[pugmomsandy]

No, it would not be too much fish with added sardines. Just like it would not be too much chicken if you added some real chicken as a topper for a chicken kibble. As far as the large portions are concerned, that’s where a big freezer comes in handy and a grinder. You could purchase various meaty bones and cases of organs and muscle meat and then use them according to the recipe you choose. X lbs of necks, X lbs muscle meat, X lbs organs, etc. Or you could start with a Premix where you only add in muscle meat (ground chicken or beef or pork, etc) and the Premix and some oil. The Premix has vitamins. When I order by the case, I prefer 2 lb chubs over 5 or 10 lb chubs but I have small dogs.

[Katie J]

Thank you! I realize now how silly that question was after you explained it. I guess I was worried about “too much of a good thing” type issue.

I’m feeling pretty indecisive, and the due date to order for the co-op is getting close. I think I may hold off and tour a couple of local butchers while I decide what I want. I’m thinking that I won’t need to have a ton of meat on hand, but investing in a small freezer is a good idea.

It’s really exciting and sort of overwhelming with dog nutrition. I don’t seem to care half as much about what goes into my body!

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi Katie,

You may also want to check out reelrawdog.com. I recently discovered this company through InkedMarie (I think, correct me if I’m wrong). They have good deals on free shipping based on where you’re located and how much you buy. I would have to buy 50lbs for free shipping because I live in FL. They also have good prices on bulk ground products. They are already in the correct ratio of 80:10:10. Then you just add some veggies and supplements and you’re all set. That could get you started while you figure out the rest.

[pugmomsandy]

Exciting and overwhelming and indecisive are all correct! That’s how I ended up buying 400 lbs on my first order! It lasted a year! This weekend I’m only getting 40 lbs.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Katie J]

RescueDaneMom – I will definitely check that site out! Thanks for the heads up!

Pugmomsandy – Oh my goodness!!! I could definitely see myself doing that! It would be quite the scramble for a freezer before it arrived. Talk about stocking up!

I grabbed a can of sardines last night. My boyfriend has been begging to feed an egg. And I am stalking our fresh meat at work for markdowns. I’m considering thawing the whole chicken I have and letting the boyfriend cut it down. So many options!

[RescueDaneMom]

Home Depot is still having a sale. I just picked up another chest freezer for $158. It’s a Magic Chef, 6.5 cubic feet I think. And I ordered 50 lbs of raw from reel raw last night including 5 whole quail. Max is going to be a happy boy.

[SandyandMila]

Katie J, you’re lucky your boyfriend is supportive and helpful, mine won’t even let me open a can of sardines in the house. I portion out everything when he’s not home and put enough in our freezer for a week or two an the rest my mom lefts me store in one of her freezers. Another freezer would be great especially for large orders, and that’s a pretty great deal at Home Depot but I can’t hide a freezer from him. lol

[InkedMarie]

Yes it was me who uses a Reel Raw. In fact, I just ordered 30 beef rib bones, free shipping!

[Alexandra]

I also use Reel Raw, I love their products. Their meats are the freshest I have found so far! And you can’t beat the free shipping!

[InkedMarie]

The only problem with Reel Raw is delivery times, sometimes. I ordered 30 beef rib bones today & the email for delivery said July 24th. I’m ok with it, I know if I NEED food, order well in advance or order from Hare!

Glad you’re ordering from them too, Ali!

[RescueDaneMom]

I ordered 50lbs last night and got free shipping. The scheduled delivery is for July 18. You definitely have to plan. I am excited to try their food though. I got chunks of duck and 5 whole quail as well as 10lbs each of the bulk ground (chicken, turkey, pork, and beef). I thought their prices on the bulk stuff was really reasonable. It will help me get through the times when I don’t have time to make my own.

[Katie J]

I checked Craigslist for a freezer. Might have to pick it up, but I guess I’m not exactly sure how to troubleshoot those sort of things. It might be a good way to buy a piece of junk.

I’m looking to possibly making a 50lb purchase at ReelRaw. I like the variety and the 10lb grinds look like a good price and convenient. The bf and I are pricing places and seeing how much each option with cost us (kibble+wet vs raw). Kibble is winning, but how much providing the best for your dog worth? I toyed with 1 kibble and 1 raw meal, but I am pretty certain that my picky terrier will gladly skip his kibble meal after finding raw! He already prefers wet.

I truly appreciate everyone’s help! It’s great to have a community of knowledgable and friendly people who all want the best for dogs everywhere!

[Ping C]

Hi Rawfeeders

I’ve been feeding my puppy raw for 2 1/2 months now and she’s doing well on it.
Gaining weight steadily, good skin/hair/teeth etc. She’s now 5 months.

She gets mainly Pork, Beef and Chicken..mostly meat/ some bones/ some organs…very occasionally some Mutton, Lamb, or Duck

I’ve tried giving her pork ribs/ Mutton bones/ beef ribs over several occasions, she’ll eat the meat, chew on the bones a bit but leaves most of the bone behind, . I’m guessing they are too tough. She’ll eat ALL/ANY of the chicken bones.

My question is : If chicken bones are the bulk of her Bone/Calcium content, is this going to be nutritionally deficient over time? Does she need to eat bones from Beef/Pork/Lamb etc?

thanks in advance for your reply,
Ping & Luna (singapore)

[FreeholdHound]

I’ve been AWOL from the site for awhile & look what I missed! Bring me up to sipped on this Reel Raw site!!! Just gave it a quick peak & it looks great. Everyone still pleased with products?
Jeanne

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi Jeanne! How is Harry doing? I just got my order from Reel Raw yesterday. Everything was correct and the meat looked great. I love the free shipping! I couldn’t afford it otherwise. I’ll let you know how Max likes it after he tries it.

[FreeholdHound]

Keep me posted- looks like a great option! Harry is just fine (napping after a woods hike). Met his Dane friend Sally ( a beautiful all black female w/rhinestone necklace & painted blue nails) at the park. She’s the only dog Harry ever has to look up to lol.

[Dori]

Hey Jeanne. So nice to see you back on dfa. I was worried that something might be wrong. Glad to know you’ve simply been living your life. Hope all is well with you and yours.

I’m about to place an order with Reel Raw. I didn’t know there was a raw food site that delivered for free. So glad I found these posts. Shipping on raw is always so expensive though understandably so due to what’s involved. Not like shipping kibble.

[FreeholdHound]

Hi! Been working hard lately and having my hours cut. I got it into my head to treat my daughter (and myself) to a trip to Ireland next year. I was there in 1992 & have been longing to back ever since. Decided to bite the bullet & get my azz in gear to make it happen.

I’ve been checking out the Reel Raw site this morning & have a few things in my basket already. Going to chance a few chicken backs for the 1st time to see how/if Harry handles a bit of poultry besides his turkey necks. I’m not going for a big order as my small freezer is pretty stocked but $9.99 shipping isn’t too bad for the assorted things I’m ordering.

[pugmomsandy]

Can one have too much green tripe in a recipe? I’m using it as muscle meat.

[FreeholdHound]

If you ask Harry there can never be too much Tripe lol

[Mary M]

Hello, I have 6 dogs and feed prey model raw. This next week’s menu is:
Monday: Chicken gizzards, raw whole eggs, kefir milk

Tuesday: Pork neck bones

Wednesday: Ground beef, calf liver, whole eggs

Thursday: Chicken drumsticks, kefir milk

Friday: Ground pork, rabbit chunks

Saturday, Chicken gizzards, ground beef

Sunday will start a new menu. I add Alaskan salmon oil and a join supp of glucosamine, chondroitin, & MSM in every day along with coconut oil.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Mary –

That’s great that you’re feeding a raw diet. 🙂

You may, however, wish to check out a book that includes balanced recipes. Two of my favorites are “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown and “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Karen Becker.

[Lord F]

I just barely made the switch to raw for two of my dogs, we feed them raw in the morning and kibble in the early evening. For my 4 month old puppy, he gets half of his food raw, so his full morning meal. We expect him to get 35lbs. For our senior, we starting off by feeding him 1/4 raw per day, so he gets the same portion as the puppy, with a cup of kibble added. He’s 100lbs! I just started this a week ago! I just went out and bought their meat for this week. I’m so new to making it completely balanced and that’s why I’m starting with half kibble, until I get this down. Here’s what they got last week each:
Friday/Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday AM:
5.7 oz Boneless, skinless chicken breast
1.3 oz beef kidney
Saturday/Monday/Wednesday AM:
5.7 oz pork stew meat (boneless)
1.3 oz beef kidney
1 egg
They got turkey necks and cow feet throughout the week as well. This week I switched to a different menu:
Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday:
1 pork rib
1.3 oz pork liver
2 oz beef heart
2 oz turkey gizzards
Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday:
1.3 oz pork liver
3 oz turkey gizzard
2.7 oz beef heart
1 tbs canned salmon
In the PM they get either Acana or Orijen, we switch between the two every night. I now give them an egg once a week, they get turkey and pork necks throughout the week. I’m gonna stop by a Whole Foods tomorrow to get whole raw sardine and feed them this twice a week in addition to the regular meal and omit the canned salmon. I know it’s really basic, but I just wanted to know what I can do to make it more varied and more balanced. I’d like to start now for when I switch them off kibble. My senior also gets probiotics in capsule form to help with his digestion, he gets gas easily. What can I add to his food instead of giving him 4 capsules a day? THANKS!

[theBCnut]

If he tolerates it, you can give him 1/4 cup of kefir or you can give him some raw green tripe. After he has been on the probiotics a while, you should be able to cut back to twice a week on them.

[pugmomsandy]

Liver should be not be more than 5%. And I second the tripe suggestion. Just beware, raw green tripe smells foul.

[Lord F]

Is raw green tripe the same thing as beef tripe? The mexican market I buy meat from always has it, labeled as “Beef Tripe”. It’s white though.
Which organ meats should I be feeding? I heard that heart is considered muscle meat and so are gizzards, so what is organ? Kidney, lung.. what else?

[theBCnut]

The white tripe is useless. It has been sterilized. Green Tripe is only lightly washed so it still has some plant matter, digestive enzymes, and probiotics on it. You won’t find it in a grocery store. It’s too gross.

Heart is considered muscle, but it still has good things in it like taurine, that aren’t found much of anywhere else. Liver, kidney, spleen are the main organs. I buy whole carcass rabbit and quail grinds from Hare Today, because they have brain, eyes, pituitary, you know, ALL the organs, glands, everything. I feed whole carcass once a week. They even sell whole small animals, but all the squeamish people in my house would die if I fed that.

[Pluto.the.St.Bernard]

So any of these raw recipes that HDM and others have posted, would be good for a giant sized breed St. Benard puppy (20wks, never had raw food so far)? I just want to be extra cautious with this being a health issued breed .

[theBCnut]

HDM’s raw recipes are the only ones I would automatically trust for a large or giant breed puppy since that is specifically what hers were formulated for.

[Pluto.the.St.Bernard]

theBCnut,
Thanks alot, will take that into great consideration. One more thing is it ok to feed him raw and kibble foods ? Mainly asking because I dont think I will be preparing raw home recipes for everyday eating was kinda hoping to go back and forth(if that’s even a smart thing to do). I don’t want Pluto getting set in his ways eating only raw meals, and I only say that being, im also somewhat trying to buget while taking good care of his big eating habits. Thanks

[theBCnut]

One big proponent of raw feeding, Steve Brown, even published a booklet to encourage people who can’t feed raw every day to feed it occasionally. Once a week, even, is better than none.

[oepth]

So I’m getting a puppy in a week (mini aussie – yay!) and I definitely want to feed a raw diet. I’m close to My Pet Carnivore so getting the meat / triple / grinds isn’t an issue. I also want to feed morning kibble – mostly because I want her to work for her food using food puzzle toys. She’ll be about 25 lbs as an adult so that will mean she’ll get about 12 ounces of food a day. (3% of 25 lbs)

Can someone recommend me a menu? Here’s what I have:
Morning
– Orijen Puppy Kibble (4 ounces)

Lunch
– Chicken neck (4 ounces) OR

Dinner (rotate amongst these options or so)
– Green tripe (starting with grinded version and then moving on to the real thing) 2 ounces + whole grind chicken 2 ounces OR
– Beef liver 1 ounce + whole grind chicken 2 ounces + chicken gizzard 1 ounce OR
– Whole ground duck 2 ounces + Beef gullet 1 ounce + Green tripe 1 ounce + 1 ounce vege puree

Does this menu sound ok? More liver/offals? What kind? Also I’m adding Salmon Oil (Grizzly brand) and Solid Gold Sea Meal Powder.

Thanks for any feedback!
Cheryl

[Elizabeth A]

I’ve been ordering strictly pastured, organic meat and poultry deliverd to my home through http://www.uswellnessmeats.com for my family’s consumption. They also sell “pet burgers” which is mixed raw organ meats/ muscle meat that comes from solely pastured, organic animals. It is raw, delivered frozen in 1 lb bags, costing about $5 a pound. I give it to my older dachshund as a treat to supplement his canned Wellness diet. He loves it! I think it releases his “inner wolf.” haha Just wondering if anyone else has come across this product. They also sell pastured beef bones of varying sizes with the marrow. Some of their beef comes from Tasmania/New Zealand where the air/pasture/water purity is high. Just passing it on. My doxie is a rescue dog I’ve had since he was 4 and now turning 16–still full of life!

[pugmomsandy]

Looking for suggestions/resources for balancing whole ground turkeys with added tripe instead of other muscle meats. According to preymodelraw, whole birds are about 30% bone.

[theBCnut]

Since tripe is low in both calcium and phosphorus, it isn’t ideal to balance a high calcium diet. I think you would need something like 2 lbs of tripe for every lb of turkey to get the calcium in range. I didn’t stop and do the math, but it might take even more than that.

[pugmomsandy]

Another site says a whole prey is already in balance. So if I just wanted to add muscle meat to dilute the bone content, then tripe would work right? Since it’s nearly 1:1 ratio wouldn’t affect anything. And then Dogs Naturally Magazine lists whole turkey at 21% bone. The more I look, the more varied info I find.

[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 9 years, 8 months ago by Jennifer H.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Jennifer H.

[a c]

The diet I feed my dog looks like this. He is a male, 55lb 9 month old pit mix.
AM – 1lb of ground chicken mix
PM – 1lb of ground chicken mix
– 1/2lb of tripe every 2 days
– Carlson cod liver oil, 1 pill every 2 days
– Carlson salmon oil, 1 pill every day
– Coconut oil, 3 teaspoon every day
– 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 garlic clove, 1 egg without shell 2-3 times a week.
– 2 Tsp of Phresh Greens every day
In total he gets about 2 lbs to 2.5 lbs per day. He is a active dog and I think he could do with a bit more weight. I recently started throwing in 2-3oz of chicken liver as well as 1-2 chicken thigh or a turkey neck to his meal at night. Would it throw off the balance since I feed him a chicken ground mixture and ratios are good like that? Or will it be okay to add chicken thighs or turkey neck with some liver aswel at night meals?

[Butters B]

How is the Honest Kitchen? I saw this Pet Food review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCdROTAsBTw. Any other suggestions?

[InkedMarie]

Butters,
I’ve fed THK for 10 years & it’s a fave of mine. It’s not a raw food though (you posted in a raw food thread, wanted to make sure you knew that.

[sharon b]

HDM, I realize all these post’s are old, so not sure if you are still posting here. I just started feeding my two dogs raw. I like your meal plan, however wondering why so many supplements? Do your dogs suffer from any health issues? I have a Newf puppy 7 months and an 8 y/o husky and only adding coconut oil, salmon oil, and right now some Pumpkin as he is a bit constipated at the start as I am awaiting getting more meat alone from next order. he is getting a ground mix that is a 80/10/10 mix, so should be complete, yet even with a lot of water added he needs the pumpkin and stools are now good.

[Pat J]

I am new to this site. I would like to switch to a raw diet, I am elderly with health issues. The diets mention are too complicated and time consuming for my condition. I have been looking into a dehydrated food from Big Dog Natural company. A dog breeder told me about this company and likes their food. Has anyone tried their food and if so, what were the results and opinions? Thanks

[Bobby dog]

Hi Pat J:
Here are some forum threads discussing BDN:

/forums/topic/big-dog-natural-dehydrated-food/

/forums/topic/big-dog-natural-2/

/forums/topic/big-dog-natural-freeze-dried/

[Lauren A]

Hello! I know this thread is super old, but hoping I can get some feedback on my menu for my dog. This is our current menu, and I want to make sure it is balanced pretty well! I didn’t really pay attention to balance the first few months, just switching from commercial raw to real raw, and introducing all of the proteins. I was aiming for 19oz/day split between two meals (except Sunday). Our dog is a 5yr old 54b Rhodesian Ridgeback female (runt, hence size). She should hover between 50-52lb for her frame, but vet isn’t concerned at all (as in doesn’t even mention weight) unless she gets over 55b, which she never has. She has low-moderate (average) exercise. We are looking at a few other Ridgebacks to add a second family member soon, so I would like to make sure I have the correct balancing ideas/meal plans down before then. Thanks for any advice/input! Be nice 🙂

Sunday AM:
– whole green-tripe stuffed quail (1-2lb) OR 1lb whole rabbit pieces with 4oz green tripe
Sunday PM:
– 1/2 c animal broth (our dog will NOT tolerate fasting, so this is what we are down to as a “fasting” day meal)

Monday/Wednesday/Friday AM:
– beef mince (tongue, heart, liver) 7oz
– beef kidney 2oz
– fruit/veggie mix (I puree and freeze into ice cube trays) 1oz
– kefir 1/4 c
– 1-2 tsp “green superfood” mix (based off of what HDM makes)

Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday AM:
– chicken mince (whole chicken, organs and backs and everything, ground up) 8oz
– whole chicken egg 1oz
– fruit/veggie mix 1oz
– kefir 1/4 c
– 1-2 tsp “green superfood” mix

Monday PM:
– turkey necks 3oz
– turkey liver 3oz
– turkey hearts 3oz

Tuesday PM:
– sardines 7oz
– salmon trim 2oz

Wednesday PM:
– whole chunked lamb 5oz
– lamb hearts 4oz

Thursday PM:
– wild game (bison/buffalo, venison, elk – one protein source) 6oz
– wild game liver/organs 3oz

Friday PM:
– whole chunked duck 5oz
– duck gizzards 4oz

Saturday PM:
– herring 7oz
– salmon trim 2oz

[Jaxons Mom]

Hello! I’m fairly new to raw, I just started my lab mix pup on it when he was around 20 weeks (October 2015) and I was just wondering if anyone would be so kind to reply with a list of RMB’s and other parts that I could get from a butcher and feed? He’s almost 10 mos old and 67 lbs. Thankyou!! Any tips and suggestions would be incredibly helpful and very much appreciated!

[sean b]

Hi guys,
Is there anybody on here that has an irish wolfhound?? I am trying to get onto giving my Winston a raw food diet,but have no idea where to begin,it all seems very intimidating and would love to know if anybody here has wolfhounds and if so how much do you feed…any help would be much appreciated, how to start out with my feeding regime etc etc thanks guys 🙂

[Shaleeta H]

Hi Sean b, I’m in the same boat! I have a 15 week IW, and I’m also looking to switch her to raw. They seem so delicate, it’s hard to know where to start.

[pugmomsandy]

Primal has formulas and grinds so you can customize your meal. They also have feeding guidelines listed on their website.

Dogaware.com also has a homemade recipe section and the book Real Foods for Healthy Cats and Dogs has simple recipes along with a vitamin and mineral recipe and adjusts for puppies. Currently I feed about 2% of body weight for weight maintenance for my adult Non active pugs.

[Molly F]

Hey all!
Brand new to the site and to raw feeding!
I am probably going to be working off Dr. Pitcairn’s recipes, and I had a question about supplements. I’d prefer whole food ingredients, so I’m probably going to use eggshell for calcium. I’m wondering if eggs themselves could provide enough vitamin A? I’m thinking of doing an egg based meal in the morning and meat and grain in the evening, using whole sardines for the omegas. I’m going to check with some local meat producers to get the healthiest meat available and will probably add bones at some point. I read that turkey leg bones aren’t really safe (feel free to add your experience) but what about raw chicken legs?
My puppy is a 7 1/2 mo old German Shepherd from fairly beefy stock (dad was 110lbs, mom was 80!!!), so of course I’ve gotten myself all scared about proper calcium ratios. If I give her whole sardines, those bones shouldn’t throw off the ratios too much, right?

[anonymously]

/forums/topic/questions-concerning-raw/#post-89920

[Author]

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