Tips, Tricks and General Information
How long can you keep Bravo! in the refrigerator?
- The general rule of thumb is that the meat will stay fine for 2 to 3 days, and sometimes longer. If it smells bad to you, don’t feed it.
- Another method of handling meal amounts is simply to thaw the meat, divide it into meal size portions, put those portions into plastic bags and refreeze the individual meal bags for later use as needed. While we are warned against re-freezing meat for ourselves, it is a necessity for many people feeding raw diets. There have not been any problems with this as long as the thawing and re-freezing is done with some amount of common sense.
Tips for thawing and re-freezing:
- thaw the meat in the refrigerator and once it is soft enough to handle (there should still be ice crystals in the center of the meat), immediately portion it out and re-freeze.
- if you need to thaw the meat quickly, thaw on the countertop, but bag it and re-freeze it while there are still ice crystals in the center of the meat.
- place your thawing meats in another plastic bag or container just to make sure the meat juices don’t leak out.
Feeding:
- Try to feed meals at room temperature. While the GI system can handle very cold and frozen foods, it is able to function more efficiently when the food is warmer. How much to feed:
- It’s important to realize that every animal has a unique metabolism. Housemates, Dandy, a 3-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, and Barney, a 4-year-old Newfoundland, both eat the exact same amount of food everyday despite their huge size difference. It is also important to know that metabolism changes with age, size, frame type, state of health and activity level. With all that in mind, you will need to monitor your animal to find an ideal maintenance diet. But we have these basic guidelines to help you:
- THE BEST METHOD: Begin feeding the same amount of food you are currently feeding. If you are feeding one cup of kibble per meal, feed one cup of raw diet per meal. In 7 to 10 days, check to see how your pet is doing, and adjust the amount you’re feeding up or down as indicated by your animal’s condition. If your animal is overweight, or moving in that direction, feed LESS. If your animal is “ribby” or underweight, feed MORE.
OR:
- For a mature dog, feed her approximately 2% of her total bodyweight. For a 50 lb. dog, this means feeding 1 lb. of food per day. This amount can be fed in a single meal or divided into multiple meals. In general, feed young, small, active, underweight, and growing dogs more food; and feed older, sedentary, overweight, and larger dogs less food.
- Click to try our Bravo! Feeding Calculator to see how much you pet should eat on a daily basis.
Tip: 1 cup of ground meat/bone is approximately 1/2 lb. Tip: Bravo tubes include a grid to help you cut the chub for the desired portion and weight of Bravo! Raw Diet. |
Foods to Avoid:
- Onions - in some dogs and cats, even very small amounts of onion, in any form (cooked, raw or dehydrated) can cause a form of hemolytic anemia.
- Chocolate - especially baker’s chocolate. The theobromine in chocolate can be toxic to dogs.
- Yeast - in any form. Many dogs do not tolerate yeast very well and it can lead to, or exacerbate, certain health problems.
- White potatoes - feed sparingly. Never feed raw white potatoes with sprouts or green skins. If the potatoes are sprouted or have green skins, either pare them or cook them before using.
- Grains - dogs and cats were not meant to be grain eaters. They are carnivores. Veterinary nutritionists agree that they do not have a need for carbohydrates. Unlike humans, carbohydrates are not a source of energy (except in excessive sprint activities like greyhound racing) . Dogs and cats derive their energy from fats and protein. In addition, grains break down into sugars in the body and sugars feed unhealthy conditions like cancer, obesity, diabetes, and some skin problems.
- Dairy products - milk and its derivatives are not natural foods for adult animals. Most dogs (and many cats) do not digest them well. Plain yogurt and cottage cheese are exceptions to this. But if you are feeding yogurt for the natural probiotics, be aware that the amount of probiotics in yogurt is so small that huge portions of it must be consumed to gain probiotic benefit. It is more efficient to use a probiotic supplement.
- Pacific Northwest Salmon/Trout -these carry a parasite that can be transmitted when the fish is fed raw, which causes severe illness. If you’re not sure where it’s from, don’t buy it.
- Vegetables like peas and carrots that are high in sugar should be used very sparingly. This is also true of all fruits, which are also high in sugar.
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