What did your dog(s) eat today?

I talked to a friend of mine at work and come to find out she has a bunch of "leftovers" in her freezer and didn't know what to do with them. Of course I volunteered to take it! So far we've gotten beef tongue (too expensive at the grocery so I've never feed it), ox tail and and beef liver and are hoping to get a bunch more meat that they've had in their freezer for a while (even venison).
Why didn't I think to ask anyone this sooner:o Free meat is the best!

Ohhh and next month we are going to be buying a half of a cow, we'll get all the leftovers too! I'm excited!

So far everyone is doing wonderfully and loving their raw food:D

I've been reading a lot and found out that you should feed pieces as large as their head to keep them from choking and/or gulping their food.
I had bought some chicken legs on sale and gave them but they just gobbled. Does anyone else have gobblers?

I see a lot of you feed tripe. Do you order it? I've never seen anything around here except for the bleached tripe they have at the grocery and I know that's of no nutritional value.

I guess I could put what I've fed today...

Bon-Whole Chicken
Roxey & Huney-Chicken quarters

I have not posted here in a little while. Amy i am glad to hear Nebo had no ill affects from his new food :).

The kids had chicken carcasses for dinner tonight, and some raw vegies. Mz Tinny is on a major diet she has put on alot of weight the last couple of months and is pretty unfit :(.. i am going to weigh her at the vets tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by Jadapit

So, its safe to feed them trout? Do you give them the heads and tails? My son has around 20 trout in his freezer I'm sure he would give me some for the fur kids. ;)

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Dogs can get salmon poisoning (caused by Neorickettsia helminthoeca) from eating salmon, steelhead and other trout species. I had a dog die from this disease before so I am overly paranoid about feeding it. If you freeze fish for at least 24 hours it will kill the parasite that causes salmon poisoning. (I freeze it for at least 4 days, usually a couple weeks but I am paranoid).

Pork is commonly a "dirty" meat so it is also best to freeze it as well before feeding it raw.


Here's a link with some more info on the disease: http://merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index....m/bc/57305.htm

But yes, as long as you freeze it first it is safe to feed them ALL parts, although some dogs are a little picky about eating raw seafood, but just like chicken, some people believe it is usually because of the texture and not the taste. So if your dogs do not eat seafood that well try feeding it frozen or partially frozen. Often times that changes the texture enough and they may eat it more willingly.

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Originally Posted by anna_66

I've been reading a lot and found out that you should feed pieces as large as their head to keep them from choking and/or gulping their food.
I had bought some chicken legs on sale and gave them but they just gobbled. Does anyone else have gobblers?

I see a lot of you feed tripe. Do you order it? I've never seen anything around here except for the bleached tripe they have at the grocery and I know that's of no nutritional value.

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Raustyk will gobble smaller pieces and Kaige will as well, but not quite as bad as Raustyk. Idealy yes you should feed pieces that are as large or larger than their heads but me personally, it's hard to get meats that large & fit them in my freezer. I generally don't feed anything smaller than a chicken quarter (unless I get a REALLY good deal). Once I get a chest freezer I will be buying larger pieces of meat.

I feed tripe but not that often because I too can not find "green" tripe (non-bleached) in my gorcery stores. I have to purchase it right from the butcher.

Nova had a chicken quarter today.

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Originally Posted by lv4dogs

Dogs can get salmon poisoning (caused by Neorickettsia helminthoeca) from eating salmon, steelhead and other trout species.

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This is almost completely localized to the north Pacific ocean. I wouldn't worry about salmonoid species over here, but I can definetly understand your paranoia!

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Pork is commonly a "dirty" meat so it is also best to freeze it as well before feeding it raw.

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Dirty how? Are you refferring to trichinosis? It is very rare now in the US, and not a problem with pork raised for human consumption. If you're buying your meat from grocery stores or butchers, I wouldn't worry about the pork there. If it wasn't raised for humans, then I would deep freeze it for at least a week, if not more.

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Does anyone else have gobblers?

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I think that's pretty much guaranteed when owning a Lab ;) Yes, my Labs are all gobblers, especially Nova and Luka. Buck is a little better since he was raised on raw, but he still eats some things like they're oysters.

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I see a lot of you feed tripe. Do you order it? I've never seen anything around here except for the bleached tripe they have at the grocery and I know that's of no nutritional value.

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Green tripe doesn't pass USDA's inspection. So basically, if you want tripe, you've gotta get it from somewhere else. I'm on a waiting list to get some from that supplier that I PMed you a while back.

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Originally Posted by .sarah

This is almost completely localized to the north Pacific ocean. I wouldn't worry about salmonoid species over here, but I can definetly understand your paranoia!

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Yeah, like I said I am paranoid. lol I am glad you included that part, I completely forgot about it, which is odd as I always mention that. It's great to post that on a public forum because people from all over will see it, possibly people in the NW that might not of otherwise known about it. BUT some grocery stores get their seafood shipped in and even though you are buying it in the eastern parts it could still very well be NW fish. But if you catch your own fish in the eastern part, you are right, you probably don't have to worry about it.

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Originally Posted by .sarah

Dirty how? Are you refferring to trichinosis? It is very rare now in the US, and not a problem with pork raised for human consumption. If you're buying your meat from grocery stores or butchers, I wouldn't worry about the pork there. If it wasn't raised for humans, then I would deep freeze it for at least a week, if not more.

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Yes, I was refferring to trichnosis, and if I recall correctly I thought I have heard other people mention other parasites & the like that are commonly found in pork. I know that they are rare in the US but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

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Originally Posted by .sarah

Green tripe doesn't pass USDA's inspection. So basically, if you want tripe, you've gotta get it from somewhere else. I'm on a waiting list to get some from that supplier that I PMed you a while back.

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I never knew that. I wonder if it is legal for them to sell it for animal consumption and not human? I get green tripe from my butcher, I hope he's not doing it illegally.

I was wondering about the pork and fresh salmon myself. I get a news letter from a guy that owns pit bulls he has fed his dogs raw for over a decade. Here is what he has to say about raw salmon and pork.



What meat sources you use is pretty much up to you. The only hard fast rules I follow are:


NO raw pork, trichinosis is still an issue unless you are POSITIVE the meat you get is clean. It's a nasty little worm that does a lot of damamge. I don't feed pork product period, it's hard for them to digest.


NO raw salmon. It can have a liver fluke that can potentially destroy your dogs liver. Cooked or canned is fine. One part of feeding raw that happens across the board, unless it's a young pup, is detox. Their system has to get rid of all the garbage that has built up over years of feeding dry food, good or bad quality. It usually takes a month with the worst case scenarios.

They smell, their coat gets dull and brittle, their skin is oily, their breath and stool stinks, then one day, bingo. Beautiful dog. It's happened to every one of my animals that I have given raw, to one degree or another.

Another concern that comes up frequently is bacteria and germs. A dogs system is designed to eat raw food. Their digestive juices are strong enough to break bones down, as a general rule they aren't very susceptible to e-Coli, listeria or salmonella.

The dogs that are going to be susceptible are the very young, the very old and those that are ill. As far as germs go, if you use the same cleaning practices you do with your own food everything should be fine. The dog bowls are cleaned after each meal, the prep surfaces are scrubbed and the utensils are washed. Common sense and good kitchen practices will keep everything in hand.

I freeze all of their food before feeding. The Trout was frozen for about 2 week.


Today they're having:

Simba:
Chicken Breasts
Carrots
Tomatoes


Nala:
1/2 Chicken Thigh
Beef
Carrots
Tomatoes


Kiara:
Chicken Thigh
Beef
Carrots
Tomatoes




Nala and Kiara are gobblers - that's why I feed frozen.

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Originally Posted by anna_66

I've been reading a lot and found out that you should feed pieces as large as their head to keep them from choking and/or gulping their food.
I had bought some chicken legs on sale and gave them but they just gobbled. Does anyone else have gobblers?

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Kai's not a gobbler anymore but he used to swollow wings whole when he was young. It scared the heck out of me! I had to hold onto smaller bones for a while but he seemed to understand that he had to chew so he's fine now.

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Originally Posted by anna_66

I see a lot of you feed tripe. Do you order it? I've never seen anything around here except for the bleached tripe they have at the grocery and I know that's of no nutritional value.

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I feed tons of tripe! It smells horrid but the dogs LOVE it and it's pretty darn cheap too! The place I get it from sells it for .68 a pound. :D I also found a wholesale priced butcher who carry it.

Try your local butchers, who knows, maybe they'll be able to order it for you if they don't normally carry it. :)

sardines, oatmeal, bok choy, apple and a dog buscuit

I've been slowly switching the girls over to a raw diet. I started a few weeks ago by giving them a chicken leg every once in awhile. I had some chicken legs and was curious to see if they would even eat it. Tori was a bit hesitant at first, but it was only for a few seconds really..lol. Katie is the one who really surprised me. Katie is a picky eater. She doesn't eat much and often skips meals. She immediately knew what that first chicken leg was all about and ate that thing like she had been waiting for that kind of meal her whole life. It actually felt good to watch her eat with such gusto. They have been getting the chicken legs along with their kibble still and then this week they have had chicken quarters every day and the other day they refused to bother with their kibble/can food mix. They just stuck their noses up in the air and looked at me like...."Ok, where is the good stuff"? Not for sure where this will go. Just taking it day by day and seeing how they do, act and feel.

Here are the girls enjoying their chicken quarters today :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...e/IMG_2193.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...e/IMG_2194.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...e/IMG_2198.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...e/IMG_2196.jpg

Oh Yum! They certainly look like they are enjoying it Robin :). It really is enjoyable watching them eat and enjoy "real" food isn't it?

Today my two got EVO and yogurt for breakfast and ground beef and beef liver for dinner. They'll get a homemade frosty paw later :)

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Originally Posted by Jadapit

NO raw pork, trichinosis is still an issue unless you are POSITIVE the meat you get is clean. It's a nasty little worm that does a lot of damamge. I don't feed pork product period, it's hard for them to digest.

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It is NOT an issue in USDA inspected meat. However, if you are worried, just don't feed it. :) Just make sure another red meat is a staple in the diet. Beef and pork make up at least half of my dogs' diet, and I also feed Lamb when it's on sale (and I stock up, so it gets fed usually every two weeks or so). I personally believe that dogs' do better on a diet compromised of mostly red meat, though I have nothing to back that up besides observations that people have made of wild wolves ;) I try to keep the poultry at a minimum (less than 50% of the overall diet).

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NO raw salmon. It can have a liver fluke that can potentially destroy your dogs liver.

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Again, this applies to salmon from the pacific. If in doubt, freezing for a week completely kills flukes. And again, don't feed it if it worries you.

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Cooked or canned is fine.

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It is fine, but it does not provide as much nutrition. If you are scared about salmon, feed other fish. However, raw salmon is a wonderful source of O3s. I rarely feed it because it is so durn expensive (only fed it once when we first started this diet and didn't know how to bargain shop).

Try to keep the canned stuff to a minimum (lots of added things that you should avoid), and don't make cooked food a meal too often. Raw is always better.

When it comes to store-bought fish, I feed mostly trout. I get it at Winn-Dixie for $2.99/lb. That is incredibly cheap price for fish. I also feed whatever my dad catches (snapper, mullet, etc.). He fishes every two weeks. He brings home whatever he would otherwise throw out, and also keeps the scraps from cleaning the fish. Whole fish/fish heads/fish scraps are a wonderful way to get organs and body parts into your dogs' diet that most people have a hard time finding (brains, eyes, etc.).

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Danegirl, good video of Malakai! My S2 that takes videos is currently being repaired :( I've been wanting to get a video of them eating. I have tons of pictures, but videos are really interesting for the people that I am recruiting to start feeding raw :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...e/IMG_2196.jpg
LOL, great shot! I am glad they are enjoying their new food! :D

Now I have to go cut up a 14 lb turkey and feed some of it to the dogs :)

Glad to see I'm not the only one who has a gobbler! I pretty much feed all my food frozen, I still can't get over the "ick" factor of raw meat (ewww especially liver :eek: ).

Robin I see the girls really enjoy their chicken! Love the pictures!

Huney had a special treat all of her own today....she caught herself a mouse! I look outside and what do I see but a tail and legs hanging out of her mouth :rolleyes:

I haven't added any pics of mine enjoying their food, thought I'd post a couple too.
Here they all are enjoying their rack of ribs.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...4/edadd651.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...4/edadd584.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...e/edadd57d.jpg

Their meal today was beef tongue and pigs feet.

Here's a video of my three eating their fish. :)

http://petevents.com/~simba/fishheads.wmv

LOL Kay, that music is perfect! :D Too funny!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...4/edadd584.jpg
She is so adorable!! Looks like they're all enjoying their food :)


I just put in an order. My supplier is having a huge sale, so I got lots of the expensive things for very cheap!

Here's what I got:

4 lbs bison liver
4 lbs bison heart
4 lbs beef lung
2 beef spleen
5 beef pizzles (penises :o)
4 beef testicles
1 pork stomach
4 pork lungs
4 pigs feet
8 game hens (completely whole, feathers and all!)
4 pastured fryers (also whole)
4 guinea pigs (also whole)

I should also be getting some beef tripe if there is any room left in the shipping freezer :D

i love all the pictures! keep em coming!

LMAO Kfamr, that vid is great, the music fit perfectly!! :)

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Originally Posted by .sarah

Here's what I got:

4 lbs bison liver
4 lbs bison heart
4 lbs beef lung
2 beef spleen
5 beef pizzles (penises :o)
4 beef testicles
1 pork stomach
4 pork lungs
4 pigs feet
8 game hens (completely whole, feathers and all!)
4 pastured fryers (also whole)
4 guinea pigs (also whole)

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Beef penis, testicles and guinea pigs?! Sarah, I wish I could find a supplier like that! :eek:

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Originally Posted by Crazy-Cat-Lover

Beef penis, testicles and guinea pigs?! Sarah, I wish I could find a supplier like that! :eek:

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LOL. Yeah, pretty cool huh? I can get pork testicles at my butcher :eek: I wonder who eats those things! :confused:

My supplier actually just got a walk in freezer, so now she's going to be able to sell more things like sheep, goat, and horse. I'm not sure if I can bring myself to feed horse, but we'll see. She does only raise and kill humanely or gets food from places who do the same, but I still don't know if I could feed horse.

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Originally Posted by .sarah

]I wonder who eats those things! :confused:

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I wondered the same! :p

Yesterday they all ate some pork shoulder roast.

Today they had a chicken quarter for breakfast. For dinner Buck had pork ribs and beef heart. Everyone also had an egg.

chicken, wheat germ, bok choy, turnip,

I found a cool website with the complete nutritional breakdowns of lamb, buffalo, chicken, turkey, beef, salmon and a variety of veggies, fruits and supplements.

Sysko's Supper Just click on ingredients for the nutrional information...

Bailey had 1 1/2 pounds of beef and a turkey leg for breakfast. He had the same for dinner plus a pork bone to chew on. :)

Simba: Beef, Chicken Liver
Nala: Chicken Thigh & Beef chunks
Kiara: Chicken


They're going to get a mixture of strawberries, cateloupe, and apple later.

-Whole Ground pheasant
-Beef liver
-Parsley
-Egg
-Marine oil
-Bee pollen
-Kelp
-Biovet Skin&Coat

Breakfast:

Chicken Liver
Tripe
Kelp
Supplements (Glucosamine)


For dinner they'll be getting:
Turkey
Egg
Ground Flax Seed
Yogurt

Everyone had a chunk of beef brisket this morning.

The bulk of my dog's diet I buy at a dairy slaughter house nearby.

I buy a coarsly ground beef mix that is about 30% fat, and an organ meat mix that is kidney, tripe, heart and liver. I also buy bones at this place, knuckle bones and neck bones. The most I pay for anything is the organ meat that is .60 per lb.

I spend about $125.00 a month at this place feeding 3 adult Rottweilers. In addition, they get raw chicken, turkey, rabbit, canned fish, eggs, yoghurt and cottage cheese from time to time, and incidentals from the table and garden.

I supplement with 3 things from Nature's Farmacy http://www.naturesfarmacy.com

DogZyme's Ultimate vitamin and mineral supp
DogZyme's CCM+ Super Bone and Joint Support supp
DogZyme's CA calcium, specifically formulated to balance the meat in raw diets when adequate bone is not present.

I have dogs ranging in age from 2 years to 9+ years, and all are doing super on this regime.

Condition is important since I show and work my dogs, and am planning a breeding for late this year.

Last night they all split a huge venison roast with some chicken organs.

This morning they just had a very light snack because of the very large meal last night, just 1-2 chicken feet each.

Tonight they will be having
beef, venison, chicken organs & an egg w/ the shell

Today they're going to have some beef tongue. I haven't gotten around to feeding them yet :o Been kind of a busy day.

I just cut up 2 turkeys! That was like, hell. =P I usually make my Mom cut them up, but everyone is gone, so I had to do it. I got really lazy and basically cut the turkey breasts off, then split the back & the chest, and I gave Gonzo a whole turkey back this morning. ;) I think he'll be fasting tomorrow.

Gonzo ~
Turkey back
Fish oil
Kelp
Strawberry & Banana Frosty Paw

Fozzie ~
Turkey neck
Beef meat
Fish Oil
Kelp
Tomatoes
Strawberry & Banana Frosty Paw

Chester had a turkey leg and an egg for breakfast, and he'll be getting a chicken back/neck for dinner.

Mountain Dog Beef Fruit & Veggie
Kelp
Glucosamine and shark cartilage (I give this to her everyday, I just keep forgetting to write it down lol. I'm determined that her puppies will have healthy joints)
Bee pollen
honey

Oo bee pollen ;) and shark cartilege! What a spoiled Mom & puppies!

Nanook & Kaige each had a big fat salmon steak for breakfast this morning, and their chicken feet.
Raustyk & Indy just had their ckicken feet because they are not too fond of fish/seafood and I didn't have time to entice them to eat it. lol

I think I mentioned that I feed chicken feet &/or beef trachea's everyday before but I usually don't write it down because I give it as a snack/treat and it kind of skips my mind to include it as a part of their meals. But as of lately I've been giving then as a part of their breakfast everyday thats why it's all of a sudden being mentioned.

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Originally Posted by wolfsoul

shark cartilage

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You are so lucky, I'd love to find some of that around me.

Sue where do you get the chicken feet? I've been hearing they are very good to feed for the Glucosamine.

Sarah, I've been doing so much reading at the Raw feeding site it's unreal. Thanks so much for the link. I'm going to sign up for a couple more of the sites too (feed supply and raw chat...should be interesting!). I have learned that I need to start feeding more meat and organs. I really thought they had to have just as much bone as meat, but this is not the case. So needless to say, I've learned a lot!

I really liked the videos a couple of you posted so I thought I'd get one of Bon with his first picnic roast (on sale for .98/lb!)
This is by far the largest piece of meat he's ever had. I'd say it probably was a good 6-7 lbs with a huge bone in the middle. Needless to say this is going to be a couple days worth of food for him (I cut off meat for the girls too..it was a 12+ pounder!). He worked diligently this morning for 40 minutes before I took it up.
Video

I just thought I'd share this too...his nice fully belly:D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v43/anna66/sleepy.jpg

Oh and as for their meal today...they all had picnic, and while Bon was working the girls also got a ham hock.

Has anyone ever fed Yellow Tail Jack (fish) ?

My brother and I found a fishing spot where there is huge amounts of them. I found out you can keep as many as you want as well as any size. They are SO easy to hook and a lot of fun to reel in.

The Muttlies would have an endless supply of fish!

This morning Mandy, Buck, and Nova all had beef brisket (Luka was still upstairs sleeping when I fed the other three). For dinner I fed Buck and Luka chicken quarters.

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Originally Posted by anna_66

Sue where do you get the chicken feet? I've been hearing they are very good to feed for the Glucosamine.

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I'm not Sue but I also feed chicken feet daily. Mandy needs them for her joints as well as an additional liquid supplement. I get them from my butcher, but I can occassionally find them at the grocery store. My butcher has always been cheaper though. Ethnic markets (if you have any near you, I don't :() usually have them as well as some other crazy body parts (like heads :eek: )

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Sarah, I've been doing so much reading at the Raw feeding site it's unreal. Thanks so much for the link. I'm going to sign up for a couple more of the sites too (feed supply and raw chat...should be interesting!). I have learned that I need to start feeding more meat and organs. I really thought they had to have just as much bone as meat, but this is not the case. So needless to say, I've learned a lot!

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I'm glad you've found it useful :) Yep, the diet is all about meat! It should be around 80% meat. I think this is where most people mess up. I also used to feed too much bone. My dogs get a lot of boneless stuff now, and I'm trying to find more whole animals (because they have the perfect bone/meat/organ ratio).

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I just thought I'd share this too...his nice fully belly:D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v43/anna66/sleepy.jpg

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Cute!!! Bon looks like he was enjoying that roast! Good find :D I usually get roasts for $1.29/lb around here.

We skipped breakfast so Bailey got a big lunch instead...

1 1/4 pounds Beef
1 Turkey Wing
Small amount of Chicken Soup Bones
Sliced Zucchini
2 Sliced Organic Bananas (frozen)
1 can of Tuna
3 Eggs

I haven't fed him anything other than meat for a while. He absolutely LOVED it! DH picked some pears and apples for him and threw them in the deep freeze. Now he can have some fruit that takes him longer than a second to eat. It takes him alot longer when they're frozen. :p

Mandy hasn't been feeling good today so I had her skip her meal.

The order that I posted earlier came in today! I fed the Labs beef lung.

http://southernmutt.com/photos/raw/8906/IMG_4199.jpg
http://southernmutt.com/photos/raw/8906/IMG_4202.jpg
http://southernmutt.com/photos/raw/8906/IMG_4205.jpg
http://southernmutt.com/photos/raw/8906/IMG_4207.jpg
http://southernmutt.com/photos/raw/8906/IMG_4210.jpg
LOL dork.

I fed them half of it, and saved the other half for later.

Nova and Luka also got a turkey wing, and Buck also got a turkey neck.