Taking the plunge?

[wookie130]

Well, I did quite a bit of reading on raw feeding several months ago in regards to my 3 cats...now I'm moving on to the dogs. The more I read, the more overwhelmed I'm feeling in terms of taking the plunge into a raw diet for my pets.

Here are some general conclusions I've drawn. Please correct me if they seem misguided:

*If I were to do this, I would not add additional supplements to the muscle meats, organs, and RMB's. A lot of these supplements are not really necessary if I'm providing a wide variety of foods...such as different cuts of bone-in chicken, turkey, pheasant, rabbit, mutton, beef, etc., along with the organs, bone included. I will basically divide up the correct percentages of each type of meat (RMB's, muscle meat, organ meat) for the week, store the portions in disposable freezer bags, thaw what they're to eat the night before, serve, and not worry about additional supplementation, with the exception of some cottage cheese, canned pumpkin when necessary, plain yogurt, and whole egg. Right...?
*Percentages. I am mathematically challenged in a big way, so please help me here. I have a dog who is 65 lbs., and another who is about 80 lbs. I need to feed about 2-4% of their individual body weight a day...preferably split into two meals. How does this play out in numbers for my dogs?
*Ratios of RMB to muscle meat to organ meats. There are a lot of ratios floating around out there as to what is best. I've read 65% RMB to 35% muscle meat, to 5% organ meat. How does this work for feeding twice a day during the week?
*No fruits are veggies. I've read a lot about how they are not entirely necessary, so I won't put myself through that.
*Sources...I do have couple of meat markets and butchers locally around here that I have yet to investigate. Going to check out my local supermarket for some finds as well.
*Cost effectiveness...compared to a premium kibble or canned diet, it almost seems MORE expensive to me to feed raw. Does anyone else think so? I guess the benefits of raw feeding outweigh the cost in the end (lowered vet bills, etc.), but on a month-by-month basis, would I really be saving money to feed raw to two large-breed dogs? I guess where I'm stuck, is providing variety...some of the more exotic meats, such as duck, pheasant, rabbit, are PRICEY! And I definitely never buy or prepare these meats for members of my human family...
*Hare-Today...I found this web site that is a family-owned farm source for whole prey items, whole ground meat sources (with the bone and offal ground in)...do any of you feed your animals strictly this? www.hare-today.com/
Since the whole animal is there (just ground up), I do feel a little safer offering my pets this in portions, rather than tossing my dogs or cats an entire quail or rabbit, and going through the whole "will he choke on a bone" thing (yes, I know, if they're uncooked, it's highly unlikely). But if I just offer 1/2 lb. of ground rabbit (with bone and organ/muscle meat included) or 1/2 lb. ground chicken (with bone/organ/muscle meat)...I can still get by without supplementation, right?

Anyway, thanks for reading and responding to my raw-feeding questions in advance. I know I still have a lot of research to do, but I feel a little more prepared, and comfortable.

 

[juliefurry]

I too have just started feeding our 55 lb lab raw as well. It seemed overwhelming for the first week or so but now I know what I'm doing.

Some people do and some people don't supplement their dog's raw meals. I use ester-c for medical reasons and I am looking into salmon oil as well. As long as you are offering a wide variety of meats (RMB's, muscle meat, and organs) you shouldn't really have to supplement with anything though. It's really personal preference.

I am mathematically challenged as well but I discovered for our 55 lb adult lab she eats just a little over 1 lb of food a day (9ounces RMB's, 6 ounces muscle meat, and 2 ounces organ meat). Sometimes I don't feed exactly that and some days she gets all RMB's, or all muscle. You're not looking for a balanced meal every time your looking for balance over time. Check out this website rawdogranch.com that's what site I found helpful when first starting out.

For sources go to your phonebook, look up meat wholesalers and start calling. I actually buy for 3 different butchers (only one has the chicken backs/necks, another one has beef neck bones and lamb cheap, and the other has the beef heart and other muscle/organ meats). I couldn't find one butcher that could supply all the meats that I needed so I had to go with a couple.

As for cost I spent about $45 on RMB's, muscle meats, and organ meats. That should last her for about 2 months though. So the price is pretty comparable. It depends on how much of a bargain you can get from your butcher and how much you can store at once. We just bought a chest freezer so we can store a lot of food for her but we try not to buy more than 2 months worth at a time. Usually if you buy in bulk 20 lbs or more the butcher will give you a pretty good deal.