Raw update time….hearts and gizzards very popular at my house! Jake bouncing up and down and cats shrieking! lol! Chicken livers good, too, just bought beef liver to try tomorrow when it thaws. He still has some chicken backs to eat, too. I don’t want to give too much and risk GI issues. And I don’t know how to figure in the raw food calorie-wise. I gave a little less kibble when feeding some raw, don’t want to be adding too many new calories.
C4C, most of my cats like the raw livers, hearts and gizzards. I started to cut them up and one cat took a piece whole and had a good time chewing it. It was also still slightly frozen so that made it take a little longer, too. She really seemed to enjoy it.
John B, at this time I like to feed 60/40 kibble to raw. When I can hunt I will go back to 100% raw. I like to rotate kibble main proteins and Fromm 4-Star gives me a good variety. With raw its the same, rotate with chicken, deer, fish, pork, rabbit and all organic fed. I would use a digital scale to weigh out portions, then adjust as needed.
John B, at this time I like to feed 60/40 kibble to raw. When I can hunt I will go back to 100% raw. I like to rotate kibble main proteins and Fromm 4-Star gives me a good variety. With raw its the same, rotate with chicken, deer, fish, pork and all organic fed. I would use a digital scale to weigh out portions, then adjust as needed.
Since Millie doesn’t really care for dry kibble, look into Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance Chicken and The Honest Kitchen Zeal formulas. There are a very few frozen raw formulas but they are hard to find and tend to be expensive. I’m not a huge fan of Bravo! but hey have a turkey formula that does not have a lot of fat. Primal has Venison and Rabbit that are low for raw but I find these to be expensive. Good luck! Let us know how things work out.
I like to use different products. Right now I’m using Springtime supplements but I have Actiflex 4000 (horse version) and cetyl myristoleate and krill oil to use in rotation. You can give supplements all year that maintain joint health. For increased activity, you can also give the supplements that have an increased amount of anti-inflammatories/herbals that also help relieve pain/discomfort. Since she already eats some raw food, you can let her have a chicken foot or some raw trachea a couple times a week for the cartilage to maintain joint health.
This Actiflex 4000 dosing came from a raw feeding group: 50-75 pounds: 1 ½ tsp. daily loading dose for 5 days, ¾ tsp. daily maintenance dose
Hey C4c:
K3 can be listed several ways, one way is Menadione sodium bisulfate complex. It is one ingredient that is a pet peeve of mine (among others). A few years ago in one of my anatomy classes my Professor discussed K3 and I guess it just stuck in my head. Here’s some good info about it being included in pet food recipes (they explain it better than I ever could). There are many other sites that have info too, but probably the dogfoodproject IMO explains it a little more in depth and keeps it simple.
/choosing-dog-food/menadione-in-dog-food/
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=menadione
My cats do eat some food with K3 in their rotation; Purina being one of them. If I could get them to eat better quality canned food all the time I would, but they are stubborn and we all know you can end up with terrible health problems if you starve a cat. One of the reasons I researched the food ingredients for my “grocery store list” of pet food. If they are going to be addicted to Purina, the least I can do is find the best recipes out of all of their lines.
I do feel bad about kibble ingredients, but not near as bad when I first found this site. I feel I am making more informed decisions about the quality of kibble I am feeding and now it is only half of Bobby’s diet and the cats are only getting at most 1/8 C /day of kibble. So as Jakes mom wrote, “when you know better, you do better.”
Come on the raw journey with us!! lol At least I have Bobby the garbage disposal when my raw selections don’t go over well with the cats. Me and him will be finishing up the Kefir. lol
Also, on that Little Big Cat site I found an article about probiotics for cats. My kitty is starting to turn his nose up to Kefir. So I am researching what human probiotics I can supplement him with, nice site. 🙂
Bobby dog-
While I thought the article was very informative. It makes me feel bad that I feel any kibble to my cats and it is the majority of what my dogs eat. 🙁 Moving forward, I have been working to improve all their diets over the past year. 🙂 You guys actually have me thinking about trying to add some raw to the cats diet. I do worry about their teeth. There is no way I would be able to catch 4 cats to brush their teeth! So, chicken gizzards, huh? Hmmm, gonna look in to it. I was wondering about the K3 in the cat food. Is that how it is listed in the ingredients? I don’t really know what it is.
Akari-
Yes, you are definitely turning in to a crazy cat lady. You are laughing at the cat taking food off the counter. Non cat people would be mad. I’m so proud of you! 🙂
C4c:
Enjoyed the article, thanks! I also bookmarked the page and added Dr. Dodds book to my reading list; it keeps growing.
Akari:
Sounds like Kitty is getting a taste for some raw!! Yeahhhhhhh :p
Hello, Its the bowel that is rumbling not their tummy, My boy was suffering rumbling of the bowel (Tummy) & vet said it was Colitis & he needed a low fat diet, since Ive had Patch on a low crude fat & low fat diet he has not had rumbling of the tummy (Colitis)… Ive also read that dogs that suffer from Colitis, Pancreatitis & IBD are better off not eating kibble as kibble is harder to digest & some kibbles are high in crude fat & very hard, Ive read that dogs are better off on a Raw diet or cooked Diet, I boil chicken Breast boiled pumkin & 1/2 egg & mash it all up so it all digested.. I buy 1 kilo of chicken breast cook then freeze, I also do the same with the pumkin, I cut up in small pieces boil then freeze, the egg I boil every second day & just take out the chicken pumkin frim freezer the night before, I still give Patch his kibble at night only but its a low residue kibble made by Eukanuba called Intestinal it breaks up easy, but if ur in America they dont sell this vet diet, its called Iams but the ingredients are different not as good as the Eukanuba Intestinal..If you dont want to cook maybe look for a lower crude fat kibble that’s not as hard, I found if the kibble has Potato or sweet potato the kibble will be hard also the grainfree kibble seem to be very hard. Just add some water to a couple of kibbles in a glass & wait 1 minute then see if u can they crush the kibble inbetween 2 spoons. A good kibble should just break up.. I found the Holistic Select adult health kibbles aren’t hard when water is added they soften within 1 minutue then I drain the water this has also helped Patch..
Very interesting article! I kept the window open on my phone so I could read the other ones at the bottom of the page lol
Oh! And I tried some more raw with the kitty today! I found a 1 pound tub of frying chicken gizzards at Publix for $1.79, and I always grab a few when they get them in (someone must order them because they aren’t always on the shelf). Since these were for frying, they were already in little pieces (and smaller). Kind of in quarters. I put a few pieces over his food tonight, and he went straight for them, and loved them! My roommate also said that she has left some chicken out to thaw on the counter, and he had it on the floor playing with it… LOL
Hi Frenchiegirl!
Just wondering how you’re doing with the Natures Variety Raw Bites at this stage? Did you find that your dog put on extra weight from them? One of mine has piled on weight and the other has developed a bout of pancreatitis – the only reason I can find for this is that the raw bites are too fatty?? But the irony is that they both seem to really like them (and one of them is really picky!!) so I am are really upset that they may not be able to eat them any more.
I have two rescue dogs – Millie (8years old, spayed female terrier mix) and Fonzie (3years old, neutered male cock-a-tzu (cocker/shih tzu mix)
I have issues with both, but the main one at present is with Millie who has a bout of mild/moderate pancreatitis. This is the second time she has had it, with a more serious incident two years ago. Her CPL reading is 360, which is way above the reference range of 0-200 ug/l and her Red Blood Cell count, hemoglobin, cholestrol and lipase readings are way up as well.
For the past 6 – 8 weeks I have been feeding them Natures Variety Raw Bites in the honest belief that I was doing the very best for them. They both seemed to like it and have shiny coats etc but the end result with Millie (who is the pickiest eater on the planet!) is pancreatitis and the end result with Fonzie is excessive weight gain – 2kg+ since I began this diet!! I am devastated as Millie was actually enjoying her food for the first time ever (she has always refused dry kibble) but what good is that if she is suffering illness as a result?! To make things worse I was over-feeding them up to a few days ago, which may have caused the pancreatitis to flare up – or maybe the food would have caused it anyway.
I desperately want to feed them a good, nourishing and wholesome food but I am completely frustrated by the choice available and the vastly differing opinions I get in the pet stores. To make matters worse I am leaving them in kennels for 12 days in just under three weeks time when I go to Ireland and I have to have them settled on a suitable food before I go. Please help!
Primal has a great starter kit that has lamb, beef, chicken and duck. There are only four oz of each but it is not expensive and has a variety. I personally like primal because of the quality ingredients and amount of produce seems to be more than other commercial raw.
See if he likes any of the other proteins.
HoundDogMom feeds her hounds completely raw and has found a way to do it economically. Her recipes are in the forum as well. I also make my own raw but have small dogs that would only eat 6 oz per day! I would definitely recommend getting a couple of used freezers so you can buy in bulk and make some homemade. The initial expense would be worth it overall. Are you part of a co-op? Check out eatwild.com. They have a list of some farms/co-ops. Also there is a yahoo group called “carnivorefeed-supplier” that you can join to find local raw food suppliers that sell in bulk. I’ve bought nearly 400 lbs before at one time which lasted me a whole year. Also join your local yahoo BARF group. They will have resources for finding raw dog foods.
Shawna
How much Fiber 35 do you give your dog?
My dog’s BUM is elevated so vet wants to do more testing.
I feed her raw already but want to add the Fiber 35 before she’s tested.
Thanks
Kari
Hello all!
I have followed this forum for some time now but this is my first official post! Yay! Okay, so I am trying to do some research on Joint Supplements and Omega 3 fatty acids to give my 2 year old Golden Retriever (almost 3 on May 25th). We have her on a wonderful diet that consists of Orijen kibble and Merrick canned food for breakfast, a raw meaty marrow bone or a stuffed kong for a snack and a raw Stella & Chewy’s patty for dinner. Her diet does wonders for her health and we learned much about it from this website. As she gets older, I would like to put her on joint supplement. I notice from time to time her joints will pop when she gets up or stretches. We do live in an area that has all 4 seasons and in the winters it gets well below zero. Now that it is springtime we really enjoy taking her out for very long, extensive hikes. She loves to run and swim during our hikes and I would like to have her on some type of anti-inflammatory (omega-3’s?) and a joint supplement. Now I have been doing a ton of research but that just creates a million questions:
First and foremost – Should we give her joint supplements/anti-inflammatories year round? Or do we only give them on days when she will be more active than normal?
Secondly – Which joint/anti-inflammatory would you recommend? I have done research and am seriously considering the Wholistic Pet Organics product line. Has anyone used this and would they recommend it? http://www.thewholisticpet.com/products/canine-product-line/joint-support.html/ Also, does anyone give their pet krill oil vs. salmon oil for omega 3’s?
Thirdly – I am a big fan of holistic medicine and don’t usually like big brand dog medication distributors. Is there anything we can do for her joints, besides swimming and keeping her lean, that will help without any supplement?
And last but not least – if you do recommend a supplement and it’s human grade, what dosage would I give my 65 pound girl?
Thanks so much in advance for your help, I greatly appreciate it!
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This topic was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by
Ysabella J.
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This topic was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Ysabella J.
Our 3 year old English Mastiff (235 Pounds) has been on a raw diet all his life. We love him dearly and wouldn’t change a thing. I wonder how some of the raw feeders are doing with the expense of raw. We use Darwins, Hare Today, a local provider in NJ called Big Dog (Dehydrated Food) and we’ll buy chicken and some organ meat from our supermarket. Our guy eats 4 to 5 pounds a day, even a 4 pound daily diet is over $10 a day. How do you guys do it?? Do you supplement with canned or kibble, is the diet homemade?? HELP
I am currently feeding my 5 month old Dobie 1/2 kibble(pro plan puppy) and 1/2 raw Abady(puppy formula for large breeds) with a bit of chicken broth thrown in to keep it moist. She recently has started playing then eating and never finishing it totally. Was wondering if anyone had any suggestions?
Hi Mountainhound,
I take a different approach when evaluating a food. I start by looking at the company and evaluate if they have sound nutritional information. I want to know who formulates the food, what their nutritional training is and ask questions about quality control.
When I contacted this company I talked with Scott Freeman who formulates the diets. He holds a degree in marketing. He has no formal nutritional training and this is quite evident when talking to him. He doesn’t understand some very basic nutritional concepts. He is not someone who I’d want formulating a diet.
The diets fall way below AAFCO in some key nutrients (Vit D, E, Zn) and the company gets around this by feed trialing one formulation and then using the family rule to put an AAFCO statement on the foods.
The nutrient analysis on the website are not the analysis of the products. The same levels are reported for nearly every product and every nutrient. Scott said nearly 6 months ago that the website just needed to be updated. Three months ago he told me he had sent all the new info to the webmaster and it would all be posted within days, but the same numbers are still posted.
Some real head scratchers can be found in the NA. The Beef Ca is reported as 2.123% and the phos as 2.95% YIKES! An inverse ratio! Scott said these numbers are incorrect but months later the same numbers are still being reported/ posted as the actual analysis. I asked him if the Beef Ca level was ever actually 2.123 % (which is a calcium level reported in many of the diets) or was it actually higher than the 2.95% Phos. He said he had no idea where the reported 2.123% Calcium number came from.
I asked him about the ash levels in the venison meals and he said it was over 25%
I asked him about quality control. He doesn’t do any testing on any of the ingredients before going into production, he relies on the spec sheets that come with the shipments. Other companies I’ve talked to do their own analysis on incoming ingredients to verify the spec sheets are accurate. He seemed uncertain as to what post production testing was done by the co packers.
I think this company is good at one thing…. marketing which makes sense as that is the only field that this company’s formal education is in.
You can draw you own conclusions but I couldn’t ever recommend this food.
Thank you for the replys. Is there some ratio of raw diet (chicken, deer, etc) to dry kibble? Is kibble the main diet and some raw mixed in? Or is one total meal raw then other meals are kibble. She is 11 weeks old now, and only been on dry kibble. I want to slowly introduce raw meat. We give her fruit (strawberries, apples, bananas with veggies carrots, sweet potatoes,) as treats and training food.
I think feeding a variety of raw is the best we can do. My large breed ate 3 large chicken quarters, raw of course, he’s had entire large rabbit, deer leg, turkey complete or whatever else I come up with for raw meat. He eats Fromm dry kibble w/o any problems. I think the hip and joint issues are mainly on man made breeds, they seem to be more prone to cancers ect too. I think we’ll better support these breeds systems feeding raw. JMHO
I hate it when Bobby finds bunny nests!!! I have put my fair share back in the nest. Bunnies don’t seem to hide their nests too well from him. If I remember correctly bunnies only come by for feedings a couple times a day. The first time Bobby found a nest I thought it was abandoned until I checked it out on the Internet. The bunnies looked okay so I put them back and kept Bobby away until they were gone; that was quite a task.
That is exactly how Bobby acts with a new type of food, not too thrilled but usually eats it. I hope I can get him into the swing of things with trying and liking raw. If I could even find a few things, hopefully with the bone, I would be a happy camper.
Nutro isn’t as good as it use to be years ago. I won’t feed it or recommend it.
Canned food is normally 72% moister, you would do better to use Raw or dry kibble that you have weighed out and then soak with water. It will save you money too.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by
JASTECH.
My dog loves treacheas too but unfortunately she would throw up the cartilage pieces. They looked like little pieces of shaved plastic about an inch and a half long. I don’t give hem to her anymore. These were the dried ones. Would it make a difference if they were raw?
Guysguysguysguys! I found something this cat won’t eat! (Besides raw chicken, but I’ll work him on that lol) Whitefish. Yep! I made up his food yesterday and since it was small cans I had to mix them to get the right amount ( I mix canned and dry together so that he doesn’t get picky on me). He’s never cared about what I mixed together and some of his wellness cans are tuna, but I had a can of Blue Buffalo weight management whatever and it was whitefish. In the morning he ate it, but he was like “what the crap is this?” And then after I got home from work (around 6:30), I was immediately shoved off to my grandparents for dinner and we didn’t get home until like 9 or so, so I couldn’t feed him his 3 meals, and had to give him a big meal before bed.
Usually he just munches all night, but this morning over half of it is still there LOL The BB did have a strong fish smell. I don’t think he liked that to begin with. Fine by me, but don’t waste the food, you brat! You could at least pick at it Lol I woke up entirely too early this morning, and he came up and bothered me and tried to eat my fingers, then decided he’d go back down and eat the food anyways, but I took it up since I want him to actually eat his food today and it’s been sitting out all night.
So there we have it! A food he actually won’t eat. I’m so proud LOL
Akari:
I was thinking what Jakes mom just wrote, that Capstar wasn’t a preventative but I am not positive. Maybe the Cedarcide mentioned on the other thread will work for you.
Jakes mom:
That sounds like an adorable dog! I am sure the changes you have made in his food will help keep Jake around for quite some time to come! 🙂 Bobby is 44 lbs and he is a rescue dog from a Tennessee shelter so I am not sure what he is. I (and many other people) have guessed some kind of Cattle Dog, Blue Heeler (he has the coloring of a Blue Heeler), Border Collie, Terrier mix or not, who knows… Maybe even some sort of hunting dog is in him because he points and he is obsessed with birds. I don’t hunt and have never been around any type of hunting dogs so IDK.
I was asking what size Jake is because I thought I would copy from Jakes dinner menu since it seems to be going well for him. Bobby isn’t a gulper and he doesn’t eat his meals fast so although I will monitor him when I try out chicken backs or other things, it sounds like they would probably eat about the same size in raw selections.
Cats are just terrible sometimes! lol Do you think they would appreciate their meals more if they knew the thought we put into it?
Naturella:
You never know how an animal will react to a med. Just keep an eye out for anything unusual and make a note of it to see if there is a pattern that develops. That is one way to determine if Sentinel does not agree with him.
I am sure you can find a map (I haven’t looked) of flea seasons for the area you live in somewhere on the Internet. Maybe someone will be able to direct you in the right direction for a map on this forum. 🙂
I would also check with my Vet about the flea season in your area. For example, I would not have thought about changing how/what I administered for HW & flea protection without the discussion I had with my Vet. I have horses I am aware of the immunities that are being seen in parasites with worm meds for horses, but I thought I had it covered for Bobby. So I am very glad I had the wellness visit with my Vet to keep up to date on the parasite battles for cats and dogs in my area. After discussing your concerns with your Vet and researching further on the Internet, I am sure you will be able to make an informed decision as to the best preventatives for your precious puppy.
I have to write I have found ticks crawling on me after taking a walk through the woods even after the first few frosts in my area; it’s strange. I still feel uncomfortable administering a med that contains flea prevention year round when he does not need it year round. So I will continue looking into other meds. I may not find anything that fits the bill any better, but at least I will know either way.
I’m using the Royal Canin lowfat GI food – ridiculously low fat only 5%. There’s nothing on the commercial market that even comes close. I switched her to Wellness Core Weight Management to see if she could tolerate a little higher fat and also add in a bit more protein, six weeks later her triglycerides were up and her pancreatic enzyme levels had also gone back up. So, back to the drawing board.
I hate the idea of putting her on canned food because she’s a schnauzer and canned food makes a huge mess on her doggie beard, but I guess that may be a way I need to go.
Thanks all.
Oh – “paltry protein” means “small amounts of protein”. I didn’t like having so many carbs going through my girl in relation to protein.
Hi C4c:
Among other things that is one of the drawbacks of Purina, not only do they add fish to just about all cat food, they also include the bad K3 in just about every recipe they make for cats and dogs. 🙁 I have found a few canned dog foods without K3.
Jakes mom:
Sounds like he had a good day! What size of dog is he? I lightly boiled the gizzards and hearts and Bobby is happily eating them. I froze most of them.
BCn:
I am going to keep an eye out for pork, lamb, goat and beef necks too.
Akari:
Did the cat get fleas from your dogs? Or is this as you wrote a preventative measure?
Thanks for the advice!
I’ve tried giving the raw to him at different temperatures, but it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference. Is cooking it ok if there is bone in it?
I have considered mixing in Triplett (he has it once in a while mixed with his kibble), but I don’t want him to always expect Triplett and the raw mixed together.
I feed him orijen freeze dried medallions for supper a few times a week. Does this have the same benefits as raw?
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This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by
ab1028.
Try mixing in some green tripe. Raw if you can get it (Hare Today and My Pet Carnivore sell raw) or a canned product like Tripett. Very few dogs will turn their noses up to green tripe.
Cook it, put it in boiling water for a bit or warm the raw food in the microwave maybe its too cold…
If you can afford the price of Hilary’s and the time to make it is reasonable then it’s a great way to feed.
The recipes I was using were, Prep and cook time equal 2 hrs. Assemble, package and clean up equal 1 hr. Total, 3 hrs.
Tomatoes, great if your dog can handle. Tomatoes promote acid in the gi tract which is not good for dogs with acid reflux, been there done that.
I cooked for a 60lb dog who has a high metabolism and had to eat 1500kcal a day. This equalled lots of kitchen time and lots of money spent. If I had to I would switch back if there were Specific reason why like needs low sodium levels etc but there are other foods out there that are JUST as healthy as Hilary’s, like Natures Variety frozen raw. Real raw meat, with no preservatives, no additives except other fruits and veggies, no colours, it is just like you made it yourself and threw it in a fancy bag to sell.
Saying all that I am actually thinking of starting one of her recipes again, but leaving the meat raw. And choosing one that does not contain tomato sauce or any grains.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by
Bunny B.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Bunny B.
I have a picky miniature poodle puppy (9 months) who I am currently feeding Acana Regionals. However, I also want to incorporate some raw food into his diet. 99% of the time with raw food he just sniffs it and walks away. Is there some way to make it more appealing to him?
Yes it prove to be super expensive. My dog is 55lbs.
Try Natures Variety raw frozen. For a 40lb dog you should be around $5 – $6 a day, and it’s real food, raw, but you don’t need to worry about nasties and cross contamination from dog tongue to human because all of NV frozen raw food is HPP (high pressure processed) which is like sinking it to the deepest part of the ocean which kills all bacteria, without altering the quality of the ingredients. Only downside of that is you may need to add a probiotic back in kuz it kills good bacteria too, so far I haven’t had to. It’s real food like home preparing, but done for you, and bacteria removed. Of course you need to treat it like any food that rots because it’s real food, and you need to wash your hands and dog dish after but that is just common sense :-). I am willing to bet you will see a huge improvement all around after like 1 month on it.
Hey BunnyB, thanks for the reply.
Holy smokers. $16 a day? Really?? I hope you have a 240 pound dog. Then I can do it for $4 a day for our 60 pound guy. I had no idea homemade would be so expensive. We just got the idea about Hilary’s recipes from our vet. I had not costed it. The supplement alone is almost as expensive as a quality kibble.
We are not convinced yet to go raw. But we feel we should try to better than kibble. If the cost for home cooked is as you say, I wonder about one of the 5-star, “lightly-cooked” frozen, commercial foods. Surely it could be done for less than $16 a day, without the hours of cooking time.
Appreciate the reply from someone that has “been there, done that”.
You said that ur dogs itch none stop, you must start with an elimination diet, I started one about 1 month ago as my boy has Pancreatitis & enviornment allergies we dont know if he has food allergies that’s why I’d say the vet suggested an elimination diet, The vet said the first month just feed boil chicken but I knew my boy could eat boil chicken so I added cooked pumkin, then when I saw he wasnt scratching or rubbing his tummy on my beautiful white rug the next week I added sweet potato within 2 days Patch was rubbing on my carpet so I stopped the sweet potato & know he cant have sweet potato or a kibble with sweet potato…. then I added pasta another NO it made him itch then I read dogs with skin problems like yeast & bacteria shouldnt eat carbohydrates, potatos, sweet potatos etc, then I added half a boiled egg & he’s been good, Im thinking of adding broccoli next.. Im reading Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs by Lew Olson PhD she has help me understand alot of things & this group its a easy book to read & very easy recipes, she explains what foods aren’t good & what foods are good for certain illness, like Skin problems & what causes ur dog to itch, Pancreatitis Diabetes, Gastro problems, feeding senior dogs, getting a pup onto raw etc, she has cooked recipes & what supplements to add.. in the elimination diet you cannot give any treats nothing, just that one food for 2 weeks then 2 foods so on.. you must cook all vegetables so they are fully cooked, she even suggest to pulped vegetables as dogs digestive system weren’t meant to eat vegies, here’s one of her recipes for Skin allergies a Low Glycemic regular fats Diet..this is for a 50 pound dog to be divide into two or more smaller meals per day.
8 ounces 1 cup regular fat ground beef
2 ounces 1/4 cup beef liver or kidney
2 eggs scrambled or boiled
4 ounces 1/2 cup steamed or boiled broccoli
4 ounces 1/2 cup cooked yellow crookneck squash
4 ounces 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
Serve meat cooked or raw combined with cooked vegetables eggs & yogurt if serving meat cooked wait until meat & eggs have cooled before stirring in the yogurt…..
What I do is I cook once a fornight & freeze everything except the egg then put in fridge the night before to thaw for next day…
What have been the best Dog books you have read & helped you with how to prepare Raw & cooked meals, What foods can cause Health Problems, What vitamins to add, Best foods for certain illnesses etc..
Carl L – I also have used Hilary’s Complete and Balanced
I have a high energy 2 year old dog and she burns lots of calories. I found I had to feed WAY more than the recommended amount than what Hilary says in her book. The supplements were $79 CDN for the big bottle and lasted me about 1 1/2 mo. It was costing me $16 a day and 3 hrs a night in the kitchen. I chose to do this anyhow because I have heard the benefits of real food for a dog and had seen the results on other peoples dogs. I did this for 5 months when I couldn’t stand the time and money anymore! I still strongly believe in real food, and that the real food has to be complete and balanced. Then I happened across NRG dehydrated food. This was the next best thing to home cooked. It cost me about $10 a day. And only 1 min in the kitchen!! She did fabulously on this for 7 months. Then she developed what I a, convinced of an allergy to grain so I put her on Natures Variety raw frozen. Which I just love, all the benefits of real food all ready made for me!
But now I am spending about $14 a day with Natures Variety and was thinking I should go back to Hilary’s…although I am a raw believer now on certain meats, but she says lots of her recipes (specific ones) can be fed raw. I happened across your post tonight out of coincidence!
I have to say Hilary’s seems to be great but I do NOT recommend her recipes that contain tomatoes or tomato sauce if your dog has a sensitive stomach or is susceptible to acid reflux. And if you are trying to find Safflower oil you may have to go to a health food store, it should be next to the olive oil. Alternately if you can’t find that I called and she actually picked up the phone which I thought was weird but she said you can use sunflower oil. And I find it hard finding cod liver oil, again I found this in a health food store. And the easiest way to pulse veggies is in a magic bullet btw.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Bunny B.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Bunny B.
Actually, I was at Wal-Mart looking to see if they had beef tongue or turkey necks, which they didn’t, so I saw a large package of gizzards and hearts for $1.33. I haven’t ventured to a butcher shop yet. There is only one in my area and it is a very trendy butcher shop. They have wine tasting and cheese making demonstrations so I am not sure what their prices are like.
I am going to take a walk down to a sheep farm by my house. They sell meat, eggs, honey, wool, and some other things I can’t remember. I’ll see what they have to offer (if anything) that I could try feeding my fur babies.
No big deal, I am going to lightly boil some and make who knows what else I can out of the gizzards and hearts. I am sure Bobby will eat them in a treat form. lol Three things he doesn’t eat raw carrots, gizzards, and hearts; I can’t complain about that!! 🙂
yes, the liver was raw. I just cut it into smaller pieces and said, “hey, look what Mom has!”.
My 12yo girl Julie, was actually shrieking as I was cutting it up! I didn’t give too much, didn’t want any GI issues. I froze the rest in a freezer bag. Flattened it out and figure I can crack off a chunk when I want it.
Hi Jakes mom:
Yes, I agree we are doing better! 🙂
I love the kids pool idea!!! You were a crazier cat person. lol
I don’t mind cheating once in a while. I am always thinking of what to give them for a meal a few times a week, other then cat food, that is good for them for budget reasons of course. Only a few of them will eat boiled chicken.
My hypo cat (11 yrs) is doing well also, has energy, seems happy, always loveable, but I have been battling dry skin. Fish & coco oil has helped a great deal and it is much better now that winter is over. Fingers crossed, Kefir will help also.
Did you give them the livers raw? I am so jealous, my cats walked away from the gizzards and hearts, Bobby just played with his. Maybe livers will be next to try, I am not going to give up. lol Let us know how the chicken back went.
Hi Nona – fellow Greyhound owner here, so sorry to hear about Halle’s issues. Hopefully some of the wonderful knowledgable people on this forum will offer some suggestions as I’m still learning the food ropes myself.
Harry has suffered from “milkshake poo” since I got him 2yrs ago. I think I tried everything that was suggested on the Greytalk Forum (Iams Green Bag, beet pulp etc) & endless bags of failed food. One allergy test & finding out about multiple food intolerances helped a lot. Probiotics / Digestive Enzymes have helped also. Things aren’t perfect 100% of the time but I can pick it up which is a major improvement. Harry also gets raw in his diet now and things are going well.
I’ve had my rescue dog for about 5 weeks now. His vet exam was excellent, bloodwork, fecal, urinalysis, dental all good. Vet said he needs to gain weight. He was 12 lbs 5 weeks ago, should be 13-14. So I used the dog food calculator on this site and have been feeding him enough calories for a highly active 13 lb dog plus giving lots of treats. I weighed him yesterday, 11 lbs! I realize it’s a different scale so could be some discrepancy so I’m going to the vet this week to weigh him there, but I’m trying to get him to gain and he ends up losing? WTH? He is very active, he’s a jumper, pacer and runs a lot with my other dog. My current rotation is Farmina kibble (it’s a winner!), Darwin’s, NV Instinct frozen raw, Whole Earth Farms, Nature’s Logic and By Nature canned. I know Darwin’s can be a little on the lower calorie side so I’m making allowances for that. His poops are a much bigger volume than my other dog’s are. My poor guy is so skinny! His ribs are prominent.
My plan is to order Abady’s granular to add into his food, maybe make some satin balls when I get the time. But here’s my question: do you think he’s more likely to gain if I add in more carbs? What he’s getting now is high protein, do you think that’s just not working for him for the weight gain. If more carbs are the answer, I’d rather give him home prepared additions to his food.
TIA for any advice!
I have been giving my kids frozen raw chicken thighs or legs, 2-3 times a week. I buy fresh, remove the skin and fat, then freeze. How long should they be frozen before feeding, to reduce the risk of salmonella? Thanks!
Can I ask 2 question Raylene was ur boy eating grass at ur old place on walks or where ever he could get grass or has it just started at ur new place & after eating the grass does he throw up or have any sloppy poos or diarreha?? maybe the fat content is a bit too high at the moment for his tummy.. I’d love to feed my boy raw but he needs a low fat diet so I cook instead & freeze the meals & do kibble at night…Maybe just try for 1-2 weeks lightly boiling the meat to get out some of the fats & see if he still eats grass after cooking the meat… its worth at try just to work out is he feeling off or sick or does he just like eating grass..
When I see my boy eating grass I know he only eats grass when he’s feeling off or has his stomach acid & has to vomit or when he has Colitis he’ll eat a heap of grass then 1-2 hours later he’ll poo & diarrhea everything out of his system & clears himself out..
Melissa, I wouldn’t want chicken feet either, too difficult and expensive to buy shoes!
I used a 3/4 HP meat grinder, fed raw chicken otb into it, easily chewing up 40 lbs. I would then add garlic, E, spinach and mackerel, place it in my Kichenaide mixer a few pounds at a time until all has been well. Then I use a digital scale to weigh each log for the dog. I changed main meats often.
Now that is funny, I don’t care who you are! You know it is a proven fact that “processed food” takes longer to digest (what’s digestable) in humans then raw fruits & veggies (which are actually fruit). I always respond/teach when they ask what I feed my dogs. In fact I like to feed chicken quarters once a week, I hope to add wild hog and deer to their plate this year.
Amy, this is quite helpful! As theBCnut said, maybe you can try 2 teaspoons/day of coconut oil, or continue with the 1 teaspoon/day when you switch to Primal Raw Turkey and Sardine (I’d give it a try because of the fish). Remember, you can always adjust the amount if her skin is still too dry and go on with the 2 teaspoons of coconut oil/day even with the fish Primal.
I am not familiar with brewers yeast so I can say nothing about it. Hope someone else chimes in on that.
Also, not all coconut oil is made equal… The best stuff with most benefits is cold-pressed, extra virgin, raw, UNREFINED, the latter being the most important part of the equation. Refining the coconut oil takes out a significant amount of its nutrients.
Sarah, true, I was looking at the BB Wilderness Senior Red Meat formula, which has lower protein and lower phosphorus than the Senior Chicken formula. The Red Meat one has the same phosphorus as the Holistic Select Senior. And I see about the protein. I supplement with raw and canned every once in a while, so Bruno’s protein amounts vary a bit, but he seems to be okay with it.
Also, keep us posted on how Holistic Select goes for your dogs. I would get a smaller bag first, to see if they would even eat it, and if there are any digestive issues with it before I go for the bigger bag.
