Kristin's Switching Thread/Jackie

[Deleted]

Any updates?

[kristin]

Alrighty - I'm putting together a Menu for Cricket this week and I'll post it. She is eating everything without incident, as long as it's either ground or a neck/wing/leg.

BUT I have a new project! I acquired a new girl on Saturday and she's eating kibble. She's tiny but about 6 months old, normal weight. She wouldn't touch the wet cat food, nor the raw ground food. Just the kibble.

So I think this switch is going to be more of a challenge! Right now I'm giving her Wellness grain-free Cat/Kitten kibble. What's the next step?

[Deleted]

Do you have a blender? Make some nice soup, consistency of yogurt, maybe a bit more watery. Use a boneless meat so it doesn't ruin your blender and add some powdered eggshell if you have any. Also add some pumpkin (1/2 tsp). If she doesn't go for it.", blend in some of the cat food.

[kristin]

I do have a blender -- a mighty powerful one (Vitamix). I'll try the soup tonight.

Thanks!

[Deleted]

Hope she takes to it well! She is a bit older so it might not be as easy as Cricket was. You might to to scruff her and get her to taste it. Try dabbing a bit on her nose, and maybe spoon feed her. Getting her to TRY it will be the hardest part. Once she gets a taste, she might just go for it. Then you can start adding the ground and bone in meats slowly.

Good luck and fingers crossed she doesn't give you any issues! She's adorable BTW

[kristin]

Oooh - one more question for you. What's the protocol for keeping the humans healthy around the raw meat? I'm actually a vegetarian and have never had the stuff in the house before. I've been disinfecting everything and washing my hands with antibacterial soap. I also have separate sponges and such for the animal bowls.

It may be a total coincidence, but my boyfriend got sick about 4 days ago with a nasty stomach virus -- diahrrea and cramps for days -- I was convinced I gave him e.coli from having the raw meat in the fridge.

Are there any safety tips I should follow?

Thanks!

[Deleted]

Hmm, well I'm probably not the best person to ask about this as I'm not the more "careful" person when it comes to raw. I use regular dish soap (separate sponge) and then give ferret bowls and stuff a good spray with a 50/50 white vinegar/water solution.

For cage cleaning, I use the same spray bottle of vinegar. Wipe down with a paper towel or rag.

Hand cleaning, I have some hand sanitizer for quick cleaning, usually just wash hands good with hot soap and water, when I touch the girls food bowls, litter box etc. That's about it. I work with it every day and I've never gotten sick from the raw (yet ). I'd love a separate cutting board, but I don't have much counter space. It's glass so I figure it's easy enough to clean, right

[kristin]

Well that makes me feel much better! I'm happy with my level of care -- I do have a separate cutting board, mostly just because I like to use a wood one for all non-meat items and a poly one for meat since it's not porous.

My BF is totally sure I didn't get him sick, but the timing was pretty funny - you have to admit!

[Deleted]

Definitely! Let me know how Sabine does with the raw

[kristin]

Hi Jackie!

Well we decided to name her "Marlee" in honor of the deaf actress, Marlee Matlin.

The soup was a big hit with both Marlee and Cricket. I was worried about the kibble being out because I didn't want Cricket to start eating that and "backslide." She's such a little piggie.

So I blended up some boneless chicken, some rabbit with bone, and a little bit of beef liver and added water until it was the consistency of mousse. I added some canned Wellness and served it up.

Marlee wasn't sure at first but I took the kibble away earlier in the day so I'm sure she was hungry. I wiped some on her nose, and she just walked around for a few minutes like that. She's not the brightest bulb.

Then I put some on my finger and wiped it in her mouth and led her to the bowl and she began eating it gingerly. When I came back later the whole bowl was empty between the two of them.

So that's good!

I think ideally I'd like to create a mixed chow that I could make in batches and then freeze in portions, and supplement it with meaty bones (necks, wings, legs). This seems easiest and also the best way to make sure all the bases are covered as far as proportions. I saw a recipe around here that I believe you posted via Hannah. It looks ideal for the way I'd like to feed. Do you think it would be appropriate for my little ones?

2 whole chickens, breasts set aside
1 lb pork shoulder roast, ½ set aside
1 lb chicken gizzards, sliced along the tendons
1 lb chicken hearts, whole
1 lb beef/pork heart
1 lb chicken feet*
1 lb bag mixed duck parts if available (feet if included*)
1 lb beef stir fry scraps, ½ set aside
1 lb lake smelt, some left whole

Chop the above into roughly 1/2”-2” chunks unless otherwise noted, crunch any thick bones with a meat mallet so they're also about that size.

breasts from chickens
½ pork shoulder
½ beef scraps
1 lb beef/pork/chicken liver
1 lb pork kidney/spleen
½ lb unbleached blanket tripe
½ acorn squash, seeded and baked til soft
A handful or two of chopped spinach

Grind the above, mix well, then mix it in with the stuff from the top so everything's well coated. Freeze in appropriately sized servings and thaw as needed.

Let me know what you think. I've got my new meat grinder rarin' to go.

Thanks for all your help with this stuff!

[Deleted]

So you'd like to feed ground raw for the most part, supplemented with RMB? That's fine

Once you've gotten Marlee (sorry about the name mix up ) to eat everything Cricket is eating, we will get a menu set up and work out all the kinks.

So since she loved the soup, I think making it thicker is a good next step. You could try straight ground and see how she does with it. If she doesn't go for it, make it a thick soupy with ground chunks in it

[kristin]

Her name was going to be Sabine until we discovered she was deaf. My BF named her after Marlee Matlin, the actress.

And yes, raw ground supplemented with RMB seems ideal to me, as long as that's good for them.

I'll try the soup a little thicker tonight. Today it's about the consistency of canned cat food. Chicken/liver smoothie.

I can't get Cricket to eat chunks, either -- should I gradually increase the size? I added chunks to the ground food she was eating and she'd eat all around the chunks and leave them.

[Deleted]

If they are both refusing chunks, just start making the soup thicker. Once it's pretty thick, start slipping in chunks of ground or slivers of meat. I find skinny sliver work best, but the ground chunks might work too. You could also try a chicken wing, smash it a couple times with a hammer/mallet and then use a knife or scissors and cut it into small pieces. You could cover it in soup and see if anyone decides they want to try it. The bone marrow is really yummy and babies love the stuff

[Deleted]

Any updates?

[kristin]

So Cricket and Marlee are both eating the ground raw now. Cricket is eating necks and wings with gusto. She also ate a few super worms - she loves them now.

Marlee seems to have a hard time eating -- Waardenburg jaw thing? -- so I'm hesitant to introduce chunks. She tried to eat some neck and got a piece of cartilage swewered on her teeth and I had to pull it off for her with tweezers.

Would smashing up the neck or wing help her eat it more easily? I can try that next. She just seems to have a hard time chewing and I think her jaw needs to strengthen up.