[JLezinsky]

Hi Everyone,

I gave up on trying to find a pre-made raw after the Sirius food had all sorts of negative issues. Since then I have been trying to figure out the best way to make my own. Here is what I am planning on doing to start with. I would love to get any feedback because I really respect the knowledge of everyone here.

a.m.
Ground Beef/Tripe/Organs and Bone
(alternating between the Tripe Super Mix from MPC and Ground Beef/Organs/Tripe/Bone mix Hare Today)
Eggs (every other day)
Sardines (opposite the eggs)
Krill Oil (Mercola Liquid Pump) (every other day)
Dr. Harvey’s Multi-Vitamin/Herbal Supplement and SpiruGreen Superfood (rotating between the two)
Multi Vitamin (½ tablet daily)
Coconut Oil
Turmeric

Veggie/Fruit Mix a few times a week

p.m.
RMB’s
Rotating between chicken necks, back, feet and turkey necks and backs.
Also occasionally adding some chicken gizzards, hearts and livers.

I am still nervous about calcium/phosphorus ratios and vitamins. Is a multi-vitamin ok with this? If so what multi-vitamin tablet (so I can split it) would you recommend? Please let me know if this looks balanced or if I should add or adjust things.
Thanks everyone, I appreciate any help.

[abby13]

Here’s a weird question for everyone,
In commercial raw I have noticed the protein levels being <20%. When I buy kibble I look for the protein level to be 32% or above. Why is the protein so much lower in raw?

[pugmomsandy]

Abby13

Frozen raw has moisture in it. KIbble has moisture taken out. You need to convert the raw to dry matter to get the right comparison.

[pugmomsandy]

abby13,

The formula is in this article: /choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis/

[abby13]

Thanks pugmomsandy! I really appreciate that 🙂

[DogManDan]

oh nice some recipes. guys im in need of advice here, as i have started feeding raw since i read on this. I have 2 roughly 15lb or 6.5kg westies and i need some menus for them as i have limited supplies here and on a budget. the ingredients i have here and are very common to us are chicken, pork and fish. which part of the chicken should i feed and on the fish that would give them a good diet and also how do i mix this up for the next 7 days.

[pugmomsandy]

Upcoming batch will include:

16-17 lbs duck necks
9 lb beef/lamb/goat meat
2 lb beef tripe
2 lb beef kidney
1 lb beef spleen
2 lb beef heart
CarnivoreRaw without calcium

[theBCnut]

No liver?

[pugmomsandy]

If I remember, I’m going to get some liver and gizzard for the batch. But that’s what I like about the CarnivoreRaw. It has vitamins, etc for when I might not have a certain ingredient.

[theBCnut]

So how much raw do you use each day for your guys?

[pugmomsandy]

They eat raw probably 25-50% of the time. I would like to *remember* to thaw more regularly! They ate 2-3 days of raw last week and I have a bag thawing out right now for tomorrow or the next day. My frig is really cold. They got a duck neck 2 days ago. I’ve been feeding alot of warm freeze dried/canned food toppers lately. At 50% raw, they would get about 10 oz total per day but I don’t measure anymore so they get 3 or 4 blobs of raw with a supplement stuck in them!

[pugmomsandy]

Patty,

I remembered to pull out another bag of raw to thaw!! Yay!! But I forgot to get liver for the dogs and shredded lettuce for the people tacos!! But they can eat what I’m grinding today so they should be eating raw for several days straight!

[theBCnut]

I get everything I can in 1 lbs packages and as I take it out of the fridge to use, I get one out of the freezer to thaw. I’ve only managed to forget once that way, and you have no idea what a feat that is for me!!

[Shihtzumom20]

Hi Everyone!
I have been working on a new menu for Dawson, trying to get more bones and more balance into his diet. So here it goes!
Am- 1 ounce Ziwipeak air dried lamb cuisine

Pm- Monday, Wednesday, Saturday Nights
– 2 oz pork ribs.
– .5 oz tripe patty. I have had no luck finding tripe here… so it may be canned 🙁 But I may be able to get some soon as the calves are getting butchered this month.

Pm- Thursday Night
-He would get 2 oz boneless meat patty (beef, pork, poultry whatever is on sale, could also be meat chunks,preferably organic.)
-Sardine, quarter of a tin.
-a cage free egg, no shell

Pm- Tuesday, Friday, Sunday Nights
– 2.5 oz boneless meat patty.
Note: 1.75 oz of liver and other organ blended into all patties for the week.

Supplements:
• 1/8 tsp pre/probiotics, daily
• 400 IU vitamin e capsule, weekly
• Sprouted Chia/Flax meal for manganese may use oysters occasionally, Thursday pm meal
• ¼ tsp cod liver oil once during the week, ½ cup organic keifir (mixed in with patties), and one cage free egg per pound of meat for vitamin D requirements, sardines will finish his vitamin D requirements
• ½ tsp coconut oil, daily
• Raw Glandular supplement, every other day
• ½ tsp homemade green super food supplement, daily

In the patties I would add pureed veggies and fruit but I didnt really count it on my calculations, it would be about a tsp per day… All kinds of veggies and fruit nothing particular, or toxic, lol!

My only question is, is the bone balancing the calcium in the boneless meat, or do I have to supplement additional calcium. And anything too little, too excessive, I gauged this at a weight of about 15 lbs.

I also have another with two meals of pork ribs and also two meals of chicken thighs. But it`s kinda is the same.

I was also thinking of getting this cookbook, especially if this recipe isnt balanced, lol!
http://www.completeandbalanced.com/
Its available in Canada at Dawsons vet, Here is a sample recipe:
http://www.completeandbalanced.com/samplerecipepage.html
Some recipes can be fed raw. Any thoughts, or concerns.

[theBCnut]

I’m not good at guessing bone content on something that is meat and bone. HDM once told me to give the meaty bone plus half again its weight in boneless meat. So, if your pork rib with meat on it is 2 oz, it would be enough calcium for another ounce of meat, but ribs have more bone than, say, a chicken thigh, so… It’s supposed to be 10-15% bone in the diet, I think you would have to be the one to eyeball that.

[GizmoMom]

This page has a list of approximate bone content in each cut of meat.
http://preymodelraw.com/page/articles.html/_/raw-chat/common-cuts-a-photographic-guide-to-raw-meaty-r15

[theBCnut]

Nice find!

[pugmomsandy]

OK…so according to the website mentioned above, if whole birds are around 29-32% bone, where does the 80/10/10 come to play? Should I make raw grinds closer to 30% bone?? And what about dogs prone to struvites or ones that need decreased mineral content?

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

[GizmoMom]

That’s an interesting question. I guess wild dogs don’t eat just birds. They would have more variety than that.

[theBCnut]

They might catch an occasional bird, but when a pack hunts and catches larger game there would be more meat, less bone and they wouldn’t necessarily eat all of the heavier bones. I suppose that could balance out those birds.

[pugmomsandy]

Somebody sent me this link:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/zoo/WholePreyFinal02May29.pdf

Some whole prey numbers starting on page 9.

[staxgrl]

Hey gang! I’ve been a reader for several months, but I’m just now ready to start making up my boys’ diets from scratch. I have 2 st. bernard/pyrenees mixes who are about 95 lbs each and a mutt who is about 45lbs. Big boys are 16 months-ish, little guy is around 9 months. Right now the big ones eat about 1600 calories a day and the little one eats around 750. I am happy with everyone’s weight, everybody has a nice tummy tuck and I can feel ribs under my fingers 🙂
Here are my planned menus, I am going to try and rotate in pork hearts and pork necks as well since those are readily available in bulk from my butcher. For now, I am out of room in my garage freezer 🙂 That said, I so appreciate/value your feedback on this. I know how much time and energy it takes to read through all the opinions/information on homemade raw diets, and your expertise is honestly priceless. I am so grateful for this forum. Here goes:

Hagrid/Ludo (95lb dogs)
1 large chicken quarter, bone-in (~1lb)
½ lb (8oz) gizzards
½ lb (8oz) heart
1oz liver
1oz kidney
2 eggs
¼ cup greek yogurt
2 cubes veggie blend
2 crushed multivitamins (one a day)
2 fish oil capsules (1200mg each)
200IU vitamin E (or 400IU every other day)

Debian (45lb dog)
1 small chicken quarter/drumstick (~1/2 lb)
¼ lb gizzards (4oz)
¼ lb heart (4oz)
½ oz liver
½ oz kidney
1 egg
1/8 cup greek yogurt
1 cube veggie blend
1 crushed multivitamin (one a day)
1 fish oil capsule (1200mg)
100IU vitamin E (or 200IU every other day)

veggie blend (steamed/blended and divided into ice cube trays):
2 bunches kale
1/2 lb carrots
1 apple
1 banana
1 sweet potato
4oz alfalfa sprouts

The menu is for a total day, it would be split up into 2 meals. I know that’s a kind of high percentage of heart, so I wanted to know if there were any opinions on that? And what about the veggie blend? This is a really simple recipe so I’m adding multivitamins to hopefully take care of any deficiencies. Thanks!

[theBCnut]

Hound Dog Mom is the one that is best to have look at these. She’s in school now and doesn’t come on as much anymore, but you could try replying to her on the off topic thread on the review side and ask her to look in here.

[Sue’s Zoo]

I have everything I need and it’s ready to go, following a couple of HDM’s meal plans listed early in this topic but I’m still holding off because I am struggling with amounts to feed. HDM makes up enough for her 3 dogs (assuming adult bloodhounds??) So I’m trying to figure out how to break that down for my two Shilohs that are still puppies, 7 mos @ 85 lbs and 4 mos @ 42 lbs. I did find a holistic vet in our area and I’ve scheduled an appointment for the middle of next week but I’m so READY to get going. I realize I probably can’t do much harm in a week but I guess I’m a little anal about it. If anyone has suggestions I’d appreciate the feedback. Will also do as Patty suggested and reply to HDM on the off-topic thread and ask her to take a look.

Thanks everyone.

[Sue’s Zoo]

So I’ve been doing this for about 2-1/2 weeks now and I’m still concerned that I’m not balancing the calcium/phosphorus ratio for my large breed pups. Trying to follow (as closely as possible) a couple of HDMs meal plans from early in this topic but at various times I’m substituting which makes me uncomfortable. Anyway, one question I have, after a lot of reading, etc., particularly Dr. Becker’s book, is whether or not I’m following the earlier recipes correctly. HDM lists a morning mix, she divides between three dogs. Is it just the meat that is divided or the whole thing? The reason I ask is that the veggie mix is quite a bit lower than Dr. Becker’s suggested diets if I divide one cup between 3 dogs per day. So is it one cup per dog per day? And if that’s true for veggies, what about other supplements?

This would be so much easier if my dogs were adults and at a relatively stable weight, without special large breed and puppy needs :/ Every time I think I have a good grasp and things are going well, I just come up with more questions.

Thanks in advance.

[RescueDaneMom]

Sue’s Zoo,

I’m not 100% sure but I think that HDM doesn’t feel the need to give her dogs a lot of fruits/veggies. I think that’s why there’s a big difference in the amount of veggie mix in HDM’s recipes versus Dr. Becker’s. I don’t think you’re going to throw off the calcium/phosphorous with the differing amount of veggies. I imagine you could feed them more or less veggies depending how their systems handle it and if they like it or not. The main component of calcium/phosphorous in the meat/bone. I believe the supplements in HDM’s recipes are for 3 adult dogs in the 65-75 pound range (I think, going by memory here). If you are unsure about the amounts of supplements you should be giving for your dogs’ weights just ask. I know I wrote it all down once.

Hopefully more people will chime in. I’ve only been doing raw for about 6 months now so I still consider myself new at it. Good luck!

[theBCnut]

Give veggies based on how much fiber your dog seems to need to be regular. My 40 lb dogs need about 1 oz per meal, but my 12.5 lb dog needs almost just as much. You can always give more than that, but don’t give less. Many give about 20% of the diet as veggies.

[Sue’s Zoo]

Thank RDM and Patty.

I guess I should didn’t explain well enough. I used the veggies as an example. Since that proportion was off from what I had read elsewhere I wondered if it meant I was mis-reading the recipe and should’ve been dividing the meat by three but using other veggies/supplements in the AM meal ‘per dog’ which would then affect the calcium etc. But it sounds like I’ve been following them correctly so I feel better on that score. The Becker diets do seem heavy on the veggies but until I really feel better about my own calculations, I feel I need to follow some recipes. And trying to figure out amounts is still a struggle. But thanks to this forum I can at least ask questions and feel confident in the answers!

[Sharon Buchanan]

In the numerous raw topics and posts here on DFA and in particular, this topic on recipes, great attention is paid to supplementing raw meats/poultry with veggies, vitamins and others. In reading articles elsewhere on feeding whole prey, we’re told that dogs don’t eat veggies (of course, I’ve never seen a dog take down a cow either), so making sure they get the whole chicken over time or the whole rabbit over time, among others, should provide them with a balanced diet. These two diet/recipe concepts seem contradictory.

Now, I do supplement with coconut oil, curcumen, a c-complex and garlic for reasons I’ve stated elsewhere, in addition to the obvious ones. I’ve taken the advice of Patty and finally found a grocery that carries kafir (which may be hard to continue because the smell gives me indigestion and Mystery reeks of it all day), and I give Mystery a whole egg occasionally – cracked over a coarse grind with the shell.

If I may, I’d like to list the raw meats I have on hand and get some suggestions on the best way to combine them, add to them, improve something or another. I’m hoping to get half a cow in a few weeks from a local farm, but until then I’ve been ordering from MPC. So here’s what I have right now:

Ground Beef Tripe Supermix
Ground Whole Young Beef
Coarse Ground Whole Rabbit
Coarse Ground Whole Chicken
Whole Turkey Necks – they’re huge
Duck Necks
Chicken Feet
RMBs – emphasis on RM
Marrow bones from my local grocery

Mystery’s adult healthy weight averages 85 lbs. (UK Kennel standards (not AKC) for English Creme Golden Retrievers). I had to take my kitten to the vet yesterday and took Mystery with me to get his weight 56.4 lbs – exactly what he weighed at the beginning of January. He’s grown longer as his breed would but his ribs, while not visible, are easily felt. He’s 11 months old. Talked it over with the vet and she wondered if he was a runt – we wondered together. I’ve been feeding him just under 3 lbs. a day over two meals.

So, I guess what I need to know is how to balance the foods listed, whats missing from my raw “pantry”, as well as any ideas on how to bulk him – not a lot, but more than he is. I expect him to reach full growth at about 18 months.

Thanks in advance! Seems the more I know, the less I know.

[Sue’s Zoo]

Hi Sharon,
My understanding is that in attempting to replicate the diet a dog would consume in the wild there are pieces that we just can’t/don’t do (i.e. fur, feathers, intestinal contents-not necessarily stomach as some things I read indicate they don’t eat the stomach-, etc) so some fruits/veggies/minerals help make up the difference. Steve Brown’s book provides tables showing all the essential nutrients and recipes that come close to providing the same–shows comparisons between NRC (National Research Council), Ancestral and their recipes. I’m currently running some calculations using an online database to help me check some of these things myself. It’s time consuming but it just feels like the right thing for me.

The more I read, the more I know…and the more complicated it becomes. Still waiting for that moment when it all seems to click and becomes easier…

[Sharon Buchanan]

Thanks, Sue. Do you have a link to the online database that you’re using? I’ll look for Steve Brown’s book, just received Dr. Becker’s.

Have you been over to the Facebook page for conference attendees? I was surprised, but encouraged by the some of the folks who’ve signed up for the conference that have been feeding raw for 20 years or more. We definitely made the right decision!

Everyone’s already talking about their dogs, networking for sources – I even got a tip that has led me to a number of local farms that sell to “regular” folks, and sharing their experience.

Completely agree with your last paragraph. I just don’t know what to do with everything I know yet. I have a few “a ha” moments, work on that and then something else comes up and I’m off researching that more. I’ve got a list of questions going for the conference.

[Sue’s Zoo]

Sorry Sharon! I just saw this post. The online database is http://www.alacalc.co.uk/ I signed up for the 3 free recipes to test it. So far I’ve been able to add HDMs Whole Food Supplement and her Veggie/Fruit mix as a recipe then as an ingredient to one of her suggested recipes Beef/Turkey. I also recently found data on raw, bone-in items so I could add turkey necks etc (http://dogaware.com/health/kidneytable.html). After that I can download a spreadsheet which gives the calculations of about 50 different nutrients. I’m seriously considering purchasing for 15 recipes. It costs $50 but I will feel so much better about doing my own ‘recipes’ if I can make sure everything is well-balanced. (Will post on this on FB, too)

[pfeiner]

Hi All –
I have been feeding Primal to my two Labs for a while now. When I read the menus on the advisor, I have to admit I get somewhat overwhelmed. I am looking for alternatives to Primal only because it is so expensive. I have heard that Darwin’s is a good product and less expensive than Darwin – any thoughts?

Am I correct in that if I choose to make my own, I can purchase a mix such as the one HDM suggests – “See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix” and just add my organic foul or beef? Some of the posts suggest adding fish oil in addition to the mix. Do you all agree? Should I be adding anything else?

Thanks in advance for your help –

[pugmomsandy]

Pfeiner,

There are several premixes you can use and you can feed more than one kind for variety. Some brands that have a premix are The Honest Kitchen, Grandma Lucy’s (both product lines), Dr Harvey’s, Sojo’s, Wysong Uncanny, and Urban Wolf. The addition of an oil is a beneficial fat source which contains essential fatty acids (EFA’s) like omega 6 and 3.

[pfeiner]

Thanks for your feedback. Like your suggestion of changing the pre mixes up for variety. In reading about home prepared raw diets, I see allot about salmonella etc. I know about safe handling of foods but they wind up getting cooked. What about raw?

[pugmomsandy]

I haven’t had any issues with raw since the beginning which was more than two years ago. You can use raw or cooked meat with the premixes. I’ve made over 100 lbs of ground raw in one sitting before but clean up well right after. I make sure to thaw my frozen packages in a container in case it drips blood and then transfer the food into the container when it’s thawed enough to come out of its package. It’s just like thawing out a package of ground beef for yourself.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[kvee]

What do you guys feed your dogs when you have to be away for several days?

I’ve been hesitant to start Susie off on any homemade diet, yet. We are traveling for 2 weeks in the summer and she will stay in a local pet resort.

Dry Freeze?

[pugmomsandy]

Yes you can use freeze dried food when boarding your pet. It’s a little more pricey though. Even though my dogs eat raw, they still also get kibble and canned food so they wouldn’t have a problem eating either of those for a period of time if needed. That’s one good reason to feed a variety. I would probably use freeze dried or canned food if boarding my dogs.

[theBCnut]

It would depend on where my dog was boarding. If they could handle feeding raw, I would package up exactly the right amount using a premix or 2, so all they would have to do is thaw and put it in a dish. If they couldn’t handle the raw, I would make sure my dogs could handle full meals of freeze dried before I left and then have them use that.

[Brandy R]

Hi All,
I have been doing a lot of research about the BARF diet for my K9 babies and come across this forum. I live in St. Louis MO, have 4 dogs. 6 yr old Jack Russell (Bella)-overweight at 19.4 lbs, 2 yr old Jack Russell/Shih tzu mix (Candy)-rescued her she is perfect at 15.4 lbs, 2 yr old Shihshon (shih tzu/bichon frise mix) (Falcor)-very submissive but perfect 17 lbs and last but not least my 10 month old beagle (Brutus)-he is my problem child right now weighing in at 30.2 lbs he has separation anxiety terrible-inside and out. Will tear the house apart if left inside and digs up my tree outside….super rotten but I love him dearly.
I am extremely nervous about starting a raw diet mainly because I want to gag thinking about all the raw boney foods they will be eating and gnawing on…yuk but also scared they will choke on bones. Candy is not a gulper but the other 3 inhale their kibble and its even worse when i add egg or yogurt or cottage cheese to it. I can’t imagine what they would do with a chicken back or neck or any other raw meaty bone for that matter. Any suggestions? Also I read to feed them 2% of their ideal weight per day split into 2 meals, does that sound right?
I recently started eating healthy myself (more veggies and meat-less carbs) and have been concerned about my Bella and how overweight she is, so i started doing some research and that’s when I came across the raw diet and what I have read it seems to be so much healthier for my dogs. I want to keep them healthy and happy for many more years without breaking the bank in the process.
It seems if I can find a distributor that would be extremely cheap. I plan to stop by a couple local grocery stores and meat markets in the next few days to speak with the Butcher about getting some parts they don’t sell.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Brandy –

Just because a dog gulps kibble doesn’t necessarily mean that they will gulp RMB’s. The goal is to only feed RMB’s large enough that they have to chew (the RMB should be bigger than their mough). For example, I’d never give my two girls (large bloodhounds) small chicken necks or wings because they would just swallow them, instead I give turkey necks, chicken quarters, chicken backs etc. I’ve also heard of people putting clamps on the end of RMB’s if their dog still gulps. My suggestion would be to try giving your small dogs bones that are obviously much too large for a meal (i.e. a turkey neck) and when they’ve eaten an appropriate amount take it away and refrigerate for the next meal. When it’s eaten to the point that it’s small enough to swallow, remove it and dispose of the bit that’s left.

With that said, if it turns out that your dog can’t eat RMB’s safely it’s certainly okay to not include RMB’s in the diet – of course you will then need to add supplemental calcium and be very proactive about dental care because your dog won’t be getting the calcium and dental benefits that RMB’s provide. Good luck and come back if you have any more questions! 🙂

http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a501/hagelult/IMG_2161_zps707bc44f.jpg

http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a501/hagelult/IMG_2176_zps95819491.jpg

[MastiffLove]

We will buy in bulk, meaning half a cow, lots of chickens (loose fat removed), half a pig (less pig since it has more fat)(will add organs to those) for a start and later on i will add more types of meats as i find farmers or producers around my area. I will make this food for my 8weeks old English Mastiff puppy BUT my wife’s parents are getting a Colley puppy in July and later on during the summer a German Sheppard puppy, also a friend of ours is researching for a good Great Dane breeder. That being said we would be 4 different dogs on the same recipe.

1- Can i get Green Tripe from a meat manufacture(not sure if thats how its called)?

2- Can i grind necks?

3- instead of using pureed vegetable can i use a Supergreen powder mixted with the meat then freeze?

4- Should fruits be pureed? or chopped in fine pieces is ok? (like apples for example)

5- wy use Sweet potatoes, isn’t it a source of carbs? Should it always be boiled or can it be oven baked?

6- Thinking of buying in bulk therefore i would have the company to grind the meat including bones…would using:
URBAN WOLF Balancer give a too high output on Calcium and an unbalanced Calc./Phos.?
or
Should i use Dr. Harvey’s Formative Years for Puppies?
NOT to forget my puppy is 8weeks old!

7- As for Greens should i use Mercola’s SpiruGreen Superfood and/OR Swanson’s Sprouted Flax Powder mixed with Wheat Grass Powder?

8- Kymythy Schultze a certified clinical nutritionist said:” Calcium can go out of solution when feeding too many vegetables. Keeping normal acidity (low alkaline) in the digestion by avoiding veggies in puppies keeps calcium in solution and won’t deposit excess on the bones.”
(p.s.: thank you Sharon Buchanan for the quote!)
Would adding the product from Question 8 result in unbalancing my pups acidity?

9- i would mix everything up in large batches (some batch will have some ingredients and some will have different ones to “balance” it out in day on day off type of feeding), and separate in individual portion size for an 8 weeks old large pup in air tight sealed bags and then into the freezer. Doing so would i loose any efficiency of certain foods like greens and fish oil?

*** End comment: I was happy and felt like applauding Mercola.com for funding 300,000$ for the Washington State GMO Labeling Initiative, they are one of the companies, amongst many others, that i buy products from as supplements for my puppy raw diet. http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/cornucopia.jpg ***

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi MastiffLove,

I am answering your questions based on what I do and my knowledge and experience.

1- Yes, it is called green tripe. You may be able to get it from a butcher. For human consumption, they bleach the tripe which removes all the good stuff for our dogs.

2- Yes, you can grind necks if you don’t want to feed them whole.

3- Some people see vegetables as being optional. It is up to you if you want to include them. Remember that freezing can damage the enzymes in food so don’t keep food frozen for too long. I try to only have food frozen for a month or less. The Spirugreen is not a replacement for veggies. It is a green algae supplement. I wouldn’t freeze it. I would add it right before feeding.

4- I would puree fruits. You can feed in pieces but you will notice that some will come out just like they went it (example- the skin of the apple won’t be digested very well).

5- Sweet potato is a starchy root vegetable that has carbs. It can be used as a nutritious filler to bulk up meals for dogs that need a lot of food. It also contains high levels of vitamin a, vitamin c, and manganese.

6- Urban Wolf is a pre-mix that is meant to be used with meat only (no bone) as it contains enough calcium to balance the meat without bone. I believe Dr. Harvey’s is more of an herbal supplement and can be added to meat with bone.

7- I would suggest rotating different products for your supergreens. Try one then a different one. Variety is good!

8- Did you mean adding the product from question 7? From that quote I would think that adding some veggies is ok but not to overdo it. You wouldn’t want 50% of your pup’s diet to be veggies. I’d think you’d be ok having 5-10% veggies in the diet.

9- I would not freeze supplements like greens or fish oil. They may loose some of their effectiveness. I add my supplements right before feeding. I have the meat and/or meat/veggie mix portioned and frozen, then I thaw what I can use in 3 days.

I hope that helps.

[theBCnut]

USDA inspected facilities can not deal in green tripe or the other parts of the cow that are not for human consumption, but if you have a local place that processes for you, you may be able to get the tripe.

[MastiffLove]

Thank you very much for your help RDM and yes i meant question 7….so if i recap i can mix the meat(s) fruits and boiled veggies and freeze and once thawed out add the supplements before serving.

Thank you theBCnut for that info! there’s actually alot of em in my area, i will make some phone calls! 🙂

should i grind the tripe like the meat or have it coarse grind to get Zeus to chew on it to get some teeth brushing going on? From what i read its a chewy type of organ?

Sorry for all those questions but i wanna make this right (still have a long way to g but i’m working on it) and have a healthy family member! 😛

[Brandy R]

Thanks Hound dog mom i will definitely try the larger RMB’s first. My only concern about taking them away is will my dogs get aggressive? They are very territorial when they use to get chew bones. For the most part they didn’t growl or snap at me but would fight each other horribly and then if i would try taking the bone away they would snap at me. My husband and i are nervous this raw food diet will make them extremely aggressive with each other and us. With their kibble we have taught the dogs that its ok for my husband myself and our children to pet them while they eat and even stick our hands in the food bowl or take the bowl away. They are all great with the kibble and even eat together side by side in the kitchen (they have their own little corner where they eat.

[theBCnut]

I get ground tripe for one reason only. I do not what them trying to hold on to chunks of it while chewing it up and end up with tripe stench all over their body. It is very chewy and great for teeth. Tripe is the one food that I want them to eat quickly, so I pay more to buy already ground. I don’t know if your local guys would even be willing to get that on their machinery that is meant for food grade stuff. Good luck!

[pfeiner]

So I have been feeding Primal to my two Labs. The pup, who is 7 months old, is not your typical Lab eater. He eat somewhat gingerly and does not scarf down his food. He is a healthy, active, 7 month old puppy. Lately, he has decided he does not like his Primal. I give him an assortment of proteins and he eats twice a day. He will eat it if I offer it to him by hand – I don’t want to create a monster here 🙂 Was thinking of trying him on Darwin – Any suggestions. BTY – I do add a few pumps of Salmon Oil to their food as well as a sprinkle of Missing Link. Thanks!!

[theBCnut]

You can’t go wrong with their offer for first timers. I’m not sure but you may find that Darwins is lower calorie than Primal, so you might have to feed a bit more than you were. For a raw food, Darwin’s is known for being lower fat than most, if not all, of them. A lot of commercial raw foods use current labeling rules to cover up how much fat is in their product.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by theBCnut.

[SandyandMila]

pfeiner – have you tried rotating other brands as well? The same happened to me when feeding Primal so I started using others as well (NV, Stella and Chewy’s, Bravo, etc.) and using ground beef or turkey with Preference.

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