Can You Describe A Typical Raw Meal ?

[Busderpuddle]

I am seriously considering going raw with Ruby but after reading everything that pops up here for months, I still would like to know what a typical days meal would be. How much do you give (I know this would vary depending on size), what do you do for treats, how often do you vary the kind of meat, etc..... I know that I am supposed to start with one kind of meat for a couple weeks before switching and the kinds of meats that are OK. I just am curious what the meals really are. Do you add supplement pills ? Oils ? How many use veggies also ? Thank you !

[XTRAWLD]

I JUST started on Friday evening. So I know more folks here will have better info for you, but since I'm in the middle of the learning curve, here is my take on it.

 

We started on Pork because Kasey is allergic to chicken. I ordered boxes of food - which are currently all sitting in my freezer. Pork Belly (lots of meat and lots of fat) and Pork Riblets are on the menu for 2 weeks. (I think you should stick with the same "type" of meat for a 2 week period before trying something else.) What I know I need to use is either in the fridge or is defrosting in a cooler. I prepare their dinner and prepare breakfast for the next day at the same time so I can feed breakfast without sitting there weighing when I'm busy getting ready to go to work, etc. To prepare dinner, I grab the pork, put it on the scale to the set portions I need and that's about it. I add 1 little pork riblet if necessary - I just learned that you don't need to do this every day - and I'm currently adding about a tablespoon full of tripe. That's ALL right now. I will soon be able to add actual organs like liver when it is necessary, but to start that's all I do, it's a learning curve for both the dogs and me. When I'm done prepping dinner, I set their dinner aside and do the same for breakfast and I put that breakfast into a resealable container and leave it in the fridge until feeding that the next morning.

 

Then I feed them dinner, and they have learned they can't leave the kitchen with it. I just clean the tile in the kitchen when they are done, which thankfully they only make 1 square dirty now, big improvement from ALL OVER THE PLACE on Friday LOL. Once the nice weather hits, it will be feeding time OUTDOORS! It took them a while to figure out what to do with the meat. Kasey actually took the riblets the first time and shook them! It was rather comical.

 

Kasey is eating nearly 2 pounds of raw a day (cause he's so skinny and needs to gain weight), and Ryder is a little under 1.5 pounds of raw a day (just need to maintain his weight).

 

I have only ever added Cold Water Fish Oil. I will be graduating to giving them an egg soon. They get their vitamins/minerals from the bone portion during feeding, outside of what is already in the meat. No veggies necessary (although I'm sure the jury is out on that thought process). We will be using pork for 2 weeks and then will switch to Turkey because Kasey isn't allergic to turkey (it is different than chicken believe it or not). Treats are currently dehydrated liver and dehydrated lung. That's sort of their organ intake at the time, since I haven't introduced the raw version yet.

 

That's my newbie take for you.

 

Edit - Oh, and I can't stress enough how wonderful it is to not pick up a mountain of poop, or smell farts all day.

Edited April 5, 2011 by XTRAWLD

[Guest KennelMom]

Right now, we're feeding leg quarters and ground beef with chicken livers/gizzards, beef liver and (beef) green tripe rotated in. Oh, and eggs. Not all on the same day...usually a leg quarter + beef or leg quarter + offal or leg quarter + tripe. Eggs thrown in randomly. The amounts really vary b/c sometimes the leg quarters we get are huge and sometimes they're small. And we have dogs all over the place in size, from 50-70lbs. Meals range between about a lb to 1.5 lbs. (we don't measure, we just eyeball), but it varies from day to day as well depending on what we have defrosted...one day they may get a lot, the next day a lighter meal. We also give backs once a week or so...again, sometimes they're meaty and big, sometimes they're less meaty. We feed more ground beef and tripe on chicken back days.

 

We feed the "domestication" model of raw (yes, I totally just made that up) Since dogs have been domesticated, they've been living off the scraps of humans...our dogs are kinda the dumping ground of human food scraps as well. I collect veggie bits and pieces during the week and blend it all up with some water or chicken stock to make a mash. Sometimes it's a little, sometimes it's a lot (but still dispersed over 17 dogs, it's a very minor part of their diet). Some weeks I don't do it at all b/c I'm busy (and need stuff for my compost bin!). The odd time we eat rice, I'll dish out any leftovers as well amongst the hounds. If we cook a stew or something that doesn't contain any "dangerous to dogs" ingredients or isn't too spicy, we'll dump that in their bowls. We don't have much left-overs, but when we do they get it. Our diet is mostly meat, fruit and veggies so it lines up well with what the dogs eat (very rarely do we eat grains). If we trim up a piece of meat or chicken, that goes to the dogs. Fruit getting ready to go bad....dogs. Since we have so many, each dog is really only getting a small portion of veggies or fruit each week.

 

the biggest change was going from twice a day to once a day feeding.

 

That's what's working for us at the moment.

Edited April 5, 2011 by KennelMom

[Remolacha]

Well, I only have three dogs A meal is turkey neck or duck neck or chicken part with ground beef or chunks of turkey or pork (no bone) depending on how big/boney the neck or chicken part is. Green tripe, canned fish, raw eggs get added randomly (1-2 a week) Sometimes they get lamb, bison, something more "exotic' if I found a sale. Oh, yeah, beef liver, chicken livers/hearts/gizzards once a week or so.

 

The only supplements I give are their Joint Health & Fresh Factors tablets, and during shedding/flaking season (about now ) a spoon of coconut oil for their coats. A tablespoon of pumpkin as a treat (and to hide meds when necessary).

 

This is not quite typical because Fletcher has IBD, and there are many things people give, like veggies and fish oil that he doesn't tolerate.

 

Fletcher weighs 90# and gets about 2# of food a day, Molly weighs 70# and Sallie 60#, but they both get about 1.5-1.75# a day, Molly tends to gain, and Sallie is younger.

[Busderpuddle]

Thank you for the responses. I have a couple of questions. What is offal ? When you feed chicken or turkey, do you leave the skin on ? Can they eat the pork and beef bones without problems ? Do most of you just feed once a day ? It would be WONDERFUL to not smell the farts any longer or not pick up mountains of poop.

[Guest KennelMom]

Offal is organs. I leave the skin on all meat. The bones they eat daily are smaller and designed to be crunched and eaten...most beef and pork bones do not fall in to this category as they're too dense and thick to be eaten. We will give raw marrow bones to most of our dogs for a recreational thing from time to time, but it's a treat, not a meal (and many people don't due to the risk of tooth slab fractures from heavy weight bearing bones.) Some of our dogs have poor teeth (genetically, not diet related) and are prone to slab fractures...they don't get weight bearing bones.

 

When the weather is a bit nicer I'll start giving them pigs feet for a meal or treat...the bones in the pig foot are much smaller and easier for them to eat. Other than that we don't really feed much pork. We'll also give whole rabbit on occassion, but that gets really expensive with 17 dogs...if we had a smaller pack, we'd feed a lot more rabbit.

 

eta: as I mentioned before, we feed once a day. We fed twice a day with kibble and in the past when we've fed raw, but this time we decided to just do it once a day. The labor from set up/clean up is definitely a concern with 17 dogs...so, it's more of an "easier for us" decision that the dogs are doing great with (for a month now). I also think it's probably more in line with how a dog would naturally eat. Most predators aren't grazers, but more like gorgers. Eat a lot, then sleep it off until it's time to go hunt more food.

Edited April 6, 2011 by KennelMom

[Guest Swifthounds]

I feed a rotation of chicken, pork, beef, beef tripe, beef heart and occasional fish - raw or tinned. I occasionally feed turkey, though an "unenhanced" turkey is hard to come by. I have fed other things: bison, lamb, elk, venison,and a few others.

 

I'm feeding "Franken" prey model raw (PMR). PMR is 80% meat, 10% bone, and 10% organ (up to 1/2 liver and 1/2 something else - kidney of some sort is common. The "Franken" (as in Frankenstein) is the common designation for feeding the PMR (the ratio of the average ungulate - a dog's diet consists mostly of large herbivores) but in an assortment of parts.

 

I feed once daily. For both safety and for hound enjoyment, larger pieces are better, and single meals make that easier as well. If I'm using a bone heavy bony piece like a chicken leg quarter I will give those once or twice per week. Often one of these bony meals will be accompanied by a portion of organ. The remaining meals are meatless.

 

If you're just getting started, the tendency will be to err on the side of more bone, rather then the 10% - and it's 10% of the whole weight of a week's or month's meals as actual bone, not 10% of the ration as bony portions (the latter making for way too much bone in the diet). I'm just throwing that out there because I was giving advice to a new raw feeder last week who couldn't figure out why her dog became so constipated - until we figured out that she was using the second calculation and ending up with waaay too much bone.

 

The only supplement I add in is fish oil for the animal derived Omega 3s to replace the omega 3s that are missing in meats that are largely grain fed. The only other supplements I add are for joint health. I also giver the occasional pig's foot (whole, not the split kind at the grocer), chicken feet, pork shoulder, etc.

 

Oh, and no veggies. No need to bother with them, no real upside.

[Guest greyhound9797]

I am seriously considering going raw with Ruby but after reading everything that pops up here for months, I still would like to know what a typical days meal would be. How much do you give (I know this would vary depending on size), what do you do for treats, how often do you vary the kind of meat, etc..... I know that I am supposed to start with one kind of meat for a couple weeks before switching and the kinds of meats that are OK. I just am curious what the meals really are. Do you add supplement pills ? Oils ? How many use veggies also ? Thank you !

Yea, another (soon to be) convert!! Ruby will love you even more than she does now, if that's possible.

 

I copied the "basic basics" from the post I started so it may be easier to focus on this.

 

You want to feed 2-3% of your dogs IDEAL adult body weight. There is a handy calculator here... http://www.raw4dogs.com/calculate.htm You may want to start at 2% and adjust as necessary. I know it really doesn't sound like a lot of food and it may not LOOK like a lot but remember they are getting everything they need with this diet, without fillers, vegetables and grains.

 

You want to stick around 80% meat, 10% EDIBLE bone, 5% liver and 5% other organ (this can be adjusted as you learn what your hound tolerates comfortably). Stomach/tripe, heart, gizzards and tongue are considered meat, as they are truly muscles (the white tripe you find in the grocery, honeycomb tripe, is bleached and processed and is NOT suitable to feed). All other organs - brain, lung, pancreas, kidney, gullet, spleen, trachea, etc - are the other 5% of the organs. If you feed a very bony meal today, (large turkey legs for example) feed an all meat meal tomorrow. If they are getting too much bone, you will know by their poop (see below and YES, you need to watch their poop!). It's not a concern, you just need to adjust the diet a bit for a day or two. The 80/10/5/5 is simply a guide. Some dogs need 20% bone because they have consistently soft stools. You will know what looks correct with just a bit of time. Beef, bison, elk and similar animals' bones are too dense and are not considered edible. they simply cause tooth damage.

 

Most people start with chicken as it is easily digested and affordable. Stay away from enhanced meat as it has added sodium. Plain old chicken has about 90 grams sodium in it which is acceptable. Enhanced meat will have several hundred more and can cause loose stool and sometimes vomiting in some dogs. Some are not bothered by it tho. Throw your dog a chicken quarter or bone-in breast and stand back and watch. Some dogs don't realize it is food and may lick it, play with it or bury it. Let them have it for 15-20 minutes. If they don't it eat, pick it up and save it til the next meal and repeat. By the third time they WILL eat it (and will not starve in the meantime). As you may know, dogs digestion starts in the stomach, not the mouth like ours does, so some may chew, chew and swallow it almost whole but don't worry. It will either stay down or they will yack it back up and try again. Stick with chicken for 2-3 weeks but follow BMs. They may have runny stools or stools with a bit of mucous at the very start as their bodies get used to a new diet but it should clear up within a few days. If it continues longer, fast for a day and start over. BMs should be firm and small. They will most likely have fewer BMs too so don't be alarmed if they don't poop for a day or two.

 

By this time, you may be noticing changes in them...fresher breath, less itching and scratching and coats may look better. Yes, it really DOES happen in just a couple weeks.

 

Once they are doing fine with chicken, try a new protein; pork maybe. Buy a pork picnic, a huge one, and cut it appropriate sizes and toss it down. By now they know it is food and their jaws have become stronger so they will have a fun time chewing it up. Some dogs are gulpers and some, like Piper, eat like a lady. Feed pork for 2 weeks then introduce a new protein like turkey (which, by the way, IS different than chicken).

 

After about 5-6 weeks of their first raw food, start adding some organ meat but in SMALL amounts. Liver is very rich and can cause loose stools if given too much too soon. Some people feed organ and/or liver every day, some every other day, some a couple days a week. Its not a life or death situation to feed EXACTLY 10% organ. I usually feed liver for maybe 5 days then some other organ for 5 days then back to liver; sometimes Piper doesn't get any organ for a week, it just depends on what I grab out of the freezer. Its really up to you and variety is created over time. Don't feel like you need to feed 80/10/5/5 every meal.

 

Now you repeat with a new protein. You can feed pretty much any animal under the sun, including fish. Feel free to feed chicken and pork in the same meal, it doesn't hurt. Mix and match your proteins.

 

You do not need to supplement with anything expect possibly fish body oil but make sure it does not have soy in it as some pets are very sensitive to it.

 

Piper was fed mainly chicken and pork (due to the affordability) but she also ate canned mackeral (her favorite), tripe, beef and turkey. Some meals consisted of a chicken thigh, pork brains (another fave), a bit of tripe and a hunk of pork. Other times she ate pork for 4 days then chicken for 4 days then beef for 4 days; it really depended on what I had in the freezer, what was thawed and what she hadn't eaten in awhile. As you can see, there really wasn't anything "typical" about her meals.

 

Piper was a petite girl and was about 58 pounds when she started on raw. She looked her best at about 61 pounds but she lost and gained weight easily. She was a couch potato to the nth degree so I fed her around 2.5% until she started to look a bit thin then I'd increase until she looked better. Most treats were Dogswell chicken (they also come in duck and I think lamb) which are all natural meat. She liked the occasional crunchy treat so she had grain free biscuits. There is a thread going on about what treats to feed when on a raw diet and I think that as long as treats are given in very low amounts there is no harm. Piper got a treat about every 3 days. She also enjoyed bully sticks (dehydrated bull penis) and moo tubes (cow esophagus). Nice treats with nutritional value and they also provide good chewing.

 

I started feeding twice a day then went to once but every so often I'd feed her twice. No particular reason, though. I didn't feed veggies. Well, I did in the beginning before I realized that they weren't needed but then switched to prey model. The only supplement was salmon oil.

 

Feeding raw is easy when you get the hang of it, your hound will really enjoy it and you'll have some peace of mind knowing that you're feeding what nature intended. We're here to help so read what you can and ask lots of questions.

 

Sandra in FL

[dante2zoe]

I have 5 dogs and raw feed. One had IBD and another had pancreatitis, so I do take the skin off of their meat. It causes the IBD dog to have a flare-up and after dealing with pancreatitis, I would rather not go down that road again.

 

Anyway, I feed twice a day. They usually get chicken backs in the morning. These are rather meaty and I don't have stool issues. They get salmon oil with it, too. They usually get a spoon of pumpkin if any medications need to be administered and I give it randomly so they will just snarf it down instead of inspecting it and spitting anything out. They also get a couple thin slices of banana. Don't know why I started that, but they love it. I work on sit/stay with that and teach them to wait their turn and not chomp on my fingers.

 

The evening meal rotates: chicken quarters, turkey necks, duck frames, ground meat (all kinds), gizzards/hearts, tripe. They get some liver, beef or chicken, several times a week. It makes two of them loose, so I don't make it a meal, just a little a couple times. They get eggs sometimes, too. Depends on how much time I have, what else I am cooking. Raw fish isn't liked by all, so I do canned once in a while. Gets pricey that way. Not all like rabbit either. Venison is seasonal. Pork necks are a warm weather meal. Takes forever to eat and they like to plop themselves on the ground to gnaw. Beef ribs are a good treat, too.

 

As for supplements, in addition to the oil, they get Fresh Factors and Joint Health. Zoe has arthritis problems so she gets stuff for that. I will give them some molasses periodically for the potassium.

 

I used to make a veggie mash, but it bothers my IBD dog, so I stopped and them don't miss it. Feeding time is a big deal around here. They go berserk when it is time to eat - much more so than when I fed kibble. I also have a supplier for some stuff and am constantly looking for deals.

 

Treat-wise, they get small biscuits, frozen green beans, chicken feet, homemade cookies, peanut butter, fruit, yogurt frozen with stuff mixed in, bully sticks, stuff like that. I also have dehydrator and will dry sweet potatoes and fruits. Tried beef liver and the smell almost killed me. Never again.

 

Good luck!

[Busderpuddle]

Thank you so much for all the help and ideas. I am going to try it. I am committing to 2 weeks and will see how it goes. I started tonight but don't think I did it right. I used what I had here for snacks for her and I gave her a chicken thigh and a turkey neck, 2 of her favorites. I am afraid that is too much bone though so will be following her around to watch the poop.

A few more questions.

Do you feed the whole egg or cook them or ?

Where do I get Fresh Factors ? Does every dog need it ?

How do I locate a meat wholesaler ? I have looked online but have not been able to locate one nearby. Do you make friends with the local butcher ?

If you feed only once a day, do you choose morning or night or does it matter ?

Glad you mentioned Fish as I was wondering about it. Do you feed it whole with bones and skin or buy it filleted ? You can't feed fish guts right ? I think I remember that many years ago my in-laws dog got poisoned by eating whole fish. Might be crazy on that one.

I have never seen pig feet except for in jars. What do you mean by split ones from the grocer ?

Does anyone use hamburger ? Any worries about E Coli problems ?

Appreciate all the help. I AM going to get this figured out.

[seeh2o]

I started feeding Carl raw almost 2 months ago, Claire about 3 weeks ago. I'm still trying to figure it out, but they're bodies have changed dramatically (they look more "ripped", but haven't lost a pound), Carl's skin condition is clearing up and they just seem "brighter"...and I haven't killed them yet by what I've been feeding them!

 

There is a butcher shop that sells organic and natural meat. They also sell raw pet food. I'm lucky, my vet goes there and they make a beef, a chicken, a turkey and another pet mix based on her recipe...however, it's way too expensive for me to buy ($3.99/lb). They also make a petmix which is a mix of chicken, turkey and beef...meat, bones, innards, etc. ground really fine. I can buy that for $1.25/lb and mix it with a pureed veggie mix I make at home. Also, there is a Whole Foods that makes a poultry and a beef pet mix, which they sell for $1.50/lb. I like that the meat at both places is either organic or natural high quality food. I also have Xkaliber (from www.greentripe.com) and mix that in with their food. They usually get a turkey or duck neck w/breakfast. I was giving a chicken foot as a snack, but I think it's too much bone for Carl. He also had a hard time w/chicken backs, but not with turkey backs. I just found some fresh frozen sardines at an Asian market, I'm planning on giving them as treats.

 

I'm still trying to figure it all out. Carl seems to have a more delicate tummy than Claire, he has horked up some bones and bone fragments, she hasn't at all. His poop is AMAZING, though I am learning to adjust w/more veggies when he seems to be straining a bit.

 

Good luck and ask lots of questions! There is a yahoo group called NaturallyGrey, that is a big help, too!

[XTRAWLD]

Thank you so much for all the help and ideas. I am going to try it. I am committing to 2 weeks and will see how it goes. I started tonight but don't think I did it right. I used what I had here for snacks for her and I gave her a chicken thigh and a turkey neck, 2 of her favorites. I am afraid that is too much bone though so will be following her around to watch the poop.

A few more questions.

Do you feed the whole egg or cook them or ?

Where do I get Fresh Factors ? Does every dog need it ?

How do I locate a meat wholesaler ? I have looked online but have not been able to locate one nearby. Do you make friends with the local butcher ?

If you feed only once a day, do you choose morning or night or does it matter ?

Glad you mentioned Fish as I was wondering about it. Do you feed it whole with bones and skin or buy it filleted ? You can't feed fish guts right ? I think I remember that many years ago my in-laws dog got poisoned by eating whole fish. Might be crazy on that one.

I have never seen pig feet except for in jars. What do you mean by split ones from the grocer ?

Does anyone use hamburger ? Any worries about E Coli problems ?

Appreciate all the help. I AM going to get this figured out.

 

I will answer your questions as best I can for what I know the answers to.... (did that even make sense?!)

 

I'm assuming the egg you just crack it open and put it in the dish....yolk and whites and all and let them gobble it up.

I am lucky to have someone that feeds and sells raw, so I'm lucky to have established a "wholesaler" to buy the raw from. I joined a Yahoo Group called

CarnivoreFeed-Supplier@yahoogroups.com. People post raw food that is available pretty much within North America. If you join, you can just email where you live and if there are any suppliers close by you can purchase from.

I have seen pigs feet at the grocery store. However they were rather large and they were from adults. I was told that it is more of a "recreational bone" for them to eat, as opposed to be provided as a meal. A younger pig, that would be split, would be better as a meal. Haven't gone down that route yet, but maybe soon.

I once a long time ago fed Kasey raw ground beef using a recipie for weight gain. I did not notice any ill effects from him eating it, but I could be mistaken that it shouldn't be fed LOL.

[seeh2o]

I forgot to post the link to Springtime, they are the ones who sell Fresh Factors. I switched from Fresh Factors to Dasuquin, my vet recommended it and it seems to me that it works better for joint stiffness. Springtime makes Fresh Factors and they have free shipping this month. I was using both Fresh Factors and Dasuquin long before I started feeding raw.

[Busderpuddle]

So far so good. No poop yet though but I know that can be normal. Will keep you posted on the journey. THANKS !

[Guest Swifthounds]

I'm assuming the egg you just crack it open and put it in the dish....yolk and whites and all and let them gobble it up.

 

Yep. Or you can just give the egg, shell and all (best for outside unless you know how your hound will handle it). Important things are that the egg is raw and includes white and yolk.

 

I have seen pigs feet at the grocery store. However they were rather large and they were from adults. I was told that it is more of a "recreational bone" for them to eat, as opposed to be provided as a meal. A younger pig, that would be split, would be better as a meal. Haven't gone down that route yet, but maybe soon.

 

Pig's feet are fine to be fed as a large, challenging meal. They are bone and cartilage heavy, so you would either want to feed some extra meat at the same time, or feed meat w/o bone for the meal before and/or the meal after.

 

You want to feed the whole pig foot (actually a leg portion), unsplit. The split ones have been sawed and are generally more likely to have sharp edges that would cut gums and cause other issues. Fed whole, the hound will work through the skin (very good for teeth), then the bit of meat, and then the softer bone/cartilage. Pigs are generally slaughtered around the same age, so there isn't a big difference in age, they just split some for human preparation. If your butcher doesn't carry unsplit, ask - they usually will accommodate you.

[XTRAWLD]

Thanks for the info about the feet. When I see them next at the store, I'll pick them up and add some meat.

 

Egg with the shell too???? NO WAY! That's cool. I gave my first egg last night, but I cracked it and put it in their bowl, they just lapped it up. Do you have an idea of how much meat I should remove in order to compensate for an egg? Gram wise? I know it's high in protein, I don't know if you can put a "weight" on it....

[Guest Swifthounds]

I wouldn't bother with any adjustments to the amount of meat if you're just feeding an egg or two (or a few). The difference is negligible unless you're feeding a dozen at a time, so I usually just add to meals and consider it like a treat.

 

As long as they are well tolerated, you can also pair a few with some tinned fish if you have a day when you forget to defrost something.

 

Also, hounds are a good outlet for eggs that might be getting a bit old as well.

Edited April 8, 2011 by Swifthounds

[XTRAWLD]

Thanks! They really did enjoy the egg last night and no ill effects so far I'll have to try the shell version one day outside....that would be an absolute hoot to see what they will do.

[Guest greyhound9797]

Thank you so much for all the help and ideas. I am going to try it. I am committing to 2 weeks and will see how it goes. I started tonight but don't think I did it right. I used what I had here for snacks for her and I gave her a chicken thigh and a turkey neck, 2 of her favorites. I am afraid that is too much bone though so will be following her around to watch the poop.

Please don't place a deadline on properly feeding your dog! What are you going to use to gauge it's success? It's a work in progress and 2 weeks isn't enough time to feed all the different and yummy foods available.

 

A chicken thigh and a turkey neck have very little meat and lots of bone so the next meal should be all meat or just a tiny bit of bone. You'll notice less stool with a raw diet and may see bone fragments in it so don't be alarmed; this is normal.

 

Do you feed the whole egg or cook them or ?

I fed eggs every once in awhile. Piper loved them and when they got a little old she'd get them for dinner. No need to cook them (or any food, for that matter), just feed them raw. Some people feed with the shell (great source of calcium) if their dogs know what to do with a whole egg. Piper never understood so hers were cracked.

 

 

Where do I get Fresh Factors ? Does every dog need it ?

Fresh Factors is a supplement for joint health http://www.springtimeinc.com/. It's not necessary to give any supplements unless your dog truly needs them.

 

 

How do I locate a meat wholesaler ? I have looked online but have not been able to locate one nearby. Do you make friends with the local butcher ?

Someone mentioned Carnivore Feed Supplier and I second that. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CarnivoreFeed-Supplier/ It will give you an idea of who is available in your area. You can also google terms like "raw feeding dogs (your city and town)" to see if there are groups or suppliers. Some people have great luck at their local butcher or the meat department in a grocery store.

 

 

If you feed only once a day, do you choose morning or night or does it matter ?

It only matters to you and your hound.

 

Glad you mentioned Fish as I was wondering about it. Do you feed it whole with bones and skin or buy it filleted ? You can't feed fish guts right ? I think I remember that many years ago my in-laws dog got poisoned by eating whole fish. Might be crazy on that one.

Whole, filleted...either way it doesn't matter. Piper's favorite meal was canned mackeral. I bought whole fish a few times but it was quite pricey, even in Florida. The only thing you need to watch out for in fish is something with salmon but for the life of me I can't remember if it was Pacific or Atlantic caught.

 

I have never seen pig feet except for in jars. What do you mean by split ones from the grocer ?

Does anyone use hamburger ? Any worries about E Coli problems ?

Pigs feet are yummy, nutritious and take some time to eat. I used to give them as a treat but you can add them to a meal. I wouldn't make them the only part of the meal, though.

 

Hamburger is okay but not ideal. Whole or pieces of large complicated food is best for the mental and dental benefits. I fed hamburger every once in awhile but it wasn't a staple.

 

Don't worry about e coli or salmonella. Your pet is more likely to get them by eating kibble than raw.

 

Appreciate all the help. I AM going to get this figured out.

 

Good luck! It's fun and there is a bit of a learning curve but we'll help you get there.

 

Sandra in FL

[Busderpuddle]

Greyhound9797-Thank you so much for addressing the concerns I had. I said 2 weeks because I wanted to see if she liked it and if it was way more work for me to be honest. So far it seems easy except when I am staring at the meat case at the store trying to figure it out and then storing it. It does seem a bit pricy but I am on the lookout for a supplier and I hope that brings the cost down. Ruby seems to be doing well and eating with gusto.

Thank you to everyone who offered ideas and suggestions !

[Remolacha]

Greyhound9797-Thank you so much for addressing the concerns I had. I said 2 weeks because I wanted to see if she liked it and if it was way more work for me to be honest. So far it seems easy except when I am staring at the meat case at the store trying to figure it out and then storing it. It does seem a bit pricy but I am on the lookout for a supplier and I hope that brings the cost down. Ruby seems to be doing well and eating with gusto.

Thank you to everyone who offered ideas and suggestions !

 

The salmon thing is a parasite, fluke (?), in the Pacific wild caught salmon. It can do nasty things to people and dogs, but freezing apparently kills it. Unless you get a smoking deal on wild caught salmon (which I guess is possible, as I see you are in Oregon), I would stick to farmed or canned salmon.

 

I get most of my stuff from a food co-op, but I do supplement from the grocery store, always checking for sales