Switching our dog to a homemade diet

[chickentrains]

There are a lot of raw pet food stores that sell pre made raw here in Washington. Northwest Naturals works WONDERS for our Dogo with allergies to everything known to man. She not allergic to raw chicken though.

A lot of the Asian Markets have the best prices for meat I’ve seen so far. Here’s a peek of a two hour long prep session I used to do twice a month.


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I’ve been feeding raw for 8 years and will NEVER go back to kibble. For any reason. Since moving to property, our time is limited so have switched to pre made raw and add filler meats to stretch it out. Lots of raw eggs and shells, cheap stew meats, venison etc. mix it up and perps will love you forever.

Cooking isn’t necessary, as they’re designed to consume raw meats. But if it keeps the perps from eating kibble then bring on the home cooked meals!

What do you do when you go out of town, etc? Do you bring the raw with you? how do you keep it cool?

 

[ShannonsChimkens]

What do you do when you go out of town, etc? Do you bring the raw with you? how do you keep it cool?

Normally it’s only our miniature Dachshund that goes camping with us. The big dogs stay home with one of the kids. We pack a cooler or stick it in the freezer in the camper. His food consists of pretty much nothing compared to the Mastiffs lol

https://nw-naturals.net/products/

I had a lab/shepherd mix for 12 years, he had to be put down due to old age. He couldn’t see and couldn’t get up anymore. He was on some of the “best” kibble there was to control his sores that would break out constantly. It never worked. His immune system was worn out from fighting constantly. During the last few years of his life I finally figured out what was wrong... it was the food. The burned, greasy, supposedly healthy kibble he was eating.

In a matter of weeks of switching to premade raw (all I knew to feed at the time other than kibble) his sores disappeared. He had more energy and didn’t stink. So after 9 years of feeding him kibble, he was finally able to be comfortable in the last 3 years of his life. Since that switch to raw, I won’t go back.

I used to be a raw feeding advocate and would spew large amounts of raw feeding stories and advice to people, then it hit me that no one cares. So our dogs are fed raw and I don’t say anything else anymore. So when someone asks what I feed them I just tell them raw and leave it at that. Only the ones who truly want to make a change for their animal will ask how to do it. Good on @Weeg for preparing for the change in the right direction.

It’s tough if you’re not the soul carer or the financially responsible one for the animal. And sometimes parents and adults in general are so stuck in their ways and won’t try something else to better the animals health. Especially if they are advised from a traditional vet that raw is unhealthy.

I can tell you from years of personal experience that raw is better. Just make absolute sure to add in all the proper organ meats to have a balanced diet.

 

[chickentrains]

It’s tough if you’re not the soul carer or the financially responsible one for the animal. And sometimes parents and adults in general are so stuck in their ways and won’t try something else to better the animals health. Especially if they are advised from a traditional vet that raw is unhealthy.

Yeah, sadly my dogs eat pedigree. One of the dogs is fine, but the other stinks, has awful gas, and his skin and coat is god awful. My dad will literally scream at me if I suggest a different food. I've tried convincing him every which way, and my dog is 53 lbs and eats 1 1/2 cups of food, I don't have a job or any income, so I cannot afford to feed him. Sigh.

 

[chickentrains]

Willing to try again though. Best thing I can do is suggest a bagged dog food, he will not allow me to feed raw. Any ideas? I'll email him my thoughts.

 

[ShannonsChimkens]

What about Honest Kitchen? For one or two dogs, one box should last a while. It looks like crumbled kibble

 

[chickentrains]

What about Honest Kitchen? For one or two dogs, one box should last a while. It looks like crumbled kibble

I have a 53 lb dog, and a 100 lb dog. Do they eat less since its raw?

ehh I googled it and its way over budget. i think the cheapest I can suggest is 40 dollars.

 

[ShannonsChimkens]

On raw they consume so much hydrated meats/proteins, it keeps them lean and their poops small. Their poop will start to “melt” away in the yard if it’s left out in the rain. A kibble fed dogs poop will sit for what seems like forever. Imagine how their poor guts feel!

When I refer to raw, I’m including home cooked meals for animals as part of it.

Just don’t mix kibble and raw/cooked meats regularly. Kibble digests differently than raw. So if you’re going to make the switch, just do it right after the bag is gone. I know everyone says to do a slow transition. But it’s not needed. I’ve switched 6 dogs diets to raw without transitioning slowly with zero ill effects.

 

[Weeg]

There are a lot of raw pet food stores that sell pre made raw here in Washington. Northwest Naturals works WONDERS for our Dogo with allergies to everything known to man. She not allergic to raw chicken though.

A lot of the Asian Markets have the best prices for meat I’ve seen so far. Here’s a peek of a two hour long prep session I used to do twice a month.


View attachment 2604666
View attachment 2604669
I’ve been feeding raw for 8 years and will NEVER go back to kibble. For any reason. Since moving to property, our time is limited so have switched to pre made raw and add filler meats to stretch it out. Lots of raw eggs and shells, cheap stew meats, venison etc. mix it up and perps will love you forever.

Cooking isn’t necessary, as they’re designed to consume raw meats. But if it keeps the perps from eating kibble then bring on the home cooked meals!

Thank you so much! I'm really glad you don't have to do anythgin special with the meat. I'm stocked! Next time we get a deer, we can use all the organs and meat we usually throw away, and give it to Comet. Perfect!
Until then, I'll work on the local butcher for leftover scraps they don't want, and we can use that. Maybe we could even raise something for him, were doing Cornish X right now, (not gonna use that because of the chicken allergy) but maybe we could do Turkeys or something.
Otherwise, with the raw diet for your dog, do you feed veggies and vitamins? I think I will, I know Broccoli and Spinach is good for them, I also want to do sweet potatoes for easy digestion. Thanks for taking the time to write and help out!

 

[Weeg]

I had a lab/shepherd mix for 12 years, he had to be put down due to old age. He couldn’t see and couldn’t get up anymore. He was on some of the “best” kibble there was to control his sores that would break out constantly. It never worked. His immune system was worn out from fighting constantly. During the last few years of his life I finally figured out what was wrong... it was the food. The burned, greasy, supposedly healthy kibble he was eating.

In a matter of weeks of switching to premade raw (all I knew to feed at the time other than kibble) his sores disappeared. He had more energy and didn’t stink. So after 9 years of feeding him kibble, he was finally able to be comfortable in the last 3 years of his life. Since that switch to raw, I won’t go back.

I used to be a raw feeding advocate and would spew large amounts of raw feeding stories and advice to people, then it hit me that no one cares. So our dogs are fed raw and I don’t say anything else anymore. So when someone asks what I feed them I just tell them raw and leave it at that. Only the ones who truly want to make a change for their animal will ask how to do it. Good on @Weeg for preparing for the change in the right direction.

Oh, thats so heartbreaking! I'm sorry for you loss.
We had to put down out English lab last winter because of cancer. I often wonder if a different food other then the "veterinarian recommended" Iam's we were feeding would have made a difference. After doing research, I realized that Iam's is gross and processed, and immediately switched to a "healthier" Canidea. Canidea is better then Iam's, and that is what Comet is eating now. Even thought its better, its still nasty. Its processed, and probably has lots of other issues. I read an article that said kibble specifically, and processed foods can cause cancer, and I often wonder if Pearl, our english lab, would have lived longer if she was eating something better.

I'm very grateful for your help, I'm very happy to be moving forward and getting rid of the gross kibble were feeding him. This is really great information, thank you everyone!
Were also getting a female english lab puppy soon, so am happy to be able to start her a healthy raw diet as well! Yay! I do have some questions about feeding her though.

 

[Weeg]

I can tell you from years of personal experience that raw is better. Just make absolute sure to add in all the proper organ meats to have a balanced diet.

That is perfect! We throw away so much organ meat from deer every year. Of course, "we" doesn't include me lol! I can't kill anything! Hahaha! My family does though.