[Jennifer H]

Sooo…this is the menu I’ve drawn up for next month for Toby’s raw diet. Would anyone care to check it over and see if I’m good for calcium/phos, vits/mins? I try to stick to the meat being in the PMR range, but I add veggies and supplements as well to balance everything out.
Toby weighs 13lbs, although I think he should weigh a bit less. The morning mixes consist of ground whole prey (Hare Today), with added cooked/pureed veggies (varies according to season availability, but usually consists of a base of pumpkin, spinach, parsley, sweet potato, berries and I add an 8oz can of Oyster for manganese) and added egg. I mix up as much meat as I would need for all 4 weeks, then add half that amount in veggies, and then 2 eggs w/ shells from my backyard flock.
He also gets .5oz of veggies in the evening. (I make a big batch and then portion into ice cube trays.)

His organs consist of 2lb beef liver, 1lb chicken liver, 2lb beef kidney, and 1lb beef pancreas that were ground and mixed together and then portioned into ice cube trays for ease of use.

AM
Monday – 2.5 oz Tripe Mix
Tuesday – 2.5oz Llama Mix
Wednesday – 2.5oz Rabbit Mix
Thursday – 2.5oz Tripe Mix
Friday – 2.5oz Llama Mix
Saturday – 2.5oz Rabbit Mix
Sunday – 2.5oz Mutton Mix
PM
(Meals total roughly 3oz)
Monday – Skinless Chicken Neck, Chicken Gizzard, .5oz Organ
Tuesday – Chicken Foot, Beef Heart
Wednesday – Goat, Sardine, Beef Gullet
Thursday – Duck Neck, Turkey Gizzard, .5oz Organ
Friday – Chicken Back Piece, 1oz Organ
Saturday – Cornish Hen Wing, Goat, .5oz Organ
Sunday – Goat, Sardine, Beef Gullet

His supplements are as follows –

MORNING – 1/2 TSP Missing Link Skin and Coat – Daily
15 IU Vit E – Daily
Carlson Low A Cod Liver Oil – Daily
2tsp Kefir – Daily
Fish Oil – Mon, Wed, Fri
Coconut Oil – Tues, Thurs

EVENING – 1/2 TSP ONP Daily Greens – Daily
15 IU Vitamin E – Daily
2tsp Kefir – Daily

I’m also looking at adding k9 Natural Health Skin and Coat to his evening meal as well….but only at half dose or less (their doses seem extremely high).

Does this look okay? I’m learning all the time, and hoping to create a nice varied but balanced diet for Toby. He loves his raw, and he’s done so well on it.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Jennifer H.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Jennifer H.

[Anonymous]

http://www.embracepetinsurance.com/blog/harmful-side-animal-sourced-dog-chews
http://www.embracepetinsurance.com/pet-care/dangers-of-rawhide

They are junk, treated with toxic chemicals, imo

Also, listen to what the homeopathic vets have to say, some of it makes sense
http://vitalanimal.com/natural-dental-prevention/
I give my dogs an occasional frozen beef marrow bone to chew on, however, these are not without risk. They can chip a tooth, and one of my dogs had to go to the emergency vet because of abdominal pain and vomiting, x-ray showed calcified material in her colon and stomach, luckily it passed.

A raw carrot is a good treat. But don’t be alarmed if you see carrot chunks in their feces….they don’t digest veggies well.

[q m]

No…no raw pork. I was feeding my dog Eagle Pack, and the vet told us that was NOT good because it contains pork.

Also, i see a lot of the chewables are of pork (rawhides, ears, etc). What is the consensus on these pork items? So far, I’ve stuck with beef chewables, from what the Vet said about pork.
My dog has been eating the Iams adult dry food for the last 2 years with no known issues…only rated a 3 of 5 here.
Thanks
QM

[K-Rae]

SO I posted my question two years ago…March 2013….We have been on raw ever since. We continued on with the chicken, started feeding less of it to the dogs effected with excessive urination and it totally went away. We feed a lot of chicken and turkey still since we now have 7 dogs, and have never encountered the problem again. So my best guess is that it was their systems getting in check with a proper raw diet.

[InkedMarie]

AJ A,
look at Hare Today and Reel Raw Dog. Both offer grinds (no produce) and whole meats and bones. It’s what I buy for raw.

[theBCnut]

There have been some reports that some dogs can’t handle processed pork fat. If your dog doesn’t have an issue, I wouldn’t worry about it.

My dogs eat pork regularly, however it’s raw pork. Commercially raised pork has next to no danger of Trichinosis anymore, because of the practices used when raising it. Pork that is raised more humanely needs to be frozen at 0 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 2 weeks before feeding it raw, I freeze for longer, just because I always lose it in the bottom of the freezer.

[Bobby dog]

Hi g m:
Were you feeding raw pork?

[AJ A]

By the way. I have tried Primal and Natures Variety Instinct, over $100 still sitting in my freezer. If I think about raw meat I expect to see raw food and not a paste looking mushy something once defrosted. Also the smell is anything else than close to raw meat.
The only real raw food I found is Darwin’s. It was all real meat, unfortunately the meat was ground and dogs should get at least little chunks to satisfy their way of eating. Darwin’s uses 10% veggies in their food and veggies should not be offered to dogs as well. They don’t hurt but their body is not designed to digest veggies. Dogs are carnivores and their body is all made for eating whole carcasses, skin, feathers, fur, organs, in other words the whole prey. On their menu you can sometimes find some wild berries and grass, assisting in digestive disorders.When you see a dog eating grass he has an upset stomach.

[AJ A]

I just found the cause of the excessive urinating in dogs after feeding raw organic chicken. Please check out this link:
http://www.cookinglight.com/m/eating-smart/nutrition-101/sodium-in-chicken

I will certainly stop feeding this kind of chicken for my dogs as we speak and myself as well. I always asked myself why chicken meat contains all this liquid. WOW, I spent all this money for organic certified chicken for my dogs and was feeding high amounts of sodium. Thats just wrong!!!
.

[AJ A]

Thanks for all your opinions and experiences, I am glad I received replies.
I won’t ever go back to kibble EVER.
And I don’t run to the Vet all the time. I am organic myself since 15 yrs and haven’t seen a doctor since. Not even once!
I use common sense and needed to see if my case was only happening to my pup. As I can see it is definitely the water in the meat. Thats why they dont need to drink as much water as they do with kibble. Today I controlled a little the water intake and he pees less often, but still bigger spots than before and specially after feeding the chicken. He is doing just fine and has top energy, his coat started shining and it is growing faster than it was 1 month ago.
Before I switched to raw I did a deep education to be prepared, asking raw feeding breeders all over from Australia to Germany, checked everything online and started to understand that raw diet should not contain veggies neither grains like the BARF diet.. Wolves dont get a complete balanced diet everyday, neither do we and certainly they wont be searching for carrots, spinach and grains in their habitat. They receive the fermented enzymes from the digested food of their prey’s tripe, thats the good stuff, thats what they will eat first, thats where lots of balanced nutrients are.
When starting a raw diet with puppies (especially small breed) you best start with chicken, because low fat and easier digested than ground beef. Because I tried both, beef (grass fed 95%lean) and chicken. He regurgitated the whole ground beef everytime he ate it. He never did with the chicken. The wing helps cleaning his teeth and he gets supplements from the core of the bone and calcium.1 egg a week for breakfast. I give bone meal since he does not yet get enough bones in his food yet. Once he is used to the chicken and wings/necks I will start to join some liver and heart and green tripe little by little to not upset his digestion. Than we will do the same with duck, lamb and rabbit including organ and muscle meat as well. Of course a meaty bone everyday or 3 times a week.
Once established his likes than we can start feeding 1 day chicken, next duck and so on. I forgot the fish. Some fresh fish once a week is important as well.
I think probiotics , enzymes and clay are a must have in the kitchen. So is ionic silver and therapeutic grade essential oils like geranium, peppermint, frankincense and lemon. When they get lose stool some clay with enzymes/probiotics and diarrhea is cleared.
I use ionic silver to disinfect drinking water, once in a while internal against parasites and to clear my Shih Tzu’s eyes (14yrs). He suffers dry eyes and since he is on raw diet as well since 2 weeks his dry eye symptoms are already totally gone!! Yeahhhh! Now I hope to see changes in his coat like color and softness. His constant fear should disappear as well and his appetite should get better and better. I really hope to gain some more years of his company. I love him so much and hope we can gain back as much health as he has lost due to those bad kibble diet. He lost some of his hair on his back and I truly hope the high protein intake will fix most of his problems.
I stopped using vaccines on my Shih Tzu since 10yrs, neither I believe in spaying/neuter dogs. My pup received vaccines from her Vet, he won’t ever receive any other vaccines in his life. I dont believe it does any good, not for pets and neither for humans. Build up a healthy immune system and eat organic food and you will be fine!!! Same for dogs. THEY ARE DOGS NOT HUMANS!!! THEY DESERVE TO EAT HOW NATURE DESIGNED THEM TO.

[aimee]

Hi Losul,

The physiology behind it is the same reasoning as with people; urea is a solute. From Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats ” For example, higher protein and/or mineral content of food may increase the solute load and subsequent degree of water consumption and urine production” From Applied Veterinary Clinical Nutrition in regards to patients with renal compromise: “Modified protein diets can help diminish the degree of polyuria and polydipsia because less solute is delivered to the kidneys in the form of proteinaceous wastes.”

There could be other factors as well. I’d think it reasonable that with a raw meat based diet you would have less water loss via feces than a commercial kibble diet.

Yes absolutely, low protein diets ( much lower than AAFCO) will cause dilute urine. The reason again is solute load. In this case is it so low that the concentration gradient in the kidney isn’t maintained.

[losul]

Aimee, I tried a search on “protein dehydrating” and “protein dehydrating in dogs” all I came up with was an article or two pertaining to humans and high consumption of protein.

It’s interesting though that I found this article, that said this;

“Other potential factors behind polydipsia and polyuria are low protein diets,”

http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/urinary/c_multi_polydipsia_polyuria

K-Rae, I couldn’t come up with much info on the ingredients in carnivora.ca from their website, not sure, but I get the feeling from reading on it that they are against any carbs in the food? Regardless, I would be trying a different raw diet, and don’t be afraid to to use a good balanced one that does include some moderate carbs, they might do much better on it. It could be that your dogs are still drinking in excess as part of a learned/ingrained behavior from dry food days. I agree with the others though that this polyuria should be reason for concern, and should be investigated further. Seeking vet care/tests would be best, but you could at least do a phone consultation with a vet that knows raw feeding, and then go from there.

AJ, you CANNOT feed your 12 week old puppy nothing but chicken breast and wings, if that’s what you are saying. He will DEFINITELY have malnutrition disorders if you do so, and I would strongly suggest getting him back on a complete and balanced diet.

[DogFoodie]

Hi AJ,

I’d also take a look at the raw threads in the forum because the diet you’re currently feeding doesn’t sound properly balanced. Are you also feeding some organ meats?

[Bobby dog]

Hi AJ:
If I observed my dog urinating more often the first thing I would do is take him in for a check-up. However, I also have another thought on the subject. I don’t feed a prey model diet, but I do feed some commercial raw. The increase in urination could be from the extra moisture content of his new diet. Maybe someone else will have some thoughts for you as well.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know much about raw diets. But, I am wondering if some of the dry food/kibble (even good quality) have a high sodium content. A decrease in sodium might lead to an increase in urination, I think.

[AJ A]

I am having the same probems, not sure if it is a problemem or just occuring because feeding raw chicken breast?
Anakin, Lhasa Apso puppy of 12 weeks today
I switched from holistic Fromm kibble to raw diet 2 weeks ago. Today we are on all raw chicken breast and 1 chickenwing a day. The poop is kinda lose but not running and only a tiny poop 1 or sometimes twice a day. He eats quite a lot, 2x times a day, and he eats it within 1 minute.
Now his pee is just a lot. They seem like lakes. On kibble he peed yellow and normal quantities. But now the pee is clear and just a lot of pee. He does not drink more water. Kinda concerned if this is good or not. On kibbles he pees as expected, so kidneys are ok.
Anyone can help me here?

[simmy]

Today I prepared my own raw dog food. Everything was okay but that kidney odor is killing me. I know that white part in the kidney is the source. Should I remove that part or grind it completely? Is any nutrition in there?

Do commercial raw food companies add that part into their food or remove it?

[Rhonda L]

Thanks so much everyone! Sounds like there isn’t one single way to go about it, but lots of good options if applied with a heavy dose of common sense. I’m especially glad to see the suggestions about topping a quality kibble with raw/canned/freeze dried. I had read a few comments in other threads about potential bloat problems with toppers, but it sounds like that’s not a big concern. I appreciate the expertise and time in replying! It’s reassuring!

[Terry G]

Hi theBCnut! I’ve never fed my dogs the Blue brand of foods & I don’t plan to change from the “Small Batch” raw foods I use, but I had a woman tell me last month that Purina is the company that instigated all the law suits against Blue & she thinks they are just trying to harm the Blue brand ~ that there really isn’t a quality problem with Blue, there’s a profit & popularity problem as far as Purina is concerned. Do you think there is any truth to that? Thanks!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Rhonda:
How often you rotate is up to your pup. Some do well rotating brands frequently, some need a longer transition period. My dog can eat different foods for each meal with no issues whatsoever.

I feed about half a meal of kibble topped with either canned, fresh foods, or commercial raw freeze dried or frozen. His kibble is the most constant out of the rotation. He will eat one brand/recipe of a smaller bag until it’s finished, about a month. Then I switch to another brand with a different protein and carb source. All other foods change with every meal or every few days for canned food.

Sounds like you’re set for your pup’s treat menu! For commercial raw my dog does well on Stella & Chewy freeze dried Chicken, Pheasant, Venison, or Duck, Duck, Goose, Primal freeze dried Turkey & Sardine, Primal frozen Venison, Nature’s Variety Instinct freeze dried Lamb, Nature’s Variety Instinct frozen beef, lamb, or venison.

Here’s a few DFA articles on rotation and info to help you choose a commercial raw food:
/frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/
/choosing-dog-food/raw-dog-food-fat/
/best-dog-foods/raw-dog-food/

[theBCnut]

When you are just starting a rotational diet you need to take it slowly. Choose a food you like and slowly transition to it and then go choose the next food you want to try. When you get near the end of the first bag, start mixing in the new one. Start out with changing monthly, then as your dog gets used to rotating, you can decide to rotate more frequently or keep it at monthly. You can also add canned, fresh, freeze dried, or whatever as toppers and change those more often.

I rotate kibbles weekly and feed half raw, which I change daily, but everyone does it differently.

[Rhonda L]

New to the forum, and loving all of the great info here. We rescued a precious little doggie about 2 weeks ago, and want to transition him to a great diet. Best guess, he’s a cockapoo, but others have guessed Maltese, along with other assorted possibilities. He’s 2 years old and about 17 pounds. Would love info about frozen, freeze-dried, air-dried foods. Not sure I’m knowledgeable enough yet to go totally homemade raw. Have a dehydrator and have made some tasty treats… beef and chicken livers, sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas, apples, etc. plus some pumpkin/peanut butter/rolled oats no-bake balls. Am interested in a rotational diet, but don’t know how to go about it… rotate daily, weekly, monthly, AM/PM. What’s the best way to go about designing a rotational diet for my sweet boy… and anything else I need to know to pamper a formerly tossed-to-the-curb angel?

[Cleo]

I’ve been giving my 4 mini Schnauzers cut up Raw Carrots or bits of Apple (no seeds!) But I just bought a bag of Zuke’s Mini Natural bits! They absolutely love the taste! I hope they’re not bad for them, I think Dog Food Advisor recommends them? Please never give them anything from Purina! Ingredients come from China! Milk Bone are bad, too! *puppy hugs! 🙂

[DogFoodie]

Charlee Bear treats were created by Steve Brown, a highly respected expert on raw feeding and canine nutrition. Steve is the author of Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet and has made contributions to this site. If you have questions about his products, shoot him an email. He’s very responsive.

[Susan]

Hi Sally, I’d say who ever owned her before you has let her lick human plates & bowls & has probably feed her left overs from their plate, she probably even had a biscuit dipped in coffee, When I first rescued Patch he wouldn’t eat kibble either but he has health problems, IBD, kibble gives him pain, he too can’t eat water foods like stews, he brings them back up…..
Your girl may never eat kibble or dog tin foods, she has had a taste of good food fresh human food, If I owned her I would be googling some easy to make dog recipes, then make the meal all up & then you freeze them in little containers & take out the night before & put in fridge…there’s even places that cook meals for dogs, the ladies on this group may know some names of home cooked meals for dogs in America as I’m in Australia, I did have the name of a few in America but I can’t find the links..
I get 1 kilo turkey breast mince (grounded) mix in 1 egg & I make little bite size rissoles, you roll the turkey breast mince into little bite size balls & put the little balls on a baking tray, they bake in about 15mins, then I freeze them all, they thaw in about 15-20mins when left out on bench, you can feed the turkey rissoles as treats or I put some in the blender add some boiled pumkin that I have thawed out & some sweet potates that I have also thawed out…once a fortnight I boil half a butternut pumkin cut into pieces & freeze, I also freeze sweet potato, I have boiled rice frozen in the freezer aswell…there’s a few cook books that are balanced diets & real easy to make, google Lew Olson, Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs her book cost about $12 online, it has real easy recipes too follow & are balanced…I cooked for my last dog & I never balanced her meals & she was so healthy, shinny coat, she had all her teeth, her teeth were still nice & white at the age on ten, I never ever gave her any bones or kibbles, so that’s not true how kibble cleans a dogs teeth…

[Akari_32]

I must resist because of this:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/F7CFEA89-03D9-4CEA-8458-C4AE5FAB6EF1_zpsn3bbsz6u.jpg

This:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/01459E6D-7AF8-4B68-AD57-C087F5AC4D78_zpscjizoj0t.jpg

This:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/46079128-AC7A-4EA3-92B4-92024D698A9F_zpst59uy4h4.jpg

This:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/85631139-F7BE-4473-B145-A6A767BEFC0F_zpskjprdxqs.jpg

This:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/7F91040B-DA5A-4F56-AE99-5C276FF6AA3E_zpsno3jaeqk.jpg

And this:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/51B89979-6F01-4756-B3D1-D075C516BF0D_zps0yju4wz8.jpg

Side note: look how low the cat food cabinet is!!! Can’t wait to get him all the way on raw 😀

[dawn m]

I use the kong for my girls afternoon treat – AND she lets me know when it’s that time of day˜! I LOVE the suggestion of putting the food in the kong and then freezing it, I usually put some frozen organic veg/fruit in the kong along with organic mini raw carrots, banana, and canned food. Usually first put in organic spinach to plug the small end, then frozen organic peas/g.beans/mixed berries [big bags from Costco] and an organic mini carrot or 2 and finish off with the canned food (Dave’s grain free 95% Premium or Dave’s grain free turkey and bacon) and a small pc. of banana squished in the end. I am going to try putting all ingred. in and then freezing the kong and see how she likes it that way.

She also gets a small treat every time she comes in from going outside and I am not sure of what is good. I’ve done Nutro crunchy treats [I like that sm size but not convinced on it’s qlty], I also get Fromm treats but they are too big to give her so often, and I’ve got THK treats but they are also too big {she gets one at bed time only}. She [Bella] is a 45# boxer.

I’m also looking for a chewing treat/toys but not sure what is safe/non-toxic/good. I bought her a split antler – she loved it but it was splintering so I took it away. AND her favorite place to eat the kong and antler is on my new area rug because she can hold it down since it slides all over on her on the hard wood floors – UMMMMMM maybe I need to get her a Bella rug˜! 🙂

I would appreciate any suggestions – I would prefer to buy not make her treats since the kitchen is NOT my favorite room in the house [meaning I don’t like cooking any more than necessary – but I do want healthy non-GMO, grain free, free range when possible, no rBGH, foods and treats – for Bella and me].

Thank You˜!

[Vincent C]

Everything people are saying sounds so familiar. I definitely agree with what Susan said about trying different meats (kangaroo, venizen, etc), special shampoos (I found MalaPET to work better for me than Malaseb – perhaps due to the ketoconazole), and avoiding foods with potato ingredients. Rabbit meat (Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit Meal) really seems to have made a difference for my dog, but there are still bad days. My next step is to try a raw food diet or at least home made diet at some point if things get worse.

The only other thing I will add is that acidophilus probiotic also seems to help — but it’s really hard to measure the effect.

[Michelle T]

Gave her a small raw turkey neck yesterday. She ate most of it then stopped with 2 inches left…guess she knows when it’s enough 🙂

[oepth]

Hi there

My pup loves canned food and sometimes getting her to eat her organs is a little challenging. How many people out there mix raw food with canned? What’s a good canned food? I’m looking at Zignature because of its limited ingredient list and zero chicken formulas. Also since I’m giving my pup about 2 – 2.5% of her body weight in raw, how much canned can I add? Can I just add the canned food to make up that 2%? Based on the feeding recommendations of canned food, they don’t seem to go by a pup’s body weight.

Thanks!
Cheryl

[Anonymous]

http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf
“Natural Diet for Dogs: Guidelines for Optimal Nutrition”

I am leery of all bones, but I still give my dog a frozen raw beef marrow bone as a treat occasionally…with caution.
For dental, I brush their teeth every evening, it helps.

[weezerweeks]

I found Dr. Harveys on the dry food review and its freezedried. I can’t find a review for grandma lucys. I wish the freezedried food could be put in a category the way the raw,dry and wet is. So confusing to me.

[Michelle T]

Sounds good LM, guess I’ll just remove the bone first before cooking the meat. I’ve only tried the raw bone once & took away the more brittle part before she was done with it, but she did got lots from it & enjoyed it thoroughly. I use Natural Choice kibbles to mix with her home cooked meals, a better choice, but would love an even better grade if I can find it.

[Anonymous]

From what I understand dogs should never be fed cooked bones of any kind.
You can get in enough trouble with the raw. I had to take my poodle to the emergency place a while back due to vomiting and abdominal pain. She would work on a frozen beef marrow bone and grind the bone into small particles and consume.
Well, the x-ray showed calcified material in her colon and stomach that had solidified and she was having difficulty passing. Luckily she did pass them on her own, had to take a pain med and Pepcid for a few days.
My point is, that raw bones are not a good idea for all dogs. I still let her enjoy a small frozen raw beef marrow bone occasionally, but I take it away from her before she gets to the nitty gritty. My other dogs, the same thing, I don’t give them as often as I used to.
But cooked bones, NEVER.
PS: I tried raw but quickly realized it would be best to use fresh killed organic meat…which I can’t afford.
So I slightly cook their food (minus the bone) and combine with a high grade kibble. I have posted a link to the natural diet (written by a vet) it is in some of my other posts, if you are interested.

[Akari_32]

Got all this for $31.15! Stay tuned for a break down 🙂

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/2014-06/F0C5BF03-2FDB-4B3C-9235-F560AD159F67_zpsyunnf4tx.jpg

I did three total transactions, two at Pet Smart and one at PetCo.

First one at PetSmart:
3x 5lb Purina Pro Plan Savor Salmon and Rice
–Original Price: $13.99 ($14.97 after tax)
–Clearance Price: $8.37 ($7.62 after tax)
1x 5lb Nature’s Variety Prairie Puppy Chicken Meal and Brown Rice
–Original Price: $14.99 ($16.04 after tax)
–Clearance Price: $8.37 ($7.62 after tax)
Coupons:
–3x $2 off any Purina product (found on random Purina products through out the store)
–1x $3 off and Nature’s Variety Instinct, Instinct RAW, or Prairie pet food (received in the mail with samples from Nature’s Variety)
–1x $5 off $25 purchase Pet Supermarket coupon
–1x $3 off any purchase $3 or more PetSmart Coupon

Total after clearance and coupons: $18.27
–Total before clearance and coupons: $60.95
–Total savings: $42.68!

Second transaction at PetSmart:
1x 5lb Nature’s Variety Prairie Puppy Chicken Meal and Brown Rice
–Original Price: $14.99 ($16.04 after tax)
–Clearance Price: $8.37 ($7.62 after tax)
1x 2oz Omega One Algae Wafers
–Original Price: $4.99
Coupons:
–1x $3 off any purchase $3 or more PetSmart Coupon
–1x $2 off $10 purchase for Pet Supermarket
–1x $3 off and Nature’s Variety Instinct, Instinct RAW, or Prairie pet food

Total after clearance and coupons: $5.95
–Total before clearance and coupons: $21.38
–Total savings: $15.43!

And at PetCo:

2x Temptations Cat Treats 2.1 oz (manager approved replacement for Friskies Cat Treats)
–Original Price: $2.13
2x 5.5oz Royal Canin Radiant Shine canned dog food
–Original Price:$1.81
1x PetLinks cat toy
–Original Price: $5.99
Coupons:
–2x Free 2.1oz Friskies cat treat PetCo coupon (manager allowed me to substitute with Temptations because they no longer cary Friskies)
–1x 10% off any PetLinks cat toy PetCo coupon
–2x 15% off any one can of Royal Canin dog or cat food PetCo coupon
–1x $2 off $10 purchase for Pet Supermarket

Total after coupons: $6.93
–Total before clearance and coupons: $14.28
–Total savings: $7.35!

Total savings for my whole trip is $65.46 🙂 Some of this is for donations.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Akari_32.

[DogFoodie]

Hi William,

It’s important to feed a large breed puppy a food with an appropriate level of Calcium. Here’s a list, which includes grain inclusive, grain free and raw, acceptable foods: https://docs.google.com/a/dogfoodadvisor.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?pli=1

If you haven’t already, take a look at this thread, especially the first few pages and read the articles that Hound Dog Mom shared: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

In addition to appropriate Calicum levels, you should keep your pup lean during growth and avoid over-exercising him, which can stress growing joints.

How old is your pup and what breed?

[theBCnut]

I strongly believe that no dog food is perfect. All of them have minerals that are not balances, highs that are too high, lows that are too low, too much of one amino acid, too little of another, etc. Because of this, I believe that the best you can do is to rotate foods and feed a variety of different types of foods. Can you think of any single meal that it would be OK for you to eat day in and day out for years? I can’t.

I don’t have any problem with my dogs when I feed Merrick, but they get it for about a week and then we move on to something else.

I feed dry, dehydrated, freeze dried, canned, fresh, and raw. My dogs never have stomach issues either, because they are used to eating variety.

[Naturella]

Akari, so good to know! Yeah, I will see where we are with Bruno when his current food supply goes down. I am starting to job-hunt for full-time jobs that start in May, so come May, I am praying for a salary… LoL. Then we have to move with the hubs in June – no more roommate – yay! And once we settle in the new place (soooo hoping for a house, but I may be reaching here, lol) and the budget is redone, I will see when, if, and how we can put doggers on raw. OR… get another doggers!!! I hope these 2 degrees get me good cash moneys! 😀

Sorry for hijacking, Eugene, but I do second Akari’s sentiments that dehydrated still has to be frozen/refrigerated, that dogs don’t necessarily need fruits and veggies found in BARF, and that it will probably indeed take a little less space. So try it out, see how it works out! Make sure you grind the bone really fine though – you don’t want splinters or a choking hazard.

[Akari_32]

Hey girl! No, I do not use a premix any more. SSLL going off the market (however temporarily) is what finally convinced me to dive in and do balanced raw. I’m happy I did. Bentley loves it, and he eats even less than he did on SSLL. The best thing is I can get away with buying chicken parts because the excess bones I just remove and freeze for later when something like pork tenderloin goes on sale and I need it 🙂 Makes deal shopping really worth while! Publix always has leg quarters for $1.49/lb when you buy 4 lb or more.

[Naturella]

Akari, sorry to butt in here, but I have really been thinking about switching Bruno to raw next year or so, when his food supply is out… Or when hubs feel like we can “afford” it. I did the math, and he would need just under 3 lbs of meat/bone/organ per week if I am giving 2.75% of his body weight in raw, which is not terrible.

So, my question is, did you stop using a premix? Do you feed just solely raw now?

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Naturella.

[Mary M]

Hi,
I just discovered a new brand called “Small Batch.” They are a small company based in the Bay area of California. I’m not sure if the food is sold outside the west coast, but they certainly use high-quality ingredients. They make raw patties, and dehydrated meat treats (jerky). My dog loved the turkey jerky (notoriously picky girl). Would love to at least see a review of this food on the website.

[Lori E]

We have been battling allergies with our 5 yr rottie for 2 years. After many vets and specialists, we are trying a holistic approach. We have her on raw goat milk and grain free and potato free Acana Grasslands. We have been told that it will take approx 7 weeks to see any changes. We are on week 2. The main symptoms are puffy and itchy eyes, excessive licking of paws, and “fly catching” syndrome. Any feedback is welcome.

[puppypiles]

If you’re interested in making your own food or dehydrating it, I suggest looking at http://www.dogaware.com/articles/newsdiet.html#recipestudy. It’s an article about the research and nutrient deficiencies in homemade diets, and links to where you can get supplementation.

I also agree with Akari in that feeding a purely raw (especially PMR) is easy if your calculations are correct. The very basic rule of thumb with dogs is 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, and 10% organs, with 5% of that being liver, and the other 5% being another secreting organ, such as kidneys or pancreas.

[Akari_32]

It’s very easy to ensure your dog gets a proper diet on a raw diet. You just have to do the calculations right. Better yet, each and every meal does not have to completely balanced. The concept is to balance over time. I makes life much simpler. For example, if I were to balance each and every meal for my 7.8 pound dog, he would get less than one half of an ounce of bone at every meal. He’d totally choke on that (not the brightest of creatures)! Instead, he gets a decent sized chicken bone a few days a week.

Also, I feel it’s hard to ensure they are getting everything by using veggies rather than organs. Dogs to not fully digest plant matter, even when it’s cooked and puréed, but they do digest the organs, which is where they get all of their neccessary vitamins and minerals.

(Most) Dogs are perfectly capable of handling “questionable” meat. Their stomach acid has such a low ph that not much can survive in there. I know many raw feeders up north bring carcasses into their yards and let their dogs eat off of it until all eatable parts are gone. There is where knowing your dog comes in, and knowing what they can handle and what they like.

The only down side I find to making up raw meals for my dog and cat is the freezer space. We do not have the room available for even a small freezer, so the humans and animals share a freezer. This isn’t a problem with most people, though.

The problem with what you are suggesting is that your idea is really not that much better than kibble. Dogs to not need rice, or pumpkin, or any veggies. Sure many dogs like these things, but they are of little value as far as nutrition goes. If you were to just dehydrate meat and organs, that would be different. So long as bones were also offered, that is. Bones are neccessary because they provide glucosamine and calcium, among other things. They can be replaced with bone meal, egg shell, or a calcium suppliment, but then you loose the added “work out” and teeth cleaning benefit when the dog chews them. Also, unpreserved dehydrated meat does go bad, and would need to frozen and used from the fridge. So there’s still that.

It is an interesting idea, you just aren’t quite looking at the whole picture. 🙂

[Eugene L]

Hi guys,

This is my first post. Greetings to all.

I have an Akita which have a pretty sensitive stomach. We have tried some “high range” dog food and BARF. There are some pros and cons between the two.

commercial dog food : consistent nutrition amount, easy to feed and storage. But you have no control on the source of the raw product or additive.

BARF : total control of the source and raw product. But making consistent nutrition value each meal is not easy, feeding is more messy and storage is a huge problem as all the cooking, freezing, thawing creates complication on contamination and rotting. Bones are sometimes not recommended if your puppy do not chew properly.

I am thinking of a solution that have the best of both world.
First Dehydrating the meat, bone and veg product that rots easily. Then mill them to fine grains so each meal can be a cup of meal mix and 1/4 cup of veg fix or something like that. mix the powder with rice or pumpkin puree when feeding. Is it a good idea?

So comparing to BARF, no more freezing and thawing, you just need some rice/pumpkin available which is much more easier. Less chance of contamination as very low water content and can be easily stored. All we need to do is dehydrating a large batch of ingredient and milling them like each month.

Any thoughts on that?

[a c]

Hello,
I have been reading this forums for a while now. It really convinced me to start feeding my i dog raw and I thank all of you for that.
Right now Im trying to find a nice superfood mix. I came across this and was wondering what people think about it. I didn’t come across any ingredients which are harmful. It is called pHresh Greens Raw Alkalizing Superfood. http://shop.phreshproducts.com/phresh-greens-1-month-supply/
The diet I feed my dog looks like this. He is a male, 55lb 9 month old pit mix.
AM – 1lb chicken grind
PM – 1lb chicken grind
– 1/2lb of tripe and eggs every 2-3 days
– Carlson cod liver oil, 1 pill every 2 days
– Carlson salmon oil, 1 pill every day
– Coconut oil, 4-5 teaspoon every day
– apple cider vinegar, 1 garlic clove 2-3 times a week.
I am trying to find good superfood mix and also to supplement with some probiotics, either kefir or yoghurt. I can get them both from the farmers market. Would that be necessary or any store-bought will be just fine?
Thank you

[SdianeM M]

Last week was my first time posting since I was just about to take the plunge and begin my pup on a new way of feeding. Yes, I was a bit apprehensive about this change, but with everything I have read, I knew this was the answer to her yeast issues.
I came across a raw food manufactured in Norcross, GA called AllProvide … Being the apprehensive person I am (and after having something horrible happen to my pup before Sadie), I am very protective and cautious. I called this company to ask questions in regards to their food, I expected to hear from customer service and hear the same chat that lacks the personal touch — was I ever surprised when I was able to speak with one of the owners of the company! Not only did he answer all my questions, but he even emailed me with a list of medications that he has tried with his dog. Wow! I could not believe it!
The rest of the weekend I researched and tried to find reviews, etc. When I called them back in regards to reviews, they offered to send me a free sample of their food. Another Wow moment — who does this in this day and time?
I happened to find two other ladies that wanted to try the food too, so we all went into this at the same time and wanted to compare our findings. This is what I have found: from the very first feeding my Sadie started sleeping all night, her yeast issues are clearing up – they are very minimal right now, and she has lost that musty smell! She absolutely loves the food — she has gone from a dog that would pick and eat her kibbles, to a dog that is downright greedy and in love with her food.
I spoke to both of the other ladies who happen to have smaller pups than Sadie, but both have reported that their picky eaters are now anxiously waiting in the kitchen for their food. All have accepted the food very easily, with minimal problems. One had a touch of diarrhea, but the lady was able to overcome the problem very easy.
Yesterday I spoke with Dr. Judy Morgan, DVM – Holistic Vet in regards to Sadie, and explained to her the new diet that I have placed Sadie on. Dr. Morgan has authored a book on making dog food and dog nutrition, but she did tell me that 1/2 of her clients are on the home cooked meals, while the other 1/2 is on a commercial raw food. She said how she recommends 3 different companies to her clients for the raw … I told her about All Provide, and while we were talking she pulled up their website and studied it. She was very impressed with what she saw, and was even more impressed with their prices. At the end of our conversation she told me that she was going to start recommending this company to her patients. That, my people, meant a whole lot to me — I highly respect Dr. Judy Morgan’s decisions.
There are several ways to offset the cost of the food on their website: you can join and earn reward discounts by liking their page, sharing their page, etc. You can also earn discounts by recommending it to your friends … if you recommend the food and they give your name when placing an order, you each get a $10 discount … pretty cool!
I would like to ask that if you decide to try this company that you please consider giving my name as the person that referred you … my 53 lb. fur baby and I would really appreciate it. Looks like Sadie is trying to work overtime on ways to make me feel sorry for her and feed her more! Just put in my name: Diane Miller
Here’s the website for All Provide — http://www.allprovide.com

[SdianeM M]

Last week was my first time posting since I was just about to take the plunge and begin my pup on a new way of feeding. Yes, I was a bit apprehensive about this change, but with everything I have read, I knew this was the answer to her yeast issues.
I came across a raw food manufactured in Norcross, GA called AllProvide … Being the apprehensive person I am (and after having something horrible happen to my pup before Sadie), I am very protective and cautious. I called this company to ask questions in regards to their food, I expected to hear from customer service and hear the same chat that lacks the personal touch — was I ever surprised when I was able to speak with one of the owners of the company! Not only did he answer all my questions, but he even emailed me with a list of medications that he has tried with his dog. Wow! I could not believe it!
The rest of the weekend I researched and tried to find reviews, etc. When I called them back in regards to reviews, they offered to send me a free sample of their food. Another Wow moment — who does this in this day and time?
I happened to find two other ladies that wanted to try the food too, so we all went into this at the same time and wanted to compare our findings. This is what I have found: from the very first feeding my Sadie started sleeping all night, her yeast issues are clearing up – they are very minimal right now, and she has lost that musty smell! She absolutely loves the food — she has gone from a dog that would pick and eat her kibbles, to a dog that is downright greedy and in love with her food.
I spoke to both of the other ladies who happen to have smaller pups than Sadie, but both have reported that their picky eaters are now anxiously waiting in the kitchen for their food. All have accepted the food very easily, with minimal problems. One had a touch of diarrhea, but the lady was able to overcome the problem very easy.
Yesterday I spoke with Dr. Judy Morgan, DVM – Holistic Vet in regards to Sadie, and explained to her the new diet that I have placed Sadie on. Dr. Morgan has authored a book on making dog food and dog nutrition, but she did tell me that 1/2 of her clients are on the home cooked meals, while the other 1/2 is on a commercial raw food. She said how she recommends 3 different companies to her clients for the raw … I told her about All Provide, and while we were talking she pulled up their website and studied it. She was very impressed with what she saw, and was even more impressed with their prices. At the end of our conversation she told me that she was going to start recommending this company to her patients. That, my people, meant a whole lot to me — I highly respect Dr. Judy Morgan’s decisions.
There are several ways to offset the cost of the food on their website: you can join and earn reward discounts by liking their page, sharing their page, etc. You can also earn discounts by recommending it to your friends … if you recommend the food and they give your name when placing an order, you each get a $10 discount … pretty cool!
I would like to ask that if you decide to try this company that you please consider giving my name as the person that referred you … my 53 lb. fur baby and I would really appreciate it. Looks like Sadie is trying to work overtime on ways to make me feel sorry for her and feed her more! Just put in my name: Diane Miller
Here’s the website for All Provide — http://www.allprovide.com

[SdianeM M]

Last week was my first time posting since I was just about to take the plunge and begin my pup on a new way of feeding. Yes, I was a bit apprehensive about this change, but with everything I have read, I knew this was the answer to her yeast issues.

I came across a raw food manufactured in Norcross, GA called AllProvide … Being the apprehensive person I am (and after having something horrible happen to my pup before Sadie), I am very protective and cautious. I called this company to ask questions in regards to their food, I expected to hear from customer service and hear the same chat that lacks the personal touch — was I ever surprised when I was able to speak with one of the owners of the company! Not only did he answer all my questions, but he even emailed me with a list of medications that he has tried with his dog. Wow! I could not believe it!

The rest of the weekend I researched and tried to find reviews, etc. When I called them back in regards to reviews, they offered to send me a free sample of their food. Another Wow moment — who does this in this day and time?

I happened to find two other ladies that wanted to try the food too, so we all went into this at the same time and wanted to compare our findings. This is what I have found: from the very first feeding my Sadie started sleeping all night, her yeast issues are clearing up – they are very minimal right now, and she has lost that musty smell! She absolutely loves the food — she has gone from a dog that would pick and eat her kibbles, to a dog that is downright greedy and in love with her food.

I spoke to both of the other ladies who happen to have smaller pups than Sadie, but both have reported that their picky eaters are now anxiously waiting in the kitchen for their food. All have accepted the food very easily, with minimal problems. One had a touch of diarrhea, but the lady was able to overcome the problem very easy.

Yesterday I spoke with Dr. Judy Morgan, DVM – Holistic Vet in regards to Sadie, and explained to her the new diet that I have placed Sadie on. Dr. Morgan has authored a book on making dog food and dog nutrition, but she did tell me that 1/2 of her clients are on the home cooked meals, while the other 1/2 is on a commercial raw food. She said how she recommends 3 different companies to her clients for the raw … I told her about All Provide, and while we were talking she pulled up their website and studied it. She was very impressed with what she saw, and was even more impressed with their prices. At the end of our conversation she told me that she was going to start recommending this company to her patients. That, my people, meant a whole lot to me — I highly respect Dr. Judy Morgan’s decisions.

There are several ways to offset the cost of the food on their website: you can join and earn reward discounts by liking their page, sharing their page, etc. You can also earn discounts by recommending it to your friends … if you recommend the food and they give your name when placing an order, you each get a $10 discount … pretty cool!

I would like to ask that if you decide to try this company that you please consider giving my name as the person that referred you … my 53 lb. fur baby and I would really appreciate it. Looks like Sadie is trying to work overtime on ways to make me feel sorry for her and feed her more! Just put in my name: Diane Miller

Here’s the website for All Provide — http://www.allprovide.com

[puppypiles]

While generally I agree that starting a commercial raw first is the best idea, it’s pretty cost prohibitive with a dog as large as your. Prey model raw can be done exceedingly cheaply, IF you know what to get and where to look.