Any raw feeders out there...?

1) I feed any type of meat/fish/eggs I can get my hands on - from stuff on sale at the grocery to hunter's leftovers to fisherman's leftovers to stuff I've purchased at the wholesale meat locker. I've been doing this long enough that I don't have a set list - I just feed whatever I can get. (last month lamb, calves and llama were available)

2) I feed what it takes to keep the dog healthy. About 2% of the adult goal weight - but this is flexible for each dog. My oldest Bernese gets 1 -1.5 lbs per day to stay in optimal condition at 88 lbs or so... her daughter at 90 lbs gets 1.5-2.25 lbs per day. I don't feed a static amount as that is not always a convenient way to divide up meat/bone.

3) My current dogs have been eating raw their entire lives. I've had multiple dogs that I've shown for other people who've stayed with me for significant lengths of time and I've always done a cold turkey transition and started with something like a chicken back as a first meal (lots of bone, less chance for diarrhea).

4) I do feed some kibble - mostly as treats/training aids. Natural Balance is $40 for a 28 lb bag right now - It would cost me about double what I'm paying for raw to feed 6 big dogs kibble. I'd have to consider placing a dog or two if I HAD to feed kibble.

5) I have to buy in bulk and I use a big freezer. I use a frankenprey model of feeding.

6) I have healthy ACTIVE healthy dogs with great coats, little odor and no teeth or anal gland issues. My dogs are more active than the "norm" for their breed (except the Samoyed - he's normal - meaning active as heck). I have Bernese who keep up with a Samoyed.

7) If you like your vet - stick with him. My vet is old enough to remember when raw/scrap feeding was the norm.

8) I don't really supplement although I do add some extra fat (canned fish in oil) at times.

- I love what raw feeding does for the yard. I NEVER clean it. The rain melts the poo into the grass. The thick grass is a bit hard on the mower though!

1) I recently started, and I'm getting the majority of my meat from the grocery store - I watch for sales and reduced meat, and so far, it works out to less than high-quality kibble was costing.

Necks and backs have a lot of bone, and are generally fed by those who feed BARF (which includes dairy and fruit/veg). I feed prey model, so only meat, organs and bone. I tend to alternate meals between chicken (20 - 30% bone) and "meaty" meat (no bone) to average out at 10% bone. As for a simple list - if you can eat it, so can your dog. Things to stay away from are weigh-bearing bones of large animals (cows, etc.) which can cause tooth fractures, Pacific Northwest salmon and related fish (can have a specific parasite), and remove the spines from any spiny fish.

2) 2% to 4% of your dogs ideal adult body weight, so my 22 lb dog gets ~1/2 a pound a day total.

3) I had ~1/2 a bag of kibble left when I decided to switch, so I kept feeding kibble in the morning, and raw in the evening. You can (and most people do) switch cold-turkey though - when the kibble is gone, start into raw. Most generally start with chicken, and once the dog is fine on that, they start adding different proteins.

4) Orijen and Evo here are ~$40-45 a bag, that lasted me ~6 weeks. Raw so far is cheaper, and I haven't even started looking for the really cheap raw alternative sources.

5) Store in the freezer, thaw what you need for the next few days, or feed partially frozen (if your dog can tolerate it). Meat can also be thawed and re-frozen. There is no mixing with prey model - take a chunk of meat, and toss it to your dog. Easy.

6) Too soon to tell, but his teeth seem to be whiter.

7) Stay with the one you have, but be willing and able to either ignore his opinion, or support your decision.

8) No supplements are required with prey model, but a lot add fish oil if they aren't feeding a lot of fish, and some use glucosamine for heavy/large dogs or very active dogs for joint health.

Add: there are a lot of groups put there that can help you learn about raw - the Yahoo group in my source box is the Prey model group. I suggest you join and read about it before making any changes. Good luck!

1) What do you feed and where do you get it?

I feed anything I can get my hands on. I get it from the grocery store, and from people that will give me parts off meat that they don't want to eat.

2) How much to feed?

I feed 1lb per day to my 46lb mutt. So yes, that sounds about right..however please take note that the amount can vary day to day.

3) How did you transition?

I fed him his last commercial meal, didn't let him eat for a day, then started feeding him the raw meat. I do not recommend mixing kibble and raw.

4) How much did it cost you compared to a high quality kibble?

A bit cheaper. I fed Wellness too, which was $12 for 5-6lbs. The canned I fed, Nutro Max (yick) was $1.00 per can, and I used ½ can per day. So that's about....almost $30-40 per month on commercial food. I only spend about $10 per month on raw.

5) Can you store stuff?

Yes, you can store it. I am not a fan of refreezing though, but it shouldn't make that much of a difference.

6) What changes did you notice in your dog?

More energy, shinier coat, cleaner teeth, and for some reason he seemed friendlier around other dogs!!

7) I know vets don't like raw feeding, should i find one that DOES or should i just stay with the one i have (who is very nice, helpful... both of my dog go/went to him and he hasn't led me astray yet?)

Don't mention what you feed to your vet unless they ask you..if they do then tell them that this is what you wish to feed to your dog, and your dog does well on it.

8) MUST i add supplements, and if so which ones?

You don't have to, but I do. Sometimes I give B6, Fish oil, pretty much anything human supplement you can buy at a health store. Feed ½ human dose to a dog under 50lbs, and 1 human dose to a dog above 50lbs. Vary it if you want to though, it's supplement not medicine so it won't hurt them.

Good luck, and I really like this website- http://www.rawfed.com/

My dog has been raw fed for over three years. I personally feed premade diets. But not all premade diets are complete, so read the package before you buy. Some brands include Nature's Variety, Pepperdogz, Bravos, Steve's Real food, Primal. I also use supplements such as fish oil, enzymes, and multivitamin/kelp. I personally do not feed beef...tends to upset my dog's stomach but every dog is different. You can try some of your local pet supply places or online. How much you feed depends on your dogs weight. I transitioned my dog cold turkey. However be prepared for their stomach to be upset...happens to some dogs during transition and not all dogs are openly receptive to raw food at first...Dog kibble is coated in stuff to make it smell good and raw meat is different. Raw feeding can be expensive depending on the type you feed...(premade vs homemade) I divide the portions at the beginning of the week and freeze it. The take out the next day's food the night before, so it can thaw in the fridge. My dogs weight improved and when she poops it doesn't stinks as much and it amount of poop is smaller. Some vets like it and some don't...vets are usually trained with a speciality in feeding and nutrition. My vet does not like it, but oh well. As far as supplements go I like the b-naturals brand.

The only thing that I would be concerned about with feeding raw is that there are parasites that form cysts in the muscle tissues of animals like Cattle and Pigs. If you feed your dog raw these parasites break from the cysts and infect your dog which can cause some pretty dehabilitating infections. That is why I believe vets are against it. Cooking your meat kills these parasites and makes the meat safe for you and your dog.

A lot of people have been successful with raw diets it seems, just be very careful where you get your meat from.

1. My dog is allergic to beef and chicken, but you can get them at the grocery store. I feed my dog pork, also purchased at the grocery store, or at asian stores for the liver and other organs too, and duck necks, found at Omaspride.com. I get ostrich, yak, llama, venison, rabbit, and tripe at Omas Pride too. You could find online Aunt Jeni's Food 4 Life, Primal, or Bravo for premixed meals.

2. You should feed 2 - 3% of your dog's body weight. 80% should be meat, 10% should be raw meaty bone, 10% should be organs.

3. You should switch out old food with new food slowly, but some people go cold turkey because they don't like to mix kibble with raw. I say switch foods slowly. We did.

4. We feed our 50 lb. dog a pound of food per day, so we spend about $1 per meal, and she eats twice a day. High quality kibble costs more than $2 per pound.

5. We freeze to store and defrost to feed, except for her yak, etc. treats. and liver. She won't eat them unless they are frozen.

6. If they don't notice the flour dusting on her muzzle, everyone thinks she's a puppy. She's eleven years old and doesn't have an ounce of fat. She still chases her ball and catches it in high jumps. Most importantly, she doesn't vomit any more. She used to vomit all of the time, no matter what quality of kibble we had her on.

7. We're fortunate to have a vet who is a nutritionalist. Most vets aren't. I wouldn't discuss feeding with your vet and just keep him.

8. We supplement with Grizzly Fish Oil because she has dry skin. We almost fed her spirulina, but decided not to. It's expensive. You don't have to supplement unless you want to.

Here are some books:

Dr. Pitcairn's Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. Richard Pitcairn, DVM, and Susan Pitcairn. Rodale Press. ISBN 075962432.

Give Your Dog a Bone. Dr. Ian Billinghurst. Bridge Printery. ISBN 064610281.

Home-Prepared Dog and Cat Diets: the Healthful Alternative. Donald R. Strombeck, DVM. Iowa State University Press. ISBN 0813821495.

Here is a link leading to other links:

http://rawfed.com/myths/

I don't feed raw but I know some people who do. I'll just share what I know.

A friend who raises whippets gets a whole lot of her stuff from this online supplier: http://www.hare-today.com/ There's a huge variety of quality meats from whole mice, to ground rabbit, to sheep and tripe.

It is helpful to have a large freezer. I know people who buy from their butchers/online on sale and just store what they have so that they never run out.

You'll need to add supplements. Raw meat by itself isn't nutritionally complete for dogs. I believe it depends on what you're offering. I know that The Honest Kitchen http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/ offers supplements that you can add to raw diets.

Best of luck with this, hopefully we'll get our crew on raw when we've got a bigger freezer than the one in our teeny apartment.