Getting Fishy

I read that a lot of individuals that feed raw are fans of giving fish.  They say they are great sources of Omega 3s and the entire fish, head, tail, and all can be consumed.  When we were at the grocery store a night ago, we checked out their on-sale section, and catfish was on special for $2 per half pound.  Fish was had by all last night (only Arik and I had ours breaded and seasoned).  While it doesn't have RMB for their teeth and was mostly filet, they did certainly enjoy it quite a lot and it was very easy to feed.  I sliced up each filet for them and fed piece by piece.  I also appreciated the lack of bloodiness and mess on the floor, and didn't have to figure out appropriate portions, since each dog got 1/2 lb (their breakfast portion was measured to compensate for the day's total).

While they both enjoyed the fish, Ferguson, my usual iron-stomach dog, had some liquid diarrhea this morning.  It wasn't at all like the results of the chicken, as the amount wasn't a whole lot, but the produced product was not pick-up-able. He didn't seem affected by it though and had no increased sense of urgency or lack of appetite, so I'm giving it a pass and seeing how he does later this evening.  Winry, on the other hand, was perfectly normal this morning and had no issues.  Go figure, since she's usually the one with the sensitive stomach.

I also bought more chicken wings (the happy CO proud kind), and some canned sardines and mackerel in water. Hopefully Ferguson does better with the canned fish, even though I know fresh is preferred.  I at least know they will do well with the chicken.

I haven't made the commitment to go 100% raw yet, and doubt I ever will.  This is mostly due to the fact that I am afraid to do it wrong; I worry about them getting a full, balanced diet, and feel that I don't have the time or money to dedicate myself to ensuring this.  It's not a proud answer, but it's an honest one.  I feel though, they've been doing really well on their high-quality kibble, and while it's not ideal, getting to supplement raw foods a few times a week I'm sure is certainly better than nothing.  I've also heard enough stories of dogs doing very well on this type of diet (mix of good kibble and raw) to make me feel confident that I'm not doing any harm, though I do understand it's not doing as much good as it could be. Still, I'll say their teeth improved a lot just from a month of raw, so as long as they maintain a good weight and don't *usually* have bouts with diarrhea and get good vet reports, I think we'll keep up with it :).  I just wish chicken and turkey necks were more readily available to find.