[beaglemom]

HDM – I definitely agree, veggies are important for them to have. There are some that condemn anyone who puts a fruit or vegetable near a dogs mouth and I think it’s so stupid. Even if they don’t NEED them there’s still plenty of nutrition to be derived from them (properly prepared like you said) so why not?? Some people are silly… but to each his own I guess.

Betsy – I’m with you, I’d feed Darwin’s full-time if I could, I feel good about their product and it’s so convenient… only two things have driven me to look elsewhere for raw, those being the cost and the lack of variety 🙁 Shipping kills me with it coming all the way to PA…

Sandy – my dogs both threw up little pieces of bone the first time they had RMBs (duck necks). I think the other Sandy suggested the bone content of necks is pretty high compared to the meat, so feeding them with something else in the stomach could help. You said you’ve fed them before, so maybe this isn’t the issue… but I always just give my dogs a little something else (little THK, other meat, whatever) with the RMB to help “buffer” it. That being said, the pieces they threw up the first time were pretty small so I wouldn’t think they would’ve hurt anything.

[DogFoodie]

I took Sam, the money pit dog, to the vet this evening. ; ) She believes his limping is probably a pano flareup as I suspected. What I didn’t know was that the flares can happen until about the age of three. I told her I gave him turmeric when it flared, but she suggested this product from Thorne: http://www.thorne.com/Products/VeterinaryProducts/prd~V932.jsp. She said it’s actually the therapeutic dose of curcumin. I didn’t realize how much curcumin would benefit Sam’s gastrointestinal health as well as his joint health. So, I immediately ordered some and will start him on it ASAP. I’m a terrible listener sometimes, maybe someone can tell me again how inflammation affects gastrointestinal health.

Sam’s ear issue isn’t in the canal and she said she wasn’t certain if it was environmental or food related and, as I suspected, she recommended that I get him off of kibble. I had given her some of my Darwin’s once and she was like, “Wait! You don’t you have him on Darwin’s? But, that’s a beautiful product!” I had some Darwin’s thawing, so that’s what my two had for dinner tonight and I got to thinking how incredible easy it is and how confident I feel about the product, so maybe I’ll just do that after all. She asked if I was OK doing a topical steroid for a few days and I said that would be fine, as I want to nip whatever is brewing in there in the bud! So, she gave me Panalog. I need to find something more gentle than Zymox to clean his ears with ~ I used it on him one evening and the next night, his ear was very red looking so I didn’t use it and the redness subsided, but the culture she took off his ear junk had pus in it (sorry totally gross). I think the Zymox might be what caused his ear to be so raw so it basically made the problem worse.

What breaks my heart is that I’ve become a kibble hoarder and have more than 300 pounds of it on hand. You know how much that costs and I’ve spent a fortune on it. I feel like I have to use it and am not about to just donate it. So I may do half kibble, half raw until I get rid of some of it. My Cavalier will be eating Darwin’s too, and it’s not like she can eat 300 pounds of kibble very quickly anyway.

Why is this so confusing!?

I’m totally hijacking this thread and I don’t mean to! Sorry!

[gmcbogger38]

I do give fish oil because I don’t feed much fish as far as raw goes. I was giving them a probiotic I read about on this forum actually. Do you think Nupro would be worth giving to them for the skin and coat and digestive benefit or not worth the money?

[FreeholdHound]

Happy to report that since starting Harry on the Natures Logic kibble & raw mix his umm “output” has never been this good. Not 100% of the time- but drastically improved. I am thrilled with the improvement.

[Shihtzumom20]

Hi Hound Dog Mom, thats ok I have to wait on his supplements anyways! Thank you for suggesting Swanson’s I love them! Everything is so easy to find and pretty cheap! Plus the shipping to Canada is very reasonable.
Im glad you like my recipe! I will make sure to add in the liver and other organs, I was thinking I would give the raw glandular every other day, or do you think it should be every day? I found a baby food organic, its banana, sweet potato and blueberry puree, then concentrated lemon juice and absorbic acid. No artificial flavours or colours, BPA free package, they have many other fruits, vegetables single and combos. Would this be ok to use? Is the tablespoon enough? And the clacium citrate, I was wondering if I should only give it every 3 out of 4 days since the rmb (on the 5th day)will have bone in it? For the green supplement I really wanted to add in wheatgrass but I didnt find any on swansons, so I went with spirulina instead. For the flax meal how much/when should I give him? Oh and the tripett, how much of that would I give him? I can get the canned easily.
Sorry for all the questions, but I am very excited! I am finally doing it! When I really looked into the balancing it wasn’t too bad, but it did take me awhile! I do like feeding the ziwipeak in the am so I have some reassurance he is getting what he needs!

[DogFoodie]

Hi HDM,

That’s so funny you mention Darwin’s. I know you tried it and aren’t a huge fan of Darwin’s, but it is complete and balanced and has some veggies and it sure would be so much easier (although I did the math and it’ll also be a bit more expensive, too ~ maybe about .50 per pound if I remember correctly). I think I’m going a little overboard because I don’t have any reason to believe that Sam has a problem with carrots and Darwin’s has carrots in it, which was another reason why I thought I’d try Hare instead. Again, it would be easier to use the Darwin’s for sure and I am looking for simplicity.

Edit: I believe the Darwin’s was going to cost something like $4.00 per pound (which included shipping) and Hare Today was about $3.45 per pound (which included shipping).

I’m going to pick up a bag of the JJ Fud’s this weekend and check it out, but I got the impression it was more like chunks of meat rather than ground meat. They don’t advertise, it’s made locally in a USDA FSIS facility so there’s no shipping and it ends up running somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.50 per pound (but, I do need to do more checking on the prices). I only saw bone listed in the duckling variety ~ which I would probably not use because my guys do not do well on duck. I think it must be complete and balanced, but tell me what you think.

Here are the ingredients for the beef variety: Beef Tender Chucks Beef, Beef organ meat (Heart, Liver, Kidney, Tripe) Fresh Whole Eggs, carrots, celery, Sweet potato, Flax seed, Calcium, Dicalcium Phosphate, CholineCloride, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Suppliment, Vitamin B-12 Suppliment, Niacin, Iron Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A, Acetate, Copper Sulfate, Pyridozine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Manganous Oxide, Calsiom Iodate, Biotin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement Sodium Selenite.

A funny edit: I just talked to my mom on the phone and she said that I should get a grinder, etc… I laughed because that’s totally not something I want to get into, but also because she used to be afraid that if Sam ate raw he would somehow become cannabalistic and want to eat Bella. Boy, she’s come a long way for someone who’s almost 80. : ) Then, she reminded me that we have a friend whose son-in-law is a butcher. Now, she tells me. @@

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by DogFoodie.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by DogFoodie.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Shihtzumom –

I must have somehow missed your previous posts, I just saw them today.

Because Dawson is getting the Ziwipeak for one meal a day I wouldn’t get overstressed about whether or not his raw meals are completely balanced – any minor deficiencies will likely be covered by the Ziwipeak. Your recipe looks really good! If you were to feed 1/4 tin of sardines per week, in addition to the cod liver oil, his DHA/EPA needs should be covered. If you can’t get him to eat fruits and vegetables this should be okay seeing as he is getting a green superfood supplement (just make sure to rotate ingredients often). You may, however, want to add an ingredient with some fiber for the meals where he’s not getting bone if he’s not eating fruits and veggies either – some flax meal would work and it would also have the added benefit of helping to balance the fats in his predominantly chicken diet. I would still include a small amount of organ meat in the diet even though he’s getting the glandular supplement. I would suggest about an ounce or an ounce and a half of liver every week and an ounce or an ounce and a half of kidney (or another organ, if you can get it). If you’re concerned about his weight and want to keep fat levels low 95% lean should be okay, I wouldn’t go any leaner than that though. You could also use heart and gizzard as part of his muscle meat component – very lean and also pretty cheap. The only other suggestion I would make is to incorporate some nuts or seeds occasionally (I like sprouted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia or flax) and possibly a few canned oysters as well. The nuts/seeds will provide trace nutrients such as manganese and the oysters are rich in copper and zinc. You should also add a very small amount of salt. This aren’t additions that need to be made daily, but occasionally to help fill the gaps. Variety is key.

[DogFoodie]

You know, you’re making me think I need to check into another local source I have before I jump into Hare Today grinds. There’s a local butcher that has been in my town for years and years and I noticed a while back when I was poking around in the freezers at the pet store that they make their own “chunk” dog food. They don’t have a website, but here are some links I found online about them:

http://www.fluffydog.net/product.sc?productId=138

http://www.joeyspetoutfitters.com/News/tabid/67/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/446/New-JJ-Fuds-raw-diets.aspx

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by DogFoodie.

[beaglemom]

Hi again FreeholdHound!
Like you I’m not super impressed with his menu but feel the prices can’t be beat (plus no shipping). I started off with a box of the Chick/Turk/Lamb Medley since my dogs don’t have a lot of lamb in their diet but wish I hadn’t… I just wish he wouldn’t combine so many proteins in those medleys. I mean BeeTurDuckenLamb? A little overboard. But anyway, the veggies are ONLY collard greens… which is minimal compared to most other premade raws. Plus he does have whole ground chicken and whole ground duck by itself (no veggies). I don’t know. I’m going to try him again next month one more time (with some “simpler” items… no blends) just because like you, it would nice to have a local supplementary source for raw (no shipping cost is a huge plus). At this point I’m still thinking Darwin’s and Hare are going to remain my primary raw sources though.

[NectarMom]

Sounds like you are in good shape with your dog then. I am super Jealous. I wish I had a Raw Company available locally for my 4 girls. Shipping is killer but worth the health benefits and no other option for me. My girls love Tripe , good luck to you and your canine buddy.

[FreeholdHound]

Wow. Sent an email for info & received immediate reply- nice. Said I can just stop in and buy whatever I want. This could be my convenience store for raw food. The tripe patties would be the ultimate convenience (laziness). I will have to study the menu in detail

[pugmomsandy]

If you went back to kibble and still offered some raw for a couple meals that would still be better than no raw. As far a supplements go, kibbles are “complete and balanced” but I still give additional fish oil, super green foods, probiotics.

[Shihtzumom20]

They already shipped them out yay!! They were really fast! Now its a waiting game. Would anyone be able to tell me if I should use 90% or 95% ground chicken? And how my recipe holds up? Thanks!

[gmcbogger38]

Do you think adding a supplement will be necessary since they will be getting kibble? Or will they get enough from the raw I would be feeding?

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi gmcbogger38 –

I completely understand – I’m a full time student as well and I feed my two bloodhounds raw, it does get pricey and also time consuming. If buying in bulk isn’t possible it would be fine to feed half kibble and half raw and no that would not make you a terrible dog owner. Your dogs would still be eating better than most other dogs. I would look into some more budget friendly kibble options, Orijen is great but I don’t think it would be a good way to cut costs – it’s ridiculously priced. I’d recommend checking out Earthborn or Dr. Tim’s – both rated 5 stars and much cheaper than Orijen. If you did kibble in the morning, then in the evening you could do say a turkey neck and some turkey hearts or a chicken back/gizzards/livers/raw egg or some green tripe, etc.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Tripe naturally has a balanced 1:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio – it’s the only boneless meat that does. Feeding tripe three times a week is perfectly fine. My Gertie and Mabel currently get raw green tripe three days were week and when Gertie was a puppy and on THK she got a can of Tripett daily.

[InkedMarie]

Betsy, it kind of depends what kind of raw you want to feed, prey model with just meat/bone or a barf type of diet. I have a group on fb that is strictly prey model. They know what variety I feed, while they don’t agree with it, they respect my choice.

Tracy may be right about the veggies; if I could afford to feed Boone just Hare stuff, I’d be curious to see if the paw licking stopped.

[gmcbogger38]

Ok, so I currently feed a prey model raw diet to my 3 dogs and they are doing great on it and their teeth are getting so clean it is amazing. Well, one of my dogs wouldn’t eat her raw and this went on for 3 days. I know I should have given her some more time and made her eat the raw, but I decided to just buy a small bag of Orijen kibble just so she would eat something. Of course, she ate the kibble no problem. I love feeding raw, but the fact is it is costing me more money right now because I don’t have a separate freezer to buy in bulk like I would need to to make it cheaper for 3 dogs. If I decided to put my dogs back on kibble and gave them a raw meaty bone 2-3 times per week or so, would that make me a terrible dog owner? lol. I want the benefit of cleaning their teeth, but I’m going broke because of it due to my current situation. I am also a full time college student and work a full time job, so I barely have time to go buy the food and then bag it all up for the week and a half that it lasts (that’s all I can fit in my freezer/fridge at the moment).

[DogFoodie]

Thanks Patty!

That sounds like a good idea. I get a little wiggy about my raw foods sometimes. I’ll have it thawing and then suddenly look in the fridge and wonder to myself, “Now just exactly how long has this stuff be in here?” I do the same thing with human food.

[DogFoodie]

Hey Marie,

I was definitely thinking that Sam’s ear could be environmental and yes, it’s been very humid lately. I fell asleep last night while I was starting to post this whole thing and believe it’s there where I had mentioned that I almost felt that a total switch to raw might be jumping the gun. I like to do some raw, but really do not want to have to do it full time.

[InkedMarie]

Betsy: is it humid where you are? Boone has been fine, ear wise, for years, til this year. Now, he’s had an ongoing ear infection, bacteria & yeast. Pretty sure it’s from the humidity.

Good luck on the raw! Steve ometimes has to feed the dogs & he thinks Hare is a pain, lol. It’s easier to flip a Darwin’s into the bowl.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Unfortunately I had all my bookmarks wiped out but there was someone who posted a link to a study that was done of many top pet probiotic brands and it was found that many didn’t have the number of cfu’s that the package claimed or as many strains as was claimed. I’d be careful with pet products. I personally just give my dogs kefir every day and raw green tripe a few days a week rather than spending money on supplements.

[beaglemom]

Freehold – I often browse Hare Today’s website every other day… frequently every day. lol. I just got an order yesterday but am already planning the next. I love looking too!

Betsy – excellent question, and I can’t wait to read the responses. Sorry I’m no help, but I’m in a similar boat as you where I think one of my dogs needs to go on full raw pretty soon due to allergy issues. It’s interesting Tracy said grinds aren’t necessary all the time because isn’t that what Darwin’s basically is? Unless Tracy’s have more bone than Darwin’s… not sure, but glad you asked this nonetheless.

[DogFoodie]

Good Morning guys!

I have a Hare Today question for you all. : )

Although I wish I didn’t have to (because of the cost and inconvenience), I’m thinking that I should switch my Golden boy, Sam, to all raw. Sam has developed another ear infection while eating a kibble he’s always done great on before. In addition to the infection in his right ear, he has a weepy right eye and what appears to be a pano flare up in his right front leg. I thought it seemed very coincidental that everything was happening on the right side of his body – so I really can’t say these symptoms are all food related; but, these are his only symptoms. His coat is beautiful, no paw licking, no scratching, no smell, etc. I really wanted to do kibble and have amassed a giant stash of it that I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on, much of which is going to end up being donated or given away to friends. : ( I’m taking Sam to the holistic vet tomorrow to see if there’s something more going on and suspect she’ll also encourage me to do raw full time.

So, yesterday, I exchanged a few emails with Tracy at Hare Today who was very helpful. I’d like to try their products to eliminate carbohydrates as much as possible. I’m starting Sam back on Darwin’s today and want to get a Hare Today order ready so that I receive it before I run out of the Darwin’s.

I initially wanted to use the grinds all the time, but Tracy said that not every meal needed to include bone and organs. She also suggested a boneless meal for the second meal of the day when I give Sam a turkey neck as one of his two meals. I need to keep the process as utterly simple as possible. I don’t want to have more than one kind of product thawing at a time because I know I’ll end up with waste that I’ll throw out if I do that. I have more time in the evening, but mornings are very hectic in that I have to have everyone out of the house and be on my way to work by 7:15 AM.

So, what would you guys suggest as the absolutely easiest “menu” option for feeding Hare Today exclusively? Between Sam and my Cavalier, Bella, they’ll be eating just under two pounds total per day. They’ll continue to get chicken and turkey necks several times per week. The only protein they don’t do well on is duck.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[jamie_aa]

HDM…

Ok i think now i am switching my food choice again… Please Help me! I was going to do a mix between petcurean and Fromm thinking it would be the best for my puppy, but again the more I read the more I am learning. You have so many to choose from on your list so I wanted to see what your top five choices might be? I will be adding 20% percent of my homemade raw diet to it a day. Again I will have a Saint Bernard 8 weeks old puppy and i just want her to have a great start on life. I just dont want to be spending a lot on a bag of dog food “Petcurean”, if there is an even better one out there that i could be giving her for the same price of even cheaper. I am willing to order the food online if i have to….

[pugmomsandy]

Here’s an article with meat & bone info for raw feeders:

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/bone-food-values-for-raw-feeding-dogs/

I haven’t seen the charts you mentioned either!

[Shihtzumom20]

switched up the whole food supplement a bit, now its spirulina powder, turmeric powder and alfalfa leaf powder, I ordered all my supplements from swansons and really liked it! I hope they get it shipped ok! I should get it in a couple weeks and then can start feeding raw!

[FreeholdHound]

I just received the Swanson’s DE also. I have been throwing 1 pill into Harry’s AM kibble meal. Evidently he doesn’t like the taste – the 1st day he scarfed down all the food & left the DE pill in the bowl. I now break it up w/a spoon & throw it in. He hasn’t noticed it. He’s 83lbs so I give him 1/day. His PM meal is a kibble/raw mix usually containing tripe so I don’t feel I need to add it then.

[pugmomsandy]

Here is a vet that does phone consultations. I’m sure there are others out there but I wanted to mention her since she just came down to Texas for a week long visit doing housecalls. She’s really good and knows homeopathics and herbs. I found her through my local raw feeding group.

Consultations

[theBCnut]

That’s what I’ve been told too, that the difference is organic vs. nonorganic.

[InkedMarie]

TopDog: when I asked Darwins about the Zoologics ingredients, they said they were the same as the Natural Selections except the NS has the organic stuff & other meat. I feed the Zoologics and if I had to guess, I’d think it was a 5 star rating as well. I feed it for a third of my dogs meals and feel very good that I do.

[Shihtzumom20]

oops forgot the veggies, because Dawson hates them I’m not sure what to do, he doesn’t even like fruit really. I think I will add in like a tablespoon of veggie/fruit baby food and if he will eat that then make up a veggie mix of sweet potatoe, bananas. carrots, any fruit thats on sale, kale, cook/steam it puree and put it in ice cube trays and give him one or two ice cubes per dinner, depending on how well he eats it either every day or with his grind only not rmb day. Oh and I was thinking of adding an extra small rmb with an am meal after his ziwipeak, I guess that would depend on how well he is keeping his weight?

[Shihtzumom20]

Hello Everyone,
So I have decided to take the plunge and make homemade raw for Dawsons pm meal! He will still get ziwipeak in the morning, for a couple reasons one its convenient mornings tend to be pretty busy! And I like their quality of meats so I think it is important Dawson gets it. He is getting the lamb variety so I think I will mostly use chicken for his dinner, but I may switch it up for beef every now and again as a treat.
Here is what my menu looks like, HDM could you take time to check how balanced it is I would greatly appreciate it!
So every am Dawson gets ziwipeak air-dried lamb. 1 ounce
pm- (3 ounces totatl) 90%-95% lean ground chicken, 200mg calcium citrate, ¼ tsp Carlson Cod Liver Oil, ½ capsule vitamin E, ½ tsp of organic wheatgrass powder+ organic kelp powder+ organic turmeric powder (mixed together in equal parts), Raw multiple Glandular supplement
*NOTE* Every 4 days Dawson consumes 1 pound of meat. On the 5th day he will get an rmb, either chicken wing with no skin (want to keep the fat fairly minimal) or beef/pork rib equaling three ounces.
Every pm meal for supplements he will get his (minimal lol) whole food supplement, and the calcium citrate but NOT on rmb night. Only 2x per week he will get 1/2 capsule vit E, and twice every 4 days he will get 1/4 tsp Carlson cod Liver oil.
I wasnt sure if I should include some liver/organ in his meal since he gets the ziwipeak in the morning and it has organs, I was hoping the raw glandular supplement would take care of that? I was also unsure what I should get for the chicken, I dont want a lot of fat since Shih tzu’s are prone to obesity and we are heading into fall/winter lol! I decided to use the cod liver oil for his vitamin d for now till I get used to it, but then I may try to give more variety using keifer, raw eggs etc.
I also want to add canned trippett, and 1/4 tin of sardines in the four day period. I think by using both the cod liver oil and sardines he would meet his omega 3 requirements and not need krill oil. But if thats wrong I will get the krill oil too! I want to take it anyways so I will have it on hand. I cant access the canned tripett website today. My computer wont let me into it, could you tell me how much and when I should I add it in?
Well how did I do? Please let me know if anything is in excess, missing or unnecessary!

[topdog]

Thanks for your input guys

[topdog]

InkedMarie I compared the prices of Darwins Zoologics and Darwins Natural Selections to Bravo Balanced at nearest store carrying Bravo and here’s what I came up with:
Bravo Balanced Blend averaging the cost of 3 meats (turkey, chicken and beef) Price $4.64/lb
Darwins Zoologics averaging the cost of 3 meats (turkey, chicken and beef) Price $4.50/lb
Darwins Natural Selections averaging the cost of 3 meats (turkey, chicken and beef) Price $5.28/lb
Not a huge difference $ wise between Darwins NS and Bravo BB when you consider the convenience of home delivery and the gas not wasted.
Both Darwins Natural Selections and Bravo Balanced Blend are rated 5 stars at DFA but the Zoologics is not rated at all :((
The NS list of ingredients aside from the meat are: Organic Vegetables (29.3%): Squash, Yams, Beets, Zucchini, Celery, Romaine, Parsley, Apple Cider Vinegar. (Vegetables may vary based on seasonality.)
Special Nutrient Mix (2.2%): Bonemeal, Organic Hempseed Oil, Iodized Salt, Inulin (Extract of Chicory), Manganese and Zinc Amino Acid Chelates, Vitamin E.
They don’t list the ingredients for Zoologics

[FreeholdHound]

Oops ! Just realized I totally misread the post. My Bad – sorry

[InkedMarie]

I second Sandys Natures Logic. I was surprised at how small it is. I do agree with Patty about canned and also, pre made raw and dehydrated. Grandma Lucy’s is chunky, the Honest Kitchen is smoother.

[InkedMarie]

Top dog: your price depends on ow much you buy of wht protein. Chicken is the cheapest, beef most expensive (of the Zoologics). It also depends how much you buy at one time. You get a discount if you buy at least 40 pounds. If you buy 100 pounds every month, you get another discount.

For me, where I live, to buy the exact same amount of proteins from Primal, Stella & Chewys or Bravo was more by at least $15 and I had to drive to buy it.

If you buy Bravo Balance, it’s complete & balanced. If you buy the other bravo, you need to add to it, it tells you on the website what to add.

[topdog]

Yes actually I have and did order the trial. I will be receiving it tomorrow. However after first shipment price goes to $5.25/lb which is about $1 more per lb avg than others. Thanks

[InkedMarie]

Topdog: have you looked at Darwin’s? It gets shipped to you. I find it cheaper than any other pre made raw. They have a nice trial size, you’ll have to ign up for auto delivery but one phone call can cancel it. You can customize your orders, get any proteins you want in the mounts you want. It looks like real meat,compared to the rest, IMO.

[weezerweeks]

I was adding raw fruits and veggies when he was in dry but his PH was8.5 with crystals so I switched to canned and the vet told me not to add to this. His PH is still 8.5 but no crystals.should I try whole food supplements? I want his PH to get lower!

[topdog]

Thanks, from what I’ve found I agree. Of the 3 I have found locally Bravo seems to be the most economical but nearest store where its sold is 30 miles away. Am currently feeding the Nature’s Variety. NV and Primal are available at nearby store. Had a terrible experience with the NV duck which may have been NV or stores fault not sure which. Since it’s rated 4.5 versus Bravo 5 was wondering if the trip is worth it.

[FreeholdHound]

Topdog: it depends on where you live & what’s available in store. The only 5 star I used w/ success was Victor , & loved it. No stores carry it in the NE but found one online w/ good prices & shipping. Merrick is available in stores but my dog didn’t do well on it. Their Whole Earth Farm line was always something I wanted to use for its quality & price, but couldn’t. I’m using Natures Logic (getting online) not the cheapest but its working for us.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I would say the least expensive pre-made commercial raw food would be Bravo Balance.

[topdog]

Where did this topic take a wrong turn? Lol

[pugmomsandy]

I would just use the commercial grinder and get a refund on the smaller one! I grind poultry and pork ribs in my grinder as far as bones go. I like the 10 mm grinder plate best. The stuff comes out more like chili meat size instead of mostly mush.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_5170952x1024_zpsec466d4d.jpg

[theBCnut]

As much as you can, give your dogs one big chunk of meat. That gives your dog some chewing satisfaction and it is really good for their teeth. But you have to make sure that your dog will actually chew and gnaw on it instead of just trying to wolf it down. If they are going to insist on swallowing it whole then you have to think about whether or not grinding is the thing to do.

[Colorado huntress]

See Spot Live Longer looks really good AND economical (thanks Patty!) – was surprised how inexpensive it is…

[Colorado huntress]

You just made my day 🙂 we just bought a 1 hp commercial grade meat grinder from Cabelas (on sale for $550 – had gift cards :)) to use on big game this year rather than drive an hour to have it processed by someone else – the thing is huge, so I bought a smaller hand grinder for the dogs, but sounds like I might not need it? I would prefer doing chunks….haven’t used it yet, what do you think?

[theBCnut]

Don’t grind it if you don’t have to, give it in chunks. Yes, freezer burn is ok.