[Cyndi]

Also, some people here feed raw as toppers to their kibble or feed kibble for one meal and raw for another. Some dogs can handle that, some dogs can’t. Use pure canned pumpkin and plain yogurt along with the raw, that helps with digestion and any stomach upset as well.

[Cyndi]

I basically switched my dog immediately. I’m not an expert or anything, so maybe someone else can chime in with their thoughts. I started with one protein source and fed that for a week or too, then went to another and then another. Slowly add organ meats in as well. You just want to make sure your dog can handle everything before you move on to something else. I started with chicken for the first week or two. My dog had a bit of a setback, getting used to raw, but she’s been doing fine. Just remember with completely raw you want to feed 80% raw meat, 10% bone & 10% organ meat (5% of that being liver). Every meal doesn’t have to be balanced, just balance it over time.

[DogManDan]

I see, im planning to change their diet from regular dog food and cooked meals to raw… would there be a problems that i would encounter from changing their diets all of a sudden? or should i slowly make them adapt to it? like mixing raw food to their regular meals or should i just go with the raw immediately?

[Cyndi]

Raw bones are perfectly fine. Chicken wings are fine, especially for smaller dogs. They can chew them up and swallow them. Cooked bones are hard and can splinter, so they are a no no. If your dogs are gulpers, chicken wings may be too small. You want them to chew them up and get the teeth cleaning benefits from the bone and not just swallow them whole.

[DogManDan]

guys i have a question, im new to raw feeding… do you serve the bones as a whole especially with chicken wings, I’m kinda hesitant to give them the whole wing afraid they might choke or something due to those pointy bones.

[Naturella]

Hello, everyone…

So, I am in a bit of a pickle…

As much as I have educated myself on good (raw) and bad (cooked) bones to give my dog, yesterday at about 3.15pm I gave him a medium rack of smoked lamb ribs. He cleared most of the meat off the bones first, and then proceeded to eat them too… I was watching him the whole time, and as soon as I saw a sharp edge on one of the bones, I took them away. He kind of burped and his tummy rumbled, but he seemed fine (last time he had such bones, it was barbecue pork rib ends, and he threw them up). Later he had his kibble, water, treat, he was playful and normal. He went to sleep okay.

At around 7.22am he woke me and my boyfriend up with loud wheezing/dry-heaving… He looked like he was trying to cough or throw something up, but either couldn’t, or there was nothing in his tummy to cough/throw up… After about 2 minutes it stopped. He was not interested in water, and seemed tired and miserable. Wheezing didn’t stop completely, just significantly reduced. He then slept another hour while I was researching intestinal punctures and bleeding symptoms in dogs…

After my boyfriend went to work, I woke the puppy up and checked his mouth to see if I can see a hair or something in his throat. I didn’t see any. He was wheezing every now and again, so I went to the kitchen and mixed plain yoghurt with canned pumpkin puree, and fed him that on bread pieces. He consumed eagerly about 2/3 slice of whole wheat bread and about 1/6 cup of yoghurt-pumpkin mixture. My idea behind it was to introduce good bacteria and probiotics (yoghurt) in his system; get his tummy tightened up and calmed down (pumpkin), and push any hair (if it was there to begin with) down his throat (bread). It didn’t seem to do much about the wheezing, which is not as bad as at 7.22am at all, but it is still there. He had good appetite for the above items. Oh, when he’s asleep, the wheezing is not there, his breathing is good. He also stretches just fine and doesn’t coil up after, which leads me to believe that he is not in pain…

He still looked weak and miserable, so we laid down together for a bit (he is a snuggler), but I am too nervous to lay down, so I got up to post this and ask for help/advice.

Here is the thing. I have $28.00 in my account, so IF possible, I would like to avoid taking him to the vet. Of course, I read that I need to monitor him and his stool, and if he is coughing/throwing up/pooping blood, we will be at the vet in no time anyway. A lot of websites said to wait and see.
My question is, how long is okay to wait, and how long is too long? Is there any way for me to know if his tummy is intact? I felt around it and he was still, didn’t seem in pain, but looks under the weather… He just kinda woke up but he’s not his usual perky self… Just laying down looking at me…
He is a 7.5-month (or so) old Miniature Rat Terrier-Jack Russell-(Deer )Chihuahua mix (a guess – he was found at 2-3 months (or so) old, so we’re not sure what he is). He weighs about 11 lbs, and the bones he ate I would estimate at 1/8 cup or so.

If Dr. Mike can maybe comment and help me out, or any of you guys, who have some knowledge on the matter, I would greatly appreciate it!

P.S. NEVER feeding cooked bones ever again! I promise!

[Vicechairwelca]

The recent article discusses the weight that a Canadian celebrity has put behind a new protein source developed entirely from a species of maggot.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/starting-out/conversation-with-david-suzuki-leads-to-maggot-based-animal-feed/article15114182/

The celebrity and biotech producer are marketing one of the products as a source of protein for pet food. Ignoring for an instant the ethical deficit inherent with the proposal and the conflict that cheap protein sources for those who could benefit from a dog or cat and may be drawn to pet ownership on the promise of cheaper pet food – would it be possible to explore the organic chemistry of animal proteins for our carnivorous pets. I cannot see a rationale reason why the consumer should accept the position that lowly maggots can provide the nutritional value of higher level animal meat sources for their pets (unless their pet is a chicken or lizards). I thought your group may be interested in this latest claim about a pet food ingredient development that is apparently under development.

[Naturella]

So, I made asked this question under another topic, but I feel like it deserves its own.

Here it is:

What is your stance on natural chews, such as bully sticks, dehydrated meaty bits (gullet strips, tripe and tendon pieces, etc.), antlers, Himalayan Dog Chews, and so on, versus raw meaty bones (RMBs)? Which is better? I know which is less messy, but still, I want to know which is better for a dog, and the one that is worse, how much worse it is? Or (ideally), are they sort of close/equal in the purposes they server (chewing entertainment and nutritional value)?

[pugmomsandy]

Look into Rawsome and Snack 21 and Pure Bites. They have fish treats. Instinct has rabbit biscuits (not soft though).

[RescueDaneMom]

Oh! I never did the autoship so that’s why I didn’t know about it. I’ve never been a frequent buyer until recently. I used to use it as a topper for kibble. Now I’m using it as the main food and topping it with raw and other fresh foods. Good to know! I will ask her the next time I pick up food. I think I saw the new envelopes for the rewards the last time I was in but I didn’t ask about it. My thought is if you’re going to buy it anyway you might as well get a free box every now and then. Thanks again!

[Dolly]

Hi, I need help with my 13 year old dog with pancreaitis history. I saw some similar posts on here, but maybe not exactly what I was looking for. My dog has a very sensitive stomach, the only thing I could find that seemed to work was the Science Diet sensitive stomach, which I don’t want to feed. For now she’s eating about half wellness wet dog food, and half boiled chicken and rice, which seems to agree with her stomach well, but I’m sure is lacking in nutrients, and I’d like to get her away from rice due to the arsenic levels. I’d prefer to go grain free if possible, although that isn’t my primary objective. I would also love to be able to cook one food that is safe for both the dog and the cat, or something I could slightly modify for the cat, again though, that isn’t my main concern. Any suggestions/recipes would be helpful, as I don’t really know where to start. I don’t want to do raw. Also, she is on diuretics due to slight heart congestion, so anything heart healthy is great (we aready do fish oil pills). Lastly, I am terrible at cooking, so the simpler/less ingriedeints the better. Thanks!

[RescueDaneMom]

Shawna, thank you again for the info! I will give those Bravo meats a try when we run out of Thrive. There’s a really great independent pet store 30 min drive from me that carries THK, Bravo, Primal, and other great brands.

My parents are usually the ones feeding Dozer. I don’t think they’ll go for the raw egg. I don’t know if Dozer would eat raw egg. We’ve given him eggs cooked over easy and he wasn’t overly thrilled. Max, on the other hand, LOVES eggs.

I just bought six cans of Tripett the last time I was at the store. Max loves it. Dozer does too. We gave Dozer some of the green beef tripe with duck and salmon to entice him to eat his food and pills after a rough chemo treatment.

I just started to try different supplements for Max’s arthritis. In addition to his Glucosamine, MSM, Chondroitin, & ASU combo, he is getting an herbal supplement that has boswellia, cat’s claw, tart cherry, and white willow. I was going to try a bromelain/curcumin combo next.

Marie, I didn’t know there was a ‘concierge club.’ I’ve ordered it from Chewy and Petflow. Recently I’ve been getting it from a reseller who also carries the Primal frozen grinds. She emails me when she’s ready to order and I give her my order and I get it the next week. It’s been pretty convenient. Plus her prices are better than the independent pet store where I used to buy it from. No overhead I guess as she sells it out of her house.

Thanks again for all the feedback. Y’all are awesome!!! 🙂

[Shawna]

Hey Caroline,

Glad the info I posted is helpful :). Another thing you could do if so inclined is to use The Honest Kitchen Preference premix and meats you purchase. Example, Bravo has a bone/calcium free venison as well as a buffalo that could be fed either raw or cooked (since they are bone free) with the premix. Might be a red meat option to the beef he doesn’t seem to do well on.

If you decide to give the eggs a try, don’t whip or blend or otherwise disturb the egg as doing so breaks down the glutathione precursor (will still be beneficial just not quite as much). Just crack the egg open and put the whole thing on top of his HK (decreasing the amount of HK to compensate for the egg calories of course). You can add the egg shell back in if you wish (calcium source). Some will say not to feed raw egg whites because they bind with the vitamin B called biotin.. It is true that they do BUT if you include the yolk you will be okay as it is HIGH in biotin and will offset what is bound up in the white.

Green tripe (either canned or raw) is a food that most dogs can’t turn away from — they LOVE it.. It is high in protein and has lots of nutrients (especially the raw) and can make a wonderful topper for the HK Thrive etc. I like the Tripett canned product and raw can be found locally in many cases or online. Most tripe is sourced from beef but dogs with issues with beef muscle meat are usually very tolerant of beef tripe. If not, Tripett also makes a lamb and a venison canned tripe.

Thank you Cyndi and Marie!!! You guys ROCK!!!!

• This reply was modified 12 years, 5 months ago by Shawna.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 5 months ago by Shawna.

[Shawna]

Oops, meant to add this… I’d also consider adding a few high quality organic “raw” eggs to Dozer’s diet every week. Raw eggs have a precursor to what is referred to as glutathione. Glutathione is the “master antioxidant” of the body and helps the liver remove toxins from the blood. The below linked research article discusses how glutathione helps after the toxicity of chemotherapy. In the research they are discussing glutamine supplementation but raw egg is even better than glutamine (an amino acid found in protein) alone. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1234593/

• This reply was modified 12 years, 5 months ago by Shawna.

[Naturella]

Betsy, I had no idea about the type of coconut oil! Thanks so much for the article, now I know what to look for! I have not gone to Costco yet, but when I do, I will look for raw/unrefined/extra virgin coconut oil.

[crawdad]

I am very skeptical when it comes to pet treats and some of the ingredients in the true chews draws questions like vegetable glycerin, paprika extract, garlic extract, salt and other ingredients I think are known to be very harmful to dogs.

Please let me know if this is a good product to use for my dog

Sincerely
Dog owner

[CattleCait]

We’re transitioning to canned food for the winter (I raise rabbits and hogs, so during the rest of the year we feed raw) and my boyfriend’s dog refuses canned food unless it is chunky.

Does anyone have any good brands that they recommend that are very chunky? Our other dogs eat Pioneer, but even the Chunky Beef and Pilgrim’s Feast aren’t “chunky” enough for Her Royal Highness 🙂

Thanks!

[theBCnut]

I always mix raw and kibble and have never had a problem and many people here do the same, though I do know someone that has one dog that can’t handle them mixed.

The large kibble companies have far too much influence over the AVMA. I would go so far as to say they are in their pocket. The AVMA claims they have taken their stance for health reasons, but they totally leave out the fact that more dogs AND people have died from tainted kibble than from tainted raw dog food.

[biggles]

Thanks Betsy, and yes, I have been to both sites picking out mock orders! Grinds were definitely on the list just as soon as we are completely knowledgeable and confident. Until then, I am sticking with premade. I want to say that I recall his breeder saying that she ground whole leg quarters, I’m not sure if that would make a recipe of too much bone. While after all of my research on her breeding program, I have only seen one litter at a time with months in between litters, when I got Rodie she had him left over from a previous litter and had 8 little babies! She said she was grinding for them, but, that I should be able to feed small whole parts.

Thanks Patty, I have arranged a fecal exam. I would hate to think my little guy has parasites and I have over looked them! I will check out the books right away. I did not realize that the AVMA took a stand against raw feeding, that is troubling.

On a good note, Rodie’s first #2 of the morning was perfect today! I wonder if it is the probiotics/enzymes?

I have a question, is it ok to continue to mix the raw and Fromm kibble at each meal? We have been doing this for about 9 days. Should I try for one raw one kibble? I’m not entirely sure he will touch the kibble alone……

[DogFoodie]

Have you tried feeding either a chicken wing or leg whole? He may have been eating a bit more bone which is probably why he had the small formed chalky looking stool.

Your pup sounds like he might be a good candidate for grinds from either My Pet Carnivore or Hare Today. Have you checked out either of them by chance?

https://www.mypetcarnivore.com/

http://www.hare-today.com/

Here’s another great site with lots of info about feeding a raw diet and balancing it properly:

http://dogaware.com/

[theBCnut]

I love my vet and she is a great vet in many ways, but I don’t discuss raw feeding with her. I use half raw and half kibble and when they ask me what I feed, I always tell them what kibble I feed(They’ve never heard of it either, but weren’t interested enough to ask). It’s just not a discussion I’m willing to have with them, especially now that AVMA has taken an official stance against raw feeding.

Make sure they send the fecal specimen off to the lab for analysis.

Look for Dr Karen Becker’s book “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” and Steve Brown’s book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet.” They will both help you make balanced meals and have a better understanding of what needs to be in each meal.

[biggles]

She was feeding him chicken grinds, ground beef, and TOTW. When I got him she told me that he should be able to eat small chicken pieces whole. I was cutting off the meat and feeding the bone separately. I tried to feed fish, ground beef, and organs, but, he appeared to become finicky and raw food sitting out does not work. Before finding this site, I read a lot of controversial info about grinding the bone and had no access to a grinder anyway. In summary, I just did not feel knowledgeable enough to feed raw and rather than compromise my boy’s health and nutrition, I decided to switch to a high quality kibble.

I will take him to the vet and have him tested in the next few days. I do have concerns that they are not going to be “supportive” about a raw diet based on what a vet tech said to me once when I was in.

Thank you for responding!

[theBCnut]

With 3 dogs I go through food fast, so I don’t think anything of having 2 or 3 bags of food open. Last Winter/Spring I was changing kibble every day, rotating through 4 different kibbles, plus all the different toppers and raw. Over the summer, I cut back to 2 bags of food so they wouldn’t go bad in the higher heat and humidity. Now I’m back to 3 bags.

Gideon used to only eat about every third meal, but once I started rotating, he has never missed a meal.

[theBCnut]

That’s how I felt about it, but at least I have 2 dogs that I know I can get away with giving chicken to.

[FreeholdHound]

There’s chicken in it 🙁 but I’ll probably risk it.

[theBCnut]

Yes, you should have him retested for parasites. Have you talked to the breeder about what exactly she was feeding?

[theBCnut]

Yes, it can!!! I’m going to try it soon too.

[biggles]

I am going to try to make this brief!

My Rodie is a 20 pound almost 2 year old Boston Terrier. I got him from a breeder at 5 months and she was feeding him a raw diet (one of the reasons I wanted one of her pups). I remember he had a normal stool when I first brought him home, firm and a tad chalky in color. Well, after I got a hold of him I could never keep his stools consistently firm and I was so worried about compromising his nutrition with my own raw feeding. At the time he was also a finicky little guy and I had not yet found this site, so we gave up and went round and round with high quality kibbles and also some wet. Some we tried were: Instinct limited ingredients, Wellness, Acana, Origen.

He has had softish stools really what seems like ever since. I hate to go into detail, but, I think it will help. First thing in the morning stools seem formed and firm, not perfect always, but firm. After breakfast, stool is small and runnier. Before dinner, stool will be formed and more firm, yet still not perfect. Last one of the day is usually softer, but, usually formed. So, it appears that after meals stools are have tended to be softer which makes me believe it is food.

Some time during all of this, my dog store owner told me that I feed too much. I was feeding a cup a day (half cup twice), so I cut him down to 1/3 twice each day. I have been feeding him Fromm pork and peas for some months now as the stool seems to be firmest. I have tried pumpkin and even a homemade recipe and he will not eat it.

I can not forget that this pup came to me with a normal stool and although I have tried everything, I can not get normal, consistent stool produced. He is otherwise, of great health.

I decided after finding this site that I would try raw again. I did not know that my local pet food store sells pre-made raw, and after reading I started to gradually incorporated it in to his kibble. I hope to soon be able to transition him to a home-made raw diet once I feel I have the knowledge and have him stable.

I have also started giving him Nuturvet enzymes and probiotics with each meal. The raw I am adding is Stella and Chewy Rabbit formula (frozen not freeze dried). His first stool of the morning has seemed to have firmed up, but, his second (after eating) has been pretty runny. After some trial and error, I think I may have added too much raw too fast and after backing up a bit, it improved some.

My questions is, should I continue to make this transition with out finding out what type of proteins or ingredients are troublesome to him? Is it still possible that I am over-feeding? I really want to make this transition with confidence because I feel it is the best thing for him.

I know he had a full fecal test when he was younger, but, I wonder should I have him tested further?

Your feedback is greatly appreciated. I hope, with all of your knowledge and help, be able to transition Rodie to a successful raw diet.

[FreeholdHound]

Sandy- the Carnivore Raw w/out calcium can be used with the bone-in grinds from Hare? THAT would be a God send for me – I mean Harry 🙂

[Jamie08]

I have a heeler mix who has always had issues with smelly gas… well it is more of an issue for me! lol. He had been on Iams for a long time and he would have it every once in awhile, especially after he would catch and eat a squirrel (his version of a partial raw diet). He’d clear a room pretty fast. Then I switched him to Evolve dry food, which he really didn’t like very much and wasn’t eating well. He’s now on Whole Earth Farms dry food and has BAD smelly gas. He’s been on it for about 2 weeks. I tried to slowly transition him over, but he would just not eat the Evolve, since he was barely eating it anyway- so it was pretty much a fast transition over to the WEF. The gas seems to be getting worse. Should I give him longer to get used to the food, or at this point is it safe to say that this food is contributing to the smell? I hate to change it because he absolutely LOVES this food (gets so excited when I feed him) and it’s affordable. Also, my other dog is doing really well on it.

Any suggestions? Give him more time? I’m also open to other food suggestions, but please try to keep them in the same price range as Whole Earth Farms.

Oh yeah, squirrels aren’t really out right now so they aren’t a contributing factor at the moment. 🙂

[Oceans11]

Thank you Pattyvaughn and pugmomsandy for the tips and your encouragement. I found out the breeder is feeding our pup Origen Puppy kibble along with Grizzly Salmon. I am going to feed Nature’s Instinct Raw frozen medallions alternating with Nature’s Variety Dry kibble Duck and Turkey and maybe throw in a little Nature’s Variety canned food to mix it up. I read somewhere on this website that Nature’s Variety is good for all life stages so ok to feed to a 10 week old puppy.

[pugmomsandy]

pacer1978

Since you’ve already introduced raw into the diet, just try out a raw meaty bone and see how they do. I have small dogs and started with chicken wings and necks. And then went to chicken legs. I do have 2 that chomp their bones pretty well and one that does a so-so job at it but in 2 years of raw meaty bones, he hasn’t had any issues. You can attach a large vice clamp onto a RMB or tie part of it to a broom stick or something like that so he can’t gulp the whole thing down and hopefully learns to not gulp. If gulping is a problem, then I would feed grinds and nothing harder than chicken bones. I would say that chicken necks and duck necks and very small turkey necks (about 1 inch diameter or less) are ok to slightly gulp down. This is what my 30 lb dog does! You can always whack the neck with a hammer first. If you want to incorporate raw and still feed kibble and other commercial products, then I would suggest chicken, turkey or duck necks 3 times a week and then maybe a couple meals of just ground meats/organ/calcium supplement (or commercial raw). Baby back pork ribs are also easy to break so that might be an option too. Frankly, I don’t think there is anything “sharp” in a small poultry neck bone so that might be a good bone for you to use. You can also buy a large leg bone just for them to enjoy chewing on instead of eating it.

[pugmomsandy]

oceans11

There are some easy recipes in “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Karen Becker/Beth Taylor and there is a 4th edition which I just purchased. It makes for good reading too even if you don’t actually make the recipes. Anyhow, that is how I got started with homemade raw, but I use a commercial vit/min mix instead of the book’s recipe (CarnivoreRaw). Homemade is quite easy when you use a premix like CarnivoreRaw, Urban Wolf, The Honest Kitchen, Grandma Lucy’s, See Spot Live Longer. You just add the boneless meat/organs and oil (except for CarnivoreRaw, you have the choice of with or without calcium).

[mrsGHT]

Hello – I’m fairly new to this site, and only feed raw occasionally as we live in Alaska and all types of meat are very expensive. I’m looking for a way to cut the cost and increase the raw meals for both dogs. We have a 4 year old Great Pyranees (Bounder) and a 10 month old Bouvier (Raleigh). I have fed turkey drumsticks to Bounder many times and she does a great job gnawing and chewing on the bone. Raleigh has had other types of meat, and some bone. Tonight I gave him his first turkey leg – he scarfed it down, and didn’t chew the bone as well as I would have liked. Do I need to be concerned about him eating such a large chunk of bone without adequate chewing? Thank you for such a wonderful site!

[theBCnut]

I make some of my own homemade raw, but I still like getting some commercial too. Today I grabbed a container out of the freezer for their dinner, but when it came time to feed I found out that I didn’t grab what I thought I did. I had chicken necks, which 2 dogs can eat, but one can’t. I just went and grabbed a pouch of Darwin’s and floated it in water for a bit for him.

[theBCnut]

Even when I’m doing 20% I want the calcium/phosphorus at least close to balanced and I still add a vit E stabilized fish oil or oily fish.

For a dog that is entrenched in the habit of gulping it’s food, I would not feed whole bones, unless it was in something that was too big for the dog to swallow it. I would use grinds or premixes and boneless meats. That being said, I believe a dog can be trained to eat properly, but you have to be willing to take the time.

[Oceans11]

I am sure that once I become more confidant, I will be looking in to supplementing his natures variety with homemade meals because it will be more cost effective. I will be very interested in what you think of preparing their meals yourself.

[Molzy]

I’m just about to start my own raw with both the cat and our two dogs who are currently on commercial dry and canned food, but I feel more comfortable after using a commercial raw product! I would continue using natures variety if I could, but it isn’t feasible for my budget with two 40lb active dogs. For me, it helped to read the ingredients on my raw bags to see that they don’t add much. I’m going to buy a ground whole prey as well, which seems easier to balance than using parts for now.

Good luck with your puppy! I have really loved natures variety, and will continue to use it for back up food. It seems like a great company, and I’ve been very happy with the product!

[Oceans11]

I can’t tell you how relieved your response has made me feel. Thank you, thank you.

[pugmomsandy]

oceans11,

Yes a mix of Instinct and kibble and bones will do!

[Oceans11]

I appreciate the tip and will use the medallions. I have great respect and admiration for the people who are preparing their own raw dog food. I just don’t have it in me to do that at this point in life at least not right now.

[Molzy]

In my opinion, the medallions are WAY easier than the bites! My cat has been on NV for over a year. He looks great, hardly sheds. I tried the bites when they came out and don’t like them. Too many edges to get freezer burned, and harder to manage portion sizes. The medallions are all the same size, where I felt the bites didn’t always measure out the same in my measuring cup, and it was harder to split up his meals for the day. Just my opinion, but thought it might help. I’ve been very happy with the natures variety raw!

[RescueDaneMom]

I think any incorporation of raw or fresh foods is a good thing. I’ve just started adding raw to my dog’s diet. I think it’d be easier for you if you stick with the 20% rule. You can add up to 20% (by volume I think) of additional fresh foods without throwing off the balance of nutrients in commercial kibble. That way you don’t have to worry about adding extra supplements and such to make the food complete and balanced. I think it has also been said that you can feed one meal of raw and one meal of kibble and still be ok with vitamins/minerals.

I add the following things to my dog’s food (not all at the same time): lightly cooked eggs (over easy), cottage cheese, kefir, canned sardines in water, and canned pink salmon. I will also add some canned tripe by Tripett.

I also add commercial raw, either Primal or Stella and Chewy’s. Lately I’ve been using the Primal grinds (muscle meat, organs, and bone) which are not complete and balanced. If you used more than 20% of this in a meal than you would need to balance it. You can get Primal from an independent pet store. See primalpetfoods.com for more info. Also a bonus, the bones in the grinds are ground up so small that there is no hazard of choking!

If you are interested in learning more about raw food there are two books that are always recommended: “Real food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Taylor & Becker and “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown. They have recipes for raw and cooked foods. I have made one batch of raw using Taylor & Becker’s recipe. I wasn’t too difficult but I had to go to two different stores to get what I needed. It is easier for me right now to use the Primal grinds instead of making my own raw food.

In my opinion, commercial raw food is a good compromise if you don’t want to go full raw. Yes it is still processed, but very minimally and much less than kibble. It is also convenient for those that are busy or simply don’t have or want to take the time to source raw meats and make their own raw food meals from scratch.

These are just my opinions. There are others here that have way more experience than I do such as HoundDogMom, Pattyvaughn, and pugmomsandy. They may have more feedback for you.

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi there-

I have always fed mostly kibble, and will not give my dogs whole pieces of raw. Recently, I went to 50 50 dry and raw because I bought a grinder to grind up the bones. So far, everyone loves it and see to ne doing fine on it. I buy meats from various places, including butcher, market, processor etc. I found that I actually save several hundred dollar a month doing this, versus just feeding the kibble, dehydrawtd, commercial premade raw and canned that I used to.

[Oceans11]

Your Pugs are adorable! I thank you and appreciate your comments. I made the mistake of going in and reading the comments on supplements – too much information for now! If I feed our puppy Raw Instinct Bites and alternate with an all meat kibble (Fromm perhaps??) and give him a bone every 3 days or so, won’t this be enough for a happy healthy pup? Doesn’t the Raw Instinct and kibble have the right mix of all the nutrients they need?

Also, have you any experience with using Diatamacious Earth as a preventive for ear mites?

[pacer1978]

I’m sorry if these questions were already asked. There are so many posts, that I feel it may just be faster to ask instead of reading through every topic on the forum. I am mostly a kibble type since that is convenient and fast, though I do feed my dogs premium kibble: NV, NP, Earthborn Holistic, and Fromm for instance.

Here are my questions. If I do incorporate raw into their diet, how do I go about doing that? Where do you purchase this from? Is there a butcher you go through? How much does it cost typically? I have stayed away from raw thinking it would be unsanitary and very expensive. Plus, I try not to give my dogs bones since they inhale their food and seem to cough and gag a lot after eating one. My thought is that it gets stuck in their throat. Not to mention, I will come home to a pile of bile with sharp bones in the mix and that freaks me out. I’m afraid the sharp bones will do damage to them. Sometimes I will purchase the NV raw patties and freeze dried food and sprinkle or chop that up into their food, but probably don’t do it often for it to make any difference. I’m sure that their raw food is not the same anyway since it is probably still processed in some way.
I know many of you here believe 100% in the raw diet, but I remember when I first investigated it, I had read articles that didn’t support it. One lady explained how she switched to raw and her dog ended up extremely sick with contamination. Any ideas on that? I feel right now with supplements, treats, and premium kibble I am spending so much on their food as it is. I want the best for my dogs, however. I feel you shouldn’t take them on if you can’t provide for them the best you can. Who knows…maybe the raw is cheaper than what I’m spending right now. On the other hand, I’m the main person that handles the feedings in my house. I doubt on the nights I’m at school my husband will have the patients or agreeableness to feed and deal with raw food. Anyway, just looking for your thoughts on some of these questions. I always thought raw was too difficult to feed since there really isn’t a place for me to purchase this other than my grocery store. For some reason, I figured most people purchased it another way. Thanks for anyone reading!

[Oceans11]

Thank you pugdmomsandy for your thoughts. I hope our little guy doesn’t have any gastrointestinal issues. We haven’t had a puppy in a good while. Over the years we have raised many great wonderful dogs (Shepherds and Dobermans) but never a little dog. After reading so much about diets for dogs, it’s a wonder our dogs lived to ripe old ages and never had digestive problems being raised first on Purina Puppy Chow and later on Iames dry kibble. Now after doing some reading and being educated on this forum, I feel so guilty having fed our dogs the same food day in and day out. I feel like a novice dog owner now and am thankful to everyone for sharing their wisdom and making this my number one go-to web site. I have to admit that right now after trying to take everything in, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed but thankful that so much helpful information is available.

[pugmomsandy]

You can do that. In fact you can alternate anything and everything – kibble, canned, freeze dried, raw. If he’s used to change you can mix up his meals, or you can feed one type of food per meal. My boys are used to change. This morning they had some raw, canned and freeze dried together. Now I wouldn’t have done this 2 or 3 years ago. But they’re used to it now.

[Dfwgolden]

I have a 16 week old purebred Border Collie puppy out of working stock lines.
He’s an amazing pup in every way, intelligent, lively, loving, and very social.

However….

Ricky has since I got him had very loose stools. We have three other dogs two Golden Retrievers and a Chihuahua (Shh, don’t tell him I called him a dog!)
None of our other three ever had loose stools, Ricky also poops a lot!
Not like 4-5 times like some puppies do but like 8-10 times a day.

His potty training has been an extreme difficulty and is not progressing as it should.
We’ve tried changing foods and adding supplements.
He just has show no signs of improvement.

I am a big fan of the raw diet but am not currently able to feed that with my finances.
He is currently on Diamond Lamb and Rice Large breed puppy.
My other dogs eat Diamond with no problems what so ever, they have a nice shiny coat and have never been in better health.

What do I do about this? I just am all over the board here and don;t understand why he poops SO MUCH and why it is so loose.
He is 100% healthy (had a blood panel done and everything) he is on Revolution for fleas and HW.
He gets feed in the afternoon around 12:00pm and at night around 6:00pm
Then gets a small snack of food before I leave for school around 7:00am of so.

He is very active and shows know underlying issues what so ever. His coat is beautiful! No smelly breath, or itching ect.

I just am baffled.

[griam01]

Thank you all so much for your posts. We have gone through all of the ingredients and are currently trying Natural Balance Legume and Duck, but within the first meal, his ears swelled up and he dug at them continually. I continued for 2 more meals and then switched him back to Merrick Duck and Sweet potato and the ear swelling went down and he stopped digging them, but he still digs under his arms. Back to the drawing board.