[FreeholdHound]

Opinions on prices for those that have local sources. Menu is a bit limited for me do to a lot of poultry, but it’s 5 minutes away so no shipping charges.i hope this posts (computer illiterate)

http://www.raawenergy.com/Raaw%20Energy%20Menu.pdf

[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

[theBCnut]

I would love tripe patties for convenience too! Especially if they were quarter pounders. I’m getting used to dealing with tripe, but I would much rather it be already portioned so I could just tip it in the bowl.

[NectarMom]

Depends how the meat is raised and not a fan of veggies in grinds. What is the amount of veggies verses meat, bone organ? Price is decent but what is the quality. If you call Hare Today and speak with Tracy the owner she will give you the details on why veggies are not a good part of our canines diet. While Hare Today maybe a bit higher on their menu I can vouch for their quality and fresh meat grinds. We have been using HT for a while now with awesome results and trust me I have been through a few companies with not so good results. Not saying that this Company is bad and it maybe worth a try for you and may work out.

[FreeholdHound]

Oh I’ve become a Hare Today addict – have another order shipping Monday. I wouldn’t use the grinds w/ veggies at all. Would be interested in this for the tripe and maybe beef grind w/ organ/bone/tripe. Menu is very limited for me so would use to supplement HT & save on some shipping costs. He has quite a large network of co ops and gets good reviews. I am 5 blocks away from him so I don’t have to use co-op. I have a single dog and very limited freezer space so ordering/buying in bulk isn’t an option.

[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.

[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.

[FreeholdHound]

Hi again! There’s no poultry in our world except for turkey necks & chicken feet for chewing. As Harry is a tripe addict the patties would be what I would go for and maybe I beef/bone mix if I run low. I think there’s a beef/pork mix that would be ok too. Freezer will be full with my HT order coming in this week, but I think I’ll run out of tripe before I need to order again.

[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 11 years, 10 months ago by DogFoodie.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Vegetables are a very important part of the dog’s diet and should be included in small quantities. Vegetables supply important trace nutrients are are chock full of antioxidants that are crucial in today’s polluted world and given the toxins that domestic dogs are exposed to on a daily basis (everything from cleaning supplies and exhaust fumes to vaccines and chemical preventatives). Having formulated my own menus from scratch I can say that it would be extremely difficult (actually, probably impossible) to supply a dog with all the vitamins and minerals needed without the inclusion of some non-meat ingredients. As long as vegetables are properly prepared (cooked/pureed) they are highly digestible. I would much rather supply my dog’s with their nutrients through a variety of whole foods than either a) compensate for deficiencies by supplementing with synthetic vitamins or minerals or b) risk sub-clinical deficiencies. About 10% of my dogs’ diet is vegetables, fruits, sprouted nuts/seeds, “superfoods” (wheat grass, spirulina, kelp, etc.).

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hey Betsy –

Sounds promising. Do you know what’s in it? Is it a complete food or just grinds? Also was wondering, is there a reason you’re not going with Darwin’s (you were one of the Darwin’s feeders right? Or maybe I’m mixed up..)?

[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 11 years, 10 months ago by DogFoodie.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by DogFoodie.

[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.

[NectarMom]

I have started buying the 1-lb meat grinds from Hare Today and it is not hard to use with 4 dogs. I defrost one over night and then divide it up between the 4 and put the rest in the refrig. I add krill oil and Ubiquinol from Mercola once a day. We feed Rabbit grinds, Bison, Venison, Green Tripe and Lhama. The girls other meal is Brothers kibble ( Turkey and Egg) 2 will eat this but my other 2 will not so they both eat all Hare Today both meals.

[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!

[FreeholdHound]

I don’t know if its any help to you but I use Halo Herbal Ear Wash on Harry who can get a bit gunky at times. Seems to be gentle & he doesn’t mind it too much.

[DogFoodie]

That’s funny, I had ordered some of the Halo in a recent Swanson’s order. I was so bummed because I was so eager for the order to get here and when I checked the status online, it went from being delivered to being supposedly refused by me and turned to them and I never got the order. It wasn’t a Swanson’s problem, it was a shipping issue.

Thanks for the suggestion, I think I’ll pick up some Halo. : )

[InkedMarie]

Betsy,
First, I have to say how glad I am you’re my friend. I loved that post! Second, regarding Halo. Sandy suggested that to me for Boone’s ears and I need to get some, thanks for the reminder. Third, regarding the kibble you’re hoarding. Ask on your fb for pet supply selling groups. We have them here in NH and I’m sure you have some there. Take pictures of the bags, with the expiration dates and post them, explaining why you’re selling it. If you bought any local, ask if they will take it back.
On to Darwins. Are you going to keep Mr. Money Pit on it? If you will use close to 100 pounds a month, you get the better discount from them. You also get one if you order 40 pounds or more. I didn’t know if you knew that.

[NectarMom]

Zymox works like nothing I have ever used on yeasty ears. The rinse is also very good.
http://www.healthypets.com/zymox.html

[SandyandMila]

At 3 am this morning, Mila threw up a piece of bone from the turkey neck she had yesterday, nothing else just the bone. And I’ve seen little pieces of bone in her crate also from other turkey necks she’s had this week. This was the first week of feeding the Hare Today turkey necks, I have fed the ones from the grocery store before with no issues. Her bowels were fine this morning small and firm, no bones in her poop. My question is, should I be concerned about the pieces hurting her throat? I still have a bag and a half of their turkey necks yet to feed, I don’t want to be worried they’ll hurt her. Should I grind them? I know they will lose their purpose of feeding an rmb, the carnivore instinct to crunch, pull, and chew but I really don’t want her to get hurt. What should I do? Thanks

[theBCnut]

Sandy

Try things to slow her down like give them mostly frozen. I don’t worry about my dogs barfing the occassional piece of bone that was too big to digest.

Betsy

Inflammation of the intestines causes them to not properly absorb everything, which causes that malnutrition response where the gaps widen in the gut wall, then you get pieces of protein in the blood stream and more intolerances.

[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.

[SandyandMila]

The piece was a little bigger than others before so that was my concern. I did feed them with turkey hearts and she had no problems, stool has been great. I will try to slow her down then by using the method Patty suggested, instead of thawing overnight (almost 24 hrs) I’ll just take them out of the freezer in the morning when she’s had her breakfast. 10 hours should be enough time to partially thaw the turkey neck and hearts?

[theBCnut]

Probably.

[DogFoodie]

Hi guys!

@ Marie ~ Aww, thanks! That’s a great suggestion to look for a selling group. I’ll see what I can find. I’ve donated lots, but can’t bring myself to intentionally “throw away” all of that money.

@ Sandy ~ I think Sam might have thrown up some bone from a turkey neck also. The ones I have on hand are from My Pet Carnivore and they’re huge. I have to say that I also was concerned about the potential damage that the bone coming back up could do.

@ Patty ~ You said, “Inflammation of the intestines causes them to not properly absorb everything, which causes that malnutrition response where the gaps widen in the gut wall, then you get pieces of protein in the blood stream and more intolerances.” So, what causes inflammation in the intestines in the first place, things like lectins? And then the further damage is to prolonged exposure and the damage that it does over time, right? Also, Sam has lost almost four pounds since last month’s check up : ). I know my vet has talked about fat being inflammatory and how it takes on a life of it’s own. Is she saying that it can cause inflammation and which establishes a pathway for intolerance, sensitivity, disease, etc.?

[InkedMarie]

Betsy: look t craigslist as well. I’m nowhere near close enough to buy any, unfortunately.

[FreeholdHound]

So today is “Turkey Neck Night”. Last week I just gave him the neck alone as his dinner. The neck defrosting now is huge! I don’t want to constipated him (I can’t believe I typed that word regarding “milkshake poo” Harry). Should I offer him a small bit of ground beef, tripe or kibble to go with it?

[theBCnut]

There is a particular oxidizer related to fat and triglycerides, I can’t think what it’s called, but it attacks connective tissue. It’s believed to be the reason that some people have cholesterol stick in their arteries, and some don’t. Anyway, your intestines, his intestines are made up of a lot of connective tissue, among other things, so yes, that could contribute to inflamation, lectins could, as well as anything that causes a histamine reaction and the foods he is intolerant to.

The other way that fat takes on a life of its own is that when someone is eating more calories than they need, they grow new fat cells. When they lose weight those fat cells shrink, but they don’t go away, so if that individual overeats again, they grow even more fat cells.

If you had figured this out a month and a half ago, I could have stopped by while I was in town and helped you out with all that food… 😀

[DogFoodie]

Thank you, Patty! I love it when you explain stuff to me like this and I actually understand.

And, yes, I would’ve be thrilled to help load up your car for the trip home. : )

[theBCnut]

Too bad we can’t time travel…

[beaglemom]

Possibly silly question here… why might one prefer “coarse ground” over “fine ground”? Just wondering…

[theBCnut]

Some animals care about texture, mainly cats. Usually cats like fine ground, but my cats like course ground. Go figure.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Sandy –

Throwing up bone occasionally is normal, especially when you’re first starting out on RMBs and your dog’s digestive system is still becoming accustomed to digesting the bone or when feeding denser RMBs or (more often) recreational bones. Many times they’ll puke up pieces and eat them right back up. Sounds gross, but it’s nothing to be alarmed about.

[FreeholdHound]

I just separated my 1st package of the HT Rabbit gring & I have to that is some beautiful meat – very impressed. Lets hope Harry thinks so too 🙂

[FreeholdHound]

Me again :). I just received my order from HT and I have a question (I know, what else is new?) I ordered beef gullets …ummm what the hell do I do with these things??? << scratchinghead>>
The description said strips but I’d classify it as large chunks I guess as I am unfamiliar with what a whole piece looks like, I expected something longer. Unsure if this would pose a choking hazard. I’m sure I’m over thinking again but has anyone ordered these before?
I also received the raw Green Tripe strips… Harry better appreciate these as scooping it out of the bag & separating was was NOT the highlight of my year. He must have smelled it (ok, I think the neighbors probably smelled it) because he was dancing around Behring the kitchen gate whining & crying. Yes, he got a piece to shut him up.

[SandyandMila]

I have to worry about my dog and cat when portioning the food. They both start begging. The other day I was cutting into a Primal sardine grind and portioned them out into ziplock bags. I put the cutting board near the sink while I was cleaning the table and I looked over to see my cat licking the cutting board. They’re too much. lol

[DogFoodie]

Anyone ever use lamb trotter bones for recreational bones?

Opinions? : )

[theBCnut]

I haven’t yet, but they are on my list.

[SandyandMila]

I finally was able to portion out the green tripe today, WOW it definitely smells different then the other raw green tripe (Bravo) I’ve used!! I was scared the juices were going to splash on me. lol

[FreeholdHound]

Which did you get? I did fine with the ground as it was partially frozen. But then I ordered the Tripe Strips & let them defrost a lot more to divide – between the smell & being elbow deep in cow stomach – it wasn’t the most enjoyable evening I had. Mouth breathing was key! Plus open windows & a fan 🙂

[SandyandMila]

I had found the Bravo tripe a natural foods store nearby while I was waiting for my HT order and have about a week supply left of that one so I portioned out the HT tripe (2lb ground). I don’t mind the smell I just noticed a big difference.

[theBCnut]

Tripe is on sale this month at Hare Today. I just got a big order in on Friday and I added in some of those dehydrated lamb tracheas, yum yum.

[NectarMom]

I got in on the tripe sale too and ordered a big huge order of mixes too. My order should be here Wed. One of my girls will only eat her mixes with tripe mixed in. I don’t want to tell you what my husband calls her LMBO

[Hound Dog Mom]

Darn it, I don’t have any freezer space. I would have stocked up. 🙁

[theBCnut]

Hi HDM

Maybe you’ll have some freezer space towards the end of the month.

[FreeholdHound]

Tripe Sale??? I gotta make room! Does my family REALLY need bread? And what are lamb trotter bones anyway?

[theBCnut]

I believe lamb trotters are one of the smaller leg bones, not the femur. No, your family doesn’t need bread. It’s probably full of GMO grains anyway. You would be doing them all a favor.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Not promoting bread (except Ezekiels! lol) but as long as the bread didn’t contain corn, sugar or soy products it wouldn’t be GMO. Grains aren’t GMO.

[pugmomsandy]

Wheat is GMO.

[pugmomsandy]

1 minute Paleo Muffin. No frig/freezer space needed except for the eggs.

Ingredients
· 1/4 c. Almond Flour
· 2 Tbsp. Flaxseed Meal
· Pinch Sea Salt
· 1/2 tsp. Rumford Baking Powder (Aluminum-Free, Gluten-Free)
· 1 Large Organic Egg
Cooking Directions
1. Oil a 4 1/2 inch ramekin. (I have used all different sized dishes)
2. Whisk egg.
3. To the egg add almond flour, flaxseed meal and salt. Mix well with a spoon.
4. Sprinkle with baking powder and mix one more time.
5. Spoon into ramekin and microwave for one minute.
6. Remove from microwave with dish towel and invert on a cooling rack.
7. Split in half and toast!
That’s it…make a ham sandwich, a breakfast egg sandwich, add a dash or two of cinnamon and a handful of raisins. The options are endless!

http://f1213.mail.vip.ne1.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=2%5f0%5f0%5f29%5f292796%5fAFzHimIAABNhT2oxxgeC0TacRU4&pid=2&fid=dog%2520food%2520info&inline=1&appid=yahoomail

[Author]

Posts