Quote Originally Posted by critter crazy
What is the best type of meat to feed?? Chicken, pork, beef, other???
All of the above, and anything else you can find!

what are the best parts??
Everything!

how much would you feed??
It differs for each dog. 2% of their body weight is a good start, and then you can adjust it depending on if your dogs are gaining/losing weight. Here is a calculator: http://www.raw4dogs.com/calculate.htm

do you feed with bones or without??
With, you cannot balance the diet without them Your dog will tell you how much bone - constant loose stools mean they need more, constipation means they need less.

how do the costs compare to premium dog food??
This depends on what type of deals you can find. I COULD feed for cheaper than what we were paying for dog food, but I choose not too because when they were on kibble the vet bills were much higher. Now, I have all that money to spend And actually, because the vet bills are non-existant now (except for Buck's emergency), raw is costing me much, MUCH less than kibble was.

how much prep time is needed??
In the beggining, I was really slow. I've gotten it down to a science now, though On some days, it will take me 15 minutes or so, but usually, it takes me 5 minutes or less. I take it out of the freezer the night before and thaw it, and hand it to the dogs the next day. If it's something I need to cut up into meal-sized portions, that's when it takes me about 15 minutes, or sometimes a little more. It's really not that bad.

What is needed to prep food??
A good knife, sometimes a cleaver (I've gotten some big turkeys that I've had to use it on), a cutting board (I use a seperate one from the one we cut veggies on, just because ...), and a place to thaw the meat. I thaw it in a bin on the counter. My "bin" is actually the vegetable drawer from our old fridge that we took to the dump. It works great, and I'm sure a small storage bin would work well also. This keeps the sink free (especially since we usually have dishes in it ... haha) and the counter clean.

Can I feed other things besides just meat?? veggies, grains??
You CAN, but I don't. There are many different types of raw. I personally believe dogs are carnivores so I never feed either of those unless if they are getting a treat - like my pizza crust, or a carrot.


Good luck! Please feel free to PM me with any questions.