What did your dog(s) eat today?

[bckrazy]

Just wondering what typical meal for everyone's dogs is. :) I could get some good ideas from all of the raw & home-made feeders.

Breakfast: Gonzo got 1/4 lb Buffalo Farmore. Fozzie got the same thing, just a little less.

Snack: Fozzie got a chicken wing.

Lunch: Gonzo got a beef rib. Fozzie got some California Natural Lamb & Rice Puppy.

Dinner: Gonzo got 1 whole egg and his supplements (flax seed oil, etc). Fozzie got more California Natural, with a whole egg.

Dessert: Gonzo got a Flossie. Fozzie got some baby carrots.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Bailey had raw chicken for breakfast and dinner, and a raw buffalo marrow bone. :)

[The Cat Factory]

For breakfast, Chester had raw chicken, and some salmon, and for dinner, he had raw chicken :)

[binka_nugget]

Breakfast: Tripe and chicken bones
Dinner: Ground Chicken/bones & an egg each

They got some freeze-dried liver in between too since they had obedience and agility.

[lv4dogs]

Since I don't feed raw all the time anymore my meals are sometimes a little on the boring side.
They each had a third of a decent sized chicken with an egg.

[cloverfdx]

Breakfast: Some lamb off cuts, ribs, spine etc.

Dinner: We didn't get home till late so they got a lamb's neck each.

Supper: Multivitamin chew before bed.

Tomorrow is going to be more interesting we got cheap fish heads from the market today so that will be interesting :eek:.

[shihtzulover850]

:p :rolleyes: Plain ol' regular dog food. :p :rolleyes:

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Breakfast: Chicken legs with back attached

Dinner: Chicken legs with back attached

He also got a HUGE buffalo bone to chew on and some fresh tripe.

[The Cat Factory]

For breakfast, he had chicken legs, and for dinner, he had chicken legs, and an egg. I gave him some tripe with his dinner, but the little brat wouldn't eat it, so I had to give it to Bailey :p He had some pork bones, too :)

[cloverfdx]

Tonights dinner consisted of a 1 small chicken frame, 1 chicken leg and a 3rd of a lambs heart each. The fish head will have to wait till tomorrow when i have more time to chop it up ;).

[.sarah]

They had some boneless pork today since they had a really boney meal yesterday (beef ribs and a pig tail).

[bckrazy]

Breakfast: Gonzo had some "lamb chunks". Fozzie had California Natural with plain cooked chicken.

Lunch: Fozzie got veggie mush stuff in his Kong, which he goes insane over.

Snack: Fozzie got CN with canned.

Dinner: Gonzo got a frozen piece of Chicken Farmore, it was hot outside. Fozzie got more CN, and stole a bit of Gonzo's Farmore!

Dessert: Supplements & green tripe... he's still getting used to it! It took about 20 minutes for him to eat 2 pieces.

[.sarah]

Today Buck is getting half a chicken and the girls are fasting.

[cloverfdx]

Chicken and lamb again ;). They are getting turkey today though, if i remember to take it out of the freezer. And they will probably get a lamb scrap/ bone after we get home today to keep them amused for the afternoon.

Better go to bed ;).

[ashleycat]

Natural Choice Nutro..

Tell me a site to read upon natural foods? Charlie would JUST DIE for what you guys are feeding your dogs. But do they get enough nutrients from bones and stuff? How could they possibly get anything good for a bone for dinner?

I'm confused.

[Jessika]

Well Jamie had a nice cruise by the kitty buffet..... :rolleyes:

[Jessika]

Natural Choice Nutro..

Tell me a site to read upon natural foods? Charlie would JUST DIE for what you guys are feeding your dogs. But do they get enough nutrients from bones and stuff? How could they possibly get anything good for a bone for dinner?

I'm confused.

If he is doing well on what you are currently feeding, then there is really no need to change. I currently have mine on Natural Choice as well, and they thrive. They are much healthier than any of the pets I've had before in the past. Sure it isn't "top of the line" food, but its definitely up there on the list of good versus bad.

[.sarah]

Natural Choice Nutro..

Tell me a site to read upon natural foods? Charlie would JUST DIE for what you guys are feeding your dogs. But do they get enough nutrients from bones and stuff? How could they possibly get anything good for a bone for dinner?

I'm confused.
Raw feeding is the best diet for them. Check out this thread: http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=101889


If he is doing well on what you are currently feeding, then there is really no need to change.
Well, I actually think there is plenty of reason to change. Raw feeding is the optimal diet for a carnivore. Your dog can't eat any better than what it was designed to eat ;)

My dogs were "fine" on kibble, but I knew they'd be better on raw food and I was right. The only time we've had to go to the vet was for something totally unrelated to food. Mandy hasn't been at all since the switch, and she was always there for something.

A dog doing well on kibble is comparable to a human doing well on cerals, granola bars, etc. Processed food is still just that. You can do well on it, but you will do better eating whole, raw foods. And I need to switch myself off of the crappy processed diet that I eat! :eek:

Not trying to rag on you Jessica, but this is just my opinion :)

[.sarah]

Today Buck is getting half a chicken and the girls are fasting.
Scratch that - I gave Buck a whole chicken. He ate a little more than half of it and then he started whining. He is so full he can hardly walk. LOL!!! He is very happy though. Good to know he does have some self control (or maybe he was just in pain from eating so much?)

[Jessika]

I meant as opposed to other kibbles. In my experiences, raw can turn out to be more expensive than kibble diets... so OF the kibble diets, if what you feed is working stick with it. Don't fix what isn't broken.

[labmomma]

I am not totally qualified with the raw diet. I have a good quality food that I feed them but would love to give some treats. What can I feed them without fear of bone problems?
Please advise,
Labmomma (Donna )

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

We bought Bailey 33 pounds of chicken leg quarters, so he will be getting that for just over 2 weeks. He is eating 2 pounds of meat a day. His next meat will be beef, I can get 50 pounds for $30.00 at a local meat packer - they have a dog raw diet section.

How often does a dog need to be fasted? Once a week, I feed Bailey in the afternoon instead of in the morning. His last meal is at 6:00, so he really is only fasted for 18 hours, once a week. Is that enough?

[.sarah]

I am not totally qualified with the raw diet. I have a good quality food that I feed them but would love to give some treats. What can I feed them without fear of bone problems?
Please advise,
Labmomma (Donna )Anything except beef leg bones or leg bones from animals of comparable size (moose, buffalo). A lot of people safely feed them but they are potential teeth breakers. They also can wear down teeth over time if fed often. I gave my crew marrow bones for the first time last week. I had to take Nova's away from her because she was chewing vigorously and I just had the feeling that she'd break a tooth. The others licked at the marrow like it was a kong. So I'll continue to get them for Mandy, Buck, and Luka, and I'll just give Nova something else to chew on.


How often does a dog need to be fasted? Once a week, I feed Bailey in the afternoon instead of in the morning. His last meal is at 6:00, so he really is only fasted for 18 hours, once a week. Is that enough?At his age, he really doesn't need to be fasted unless if he is sick or something. I would wait until he's a year old or nearly full grown to start fasting. Once he hits a year or so you can start feeding more whole foods or larger meals to mimic what they'd eat in the wild. For example - feed a chicken one day, then not feed the next, then feed a large pork roast, then not feed the next day, then feed something else big, then not feed the next. I haven't tried this feeding schedule because I have to feed Buck twice a day so I tend to feed the girls as well. I'm going to start it soon though, because the girls are getting chunky with all of this food. And now that I'll be getting a freezer (:D) I'll be able to store things like this, whereas right now I have only about a 4 cu ft freezer so I have to buy a lot of smaller things if I don't want to go to the store all the time!

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

At his age, he really doesn't need to be fasted unless if he is sick or something. I would wait until he's a year old or nearly full grown to start fasting. Once he hits a year or so you can start feeding more whole foods or larger meals to mimic what they'd eat in the wild. For example - feed a chicken one day, then not feed the next, then feed a large pork roast, then not feed the next day, then feed something else big, then not feed the next.

Thanks! He does get duck every once in a while, I just slice it in half. I like the chicken leg quarters because they are really meaty. They also leave part of the kidney, sometimes whole, on the thigh portion. I also love the price, $9.70 for 11 pounds! I will be switching his type of meat every 2 weeks or so, then he gets variety.

This is where I will get my meat next time...

Surrey Meat Packers (http://www.surreymeatpackersltd.com/petfood1.htm)

If anyone lives close to Surrey, this is the best place to go. They have awesome deals that you just can't get at a supermarket out here.

[.sarah]

Today Buck finished his chicken and the girls got some pork neck bones. They all got a little bit of beef tongue as well. For dinner Buck got beef ribs.

[binka_nugget]

Thanks! He does get duck every once in a while, I just slice it in half. I like the chicken leg quarters because they are really meaty. They also leave part of the kidney, sometimes whole, on the thigh portion. I also love the price, $9.70 for 11 pounds! I will be switching his type of meat every 2 weeks or so, then he gets variety.

This is where I will get my meat next time...

Surrey Meat Packers (http://www.surreymeatpackersltd.com/petfood1.htm)

If anyone lives close to Surrey, this is the best place to go. They have awesome deals that you just can't get at a supermarket out here.

I was thinking about getting some stuff from them. I'll definitely have to go now!

Do you have to place an order in advance (how in advance)? Or do you just show up and ask for it on the spot?

[.sarah]

Today they had lamb shanks and beef kidney. I have some buffalo thawing for Buck for later tonight.

[bella's_my_lab]

Bella had plain ole pedigree. From what you all feed your dogs, mine sounds deprived. Getting all that good other food. Still new to the dog owning thing though so I'm still learning whats out there.
People are giving them raw chicken? This will sound stupid but can't they get that salimanila (spelled it wrong) poisoning?

Lost in the food debate

[.sarah]

Salmonella is no threat to dogs, and neither is bacteria. They are built to eat raw food, not kibble. Kibble is a totally foreign food to a carnivore and it will not provide them with proper nutrition.

Here is some more reading in case you're interested :) -
http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=101889
http://rawfed.com/myths/
http://rawfeddogs.net/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RawPup/

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

I was thinking about getting some stuff from them. I'll definitely have to go now!

Do you have to place an order in advance (how in advance)? Or do you just show up and ask for it on the spot?

You just walk in and buy whatever you want! They put all of the meat into boxes, and you can buy small portions or large portions. The only things that are special order are fresh green tripe and duck meat with bones and vegetables.

[bckrazy]

Breakfast - 1/2 of a whole rabbit! for Gonzo; Farmore Chicken for Fozzie, with a small chicken wing.

Lunch - Hardboiled egg w/shell for each.

Dinner - Eating it right now... some Goat milk for Gonzo with his vitamin powder mixed in; Fozzie is eating California Natural kibble with a little bit of Goat milk to soften it.


Bella's my Lab, don't feel bad!!! I think all of us posting here fed kibble before and have switched to raw within the last year or two - I am a realll newb to raw. I definitely recommend buying a raw feeding book by Dr. Ian Billinghurst or any well-rated book from Amazon.com. You can gets lots of great info about raw/homemade feeding from this board, too! If you are interested in transitioning your Labbie (she is super cute by the way) to a better kibble or to raw, lots of members will definitely help you out, including me!

Actually, it is cooked chicken bones that are highly dangerous to dogs. I watch mine as they eat, and they chew the RAW chicken bones into very small, soft pieces. I really carefully handle their meat, it is fully frozen until defrosted overnight in the fridge. But, the intestinal tract of dogs is so short and their system is so radically different from ours that it is extremely rare to see any dog contract salmonella from raw. In those rare cases, I have only heard of Salmonella being contracted because the meat sat in the intestines due to an intestinal block that was caused by rawhide/socks/plastic. If you think about it simply - is corn, by-products and food coloring (ingredients in Pedigree and similar brands) natural or healthful for a dog to eat for it's life?

[binka_nugget]

The Schmelties had tripe, chicken and a smidge of kelp for dinner tonight. Boy am I glad that they're back on raw! I fed them EVO because of our trip to Kelowna.. I forgot how big and yucky kibble poop was! Yuck! :p

[cloverfdx]

Last nights dinner was beef mince, grated carrot, diced lambs kidneys and some Flaxseed powder.... yummmmm. Tinny even ate ger carrot for a change ;). Tonights will be similar, but chicken necks instead of beef mince.

They also got marrow bones the night before last that they were still munching on this morning before i chucked them out, just in case fights break out when im not there.

[.sarah]

Today they had a pork roast. Buck had a pig tail for dinner.

[binka_nugget]

Mum was an idiot and forgot to thaw out the bones... so they just had sardines, egg and kelp for breakfast today. Hopefully the bones will be decent for dinner tonight.. :o

[The Cat Factory]

Chester had pork bones and chicken for breakfast. He hasn't had his dinner yet, but he's having chicken and some beef kidney. I just have to cut the kidney up into small pieces, but it smells sooo gross :p

[dab_20]

Molli and Sam had kibble for breakfast and dinner. They didn't get treats today because they are in the fighting mood. :rolleyes:

[.sarah]

They all had fish earlier this morning, and a 1/4 of a chicken just a minute ago.

[wolfsoul]

Breakfast:
~Goat meat and organs
~Beef tripe
~Cottage cheese
~6% yogurt
~Tomato
~One egg (with shelll)
~Fish oil
~Flaxseed
~Alfalfa
~Kelp
~BioVet Sport
~BioVet Skin&Coat
~NutriCal

Snack:
~Oxtail

She's going to get dinner later tonight. :)

[anna_66]

Well ladies, I've started my three on the raw diet:D I really started it for one major reason, Bon has never really had good poos on just about any kind of dog food I've given him so I thought what can it hurt?!

As of now their morning meal is raw then later in the day I'm putting out kibble if they want. So far they haven't been eating much kibble at all but I have probably 100 lbs :eek: of dog food so I'll keep doing it this way for a while since already his poo is better (in only 3 days!!!!).
Thanks everyone for the super explanations and links to all the websites.
Please keep posting on what your dogs are eating, I'd like to know what variations I should be giving them since this is all new to me:D

PS I've gotten some awesome deals on chicken leg quarters...only $2.99 for 10lbs! And I've found out we can get rabbits at our local meat market (I had no idea they sold so many different things!).

[.sarah]

YAY ANNA!! That is fantastic! :D :D

I am so glad it is working for your dogs, especially Bon! :D


Jordan, that is some list :eek: :eek: :eek: My dogs only get meat, bones, and organs, and nothing else. Visa's meals sound really complicated lol.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Breakfast: Chicken leg quarter and a whole salmon.

Dinner: Chicken leg quarter, whole salmon and a meaty beef bone.

We buy 1 pound salmons with the heads removed. We went to a local butcher today and he gave us over 5 pounds raw, meaty beef bones and ends for FREE! :D

[The Cat Factory]

Breakfast: Chicken leg quarter and a whole salmon.

Dinner: Chicken leg quarter, whole salmon and a meaty beef bone.

We buy 1 pound salmons with the heads removed. We went to a local butcher today and he gave us over 5 pounds raw, meaty beef bones and ends for FREE! :D

I hope the butcher has more beef bones when I go there!:D Do you know if they sell rabbit there? I want to get some for Chester, but I can't find any :p

[.sarah]

Oh I also wanted to say that our freezer came in Tuesday and I'm placing our first order tomorrow!

Here is our old freezer. I was only allowed to use the bottom shelf but went overboard last week at the grocery store (they had a going out of buisness sale!) and so some of the dog's stuff overflowed onto the top :p I had everything organized in bags, but the new freezer is spacious enough to have bins/tubs to put everything in! :D
http://www.southernmutt.com/photos/oldfreezer.jpg

Here is the new one! 5x the size of "my" section of the old freezer! Woo hoo!!
http://www.southernmutt.com/photos/newfreezer.jpg
There is also another section above that is the size of the old freezer. It is a fridge that can be turned into a freezer if we need more space.


Hey Anna, would you be interested in ordering your food? The place I'm going to start ordering from delivers to all of the east coast. Some of the things are really cheap, some are more expensive, but best of all is that the animals are humanely raised and killed. Makes me happy :) Anyway, I can give you the link to their yahoo group. The lady who owns the place is really nice and very good with letting you know that your order is ready & being shipped.



Sorry I went off topic, but I thought it'd be nice to have all the raw stuff in this thread now instead of multiple threads.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

I hope the butcher has more beef bones when I go there!:D Do you know if they sell rabbit there? I want to get some for Chester, but I can't find any :p

They don't sell rabbit - just lamb, beef, chicken and possibly goat. He has tons of leftovers everyday, so you will get some for sure! :D

[The Cat Factory]

They don't sell rabbit - just lamb, beef, chicken and possibly goat. He has tons of leftovers everyday, so you will get some for sure! :D


I will have to get him some lamb when we go there, and goat if he has any:). I wonder where I could find rabbit?

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

I will have to get him some lamb when we go there, and goat if he has any:). I wonder where I could find rabbit?

I searched the internet and have yet to find a butcher that sells rabbit. :(

[.sarah]

I searched the internet and have yet to find a butcher that sells rabbit. :(
Are you open to ordering online? If so then I can give you a few places to get rabbit from :)

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Are you open to ordering online? If so then I can give you a few places to get rabbit from :)

I don't have a credit card, and have yet to sign up for PayPal. Do you know of anyone who ships to Canada?

[cloverfdx]

The kids had left over beef mince, chicken necks and carrot again tonight. Tomorrow and the weekend will probably be chicken and minced vegies, and some kind of organ meat.

Anna that is wonderful news :D. Please keep us updated on how you (And of course he puppers) go on the new diet.

[.sarah]

This morning the girls had 1 lb of boneless pork and Buck had 1.5 lbs. Not sure what I'm going to feed him for dinner yet.


I don't have a credit card, and have yet to sign up for PayPal. Do you know of anyone who ships to Canada?
I can let you know later today. I'm at work right now but I have a few websites bookmarked on my laptop at home. I'm not positive they ship to Canada though I think they might.

[lv4dogs]

Nanook, Kaige & Raustyk will be having whole chicken again tonight, with some organs & eggs. While I'll be eating hot dogs. :rolleyes: lol

[binka_nugget]

I searched the internet and have yet to find a butcher that sells rabbit. :(

I haven't been able to find rabbit at local butchers but I found some ground up patties (whole animal or close as far as I know) from Urban Carnivore.. which is sold at Tisols and a few other places. It's ridiculously expensive though. I think it was around $25 for 4 pounds.. definitely not something I'll be feeding often lol.

[anna_66]

Hey Anna, would you be interested in ordering your food? The place I'm going to start ordering from delivers to all of the east coast. Some of the things are really cheap, some are more expensive, but best of all is that the animals are humanely raised and killed. Makes me happy :) Anyway, I can give you the link to their yahoo group. The lady who owns the place is really nice and very good with letting you know that your order is ready & being shipped.

I just might be interested in that if it's a decent price. I'd love the link...send it right along:)

PS Congrats on the new freezer!
I'm going to have to go out and get our big freezer ready if I keep doing this (which I'm pretty sure I will!). I have the whole bottom half of our freezer full of the dogs food :o

[binka_nugget]

Today the pups had chicken backs for breakfast and rabbit, tripe and kelp for dinner. YUCK! I haaaate the smell of tripe! :o

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

I haven't been able to find rabbit at local butchers but I found some ground up patties (whole animal or close as far as I know) from Urban Carnivore.. which is sold at Tisols and a few other places. It's ridiculously expensive though. I think it was around $25 for 4 pounds.. definitely not something I'll be feeding often lol.

Wow! I wouldn't spend that much on rabbit, especially considering it's not whole. I will probably go to several butcher shops, and hopefully I can find some rabbit. There is a place in Langley that sells ostrich, venison, buffalo and bison - but it is probably really expensive.

[wolfsoul]

That's awesome Anna, congrats on the switch! :) So glad to see more people switching to raw, you'll never want to go back.

Here's what V had today!

Breakfast:

Turkey meat
Chicken Back and hearts
6% yogurt
Cranberries
fish oil
kelp
BioVet Skin&Coat
BioVet Sport
NutriCal

Dinner:

Rabbit full meal medallion
Cottage cheese
Parsley
Olive oil
One egg (with shell)
Some Bolthouse Farms juice
Kelp
Alfalfa
BioVet Skin&Coat
BioVet Sport

[bckrazy]

That is great news, Anna! I remember hearing about Bon's tummy issues. I'm sooo happy raw is working for him already ;0) everyone is here for you if you have questions!

Jordan, OMG, Visa really is a spoiled girl! That sounds like an awesome meal plan.

Sweet freezer, Sarah!! I'm jealous >_<

Breakfast: Gonzo got Buffalo Farmore & a beef rib; Fozzie got CN with his veggie mix.

Lunch: Gonzo got blended veggies; Fozzie got a chicken wing & some chicken Farmore because he was staring me down like he was starving.

Dinner: Gonzo got 1 chicken leg quarter & all of his supplements (I'm too lazy to list them. But I will someday...); Fozzie got CN.

[The Cat Factory]

Chester got chicken back and yogurt for breakfast, and chicken back and some beef kidney for dinner.

[cloverfdx]

They havn't eaten yet but i am enjoying this thread, and getting some wonderful meal ideas. I found some turkey mince and lamb flaps in the freezer so hopefully they will be thawed out enough for them to eat tonight, if not it will be chicken and vegies (& supplements).

[lv4dogs]

The dogs got some raw for breakfast this morning for a change. I haven't fed raw for breakfast in a couple months or so, since I started to cut down due to my freezer space & pocketbook limitations.

They had some cottage cheese, egg (I always feed my eggs whole, including the shell), carrots, spinach, nupro and oxtails.

[.sarah]

Today they all had a chicken quarter, 1/4 lb of trout, and an egg. Mandy went nuts, she loves fish!


I just might be interested in that if it's a decent price. I'd love the link...send it right along:)Sent you a PM :)

[wolfsoul]

Jordan, OMG, Visa really is a spoiled girl! That sounds like an awesome meal plan.

Thanks! :D

Here's what V had today..

Breakast:
The rest of her turkey
One egg (with shell)
Parsley
Tomato
Her BioVets

Dinner (I was lazy so I didn't give her any supplements lol):
Moose meat and organs
Beef tripe
Beef liver
6% yogurt
Cottage cheese

[binka_nugget]

Haha, I was lazy too.. so I just fed them chicken backs today.

I love this thread! I totally forgot about picking up alfalfa, cottage cheese and yogurt for the pups until now.

[cloverfdx]

The dogs got into a food bin whch still had 15KGs of working dog food (Dry/ kibble) in it and had a feast :(. That was after my Mum had fed them beef mince and chicken necks, lets just say they have very full bellies ATM and will not be getting much if any dinner tomorrow ;).

[.sarah]

Today everyone had some beef ribs for breakfast. Buck had a chicken quarter a little while ago.

Tasha I'll get those links to you soon, I'm still not on my regular computer lol. Sorry :o

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Tasha I'll get those links to you soon, I'm still not on my regular computer lol. Sorry :o

Thanks Sarah, I am in no hurry though. :)

[dragondawg]

6:00AM - wake up wake up we're hungry! So I give them their breakfast of Propet Large Puppy Formula. Each get approximate 1 1/2 handfulls. On weekends we go back to bed for another 2 hrs.

4PM - approx 1 1/2 cups of Propet Large Puppy Formula for each puppy.

Special for weekends only...

trolling for treats. Late morning or early afternoon. I throw treats out into the pond, and they swim out and gulp em down, along with the neighbor's dog. After the mile walk back through the woods, they then make numerous puppy wee wees emptying out their bladder from all the water they gulped down with the treats for the next 3-4 hrs.

Saturday they get a few bites of well minced up steak trimmings. In general throughout the week they get the last bite of whatever I eat. In turn they leave me alone while I'm eating.

Of course being 3 yr olds they had to engage in some rough play in the front yard (female 74 lbs, male 62 lbs) around 7PM. Too much energy! Currently they are both vegged out on their doggy pillows dreaming about chasing squirrels, and deer.

10PM: Each get 1/2 of a large peanut butter/apple dog treat for their bedtime snack.

Eat, sleep, and play.

[binka_nugget]

Breakfast
Duck
Chicken Hearts
Flax Seed
Kelp

Dinner
Duck
Chicken Hearts
Kelp
Egg
Cottage Cheese
Yogurt

[The Cat Factory]

Chester had chicken backs today. All he has left in his freezer is chicken leg quarters, beef kidney, and a beef bone, so he'll just be getting that until thursday.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Bailey got 2 chicken leg quarters today. I am buying 50 pounds of beef on Thursday.

[The Cat Factory]

Bailey got 2 chicken leg quarters today. I am buying 50 pounds of beef on Thursday.

Me too! I want to get Chester some lamb, and buffalo, too. I just realized they have it at the Surrey Meat Packers.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Me too! I want to get Chester some lamb, and buffalo, too. I just realized they have it at the Surrey Meat Packers.

I am pretty sure the only buffalo you can get from there is already ground up with some vegetables. You can get lamb cheeks or plain lamb though. Their duck is insanely cheap at only $0.99 a pound. :D

[The Cat Factory]

Yes, it is ground buffalo :) I am going to be getting him a few ducks as well. It depends on if I have my new freezer or not, though...

[cloverfdx]

Oh well i caved in and gave them a small dinner tonight of beef mince, alot of carrot grated up and a couple of chicken necks. Everyones on diets ATM ;).

The did not seem to have any ill effects from all that kibble they got into last night ;).

[wolfsoul]

This morning Visa had venison meat and organs, the rest of her yogurt, BioVet Sport, and some tomato.

[.sarah]

Yesterday they all had a chicken leg quarter and a pigs foot.

[.sarah]

Today they had some fish. They'll be getting beef kidney and liver for dinner, and Buck will also get a chicken quarter.

[Kfamr]

I've been thinking about switching to raw, maybe once or twice a week, or one meal daily if I can afford it.


I pulled some Trout out of the freezer today, next time I'm going to tell them not to filet it when we catch it. They CAN eat the whole thing, right?

What else should I add to their Trout dinner? They will each get a filet each, but I'm not sure what else to add? I may just add it with a bit of kibble to see how they react. They are sometimes picky and turn their nose to new things.

My mom recently got a job at a meat market/deli and we have a fridge in the garage which the freezer is completely empty. I asked her to ask her boss if she can bring home any bones, livers, etc they may get.


I was thinking since I have Wednesdays & Weekends off it'd allow me more time to prepare meals for them, and those could be their raw days.

[.sarah]

Yes they can eat whole fish.

Don't feed raw and kibble at the same time. Raw takes about 5 hours to digest compared to 15 for kibble, and you don't want raw getting "stuck" behind the kibble because it can cause digestive upset. You can feed raw in the morning and kibble at night, or vice versa.

Just be aware that fish can be kind of hard on their tummies at first, so loose stool will be normal until they adjust. Some dogs can't handle much fish. I would feed the fish alone at first so not to overwhelm their system.

Good luck! :)

[Kfamr]

Yes but would one filet of fish be enough for them?

I would imagine they'd still be hungry.

[.sarah]

A filet is usually around 1/2 lb right? Mandy, Nova, and Luka all get fed 3/4-1 lb a day, so a filet is usually fed with something else. You could feed kibble in the morning but I really wouldn't feed other raw stuff right now, except maybe chicken. You want to gradually introduce new things into their diet or they are going to have a major tummy upset.

If you do want to feed all raw one day, I would add chicken to it or if you have more fish then add that. Chicken is very bland and a good meat to start with, dogs usually don't have much problem with it.

[Kfamr]

Could I add some veggies/fruit?

I have tomatoes, carrots, and bananas.

I was thinking of chopping up the fish real fine anyways. I don't think they'd eat a big filet if I handed it to them right away.


As for feeding chicken, can I feed just regular chicken breasts (I have those) or should I wait and buy chicken legs? I was thinking chicken breasts would be better to start with?

[.sarah]

You could add veggies and fruits, but it'll just be filler. Dogs don't need that stuff, and won't get any nutritional benefit unless if it's pureed or pulped to mimic stomach contents.

I would hand it to them whole, you might be surprised. Unless if you want to be chopping it up for them each time, you are setting yourself up for finicky dogs by doing that if they refuse it whole. ;) Fish is one of those foods that my dogs crave. Mandy goes absolutely nuts over fish, probably because it's so much stinkier than other meats.

Chicken breasts are fine, bone-in or boneless. Chicken legs are kind of small (it's easier for them to choke on smaller pieces), I'd get chicken quarters. Quarters are usually cheaper too, I just got 20 lbs for $.49/lb. Some dogs are really good with eating legs though, it all depends on what type of eater your dogs are. Nova and Luka will practically swallow a leg whole, so I usually feed them quarters or whole chickens.

[Kfamr]

Yeah, I was planning on putting the tomatoes/carrots/bananas in the food processor, making a paste out of it, then putting it over the chopped up trout.

I don't want to give them too much but I don't want them to be hungry.

If I can find a good supply I will hopefully be feeding TimberWolf Organics in the morning, and then when I have more time feeding raw for dinner.

[.sarah]

To save on time, I take one day out every now and then and go buy everything and then package it up to make things easier. If I buy chicken quarters, I seperate them all into little baggies and then freeze them until I am ready to feed it. Otherwise a lot of things freeze into clumps and you have to thaw the whole thing to get the portion you want out, which is a pain.

My mom buys Wal-Mart deli bags on E-bay for about $.01 per bag. I package everything up into a meal portion and then freeze it all. You should see my freezer, it's so organized ;)

It takes a couple hours if I do it myself, but only about 30 minutes if I have help. My mom holds the bags open and seals them while I drop stuff in and cut up organs into portion sizes. Then when I am ready to feed I just put the dogs outside and go get four baggies of something from the fridge or freezer.

[k9krazee]

If I can find a good supply I will hopefully be feeding TimberWolf Organics in the morning, and then when I have more time feeding raw for dinner.

It should be the other way around, shouldn't it? Raw in the morning, kibble at night, because the raw will digest faster.

[Kfamr]

It should be the other way around, shouldn't it? Raw in the morning, kibble at night, because the raw will digest faster.


I don't know, that's why i'm posting in this thread! :p


I don't feed the dogs in the morning on weekdays because I leave for work at 5am and the dogs aren't even awake. My dad does and I'm pretty sure he'd never want to feed them raw, even if I seperated it for him.

[.sarah]

It should be the other way around, shouldn't it? Raw in the morning, kibble at night, because the raw will digest faster.
As long as you feed them about 8-10 hours apart it doesn't really matter if you feed the kibble in the morning. They should both be ready to pop out around the same time then :p

[k9krazee]

I have a question, I've been looking into this for a really long time but I'm going to college in the fall and I KNOW that my family wouldn't keep up with it if I do start. Would it be okay to feed them raw while I'm home in the spring/summer and then go back to kibble for the fall/winter? It wouldn't cause their bodies any damage would it because the two are so drastically different?

[.sarah]

Nope, they would benefit from it! :)

[The Cat Factory]

Chester hasn't had his dinner yet, but he'll be getting a whole chicken. The chicken I am getting him still has the head attached, so I was just wondering if it is okay for them to eat the beak?

[.sarah]

Yeah, the beak is okay to eat :)

[The Cat Factory]

Ok, thanks! :)

[Kfamr]

Okay, so they just had their meal.


1 filet of trout
pureed carrots, banana, and a little bit of tomato on top.

All three started off by licking the trout clean.

Nala seemed to swallow it in one piece. I don't know if she chewed it at all. That's something else I was afraid of.

Simba chewed it, ate it, and looked for more.

Kiara finally ate it after putting it in her mouth and spitting it back out a billion times.


The lady who created "The Dog Food Project" website just told me that it is okay to feed raw and kibble in the same meal. She's been helping me a lot.

Ugh, so confusing.

[bckrazy]

That's awesome, Kay! =0) I'm happy your pups like their raw. I've also had no bad experiences with mixing at all... their poops just aren't as perfect as they are with all-raw. Mordy is soooo cool! I'm glad she's helping you out!

Breakfast - Gonzo had a light breakfast, because we went to a Flyball demo at 8 AM. He got a few rabbit pieces (leg quarters), a little bit of veggie mix & a whole hard-boiled egg. Fozzie got the same and he pretty much thought he died and went to heaven, with the rabbit. It was perfect sized for him :p

Lunch - A bunch of Red Barn roll treats for both of them. Apples & baby carrots (fed to them by kids sitting nearby). Fozzie got 1/3 cup of California Natural. Both got a Merrick Cow Tail to occupy them in their crates.

Dinner - Fozzie got CN. Gonzo is still pooped, so he might not eat tonight, or he'll have a little bit of chicken Farmore.

[.sarah]

Nala seemed to swallow it in one piece. I don't know if she chewed it at all. That's something else I was afraid of.
My girls all do that with fish too, they've never had a problem. I'm sure if I gave it whole or frozen it would fix that but I don't see a need to.

You can mix kibble in, I just wouldn't reccomend it. You can try it and see if the dogs have loose stools and if they do, then don't do it again. Your call. :)

Glad Simba and Nala liked it. Kiara probably just doesn't get that it supposed to be food. I started my dogs out on chicken, and Mandy didn't understand it was food at first. She ate it, but not happily lol. She probably wouldn't have eaten it if she didn't see Luka and Nova gobble it up.

[binka_nugget]

That's awesome that you're looking into raw Kay!

I still need to buy fish for my boys. I've been too lazy to look for a cheap place to get it from. One day..

Today they had ground chicken, veggies, a chicken leg and I added NuPro. They HATE NuPro! I got it because it has glucosamine in it and Kaedyn needs it since he's getting older and starting to get stiffer. The darn thing cost me $45 dollars and they won't touch their food with it in.. ack. :o

[.sarah]

Any loose stools, Kay? I hope everything went fine :)

Today Buck had a pig ear for breakfast, and they are having pork necks for dinner. I don't know why I am feeding necks, they are so boney. My mom buys them a lot because they're on sale. I usually don't feed them, but they've had so much chicken lately I thought they needed something else ;) I'll probably give them some beef tongue too.

[Kfamr]

Their poos are fine.

Because my family sucks, they got kibble and the leftover puree today.
(No one wanted to drive me to the grocery store, yet didn't bother to tell me that they went on 2 seperate occasions today.)

[dogzr#1]

Just plain kibble. :o I would like my family to feed my dogs raw, but my parents wouldn't allow it. Maybe I can convince them to though...

Hopefully Astra would gain some much needed weight, and Molly lose some. Prince loves cooked chicken, so maybe he will like it raw as well. Well wish me luck into convincing my parents!

[lv4dogs]

They had venison for dinner last night with a little cottage cheese, pureed carrots (because they don't like them whole) and tomatos.

Yesterday afternoon I gave them some recreational bones (marrow & knuckle bones) because it was a little dreary & wet outside. it gave them something to do inside. ;)


Kay, I usually feed mine kibble in the AM & raw in the PM, have done it this way on & off for years and never had any problems.

[.sarah]

They had a chicken quarter today. Buck will have some boneless buffalo for dinner tonight.

Seems all I have right now is chicken and boney things. It's time for me to place an order.

[wolfsoul]

I forgot to unthaw food lastnight, so I gave her a sample of Nutro dog food we got at the fun trial last week. Of course I had to feed it to her with lots of pumpkin, or else we would have had serious diahrrea lol. Now she's chomping down on a carrot.

[The Cat Factory]

Chester had some lamb, and a whole egg for breakfast. He'll be having pork for dinner :)

[Kfamr]

I was just wondering what everyone thinks of this.

I got a bit of chicken from work today (I filet the chicken and saved the leftover pieces that we usually throw away - boss #1 & boss #2 (my mom) had no problem with it. :D ) I am for sure going to give that to them tonight.

However, I don't think it will fill them. They were still acting hungry after the fish.

I may just give them more fish with the chicken, but instead of doing that (and here comes the actual question) what if I soaked the dog food (TimberWolf Organics) in water and made it into a puree? Wouldn't that help a lot with digestion *IF* they were to have problems. I know for sure it would keep them from bugging me afterwards.



Also - I just got a free 8 oz bottle of "Linatone Shiny Coat" by Lambert Kay. My dogs' coats are fine, but would it be of any value to them if I gave it to them anyways?

[Suki Wingy]

Niño got strait up Iams minichunk today, breakfast 1 1/4 cup, dinner the same. He got some soydog bits durring training and some liver treats also. I usually buy a bag of Bil-Jac and mix a bit in but I have no extra money at the moment and my parents believe that dogs will do fine on jewel brand dog food if they have to. :rolleyes: That's because My grandma's gigantic shep/golden lived to be 15 on hy-vee brand then later pedigree but his later years he needed supliments and such.
I DO NOT agree with fasting, however. Dogs are domesticated. Every once and a while, for example, other day when we spent the day at my grandma's condo he did not get dinner, and if you have to I think it's fine but scheduling fasting days for domesticated dogs is really going overboard in my oppinion. Tell me what good it does.

[Suki Wingy]

I searched the internet and have yet to find a butcher that sells rabbit. :(
If you go to your county fair this summer and talk to some of the roaster class breeders I bet they could sell you some. :) I don't know if they would only do live though.

[wolfsoul]

Tell me what good it does.
I don't see anything wrong with fasting. I go on routine cleanses and fasting is a part of many of them. It is meant to allow the body time to rid itself of built up toxins -- in other words, to cleanse. When the body spends it's energy digesting foods it doesn't have the energy to cleanse itself. I rarely do it with Visa, only because she loses weight too easily, but if she is at a very good weight I will take her off food for a day and only give her herbs and water.

[Kfamr]

Chicken
Carrot/tomato puree with a 1/2 cup TWO mixed in.

NO ONE hesitated to eat the chicken!

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Bailey had a chicken leg quarter for breakfast and dinner. He got to chew on his Buffalo bone for a while and I gave him a chicken back and neck.

I just bought 11 pounds of turkey drumsticks (very meaty ones), 11 pounds of chicken leg quarters and 4 pounds of chicken backs and necks. We couldn't make it to the meat packers for beef, so he will most likely get that next payday. :D

[bckrazy]

Suki, even with domestic dogs, they naturally do not need to eat every day. I've heard it is very healthy for them to be fasted 1 day a week, with just some tidbits... I fast Gonzo every so often, and he does not seem to care at all. If I give him a whole chicken, for instance, I will fast him the next day and maybe give him egg or pureed veggies and he does great with that. It is very natural for them to eat a big meal and go 1-2 days without food, because they still do have the same digestive system of wild dogs & wolves. Just like fasting every so often is good for people, even! Basically what Jordan said.

Gonzo got lamb Farmore for breakfast, and pureed veggies/brown rice for dinner. I thawed out half of a chicken for him tomorrow.

Fozzie got lamb Farmore for breakfast, then 2 meals of CN with veggies.

And they both just got a big slice of cantaloupe. They love it! It's really cute to watch them both get every bit of fruit from the peel part... Fozzie is now chewing on the peel, as well :p

[.sarah]

Kay, I am glad to hear things are going well. I am not sure about the question you posted, sorry. At this point they are used to eating kibble, their stomach acidity may not be up to par and this is why sometimes dogs do not fully digest raw food when they are first introduced to it, if they were previously fed kibble. My dogs pooped out bone slivers for weeks until their digestive system built itself back up. However, when bones did appear, they were always soft and pliable (yes I took a stick and poked at their poo :p) and they never seemed to be in discomfort when pooping. So, they may have digestion problems for a couple weeks, but I'm unsure as to whether kibble would help them with it or not. I'm leaning towards no, but I don't know much about feeding kibble and raw together so I'm not sure.


Dogs are domesticated.This is not a good argument. Domestication has changed temperment, structure, size, fur color, fur length, etc. It has not changed their teeth or their digestive systems, so why should their diet change? Fasting is natural. It is natural for a dog, domesticated or wild, to gorge on a huge meal and then fast the next day. Humans are the ones who have made it "unnatural".

I don't schedule days for them to fast. I'll feed them a pork roast and then decide that they are big and plump and ate a lot and do not need food the next day. Nova and Luka are not good at self-regulating what they eat, probably because they are Labs and have zero self control when it comes to food. 6 months of raw feeding and still no self regulating, which appeared long ago with Mandy and most other "normal" raw eaters :D If I hand Mandy a four pound chicken she'll eat about 1.5 lbs, and then I have to put it away for the next day. If I hand Nova and Luka a four pound chicken you can guarantee they'll eat the whole thing and be right back at me begging for more, even though they are the size of a whale. Buck is also self regulating right now, I hope it continues and he doesn't become a typical Lab!

[lv4dogs]

The dogs ate a puree of many different meats last night, which is what my ferrets eat. I had to make room in my freezer for actual human food & this stuff was just taking up way too much room. My friend & I made too big of a batch of this stuff.

It contained (all raw & ground, bones & everything)
chicken
turkey
beef
lamb
eggs (shelss & all)
nupro (supplement)

[lv4dogs]

Has anyone ordered from Rodentpro?
My friends & I often do, mainly for my ferrets though as my freezer space is limited.

It's a great company that offers many different types of meats, all of which are whole prey foods (most even contain featers/fur/etc..).

Just thought I'd share the link in case anyone else is interested. They do not ship to Puerto Rico or Canada though.

http://www.rodentpro.com/index.asp

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

I feel that Bailey is on the thin side, so I am upping him to 4 pounds of raw meat per day. He was getting 2, but he is too thin IMO. You can see his ribs when he turns a certain way and he is only 65 pounds at 6 months. He will be getting 4 pounds a day until he gains some weight, then I will reduce it to 3 pounds.

He had a turkey leg for breakfast, a chicken leg quarter for lunch and he will get a turkey leg and chicken quarter for dinner.

[Kfamr]

I just fed them kibble all today because I was too tired when I got home from work to put anything out for thaw.

I'm so excited because I will have a constant supply of chicken from work. My bosses don't care at all. Like I said, it's perfectly good chicken that we throw away anyways, because we have no use for it.

They used to boil it and make something called "Chicken-Que", like a shredded chicken with BBQ on a bun.

[.sarah]

They all had a quarter of a chicken this morning and Buck had beef ribs for dinner.

[bckrazy]

Sue, I've never ordered from Rodentpro, but I've heard they are good! =/ I could never skin a rabbit though, or a guinea pig. It's hard enough to just feed it to them! I guess if your dogs can figure out to get past the pelt, it'd be ok.

Kay, that's awesome! Is the chicken boneless? That would be perfect if it had bones too, but either way that's a good deal.

Gonzo got his half of a chicken & his supplements. He just got honey in his Kong.

Fozzie got a chicken wing and he stole the chicken heart from Gonzo :p. He got CN for lunch with some hamburger meat, and he'll get CN for dinner. A minute ago, my friend Christine was over and set her Sprite down and Fozzie tipped it over... so he got half of a sprite too. :confused:

[Kfamr]

Nope, it's boneless. I plan on getting some type of meaty bones for them when I feel more safe feeding this diet. For now, it's just really to see how they do on it.

Right now they just think they are getting a treat when I feed them raw.
They don't understand that it's their dinner and they won't be getting a second treat as soon as they scarf it down.
So, I don't feel safe feeding bones, yet.

[bckrazy]

Kay, about your dogs feeling "full", that's unsual to me. Gonzo was the opposite, he always seemed starved when he got all kibble, now he almost never begs and he seems very content. Did you figure the caloric needs of all of your dogs? Nala & Kiara, especially, probably need a lot more raw because they're bigger and very active. These are my best guesses... I don't know for sure the weight or activity of your dogs, but you can calculate it on your own. For Kiara, 3% of her body weight, for an active 40-50 lb dog, would be about 1.5 lbs per day. For Simba, 1% of his body weight, for an older 50 lb dog?, would be about .5 lbs per day (Gonzo gets this amount). For Nala, 3% of her body weight, for an active 60-70? lb dog, 1.5 lbs per day might suit her. Feeding half raw & half kibble, just feed half of that amount of raw. Some people just feed their dogs a variety of meats & bones every day, and base the amount they give on if their dog feels ribby or if they feel too chubby. I found a website where you can precisely calculate all of this... I'll go try & find it.

[Kfamr]

I've always fed Kiara more, Nala a little less, and Simba way less.


I'm not sure now that the fact they were bugging me was because they're hungry. I do believe it was because they just think it's a treat. Especially since the second time I did it (the time they were REALLY bugging me) I fed them in human bowls (didn't want to feed raw chicken in their plastic bowls.) I've often given them special treats (little bit of yogurt, peanut butter, ice cream, etc.) in our bowls.


That website would be GREAT!

In fact, any more websites other than the ones posted here would be great.

[lv4dogs]

Sue, I've never ordered from Rodentpro, but I've heard they are good! =/ I could never skin a rabbit though, or a guinea pig. It's hard enough to just feed it to them! I guess if your dogs can figure out to get past the pelt, it'd be ok.

They are good!
My ferrets (and sometimes dogs & cats) usually only eat mice/small rats and chicks. The eat fur/feathers & all. Of course the fur/feathers are pretty minimal at this stage.

The dogs (when I do order food for them through rodent pro) have so far gotten rabbit, Nanook & Raustyk both skin them themselves, Kaige has yet to try rabbit with the fur on it.
They have also gotten an assortment of birds too, with the birds they all, even Kaige eats just about everything. They do leave some feathers behind but not much. And if it is a larger bird with an excessive amount of feathers on it I will sometimes pull out some of the large primary feathers for them.


Here's just a few quotes out of many, stating that fur/feathers are a natural diet:

In the wild, carnivores eat their prey whole and for the most part they eat it fur, feathers, feet and all. No-one removes the innards, small bones or feathers from their catch so what nature has provided for them is what we would refer to as whole prey food. They also eat lots of green grass. It's natures way.

Many of us have observed the eating habits of our North American coyote. The first parts of a carcass that the coyote eats are the liver, kidneys and the stomach and intestines including their contents. Next the flesh or "steak" and last the bones, hair, hide and/or feathers. Everything is eaten.

When feeding whole animals, you can feed the ones that are completely feathered and furred, or you could feed skinned ones. It depends on your dog's preference and on its level of expertise (i.e. I wouldn't suggest feeding a dog brand new to raw feeding a whole feathered chicken). When you do feed feathered prey, you might need to pull out the large primary feathers at first so that all is left is the soft feathers that aren't going to poke your dog's mouth, etc. If you are feeding a whole animal, you may need to make a little incision to expose the 'goodies' inside the first time you feed it, as dogs don't always recognize it as food. Once your dog realizes it is food, you typically don't need to do that anymore.

[.sarah]

They all had pork hocks this morning and will be getting lamb shanks for dinner.

[lv4dogs]

Do yous who feed pork freeze it (for what is it 72 hours or 4 days or something) first to make sure all the parasites & such are killed?

I do freeze most of my meats for at least 4 days before feeding them, but sometimes I don't if they come from a reputable butcher or the like.
I've never fed a lot of pork, I've always been scared to as I've heard so many bad things about it, being a "dirty" meat.

[laredos_mom06]

Hi. I was just wondering if it was okay to feed kibble with a few raw bones as treats or snacks? We feed both Laredo and Dakota Eagle Pack, and I'd like to switch to raw some day, but until then I think I'd like to give them raw snacks. If I can do that, what kind of raw bones? Laredo is a 16week old Great Dane with a very sensitive stomach and Dakota is a 2-1/2 year old Rottweiler mix, she doesn't have a sensitive stomach at all.

Sorry if someone has already asked this, I didn't go through all of the posts. Thanks! :)

[lv4dogs]

Hi. I was just wondering if it was okay to feed kibble with a few raw bones as treats or snacks? We feed both Laredo and Dakota Eagle Pack, and I'd like to switch to raw some day, but until then I think I'd like to give them raw snacks. If I can do that, what kind of raw bones? Laredo is a 16week old Great Dane with a very sensitive stomach and Dakota is a 2-1/2 year old Rottweiler mix, she doesn't have a sensitive stomach at all.

Sorry if someone has already asked this, I didn't go through all of the posts. Thanks! :)


Chicken & turkey are best suited for sensative digestive systems but the bones on them are fairly small (yet big enough to help make the teeth clean) and they are usually found with a lot of meat on them, therefore making them better for mealtime than for snacks.

Recreational bones (marrow bones, knuckle bones etc...) are best for snacks. But they are from beef & larger animals similar to cows and those types of meats are *sometimes* a little rougher on the digestive systems. Also remember that recreation bones are much harder than other bones, therefore not a great choice for dogs who are teething & the like. So watch them carefully when they chew on recreational bones, they are more apt to break/chip a tooth w/ recreatinonal bones.
Now some dogs do great on beef & the like right away, while others need to slowly adjust to such meats by eating the chicken &/or turkey first.

But other than that I see no problem with giving them a recreational bone every 2-4 days as a mid day treat.

[bckrazy]

As a snack, like as in a meal, chicken & turkey leg quarters would be suitable for your big doggies. :) If you want to give them bones to clean teeth and get out chewing, I reccomend beef & lamb ribs or beef femur.

[Kfamr]

A guy at my mom's new job gave a bag full of beef bones.. So today they're getting a beef bone each and a bit of chicken. :D

[finn's mom]

Finn got a chunk of beef brisket, yummy!

[.sarah]

Yesterday they had a small amount of fish for breakfast, as I was too sick to get out of bed and my mom wanted to cut it up in chunks and feed it as a treat :p They had a big turkey leg for dinner.

[.sarah]

A guy at my mom's new job gave a bag full of beef bones.. So today they're getting a beef bone each and a bit of chicken. :D
I cannot stress enough to be careful with beef bones. I gave them marrow, femur, and knuckle bones as treats and freely fed beef ribs because so many people on message boards were giving them with no ill effects. But I should have listened to the experienced feeders on the rawfeeding list who told me not too - Buck has already chipped an adult tooth and Luka also has a chipped tooth (and yes I know they are chipped from beef bones). It is also very common of dogs who do not chip teeth (normally these are dogs do not actually bite on these bones but rather knaw) to have their teeth wear down after years of recieving these bones.

In my opinion it is really not worth it to give them beef bones unless if it is slathered in meat, in which case you should remove the bone as soon as the meat is eaten. There are plenty more edible bones that will keep them busy, though it is never really a good idea to feed bones without meat on them. Your dog should get enough of a workout from it's meal to not need extra chewing in the day. Or, if s/he does, have some kongs around. My dogs hardly use their kongs and nylabones anymore except just to carry around, but I do notice an increase in chewing if I feed them boneless (this isn't often).

I steer clear of beef ribs now as well as any other beef bone with little to no meat. Same goes for bones of other large, heavy animals - buffalo, steer, moose, etc.

If you choose to continue to feed them, I would take away the bone if your dog is vigorously eating at it. They are likely to break or chip a tooth this way.


And Kay, I was not singling you out, just quoting your post :)

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

For breakfast, Bailey had a turkey leg and a chicken leg quarter. For a snack he will be getting a meaty turkey wing (I got an 11 pound box for $4.98). For dinner he will get another turkey leg and chicken leg quarter.

I went to a local asian supermarket and they carry pigs ears, whole pig legs, pig snout, pig hocks, partridge, duck, rabbit, fish heads, turtle (YUCK!), shark meat, pig ovaries, all organs from beef, pig, chicken and duck, whole racks of beef ribs, whole beef tenderloin, and much, much more - all at excellent prices!

In case those from BC are wondering, the store is called T & T Supermarket.

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Just to go along with the chipped tooth thing from beef bones, Tango chipped her tooth pretty badly a few weeks ago after chewing on one (full of meat) for about 10-15 mins. She's a really hard chewer though, and none of our other current or past dogs ever had this happen to them though I'm not sure why. But anyway, here's a pic of her tooth now ( it's quite a bit shorter than her other one)...it doesn't seem to cause her any pain and if it does, she isn't showing it. It did turn a yellowy colour [it was very white before] though and she might have to get it pulled:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v503/Tollerlover/Post%20may22/Image26.jpg

[binka_nugget]

I went to a local asian supermarket and they carry pigs ears, whole pig legs, pig snout, pig hocks, partridge, duck, rabbit, fish heads, turtle (YUCK!), shark meat, pig ovaries, all organs from beef, pig, chicken and duck, whole racks of beef ribs, whole beef tenderloin, and much, much more - all at excellent prices!

In case those from BC are wondering, the store is called T & T Supermarket.

Jeez! I didn't even think about T & T! Do their rabbits still resemble rabbits? I don't think I could bring myself to feed it if it did. :(

[.sarah]

They had a whole Tilapia fish this morning. Mandy refused, which is odd, because she usually loves fish! I wonder how long of a strike she'll go on before she'll eat it ...


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v503/Tollerlover/Post%20may22/Image26.jpgAre her teeth worn down from tennis balls or is that also from bones?

Sorry that happened! Buck and Luka's aren't that bad, but I bet it wasn't going to be long before they chipped a tooth like that.

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Sarah, that just happened after chewing her bone. She only has her tennis balls for retrieving, and when I'm done playing with her, they're gone. She doesn't chew on them or anything and only has them occasionally. Some of her other teeth are chipped a bit, but those are from playing with a hard frisbee when she was younger

[.sarah]

Oh, I thought maybe the bottom canine was worn down from something else. :o

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Jeez! I didn't even think about T & T! Do their rabbits still resemble rabbits? I don't think I could bring myself to feed it if it did. :(

They are headless and furless. :) They are $6.99/pound, but they do go on sale occasionally. Right now, they have 11 pound boxes of turkey legs for $8.88, or you can go to Buy Rite and get the same ones for $5.81!

[.sarah]

Mandy tried really hard to eat the fish tonight, but I could tell she didn't like it. She left it so I let Nova have it and I won't buy that fish again. Buck had half a chicken and Luka and Nova had a quarter of a chicken.

[bckrazy]

I'm sorry about that, Devan :/ poor Tango. Gonzo got a little chip on his rear molar from a smoked beef bone, but never from a raw bone, and never that bad. It's good she didn't fracture to a nerve, atleast!

I was wondering if anyone here has tried goat bones? The butcher has an assortment of meaty goat bones for really cheap, would goat femur/ribs/etc be a lot easier on the teeth? I would imagine they would... I've never fed goat, though.

Gonzo got Farmore Chicken w/ yogurt & his supplements for breakfast. Fozzie got the same, minus the supps. Fozzie got CN with some boiled chicken for lunch, and CN soaked in broth for dinner. Gonzo got 3 really good free-range chicken wings for dinner because my Mom bought some to make and she had extras. Oh... and I went with Fozzie and my friend with her dog to the dog fair this morning, so I brought home a bunch of treats and Gonzo got a big piece of beef jerky, some dog beer, and Fozzie got 3 mini cheese dog muffins.

[wolfsoul]

I'm a bad mommy, I forgot to unthaw Visa's food lastnight. So she had to eat kibble this morning. It's funny, the more stuff I add to it, the less likely she is to have diahrrea. Even if I add only pumpkin she will get the runs. So I added pumpkin, cottage cheese, yogurt, an egg, flaxseed, her BioVet supplements, NutriCal, and I mixed it all up with some canned Puppy Plate. So far so good, but she's been farting. :rolleyes:

[.sarah]

Today they had some beef brisket and Buck had half a chicken for dinner.

[The Cat Factory]

Chester had some lamb and 2 chicken feet for breakfast. He had a turkey leg, and a whole egg for dinner.

[wolfsoul]

Visa had some ground rabbit.

[lv4dogs]

They had whole fryer chickens including their organs last night.

[wolfsoul]

Visa had two boneless chicken thighs and some Bolthouse farms juice, and now she's chomping down on beef bone.

[Suki Wingy]

Since most of the dog food experts come here I figured I'd post my question here:
Today Niño pooped 3 times on a 1 hour walk, and this is not uncommon. He also sheds A LOT. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be working at petsmart, and getting a discount, so does anyone have a suggestion for a better food? Niño also farts a lot :o I was thinking that perhaps his stomach hurts a bit maybe? He's eating Iams right now and it's not that we can't afford better, it's that my parents think it's ok. They said as long as I pay the difference in costs it would be ok.

[Kfamr]

Our local grocery store is having a buy one get one free sale so we just bought 2 packages of chicken legs. Around 6lbs of chicken for $5. Cheapest I can find it! My freezer is full of that and the chicken I've been getting from work.

I really don't want to waste these beef bones - the guy at my mom's work even went thru the trouble of cutting them for the dogs.

Is there anyway I can give them to them without ruining their teeth but still benefitting?

[Kfamr]

Suki - what food is he eatting now?

I've never really looked at the food Petsmart sells but I know they sell Nutro NC & Ultra. Both are okay foods - Ultra is better than NC, so I'd go for that if I were you.

[bckrazy]

For Petsmart, I feel that Blue Buffalo would be the best quality for Nino. You can also try Nutro Natural Choice, some people have had good results feeding NNC... I think it's Lamb or Chicken & Oatmeal. Both are waaay better than Iams.

Kay, I feed Gonzo beef ribs, femur, and other bones often. Are they meaty? If so, feeding those should be fine. Just keep a close eye on them. After they've gotten the meat off, and if they're chewing very vigorously, just take the bone away.

[.sarah]

Two pork roasts were handed out and they all got a turn at one. They are big fatties right now. Mandy got about 3 lbs, Buck got about 4 lbs, Luka and Nova each got around 6 lbs, and I had to drag them away from their food. :eek:

[The Cat Factory]

Chester had a Tilapia fish for dinner...

[.sarah]

Here is everyone enjoying their roast. Buck and Mandy were the last with the roasts and they left about a pound of meat on them, so they are in the fridge for later.

http://www.southernmutt.com/photos/061206/_MG_0541.jpg
http://www.southernmutt.com/photos/061206/IMG_0563.jpg

At first Mandy and Buck just got a chunk of boneless meat that I cut off of the roast before I let them attack the actual thing.
http://www.southernmutt.com/photos/061206/_MG_0614.jpg

This is how they all eat, every day :)
http://www.southernmutt.com/photos/061206/_MG_0632.jpg

[lv4dogs]

Last night they had a mixture of meat.
Nanook & Kaige had about a half of a fryer chicken, left over from the night before and a little bit of venison steaks.
Indy & Raustyk had venison roast.

[Suki Wingy]

Kay- he gets Iams mini chunks and sometimes Bil-Jac pellets. I'll look into those.

[k9krazee]

That looks like human flesh :eek:
http://www.southernmutt.com/photos/061206/IMG_0563.jpg

[.sarah]

That looks like human flesh :eek:
http://www.southernmutt.com/photos/061206/IMG_0563.jpg
LOL! It's not, I promise!

[Kfamr]

That looks like human flesh :eek:
http://www.southernmutt.com/photos/061206/IMG_0563.jpg


So is THAT how you got your mom to say yes to a meeting, Sarah??? :eek: :p :eek:

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Bailey had a chicken leg quarter and turkey leg for breakfast. He will be getting a chicken leg quarter, turkey leg and tilapia fish for dinner.

[Kfamr]

For dinner they had a chicken leg, chicken nuggets, and carrot/tomato/banana puree.

[wolfsoul]

Visa had a pork hock, beef tripe, cottage cheese, mashed blueberries and strawberries, and some alfalfa sprouts, with her Biovet supplements. I always give ger BioVet, I love it.

[BOBS DAD]

LOL! It's not, I promise!

I thought the same thing. It looks like someone's shoulder!!! Anyone missing in the neighborhood??? Coincidence... I THINK NOT!!! LOL

[BOBS DAD]

Visa had a pork hock, beef tripe, cottage cheese, mashed blueberries and strawberries, and some alfalfa sprouts, with her Biovet supplements. I always give ger BioVet, I love it.

R U Kidding me??? Your dog eats better than a lot of people I know!!!

[The Cat Factory]

Chester had a turkey leg for dinner. He had a few chicken feet for a snack.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Most of their toybox by the look of it!!

[lv4dogs]

Pork shoulder for dinner last night.

In a little while they will be getting whole pig hocks (legs & feet) for a snack this afternoon.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Well, kibble (bleh) but I also added in a Raw egg ^^, they loved it.

[.sarah]

Buck had a small piece of fish for dinner last night. The girls fasted yesterday.

This morning Buck had half a chicken. The girls were still on a fast.

For dinner Buck had 1/2 lb boneless pork and the girls had a small amount of fish.

Luka and Mandy have lost all the pork roast weight now, and can be back to normal eating amounts tomorrow. Nova must have really crappy metabolism or ate more of it than I thought, because she's still a big fatty right now and will have to eat light again in the morning. I'll probably give her whole veggies and some ice cubes because it's empty calories and she'll think she's being fed ;)

[Kfamr]

Each had a chicken leg again.

[CagneyDog]

So it's okay to give dogs raw eggs WITH the shell? Do you think it would be okay if I gave Cagney one tonight? I'm kind of scared too...it seems so gross!

[Roxyluvsme13]

So it's okay to give dogs raw eggs WITH the shell? Do you think it would be okay if I gave Cagney one tonight? I'm kind of scared too...it seems so gross!
Yes! But neither of mine liked the shell, so I cracked it open and gave them the inside..

[Missrock]

Sounds like you guys are feeding the BARF diet. I posted today under dog health. I have just lost my second seven year old Rottweiler to cancer. I am looking more and more at feeding the BARF diet and changing my vaccination plan. What do you think?

[wolfsoul]

Sounds like you guys are feeding the BARF diet. I posted today under dog health. I have just lost my second seven year old Rottweiler to cancer. I am looking more and more at feeding the BARF diet and changing my vaccination plan. What do you think?
I am sorry about your rottie. :( I lost my German shepherd to cancer a couple years back.

A raw diet is one of the best things you can do to prevent cancer. :) Cancer feeds off of carbohydrates, and kibble is full of carbs. A Raw diet is mainly protien; the only carbs come from vegetables, and these carbs are healthier than the ones that come from grains. Vaccines also cause cancer and tumors. You should really look into it, once you feed raw, the change is so amazing you'll never want to go back to kibble.

[Sevaede]

Buck had a small piece of fish for dinner last night. The girls fasted yesterday.

This morning Buck had half a chicken. The girls were still on a fast.

For dinner Buck had 1/2 lb boneless pork and the girls had a small amount of fish.

Luka and Mandy have lost all the pork roast weight now, and can be back to normal eating amounts tomorrow. Nova must have really crappy metabolism or ate more of it than I thought, because she's still a big fatty right now and will have to eat light again in the morning. I'll probably give her whole veggies and some ice cubes because it's empty calories and she'll think she's being fed ;)

I am sorry but I laughed *very* hard when you called Nova a big fatty. I am incredibly immature. :o

[Jakesmom]

breakfast and dinner: IVD Rabbit and potato dry food mixed with rabbit and potato canned food, and some "pure rabbit" canned food (topper treat), and some roasted taters...(rabbit and potato restricted diet for allergies). Also, a few taters as the day goes by for treats.

Jake's mom.

[mjsteiro]

I only feed my dogs Purina Dog Chow and Purina Puppy Chow........The puppy chow is out at all times as my German Shepherd is only 4 1/2 months old but Xena the Blue Healer mix will be 11 years old this Sept. They seem to do really good on just the dry food, should I be feeding them something else? :confused:

[.sarah]

So it's okay to give dogs raw eggs WITH the shell? Do you think it would be okay if I gave Cagney one tonight? I'm kind of scared too...it seems so gross!Yeah, the shell is fine! Mandy won't touch the shell unless if it is crushed up (about as crushed as a fork can do, I'm not about to get out a blender to grind up an egg shell, she'll just go without!).

It's funny, when I'm baking or cooking, the dogs are always right beside me. When I use eggs and have to get rid of the shells, screw the garbage disposal, I have Labbie disposals! lol


Sounds like you guys are feeding the BARF diet. I posted today under dog health. I have just lost my second seven year old Rottweiler to cancer. I am looking more and more at feeding the BARF diet and changing my vaccination plan. What do you think?Sounds like a great plan! Feel free to ask any questions, we are all here to help you! :)


I am sorry but I laughed *very* hard when you called Nova a big fatty. I am incredibly immature. :olol, that's okay, it was meant jokingly :p


should I be feeding them something else? :confused:Well I'm going to say yes, only because I despise kibble, but what do you expect from a raw feeder who's had fantastic results? Look into raw feeding if you're really interested, and I'm here to answer any questions you may have :)

[Roxyluvsme13]

I borrowed a few pictures from this thread for my slideshow to show my mom.. I hope anybody doesn't mind, and they're only going to be used to show my mom.

[Kfamr]

should I be feeding them something else? :confused:



You could be feeding them a whole lot better kibble than ProPlan. I'm not sure what your budget is, but ProPlan is one of the lowest kibbles out there.

If you're not sure about feeding raw, there are a lot better kibbles!
Because of time/money I personally feed kibble (TimberWolf Organics Ocean Blue) in the morning and RAW/BARF at night. It is a lot easier because I work early in the morning and have more time at night to prepare meals.

[lv4dogs]

I was a bad mommy and didn't thaw anything for dinner, and to top it off I didn't notice until it was too late for me to want to go to the store. :rolleyes: I fed them a little bit of kibble but they hardly ate any if any at all. I think they fasted themselves. lol

Good news though! Thanks to some tips from sarah, some people from rawfeeder group and some of my own thoughts/ideas I am almost possitive I can begin feeding ONLY raw once again, in the very near future. Not sure if I want to try to feed the rest of the dog food I have (pretty sure I'll be feeding all raw before their dog food runs out) or what though. :p
And more good news, I found a butcher locally (about a half hours drive) that is saving all the tracheas, chicken feet, pork necks & gullets for me. Which are all excellent foods for arthritis & other joint problems. Hooray for Nanook & Raustyk, hopefully I'll be able to cut down on some or all of their supplements.

[Kfamr]

Hermph. Kiki has threw up small pieces of bones the past two nights they've had chicken legs. The weird thing is, she takes the longest and chews the most when I've given them to her. The pieces have been smaller than an inch long.

I've been trying to find a place that sells necks/better bones with no luck. I wish I could find some deals like you all have!

How do I teach her to chew better? LOL

[lv4dogs]

Kay, it's pretty common for dogs to throw up a little bit of small bone fragements when first switching over. Mine have all done it, Kaige was worse than the others, and many others that I know of have done it too. Their bodies are adjusting to "different" things to digest, raw digests differently than kibble.

Do you find it happening more often in the morning (if you feed raw at night)? And do you find a little bile with it as well, or actually its a yellowish foam? If so it is probably because they have an empty stomach.

Either way it should go away within a few weeks once on raw, once her body becomes used to it.

You can try adding some yogurt with active cultures or some digestive enzymes for the first 1-3 weeks to help his digestive system handle this new switch.

[.sarah]

I echo what Sue said.


I've been trying to find a place that sells necks/better bones with no luck.Necks are not better bones ;) Necks are an odd shape and are easy to choke on. They are also far too boney to be a good meal. If they are attatched to a bird then they are fine, but otherwise, skip 'em and spend your money on something better.

Do you have any international markets? Co-ops? They usually have good prices. Know any hunters? Have you looked at the butcher? Have you looked online for a supplier in your area?

Maybe when I come down to visit you we can go shopping together? (If we ever settle on a date :o) I'm going to hopefully bring a cooler down and on the last day I'm there go shopping. You may have some good deals down there that you don't know about :)

[.sarah]

Good news though! Thanks to some tips from sarah, some people from rawfeeder group and some of my own thoughts/ideas I am almost possitive I can begin feeding ONLY raw once again, in the very near future. Not sure if I want to try to feed the rest of the dog food I have (pretty sure I'll be feeding all raw before their dog food runs out) or what though. :p
And more good news, I found a butcher locally (about a half hours drive) that is saving all the tracheas, chicken feet, pork necks & gullets for me. Which are all excellent foods for arthritis & other joint problems. Hooray for Nanook & Raustyk, hopefully I'll be able to cut down on some or all of their supplements.
I'm glad the rawfeeding group helped you! They were my lifeline when I first started. I still have the occassional question but mostly enjoy reading on that list and learning more. I'd reply more often, but most people on there are way more knowledgeable than me so I don't waste my time. Plus there are generally a billion replies already by the time I go check my e-mails ... I come to Pet Talk first ;)

I do wish it were a forum though, I hate Yahoo groups :o

[bckrazy]

Sarah, now I hecka want to join the rawfeeder group! It sounds awesome :)

Gonzo & Fozzie haven't had anything too exciting today... for breakfast, they each had a beef rib and I had to chase Fozzie around the yard to get his when all of the meat was off. I just gave them each a chicken wing as a snack. Fozzie will have CN with some yogurt for dinner and we have 500 cherry tomatoes so they'll get a bunch of those mushed up. ^_^ Preparing their day-to-day food takes all of 10 seconds, put it in the fridge overnight or in warm water in a bag and throw it at them and you're done. Just for you raw-curious people who think it's too much work, it isn't!

[.sarah]

Sarah, now I hecka want to join the rawfeeder group! It sounds awesome :)
It is, and I can't reccomend it enough! Articles are great, but hearing what works best for thousands of people's dogs on this group instead of just one person's dog in an article is really more encouraging to me :) I probably would have fed raw with just the articles, but they are all so conflicting that I would have been very confused. This group has helped me to rationalize what does and doesn't make sense.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Do you guys have the link to the Raw feeding group? Maybe some of the stuff they say would convince my mom :(.

[.sarah]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/

You can ask them about it, I'm sure they'd do anything to help you. They are a very caring group :)

[CagneyDog]

Since I read in the other Raw thread started by Roxyluvsme that fruit and vedgies have little value if not ground up, I was wondering if it would be good if I blended a bunch of fruits & vedgies together and stuck it in the freezer? Kinda fruit popsicle? :p

[Roxyluvsme13]

Since I read in the other Raw thread started by Roxyluvsme that fruit and vedgies have little value if not ground up, I was wondering if it would be good if I blended a bunch of fruits & vedgies together and stuck it in the freezer? Kinda fruit popsicle? :p
That sounds yummy xD.

[.sarah]

Since I read in the other Raw thread started by Roxyluvsme that fruit and vedgies have little value if not ground up, I was wondering if it would be good if I blended a bunch of fruits & vedgies together and stuck it in the freezer? Kinda fruit popsicle? :p
Sounds good to me! :)

Today they each had a turkey leg.

[wolfsoul]

Visa had emu, beef tripe, and some tomato.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Visa had emu, beef tripe, and some tomato.
EMU?! :eek: Where'd you get that from? :D

[.sarah]

EMU?! :eek: Where'd you get that from? :D
I was wondering the same thing!

It seems like you feed it often, must be pretty popular up in your area?

[wolfsoul]

LOL they sell it everywhere here, including the grocery stores. I've never had it myself (way to expensive to buy at the grcoery store, and for some reason I can't eat the stuff from the pet stores LOL). I buy mine at Visa's vet or Doggytopia. There are emu and ostrich farms everywhere around here, so it's easy to get both.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

I starting feeding Bailey 4 pounds of meat per day, 10 days ago. He is up to 75 pounds! :eek: That's a 10 pound gain in 10 days. He looks much, much better though. No more boney, visible ribs! :D I don't think he could've gained that weight on kibble, since he was always terribly skinny when I fed it. Thank gawd for RAW, I would NEVER EVER go back to that dry stuff.

[lv4dogs]

I was wondering the same thing!

It seems like you feed it often, must be pretty popular up in your area?

When I lived in Florida a few years ago & a few years before that there were Emu farms everywhere. If I were you I'd do a search. You probably have some not far from you & didn't even know it. :p

[mjsteiro]

Thanks! just testing!

[Roxyluvsme13]

This has nothing to do with feeding, but I would love to know how you pet owners put your Beautiful pet pictures at the bottom of your messages. I just love the way you all have put a face or two to the messages, so we all know who your talking about! Great pictures by the way!
You have to upload them to photobucket.. We have a 25KB limit around here, or if you want a Signature, you're welcome to request one in my signature thread. The link's under my signatures.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Well, they had their VERY first Raw meal today!! :D
Roxy had a leg quarter with two scoops of yogurt on top, and Lily had half a leg quarter, with one scoop of yogurt on top. She's chewing on her bone right now, and she didn't eat all the meat, so I refridgerated it for later to give to her tonight.

[Kfamr]

It's still thawing but they're having mush today. :p Chicken, tomatoe, carrots, and banana made into icky mush.

I'll probably give them some chicken nuggets, too.

[lv4dogs]

Well, they had their VERY first Raw meal today!! :D
Roxy had a leg quarter with two scoops of yogurt on top, and Lily had half a leg quarter, with one scoop of yogurt on top. She's chewing on her bone right now, and she didn't eat all the meat, so I refridgerated it for later to give to her tonight.

Glad to hear they like it!
You are feeding just plain yogurt right? easier in the digestive track than the flavored ones, & better for them too. At least I thought I heard it was better for them.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Glad to hear they like it!
You are feeding just plain yogurt right? easier in the digestive track than the flavored ones, & better for them too. At least I thought I heard it was better for them.
It was Vanilla.. because the plain wasn't on sale. :\ I didn't think it would make too much difference, but next time I do plan on giving them plain instead of Vanilla.

[The Cat Factory]

Chester had lamb and a few chicken feet for breakfast, and a turkey leg for dinner.

[mjsteiro]

Thanks Roxyluvsme13! I think I did it right, it took a couple times but I got it! I put my husbands jeep pictures up on another website after he goes on a jeep run, So I should of knew that it was the same way. Thanks again.

[bckrazy]

Gonzo got a knuckle bone for breakfast, and he was SO happy! I know some people disagree with these, but afterwards his teeth looked even better than 30 minutes earlier. His rear chipped molar builds up small amounts of tartar easily, and all of that was gone. I also watch him like a hawk, he seems to chew so much better since eating lots of other bones. Gonzo also got blended chicken heart & chicken muscle meat. Fozzie got 1/3 of a turkey leg for breakfast, but he wanted Gonzo's bone!

Fozzie got CN for lunch and a large egg, not even cracked. He loves cracking it himself! He also got tomato, which he is obsessed with. Gonzo got tomato, broccoli, and greens pureed with vinaigrette.

Fozzie got more CN for dinner. I got the "fruit popsicle" idea & pureed bananas, strawberries, & cantaloupe with some orange juice, then froze it in both of their Kongs this morning (Gonzo's kong, Fozzie's puppy kong) so they got that for "dessert".

[cloverfdx]

This evenings dinner was a chicken thigh with the bones in, a little bit of beef mince, and some sort of chicken organ, some flaxseed powder and Livamol supplement ;).

Actually come to think of it that was last nights dinner hehe. Tonight they had lamb bones, beef mince, carrots, chicken organs of some sort and supplements.

I have lost track of the days ;).

[.sarah]

Yesterday they had lamb shanks and Buck had some pork for dinner.

Today the girls had a chicken quarter and Buck had half a chicken. I have more pork thawing for him for dinner.

I'm about to go to the butcher to get some chicken feet. Mandy's getting stiff so she needs some glucosamine.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Roxy had another chicken quarter with a raw egg, and Lily had 1/4 of a chicken quarter with a raw egg. I bought more stuff today with my allowance, so I should have a good supply of food for the rest of the week. :)

[.sarah]

How are they doing Brianna? Any vomiting or loose stools? I hope this works out for you! :D

[Roxyluvsme13]

How are they doing Brianna? Any vomiting or loose stools? I hope this works out for you! :D
No vomiting, no loose stool! Lily didn't eat all of hers today.. I have to pick it off the bone for her, since she refuses to.. :rolleyes:. I put it in the fridge and I'll try again later. I guess it's just a big change for her. Roxy thinks she's in heaven though :D. I feed Lily and go back and check on her, and it's all gone :D. Apparently she's enjoying this very much.. I think I paid too much for my meat today though. I bought a whole chicken that was already cut up, just because I have difficulty cutting things up, so I paid 20 cents more.. ($0.99 a pound) I def. know I paid too much for the thighs I got for Lily.. ($1.69 a pound) It didn't matter that much to me, but I'm still looking out for bargains.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Bailey had a turkey wing and chicken quarter for breakfast. For dinner he will have a turkey wing, chicken quarter and a pigs foot. :D

[.sarah]

No vomiting, no loose stool! Lily didn't eat all of hers today.. I have to pick it off the bone for her, since she refuses to.. :rolleyes:. I put it in the fridge and I'll try again later. I guess it's just a big change for her. Roxy thinks she's in heaven though :D. I feed Lily and go back and check on her, and it's all gone :D. Apparently she's enjoying this very much.. I think I paid too much for my meat today though. I bought a whole chicken that was already cut up, just because I have difficulty cutting things up, so I paid 20 cents more.. ($0.99 a pound) I def. know I paid too much for the thighs I got for Lily.. ($1.69 a pound) It didn't matter that much to me, but I'm still looking out for bargains.
Yeah, they charge more to cut things up, unfortunately! Sometimes if you go pick out a whole chicken and go find the butcher, ask him to cut it in quarters and give him a pouty face, they won't charge more. lol! :D

[Roxyluvsme13]

Yeah, they charge more to cut things up, unfortunately! Sometimes if you go pick out a whole chicken and go find the butcher, ask him to cut it in quarters and give him a pouty face, they won't charge more. lol! :D
LOL! I haven't been to our butcher yet.. My mom said it would be more expensive, so we've got what we have so far from the Grocery store. They had alot of stuff perfect for the dogs marked down yesterday, because the sell by date was today, but the only thing they had marked down today was drumsticks. Tomorrow Roxy's getting a rib cage.. Is that too much bone?

[.sarah]

LOL! I haven't been to our butcher yet.. My mom said it would be more expensive, so we've got what we have so far from the Grocery store. They had alot of stuff perfect for the dogs marked down yesterday, because the sell by date was today, but the only thing they had marked down today was drumsticks. Tomorrow Roxy's getting a rib cage.. Is that too much bone?
Well, I meant the person in the back of the grocery store who cuts up all this stuff. The stuff that is in grocery store packages were cut up at the store. So if you find a whole chicken packaged in grocery store paper, then go ask him if he can cut it for you for little or no extra charge.

What type of ribs are they? All ribs are boney, but beef ribs are pretty much inedible, but also have very little meat. They aren't worth buying, in my opinion. Pork ribs are cheaper and almost always have a good portion of meat on them. I feed pork ribs as meals with no problems. I don't feed beef ribs anymore, they chipped Buck's tooth :(

[Roxyluvsme13]

Well, I meant the person in the back of the grocery store who cuts up all this stuff. The stuff that is in grocery store packages were cut up at the store. So if you find a whole chicken packaged in grocery store paper, then go ask him if he can cut it for you for little or no extra charge.

What type of ribs are they? All ribs are boney, but beef ribs are pretty much inedible, but also have very little meat. They aren't worth buying, in my opinion. Pork ribs are cheaper and almost always have a good portion of meat on them. I feed pork ribs as meals with no problems. I don't feed beef ribs anymore, they chipped Buck's tooth :(
I knew you meant that :p. They're chicken ribs. I'm glad I didn't buy the beef ribs I saw, I'll remember not to buy those.

[.sarah]

I knew you meant that :p. They're chicken ribs. I'm glad I didn't buy the beef ribs I saw, I'll remember not to buy those.
Chicken ribs? How odd ... are they almost naked or are they covered in meat? They are probably fine, just be careful if they aren't very meaty, it's easier to choke on "bare nekkid" bones.

I'm going to the butcher now. Hopefully will get some chicken feet and rabbit! :D

[Roxyluvsme13]

Chicken ribs? How odd ... are they almost naked or are they covered in meat? They are probably fine, just be careful if they aren't very meaty, it's easier to choke on "bare nekkid" bones.

I'm going to the butcher now. Hopefully will get some chicken feet and rabbit! :D
Well, the back side doesn't have any meat, but the front side is covered. I'll just watch her tomorrow. I normally don't since I'm inside helping Lily eat, but I'll make sure to watch her with them. Have fun at the butcher! ;D

[Kfamr]

Chicken leg, plain yogurt, and tomato/banana mush.

[gemini9961]

Grant had a chicken leg quarter, Sadie had a couple drumsticks and Maggie got a wing.

[dragondawg]

Sounds like you guys are feeding the BARF diet. I posted today under dog health. I have just lost my second seven year old Rottweiler to cancer. I am looking more and more at feeding the BARF diet and changing my vaccination plan. What do you think?


Missrock,

Unfortunately the cancer epidemic in our dogs has nothing to do with diet, unless by chance alone you obtain some food be it commercial dog food, or some raw ingredient contaminated with a known carcinogen (e.g .alflatoxin). Neither will a high carbohydrate diet, promote cancer, or a low carbohydrate diet prevent cancer in a pre-cancerous dog.

Per vaccinations if you have a cat then there is wide evidence of sarcomas caused by vaccinations. There is no evidence vaccinations in dogs contributes to the development of cancer. There are some dogs who never suffer any side effects from repeated vaccinations, and others that can develop severe life threatening side effects such as hemolytic anemia. Most Vets are now rotating to a once every 2-3 yr revaccination schedule.

The problem of cancer in our dogs stems primarly from genetics and irresponsible breeding. It's bad enough in some breeds as to even affect mixed offspring. Try going back to the breeder of your German Shepard and ask him/her if they plan to stop breeding the stock your dog came from to prevent passing on cancer oncogenes? It won't happen. Worse is the non-professional breeder, that wants to make a few hundred dollars off the puppies.

You start with a puppy that is genetically predisposed to cancer, and then add in environmental triggers. For example there was a casual relationship for lawn chemicals causing cancer suggested, although it remains unproven. However it's widely known the carbamyl compounds in the common flea powders are carcinogens. You'll never see a warning on those products. What might be the effects of Front Line in future years? What incentive does the manufacturer have to conduct such an epidemiology study on their product? Until the genetics question is addressed cancers will continue to increase in incidence in our pets.

My guys gobble down their Propet Large Puppy formula everyday, have high energy levels, no allergies or other metabolic problems. There are probably many other formulas on the market of similar high quality. But I do anticipate one or the other or possibly both will get cancer from the age of 8 yrs on. When they get older I will probably supplement their diets with fish oil where the Omega-3 fatty acids have weak anti-angiogensis properties. Whether this helps or not per prevention will remain unknown. Ultimately one is left with the possibility of cancer in our pets, and the forelorned hope that future treatments might be better.

[dogzr#1]

No vomiting, no loose stool! Lily didn't eat all of hers today.. I have to pick it off the bone for her, since she refuses to.. :rolleyes:. I put it in the fridge and I'll try again later. I guess it's just a big change for her. Roxy thinks she's in heaven though :D. I feed Lily and go back and check on her, and it's all gone :D. Apparently she's enjoying this very much.. I think I paid too much for my meat today though. I bought a whole chicken that was already cut up, just because I have difficulty cutting things up, so I paid 20 cents more.. ($0.99 a pound) I def. know I paid too much for the thighs I got for Lily.. ($1.69 a pound) It didn't matter that much to me, but I'm still looking out for bargains.

I'm glad everything's going smoothly! I think my parents are getting more and more convinced because every now and then, my mom will ask questions about it. I'll ask them again when they get paid,(the 23rd) I don't want to be pushy. We did buy chicken today (I think it was legs and breasts :confused:? Not to sure though.), so maybe I'll ask my mom if they could try some of it.

[binka_nugget]

The Schmelties had Duck for breakfast, and shared a chicken quarter for dinner. I picked up some Llama today :D Can't wait til the Shelties get to try it out!

[The Cat Factory]

Chester had a turkey leg for breakfast, and a lamb shank for dinner.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Since I spend over an hour preparing Bailey's diet, I thought I would take some pictures to show you. I have to thaw, bag and freeze 56 individual baggies for two weeks worth of meals! I also bagged some "snacks" for him and chopped up a beef liver. I put all the liver pieces onto a baking sheet and froze them. That way I can put them into a container and we can take out a piece when need be. Anyway, enjoy the pictures! :p

22 Pounds of Turkey Legs

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y61/Crazy-Cat-Lover/Raw%20Diet/TurkeyLegs.jpg

11 Pounds of Turkey Wings

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y61/Crazy-Cat-Lover/Raw%20Diet/Wings.jpg

11 Pounds of Chicken Leg Quarters

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y61/Crazy-Cat-Lover/Raw%20Diet/ChickenLegs.jpg

Chicken Breast Bones

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y61/Crazy-Cat-Lover/Raw%20Diet/ChickenBreastBones.jpg

Beef Liver

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y61/Crazy-Cat-Lover/Raw%20Diet/BeefLiver.jpg

Two Weeks Worth of Meals

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y61/Crazy-Cat-Lover/Raw%20Diet/AllMeat2.jpg

That's alot of RAW...

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y61/Crazy-Cat-Lover/Raw%20Diet/AllMeat1.jpg

Now I Have to Take it all to the Deep Freeze...

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y61/Crazy-Cat-Lover/Raw%20Diet/AllMeat.jpg

The best part about it... It only costed me $30.00 for all that meat! It only lasts Bailey two weeks because he eats 3-4 pounds per day. It would last a dog that eats 1 pound per day well over a month!

Hope you enjoyed my rather "gruesome" raw meat pictures! :D

[The Cat Factory]

That's ALOT of food! I am so glad I only had to bag 11 pounds of turkey wings lol. :D

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

That's ALOT of food! I am so glad I only had to bag 11 pounds of turkey wings lol. :D

You're lucky! :) Some of my turkey wings had large areas still covered in feathers, I left them on since I didn't feel like plucking them all off! I guess that's why they're only $5.98 for 11 pounds lol!

[The Cat Factory]

You're lucky! :) Some of my turkey wings had large areas still covered in feathers, I left them on since I didn't feel like plucking them all off! I guess that's why they're only $5.98 for 11 pounds lol!

Yeah, a few of mine had some feathers left, too. I didn't pluck them off mine either :)

[cloverfdx]

Tonight the kids had chicken carcasses, C & E had a half each (They are huge) and Tinny had a 1/4 and some scraps of lamb. The littlies had steak of some sort lol, spoilt little dogs.

[Roxyluvsme13]

W :eek: W.. I need to set up a plan like that..

[.sarah]

I was doing the same thing yesterday, Tasha!

I bought 4 rabbits, 12 lbs chicken feet, 8 lbs of goat, 10 lb rack of pork ribs, 5 lbs pig ears (for treats), 2 lbs pork liver, 5 lbs trout, 8 lbs turkey legs, and some other things that I can't remember right now.

Today the Labs had half a rabbit, and Buck is having another half tonight. Mandy doesn't like rabbit so she had some trout. Mandy and Nova are now having 3 chicken feet each daily to help with their joints. They've never had chicken feet before and I thought Mandy would hate them but she loved them!

[Roxyluvsme13]

Roxy's having.. some part of a chicken, apparently it wasn't the ribs like I thought, plus 1/4 of a chicken quarter. Lily's having her leftovers from yesterday and a chicken wing. She's in the midst of eating her leftover bone right now though, and then I'll give her the wing.

[wolfsoul]

This morning Visa had some goat and a beef heart.

[Kfamr]

Ki had chicken nuggets (because of incapability of chewing the bones)

Nala & Simba had a chicken leg each.

They also had:

raw egg w/shell
yogurt
squash/carrot puree

Simba & Kiara didn't like the shell, so Nala ate their shells. She LOVED them. Next time I make a puree I'm going to add eggs with shell in it.

[The Cat Factory]

Chester had a turkey leg, and an egg for breakfast. I am so happy, he actually cracks the eggshells by himself now! For dinner, he'll probably have a little bit of lamb, and some apple/banana puree with yogurt.

[bckrazy]

That is a ton of food, Tasha :) It's very cool that you added pics of the whole process. But, don't feel that bad about all of the work. I had to cut 5 whole chickens into 1/5ths today, and 2 huge geese! The geese were, really gross to handle, and had a bunch of feathers that I had to pluck.

I also concocted these fairly raw-feeder-friendly chicken liver treats, because I got 5 lbs of liver for like $1.50, and I really didn't need all of that liver especially with the whole chickens I got... which will be lasting me at least 2 weeks. Here's the recipe, if anyone has extra chicken or beef liver on their hands. Just a warning, they smell HORRIBLE! I guess that's because I hate the smell of garlic, and liver. But the smell died down after the cookies cooled.

1 carton of chicken livers (whatever size, but I used 3 lbs)
2 eggs (including shells)
1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
Oatmeal

Blend it all in your blender. Add as much oatmeal as it takes to thicken, enough to make tablespoon-sized dallops on a cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet in the oven, pre-heated to 350*. This will take 20 minutes to bake. Gonzo & Fozzie sat in front of the oven for the full 20 minutes, and went crazy waiting for them to cool! They love them! These are good to make before a weekend full of shows/training/etc. They are firm cookies but they don't crumble, they're kind of spongey and have a pretty pungent odor! I would only keep them in the fridge for 4-5 days, but you can freeze a bunch. These are really cheap, seeing as most people have all of this laying around (except for the livers, usually).

[cloverfdx]

Tonights dinner was lamb scraps (including ribs) & their supplements. Tomorrow they can definitely finish off their chicken, then it is shoping time again :D.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Roxy had a leg quarter and Lily had half of a thigh. I individually wrapped chicken thighs and the rest of the chicken last night. Today I have to unthaw the rest of the leg quarters and individually wrap them. FUN. :rolleyes:

[.sarah]

They had pork ribs earlier today. Buck's going to have some fish for dinner.

[Kfamr]

Ki:
Chicken Breasts
Egg w/shell in food processor
Celery/Tomato puree
Yogurt
Garlic powder

Simba:
Chicken Leg
Yogurt

Nala:
Chicken Leg
Yogurt
Garlic Powder
Celery/Tomato puree (Simba didn't have the previous two because he refused to eat the celery puree. I'm going to have to hide the celery with banana next time, or something. Nala ate his.)

[The Cat Factory]

Chester had a turkey wing for breakfast, and he'll be getting a turkey leg, and an egg for dinner.

[Roxyluvsme13]

:(. Lily had diahrhea today, and now my mom says she's going to get sick from eating Raw... :rolleyes:

[.sarah]

Was it actually diarreah (very watery) or just loose stool?

[Roxyluvsme13]

Was it actually diarreah (very watery) or just loose stool?
I think it was just loose.. I couldn't tell too much, all I saw was poop stuck in her fur. Didn't actually see the poop.

[.sarah]

Well loose stool is probably just a little tummy ache, nothing to worry about. If it isn't resolved tomorrow try taking the skin off her chicken (if there is any).

[Roxyluvsme13]

Okay. I warmed it up for her today.. I had to defrost it a little anyways, and she ate it better warmed up. She's not too fond of having cold food :p .

[binka_nugget]

They had rabbit for breakfast today. For dinner, they're gonna split a chicken quarter, eggs, flax seed, kelp and some cottage cheese.


EEE! :D :D Guess what guys? I'm placing an order in bulk for 109 pounds of food. The order came out to a whopping $123.92 but after calculating it, I realized I'd be saving TONS! It'd cost $0.57 per dog every day! Isn't that awesome?! :D :D :D

[Roxyluvsme13]

EEE! :D :D Guess what guys? I'm placing an order in bulk for 109 pounds of food. The order came out to a whopping $123.92 but after calculating it, I realized I'd be saving TONS! It'd cost $0.57 per dog every day! Isn't that awesome?! :D :D :D
Congratulations!!! I have no idea how you're going to store all that though :p.

[Missrock]

Cagneydog,

I love your quote by John Holmes. I had to copy and paste that one to use later! How true!!!!!!!!!!!!!1