I have 2 dogs and 2 cats that I want to switch to raw.
The dogs are young (4 years old) so I think they'll take to the idea easily, but the cats are older then dirt (one is 17 and the other is 15) and they are not so thrilled with the idea.
My instinct is telling me that with the dogs I first want to break their dependency on the canned food before I good completely raw.  This morning they got 1/2 their normal wet food mixed with brazed chicken gizzards, cooked rice, raw carrots, and raw peas.
The cats are not so easy.  The big problem is that canned cat food have so much added scent that regular raw meat can't compete and a cat won't eat what they can't smell.
My female cat ( the 15 year old) has hyper thyroidism and takes medication, while the male (the 17 year old) is healthy except for a small heart murmur that's due to age, and the start of a kidney problem.  I have a new vet who is into more natural things and he already made us switch away from dry food.  I have not discussed a raw diet with him yet.

What's the best way to switch dogs and cats to a raw diet?
How much food are you supposed to give them?
What's the correct ratio of protein and carbs for dogs?

I am not sure whether you are talking about swapping them to a raw vegan diet or just a raw diet?

I feel my cats are too old and too set in their ways to swap them to a raw vegan diet. I personally feel it would be cruel for me to do this because it goes against their natural carnivore instincts. I don't really want to force my personal raw vegan choices on them, when they don't have a say in the matter.

However, I have recently made the switch from processed tinned meat to raw meat and steamed vegetables. Although the raw meat is better for their health, I think I may have opened a can of worms!

They are absolutely gorging themselves on the raw meat and can’t seem to get enough of it ~ not too fond of the steamed pumpkin though  .

They now simply refuse to eat the processed tinned stuff. Mores the pity because I really don’t like handling or cutting the meat up.

Anyway can you please clarify for me, are you talking about raw vegan pets or not?

Thanks for clearing that up, I was a bit confused.

Last month when we first looked, the local butcher advised that any sort of raw stewing steak was exceptionally good for cats.

The stewing steak is good quality stuff plus it has just the right amount of fat running through it, which is apparently very good for cats to chew through. Because processed canned stuff is really just minced up slosh, they get no opportunity to use their teeth to chew, which can led to mouth and gum problems.

We brought a cut called Gravy Steak and the little darlings are almost wetting themselves with excitement every meal time. We also gave them some raw chicken breast, which they also adored.

When they were very young we tried them on chicken wings, which are meant to be very good for cats but chewing on them all-seemed-too-much-effort-for-the-lazy-little-buggers!

When they were very young we also use to give them raw liver and raw kidneys but I just got to the point where I could not cut these up without dry retching, so had to cease.

A few years ago were using the pre-packaged VIP raw meat but our vet warned us off saying that the preservatives used are bad for the health of the cat. Apparently since the introduction of these types of pre-packed supermarket meats, the incidents of Alzheimer’s type diseases in cats and dogs has sky-rocketed.

For anyone in Sydney who wants to swap their cats and dogs onto raw meat but doesn’t want to actually handle the stuff themselves, here is the link for an organic natural pet food company:

http://www.balizwoofwoof.com.au

I have not tried them yet but will, as their products look very good and very natural.



(edited due to spelling mistake)

Thx- have tried organ meats but the girls don't go for them. My 1st cat was a rabbiter and would leave specific organs on the stoop for the fam. Unsure if those were choice or he disliked. Lol. My old girl loves eating grasses but the younger 2 don't care much about it! I understood they need it for digestive happiness... Heard corn is no good for cats/dogs but will offer this & that & see. Love