Going Raw! Well....sorta

Here are some great links that you might not have seen:
http://www.mountaindogfood.com/RawHelp/rfhelp.htm
http://www.rawlearning.com
http://www.rawmeatybones.com
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/
http://www.rawfeddogs.net/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/ (this group has THOUSANDS of members!!!)

I am feeding several Shelties a completely raw prey model diet and have been for over 2 months now. I have kept track of every bit of meat that I have gotten free or paid for and am currently averaging 84 cents a pound! Now that is cheaper than most cheap kibble!!!

I found an old ugly stand up commercial freezer on Craigs List for $35 and it works great and holds over a month of food for my many dogs

I think once you read some of this stuff and put your mind to it, you will realize that you won't need to use the kibble and it will be much more affordable than you think. Also, check for meat co-ops in your area...they can be a great resource!

Good luck and if you have any other questions I will try to help the best I can

 

Thanks for the links! I have not heard of most of them. This will keep me busy for the next few days! LOL!

 

I love the rawfed.com myths page. It is a great place to start and one that I usually recommend to people with questions.

There are a lot of raw Yahoo groups out there that are really busy. The only thing about them, is that I would caution against some of their members. I found that many of their most vocal members are very "extreme" in their way of feeding raw. (ie. Unless you can feed complete large prey on a gorge/fast routine you are doing it wrong.) Take the information you get in the Yahoo groups with a grain of salt ... it doesn't NEED to be that strict, and certainly isn't possible for most people to provide. I was screamed at for, Dog forbid, suggesting someone boil some chicken livers to use as training treats. Apparently even training treats need to be raw to appease some people there. But I'm not willing to carry around bits of bloody meat in my pockets during training session. So definitely check out the Yahoo groups, but enter them with a thick skin and a bit of logic in your head. They have great advice and wonderful experience that they can and will share with you, but their word isn't gospel, so don't get offended by the crassness of it at times.

 

I agree, some of the groups can be really tough. I almost quit posting because I felt I was constantly being criticized. Then I realized that most of them only had one or two dogs or cats and that was all they did was sit and dwell on feeding their pets LOL The archives were great so that I could go and read for myself and make my own decision without having to listen to what everyone's oppinions were.

I have a routine and it works for me Having an abundance of dogs and a few cats, the whole prey (in the whole form!) is never going to work for me unless I score about 20 squirrels LOL So, they get bone in meat, a piece of meaty meat, and "meatball" that contains some ground meat, organ, egg and shells and Diatamaceous Earth daily. Once the venison is gone, I will add salmon oil to the "meatballs" so they get the omegas. They do get a variety of meats though. If I had to worry about what day they got bone and how much organ they got when and then to add the DE and fish oil...I would drive myself crazy! Some might have the time and energy for all of that and others may feel that I'm doing it wrong, but it works for me

The best thing to remember is balance over time and do what works best for you

 

Tell me about it...in the show ring we put the treat in our mouth!!!! My chicken and liver is DEFINITELY getting cooked!!!!!!!!!