff up to quickly. Just thaw and put in bowl. I do weigh out my food so I am sure not to give to much or to little. Just keep feeling the sides. You should easily feel the ribs but you don't want them sticking out either. After two weeks I made two of the meals chicken wings and introduced ground beef as his evening meal. Your RMB'S or raw meaty bones ex: chicken wings,necks,backs turkey wings,necks etc. should make up anywhere from 40 to 50% of his total intake. Some of the books I've read started out at 60% RMB's but now they are saying 40 to 50%. If their is no reaction to the beef after a week I would introduce another protein source. Ground Turkey, pork venison, fish. ect. making sure I would allow enough time between each incase their was some type of allergy reaction. Yukon was fine with all of it. It's funny but they do get their favorites. Yukon is not real big on rabbit. But, don't get stuck feeding one type of portein source. I also have a 6 month old Berner now and I started him on raw the day I brought him home at 8 weeks. I did pound the wings for couple of weeks but he managed pretty darn good chewing up those things. It's so wonderful to watch them really ENJOYING their food.To continue, after I cut Yukon back to two meals a day the morning meal is rmb's and the evening meal is meat. You also need to give some offal which is organ meats ex: lung,heart, liver gizzards etc. If you gets some books it really helps to know what is what. This should only be about 10% of the total. I usually give one evening meal a week of organ meats. Their stools can get alittle bit loose because these meats are so rich. Even in the raw world there seems to be some that feed veggies and others that don't. I'm on the fence. I do sometimes but mainly to keep my vet happy. I will blend a bunch of veggies in my food processor and freeze the mix in tupperware. Then when I want to give some I will thaw and mix some in the meat meal a couple of days in a row until the mixture is gone. Yukon is not crazy about just plain veggies but eats them fine if they are mixed into his meat. I also switched my 11 year old shepard to raw the same time I did my Berner. He had no problems, loves it and the vet says his teeth look great for a 11 year old dog. The rmb's are great teeth cleaners. Sorry, I feel like I am jumping around. I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you have after reading this book lol. It really is very easy. I have two freezers that I use just for dog food but I am feeding 3 dogs over 80 lbs each. I buy in bulk with my neighbor. I'll buy 150 lbs at a time but it is much cheaper that way. Takes some prep that day seperating and freezing everything but then I am set for awhile. Just make sure you have enough food thawed out the night before. If you forget and don't have anything than canned salmon or mackeral fish is always a wonderful meal. Mine love it. Sorry to run on. As you can see I am all for it. Anyway, just let me know if you have any questions.
Katie

Molly eats Go! and really likes it. I did a lot of research before deciding on a food for her. She's 2 now and in really good shape. I've never really considered raw just because kibble is so convenient, especially for when she is kenneled or looked after by family. That being said she has metamucil in her food which completely solved her diarrhea issues. I do give her raw meat every once in a while but it's more as a treat.

I just started my Baloo on Acana. I started with the Grain free but I think it was too rich for him.
He was having horrible bathroom visits lots during the night so I have changed him to the regular Large breed puppy Acana.
I think this is a very good kibble from what I've heard and the closest to raw thats not raw if you know what I mean.