Dogs - Raw Diet Update

[Kaneman]

This is an update on the a conversation we had regarding putting your pooches on a "raw" diet.

We switched from commercial pet food (Pedigree dry, choice cuts and missing link) a few months ago to a raw meaty bone diet in an effort to ensure the health and stamina of my 90lb male Boxer and 65lb female Lab.

Initially I was using chicken necks and leg quarters as the main sources of meat but after a few raw vomiting episodes it became clear that they weren't chewing the neck bones enough and just gulping them down. I switched over to whole carcasses to force them to learn to chew and began feeding once a day instead of twice a day.

There are always good deals somewhere on whole chickens so there has not been a large cost increase compared to commercial dog food. The dogs main staple is 1/2 whole chicken, warmed to room temperature. I try to cut them in half so that the Boxer gets a bit more, but I don't weigh their food or anything to determine portion size....because they're dogs.

They get a ground beef/steak mix consisting of eggs, banana, some veggies and sardines/olive oil once or twice a week. They also get a whole raw fish (guts and all) once a week.

The results have been very positive, here are the bullet points of my experience thus far.

* Dogs thoroughly enjoy chewing and eating the food and seem very satisfied afterwards. They now have very well developed jaw and neck muscles.

* Dogs strength and stamina has improved on long runs and uphill pulls.

* Dogs have a very full and shiny coat that feels very healthy to the touch.

* Both dogs used to throw up once a week or so on the commercial diet. This is no longer a problem.

* The have completed ceased chewing on anything left out during the day and now have open access to the house while I'm gone...usually about 9 hours a day.

* They rarely fart and never have bad breath.

* And best of all, at our yearly vet exam a couple weeks ago the vet told me they were the healthiest dogs he had seen come into his office. Their muscle to fat ratio was perfect, their teeth and gums were exceedingly clean, and thorough testing revealed absolutely no bacteria or parasites in their digestive system. He was especially impressed with their muscle definition.

So far so good...we're definitely going to stick with it and keep watching them closely. My good friend came over while they were eating one day and asked a lot of quesitons. He switched his black lab over to raw and reported even better improvements than I got.

[Particle Man]

I've never liked the crap I see listed on the label of commercial dog foods. good for you caring for your furry family members like that man

[Rider]

I feed my boxer Blue Buffalo large breed puppy food. It a holistic dog food and his coat is shiny and he is filling out quite nicely for an 8 month old boxer. He is about 55lbs and you can just barely see his ribs. I'll have to get new pics of him posted.

[wildchild]

I've got a female boxer that goes roughly 55 to 60 lbs. she is 2 1/2 and still eats puppy food. tried the adult dog food but it did not agree with her at all. the fattening part of pup food is not a concern as she has 3 acres to run in and we take long walks at night. she is very toned.
I do feed her raw veggies and bananas, never thought of raw meats though. May have to look into it.
The poodle has stomach issues at least monthly on commercial diet.

[skiergirl]

So do you feed them the chickens whole? i know you said 1/2 a chicken but you give it to them bones and all? Just curious I remember always being told as a kid to never give dogs chicken or turkey bones because they splinter but maybe that was an old wives tale...

[Kaneman]

So do you feed them the chickens whole? i know you said 1/2 a chicken but you give it to them bones and all? Just curious I remember always being told as a kid to never give dogs chicken or turkey bones because they splinter but maybe that was an old wives tale...

Correct, a 1/2 chicken, skin, bones and all. Gizards and lizer if its there. The chicken bones thing appears to be an old wives tale. Apparently only cooked bones are harmful to animals...even poultry bones

[Particle Man]

Apparently only cooked bones are harmful to animals...even poultry bones

correct. once they get cooked they become brittle and shatter. uncooked bones are actually good because htey clean the teeth and contain marrow... (at least, that's what our vet told us a while back)

[Adeptus_Minor]

Amazing how well they do when they're fed what nature intended them to eat, isn't it. :D

Perhaps this was discussed in the previous thread, but what's the expense like?
I know when I try to eat only fresh foods, my grocery bill goes up considerably.

[tached1000rr]

Interesting, just curious how much would you say you spend each week to feed them? I have a seriously overweight lab mix at 110lbs and my pitbull is about 60lbs I'd say.

[skiergirl]

Amazing how well they do when they're fed what nature intended them to eat, isn't it. :D

Perhaps this was discussed in the previous thread, but what's the expense like?
I know when I try to eat only fresh foods, my grocery bill goes up considerably.

oh heck yes I know about a year ago when I changed my diet to only veggies, fruit and fresh protein my grocery bill easily tripled. I did see he mentioned getting some good deals on whole chickens though....but I'm sure it's a little more than dog food would be but that's a personal choice you make for you pet.

[Gas Man]

I feed my boxer Blue Buffalo large breed puppy food. It a holistic dog food and his coat is shiny and he is filling out quite nicely for an 8 month old boxer. He is about 55lbs and you can just barely see his ribs. I'll have to get new pics of him posted.

Brinks is on the same. Wayne is on BB large adult. But man they can clear a room fart!!!

This is interesting... but damn they already cost me a fortune to feed. And this is easy.

[Kaneman]

It costs us about $3-4 per day to feed them depending on what deals I find. Sams Club is your friend. When I shop the goal is to get meat for $1 a pound...which is what premium dog food runs. $2 a day per dog is a small price to pay to feed my dogs real human quality food. They're stronger and more active than most humans so they need good nutrition.

Feeding has become a bonding ritual as I sometimes feed by hand. It has increased the dogs loyalty to a point where obedience is just a fact of life and not something we have to continuously work on. I feel like it has improved their quality of life.

My buddies wife threw a fit when hre started feeding raw chicken convinced it would kill the dog. He stuck with it and she was amazed at the results.

[Adeptus_Minor]

It costs us about $3-4 per day to feed them depending on what deals I find. Sams Club is your friend. When I shop the goal is to get meat for $1 a pound...which is what premium dog food runs. $2 a day per dog is a small price to pay to feed my dogs real human quality food. They're stronger and more active than most humans so they need good nutrition.

Feeding has become a bonding ritual as I sometimes feed by hand. It has increased the dogs loyalty to a point where obedience is just a fact of life and not something we have to continuously work on. I feel like it has improved their quality of life.


That doesn't sound too bad, really.
Especially given the benefits you seem to be getting from it.
I'll definitely consider this if I get a dog in the near future.

[tached1000rr]

Kaneman, what did the change do in terms of their poop? Did it take some adjustment time? No accidents or diarrhea??

[101lifts2]

You are giving your dog chicken bones? Or am I reading that wrong?

[Adeptus_Minor]

You are giving your dog chicken bones? Or am I reading that wrong?

Chicken on the bone, to be exact.

[VatorMan]

Is there a rule of thumb-pounds of meat per pounds of dog? Is it only meat you are feeding them? Any veggies ? I am very interested in this.

[Kaneman]

Kaneman, what did the change do in terms of their poop? Did it take some adjustment time? No accidents or diarrhea??

There was some vomiting initially which I was told to expect. As far as their poop, the diet has made the poop much smaller and firm and not really that stinky...compared to before. Their poops are about the size of 40lb dog instead of 65-90lb dogs. The idea is that they're able to process and use much more of the food instead of having it go to waste. Its actually pretty funny watching my big ol' dogs take these lil poops.

You are giving your dog chicken bones? Or am I reading that wrong?

You read it right, they've been eating the dreaded chicken bone covered in juicy delicious raw meat for months now.

Is there a rule of thumb-pounds of meat per pounds of dog? Is it only meat you are feeding them? Any veggies ? I am very interested in this.

There are some general rules of thumb but what I found what that everyone had their own individual style. I just keep an eye on their ribs and if they start to show I up their food intake. For my size dogs 1/2 chicken per day seems to work pretty good.

[Homeslice]

Why not gut the fish first? If there are any heavy metals, they'll most likely be concentrated in the guts, IMO

[Kaneman]

Why not gut the fish first? If there are any heavy metals, they'll most likely be concentrated in the guts, IMO

They need the guts (although I could use other non-mercury contaminated guts instead I suppose). To be honest, I don't think they'll live long enough to feel the effects from different contaminates in the water eating fish once a week.

[Rider]

Brinks is on the same. Wayne is on BB large adult. But man they can clear a room fart!!!

This is interesting... but damn they already cost me a fortune to feed. And this is easy.

Yeah it's easy and really the prices isnt that bad. I think Buddy is going through a big bag(40lbs I think) every month. It's$50 a bag but that is relatively cheap compared to what it costs to feed growing kids. Oh yeah and buddy can crack them off with the best of them but they have no smell. :idk: I guess he just swallows a lot air when he eats.

[rogue]

They need the guts (although I could use other non-mercury contaminated guts instead I suppose). To be honest, I don't think they'll live long enough to feel the effects from different contaminates in the water eating fish once a week.

IIRC, purchasing pond raised fish lowers the chances of mercury levels in the fish anyway. :scratch: :idk:

[HurricaneHeather]

Triple, what are you using to grind up the chicken?

[Kaneman]

Good update Triple, glad to see you're still feeding raw.

I go back and forth on whether or not to start grinding. I've seen such great development of their jaw and neck muscles from the chewing that I'm reluctant to start grinding. Not to mention the cleanliness of their teeth, although I'm surprised to read that you are having similar results using ground food.

I think a balance between the two might be a good compromise for me. Alternate whole and ground every other day in order to give an extra day for bones to finish digesting.

[Gas Man]

Yeah it's easy and really the prices isnt that bad. I think Buddy is going through a big bag(40lbs I think) every month. It's$50 a bag but that is relatively cheap compared to what it costs to feed growing kids. Oh yeah and buddy can crack them off with the best of them but they have no smell. :idk: I guess he just swallows a lot air when he eats.
My 2 dogs go thru about 3-4 bags a month of the food at $40 a bag.

I asked the vet about this today. he said its a great diet and works well. The bone in meat MUST MUST be raw. That the stomach can breakdown the bones as long as they aren't cooked. The cooked bones is what most people hear horror stories about. Like the owners left over steak or chicken bones. That is bad cause they are cooked.

He also said that while its a great diet. most pet owners don't stick with it. Its a great deal of hassle and costs more. Some only last a few weeks, others last a few months but most quit due to the hassle.

[Kaneman]

Hard to believe people consider feeding their dogs a hassle...but then again I remember my mom being hasseled to get my dinner on the table!

[Adeptus_Minor]

Hard to believe people consider feeding their dogs a hassle...but then again I remember my mom being hasseled to get my dinner on the table!

I was thinking about that.
Honestly, this is why I haven't moved past the "thinking about getting a dog" stage.
I've owned dogs in the past, but they were outdoor-living, scrap & bag food eating 'dawgs'.
They exercised themselves, entertained themselves (as we would often have two or three), and didn't have to be leashed or taught any particular level of obedience.

However, having a dog in my life now would require a much higher level of involvement.
I live in an apartment, I work nights, I have city ordinances to contend with...etc.
The 'hassle' of feeding raw is a reminder of the kind of things I should add to my consideration.
If and when I decide to bring a dog into my home, I want to do it right. :dthumb:

[Kaneman]

No doubt man.

I'm sure there are plenty of dogs fed commercial that do fine. What I'm hoping to avoid is having my dogs get all crippled up in their final years.

[101lifts2]

....You read it right, they've been eating the dreaded chicken bone covered in juicy delicious raw meat for months now......

I thought chicken bones act like splinters and the dog can choke, no?

[cuttle]

I thought chicken bones act like splinters and the dog can choke, no?

only if you cook them.

Mine get chicken backs and turkey necks quiet frequently.

[askmrjesus]

I thought chicken bones act like splinters and the dog can choke, no?

Raw chicken bones are okay. It's only after they've been cooked that the splinters are a danger.

ETA: Cuttle beat me to it...

JC

[Frostz28]

Glad the raw diet is going good for the dogs. Once you get used to it, it doesn't feel like a hassle at all. Its a fun time to hang out with your dogs. The biggest problem Ive encountered is when I leave town and have to get someone else to feed them. In which case I just get the required number of meals ready and wrap them so all the "dog sitter" has to do is take them out and give them to the dogs. just for kicks you got any recent pictures of them dogs? I know theres a thread for that but throw em up here to!

[Gas Man]

pictures... yeah... got pics of them eating chickens?

[Kaneman]

I'll get some pics and/or video tonight for you guys.

[Lamnidae]

amazing thread.


got me rethinking my dogs diets.....


Currently feeding Chicken Soup for hte Dog Lovers Soul: Large Breed Adult.

My yellow lab has an actual allergy to corn and shits like it's no body's business when you get him standard food (Science Diet fits in this category).


Anywyas. great thread folks.

[RCM78]

http://www.barfproducts.com/?gclid=CKSBhd3VjpoCFSQMDQodBnl9GA

Heres a place where you can order raw diet food.

There are a few places here in jersey that sell ground up chicken/veggie mix's. You can even have custom blends made for specific breeds.

We feed our 10 month old Shepherd Royal Canin #24. It's a commercial food but RC only makes foods for specific breeds. #24 is for German Shepherds and targets exactly what they need. Shepherds have very sensitive digestive systems. The only other supplements we give him are primrose oil and vitamin E for dry itchy skin.

I would switch to the raw diet if I noticed any issues with him but so far he's doing great.

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i48/RCM78/caesarbackyard3.jpg

[BobTheBiker]

This does sound like a very good way to keep a dog healthy, and happy I think.

[Kaneman]

It does seem to make them happier and even more relaxed. Of course there are a lot of other things we do to contribute to that as well. I'll get some pics up when I get a chance.

[asdgirl]

At what age would you recommend starting them on a raw diet? Perhaps slowly transitioning to it, say an egg (shell and all), and work up to raw chicken and bones?

I've got a seven month old JRT/Husky mix named Desmo and I think she'd love a raw diet but didn't want to start too soon/quickly.

:)

[Kaneman]

They can start eating raw as soon as they're old enough to eat kibble. The general thought is to switch their diet cold turkey as feeding raw and kibble together is thought to cause other issues.

[asdgirl]

They can start eating raw as soon as they're old enough to eat kibble. The general thought is to switch their diet cold turkey as feeding raw and kibble together is thought to cause other issues.

Awesome, thanks!!

[Kaneman]

Here is a quick update along with requested photos. We actually went to adopt a pitbull pup today from a local rescue and were denied because of the diet we feed. There was concern that salmonela poisoning was going to kill our dogs and their rescue. Our dogs obvious display of perfect health was not enough to counter their fears.

I try to find whole chickens for $.75 to $.85 a pound.
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/PsychoMedic/101_0181.jpg

Cut it in half...I slice a little more on one side to give our larger boxer a bigger portion. This is an entire day's worth of food.
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/PsychoMedic/101_0182.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/PsychoMedic/101_0183.jpg

I put it in hot water to warm to near room temp. My understanding is that cold meat slows down the digestive process.
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/PsychoMedic/101_0184.jpg

Then there is of course the mandatory sit and stare at your delicious chicken until I say differently because I'm bigger than you exercise....
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/PsychoMedic/101_0187.jpg

Then there is only heaven.
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/PsychoMedic/101_0189.jpg

[njchopper87]

What's with the shelter? This s how dogs are supposed to eat.. if anything they should be shocked that someone is actually putting this amount of effort into raising healthy dogs.

Your dog's coat looks great. I'd like to put my dog on this diet, but it isn't up to me.

[skiergirl]

What's even more ridiculous is that same dog will go to some family that ties it in the back yard and doesn't bother with it, train it or give it attention after 3 weeks when their kid gets bored with it and that's a better option to them.

Un-educated people irritate me to no end. Just because they don't know about it they assume it's un-healthy. Why couldn't they ask for more info from you or take the time to talk to a vet....I guess they don't really care about a good home for that dog.

end rant...:(

[Gas Man]

That is great. Do you always feed outside?

[njchopper87]

I talked to my parents about this earlier today, and they both had similar responses. There was the initial shock, then questions, and finally followed by "well, he doesn't like dog food." So we're looking into this in short. We're still uneasy about the bones, but alternating between ground and whole sounds good.

Some people are using counter-top electric meat grinders, but they really aren't designed (or warrantied) to grind bones. I bought an old fashioned iron hand-crank grinder off eBay (new, $30). It's built STURDY, and I haven't encountered a bone yet I couldn't crush. It disassembles quickly for easy cleaning.

You have a link to said grinder? I see quite a few listed, but if you have good results with the one you snared I'd like to go the same route if we go through with this.

[Kaneman]

Yea I'm actually going today to pick up a grinder. We haven't had bad results with whole chicken, but with the grinder I can mix together different types of meat, organ, eggs etc to get them good variety at every meal.

[Kaneman]

Well I picked up a grinder from Cabelas for $40 that clamps down and was pretty impressed. It took a while to grind down 10 lbs of chicken but it got the job done.

Here is my recipe for this weeks mix, already ground up, pre-mixed and packaged so feeding is a snap.

5lb ground beef
10lb dark chicken
3lb white chicken
2 large salmon filets
3/4 container of chicken liver
2 cups yogurt, plain
1 bell pepper pured
1/2 dozen jumbo eggs
some olive oil

They seem to be enjoying it, lol. In the couple of days that our new Pit puppy has been on this diet his coat has already started to show a glossy sheen and the spot of mange on his forehead is healed.

[azoomm]

I'm moving Sadie to a raw diet this week. I've been reading up on it, here and elsewhere. It all seems just fantastic. She's getting up there in years - and we're starting to see some health issues. So, I'll feed her by hand for a while to make sure she can do the carcass chewing - it looks like that is the primary concern with older dogs.

But, my butcher is almost excited about it. They custom make quite a few dinner options and have a lot of scrap. Not all of it is *worthless*, it might just not all fit into the portions they are selling. The butcher section manager told me this is well handled and FREE. This includes the fish that doesn't make their date cutoffs - again, it doesn't mean that it's spoiled... just the date for purchase has passed.

I figure Sadie is spoiled in all other areas in life and she's truly a member of the family. I might as well feed her like one. And, that doesn't mean breaking the bank... just taking care of her health.

Thank you for this thread - it brought my attention to it!

[Gas Man]

Now I wonder if I could just give the dogs raw chickens every once and a while as a treat?

[Kaneman]

I'm moving Sadie to a raw diet this week. I've been reading up on it, here and elsewhere. It all seems just fantastic. She's getting up there in years - and we're starting to see some health issues. So, I'll feed her by hand for a while to make sure she can do the carcass chewing - it looks like that is the primary concern with older dogs.

But, my butcher is almost excited about it. They custom make quite a few dinner options and have a lot of scrap. Not all of it is *worthless*, it might just not all fit into the portions they are selling. The butcher section manager told me this is well handled and FREE. This includes the fish that doesn't make their date cutoffs - again, it doesn't mean that it's spoiled... just the date for purchase has passed.

I figure Sadie is spoiled in all other areas in life and she's truly a member of the family. I might as well feed her like one. And, that doesn't mean breaking the bank... just taking care of her health.

Thank you for this thread - it brought my attention to it!

Moira that is so cool! I'm excited to hear about that...and I wish I could find a butcher giving away free scraps too. You're the fourth person I've "converted" to raw so far...I'm startin the dog food revolution baby! Pretty soon men in black suits and sunglasses from Purina and Pedigree are going to be paying me a visit.


GasMan, you *could* feed raw chicken as treats but you won't see the types of improvements described in the thread without a consistent diet. Not to say that the dogs wouldn't enjoy the chicken though. Be weary of alternating raw meals with kibble meals. The kibble slows down the dogs digestive system which keeps the raw meat in their intestines longer than it should be. This can allow e-coli or salmonella bacteria to grow and possibly make the dog sick. However on a raw only diet the food passes as it should without any issues. If you feed raw chicken make that your only meal of the day.

Orrrrrrr....just switch them to raw everyday!

[Gas Man]

Maybe I'll ask the vet. I was thinking only the chicken for the day... would hopefully fullfill brink's desire to destroy stuff with his mouth!

[shmike]

We have a local place that specializes in raw foods.

It's like Whole Foods for dogs and cats. :lol:

It's more expensive than buying scraps but we love having the meals individually packaged for each day.

http://www.realfood4pets.com/

[HokieDNA01]

Just saw a pet raw foods plant on "dirty Jobs" show. Here is the website. Not sure of the prices but they seem to have a quality product.

http://www.greentripe.com/

Their main ingredient is cow stomach complete with grass residue. Looks like a great way to get your veggies and protein. Not sure of the pricing though

[Kaneman]

Still feeding Raw...and wishing I had an electric grinder. There's a butcher shop where they actually speak ENGLISH but its 5x as far as the 5 around me where they absolutely refuse to try to speak any english. I mean really motherfucker, you can't understand "chicken neck"....come on...

Anyway, the dogs are doing great. I also have a puppy who's been eating raw since the day we got him about two months ago. I feed around a half chicken a day and a couple legs and wings for the puppy. I also have my multi meat mixture that's grinded and frozen to alternate days with.

Grinding by hand is a pain and its kinda gross too. Def gonna invest in an electric one eventually.

[azoomm]

Josh,

Sadie says THANK YOU.

It's been almost a month - the pooping like a duck has subsided. And, so far.... it's dreamy. She's turned into a puppy again. So far, so good.

[shmike]

Josh,

Sadie says THANK YOU.

It's been almost a month - the pooping like a duck has subsided. And, so far.... it's dreamy. She's turned into a puppy again. So far, so good.

"Pooping like a duck" :lol:

Did you mean loose or often?

When we switched Ana to raw, she went from shitting twice a day to about 3 times a week.

Her nutritionist recommends ground sweet potatoes for loose stool. We haven't used them once.

[azoomm]

"Pooping like a duck" :lol:

Did you mean loose or often?

When we switched Ana to raw, she went from shitting twice a day to about 3 times a week.

Her nutritionist recommends ground sweet potatoes for loose stool. We haven't used them once.

:lol: No, we expected her to poop often - she always has when changing her diet in ANY way. All the way to changing if she gets some table scrap or weird something.

The girls took her on a walk and called me... "Do we have to pick it up if she poops liquid?" :panic:

That was a few days, into a week. Then and now once a day normal/smaller.

[Kaneman]

YAAAAAAY!!!!! I have a friend with a 7 year old black lab I convinced to switch and his dog looks like a 1 year old now. Good stuff.

I think kibble is killin our dogs!!

[njchopper87]

My parents are the LAZIEST people I know. I've told them to read the damn site with the info on and my mom got half way and just stopped and says she doesn't have time when she's sitting there watching tv. They don't want to feed him when they don't know what's going on either. I'll never understand completely, but I think they're trying to say no by means of pissing me off.

[Kaneman]

My parents are the LAZIEST people I know. I've told them to read the damn site with the info on and my mom got half way and just stopped and says she doesn't have time when she's sitting there watching tv. They don't want to feed him when they don't know what's going on either. I'll never understand completely, but I think they're trying to say no by means of pissing me off.

hahaha, my parents do that to me too.

They have two boxers, 7 yr old male and 10 yr old female. They had gotten so fat and out of shape that the 7 year old could barely walk. It was sad and pathetic. I volunteered to take them in for a while and get them back into shape. When we started the male could only walk 2 blocks....2 fricking blocks before he would collapse in the street and look like he was going to die. I had to soak him in water while he took 15 minutes to recover.

Eventually through consistency he dropped 10 lbs and was doing 3 mile walks with us everyday with no problem. I also started taking them to the dog park and he was actually RUNNING up a storm, it was amazing.

Nonetheless, my rents were very unreceptive to switching them to a raw diet despite the fact that their teeth had rotted out of their heads etc, etc.
BUT, they are now walking the dogs twice a day and when I went over there last the male had lost another 5 or so lbs and was looking great!

[azoomm]

*LAZY* is killing us..... Its an epidemic.

[cbrchick]

I'm being lazy right now and waiting until my husband comes home to take the dog to the park. I just can't do the 2+ k morning hike with him without feeling like I need a nap afterwards. This pregnancy sleepy stuff is driving me nuts. There's sooo much I wanna do and can't without paying for it later.

I am so looking forwards to after the baby is born and the dog and I can get out with our nifty B.O.B stroller and get moving like we used to.

Until then I need my husbands help to tire the dog out. I can't rough house with him and I can't keep up our regular "old" pace without getting short of breath.

I really don't know how largely overweight people or those with beer guts do it. The one thing I love/hate about having a big dog is that you can't be lazy. rain, sleet, snow or shine, you have to get out and walk. This baby gut I have due to being preggers makes it hard. I can't wait to be as active as I once was...

[azoomm]

I'm being lazy right now and waiting until my husband comes home to take the dog to the park. I just can't do the 2+ k morning hike with him without feeling like I need a nap afterwards. This pregnancy sleepy stuff is driving me nuts. There's sooo much I wanna do and can't without paying for it later.

I am so looking forwards to after the baby is born and the dog and I can get out with our nifty B.O.B stroller and get moving like we used to.

Until then I need my husbands help to tire the dog out. I can't rough house with him and I can't keep up our regular "old" pace without getting short of breath.

I really don't know how largely overweight people or those with beer guts do it. The one thing I love/hate about having a big dog is that you can't be lazy. rain, sleet, snow or shine, you have to get out and walk. This baby gut I have due to being preggers makes it hard. I can't wait to be as active as I once was...

Not Lazy.

You, momma... not lazy.

[Kaneman]

Goddang man, we just got back from the dog park. It aint no joke out there folks....its hot.

[jtemple]

I have a cat and two labs. One of my labs has some serious hip displasia and it has been acting up recently. All animals eat kibble. I'm seriously considering switching my pets (the dogs, at minimum) to a raw diet.

I need info! Specifically, what to feed them for healthy joints.

[HurricaneHeather]

I've been thinking about doing research on kitty raw diets. I might do that today instead of posting as much on here. :lol:

[Kaneman]

I have a cat and two labs. One of my labs has some serious hip displasia and it has been acting up recently. All animals eat kibble. I'm seriously considering switching my pets (the dogs, at minimum) to a raw diet.

I need info! Specifically, what to feed them for healthy joints.

Prescription Previcox works wonders for dogs with arthritis and dysplasia. I rehabilitated my Dad's 7 year old male Boxer, who when I got him could barely walk. Through a regular regiment of walks, better diet, weight loss and Previcox he was able to literally jump into my Dad's huge truck when they came to get him a month later.

Make sure your dog isn't at all overweight first of all, extra weight is really hard for them to carry around. Then take him to the vet and ask about Previcox...its going to run you about $70 a month to keep him on it. Once he's on the meds focus on trying to build up his hip muscles to support his ailing joints.

[jtemple]

The dogs are not overweight. The one with the bad hip is already on Previcox on an "as needed" basis, and gets a shot in his hip every 3 months.

He had an episode last night where he was refusing to do anything except sit or lay in one spot on the floor. He would not walk. I gave him some Previcox and in an hour or so, he was back to his old self.

He got a fresh shot this morning and the vet suggested we change his diet. I've been kicking around the raw diet idea, this is just the nail in the coffin.

The poor guy is only about 5 years old and he's hurting, pretty badly.

[Kaneman]

Ahh man, only 5 years old. That sucks.

I bet you've already done a ton of research on it. The raw diet IS supposed to be better for dogs with dysplasia. The vet told us when we adopted our Lab that she'd never be able to run. Now she regularly pulls my wife miles upon miles on rollerblades.

[Gas Man]

Try phycox tabs. They are all natural and work wonders for hip & joint stuff.

[azoomm]

Ahh man, only 5 years old. That sucks.

I bet you've already done a ton of research on it. The raw diet IS supposed to be better for dogs with dysplasia. The vet told us when we adopted our Lab that she'd never be able to run. Now she regularly pulls my wife miles upon miles on rollerblades.

Sadie is in that boat too... we considered prescription drugs. But, didn't want her to be reliant on us in order to walk. It's about quality of life - I wanted to try other things first before going to something she required every day.

She has literally turned into a puppy again. Heather can attest to the change in her attitude - she stayed at my house the last week Sadie ate kibble. And, was at my house on Saturday. Same dog, TOTALLY different attitude. She is really now acting like a puppy, all excited and giddy :lol:

[HurricaneHeather]

Sadie is in that boat too... we considered prescription drugs. But, didn't want her to be reliant on us in order to walk. It's about quality of life - I wanted to try other things first before going to something she required every day.

She has literally turned into a puppy again. Heather can attest to the change in her attitude - she stayed at my house the last week Sadie ate kibble. And, was at my house on Saturday. Same dog, TOTALLY different attitude. She is really now acting like a puppy, all excited and giddy :lol:

No seriously....she's like retarded goofy happy playful. It's hilarious and awesome. :lol:

[jtemple]

So, where are you guys getting the info to get started on a raw diet? How do you introduce it, what kinds of foods do my dogs need, etc?

[Kaneman]

Wanted to post an update real quick for cat owners.

I broke down and let my wife get a kitty. In an effort to make her part of the pack from our dog's POV we feed her in the same room and same time as the dogs. I quickly learned that she much prefers raw meat over kitty kibble....because she kept getting in their food bowl. So from then on we just feed her raw like the doggies.

I slice some meat off the dogs chicken or whatever and she eats it down. No bone though. Anyway, seems to be working well so far.

[101lifts2]

I can understand raw red meat, but I would be concerned about the dog getting sick eating raw fish that was not prepared correctly and raw chicken. Why not just feed them raw red meats? And is alot of fat a problem?

How does cooked meats compare to raw?

[Kaneman]

I can understand raw red meat, but I would be concerned about the dog getting sick eating raw fish that was not prepared correctly and raw chicken. Why not just feed them raw red meats? And is alot of fat a problem?

How does cooked meats compare to raw?

They have the digestive system to take care of the things in raw chicken that would make you or me sick. You can't feed them chicken alone and I do feed raw red meats as well, depending on what is on sale that week. They also get eggs, cottage cheese, leftovers, pork and so on.

Red meat is $2+ lb vs. chicken at $.59 a lb. so chicken is the obvious choice to make up the bulk of their protein.

As the bones are part of their diet and cooked bones are dangerous to dogs feeding cooked is not an option. I do buy a big bag of quarters every week, boil that and strip the meat for a quick meal that isn't messy when I'm in a rush. Its more of a back up meal. A lot of fat is not a problem because they are not eating carbs, only fat and protein. Whole chickens have a good fat/protein ration.

In the time that I've been doing this I've seen my dogs digestive problems (throwing up, diarrhea, farts) virtually disappear. They have not been sick at all in the last 6 months.

[azoomm]

In the time that I've been doing this I've seen my dogs digestive problems (throwing up, diarrhea, farts) virtually disappear. They have not been sick at all in the last 6 months.

Sadie's medical issues are completely gone. We no longer give her supplements - her annual vet appointment is next week. A year ago she had problems walking, had seizures and would throw up on occasion. She is a retriever, that couldn't PLAY fetch... it's part of her soul to do it - so we had to hide tennis balls from her or she would hurt herself going into the back yard to throw the ball for herself if we didn't do it. She is now back to retrieving like she did a year ago like a puppy - she now jumps, runs and will dive into the air to catch balls.

I completely attribute a raw food diet to this.

She gets yogurt, liver, eggs and banana/celery/peppers in the morning - chicken in the evening.

Thanks Josh. Really. TRULY. Sadie thanks you.... I'd take a picture, but she's afraid of cameras [they steal your soul...] :lol:

[101lifts2]

These meals sound like mine. LOL...minus the raw meat part, though I eat 12 raw eggs a day.

How do you give the dog raw eggs? Mix is up with other stuff?

[azoomm]

It's an involved process... crack egg in bowl - give bowl to dog. :) She LOVES eggs. No, LOVE love LOVE LoVEs eggs.

[Kaneman]

These meals sound like mine. LOL...minus the raw meat part, though I eat 12 raw eggs a day.

How do you give the dog raw eggs? Mix is up with other stuff?

Yes, my dogs do eat a diet similar to what a bodybuilder would eat...minus whatever carbs you take in during the day. Lots of protein though. Like Azooom said, you crack the egg and put it in the bowl. I just put it in their bowl with a half a chicken. The egg is good for them and adds sheen to their coat.

Moira, it makes me very happy to hear about your success with the raw diet, I'm extremely proud for Sadie! The unfortunate truth is that there are very few kibble diets that are not harmful to dogs. They can't tell us when their stomach hurts and so on so we assume they are fine. The higher end kibbles like Blue Buffalo or Canidae are pretty good...but you just can't beat raw meat for a carnivore.

[101lifts2]

Ahhh...didn't think the dogs would like plain raw eggs.

[defector]

My boxer / staffie mix doesn't like the raw liver. The pit bull loves it though. Matter of fact, there isn't anything yet that he hasn't liked.

[Kaneman]

:lol: I fed beef heart and liver the other day, first time I've ever actually bought a cow's heart. I cut 'em up in thirds and gave them to the dogs.

Organ meat is a much richer than muscle and I guess their stomachs weren't ready for that. Nothing will clear a room faster than raw organ farts. Good sweet Jesus.

[HurricaneHeather]

I tried to start my cats on raw.....that was the longest kitty dinner time ever. One cat produced exorcist vomit and the other looked at us like we were crazy. :lol:

My husband decided that the reason we have cats and not dogs is that cats are far less maintenance. Raw diet is definitely not low maintenance with the cats.

It was not going to be an easy transition especially since the two cats were going to have completely different difficult transitions. :rolleyes:

[HurricaneHeather]

We got some beef livers because they are soft and juicy. Cats have never had to chew before and that is the problem with Triumph(the 'what the fuck is this shit?' cat). I cut tiny little pieces up for him and mixed it with wet cat food. He would pick up the liver pieces, realize he had to work to get it down and spit it back out. :rolleyes:

Eva(the 'I love it, give me more!' cat) devoured all that we gave her then 20 minutes later we had bloody vomit to clean up on the carpet. :lol: It was disgusting.

Main point is, we have cats because they are low maintenance. We can put out a bowl of kibble and be gone for a couple of days and they'd be fine. We don't have the type of life that we can be home twice a day everyday, ya know?

[Tsunami]

This might be already covered but I don't feel like reading 10 pages...

is there a risk for salmonella in raw eggs and meat?

[Kaneman]

This might be already covered but I don't feel like reading 10 pages...

is there a risk for salmonella in raw eggs and meat?

No.

[Tsunami]

No.

Cool I am going to give Puggy a raw egg now. Can you give them one a day?

[Kaneman]

Cool I am going to give Puggy a raw egg now. Can you give them one a day?

Sure, but if he's not used to it its likely to agitate his stomach the first couple of times. Raw white chicken meat might be a safer bet at first.

[101lifts2]

Cool I am going to give Puggy a raw egg now. Can you give them one a day?

I've been eating eggs raw for over a year now...never got sick from it. Just make sure the egg doesn't smell or bloody after you crack it open (had 2 of those..almost threw them in the blender too..lol).

[Kaneman]

Triple, I really believe a lot of that info is put out by the dog food industry. If people ever realize they can feed their dogs better and cheaper by buying raw meats instead of kibble those guys are going out of business.

That above website appears to be run by Foster and Smith which is about as a big a rip-off site as you can find...aside from actually going in to Petsmart.

[Kaneman]

FYI guys, whole turkeys are on sale at Walmart for $.40 a lb. Stock up while you can!

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/PsychoMedic/DSC_0389.jpg

[Rider]

My apologies if it's already been said since i haven't gone back and read every post in this thread, but how much are you feeding your boxer? Does he eat an entire chicken per day?

[Kaneman]

My apologies if it's already been said since i haven't gone back and read every post in this thread, but how much are you feeding your boxer? Does he eat an entire chicken per day?

It kinda varies based on what he does for the day. A whole chicken in one day would be something he got if he really worked his ass off. (I.E., pulled me for like 8+ miles.)

Today was a working day and he got a whole turkey breast.

[azoomm]

It kinda varies based on what he does for the day. A whole chicken in one day would be something he got if he really worked his ass off. (I.E., pulled me for like 8+ miles.)

Today was a working day and he got a whole turkey breast.

Sadie has this great wookie voice that she has found since going on this diet. She gets up in the morning and "yells" at us if we haven't gotten her breakfast ready :lol: It's somewhere between a growl and a bark - but, like a wookie. We have a great morning conversation.

Josh, really - thank you for introducing us to this. I know it has saved her life.

[Kaneman]

Sadie has this great wookie voice that she has found since going on this diet. She gets up in the morning and "yells" at us if we haven't gotten her breakfast ready :lol: It's somewhere between a growl and a bark - but, like a wookie. We have a great morning conversation.

Josh, really - thank you for introducing us to this. I know it has saved her life.

No problem Zoomie, I'm really proud for you and Sadie. BTW, don't even think about posting details to this diet elsewhere, it is copyrighted!!! hahahaha.

I crack me up.

[azoomm]

No problem Zoomie, I'm really proud for you and Sadie. BTW, don't even think about posting details to this diet elsewhere, it is copyrighted!!! hahahaha.

I crack me up.

:lol:

[azoomm]

Hey Josh... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwyiIBCwAxc

Thanks man. Really.

I completely forgot I had that old video. Sadie is camera shy, and I'm surprised I even got that many runs out of her on the first video. The second one, I have now figured out if I put the camera at my waist and move my body with the camera she doesn't notice I have one.

[Adeptus_Minor]

Wow, Moira... I don't think Sadie was that energetic even when I first met you guys. That's freaking fantastic!

I've started my girl on a high quality natural kibble for an easy transition from shelter food. But as that bag dwindles, I'm going to get her onto raw food.
She's going to look and feel amazing. :dthumb:

[Kaneman]

Oh my God! That's so awesome!!! She's jumpin like 4 ft in the air. Amazing!

[thirdgenlxi]

Well... I've been doing alot of research on this lately as well, and decided to get Piggy off of the "poison" (as most referred to kibble as, lol), and get her headed in the right direction to a long healthy life. I always knew kibble foods weren't the greatest for dogs, but didn't know just how bad until I started digging a little deeper... YIKES!!

So today (sun), was Piggys first day on her new RAW meaty bones diet! As recommended by everything I've read, I started out very simple: plain chicken quarters. Everyone said don't add variety just yet, just pick one meat and stick with it for a couple weeks and let the dogs body get used to eating and digesting "real" food, then start adding variety, organs, etc.

I got her a 16" pizza pan too to eat off of, so there's room for her to pick stuff apart without getting it all over the kitchen floor.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/thirdgenlxi/05d170e3.jpg

Small doses to start off with until I know everything is going well. I fasted her yesterday to let everything else work it's way through first

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/thirdgenlxi/480ded18.jpg

At first she looked a little confused, like "ummm what do I do with this??" LOL. She kept looking up at me, then back down at the chicken, then up at me again, then she just started licking it, hahah

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/thirdgenlxi/6dbfa87f.jpg

After a few minutes though, she was going to town on it. I watched her the whole time to make sure she didn't try and gulp it (she usually tends to eat pretty fast cuz of the other dogs always coming around her food bowl). But she did great... took her time and chewed everything, crunched all the bones, and all was good. Took her probably 15 mins to finish both pieces. She didn't leave so much as a crumb behind, hahah

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/thirdgenlxi/9f7675ae.jpg


She has hip dysplasia and very dry itchy skin in the winter time, and from what I've read, this should help out with both of those. She had a yeast infection in her right ear recently too, but that seemed to be just a one time thing and hasn't happened before that or since. A little maximum strength Vagisil took care of it no prob anyways, lol

So, we'll see how it goes! I'm cutting her feeding down to 1 meal per day and will watch her weight carefully. Hopefully it goes well! Never heard a single bad thing about a raw diet though

[thirdgenlxi]

Well... day one was excellent success! No vomiting, no hershey squirts.... no abnormal effects at all!

Day 2 has also gone very well...

She always gives me the most pathetic, "but dad, it's torture!! Can't you see I'm dying here??", look you've ever seen, lol. Tail wagging at full speed the whole time, heh. But she knows that she's gotta sit there until I say "go eat", and she does very well with that!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/thirdgenlxi/b1936b30.jpg

Then she had to give it the sniff test
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/thirdgenlxi/7071d116.jpg

And then the lick test
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/thirdgenlxi/9a444032.jpg

Bah! F**k it... I'm eating
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/thirdgenlxi/72d53e17.jpg

I gave her a little more tonight (3 quarters) since it seemed to sit well yesterday. So far so good! I'll give it a couple weeks and then start adding other stuff. I'm glad to hear so many great success stories feeding this way!

[azoomm]

Luck man!! Really!

Sadie still has signs of being an older dog - she still drags her back feet after the walk up to the park to catch the ball. But, as you can see, she has her vertical back - the first part of the video wasn't even as bad as it got... I just couldn't video her falling down. :(

She is completely on the mend though - and the ONLY major change we did was food. She takes no suppliments and doesn't need her teeth cleaned or scaled. The funny part was - the vet didn't believe she was the same dog. :lol:

[Adeptus_Minor]

Hey Moira, what 'butcher' are you visiting? (if you don't mind giving up your sources)
Think HEB would work with me?

Oh, and can you guys recommend any forums with diet and meat suggestions?
Beef, chicken, and fish are the easy answers... but I've heard recommendations against pork and possibly turkey.

[azoomm]

Hey Moira, what 'butcher' are you visiting? (if you don't mind giving up your sources)
Think HEB would work with me?

Oh, and can you guys recommend any forums with diet and meat suggestions?
Beef, chicken, and fish are the easy answers... but I've heard recommendations against pork and possibly turkey.

I now go to the one in the Randalls on our corner - the other one was too far away and they hired a new manager that didn't like giving things away [boo! :lol:]. We alternate between getting the thigh and the drumstick super-packs. Then, package them up when we get home to one serving and freeze what won't be used in the next two days.

I stay with chicken with her. Occassionally I will get a pack of fish and give her a fish day. But, I have noticed mixing meats doesn't settle well with her... I personally don't do turkey because it's usually hard to come by in easily packaged sets. And, pork can a bit expensive. I will get her a pack of beef soup bones though - those are like crack. I can't imagine her hunting cows though :lol:

[thirdgenlxi]

I now go to the one in the Randalls on our corner - the other one was too far away and they hired a new manager that didn't like giving things away [boo! :lol:]. We alternate between getting the thigh and the drumstick super-packs. Then, package them up when we get home to one serving and freeze what won't be used in the next two days.

I stay with chicken with her. Occassionally I will get a pack of fish and give her a fish day. But, I have noticed mixing meats doesn't settle well with her... I personally don't do turkey because it's usually hard to come by in easily packaged sets. And, pork can a bit expensive. I will get her a pack of beef soup bones though - those are like crack. I can't imagine her hunting cows though :lol:

:lol I couldn't imagine Piggy hunting cows either, or, really anything for that matter, lol. I mean she catches and PLAYS with bugs and flies, for christs sake, lol. Seriously she'll catch one, pick it up with the end of her mouth without killing it, and then toss it across the room and chase after it again, and keep doing it with the same poor bug, hahahah. So yea, definitely could not see her chasing down some prey to eat.... she'd just try and play with them, lol

[Adeptus_Minor]

I now go to the one in the Randalls on our corner - the other one was too far away and they hired a new manager that didn't like giving things away [boo! :lol:]. We alternate between getting the thigh and the drumstick super-packs. Then, package them up when we get home to one serving and freeze what won't be used in the next two days.

I stay with chicken with her. Occassionally I will get a pack of fish and give her a fish day. But, I have noticed mixing meats doesn't settle well with her... I personally don't do turkey because it's usually hard to come by in easily packaged sets. And, pork can a bit expensive. I will get her a pack of beef soup bones though - those are like crack. I can't imagine her hunting cows though :lol:

Thanks :dthumb:
Chicken is definitely the easy option.
I'm also looking at those beef spare ribs. Decent amount of meat, flat bone that should be easy to crack, some nice chewy connective tissue.
As for fish, I need to find out who has fish that aren't already gutted.
Maybe Quality Seafood?

[Tsunami]

:lol I couldn't imagine Piggy hunting cows either, or, really anything for that matter, lol. I mean she catches and PLAYS with bugs and flies, for christs sake, lol. Seriously she'll catch one, pick it up with the end of her mouth without killing it, and then toss it across the room and chase after it again, and keep doing it with the same poor bug, hahahah. So yea, definitely could not see her chasing down some prey to eat.... she'd just try and play with them, lol

My pug does that with crickets :lol:

[Gas Man]

Keep us updated Jarod. I may consider it this summer with my dogs.

[RACER X]

(this is Z, once again, too lazy to log the Hobbit Footed one out=see shoe thread)

omg Moira I'm so glad she's doing so well. I remember you telling how she wasn't doing well and you didn't know what you were going to do w/ her, and then WOW look at that video! that's so freakin' awesome!

[Kaneman]

Hey guys, stay away from raw pork, can give your dogs worms I believe.

[shmike]

Hey guys, stay away from raw pork, can give your dogs worms I believe.

I'm not sure about worms but it can certainly give them the squirts!

Where are you getting the worm info?

Pork hearts were actually recommended by our dog's nutritionist.

Yes, I said nutritionist. :gofurslf:

[Adeptus_Minor]

Probably wise to steer clear of beef and pork bones unless you have an extremely heavy-duty grinder. They are more difficult to break, harder to digest, and more likely to be swallowed in larger pieces than poultry bones. This means they are more likely to lodge themselves in your dog's intestines (which is one of the leading causes of death in wild predators).


That's true, I didn't think about that.
It's also possible that she might not even finish it, just gnaw the tissue off of it.

As for freezing fish and some other meats for safety, I'm reading a little about that now. A couple of sources say freezing pork for ~3 weeks can kill trichinella (and, I'm guessing, some other worms).

[azoomm]

Still going really well on the Raw diet. Converting more and more people - my daughter brought Sadie to the park by our house for an after school thing, and fed her chicken at the park. She got yelled at by "grown ups" for feed her dog chicken bones. All these adults are now looking for more information from me.

My vet is looking at more information as well. Here's the start of a diet revolution.

Thanks Josh.

[defector]

Our update:

Our boy Duke (APBT mix) is 84lbs. Vet says change nothing with the diet.

Our girl Dutchess (Staffy/Boxer mix) is a portly 114lbs. (Thyroid problem). She definitely has her energy back, and is back to bowling over any kiddies (or flyweight adults) who dare get in her way at full boogie.

[OneSickPsycho]

When we get a dog... I'm totally doing this... these stories are AMAZING.

[Amber Lamps]

When we get a dog... I'm totally doing this... these stories are AMAZING.

Of course, I'm going to be the skeptic... I've checked this thread from time to time and I don't know all of the particulars. Do you only feed your dog meat? Has anyone tried doing both or supplements? Dynabite, etc. What do you do if they don't eat it all in one sitting? You don't leave raw meat laying around, right? This goes against everything I've ever been told about giving a dog anything but dog food. I'm also not sure how raw meet is "cheaper" than dog food. I buy a bag maybe once a month or so... Not a major expense.:idk: Believe it or not,I am interested but have a bit trepidation as my dog is home alone for 10 hours... would not wish to come home to a nasty mess...:idk:

[Gas Man]

It's not cheaper Amber... that is for sure.

i don't know about the other questions.

[Adeptus_Minor]

My dog has been doing great on a diet of raw chicken (mostly just thighs, with skin and bone) and veggies, and a little unflavored yogurt.
Occasionally canned salmon, as I haven't found a good source of fresh, ungutted fish (for any price I'm able to pay on a regular basis).

I've tuned her portions to as much as she will eat in a sitting... actually a little less, because her activity level doesn't demand a heavy food intake.

I took her in for her vaccinations and physical week before last and her primary vet was very pleased with her coat and energy level. Her bloodwork and her fecal sample all came back clean and indicating good health.

Unfortunately, later in the week she developed a stomach issue and I had to take her back in. The vet on duty that day was not as pleased with the raw diet as her primary vet, and suggested cooked food and this supplement (BalanceIt?).
She's since recovered and has been doing fine. Per vet's orders, I gave her only cooked chicken and rice for a few days and treated her with an antibiotic. Now she's back on her regular raw food and seems plenty healthy and happy to be doing that again.

[Amber Lamps]

My dog has been doing great on a diet of raw chicken (mostly just thighs, with skin and bone) and veggies, and a little unflavored yogurt.
Occasionally canned salmon, as I haven't found a good source of fresh, ungutted fish (for any price I'm able to pay on a regular basis).

I've tuned her portions to as much as she will eat in a sitting... actually a little less, because her activity level doesn't demand a heavy food intake.

I took her in for her vaccinations and physical week before last and her primary vet was very pleased with her coat and energy level. Her bloodwork and her fecal sample all came back clean and indicating good health.

Unfortunately, later in the week she developed a stomach issue and I had to take her back in. The vet on duty that day was not as pleased with the raw diet as her primary vet, and suggested cooked food and this supplement (BalanceIt?).
She's since recovered and has been doing fine. Per vet's orders, I gave her only cooked chicken and rice for a few days and treated her with an antibiotic. Now she's back on her regular raw food and seems plenty healthy and happy to be doing that again.

Hmmm... I understand that processed dog food has it's limitations for sure, just like our processed food does for us. I can't help but wonder if there isn't a better, EASIER, cheaper way... I've heard several similar stories about Dynabite. :idk:

[shmike]

Of course, I'm going to be the skeptic... I've checked this thread from time to time and I don't know all of the particulars. Do you only feed your dog meat? Has anyone tried doing both or supplements? Dynabite, etc. What do you do if they don't eat it all in one sitting? You don't leave raw meat laying around, right? This goes against everything I've ever been told about giving a dog anything but dog food. I'm also not sure how raw meet is "cheaper" than dog food. I buy a bag maybe once a month or so... Not a major expense.:idk: Believe it or not,I am interested but have a bit trepidation as my dog is home alone for 10 hours... would not wish to come home to a nasty mess...:idk:

Our dog gets mostly meat. They are naturally carnivores. A few of the meals she gets are "medleys" which have certain veggies or berries in them that aid digestion.

With a properly varied diet, supplements shouldn't be necessary except in extreme cases. The dogs get all the nutrients from the food just like their ancestors did in the wild.

We have switched from leaving dry food out for her to graze on to two feedings per day. She'll usually finish it within 10 seconds. On the rare occasion that it is not gone, we usually throw it away. We have left the raw meat out and left. It is gone by the time we get home.

It is definitely not cheaper than kibble. Our raw diet costs about 2X's what dry food would but we aren't bargain shoppers. Convenience > cost.

Hmmm... I understand that processed dog food has it's limitations for sure, just like our processed food does for us. I can't help but wonder if there isn't a better, EASIER, cheaper way... I've heard several similar stories about Dynabite. :idk:

A raw food diet is the better, easier way. It's not cheaper though.

If you don't want to deal with the preparations that some of these guys go through, do what we do:
We have a local "Pet Deli" that prepackages all meals into individual packages. They are kept in the freezer. When the dog gets her dinner, we pull tomorrow's meals into the fridge to defrost. The next day, open the package and serve. Can't get much easier than that. :idk:

[defector]

Of course, I'm going to be the skeptic... I've checked this thread from time to time and I don't know all of the particulars. Do you only feed your dog meat? Has anyone tried doing both or supplements? Dynabite, etc. What do you do if they don't eat it all in one sitting? You don't leave raw meat laying around, right? This goes against everything I've ever been told about giving a dog anything but dog food. I'm also not sure how raw meet is "cheaper" than dog food. I buy a bag maybe once a month or so... Not a major expense.:idk: Believe it or not,I am interested but have a bit trepidation as my dog is home alone for 10 hours... would not wish to come home to a nasty mess...:idk:

I can give you my answers on these, but I may not be doing it like everyone else.
1. My dogs get meat [on the bone], eggs, and vegetables daily. Yogurt every other day, and a whole fish once a week (in place of meat).
2. I don't give them supplements normally
3. I have no problem with them not eating it all in 1 sitting. Hasn't happened yet.
4. I don't leave raw meat laying around.
5. It isn't cheaper (or more convenient), from what I can tell. Although my beasts used to go through quite a bit of bag food anyway, and that wasn't exactly cheap either.

Basically, every Sunday I do all the major prepping for the entire week. I usually just buy whole chickens and portion them myself. In a pinch I will use leg quarters.

[Kaneman]

It is definitely not cheaper than kibble. Our raw diet costs about 2X's what dry food would but we aren't bargain shoppers. Convenience > cost.



A raw food diet is the better, easier way. It's not cheaper though.



Compared to a Premium brand or compared with Pedigree/Puppy Chow/Other nasty shit?

Feeding our three dogs on the raw diet does come out to be cheaper than it would for "quality" kibble, which usually runs $1.50-2 per lb.

I'm one of those that believes supplements, especially when recommended by most vets, are a complete scam. I think my dogs health tests and rejuvenation in the case of my older Labrador are proof that a raw meat diet does not require any supplements or snake oils. Its DEFINITELY not more convenient, and without an electric grinder it can be a major pain in the ass. I only feed my dogs raw bone (whole chicken, thighs, legs, etc.) every other day. On the days in between they get a ground up meat medley of goodness. I've found that my Lab is too stupid to eat bone everyday because she doesn't chew them up right, and I'll find some puke laying around somewhere.

That wouldn't be an issue with a dog who was raised on raw, like my Pit Bull.

[shmike]

Compared to a Premium brand or compared with Pedigree/Puppy Chow/Other nasty shit?

Feeding our three dogs on the raw diet does come out to be cheaper than it would for "quality" kibble, which usually runs $1.50-2 per lb.

I'm one of those that believes supplements, especially when recommended by most vets, are a complete scam. I think my dogs health tests and rejuvenation in the case of my older Labrador are proof that a raw meat diet does not require any supplements or snake oils. Its DEFINITELY not more convenient, and without an electric grinder it can be a major pain in the ass. I only feed my dogs raw bone (whole chicken, thighs, legs, etc.) every other day. On the days in between they get a ground up meat medley of goodness. I've found that my Lab is too stupid to eat bone everyday because she doesn't chew them up right, and I'll find some puke laying around somewhere.

That wouldn't be an issue with a dog who was raised on raw, like my Pit Bull.

The good stuff through her former vet (kibble). The cheapest raw we get is about $1.99/lb.

The difference in cost comes down mostly to convenience.

We buy all of our raw food at the local "Pet Deli". It is preground, individually packaged, and delivered to our home. That kind of convenience comes at a price.

Keep in mind, our dog is less than 7lbs and eats a 1/4lb a day of food. If we had a Lab, Rottie, Shepard, Pit, etc. I'd probably be a little more cost conscious.

[Kaneman]

The good stuff through her former vet (kibble). The cheapest raw we get is about $1.99/lb.

The difference in cost comes down mostly to convenience.

We buy all of our raw food at the local "Pet Deli". It is preground, individually packaged, and delivered to our home. That kind of convenience comes at a price.

Keep in mind, our dog is less than 7lbs and eats a 1/4lb a day of food. If we had a Lab, Rottie, Shepard, Pit, etc. I'd probably be a little more cost conscious.

Right on, that makes perfect sense. I'd do the same if I didn't have three large dogs to feed. I hate feeding them $.59 a lb leg quarters and $.80 lb whole chickens, cause I know how those chickens are raised and what's in them...yet I have to assume that it is still much healthier than feeding kibble.

1/4lb of food a day :lol: That must be nice! Mine eat between 1.5 and 2.5lb a day, depending on what leftovers and extras are in their food for that day.

For me its always been more about bonding with my dogs than their health, as my dog's sole purpose in life is to protect my family. Our feeding ritual definitely put us on another level of training and understanding. You may be able to bypass a Brinks...but you won't get by my three without waking me up.
I know, I know, there's a pet picture thread...
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/PsychoMedic/091509bikeride.jpg

[Amber Lamps]

Thanks for taking my questions seriously guys. My dog is healthy and happy but I want the best for him, of course. I won't lie. I work 6 days a week and barely ever cook/prepare food for myself. I don't think that I have either the time nor the inclination for this type of feeding.

As far as "in the wild" goes, I've seen wild dogs/wolves/coyotes...yea, I rather have my dog look much better than that.

As I've said, I've seen hundreds of ranting reviews for Dynabite. I might try that. My dog's only "problem" is shedding.

[Kaneman]

Thanks for taking my questions seriously guys. My dog is healthy and happy but I want the best for him, of course. I won't lie. I work 6 days a week and barely ever cook/prepare food for myself. I don't think that I have either the time nor the inclination for this type of feeding.

As far as "in the wild" goes, I've seen wild dogs/wolves/coyotes...yea, I rather have my dog look much better than that.

As I've said, I've seen hundreds of ranting reviews for Dynabite. I might try that. My dog's only "problem" is shedding.

Excessive shedding could definitely be a sign of poor nutrition but of course all dogs shed some. A lot of us perceive our dog as healthy, because that is the status quo, when they're really not. For example, a lot of people think their Rottweiler or Boxer, etc, has genetic hip dysplasia and nothing can be done, when in fact it is their body failing after years of eating shit food and worthless supplements.

Even very well meaning, intelligent dog owners, who really care about their pets fall into this trap that "dog food" is what dogs eat and that's pretty much it. Because that's the way its always been for us, and because the dog food industry sponsors pretty much EVERYTHING pet related from your local Vet, to dogs shows to agility trials and so on. So its integrated into us...but even the most expensive dog foods fall short of providing the kind of nutrition a dog needs to be as healthy as they are meant to be.

Likewise, most Vets absolutely shun raw diets as dangerous, risky, inadequate, etc. etc., and of course in turn recommend that you buy a 50lb bag of Science Diet and some supplements like "Missing Link" or "Dynabite." Then they'll want you to come back for teeth cleaning, check-ups, and regular sick visits. Money in their pocket, but all completely unnecessary for a dog on a raw diet.

The first time I saw my Vet with my dogs he asked me how I kept them so healthy, as he said even my 8 year old was in perfect shape, teeth superclean, all that. I told him raw diet, and he was apprehensive at first....but I finally sold him on it during our last visit last month. I told him I've never brushed my dogs teeth, and he couldn't get over how white they were. He's going to put his Pit/Rott mix on a raw diet now as well. :lol: .....but don't tell Pedigree, or they might pull their sponsorship!

There is no way my Boxer could tow 200lbs over 8 miles at 15mph if he was eating kibble, I know that for a fact.

[Amber Lamps]

You may be right, personally I think that the exercise and the fact that you spend all day with them doesn't hurt matters. Lots of rave reviews from customers, http://www.k9healthsolutions.com/dinovite-reviews.html

[Kaneman]

You may be right, personally I think that the exercise and the fact that you spend all day with them doesn't hurt matters. Lots of rave reviews from customers, http://www.k9healthsolutions.com/dinovite-reviews.html

No doubt, but their excellent health can be solely attributed to the diet. As I've mentioned, when I got my Lab from the shelter she had a lame shoulder...Vet told us she'd never be able to run.

Now here it is 2 years later and she runs agility, retrieves over 100yards at sprint, pulls 150lb load until her nails wear to the quick and swims like a beast!

[azoomm]

I'm with Josh on his sentiments. I know it's not cheaper. But, I also know she wouldn't be alive today if we would have stayed with her kibble diet. That fits into the category of "priceless."

I also know I won't get another dog after Sadie is gone. The whole process is a lot of work.

[Amber Lamps]

Okay guys, well again I appreciate your sentiments and I am happy that your dogs are better. I still don't believe that this is the only way towards a healthier dog.:idk:

[Kaneman]

My dog vs. your dog. Anytime, anywhere. :lol:

[Amber Lamps]

My dog vs. your dog. Anytime, anywhere. :lol:

My dog has a working master, which equals little to no exercise... I don't have hours to spend at the park unfortunately and only post here in between jobs now. You want a real test, get two puppies from the same litter, raise them the same except one eats premium dog food plus Dynabite and the other eats raw meat. Give it a year and lets see.

[Kaneman]

My dog has a working master, which equals little to no exercise... I don't have hours to spend at the park unfortunately and only post here in between jobs now. You want a real test, get two puppies from the same litter, raise them the same except one eats premium dog food plus Dynabite and the other eats raw meat. Give it a year and lets see.

Lame. My dogs were in every bit as good a shape when I was working 50hrs a week as they are now that I'm working more like 20.

But you're right, that would be a cool test. I'd be VERY interested to see how it turned out. You'd have to give 'em more than a year I think though, it would be a lifetime measurement and would have to be done with numerous litters. Hard to control something like that.

[Amber Lamps]

Lame. My dogs were in every bit as good a shape when I was working 50hrs a week as they are now that I'm working more like 20.

But you're right, that would be a cool test. I'd be VERY interested to see how it turned out. You'd have to give 'em more than a year I think though, it would be a lifetime measurement and would have to be done with numerous litters. Hard to control something like that.

Yea well I work almost 70....

Anyway, what I'd like to do is feed each dog one way for the first year or two and then perform some tests THEN switch them for a couple years and perform the same tests.

[Adeptus_Minor]

Thanks for taking my questions seriously guys. My dog is healthy and happy but I want the best for him, of course. I won't lie. I work 6 days a week and barely ever cook/prepare food for myself. I don't think that I have either the time nor the inclination for this type of feeding.

As far as "in the wild" goes, I've seen wild dogs/wolves/coyotes...yea, I rather have my dog look much better than that.



You know, it's funny, I have to be careful sometimes.
I find myself putting more thought into what Lilly eats than what I eat.
And in a given grocery store run, may have more in the basket for her than for myself. :lol:

The "in the wild" argument is a conditional one as far as prey-model diets go.
Naysayers argue that most wild canines don't live as long as a well kept domestic dog. True, but they also aren't feeding with the regularity a domestic dog is, on the sort of quality meats (or whatever you choose) that we can feed them. Wild dogs don't get vet care, vaccinations, secure shelter, aren't kept out of fights with other animals... the list goes on.
It's not about looking at a wild dog and saying "He's living the dream!", it's about finding human quality equivalents to the foods on which evolution has designed them to subsist and providing them in synergy with all the care, exercise, and protection that we can offer.

There are probably at least a few kibbles which can satisfy those conditions, at least in terms of quality of ingredients. They might be better balanced and Swiss watch consistent as far as protein, fat, and fiber ratios... scientifically over-engineered with trace minerals you can't even pronounce let alone know why a dog might need them.
And certainly there's no arguing the convenience issue. There are times that I've pondered putting Lilly back on one of the designer kibbles just to free an hour or so of my time during the week. She'd probably live a long healthy life on it. I just know I get a feeling of satisfaction seeing her engaged in eating something "real".

If I had kids, I wouldn't want to see them growing up on a steady diet of processed food rather than real meats and vegetables in a recognizable form.
Since I have none, the dog gets the benefit of my desire to be a good provider.

[Gas Man]

Are you raw food meat with bone people still giving your dogs bones (rawhide, cow femur, etc) as treats or what not? Or do they have little interest in that after eating their raw chicken?

What do you think a 150# mastiff would eat? one whole chicken a day or 3 leg quarters?

[shmike]

Are you raw food meat with bone people still giving your dogs bones (rawhide, cow femur, etc) as treats or what not? Or do they have little interest in that after eating their raw chicken?

What do you think a 150# mastiff would eat? one whole chicken a day or 3 leg quarters?

For the treats, yes. She still gets them and is as excited now as when she was on a super-bland kibble diet.

The rule of thumb with raw foods is about 2% of body weight per day. That means Brinks would need about 3lbs of food, give or take.

Hopefully Kaneman will chime in on the best way to make that happen. It takes our dog almost 2 weeks to eat that much food! :lol:

[OneSickPsycho]

It may be explained and I over-looked it... how often are you feeding the dogs? Once/twice a day?

[shmike]

We feed twice.

Once in AM, once in PM.

[Kaneman]

Are you raw food meat with bone people still giving your dogs bones (rawhide, cow femur, etc) as treats or what not? Or do they have little interest in that after eating their raw chicken?

What do you think a 150# mastiff would eat? one whole chicken a day or 3 leg quarters?

The weight percentage shmike mentioned is a good rule of thumb, and then you just vary it based on your dog's metabolism. My big guy weighs 90lbs and eats about a half a chicken a day, plus "fixins." He has a very high metabolism, I don't think a 150lb dog would eat a whole lot more. A whole chicken a day seems like a lot, but if you're talking a small chicken, like 2.5lbs...then that might be good.

I would find a Mastiff forum, most dog forums these days have a Raw Diet sub forum so you can see what other breed owners are doing for their dogs.

I don't give my dogs anything to chew on, no raw hide or anything. Its too hard to keep an eye on them with stuff like that laying around for me, but they don't chew up any of my stuff so its all good. The raw diet is supposed to satisfy that urge they have to chew stuff, seems to work.

I feed once or twice a day, depends on what food they're getting. Raw meaty meals are fed once, ground meals twice.

[azoomm]

We feed twice a day every other day - evening only the other days.

Sadie isn't interested in chew-toys [or anything to chew for entertainment]. She now consumes any bones we give her... her favorite seems to be the soup/stock beef bones we get. They are gone in about 15 minutes.

I think the important thing to remember with this type of diet, there are good guidelines to stick to. But, each dog is different in what their needs are. It's much like each of us have our own personal diet needs, same goes for our dogs.

[Adeptus_Minor]

Lilly gets fed twice a day most days, though I periodically fast her for one meal, or sometimes a full day if she's not eliminating properly or shows hesitation eating (which is rare).

She annihilates small things like beef kneecaps and will strip those rib bone treats down to bare bone in a matter of minutes.

[Gas Man]

And how much does your average whole chicken or leg quarter weight?

I can't do this now as we still have our live in "inlaws" who have 2 dogs. Just not going thru all that. But maybe after they live in another month.

Other things I consider...

Do you still feed them random table scraps?

What do you do if you have a dog sitter, cause you're on vacation???? Further, what your dog stays at a house with other dogs that eat kibble? Feed your dog outside away from others? How do you keep your dog from their dog's open kibble? Or don't worry about it?

Brinks' main vet already said he understands the raw meat diet. He said he has seen it first hand transform a dog that needed extensive teeth work/scrubbing and was over weight to healthy and clean teeth. He said the biggest thing he sees. People don't stick with it. It's a great deal more hassle than kibble feeding.

[Kaneman]

And how much does your average whole chicken or leg quarter weight?

I can't do this now as we still have our live in "inlaws" who have 2 dogs. Just not going thru all that. But maybe after they live in another month.

Other things I consider...

Do you still feed them random table scraps?

What do you do if you have a dog sitter, cause you're on vacation???? Further, what your dog stays at a house with other dogs that eat kibble? Feed your dog outside away from others? How do you keep your dog from their dog's open kibble? Or don't worry about it?

Brinks' main vet already said he understands the raw meat diet. He said he has seen it first hand transform a dog that needed extensive teeth work/scrubbing and was over weight to healthy and clean teeth. He said the biggest thing he sees. People don't stick with it. It's a great deal more hassle than kibble feeding.

I've done it before, but it was a chore. I kept my Dad's two boxers for the summer last year, and despite their health problems he has refused to try my diet. At feeding time I put them out back with their kibble and fed my dogs their meat inside. If I brought out the meat first my Dad's male boxer wouldn't eat, expecting a tasty chickeny treat instead.

I feed all the random table scraps I can get my hands on. Nothing with onions or cooked bones though.

[Gas Man]

Obviously nothing too spicy or cooked bones. That's standard issue caution.

I'm just wondering how it would be for a long weekend type Brinks over at the inlaws or somin. They have dogs and that would make it harder. Plus their dog food (kibble) is usually out.

Will have to get wifey to check this thread out...

[Amber Lamps]

I am way too lazy for this guys. .. I'll keep buying the "good stuff" and hope for the best.

[Kaneman]

Obviously nothing too spicy or cooked bones. That's standard issue caution.

I'm just wondering how it would be for a long weekend type Brinks over at the inlaws or somin. They have dogs and that would make it harder. Plus their dog food (kibble) is usually out.

Will have to get wifey to check this thread out...

Switching back and forth between kibble and raw tends to make them sick. Dogs don't adapt to sudden variety for some reason.

[azoomm]

I travelled with Sadie to Minnesota over the Christmas holiday last year for 12 days. It was so much easier to just stop into a grocery store and get cut up chicken then to schlep her food with.

If I'm out I have friends stop by and take care of her - or she goes to a private kennel close by that doesn't do cement kennels.

Even when we fed her kibble, we didn't keep it out all the time.

[defector]

And how much does your average whole chicken or leg quarter weight?

Do you still feed them random table scraps?
How do you keep your dog from their dog's open kibble?


The whole chickens we usually get are usually betweem 2.5 and 3.5 lbs.
I really don't think I have to worry about my dogs eating kibble. (Unless they haven't been fed in a day or two).

[Gas Man]

Switching back and forth between kibble and raw tends to make them sick. Dogs don't adapt to sudden variety for some reason.

Yeah I get that. I'm just worried about the dog sitting angle.

The whole chickens we usually get are usually betweem 2.5 and 3.5 lbs.
I really don't think I have to worry about my dogs eating kibble. (Unless they haven't been fed in a day or two).

Yeah so one whole chicken per day for Brinks...

[Gas Man]

The wife says she tries to feed Brinks' little pieces of raw chicken... he has a face of disgust and spits it out immediately.

Is this common?

[Rangerscott]

The wife says she tries to feed Brinks' little pieces of raw chicken... he has a face of disgust and spits it out immediately.

Is this common?

Your dog is gay. Feed him tofu.

[Gas Man]

IDK... in law dogs love the raw chicken... brinks spits it out like you put poo in his mouth.

[Rangerscott]

IDK... in law dogs love the raw chicken... brinks spits it out like you put poo in his mouth.

Like children, it takes time for them to adjust to it.

[Gas Man]

Ruff bout if he don't even like it.

[Rangerscott]

Ruff bout if he don't even like it.

He may not. I don't like okra.

[defector]

When we started ours, they got their usual before we left for work. They didn't eat anything all day, until just before we ate. They fucking destroyed a 3lb chicken each. (At this time I was unsure about portions).

[Gas Man]

But did they like the raw chicken from the get go?

[defector]

One did, one didn't.

[Gas Man]

And how did the one that didn't go with the program?

[Amber Lamps]

And how did the one that didn't go with the program?

hunger would be my guess...:lol:

[Gas Man]

Yeah tts of coarse always an option.

[defector]

And how did the one that didn't go with the program?

She only ate a small piece. I honestly think it was because she had teeth/gum problems at the time, and it was difficult for her to chew the bones. For the first month hers went into a grinder - it is no problem now, she gets it whole.

[Amber Lamps]

Yeah tts of coarse always an option.

That's how my parents got me to eat liver...:lol:

[Gas Man]

Yeah I'm really not sure about it all.

[Amber Lamps]

Yeah I'm really not sure about it all.

I can't/won't do it but I think that it makes a lot of sense.

[Inferno]

I am slowly converting my dog to raw, he INHALES chicken breasts...I gave him a 1.5 lbs breast and a few gizzards/hearts and he loved them. I got the "dont fuck with me" look when he was eating them lol

Also, from my calculations, it will be slightly more feeding raw per month vs kibble

[Tsunami]

The wife says she tries to feed Brinks' little pieces of raw chicken... he has a face of disgust and spits it out immediately.

Is this common?

Puggy doesn't do raw meat. She went through a phase when she didn't even want to eat cooked meat. She would eat all the rice and veggies in the bowl and would leave the meat. She'll eat fish though.

I remember having her over at Tommymac's at a BBQ and he gave her some rare steak. When she realized what it was she spit it out and backed away from it. and looked really irritated. She nearly took a finger off though when someone else gave her some salad fixings.

She'll eat kibble though, which is where she was getting her protein. I have her on a cooked meat and other non kibble stuff and she does well on it. I think she mostly eats the meat because there are veggies mixed in :lol:

[Adeptus_Minor]

Puggy doesn't do raw meat. She went through a phase when she didn't even want to eat cooked meat. She would eat all the rice and veggies in the bowl and would leave the meat. She'll eat fish though.

I remember having her over at Tommymac's at a BBQ and he gave her some rare steak. When she realized what it was she spit it out and backed away from it. and looked really irritated. She nearly took a finger off though when someone else gave her some salad fixings.


You've ruined that dog. :nee::lol:

[VatorMan]

Bumped this to update my experience with the raw diet.

My 2 Schnauzers are loving the new diet. My prissy Schnoodle-still on the fence.

I have a 14 YO Schnauzer that I basically thought she would be doing great if she lasted until Spring. She now bounces around like a pup. Her eyes bright and clear. Middle Schnauzer has lost 5 lbs and is in great shape. Schnoodle is starting to be a dog and eat meat.

Wife is totally on board now that she sees the dogs improvement. We just spent a good part of the day shopping for dog food in the meat and veggie dept. Color another skeptic a believer.

[Gas Man]

I know when we try to feed brinks some raw chicken he wants nothing to do with it. But I'm sure hunger has a great deal to do with that.

[Kaneman]

Bumped this to update my experience with the raw diet.

My 2 Schnauzers are loving the new diet. My prissy Schnoodle-still on the fence.

I have a 14 YO Schnauzer that I basically thought she would be doing great if she lasted until Spring. She now bounces around like a pup. Her eyes bright and clear. Middle Schnauzer has lost 5 lbs and is in great shape. Schnoodle is starting to be a dog and eat meat.

Wife is totally on board now that she sees the dogs improvement. We just spent a good part of the day shopping for dog food in the meat and veggie dept. Color another skeptic a believer.

That's awesome. Older/unhealthy dogs being revived by the raw diet is a very common reoccurring theme. Congrats man.

I know when we try to feed brinks some raw chicken he wants nothing to do with it. But I'm sure hunger has a great deal to do with that.

That's only because its so foreign to him as he's used to kibble. My dogs were like that too, they were like "WTF am I supposed to do with this? Now, a couple years later, if you were to put a bowl of Pedigree in front of them they would literally weep for your soul. :lol:

[Gas Man]

Yeah I'm sure. But with the pure size of Brinks, the undertaking this diet would be, is just a bit much for me at this point.

[azoomm]

Sadie is still doing tremendous. We are her pack, we hunt for her. I swear, that's how she acts. :lol:

She turns 14 in a month. Still doing really great. We've added a pat of butter and peanut butter to her breakfast, it's been so dry and this helped with her coat.

[VatorMan]

Yeah I'm sure. But with the pure size of Brinks, the undertaking this diet would be, is just a bit much for me at this point.

The one book I bought- the woman fed her wolfhound a half a turkey every day.:lol

[Kaneman]

Yeah I'm sure. But with the pure size of Brinks, the undertaking this diet would be, is just a bit much for me at this point.

He would probably eat around a half a chicken a day, so around $2. I'd expect Brinks to cost around $70 a month to feed with meat and add-ons like liver/peanut butter/scraps, etc. They actually require less weight when they eat raw vs. kibble.

I feed 3 large dogs raw, so you won't get a lot of sympathy from me. :lol: A 10lb bag of chicken quarters ($5.90) lasts two days for three large dogs.

As I've said, I think its cheaper or around the same price as kibble (unless you're feeding your dog Ol' Roy/Pedigree) but it's definitely more "trouble."

Sadie is still doing tremendous. We are her pack, we hunt for her. I swear, that's how she acts. :lol:

She turns 14 in a month. Still doing really great. We've added a pat of butter and peanut butter to her breakfast, it's been so dry and this helped with her coat.

The behavior changes they go through on a raw diet that you provide for them is what amazes me. Yea, of course they're healthier when they eat real food, that part is a given. But the way the bond with them increases is what really motivates me to continue feeding them this way. Well, that, and the fact that I only have to scoop poop once a week now instead of every day.

[azoomm]

He would probably eat around a half a chicken a day, so around $2. I'd expect Brinks to cost around $70 a month to feed with meat and add-ons like liver/peanut butter/scraps, etc. They actually require less weight when they eat raw vs. kibble.

I feed 3 large dogs raw, so you won't get a lot of sympathy from me. :lol: A 10lb bag of chicken quarters ($5.90) lasts two days for three large dogs.

As I've said, I think its cheaper or around the same price as kibble (unless you're feeding your dog Ol' Roy/Pedigree) but it's definitely more "trouble."



The behavior changes they go through on a raw diet that you provide for them is what amazes me. Yea, of course they're healthier when they eat real food, that part is a given. But the way the bond with them increases is what really motivates me to continue feeding them this way. Well, that, and the fact that I only have to scoop poop once a week now instead of every day.

She now *talks* to us in the morning. I think she sounds like a wookie :lol: It's funny, I can have a conversation with her.

I don't think this is any more trouble than kibble. Sure, it's more work than putting your hand in a bin and scooping out the amount you need. But, I buy chicken thighs in bulk then split them up to two thighs to a tupperware and stack them in the freezer. Then, just have two in the fridge to thaw - open and drop in her bowl in the evening. Breakfast takes the most time - cracking an egg is the most time consumption. :wink:

But, you're right. The bond we have now is worth all of it. And, it's less work in the long run. I don't even scoop poo unless we are out on a walk. In the yard it turns to dust.

[Kaneman]

She now *talks* to us in the morning. I think she sounds like a wookie :lol: It's funny, I can have a conversation with her.

I don't think this is any more trouble than kibble. Sure, it's more work than putting your hand in a bin and scooping out the amount you need. But, I buy chicken thighs in bulk then split them up to two thighs to a tupperware and stack them in the freezer. Then, just have two in the fridge to thaw - open and drop in her bowl in the evening. Breakfast takes the most time - cracking an egg is the most time consumption. :wink:

But, you're right. The bond we have now is worth all of it. And, it's less work in the long run. I don't even scoop poo unless we are out on a walk. In the yard it turns to dust.

Wow that's actually pretty amazing to read. Our dogs all talk to us now in much the same way, whereas they didn't before being fed real food consistantly. They really put a lot of theater into it too, I always feel like they're so close to being able to say what they want you to hear....but they just can't quite vocalize it. I always thought I was just stoned. :lol:

[VatorMan]

We actually make a "glop" which is a bunch of raw veggies,eggs, yogurt, and a bit of molasses and freeze it. We have it sectioned out so its easy to just transfer a container of glop to the fridge to thaw before feeding.

I have beef and chicken sections separated into organs vs. Muscle so it's very easy to put a meal together for the dogs. We shop at the local Amish market so we get all fresh meat. We can get fresh duck and rabbit as well. It's fun to shop for the dogs as much as for us.

Lesson learned. Serve beef bones with marrow outside unless you want to mop the floor following feeding.

[Gas Man]

Are you guys running chest freezers or something?

I don't grocery shop more than once every 3 weeks. Simply don't hv time to do it more than that. Which is why I say I don't hv much time to dedicate towards something like this.

Let me give u another example. I don't have a free weekend at this point tt I'm not either working or priory engaged on till july. No joke. I have days off in there sometimes and have fun non working things as well. But when I tried to plan something today with my FIL it was insane to notice tt.

[Adeptus_Minor]

Are you guys running chest freezers or something?

I don't grocery shop more than once every 3 weeks. Simply don't hv time to do it more than that. Which is why I say I don't hv much time to dedicate towards something like this.


I understand what you're getting at.
When I was raw feeding Lilly, I found myself doing more shopping for her than for myself. :lol:

[VatorMan]

Are you guys running chest freezers or something?

I don't grocery shop more than once every 3 weeks. Simply don't hv time to do it more than that. Which is why I say I don't hv much time to dedicate towards something like this.

Let me give u another example. I don't have a free weekend at this point tt I'm not either working or priory engaged on till july. No joke. I have days off in there sometimes and have fun non working things as well. But when I tried to plan something today with my FIL it was insane to notice tt.

We have a stand up freezer, but it's only wife and I so lots of room for doggie stuff. I do have to say we upgraded to a professional food processor to deal with larger portions. All in all, I guess we figured we spend about an hour making glop and an hour shopping for 4 weeks of food.
I was a serious skeptic until we found out we had a local dog food store that specialized in raw diet (store named Bark!). We bought some of the food they had there to try it on the dogs. I highly recommend you find a similar store-because we did find that one dog HATES lamb. :lol

So you can buy pre made food, but it will cost you an arm and a leg. Very expensive.

[Kaneman]

A freezer is almost a must for raw diet...otherwise you'd spend a ridiculous amount of time getting food ready. But with the freezer its a snap.

[shmike]

I was a serious skeptic until we found out we had a local dog food store that specialized in raw diet (store named Bark!). We bought some of the food they had there to try it on the dogs. I highly recommend you find a similar store-because we did find that one dog HATES lamb. :lol

So you can buy pre made food, but it will cost you an arm and a leg. Very expensive.

A freezer is almost a must for raw diet...otherwise you'd spend a ridiculous amount of time getting food ready. But with the freezer its a snap.

What these guys said.

You don't have to do it yourself but it will save you money. In my case, it's not worth my time.

I spend 0 hours per week on our dog's diet.

The local raw food retailer calls me on Sunday to ask if I need an order. If I say yes, it shows up at my door Monday afternoon pre-packaged in daily feeding sizes. They have a standing order and my CC on file.

I pull out 3 day's worth for the inside refridgerator and throw the rest in the freezer in the garage (normal fridge, beer in bottom, frozen junk in freezer).

It's as easy as kibble (actually easier because Science Diet doesn't deliver).

Of course I can afford this because my dog eats in a month what your hosses probably inhale at each sitting. :lol:

[the chi]

Do you guys know of any online particular company that does this I could order online from?

[asdgirl]

I have started my 2 Danes on raw finally. It's slow and they still get expensive kibble, but I wanted to introduce the raw to them first to make sure they could handle it.

I also decided to do it after getting my emaciated second Dane, Lexi. It was a perfect opportunity to start her on something GOOD compared to the damn Old Roy shit she was eating before.

Lexi just turned 3 and Andre just turned 5.

I started them off on turkey necks and we alternate between those and half chicken breasts without the skin for now (poop is not runny when taking the skin off).

Never had any throw up issues, choke issues, nothing.

They are both doing fantastic on it and I can see it is doing a lot for Lexi and isn't taking her as long to bulk up on raw than it did for Andre on kibble.

They also get raw egg (she gets all including shell, he gets just the egg as he refuses the shell), peanut butter, and some cheese and garlic powder.

Hadn't heard of the pat of butter thing. I'll try it as it is dry here lately and both have dry skin.

This month I will slowly be moving them to raw-only. :rockwoot:

[VatorMan]

Do you guys know of any online particular company that does this I could order online from?

Primal dog food.

Amazon actually carries it.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=primal+dog+food&x=11&y=22


Nevermind- They all say unavailable.

[Gas Man]

Brinks has earned himself some possible allergies. They got him on meds, shampoo, wipes, and allergy pills. It's some hair infection on his chin with a secondary yeast infection over that. He also popped positive for yeast between his toes. So those get washed daily with med shampoo. Found some info on his breed that said it could be caused by a thyroid issue. Thinking of stopping by the vet for a blood work up.

I'm thinking if this may help. End the kibble, the meds, etc... when you factor, in those vet costs, and secondary bones to chew. I bet this may be cheaper.

I'm also thinking about contacting a organic farmer about getting chickens wholesale from them. Cheaper? What you guys paying now?

Then maybe picking up a cheap small fridge/freezer for this storage. That would allow me to keep frozen and use the fridge for thawing.

Again, how much should I expect to feed a 160# dog?

Also, lay out the plan for conversion and/or any tips.

[Gas Man]

I found an all organic meat farms... not that I'm into organic stuff, but thought it may be an easy access to farmers of chicken. Cut out the stores...

whole chickens for $3.50-$4

[101lifts2]

Dogs are luxury items.

[derf]

Dogs are luxury items.

I dont have dogs, I have kids, would this diet work good for my kids? Will they become more energetic and get whiter teeth? One is 5 the other is 10. I'm also thinking about getting them spayed and nuderred

[Particle Man]

Dogs are luxury items.

So are brain cells for a lot of folks I've met on a daily basis.

[azoomm]

I'm also thinking about getting them spayed and nuderred

Yes, please... :nee:

[VatorMan]

The best part of the whole raw diet is the lack of dog landmines everywhere. :rockwoot:

I'll have to see what the wife paid for food today. I know they won't be eating rabbit unless they catch one. Friggen $18 a bunny !!!

So far their typical diet is for a 20 LB dog-5 ounces of meat tissue, 2 ounces organs, 8 ounces of vegetable glop X twice daily. Just multiply by 8 for a 160 LB dog. :lol

They get a raw egg three times a week. Shell and all.

[Kaneman]

Brinks has earned himself some possible allergies. They got him on meds, shampoo, wipes, and allergy pills. It's some hair infection on his chin with a secondary yeast infection over that. He also popped positive for yeast between his toes. So those get washed daily with med shampoo. Found some info on his breed that said it could be caused by a thyroid issue. Thinking of stopping by the vet for a blood work up.

I'm thinking if this may help. End the kibble, the meds, etc... when you factor, in those vet costs, and secondary bones to chew. I bet this may be cheaper.

I'm also thinking about contacting a organic farmer about getting chickens wholesale from them. Cheaper? What you guys paying now?

Then maybe picking up a cheap small fridge/freezer for this storage. That would allow me to keep frozen and use the fridge for thawing.

Again, how much should I expect to feed a 160# dog?

Also, lay out the plan for conversion and/or any tips.

Its cheaper before you add in the meds, vet costs and bones to chew. Raw meat is cheaper than premium dog foods per lb, and certainly more healthy.

I'm paying $.59 - $.89 per lb for leg quarters and whole chickens. I buy cottage cheese and the other supplemental on sale every week. How much you have to feed Brinks depends not only on his size, but his activity level as well. Start with a half a chicken's worth a day and go from there. Pay attention to his ribs and amount of body fat. If he starts getting too skinny, feed him more.

As far as known allergies and issues like you mentioned with his thyroid, everything we know medically about dogs is based on them eating food that they can't process correctly. For example, Rottweilers are known to have hip displasia "because they're so big", however it could just as easily be degenerated hip bones, tendons and muscles from 10 years of eating shit food that causes them to be crippled.

I don't like the slow conversion because when you feed raw and kibble combined the kibble slows the digestion down and allows bacteria from the raw meat to grow. Although I have mixed them before and had no problem I prefer the cold turkey (get it) method and switched all mine over in one day.

[Gas Man]

Thanks for the info. We have discussed it before but with the new complications we are looking into the switch more in depth.

He's gg in today for a thyroid blood work. I requested it. He really hasn't had a complex adult blood work done. So we'll get that done. His thyroid test will be done at MSU.

And I plan talking to the vet about this as well. The Sr vet said in the past he likes it but most people don't stick to it. That most prefer the hassle free of kibble.

I wasn't thinking of gradual conversion but more so ideas on doing so. I thought somebody didn't feed em for 2 days before switching? I know right now he won't even consider raw chicken. How do you work around that?

[Kaneman]

I wasn't thinking of gradual conversion but more so ideas on doing so. I thought somebody didn't feed em for 2 days before switching? I know right now he won't even consider raw chicken. How do you work around that?

If you have a set feeding time then just put the chicken out for him at that time, give him 5 minutes or whatever and if he doesn't eat it put it back in the fridge and repeat the next day. He'll eat it eventually... My Boxer/Mastiff was pretty skeptical at first, but he came around and now gives the same reaction if you try to feed him kibble. :lol:

Maybe put some other stuff he likes in there with the chicken, or you can feed raw beef instead the first day....I bet he'll eat that.

[VatorMan]

Switch cold turkey. Your dog will love you for it. You'll love not cleaning up mountains of dog shit. My old Schnauzer's teeth are just about rid of all the plaque on them. She acts like a puppy again.

[Gas Man]

So cold hard switch.

Can use raw beef. Really.

He can pretty much eat anything raw u feed him, correct?

[Adeptus_Minor]

So cold hard switch.

Can use raw beef. Really.

He can pretty much eat anything raw u feed him, correct?

I've heard that raw pork is discouraged, but I don't know that there are any absolutes.

[marko138]

I've heard that raw pork is discouraged, but I don't know that there are any absolutes.
Isn't pork bad for dogs? Thats the old tale I've always heard. Any truth to that?

[Kaneman]

I've heard that raw pork is discouraged, but I don't know that there are any absolutes.

This is true, dogs can get roundworm from raw pork. Sometimes my brother in law gives me pork that he buys in bulk and lets go bad in the freezer. I cook it then feed it to the dogs, never had a problem with that.

Any other meat should be ok raw though.

[VatorMan]

So far our dogs have had chicken,duck,rabbit,beef, and goose. No pork. If I can catch Mr. Groundhog this year.they'll have that.

[Gas Man]

Ok... what about vitamins & minerals? Do you guys supplement with anything?

[VatorMan]

Ok... what about vitamins & minerals? Do you guys supplement with anything?

That's where you use raw veggies,yogurt,eggs, molasses. We buy a lot of leafy greens{kale,romaine,broccoli,spinach,....) carrots,celery,etc..pretty much everything but onions. We have an industrial food processor and make a veggie glop. We have to make some tomorrow. I'll snap some pics. Tell you what-I'll snap pics of tomorrow's dinner.

[HurricaneHeather]

I really wish it was as easy to get cats on a raw diet as it is for dogs. We tried once and one cat wouldn't touch. The other ate it just fine. Then we cleaned up exorcist-like vomit out of the carpet 10 minutes later. :panic:

[101lifts2]

Isn't pork bad for dogs? Thats the old tale I've always heard. Any truth to that?

Pork is bad for everybody. It's stated in the Old Testament. redflip

[VatorMan]

BTW-Wife bought meat and veggies-enough for almost 2 months for 3 20 lb dogs and spent $50. She uses coupons and watches the weekly sale paper but you get the idea. Remember-you are buying the stuff most people don't buy. Chicken backs and necks,liver,gizzards,hearts etc...

[Gas Man]

Vator. Thanks for the info & the future pics.

[Kaneman]

I really wish it was as easy to get cats on a raw diet as it is for dogs. We tried once and one cat wouldn't touch. The other ate it just fine. Then we cleaned up exorcist-like vomit out of the carpet 10 minutes later. :panic:

Yes, their stomachs have to adjust to real food. My dogs all threw up when I switched them too. Very normal.

Put please don't waste good food on cats....cause cats suck.

[VatorMan]

Vator. Thanks for the info & the future pics.

Here they are. As you can see, Leafy veggies, carrots, ginger root, garlic,berries eggs,yogurt.vinegar and molasses. Damn dogs eat healthier than us humans. :lol

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/vatorman/Raw%20Diet/Rawdiet001.jpg

Monster food processor. We burned up our Harry Homeowner model doing this shit. Basically 3 eggs, yogurt, and molasses per run. We did 4 runs.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/vatorman/Raw%20Diet/Rawdiet005.jpg

Never said it looked good.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/vatorman/Raw%20Diet/Rawdiet007.jpg

DAMN-it looks like a hideous experiment. Now you see why we call it glop.But the dogs love it.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/vatorman/Raw%20Diet/Rawdiet008.jpg

Ready for freezing. About 2 months worth. Total cost- $20

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/vatorman/Raw%20Diet/Rawdiet009.jpg

Tonight's dinner. Beef ribs,chicken hearts and livers, and glop.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/vatorman/Raw%20Diet/Rawdiet011.jpg

[Tsunami]

The glop looks good, I will have to make some glop for Puggy. Do you leave one glop container in the fridge and just dole it out?

[Gas Man]

WOW Vator... that looks awesome.

Uma & I doing more research tonight....

Don't listen to the vets.
Don't feed them pork.
Don't cook anything but maybe vegs.
Cold turkey switching is best
no vegs for first few weeks, just meat.
slightly browned hamburger is good to help switch
I can buy used fridge/freezers locally on craiglists all day long.

Oh and according to the math of 3% of the dogs body weight (150#) he needs about 4lbs of food a day!!!!!!!!

Really?!?!?

[Tsunami]

Hey Gas, you may want to lay off the grain and starch like potatoes (its found in a lot of kibble) until the yeast clears up and give your dog some yogurt. I was fostering a yeast filled pug and got her on a no grain kibble and it she was getting so much better (until she got adopted).

[VatorMan]

The glop looks good, I will have to make some glop for Puggy. Do you leave one glop container in the fridge and just dole it out?

Yes. We have a small scale to weigh portions.

[Gas Man]

Hey Gas, you may want to lay off the grain and starch like potatoes (its found in a lot of kibble) until the yeast clears up and give your dog some yogurt. I was fostering a yeast filled pug and got her on a no grain kibble and it she was getting so much better (until she got adopted).
He's on a nature's recipe adult lamb & rice (http://naturesrecipe.com/recipe_detail.aspx?id=412).

I do see they offer a grain free version (http://naturesrecipe.com/dog_grain_free.aspx).

What type of yogurt did you use?

[Tsunami]

What type of yogurt did you use?

Great Value by Walmart :lol: I just get plain yogurt.

For kibbles i use Wellness Core. Puggy and my fosters does well on it and my stray cat is on a grain free diet too. I have to be better with preparing Puggy's diet, but this year has been rough with school. She was getting cooked lean turkey, brown rice and veggies at night and during the day she was getting mashed yams, pumpkin, spinach and flaxseed. The vet said she looks great either way but esp now that she is getting older I really want to get her away from an all kibble diet.

The only thing is that she inhales her food and she doesn't really chew so half her veggies come back out whole. I am going to try some glop!

here is something you can skim: (not sure how accurate it is, but I'm sure there is some truth to it)
http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/systemic_yeast_mini_course.htm

[Gas Man]

Thanks for the links. Will read when on a pc

And ok on the yogurt.

[Uma]

How about post feeding clean up? Obviously the spot that Brinks drops a piece of raw chicken on will have to be cleaned, but what about the dogs? Do you wash them up after as well, or just let them take care of it. I'm not too fond of the thought of him tracking chicken bits all over the house. :lol:

[Gas Man]

A freezer is almost a must for raw diet...otherwise you'd spend a ridiculous amount of time getting food ready. But with the freezer its a snap.

Do you think a freezer or a basic fridge/freezer is best?

Remembering I'm going to be going thru a 1/2 a chicken a day...

I'm looking at buying a used fridge/freezer this week.

Also, going to stop by a couple butcher shops and sams club to price out meat.

[azoomm]

How about post feeding clean up? Obviously the spot that Brinks drops a piece of raw chicken on will have to be cleaned, but what about the dogs? Do you wash them up after as well, or just let them take care of it. I'm not too fond of the thought of him tracking chicken bits all over the house. :lol:
Sadie eats in one place, it's a tile floor and gets cleaned after she eats. The chicken gets dropped on the floor by her when she eats, it just happens. That doesn't mean she won't try and sneak it away.... :lol:

[Kaneman]

How about post feeding clean up?

I use a Swiffer Wet with antibacterial stuff, takes less than a minute to clean up.....or I feed them outside when its nice.

Do you think a freezer or a basic fridge/freezer is best?



Definitely a freezer. You can transfer a daily meal to your fridge to dethaw it, but to avoid going to the store all the time it pays to have a freezer.

[Gas Man]

What about cleaning of the dog? Has it on his paws and such... do you clean those?

And really? Just a freezer? We were thinking it would be better to thaw the chicken slower in the fridge.

[azoomm]

What about cleaning of the dog? Has it on his paws and such... do you clean those?

And really? Just a freezer? We were thinking it would be better to thaw the chicken slower in the fridge.
My dog always behaves like her paws taste like peanut butter after breakfast. Probably because there is peanut butter in her mouth :lol:

I divide her food into single meal portions in cheap Ziploc plastic containers. Those go into the freezer. I have two in the fridge at all times, one thawing and one thawed for dinner. I rotate them. The bulk of them are in the freezer. At one time, we used freezer bags. But, the plastic containers are reuseable.

[Gas Man]

Yeah but I be going thru a bunch of food...

[azoomm]

Yeah, bigger freezer...

[Gas Man]

I'm worried abt thaw time. Whole chickens aren't gg to thaw fast. And our fridge is always packed. 2 gals of milk, 2 oj gals, beer, soda, lots of left overs. No room for 2 or 3 whole chickens is various states of frozen/thaw.

[Kaneman]

I'm worried abt thaw time. Whole chickens aren't gg to thaw fast. And our fridge is always packed. 2 gals of milk, 2 oj gals, beer, soda, lots of left overs. No room for 2 or 3 whole chickens is various states of frozen/thaw.

I fill the sink with hot water and soak it to dethaw...

[OneSickPsycho]

I'm worried abt thaw time. Whole chickens aren't gg to thaw fast. And our fridge is always packed. 2 gals of milk, 2 oj gals, beer, soda, lots of left overs. No room for 2 or 3 whole chickens is various states of frozen/thaw.

Thaw it in the microwave while you're at work... Just put it in, don't turn it on, come home and it's thawed...

[Gas Man]

How much chicken do you guys keep in your freezers?

I'm finding whole chicken for about $0.85 lb at meijer. Still have two more butcher shops to check and sams club.

[asdgirl]

When I had 2 Danes I kept a lot, and you're right, none of it thaws fast what I would do when I got home was to separate the chicken into the daily amounts for the dogs into zip lock bags. They store smaller and they thaw quicker.

I was getting chicken necks and backs for about $.60 per pound at Kroger.

[Gas Man]

Well my old town butcher shop said he would sell me leg quarters at $0.20 over cost or about $0.30 under full counter retail. But I have to buy it by the 40# case (not an issue). So I can get leg quarters for $0.69 lb. I think that is on par with kaneman found pricing and I can get that price all the time, no sales or anything.

Then like I said... $0.85 not on sale at meijer for whole chickens.

Sams club was $0.88 a lb for whole chickens... couldn't believe Meijer beat them.

Still have one more butcher shop to hit...

Also need to look at chest freezers instead of fridges I guess. Did you guys buy new or used?

[Gas Man]

Ok peeps... somebody who is going to go thru the amount of food I will....

What size freezer are you all running?

I think I will just buy a new one... can get
5 cu ft for $139
7 for $169
or less

the 5 will hold approximately 175 lbs. of frozen food. I think that should be fine. Manual defrost but no biggie

http://www.lowes.com/pd_75729-33112-LCM050LC_4294857903_4294937087_?productId=3042385&Ns=p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_quantity _sold|1&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl_Chest%2BFreezers_4294857903_42949 37087_%3FNs%3Dp_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr%7C0%7C%7Cp _product_quantity_sold%7C1&facetInfo=

[OneSickPsycho]

ONSSP and I were talking about taking the plunge into this last night...

[Kaneman]

Ok peeps... somebody who is going to go thru the amount of food I will....

What size freezer are you all running?

I think I will just buy a new one... can get
5 cu ft for $139
7 for $169
or less

the 5 will hold approximately 175 lbs. of frozen food. I think that should be fine. Manual defrost but no biggie

http://www.lowes.com/pd_75729-33112-LCM050LC_4294857903_4294937087_?productId=3042385&Ns=p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_quantity _sold|1&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl_Chest%2BFreezers_4294857903_42949 37087_%3FNs%3Dp_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr%7C0%7C%7Cp _product_quantity_sold%7C1&facetInfo=

The 5 will be just fine man. :lol:

ONSSP and I were talking about taking the plunge into this last night...

Awesome dude!

[Gas Man]

Well I don't think they make em much smaller in the chest style freezers...

[defector]

Ok peeps... somebody who is going to go thru the amount of food I will....

What size freezer are you all running?

I have (2) 70+ lb dogs, and I use a 5 cu ft chest. I have had no issues with storage.

[VatorMan]

ONSSP and I were talking about taking the plunge into this last night...

For your dogs health,just do it. I know it's hard to get started-but it gets easier as you learn.

[Gas Man]

I have (2) 70+ lb dogs, and I use a 5 cu ft chest. I have had no issues with storage.
Yeah perfect... I also found this kenmore on sale at sears
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_04619502000P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2#specs

[Gas Man]

Picked up the Kenmore. Real nice and says it only costs $24 a year to operate it.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l311/cjclark69/Pets/Brinks/RAW/SU1HMDAyMzQtMjAxMTA1MjgtMTgyMi5qcGc.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l311/cjclark69/Pets/Brinks/RAW/SU1HMDAyMzMtMjAxMTA1MjgtMTgyMi5qcGc.jpg

[Gas Man]

Different butcher shop, Cattlemans (http://www.cattlemansmeats.com/), and this place carriers EVERYTHING!! From beef tongue, to mountain oysters, livers, hearts, lungs, and normal chicken, steak, etc. Also carriers whole sides/slabs/etc. Their meat department/display is a walk in cool room. Super cool.

40# cases of leg quarters, delievered fresh daily is $0.65 or less per lb / $26 or less.

This will be my meat place. I can use the others as back ups, but I don't think there will be a reason.

[VatorMan]

Glad to see you onboard. :boobs: Your dog thanks you. :rockwoot:

[Gas Man]

I'm on board but not serving... We will make the switch next week. Just been in homework mode, and bought the freezer. Will power up freezer and buy chicken this weekend.

[Gas Man]

Thinking of making the switch sunday (later today). Question. Have any of you had any issues with the switch? Puking? Difficulty pooping? Do they poop whole pieces of bone or no?

Correct me if I'm wrong on any of this:
As long as he's chewing up the bones, no worries.
He gets 30 mins with his chicken pieces, if he don't eat it, back in the fridge, waits till following day.
Sit and wait for the food.
No more kibble.
Just run chicken, no veggies or other meats, for 2-3 weeks.

[Kaneman]

All my dogs threw up a couple of times during the first month. There was always bone fragments in the puke, but I think that was mainly because I was feeding pieces too small for them to have to chew (neck bones)

The poop should be nothing more than compacted bone dust. It will turn while and basically be a powder when it dries....there should be no whole bone fragments in their poop.

Sometimes it helps to feed them by hand, you can teach them how to eat correctly by not letting them swallow it whole, :lol:

[Gas Man]

Thanks.

Picked up the chicken today. 40# of chicken leg quarters for $26 ($0.65 per #) Do you guys find that to be a good price?

Used press & seal to break down the case into days. Have probably 2 weeks worth. Depending on how well he eats.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l311/cjclark69/Pets/Brinks/RAW/SU1HMDAyNDAtMjAxMTA2MDUtMTc0Mi5qcGc.jpg

Tried to feed him earlier but he didn't want anything to do with it.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l311/cjclark69/Pets/Brinks/RAW/SU1HMDAyNDEtMjAxMTA2MDUtMTg0OC5qcGc.jpg

[Gas Man]

He woke up from the couch, and was lookin at his bowl for food. I grabbed his bowl of chicken from the fridge. Warmed it slightly with warm tap water. Put it out for him, showed, him... he sniffs it with interest but looks confused. Then ultimately laid back down in disgust of his empty stomach.

[Rangerscott]

Try cutting it up and feeding it to him by hand or what about blending it up and mixing it with some dry food?