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Raw feeding the Krisannrio way
The two main choices I made when deciding how to raw feed my dogs were
1. I wanted to feed RMBs as a large part of the diet, instead of minced meat.
2. I wanted to incorporate fruit and veg into the plan
RAW MEATY BONES
Even when my dogs were commercially fed on kibble, they still recieved RMBs on a regular basis, I had noticed on a day when they had been fed bones, my pooper scooping duties were easier !! I had also noticed that my dogs all had wonderful teeth, when I made the transistion to raw it was easy to switch straight to RMBs, my dogs thought it was treat day.... every day !! and the reaction I was getting was far more enthusiastic than they had ever been about kibble !!
I looked into the dangers of feeding raw chicken bones, investigated the bacteria which can be associated with it..... ie salmonella, also what about Ecoli in red meat products?
I quickly learnt that a dogs digestive system is fully geared up to coping with both Ecoli and Salmonella, the only time they could be affected by it would be if their immune systems are down or weak....otherwise Salmonella is like extra protein for them and does not affect a healthy dog.
My dogs have never been ill because of the raw food which I have fed them, however, the first time I fed kidney to them I was a little over enthusiatic in the amount I gave and I did not back it up with the stabilising factor - RMBs - consequently we ended up with a day of hosepipe pooing, I learnt quickly not to do that again !! If I feed kidneys now, I do so sparingly !!
My fears over feeding raw chicken bones were soon laid to rest also, as I learned that bones are only dangerous if they are cooked, as this changes their compostition and makes them brittle, with a tendancy to splinter.
My heart was still in my mouth the first time I actually fed raw chicken, but I needn't have been worried, they were all fine and we haven't looked back 
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FEEDING FRUIT AND VEG.....
My choice to feed fruit and veg was not an easy one , the main arguement going on as to whether it is a necessary part of a raw diet is again based on wolf activity !!!
Some studies have shown that wolves in captivity do not eat the contents of the stomach of prey animals (these are captive packs who are probably well fed and know exactly where their next meal is coming from)
My theory is this - The Wolf living in the wild..... in a natural situation, when making a kill, is going to utilise every part of that kill, right down to the stomach contents, which in a prey animal is going to be full of partly digested vegetable matter, they are opportune feeders......they are not going to waste one scrap...... When they DON'T know where their next meal is coming from.
This therefore leads me to believe that vegetable matter is part of a natural diet of a carnivore, and although I don't feel it should make up a large part of the diet, I do feel it should be present.
This coupled with the fact that wolves do pick on berries and grasses, compare this with the action of your dogs, do your dogs graze and pick at grasses etc when out on a walk, mine certainly do !!
And finally........ there is nothing about fruit and veg that is going to conflict with your dogs digestion.......fed in small quantities, a couple of tablespoons, twice a week....... the way I see it is they are packed full of useful vitamins and nutrients, all of which are water soluble so your dog is never going to recieve more than is healthy as any excess vitamins would simply be peed out.
I do not advise feeding large amounts of fruit or veg to your dog, he does not need them daily, the only reason that I feed them at all is to make up for the lack of healthy tablescraps our household has to offer !!
I feed my dogs the veg pulp approximately once or twice a week, when I do feed it, I have to add it to a minced meat and mix thoroughly, only a couple of my dogs would eat it if I served it on it's own. If I run out of veg mix, I do not panic, sometimes it can take me a few weeks to make another batch, it is a useful addition to my diet, but not a vital component and it's absence for periods will not have a dramatic effect on my dog's health !!
To the veg and mince I then add raw eggs, crushed shell and all, but I do remove several of the whites..... as I do not like to feed too many, the yolk and shell is brilliant for them though
If I have natural yoghurt, or cottage cheese in the fridge, a small amount of this gets added too, generally the bowls are licked clean.
Please refer to Appropriate food to see how I prepare and store mine
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Having made my two choices.....
I then needed to work out some kind of plan to incorporate all the elements of the diet to ensure my dogs were receiving a balance over time.
At first I was fanatical about following the plan, then I began to relax, it didn't really matter if the dogs got beef on a chicken day or lamb hearts on a liver day, so long as they were getting a wide variety of different bones and meats, with a little veg, eggs and other bits and pieces, it didn't matter.
I also don't supplement with any pills or potions, the only thing I do occasionally add to their veg mix is apple cider vinigar and sometimes I will sprinkle a little kelp over the mince mix.
I use oils and pour them into 50p sized amounts daily for each dog, sometimes it's sunflower oil, sometimes I use olive oil, the dogs love them and lap them up on their own straight from the bowl.
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I feed RMBs every day.....
I would say that RMBs probably make up about 65% of my dogs diet, with about 35% of that being raw chicken, I feed the chicken mostly in back and wing form, with occasional carcases or whole birds, drumsticks or legs.
(If you feed drumsticks or legs not only are you providing your dog with important RMBs, you are also giving them muscle meat - which is an important part of this diet and should make up about 20 %)
Next are Lamb RMBs, these make up approx 20% of the diet, and I am lucky enought to have found a great contact for lamb bones, a small discount meats unit opened close to me and they bone out all their own carcases, they deal with approximately 2-3 lamb carcasses per week and I get all the bones
Next beef bones, these make up for about 10% of the diet.
I will happily feed Turkey drumsticks and wings, when I can get them.
Rabbit would be an extremely useful addition to this list and as yet I haven't managed to source a good supply of fresh ones, on the few occasions I have fed rabbit, I have bought them whole from the local produce market, but they were very expensive, however, my dogs loved them !!!
I only wish the UK catered for the raw diet as well as our americans friends - wouldn't have any trouble getting whole rabbits there, check this out......
http://www.hare-today.com/index.php?cPath=23
If I could get rabbit I would reduce the amount of chicken and replace some of it with rabbit If anyone reading this in the cheshire/merseyside area does have access to fresh rabbit ...please let me know 
I feed liver once a week.....sometimes kidney too.
I feed offal once a week, in the form of freeflow tripe, or when I can get it, fresh green tripe, straight from the abattoir...
I feed fresh or tinned fish once a week........
I feed hearts...lamb or ox, once or twice week.......(muscle meat)
I feed some kind of minced meat, with the veg mix in a couple of times a week in small quantities, they then get RMBs too !!
Eggs twice weekly
Natural yoghurt, baked beans, cottage cheese, cheese, table scraps are also fed occasionally.............. AND THAT IS IT !!!!!
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What about pork?......
Pork is not suitable for all dogs - some will get a reaction to it, therefore you will not find it included in many diets plans as you research this subject more thoroughly.
My dogs have never had a problem with it...... although I have never fed pork meat on it's own, if I have ever given them pork it has been in the form of a pigs trotter or leg bones, not so very long ago a friend gave me several fresh pigs heads, complete with eyeballs and teeth - yuk !!! The dogs were not too sure about them at first, but the labrador led the way and soon the were all having a munch, they got along fine with them, I however couldn't get my head around the fact that my dog was chomping on a pig's face 
So I shouldn't imagine they will be a regular on the menu !!!!!
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In conclusion.....
I am more than happy with this diet and so are my dogs I have fed a modified version of this diet throughout pregnancy and I have weaned pups onto it, pups which can be seen here :-
www.freewebs.com/krisannriogsds
I would never, ever go back to feeding my dogs a commercial diet now 
More and more people and vets are now becoming aware of the problems associated with commercial food.
The raw diet is gaining popularity again as people attempt to put right the things that have gone wrong with our beloved companions.
The raw diet is not a 'fix - all' cure......although it will go along way in helping to irradicate minor illnesses..... and fed in the long term, over generations, will help to bring back our dog's former robust health.
I see it more as a preventative measure, if you feed raw, you will not have to deal with any of the diet related illnesses with you own dogs which presently crowd out the modern vetinary surgery.
Now that's got to be a good insentive to try it
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May I refer you to the diet Tom Lonsdale promotes, it is his plan which I follow with my own dogs and the only diet I would recommend you follow, there are lots of impersonators out there, but if you see a diet with copious amounts of fruit and veg, milk, grains, nuts, seeds, and list of supplements then beware, you could be getting sucked into a Born Again Raw Feeder's domain (BARF)
Tom Lonsdale Veterinary Surgeon
PO Box 6096 Phone: +61 2 4578-1389
Windsor Delivery Centre Fax: +61 2 4578-1384
NSW 2756 E-mail: tom@rawmeatybones.com
Australia Web: www.rawmeatybones.com
January 2006 ©
Diet guide for domestic dogs and cats
Dingoes and feral cats keep themselves healthy by eating whole carcasses of prey animals. Ideally we should feed our pets in the same manner. Until a dependable source of whole carcasses becomes available, pet owners need a satisfactory alternative. The following recommendations, based on raw meaty bones, have been adopted by thousands of pet owners with excellent results.
The diet is easy to follow and cheap, and pets enjoy it.
• Fresh water constantly available.
• Raw meaty bones (or carcasses if available) should form the bulk of the diet.
• Table scraps both cooked and raw (grate or liquidise vegetables, discard cooked bones).
Puppies and kittens
From about three weeks of age puppies and kittens start to take an interest in what their mother is eating. By six weeks of age they can eat chicken carcasses, rabbits and fish.
During the brief interval between three and six weeks of age it is advisable to provide minced chicken, chicken carcasses or similar for young animals (as well as access to larger pieces that encourage ripping and tearing). This is akin to the part-digested food regurgitated by wild carnivore mothers. Large litters will need more supplementary feeding than small litters. (The meat and bone should be minced together. Meat off the bone can be fed, but only for a short time, until the young animals can eat meat and bone together — usually about six weeks of age.)
Between four and six months of age puppies and kittens cut their permanent teeth and grow rapidly. At this time they need a plentiful supply of carcasses or raw meaty bones of suitable size.
Puppies and kittens tend not to overeat natural food. Food can be continuously available.
Natural foods suitable for pet carnivores
Raw meaty bones
• Chicken and turkey carcasses, after the meat has been removed for human consumption, are suitable for dogs and cats. • Poultry by-products include: heads, feet, necks and wings. • Whole fish and fish heads. • Goat, sheep, calf, deer and kangaroo carcasses can be sawn into large pieces of meat and bone. • Other by-products include: pigs’ trotters, pigs’ heads, sheep heads, brisket, tail bones, rib bones.
Whole carcasses
• Rats, mice, rabbits, fish, chickens, quail, hens.
Offal
• Liver, lungs, trachea, hearts, omasums (stomach of ruminants), tripe.
Quality — Quantity — Frequency
Healthy animals living and breeding in the wild depend on the correct quality of food in the right quantity at a correct frequency. They thereby gain an appropriate nutrient intake plus the correct amount of teeth cleaning — animals, unlike humans, ‘brush’ and ‘floss’ as they eat.
Quality
Low-fat game animals and fish and birds provide the best source of food for pet carnivores. If using meat from farm animals (cattle, sheep and pigs) avoid excessive fat, or bones that are too large to be eaten.
Dogs are more likely to break their teeth when eating large knuckle bones and bones sawn lengthwise than if eating meat and bone together.
Raw food for cats should always be fresh. Dogs can consume ‘ripe’ food and will sometimes bury bones for later consumption.
Quantity
Establishing the quantity to feed pets is more an art than a science. Parents, when feeding a human family, manage this task without the aid of food consumption charts. You can achieve the same good results for your pet by paying attention to activity levels, appetite and body condition.
High activity and big appetite indicate a need for increased food, and vice versa.
Body condition depends on a number of factors. The overall body shape — is it athletic or rotund — and the lustre of the hair coat provide clues. Use your finger tips to assess the elasticity of the skin. Does it have an elastic feel and move readily over the muscles? Do the muscles feel well toned? And how much coverage of the ribs do you detect? This is the best place to check whether your pet is too thin or too fat. By comparing your own rib cage with that of your pet you can obtain a good idea of body condition — both your own and that of your pet.
An approximate food consumption guide, based on raw meaty bones, for the average pet cat or dog is 15 to 20 percent of body weight in one week or 2 to 3 percent per day. On that basis a 25 kilo dog requires up to five kilos of carcasses or raw meaty bones weekly. Cats weighing five kilos require about one kilo of chicken necks, fish, rabbit or similar each week. Table scraps should be fed as an extra component of the diet. Please note that these figures are only a guide and relate to adult pets in a domestic environment.
Pregnant or lactating females and growing puppies and kittens may need much more food than adult animals of similar body weight.
Wherever possible, feed the meat and bone ration in one large piece requiring much ripping, tearing and gnawing. This makes for contented pets with clean teeth.
Frequency
Wild carnivores feed at irregular intervals. In a domestic setting regularity works best and accordingly I suggest that you feed adult dogs and cats once daily. If you live in a hot climate I recommend that you feed pets in the evening to avoid attracting flies.
I suggest that on one or two days each week your dog may be fasted — just like animals in the wild.
On occasions you may run out of natural food. Don’t be tempted to buy artificial food, fast your dog and stock up with natural food the next day.
Puppies, cats, ferrets, sick or underweight dogs should not be fasted (unless on veterinary advice).
Table scraps
Wild carnivores eat small amounts of omnivore food, part-digested in liquid form, when they eat the intestines of their prey. Our table scraps, and some fruit and vegetable peelings, are omnivore food which has not been ingested. Providing scraps do not form too great a proportion of the diet they appear to do no harm and may do some good. I advise an upper limit of one-third scraps for dogs and rather less for cats. Liquidising scraps, both cooked and raw, in the kitchen mixer may help to increase their digestibility.
Things to avoid
•Excessive meat off the bone — not balanced.
•Excessive vegetables — not balanced.
•Small pieces of bone — can be swallowed whole and get stuck.
•Cooked bones — get stuck.
•Mineral and vitamin additives — create imbalance.
•Processed food — leads to dental and other diseases.
•Excessive starchy food — associated with bloat.
•Onions, garlic and chocolate — toxic to pets.
•Grapes, raisins, sultanas, currants — toxic to pets.
•Fruit stones (pits) and corn cobs — get stuck.
•Milk — associated with diarrhoea. Animals drink it whether thirsty or not and consequently get fat. Milk sludge sticks to teeth and gums.
Take care
• Old dogs and cats addicted to a processed diet may experience initial difficulty when changed on to a natural diet. • Pets with misshapen jaws and dental disease may experience difficulties with a natural diet. • Create variety. Any nutrients fed to excess can be harmful. • Liver is an excellent foodstuff but should not be fed more than once weekly. • Other offal, e.g. ox stomachs, should not exceed 50 percent of the diet. • Whole fish are an excellent source of food for carnivores, but avoid feeding one species of fish constantly. Some species, e.g. carp, contain an enzyme which destroys thiamine (vitamin B1). • There are no prizes for the fattest dog on the block, nor for the fastest. Feed pets for a lifetime of health. Prevention is better than cure.
Miscellaneous tips
Domestic dogs and cats are carnivores. Feeding them the appropriate carnivore diet represents the single most important contribution to their welfare.
Establish early contact with a dependable supplier of foodstuffs for pet carnivores.
Buy food in bulk in order to avoid shortages.
Package the daily rations separately for ease of feeding.
Refrigerated storage space, preferably a freezer, is essential.
Raw meaty bones can be fed frozen just like ice cream. Some pets eat the frozen article; others wait for it to thaw.
Small carcasses, for example rats, mice and small birds, can be fed frozen and complete with entrails. Larger carcasses should have the entrails removed before freezing.
Take care that pets do not fight over their food.
Protect children by ensuring that they do not disturb feeding pets.
Feeding bowls are unnecessary — the food will be dragged across the floor — so feed pets outside by preference, or on an easily cleaned floor.
Ferrets are small carnivores which can be fed in the same way as cats.
For an expanded description of dietary requirements, including the potential hazards, please consult the books Raw Meaty Bones: Promote Health and Work Wonders: Feed your dog raw meaty bones. Further information, links and RMB Newsletters: http://www.rawmeatybones.com
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