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Thats amazing! Now all I need is a mini freezer and I can start! Maybe i'll buy weekly for the time being just to get her started all that much quicker. As for Duckie, can he eat all that righ tnow? He's only 3 months old. Is there a different sort of raw diet he should be on?
 
Thats amazing! Now all I need is a mini freezer and I can start! Maybe i'll buy weekly for the time being just to get her started all that much quicker. As for Duckie, can he eat all that righ tnow? He's only 3 months old. Is there a different sort of raw diet he should be on?
You'll probably need more than a mini freezer. Also backs will be difficult to find. You might start your search for them now. You will almost certainly have to by back by the 40lb case unless you can find an ethnic market nearby. You may not be able to find backs at all. In that case, start with quarters and feed them for 2 weeks before adding in the turkey. You will probably have to get a store to special order the backs for you. Explain to them you want a whole case and they will be more willing to add them to their normal order for you.

Yes Duckie can eat raw food right now. I don't remember what breed he is but if he's pretty small, it might be best to start him on chicken wings instead of backs. I started my Thor the day I brought him home when he was 12 weeks old but he was 26lbs and started off with backs with no problem. He was eating quarters when he was 13 weeks old. You will just have to size the animal parts to match the dog. With some good kitchen shears you may be able to cut backs in half.
 
No, unless he has health issues you haven't stated., breeders start their babies on raw diets all the time.
 
Discussion starter · #44 ·
Holy cow, dream come true, that easy!?? That's amazing! Now, as for the list of what and when I should feed for certain raw meats, is that how I have to start? Chicken backs first, quarters next, etc?
Haha, I know, it's so simple! I was pretty stoked when I found that out too! No weaning and measuring and whatnot, just start feeding raw and they're good to go. Be forewarned that some dogs may go through a detox period that can include looser stools, vomiting, eye boogers, and shedding. However, this is simply a detox process where their body is trying to get rid of all the kibble build-up in their system. This usually lasts no more than a week or two and some dogs don't go through it at all. I have three dogs of varying breed mixes, sizes, ages, and health conditions and none of them went through it.

Since your dogs are already used to some raw snacks and have switched foods before, I'm guessing they'll probably be just fine with the switch.
 
Discussion starter · #45 ·
Thats amazing! Now all I need is a mini freezer and I can start! Maybe i'll buy weekly for the time being just to get her started all that much quicker.
Buying weekly isn't so bad. That's pretty much what I have to do as my roommates hate how much space I take up in the freezer with my dog food so I pretty much get one designated shelf for all my raw (though I'll admit, I sometimes have to take up a little more space than that for my organ meat or extra "donations" from other people). But with adding in fish and other protein sources, I generally just buy 2 bags of leg quarters every 10 days or so. Since that's about how often I end up needing to go to the grocery store anyway, it isn't really an inconvenience for me at all.

My dogs started with quarters because backs are so hard to find. I got a whole chicken once and cut it up and voila, I had a back! The nice thing about whole chickens is that they're generally only 88 cents/lb in so for you, you can feed the bigger parts to China and the smaller parts to Duckie to start. But still, cutting them up is a pain in the butt.
 
You guys are awesome. This is probably a bad comparison because I don't know how popular he is, but you two (rannmiller and RFD) are like the Eric Latendre of dog food. He's just a normal guy that is passionate about his pets and has spent countless hours researching positive reinforcement and has now created a website community to teach his findings.

Anyways, I'm going to try the searing trick tonight. I just came back from the vet because brian's heavy breathing had me concerned and scared for heartworms. The vet said he doesn't know what I'm feeding him right now, but whatever it was he wasn't getting enough sugar intake for this developing time in his life and that's why he was always taking so long to catch his breath after his playtime. Strong heart, clean blood, just low in the blood sugar.

So, with that said, I'm very willing to jump into this RAW diet. Couldn't hurt, right? :wink:



Just wanted to say kudos to hanksta, too. You put up a lot of good points. I love to see that I'm not the only one out there that cares enough about their pet to exert so much energy into loving them :biggrin:
 
Yes Duckie can eat raw food right now. I don't remember what breed he is but if he's pretty small, it might be best to start him on chicken wings instead of backs. I started my Thor the day I brought him home when he was 12 weeks old but he was 26lbs and started off with backs with no problem. He was eating quarters when he was 13 weeks old. You will just have to size the animal parts to match the dog. With some good kitchen shears you may be able to cut backs in half.
Duckie's a Jack Russell/Beagle mix and so he's small. I'm hoping to find an ethnic market around here or something similar. I can't wait to switch! I bet my puppies will love me for it. I don't know if it's because of winter or what, but just this last week every animal in this house has dandruff. I haven't changed their diet either. Hopefully that'll end quite quickly too once I make the change to raw.
 
First off, I know most commercial dog foods are crap. Thats why I buy my dogs meat. I just choose to cook it. Second.
You should get the book Raw Meaty Bones Promote Health by Dr. Tom Lonsdale. It's all explained in great detail and evidence is presented. It is a well referenced book
.

Dr.Tom Lonsdale from Austraila? Oh, but he's a Veterinarian. He must have his head up his A#@."Vets don't know crap about nutrition". Foster Farms and Tyson chicken must be funding his book.:wink:

You see, it's all a matter of OPINION. I can say the same thing you guys say about UC Davis and veterinarians. Thats why we have to put an end to the debate. I know it's fun but i'm spending way to much time here and it can go on and on!:smile: Again, if feeding raw is better for you and your dog, great.I like to cook my dogs food. Cheers.
P.S. my Vet is a surgeon also, just like Dr. Larsdale.
P.S.S I have no problem giving my dog a raw meaty bone to chew on every once in a while.
 
Dr.Tom Lonsdale from Austraila? Oh, but he's a Veterinarian. He must have his head up his A#@."Vets don't know crap about nutrition". Foster Farms and Tyson chicken must be funding his book
Hehe, yes he is one of the few vets that actually have a clue about canine nutrition. I have met and know 3 other vets that know something about how to properly feed dogs.

You see, it's all a matter of OPINION. I can say the same thing you guys say about UC Davis and veterinarians.
There is a difference in opinions that are conceived with knowledge and opinions that accept something on faith just because the information is given by someone with a good reputation.

Again, if feeding raw is better for you and your dog, great.I like to cook my dogs food. Cheers.
There is not a dog that is better off eating cooked food than he would be eating raw food.

P.S. my Vet is a surgeon also, just like Dr. Larsdale.
Evidently he/she didn't go on to learn more about nutrition.

P.S.S I have no problem giving my dog a raw meaty bone to chew on every once in a while.
Cool, the more often you do it, the better off your dog is. :smile:
 
The owner of a premium pet supply store recommended I check out "Steve's Real Food". She said she feeds her 3 Rotties kibble topped with a few frozen nuggets of Steve's Real Food. Supposedly a good place for raw-feeding rookies to start. Or not.
 
Well, I couldn't get the chicken quarter to thaw out soon enough, so I resorted to a quicker boneless chicken breast, a pork chop and a single egg.... and SUCCESS! I seared the chop and the breast for just about 10 seconds on both sides in my cast iron skillet, cut it up just into about 5 pieces and he went to town. After the breast, he was looking for more. I gave him the chop covered in egg. He inhaled the pork chop w/o me cutting it and came back to lick up the egg. He's now lying beside me knawing on a rawhide. Thanks for the help, guys! Tomorrow is time for the quarter with bone in! :biggrin: :biggrin:
 
Discussion starter · #53 ·
Awesome! Try not searing it first and see if he goes for it plain now that he knows what meat is :smile:

If not, just sear it super quick like you did and then he'll probably do it. Good luck!
 
Retailer's perspective...

My customers' reasons for NOT doing it:
1. Too time-consuming
2. Too expensive
3. Fear of missing something "important"

As for Steve's Real Food...

No. Not a good one, too veggie. If you want to go "convenient", then go Primal. Primal has great grinds as well as necks, backs, etc. There is also a ground whole sardine that makes my babies cry and dance!

My personal experience...

Four years ago, after college, I adopted my little pittie/grey mix and proudly bought her Hill's Large breed and some corn starch bones and greenies. ( I could seriously punch myself thinking about it now!)

I moved to Maine when she was about 7 months old and my first job was at a Veterinary Clinic, where Hill's ruled. I saw more disgusting skin, ear, and tummy issues from the clients who fed this crap. My husband was feeding his dog Solid Gold and I didn't really "get" it. So, I put two and two together and switched my girl to that. But it didn't help her "issues" (chronic ear tip necrosis and bleeding). I switched jobs to work at a dog supply store (I now own one of the locations) and they had a freezer with Bravo. So, I started her on that and she started to "clear UP" and her poops starting getting really hard! That was only the beginnging...

It then evolved to local meats combined with Primal. My dogs eat about 90% muscle, organ and bone ground up with twice/thrice weekly necks, etc. I also lightly steam and puree greens and roots. The roots act as a "carrier" for the greens which have some antioxidant properties.

I have a 11.5 year old lab who is living rather successfully with hemangiosarcoma (for 5 months so far and that we even know about). Look that up and you'll start to get interested in raw food. My dog should be dead.

I would like to add that I am a vegetarian. I firmly believe that humans consume far too much meat. Cholesterol does not exist in a plant based diet. We are, as a species, dropping like flies from heart disease, etc. I am also, emotionally sensitive to the plights of factory farmed animals.

However, my dogs are absolutely carnivores and not to be species-ist, but they are more important to me. I owe it to them to get past my emotions and feed them appropriately.

Back to the retailer's stand point...I sell Orijen, Natura Foods for dry, etc. and Honest Kitchen and Sojo's for dehydrated and Stella & Chewy's and Primal for raw with some local fish and lamb. I'm not madly in love with any of it besides Primal Grinds (veg free) and Primal Bones, but I can attest to the fact that having these other products has paved the way for many clients to make the "switch". Products like HK are like gateway drugs (har har) and once people see the benefits they aren't as scared to upgrade to raw.

So, there's a positive spin for some of the products that are out there. Hell, it's certainly better than Iams and it is a step in the right direction.

So, let these guys test the waters with Honest Kitchen, Evo and Orijen. They'll soon be on their way to raw....
 
Bet she sells the stuff?
Yuppers. :smile: And feeds it to her own dogs. I'm glad I found that store 'cause it carries a lot of hard to find stuff. It's actually out of the way for me but if I have to make the trip just once a month, it's OK. Owner was very nice and I enjoyed talking with her.

Hey, remember in all those movies we saw, when burgulars entered a home where there was a mean guard dog? What did the burgulars do to pacify the mean dog? Toss the dog a raw steak. All the time it was raw meat, never seen a burgular carry an opened bag of kibble to toss at the mean guard dogs.
 
Hey, remember in all those movies we saw, when burgulars entered a home where there was a mean guard dog? What did the burgulars do to pacify the mean dog? Toss the dog a raw steak. All the time it was raw meat, never seen a burgular carry an opened bag of kibble to toss at the mean guard dogs.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ... good point!!!! :smile: :smile: :smile:
 
Just these last couple days his energy level has sky rocketed. Just 5 minutes ago he was rubbing his head on my leg wagging his tail. He's never done that. And today at work my brother asked what I fed him that morning because when he came downstairs he was so full of excitement. I told him I started him on the RAW diet the night before.. I can't wait to see if this slows his shedding :biggrin::biggrin:
 
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