Raw Pet Food

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

So I guess the concerns about contamination are not a real concern if you don't have kids?

For those of you who were feeding kibble and then switched to a RAW diet, how did you do so? Slowly or just all at once? My puppy is somewhat allergic to his current food anyways, so I was going to just basically switch over all at once for his morning feeding and keep feeding the kibble at night and then eventually just do one feeding of the RAW a day.

Any other advice? I think we have decided to make our own. Still feel a little nervous about getting it right...I think because all the sites I have read and all the advice here actually make it sound so much simpler than I thought it might be.

Well, I wouldn't let my dog lick my face immediatley after eating chicken (mostly), and common sense goes a long way. Kids are more susceptible I imagine because their faces are at licking height and perhaps they're not as tolerant to bacteria as adults.
To start out, I'd feed mostly boneless chicken for a few days, until the dog builds up higher enzyme levels. After that, you can start feeding more bone, different meats, etc. Some are richer than others, ie; venison, moose (most game).
Getting it right is pretty simple, I keep containers in the fridge that I rotate from frozen to thawed. Wash the bowls well afterwards, and if feeding large pieces that they can carry away, make sure you clean up the eating area, or the crate, wherever they eat.
I live on my own and have a large yard, so I often just hand them a chicken leg/back and let them run out in the yard with it. Bad days, they eat in their crates, and I spray it down afterwards.
More work than kibble, sure, but worth it for those of us that, well, think it's worth it