Dogs

[WildWolf]

Does anyone raise meat rabbits for their dogs? If so, how much rabbit makes up their diet? Do you feed completely raw (I am transitioning my dog over to a raw fed diet)? Can rabbit be the primary source of protein? I would think that it would, but I want to see if anyone has actually done this. Thanks!

 

[skysthelimit]

I raise rabbits, or at least I got them with the sold purpose of feeding them to my dogs. Right now, I don't have enough litters and does in play to feed them more than 1lb of rabbit meat per month. ideally I'd like it to be more like one rabbit a week, about 2lbs a week, which would be about 1/5 of their weekly food ration. I feed completely raw, sometimes fur own, though I am currently having some concerns about feeding the intestines (too much reading is sometimes bad). I would not think rabbit would be the primary source, not enough fat, you would have a lean dog, and I need the fat for the coats of my show animals. Then you could get plenty of fat from other sources.

 

[ladysown]

if you feed rabbit, you'll need to feed some source of additional fat. Rabbit tends to be too lean for the diet of most carnivores.

 

[WildWolf]

Thanks. Is there any other nutrient a rabbit is lacking besides fat?

 

[3mina]

Rabbit is a high protein critter, more so than chicken, beef and pork. I'm breeding for my dogs and I'm aiming for 2-3 lbs a week since I feed tripe and organ meat as well so I'm not worried about the fat intake

 

[caroline]

My dogs, 120 lb. pyr & 85 lb. Kuvasz,are totally raw fed. They get mostly rabbit and some lamb. I feed about 6 lbs. of rabbit a day, when i feed rabbit. They get the whole thing. I used to skin and gut the rabbit but not any more.

When I butcher I use cervical dislocation and then cut the head off. I am butchering at about 3-5 lbs.I put 4 heads into a dog dish and refrigerate. that's one dog meal. Then I put the carcass into a zip lock bag and put about 4 bags [4 dog meals] into a rubber dish pan in the barn refrigerator[got it free on craig's list for keeping the dog's food in the barn],or into the freezer, if there are more rabbits than 2-3 days worth of meals.

Right now I am breeding about 4-5 does every 2 weeks and thus, weaning about 4-5 litters every 2 weeks and also butchering another 4-5 litters ever 2 weeks. That gives me between 20-30, 4-5 lb. rabbits to butcher every 2 weeks. So, at least 80 lbs. of rabbit [since the dogs eat the whole rabbit [NO WASTE]that's about 5+ lbs. of dog food a day. I am also keeping some of the kits to move my herd [standard Rex] in the direction that I want [brown based colors with solid bodies and good mommies with mellow temperaments on a 30 day breed back is my goal. No prima donnas] and we eat a couple of rabbits a week ourselves.

Just weaned and tattooed 5 litters today and 4 does kindled yesterday and today. I also bred another 4 does yesterday. Butchering 3 grow out cages this weekend.

 

[akane]

You can't go over 50% rabbit in my experience. Rabbit lacks fats that are required for survival and for a healthy coat and skin. At more than half the diet health problems start to show up like itchy skin, rough coat, ear problems, and environment sensitivity such as allergies to pollen. It just goes badly. You want to balance the rabbit with a high fat source like cheap hamburger (we get the 70% 5lb rolls whenever they appear in the store) and chicken with the skin still on it. Eggs are good if your dog will eat them but mine won't eat them plain. We mix them with the hamburger and whatever else ground meat we have on hand along with a horse coat supplement that has vegetable oils and vitamins in it. You want to secure 3 or 4 different protein sources before you try feeding just raw with no commercial food.

 

[WildWolf]

I realize that rabbits are lean... but if you feed whole, shouldn't it be OK to feed mainly rabbits? Feeding whole will help the Omega 3:6 balance, which benefits the coat/skin a lot... But then, variety is considered to be important to a lot of raw feeders. Anyone know why?

 

[akane]

Actually if you eat only rabbit you will eventually die of starvation. It used to happen to trappers. The lack of nutrients is too great.

 

[skysthelimit]

But then, variety is considered to be important to a lot of raw feeders. Anyone know why?

For the same reason it is for us. There is no way to get all of the nutrients and trace vitamins and minerals we would need from the same meal every day. Variety is what makes the diet balanced. Works this way for dogs.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

But then, variety is considered to be important to a lot of raw feeders. Anyone know why?

Gut flora will become limited if you consistently feed only a limited number of things. It is for this reason that a dog on kibble alone will get sick if you suddenly switch the food, because the good bacteria in the gut isn't accustomed to that new stuff. People are the same...I have a terribly sensitive digestive system and if I eat something completely new, I tend to get really sick for a while. Eating greasy, fatty meats after many months of rabbit or venison only left me REALLY unhappy the other day. Trust me, it wasn't amazing.

A varied diet is also preferred for raw or natural feeding because in nature, wild canids eat a very diverse ammount of foods. Cats are true/strict carnivores, but dogs are actually somewhat omnivorous. Mirroring a wild and varied diet is the goal of a lot of holistic or natural food enthusiasts.

I personally have considered semi-raw cooked diets for my pets...but the cats who need it won't eat anything but kibble (gods how I've tried to get them to eat something, ANYTHING else!!!!) and the dogs don't hold weight well on it and I don't like them to be too thin (not the fault of the recipes either, my one dog has serious issues). So for now, I feed a high-quality kibble.

but if you feed whole, shouldn't it be OK to feed mainly rabbits? Feeding whole will help the Omega 3:6 balance, which benefits the coat/skin a lot...

In a word, no. There's no hidden fat on a rabbit that will keep your dog healthy. If you do not feed other sources of fat, as well as carbohydrates and allsuch, your dog will become nutritionally DEFICIENT. Remember that dogs are semi-omnivorous?

One protein source is a bad plan for feeding raw or BARF diets.

 

[3mina]

While I feed tripe & organ meat, I make sure it comes from different protein sources. About the only thing I don't feed my dogs is pork, they don't do well on it for some reason

 

[skysthelimit]

While I feed tripe & organ meat, I make sure it comes from different protein sources. About the only thing I don't feed my dogs is pork, they don't do well on it for some reason

Previous dogs used to get constipated on pork, but these guys don't seem to have a problem. They get pork neck bones, and on occasion chitterlings. They don't do well with too many eggs though. And I do give a vitamin powder, because finding variety is not easy around here, and beef if too expensive to feed to 4 large german shepherds in any decent quantity. That is why I started raising rabbits. I do not add any carbohydrates to their diets, but since they are eating the offal, they get whats in the stomach if they want it.

 

[WildWolf]

I didn't realize how much rabbit is lacking in fat! I know not to feed just one animal... and now I know that because rabbits lack fat then I can't have rabbit be the majority of the dog's food. I was hoping I could come up with a way for me to buy the minimum amount of meat for my dogs. Raising meat rabbits, taking advantage of the unhealthily huge population of squirrels we have around here... and I guess I'll have to buy the rest. Thanks everyone, for confirming that not every animal has all the nutrients. I'm not going to give my dog carbohydrates- I've done a lot of research and that's what it came to.

skysthelimit, have you ever seen your dogs eat the contents of the stomach- not just the stomach membrane? There's a lot of controversy on whether wolves eat the contents...

 

[3mina]

That's why I feed green tripe

 

[Piper]

Actually if you eat only rabbit you will eventually die of starvation. It used to happen to trappers. The lack of nutrients is too great.

Rabbit meat is good nutrition, but lacks the fat, you can die of starvation because we (and dogs) require a higher level of fat, than rabbit has. I did not think that rabbits could sweat, in reading the links below, I found out something new!

Rabbit http://www.livestrong.com/article/37856 ... bbit-meat/
"Rabbit meat is well known for its high protein content. A 3-oz. serving of rabbit meat contains 28 g of protein, more than beef or chicken. Rabbit is also a concentrated source of iron. A serving contains more than 4 mg. Additionally, the meat provides a wide range of minerals. The highest levels include 204 mg of phosphorous and 292 mg of potassium. The calories in rabbit meat are low. A serving contains only 147 calories.
http://www.raisingmeatrabbits.info/fun- ... bbits.html
A single rabbit will produce 6 lbs of meat with the same amount of food and water it takes a cow to produce 1 lb of meat
Rabbits only sweat from the pads of their feet and ears

 

[WildWolf]

I love how rabbits have more protein, but less calories!

 

[GBov]

I wonder if its the iron that makes it taste so good to me? Being a bit low in teh stuff myself.

I gave my dog the gut bucket from the last two rabbits and she ate most of it but not the stomachs. They stayed in the pen and grew lots of nice bit solder fly larva for some reason.

And the kids and I make dog treats with the ears by slow drying them in the oven till crispy.

They didnt last long lol.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

Dogs dont need tripe. I have feed raw to my dogs now for 6 years and 5 years with my other dogs. I have done lots of research on this subject. YOu should only give your dog 10 percent of organ meat. Heart is not a organ meat. As allot of people do think that. Liver,kidney, ect. My dogs got so tired of raw diet that i had a hard time to get them to eat it. So now i cook there food. But that is a differnt way of feeding them all together. You need bone meal ect.

You should alternate your protein. Just like when you eat. YOu should also have omega eggs and fish in there diet with heads. Rabbit is good for them To put more fat with the rabbit just i just drizzle canolo or veggie oil on the meat .There is so many ways to add fat. I dont feed heads or guts. Ect. I feed 2 rabbit once every 3 weeks and it last for 4 meals.

 

[skysthelimit]

skysthelimit, have you ever seen your dogs eat the contents of the stomach- not just the stomach membrane? There's a lot of controversy on whether wolves eat the contents...

My dogs eat everything, stomach, contents, intestine and contents. They eat the alfalfa pellets out of the rabbits dish if I let them, and they eat the poop out of the trays that sit on the floor. They eat the head and have been known to pull off salted pelts I had hanging outside. They have eaten the rabbit with fur on. Usually, nothing is left. And if something is left, I know that they are full, and left the slightly less desirable parts as last.