Questions About Raw Feeding?
i have a few questions for anyone that feeds raw..i like the concept, and am interested in trying out the raw diet for my dog (and maybe the cats) but i’m a little nervous about it.
is it worth it to only do it as part of my dogs daily intake? like maybe do kibble for breakfast, and raw for dinner?
some websites and books say you absolutely must add supplements for your dog to be healthy, then some say that is just companies trying to get your money and you can just feed the meat, etc. itself..so do i need supplements?
do any of you have any secrets about where to find bones and meats for cheaper than the grocery and pet stores? i looked at the raw diets sold at pet stores and there is no way i could afford that on a regular basis!
thanks!
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okay, if you’re going into feeding raw, i suggest you feed your pets 1 meal a day of raw food and that’s it. no need another meal of kibble or any other comercial food.
if you’re feeding raw prey model style which is like you feed an entire chicken with everything intact, then you don’t need any supplements. this is what i do, but i like to add fish body oil and kelp supplement.
if you are only feeding raw meat, yes you need to add supplements like bone meal for calcium in order to balance the phosphorus level, you need vitamins also. so actually it’s cheaper to feed bones, organs and meat instead of just meat.
you’ll have to read up to know how much bones, how much meat and how much organs to give. occassional whole raw eggs with shell is a good source of protein.
don’t get raw diets sold in pet stores, the prices are atrocious!
find a friendly butcher. mine keeps parts that people don’t usually consume and sell them to me at dirt cheap prices, so i get my chicken necks(for cats and small dogs) and chicken organs like liver and heart for almost nothing. meat that are slightly off but not stale, he also keeps and sells to me at a cheaper rate. usually during hunting seasons, butchers have a lot of meat left over which they sometimes have to pay people to take them away since there isn’t much people buying too. they’re usually glad to give them away for free if you inform them before the seasons, this is a good time for game meat like venison and bison.
or you can shop at the grocery and whenever they have an offer for anything, buy it in bulk and store it in your freezer.
feel free to email me if you’re any other doubts or questions, i would be glad to answer them.
You can absolutely switch back and forth between processed and raw.
The best way to do it is to buy cheap cuts of meat at the grocery store.
Wysong makes a powdered supplement you can add the raw food… http://www.wysong.net/Merchant2/merchant…
They also have some info on their website that’s worth checking out.http://www.wysong.net/faqpets.shtml#feed…
And another site…http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html
A diet comprised solely of raw meat is definitely in need of supplements. It is definitely deficient in several amino acids, mineral and vitamins. The one that comes to mind and is easiest to explain is calcium. Even an adult dog requires a certain amount of Ca for maintenance of bone and teeth structure. Raw meat is a poor source of Ca. So where and how does a predator in nature obtain a balanced diet?
Study how a predator consumes a fresh kill. Typically they will open the stomach cavity and consume the contents first and internal organs first. This provides essential amino acids in a herbivore diet that predators also need. They are eating the partially digested contents of the stomach, the contents of the guts, liver, kidneys. Along with the protein in organ meats, organ meats are concentrated sources of vitamins and minerals. After that they will consume meat and hide and as a major source of protein and finally carry off bones and hooves for later gnawing which supplies more minerals.
One of the reasons prepared raw diets cost are so high is because they add all those missing nutrients that raw meat by itself doesn’t contain. It’s not impossible to feed a balanced raw diet but dedication and time is required. I looked at it and then decided purchasing a premium balanced kibble was nearly as good.
My suggestion: go to your local library and check out some raw feeding books. I don’t trust much of anything I read online mainly because any old fool could have written it(Then again, the other day I just got done reading Harrison’s published book and found him to be an idiot as well….).
It also helps if you can get in touch with a Veterinarian whom shares your views of raw feeding as they can further direct you. Some Vets do not approve of this diet.
I would definitely recommend that you add supplements. And my secret for getting cheap meat, get connections with a butcher! Or buy in bulk! It also helps to have an extra freezer to store your dogs food ONLY that way you can buy tons of food and stock up while it’s cheap.
I feed my dogs raw. It takes awhile to find stores that have the best prices, the hispanic market is usually a good place to start. Whenever there’s a sale on chicken, beef, lamb, turkey or organs I stock up, package it into 2 day portions and freeze. The raw meaty bones I also buy at the hispanic market. I buy salmon oil and a daily vitamin blend. Some of the prepared meat/bone mix rolls are expensive and they aren’t all a complete meal. I never pay more than a $1.50 lb. for meat or bones and it’s usually way less, $1.50 is if I’m in a hurry or as a treat for something special. My local hispanic market had chicken quarters for .59c lb. and pork neck bones for .29c lb.this week on sale.
Before you start the raw diet make sure you research a canine’s nutritional needs. It’s not an exact science but you should have a good overview of what they need long term to stay healthy. A cat’s diet is a little different. My cat is old and ornery and will sometimes eat what the dogs leave in their bowls.