[fey W]

We are big fans of Dr. Harvey’s Oracle. We usually feed our dogs fresh raw, but freeze dried comes in handy when I forget to prepare the fresh the night before. And my dog really loves the power patties. I have a hard time believing the high price is justified, though, considering the source.

[Cyndi]

🙁 My dog won’t touch ANY of that stuff. She makes me so mad sometimes, lol! I eat alot of fruits and raw veggies & I haven’t found any of them that she’ll eat. I was hoping to use those as treats, but she won’t eat them.

[Marietta B]

You could try a premix and add your own protein. You can add cooked or raw. I have used Dr. Harvey’s veg to bowl, Honest Kitchen, Healthy Dogma and U-Stew.

[Katie J]

I checked Craigslist for a freezer. Might have to pick it up, but I guess I’m not exactly sure how to troubleshoot those sort of things. It might be a good way to buy a piece of junk.

I’m looking to possibly making a 50lb purchase at ReelRaw. I like the variety and the 10lb grinds look like a good price and convenient. The bf and I are pricing places and seeing how much each option with cost us (kibble+wet vs raw). Kibble is winning, but how much providing the best for your dog worth? I toyed with 1 kibble and 1 raw meal, but I am pretty certain that my picky terrier will gladly skip his kibble meal after finding raw! He already prefers wet.

I truly appreciate everyone’s help! It’s great to have a community of knowledgable and friendly people who all want the best for dogs everywhere!

[gmcbogger38]

I would just like to get some opinions about a dog food made locally (within 10 miles) around where I live. The food is a limited ingredient diet and they have different protein levels. Lowest is 21% protein and highest is 28%. I can’t copy and paste (dang phone), but I will list ingredients exactly as written on their website: Meat and bone meal (beef/pork/bone), whole corn, chicken fat, mineral and vitamin packet. It lists all of the minerals and vitamins, but I didn’t want to write those all. Now, I know “meat meal” listed as ingredient is not necessarily good because you don’t know what it is, but this does list beef and pork, so technically it’s not an unnamed meat meal. I don’t know much about bone meal, but why is that considered a bad ingredient? Raw fed dogs eat bones. I’m not too worried about the corn, as my dogs have done fine with corn in foods. The reason I would like to get opinions about this food is because I am on a tight budget until I am finally done with college (less than 10 mths). I have not contacted the company about the price, but from what I’ve heard (couple years old) the food is 50lbs for around $20, which they do no advertising, besides website, and have plain bags. I know it is not the best food and I am doing a rotational diet, but I just need to find some more affordable foods to rotate with, for now. Thanks for any input!

[Dori]

Grapes and raisins are no no’s but I gave my three girls all the fruits you give and then some. I also give them raw veggies. They love them all. I use them as treats because I don’t trust any store bought manufactured dog treats. Too many recalls for my liking. You’re Yorki is lucky to have you. I have a Maltese, a Yorkipoo and a Maltipoo.

[InkedMarie]

The only problem with Reel Raw is delivery times, sometimes. I ordered 30 beef rib bones today & the email for delivery said July 24th. I’m ok with it, I know if I NEED food, order well in advance or order from Hare!

Glad you’re ordering from them too, Ali!

[weezerweeks]

I give my yorki blueberries, strawberries, watermelon, cantelope,apples and I bought some fresh cherries and plums. Are they safe? I know grapes and any of the seeds are not.

[Alexandra]

I also use Reel Raw, I love their products. Their meats are the freshest I have found so far! And you can’t beat the free shipping!

[InkedMarie]

Yes it was me who uses a Reel Raw. In fact, I just ordered 30 beef rib bones, free shipping!

[pugmomsandy]

I don’t feed Dr Tim’s (too stocked up right now on dog food), but the 15 yr old eats a similar profile in kibble and even eats more protein and fat than that when I give him some raw food or canned food.

[RescueDaneMom]

Home Depot is still having a sale. I just picked up another chest freezer for $158. It’s a Magic Chef, 6.5 cubic feet I think. And I ordered 50 lbs of raw from reel raw last night including 5 whole quail. Max is going to be a happy boy.

[InkedMarie]

Terri,
I’ve never heard not to feed fowl. I feed duck, turkey & chicken. If you’re looking to feed pre made raw, Primal has a bunch of proteins. I feed ground raw: lamb, goat, beef, turkey, duck, beef and that’s just what’s in my freezer. There are many others: bison, emu, rabbit, etc.
I disagree with Judy about the probiotics. Human grade is much better, human supplements are regulated, pets are not. Judy, I want to point out & I may be wrong but I believe if you are a veterinary professional & posting here, you are supposed to post under your real name.

[Dfwgolden]

Hi everyone!

Ok so I have serious question for xx large breed dog owners.
I have a 12 week old male Great Dane puppy.
When we got him he was on Diamond Puppy formula and doing iffy.
We feed ourdogs a grain free rotational diet.
And they have done awesome. However Bane has seemed to decline since we got him.

He’s growing normally and everything however he has had soft stool since day one.
And these past two weeks it’s literally been water/patte.
Two days ago He had to go CONSTANTLY. And just explodes I kid you not it’s like an explosion.
A norm poop just falls even if it’s diarrhea however his blows like a gun. Splashing everywhere.
Including in our new car… Three times within two hours.
And it’s not just a little it’s A LOT.

He’s been on-
Diamond Puppy
Whole Earth Farms
And recently Diamond Naturals Large Breed chicken and rice.
This last food is when he hit his worst.

After two weeks of this I took him off the food sunday afternoon. And only gave him canned pumpkin salt, plain crackers, plain yogurt (live culture) and some probiotic human capsules.

Last night I finly have him some solid food:
Wellness Simple Salmon formula.
This morning he finally pooped and it was solid! But very orange defiantly could tell it was from the pumpkin! Haha!

He has since pooped three more times all of which have been mostly solid but could be better.
Shaped but mushy.

I’m wondering if it’s poultry and the Petco guy recommended it as a way to start into a LID and see if that helps. (The simple)
He had his ears cropped about 3-4 weeks ago and was on antibiotics which could possibly play a roll? And he is down on his probiotics?
He was only on them for a week though and this didn’t start up to water until recently.

He is on dewormer and flea/tick. Sintenal. And has received his last round of puppy shots. No rabies yet.
My dad brought up the possibility of Giardia and Coccidia. Had a fu work up done today he he’s clean as a whistle on his fecal Giardia and blood.
Our vet is a dane breeder herself

Bane is eating and drinking normally and has shown no signs of “illness” he’s just his goofy self as always!

My biggest
Concern however is the fact that if he does do good on wellness simple that we won’t be able to keep him on it.
It’s $68 for 27lbs.
And with him already eating 6 cups a day and is having 4 other dogs.
You get the gist.
I live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Texas area and believe it or not my food choices although broad are limited to either $&!+ or high dollar.

We’ve done 4Health and Diamond and Proplan and purina one (which believe it or
Not the weight loss formula did fantastic for out over weight senior golden)

The vet said it’s possible he has a grain and poultry allergy.
Which limits my choices even more as even “duck and oatmeal” formulas contain chicken fat.

I leave for a month long Vacation with Bane to Poplar Bluff Missouri on the 15th white it being so Rural that lowers my availability even more.
Meaning I don’t have time to try a raw diet for him.

I need something that’s no more than $45-$50 a bag that can basically “hold him over” until I get back In 4 weeks.

I’m in need her Hound Dog mom! Lol.

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi Katie,

You may also want to check out reelrawdog.com. I recently discovered this company through InkedMarie (I think, correct me if I’m wrong). They have good deals on free shipping based on where you’re located and how much you buy. I would have to buy 50lbs for free shipping because I live in FL. They also have good prices on bulk ground products. They are already in the correct ratio of 80:10:10. Then you just add some veggies and supplements and you’re all set. That could get you started while you figure out the rest.

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi Linda,

I know of Nature’s Kitchen. It is made by Maverick Pet Foods in Hollywood, FL. Their website is yum4dogs.com. I don’t use the NK but I have used the Genesis Raw which is made by the same company. I really like their food. The company has really good principles. If you want to feed a good, commercial cooked diet then you have found one. I hope it works for your dog.

ps- I filled out a request for Dr. Mike to review the Genesis Raw. You might want to do the same for Nature’s Kitchen if you are interested in DFA reviewing it.

[Regina D]

Thanks for the suggestions. I buy from Chewy. They carry Wellness lamb and Oatmeal. I may try that once we get settled in. My husband gave Alf one piece of raw meat & bone chicken wing Saturday & he had an upset stomach all day yesterday – no vomiting or diarrhea, but lots of gurgling & wouldn’t eat a bite – just slept all day. Much better today. We will be sticking with NB & only NB for quite a while.

[Terri M]

Thanks so much for all the help regarding raw diets! My holistic pet food store highly recommended it as well.

Judy, thanks so much for your reply as well. Wouldn’t you know….my vet gave me Fortiflora!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do I need a prescription for Rx Biotics??? Do you advocate the use of rabbit in raw the most?? I’ve heard so many negative things about fowl – no chicken or duck (anything with feathers) so it certainly doesn’t leave many other options except for beef. Also – do you give any other foods (i.e. fruits/veggies) along with this diet? OmegaDerm was also given. Please advise!

Thanks!!!
Terri

[Judy M]

Raw and cooked foods digest at different rates and pass through the GI tract differently. It’s best to feed separately. I have a lot of clients who feed one meal of home cooked and the second meal raw. You’re doing a great job.

[Nancy C]

This is great help for me. Thank you to those who led me to this forum and to the teachers… I’m on my way to raw, I HOPE!! (The dogs get their say too.)

[Judy M]

Have you tried something like Stella N Chewy’s freeze dried raw or frozen raw? Most dogs can’t resist. The freeze dried needs to have water added when fed.

[Judy M]

I am a holistic veterinarian. I have had the best luck in allergic dogs using raw diets like Stella N Chewy’s frozen raw. They have rabbit, which is a novel protein. Lamb works sometimes, but not always. I have found almost all American, English, and French bulldogs do better on raw diets. They are very prone to skin allergies. Also, probiotics are a must.

[Barbara]

Hi Jenn,
I have 3 dogs and my border collie mix (13.5 yrs) has always been fussy (he is very healthy and energetic and has stayed the same weight since I adopted him at 4 yrs). My lab and husky sheppard mix will eat whatever I give them anytime! I have always added canned food or fresh meat as a topper and my border collie usually will come around within 15 to 20 minutes because he realizes I will pick it up and he will have to wait until later (as InkedMarie suggested). I never have to wait if I top it with meat scraps or fresh cooked veggies….(also cottage cheese and soft cooked eggs a few times a week). All my dogs get 1/3 canned and 2/3 kibble at both meals because I think that canned is a lot better than just kibble and of fairly high opinion after raw or cooked natural meat. I did get Kirkland’s cuts in gravy at Costco because it is a 5 star canned at such a reasonable price now replaced by ND Turkey and pea stew also 5 stars. If you don’t have a Costco membership I think members of this site have also recommended Pure Balance canned also 5 stars, I think you can get it at Walmart about $1 to $1.25 a can… Good luck with your stubborn dog!

[weezerweeks]

I just bought my yorkie a bag of these. They are freeze-dried raw green tripe and he loves them. Have any of u tried them and are they safe?

[InkedMarie]

Why is it necessary to wait to start raw? I know people, including natural rearing breeders, who wean their pups to raw.

[Dori]

Hi BRT. The NV Instinct Raw Boost Venison has turkey meal as one of it’s ingredients, pretty high up on the list. I think it’s the second ingredient. So keep an eye on your dog incase his allergies flare up. The Salmon formula doesn’t have the turkey meal in it.

Also for the raw you can buy the NV Instinct Raw Venison in the large patties. It will come out cheaper that way. The patties are pretty large so you’ll just figure out, or the people at the store can help you out, how much of the large patty he would have to eat a day and just divide that for one of his meals.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by Dori.

[Katie J]

I’ll definitely pick up that book you’re suggesting this weekend. We’re planning a puppy outing at our local town center that has several pet friendly stores.

My little guys are pretty active. When they aren’t napping, it’s full on puppy mode for both of them! Plus we make trips about 5 times a week to where I board my horses, and spend several hours playing and exploring. I figure once the pup is full grown, we’ll be going through about a pound a day between the two of them. But I have no idea how big the pup will get. I could be underestimating. The co-op I plan to purchase from estimates about $1.50 a day to feed a 40 lb dog, and I think we will be under that weight between the two of them. I can get behind that! I am a little overwhelmed with their offerings as a lot of it is large portions. I’m not sure how to feed it all. I guess those books would answer that for me!

Next I want to look into supplements for their raw diet. I gather that they can have human multivitamins. The only draw back is that I have to make sure it’s safe for dogs and the mix may not be optimal, right? I know that Hound Dog Mom buys things separately. But I’ll admit her list of supplements confuses me quickly!

[BRT]

Plan B: I went out last night and bought the NV Instinct Raw Boost Venison kibble. So, kibble for breakfast and raw for dinner. They gobbled up the kibble and you’re right it has very little of the freeze dried raw in it. I was going to go with NV’s regular kibble, but they didn’t have the venison formula. They had salmon, which will be my fall back if all else fails.

Thanks!

[pugmomsandy]

My small adult, indoor, lapdog pugs eat 6 oz per day (if they were full time raw feeding). Raw feeding amounts generally go by the dog’s weight but you still have to adjust for age and activity. Feeding 2% is generally for maintenance, puppies can require 4-8%. How I balance my raw is trying to make recipes close to the 80/10/10 ratio. Preymodelraw dot com has an article giving bone content of cuts of meat so I do some math and see how much muscle/organs I need to add to X amount of necks (mostly bone). But that’s after trying out the recipes from “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” and feeling comfortable with making my own. The book has some great info even if you don’t use the recipes, I would still recommend it.

[Katie J]

Thanks guys! I was wanting to introduce all of the potential raw ingredients through his puppyhood before making the leap. I keep reading that making the switch to raw is a lot easier than it seems. But boy, it sure looks awfully complicated going through this thread!

In reference to SSLL, am I missing the serving size guide on the website? My iPad doesn’t zoom the bag picture correctly. I see that it’s highly recommended, but I want to see what it’ll actually cost me to feed.

$90 for a grinder is very reasonable. I hadn’t started looking yet, but I was thinking that would be quite the investment. I could supplement with grinds from another source and grind chicken in house. I am just looking to be as inexpensive as possible. I may not be factoring everything right, but it sounds like feeding raw could be cheaper than the kibble I have been experimenting with. We haven’t settled on a kibble that the pup loves. And my terrier has been taking a liking to wet food over his kibble.

I have a sample of Steve Brown’s book saved. I have been debating on purchasing as I wasn’t sure if I was ready for it yet. The other book sounds promising.

Maybe I’ll get some things from the co-op to try. Also I think I saw someone say that they buy from the grocery store. I work at an Aldi. Not sure if anyone is familiar with the store. We don’t have a butcher but have a decent selection of pork, beef and chicken prepackaged. Is that safe for dogs?

[RescueDaneMom]

I started feeding raw as a topper then went 50/50 then switched to full raw. Some dogs can handle kibble mixed with raw and some can’t. If yours can’t, then you can do kibble for one meal and raw for another meal.

With smaller dogs, I would guess that it will probably be easier for you to feed grinds. You can purchase a cheap grinder on Amazon. I just did this recently and got a good grinder for under $90. It grinds chicken bones with no problem. Turkey bones are too hard for small grinders so you can’t grind those or beef bones. The only bones I’ve tried thus far have been chicken. You may also be able to get already ground meat/mixes from your co-op.

You may want to look into purchasing Steve Brown’s book called “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet.” There are raw recipes with and without bone and he specifies what you need to do if feeding a puppy.

Hope this helps.

[USA]

Hi Cordell

You deserve to be praised for the time and effort you take to prepare your dog’s meals!

Personally I would not mix raw with cooked. I believe that over time a dog who eats only cooked foods will develop changes to his digestive system that will make it harder to deal with the bacteria in raw food. For senior dogs I think this problem could be even worse.

I would think about about adding digestive enzymes tor your dog’s diet to replace the ones that are lost during cooking. I would also read Steve Brown’s book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet”. While your homemade supplement looks wonderful, Steve’s book will help you make sure you are feeding your dog’s a diet that is perfectly balanced and nutritionally complete.

Keep up the good work!

[theBCnut]

Since I have squeamish people living in my house and they may have to feed, I use raw as a topper, actually I feed about half and half, but I still mix kibble and raw. I know several people who do likewise with no problems. Or you can feed it as a seperate meal.

To use See Spot Live Longer, you can adjust the amount you make as you need to. Two tablespoon of SSLL per 1/2 lb of boneless meat, one tablespoon of SSLL per 1/4 lb of boneless meat, whatever works for you. DHA is in fish oil and if you don’t feed a meal of oily fish once a week, you need to give fish oil.

You can also give raw meaty bones as long as you don’t exceed 20% of the diet with unbalance foods..

[Katie J]

So I have went through this entire thread (skimmed a tiny bit) and couldn’t find my answer surprisingly enough. I have been toying with the idea of going raw for my new pup that I mentioned in the Editor’s Choice forum, but worry that I could screw him up if I get the balance off. The puppy stage is too important to screw up. I keep researching raw anyhow because I want to switch to raw eventually for him and my terrier mix. I even recently found a co-op that delivers close by.

My bug question, as I see most people are feeding medium – large dogs, is how I maintain balance for small dogs? My terrier is 15-20 lbs (just guessing but I can weigh him), and my pup is 8-9 lbs (he weighed 7 lbs about two weeks ago at the vet). For those who haven’t read the other thread, he’s almost a 4 months old Shiba Inu/Akita Inu that I purchased secondhand but was a pet store pup. Yes, he is very small for his age, and no, I have no idea how big he’ll be. He seems to be growing like a weed though! Anyhow to maintain the proper balance for the pup, would I have to rely mostly on grinds? I assume I can find a proper balance for my terrier without solely using grinds. I haven’t even looked into the cost of a grinder yet. If I were to use a premix like See Spot Live Longer, do I give these little guys 1 lb of boneless meat? Seems like an awful lot! And on the topic of supplements, I know a lot of puppy foods have added DHA. Would I want to add that in a puppy raw diet? I was also toying with the idea of placing an order with the co-op for a few things to try to add in to the current diet of kibble and wet my pup is getting to help him transition. Is it safe to use raw as a topper on kibble? Or should I feed raw as an exclusive meal?

Thank you for all of this information! I discovered this website about a week ago and have since made it my personal mission to find out how to give my dogs the best!

[theBCnut]

If you are counting on the probiotics or enzymes in the food being of benefit to your dog then you should only add water that is warm, not hot, and add it immediately before feeding. If you are adding extra probiotics or digestive enzymes then wait to add them until after the food has started to cool, and feed immediately after.

I always add 1/2 cup ofwater and 1/2 tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar per cup of food.

[Cordell N]

Hello,
I home cook for my three dogs. A 7 month old Australian Shepherd, a senior Boston Terrier and a senior Bassett Hound. I make their food in a crock pot twice a week.
I use a combination of meats which usually include chicken thighs or chicken quarters and ground beef and chicken gizzards. I also add ground lamb if I can find it in the discount area.
I throw in carrots, green beans and other vegetables from my garden like squash and tomatoes. If I have some fruit that needs to be eaten I throw that in also. I add some water and cook until done. I remove the everything and debone the chicken and mash with a potatoes masher and mix well. I then cook my carbs in the liquid. Sometimes rice, potatoes, lentils, oats or barley. I least that cook until very well done add a can of pumpkin and mix it all together. I would estimate that the meat comprises about 75% of their diet.

I add a supplement I make at feeding that includes ground egg shell, nutritional yeast, kelp powder, lecithin granules, ground multivitamins, salmon oil, yogurt, apple cider with the mother and Brazil nuts. I also put a cube or two of cooked beef liver or canned sardines on top a couple of times a week.
I would like to add some raw food and bones to their routine.
I bought the following at the Asian and Mexican markets.
Chicken and turkey necks
Pork neck bones
Beef feet cut up
Pork heart.
My questions are can I give a neck a couple of tomes a week as a treat?
Are raw pork neck bones and cut up raw beef feet safe as treats?
Should I cook the pork heart in the crock pot with my other meat or serve a small portion raw on top of their cooked food?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Cordell

[theBCnut]

They can eat all of those either cooked or raw. If you are going to cook them, make sure you do not give them the bones, but if the game meats are going to make up more than 20% of their diet, you need to add back calcium to rebalance the food. Two good sized egg shells per pound of meat.

[theBCnut]

The issue with the raw boost is that it has very little of the raw part, so you are better off just using the plain kibble and giving a meaty bone a couple times a week.

[deca d]

I am something of an outdoorsman, and I was wondering if the following types of meat would be okay for my shih-tzu mix to eat:
Rabbit
Squirrel
Dove
Frog (Legs)
Crawdads
Various types of fish (Catfish, Bass, Bluegill)

The meat would be baked. Would organs such as heart or liver be okay raw? Or should that be baked as well?

[jakes mom]

Bobby dog, I’m not a berry fan myself, but maybe I should get some for Jake! That little piglet will try anything.
Dustin, my hyper-t kitty, is a pretty good eater luckily. And I can usually get a few extra calories into him because he’s also quite nosy, lol. Whenever I’m in the kitchen he comes in to see what’s going on so I’ll give him a bit of the Freshpet. He and Julie, my girl who loves raw, are the 2 that like Freshpet.

[Dannie F]

Looking for anyone with experience good or bad with this brand.

All our adult Shepherds are feed raw, but want to start puppy 8week old on some good quality dry food until he is older and teeth are set.

[BRT]

Thanks everyone. I researched everything except the cost!

I feel like I’m going to mess them up with going back and forth. What a learning process.

Was just on the NV website and was looking at the Venison Raw Boost kibble or the Salmon Grain Free Instinct kibble.

[crazy4cats]

Yes, he kept gagging like he was trying to bring something up. I thought he had something stuck. Then he started drooling excessively. Doing much better today.

Dori-
I can totally picture you with your hand on your hip scolding me! I love it! You will be glad to know that I put my foot down today to get our back yard cleaned up. We cleaned up two old wood piles. I saw very many creepy crawlies and the biggest fattest snake I’ve seen in the yard. I hope it was a garter snake! We cleaned out their crates and washed their beds. I plan to continue the clean up. Yes, on antibiotics due to the drain. I’m wondering if I should give probiotics while on them or wait until he’s done with them. Thanks for thinking of me! 🙂

[Dori]

Buy the large patties. Much less expensive. If you need to then once you figure out what kibble they are ok with you can feed kibble one meal and raw the other.

[Susan]

Hi, Patches vet said no to raw but that was cause he has IBD, he said too much fat & bacteria..next time ask ur vet why he said NO, what are his reasons…I’m reading Dr Karen Becker book called “Real Food for Healthy Dogs & Cats”, she explains that when changing to a raw diet it takes up to 3 months for dogs with digestion problems. here’s a link to her probiotics for dogs, her probiotics have 14 strains.. http://probiotics.mercola.com/probiotics-for-pets.html

[crazy4cats]

Brt-
Heck no, you wouldn’t be an awful mom. You need to eat too! Those medallions are expensive! I feed kibble and use the Northwest Naturals frozen raw nuggets a couple meals a week. You are doing great!

[RescueDaneMom]

I am using See Spot Live Longer and Urban Wolf right now. I like both and will continue to use both. My Dane gets bored quickly with food flavors so I have to rotate a lot. The Honest Kitchen Preference has too much sweet potato in it for him, he gets yeasty from it. He didn’t like the Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance at all, guessing it’s the chickpeas.

Edit: Sandy, the Carnivore Raw looks like a good option for me. I like that they make a version you can add when grinding bone. It looks like it will go a long way too. 1 jar makes 40lbs worth of raw with bone. Thanks for sharing about Carnivore Raw. I will definitely be looking into it more.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by RescueDaneMom.

[jakes mom]

Thanks BCnut. The ABC diet for the dog recommends salmon and sardines. He loves it but of course the cats beg, too! I have been offering the cats some raw as well, but only one will eat it. She adores it, screams when she sees it!
Bobby dog, you said it! If I could at least find a couple of things that everybody liked! Especially important for my hyperthyroid guy, I’m constantly trying to get extra calories into him.

[Katie J]

He actually watches the other dog eat. So I asked my boyfriend, who he apparently eats better for, if he bring my terrier in for feedings. He does not. I thought he had been being that I told him to… Lol. I had been separating the pair in the bathroom of all places. It was just a convenient place at first. It is quite crowded with the three of us. But I do have to keep any dog getting something special out of sight of the spaniel as she is very territorial over food/treats/anything special. Perhaps the extras I having been giving my terrier will just have to be after I feed the pup for now. I don’t have an ideal situation currently. Eventually they will have special places to eat.

I had planned to switch to 2 meals and found out that the boyfriend fed lunch today. I will just give him a very small dinner to hold him over. We’ll go to 2 tomorrow. I am nervous about having him eat just dry as he hasn’t been forced to suffer that torture in about a week. 😉 Would doing a mostly dry meal in the AM and a mostly wet meal in the PM be a good compromise?

I had a sneaking suspicion that I was totally getting played with the spoon feeding. And there is a reason that I have furry kids and not the human kind. I guess I would be that mom forcing food down her kids’ mouths! It’s been several years since I’ve had a puppy as opposed to an adoloescent or adult. I have been extremely paranoid and concerned with every bit of him.

I did a bit of online vet work to see about his water habits. And I was figuring that he just hadn’t understood that water isn’t just a boredom thing. His potty training has been coming along so I was thinking about letting him get a few more water breaks so he can get the hint. I will discuss his habits with our vet just to be sure as he acts like a normal puppy.

We just picked up some new goodies for him tonight: 2 samples of Signature and two cans of Wild Calling. And since the price was good on the Orijen Treats, he got those too. We almost picked up a small bag of the Stella raw, but we were wanting to try a small bag of the rabbit before committing to a big bag.

Crazy4cats – Thank you. He’s my little special man. I just want the best for my little guys!

[theBCnut]

I have squeamish people in my family that have to feed sometimes, so I feed kibble and raw. My dogs don’t have any problem with both.