Raw Pet Food

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

How many of you guys "make" your own raw food diets? I just learned that a good friend of mine has done this for years now. I knew she fed raw foods but I never realized she "made" them herself, portioned it and froze it each month.

She didn't have time to get into details but said basically she does 70% lean meat, 20% vegetables and 10% organ meat. She changes the meats up often but I didn't get a chance to ask her what kind of meats she uses.

Are most of you doing it this way or buying from a store?

[Diana]

I do both.... If I had more time I would make 100% of my raw food from scratch. But alas, we buy pre-made raw medallions (lamb, venison, or rabbit) with proper percentages of ingredients. I would say the dogs get this 60% of the time. 30% of the time is high grade EVO or Orijen kibble. 10% of the time we buy ground meat (organic beef or buffalo) and I add some veggies and amino acid/enzyme oil. Keep in mind we have tiny dogs (5,9, and 15 lbs). If they were bigger I would be more inclined to give them raw meaty bones, chicken backs, or other large food to chew, and probably make big bulk portions of raw.

Some people think I am snooty for only eating organic meat and trying to feed my dogs 100% wild or organic meat.... but thats a mentality that is dooming our food industry, the lives of millions of animals, our environment, and our own health. DON'T EAT IT YOURSELF OR FEED YOUR DOGS FACTORY RAISED FOOD ANIMALS! read read read before you consume any meat products and find out exactly where they come from. it is so unbelievably important.

I won't even touch the corn and soybean industries... that is a whole other can of beans.



-Diana

[Funky_Fish14]

We make the majority of our dog's raw diet (probably 90%) and use mostly wild meats or locally farmed stuff.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Ok thanks guys.

So since my puppy is only about 12 lbs and shouldn't get bigger than about 15 and I do have the time to make my own, I may go that route if we decide to feed RAW which my fiancee and I both like the idea of.

What are the best meats to feed? I know some are mentioned above. We only eat organic meats and would do the same for the dog.

Do I need to go as far as getting meats from a butcher or are there enough meats available at a regular grocery?

I know the basics of handling and I also know dogs and cats do not have problems with salmonella, e coli and other bacterias that humans do because of their shorter intestines but what about after a dog or cat has eaten raw foods and they either lick you or chew on toys that you will come in contact with? How much of a worry is stuff like this? I am by no means paranoid of this but curious.

I found an interesting link about feeding cats raw chicken, basically just warmed up in water for a bit and then chopped, bones and all. The cats in the video seemed to love it! Kind of cool to hear them crunching on the bones. I think our cats will stick to EVO but it was pretty cool to see.

Seems to me that the pet food industry has done a great job over the years to make people think you HAVE to feed their products and raw diets are unnecessary or risky when in fact I feel the opposite is probably true. They obviously have a lot to loose if people realize raw foods can be safe and healthier.

One thing I likened it to when I was trying to convince my fiancee that it was something we should try was how I feed my fish. When I started in the hobby, I feed nothing but store bought frozen and dry foods. My fish looked ok. Then I learned vitamins were a good addition and the fish looked a little better. But it wasn't until I started to make my own foods from a huge variety of fresh seafoods that the fish really looked great. Brighter, thicker, healthier, ect. Basically the RAW food diet of marine fish I would never feed large fish such as tangs anything again but chopped up fresh seafoods. I just don't have any large fish right now

[Aquattro]

I buy chicken backs by the 40# case, which is the bulk of their diet. I then supplement with beef heart, kidney, liver and egg. When salmon are cheap, I buy whole fish for them. They get everything whole, so bones and all. Oh, and they love sardines packed in water.
For snacks, I have a freezer of venison carcass and lamb neck. For me, I buy meat at the grocery store that is marked down, we get a couple bucks off when it's got 2 days or less on the expiry date.

Some things to be cautious about; salmon must be frozen for 24 hours before feeding for risk of worms (forget the type). Pork should be frozen (deep freeze) for 30 days to kill any potential parasites (forget this type too ).
My vet did express concerns over dogs licking kids after eating for bacterial contamination.

I wouldn't buy the premade stuff since I don't know what goes in it, and it's more than double what my cost is now. For average consumer, it might be about the same cost as store bought meat.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I buy chicken backs by the 40# case, which is the bulk of their diet. I then supplement with beef heart, kidney, liver and egg. When salmon are cheap, I buy whole fish for them. They get everything whole, so bones and all. Oh, and they love sardines packed in water.
For snacks, I have a freezer of venison carcass and lamb neck. For me, I buy meat at the grocery store that is marked down, we get a couple bucks off when it's got 2 days or less on the expiry date.

Some things to be cautious about; salmon must be frozen for 24 hours before feeding for risk of worms (forget the type). Pork should be frozen (deep freeze) for 30 days to kill any potential parasites (forget this type too ).
My vet did express concerns over dogs licking kids after eating for bacterial contamination.

I wouldn't buy the premade stuff since I don't know what goes in it, and it's more than double what my cost is now. For average consumer, it might be about the same cost as store bought meat.

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.

[Diana]

I will defrost 1-2 days worth of meat at a time and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. I feed twice a day, both portions on the small side. When it comes time to defrost more food I use a new container. I let them clean their bowls really well and then give them a wash at least once a week.

You can switch your dog to raw right away with little to no effect (i have never seen any). Just be sure not to feed too much or they get backed up (raw food barf is pretty gross).

I still let my dogs kiss me, but not right after a meal. And keep in mind too that their poops could contain salmonella and stuff. I think if you follow proper meat handling precautions then you will be fine

-Diana

[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

[my2rotties]

I just switched them cold turkey. Believe it or not, they had no issues with it at all. If my dogs get into my client's dog's food, they do get sick though.

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.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

Kind of cool to hear them crunching on the bones.

Once in a while I'll give my bigger girl a whole chicken, now that's something to hear!!
First time I fed whole bones was kinda gross, and makes you think what a dog could do to your fingers if it was so inclined!