Raw diet???

[Cowgirl]

So, two questions.

1. Is that dog munching on raw chicken on the carpet?

2. Chicken is probably the cheapest meat to feed, right? I have issues with factory farm raised chicken because of how it is raised. IMO, it's the worst meat for you because of antibiotics, etc. If you've ever walked into a chicken house, you might wonder how healthy the meat that comes out of there is. The stench is horrible. Also, lots of meat is injected with stuff to keep it "fresh" for 60 days on the shelf. Yuck. Yeah, I eat chicken, but I don't eat a ton of it and it's not the bulk of my diet. I'm working on raising my own meat birds. Do you worry about feeding your dogs that much chicken?

 

[razzle1127]

well he is in the living room but he is on a towel and that was the only time he ate there. he eats ouside or in the kitchen on something we can wash or throw away. ugh im looking for other meat options. he gets stuff on sale or if we get it from a different source. chicken is the majority of his diet tho, he does get fish and red meat as well.

 

[Labs4Me]

where are you getting your food????? im still trying to find places to get it. currently using c&c but i can only get one case at a time because freezer space. im looking for a variety. im only feeding one dog also. i think its cheaper then buying dry food. love it. dont wanna feed anything else.

Actually I own Clipper's Canine Cafe so I just get it at my store. We carry 6 different brands. Before I opened the store I made it myself for awhile and then was in a co-op where I had to order a few hundred pounds at a time. I started feeding my Golden mix the raw food over 11 years ago when I got fed up feeding him prescriptive diets and giving him numerous drugs for IBD and watching him continue to go downhill. The raw food saved his life so I was sold! Clipper is from a raw food breeder so it's all he's ever eaten. For my dogs it's the only option. Clipper has never eaten kibble a day in his life and Doodad has been doing fantastic on it for over 11 years now. He'll be 15 this December.

 

[Cowgirl]

Actually I own Clipper's Canine Cafe so I just get it at my store. We carry 6 different brands. Before I opened the store I made it myself for awhile and then was in a co-op where I had to order a few hundred pounds at a time. I started feeding my Golden mix the raw food over 11 years ago when I got fed up feeding him prescriptive diets and giving him numerous drugs for IBD and watching him continue to go downhill. The raw food saved his life so I was sold! Clipper is from a raw food breeder so it's all he's ever eaten. For my dogs it's the only option. Clipper has never eaten kibble a day in his life and Doodad has been doing fantastic on it for over 11 years now. He'll be 15 this December.

When you buy it in a store what does it look like? I mean, it's not in kibble form, right? I've never seen it so I'm curious.

 

[Labs4Me]

When you buy it in a store what does it look like? I mean, it's not in kibble form, right? I've never seen it so I'm curious.

We have lots of different types in the store like tubes, bars, patties and medallions. The most popular form is the patties which look exactly like those pre-formed hamburger patties they sell at the grocery store (but obviously made up of different ingredients). With all the brands though the food is ground up to the consistency of ground beef or turkey. I attached a picture of the medallions and patties made by one of the brands we carry so you can get a better idea of how it looks.

 

[Cowgirl]

We have lots of different types in the store like tubes, bars, patties and medallions. The most popular form is the patties which look exactly like those pre-formed hamburger patties they sell at the grocery store (but obviously made up of different ingredients). With all the brands though the food is ground up to the consistency of ground beef or turkey. I attached a picture of the medallions and patties made by one of the brands we carry so you can get a better idea of how it looks.

Thanks! And is refridgerated? What's the shelf life?

 

[Labs4Me]

Thanks! And is refridgerated? What's the shelf life?

All of the raw must be frozen. For my dogs I usually either give them a patty frozen (they seem to like that on these hot days) or I just put a patty in a ziplock bag and sit it in warm water until it thaws (usually be the time I'm done my breakfast it's thawed). The food has a long shelf life as long as it's kept in the freezer. Before I opened the store (because I couldn't find the pre-made raw food down in Calvert County), I used to order with a co-op. I had to order about 400-500 pounds at a time and store it in my freezers for months. What a HUGE pain that was!! Lol! Many of my customers put their dog's food for the next day in a container in the refrigerator to thaw. The food is fine in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. I also carry dehydrated raw food. That's a great option for people who travel often, don't have freezer space or just don't feel like messing around with the frozen raw food. For me the frozen is easy and I like how much moisture the dogs get from the food. I have a bunch of booklets in the store that talk all about transitioning from kibble to raw, how much to feed, etc. There are also some great websites and books out there I can recommend if you're interested! It's not for everybody and there are some terrific all natural brands of kibble on the market but for my own dogs there's just no other option.

 

[ooktdoo]

Wow your store sounds FANTASTIC! I am very into holistic pet foods and its hard to find anything around. I shop mostly online at SmartPakcanine.com but I might have to make a trip down to Solomons to come check your place out!

 

[Labs4Me]

Wow your store sounds FANTASTIC! I am very into holistic pet foods and its hard to find anything around. I shop mostly online at SmartPakcanine.com but I might have to make a trip down to Solomons to come check your place out!

Definitely come check us out!! All the foods and treats in the store are completely all natural and we've got all kinds of cool stuff besides the food! We're right next to Caren's Solomons Style now. We moved two doors down a few months ago because we were in desperate need of more space!! Clipper comes to the store with me alot these days too now that there is room for him! He loves it and he's a great example of the benefits of natural food and health care!! I still order some things for my horses from SmartPak. They have a great catalog and website!! Here's a pic of our new location so you know what to look for since our sign out front is a little small:

 

[Labs4Me]

Wow your store sounds FANTASTIC! I am very into holistic pet foods and its hard to find anything around. I shop mostly online at SmartPakcanine.com but I might have to make a trip down to Solomons to come check your place out!

I just realized your avatar is a Corgi!! You'll have to bring him or her with you when you come to check out the store!! I grew up with Pembroke Welsh Corgis. We had them back in the 70's when nobody knew what they were!! We were always asked if they were some sort of mixed breed! Lol! My mother now owns her eighth Pembroke and my sister owns one as well. Great breed and soooo smart!!!

 

[Cowgirl]

All of the raw must be frozen. For my dogs I usually either give them a patty frozen (they seem to like that on these hot days) or I just put a patty in a ziplock bag and sit it in warm water until it thaws (usually be the time I'm done my breakfast it's thawed). The food has a long shelf life as long as it's kept in the freezer. Before I opened the store (because I couldn't find the pre-made raw food down in Calvert County), I used to order with a co-op. I had to order about 400-500 pounds at a time and store it in my freezers for months. What a HUGE pain that was!! Lol! Many of my customers put their dog's food for the next day in a container in the refrigerator to thaw. The food is fine in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. I also carry dehydrated raw food. That's a great option for people who travel often, don't have freezer space or just don't feel like messing around with the frozen raw food. For me the frozen is easy and I like how much moisture the dogs get from the food. I have a bunch of booklets in the store that talk all about transitioning from kibble to raw, how much to feed, etc. There are also some great websites and books out there I can recommend if you're interested! It's not for everybody and there are some terrific all natural brands of kibble on the market but for my own dogs there's just no other option.

Thanks for all of your info! I really like the idea of buying it frozen like that instead of just feeding chicken quarters. I guess the thought of the dog eating the faw chicken makes me squirm a little...just because of getting raw chicken juice everywhere.

 

[Labs4Me]

Thanks for all of your info! I really like the idea of buying it frozen like that instead of just feeding chicken quarters. I guess the thought of the dog eating the faw chicken makes me squirm a little...just because of getting raw chicken juice everywhere.

Yeah the nice thing with the frozen raw is that it is processed with the intent to obviously feed it raw to dogs and cats (unlike regular grocery store raw meat which would of course be cooked for us) so the companies go through extensive handling procedures to ensure it's safe. I do occasionally give my dogs raw chicken backs instead of a patty but I always make sure it's hormone and antibiotic free. I feel like the quality is very important because it is being fed raw. I do that outside when the weather is nice because obviously they would take those right out of the bowl and probably lay on the sofa with them! Lol! The frozen raw is great because it takes the guess work out of making the food yourself. Many people get the ratios of meat to bone and added veggies, etc. incorrect when doing the diet themselves. Not to mention the expense of the heavy duty grinders needed. I'm a vegetarian so the thought of grinding all that raw meat myself is just nasty! The patties are great because they just eat it out of their bowls and there's no mess. It's just nice and simple! .....and there's no raw chicken juice everywhere that way! Lol!

 

[razzle1127]

i would feed more patties or premade diets but i feel they cost a whole lot more money. i tried the bravo roll and he doesnt care for it too much. he likes some of aunt jennie's but thats so expensive too. As far as chicken juice, there isnt chicken juice everywhere like you think. we have some old towels and he eats it right on the towel.

if i could afford the premade stuff i would add more of that to his diet, but feeding a german shepherd it gets expensive.

 

[ooktdoo]

I actually used to work for SmartPak Its a fantastic company with an even better mission. Its hard to find something thats as good as it seems! My horse and dog are very spoiled by SmartPak goodies!

Definitely come check us out!! All the foods and treats in the store are completely all natural and we've got all kinds of cool stuff besides the food! We're right next to Caren's Solomons Style now. We moved two doors down a few months ago because we were in desperate need of more space!! Clipper comes to the store with me alot these days too now that there is room for him! He loves it and he's a great example of the benefits of natural food and health care!! I still order some things for my horses from SmartPak. They have a great catalog and website!! Here's a pic of our new location so you know what to look for since our sign out front is a little small:

 

[ooktdoo]

I absolutely adore my little short legged nubbed tail dog! A friend of mine got me into them in college and when I worked for SmartPak in Massachusetts I came in contact with a woman who does a lot of corgi fostering/rescue, she thought Bella would be perfect for me, boy was she right! They are an incredibly smart breed, and loyal to boot. I'm absolutely hooked! Bella and I will DEFINITELY make a trip to your store together!!!

I just realized your avatar is a Corgi!! You'll have to bring him or her with you when you come to check out the store!! I grew up with Pembroke Welsh Corgis. We had them back in the 70's when nobody knew what they were!! We were always asked if they were some sort of mixed breed! Lol! My mother now owns her eighth Pembroke and my sister owns one as well. Great breed and soooo smart!!!

 

[FrmGrl]

Thanks for all of your info! I really like the idea of buying it frozen like that instead of just feeding chicken quarters. I guess the thought of the dog eating the faw chicken makes me squirm a little...just because of getting raw chicken juice everywhere.

I just get the bags of frozen chicken when Walmart has them on sale. Cut them in half and feed them to the dog. But my dog is also 220lbs so that is nothing for him. I used to go to the butcher ect but it got to be a hassle. I do like the little packaged goods. Wish those where around in FL when I started all of this.

 

[Labs4Me]

I absolutely adore my little short legged nubbed tail dog! A friend of mine got me into them in college and when I worked for SmartPak in Massachusetts I came in contact with a woman who does a lot of corgi fostering/rescue, she thought Bella would be perfect for me, boy was she right! They are an incredibly smart breed, and loyal to boot. I'm absolutely hooked! Bella and I will DEFINITELY make a trip to your store together!!!

Awesome!! We look forward to meeting you!!

 

[yknotpoms]

I also feed raw and I feed ground as I have small dogs and it is easy for me. I purchase items from Blue Ridge Beef. I get 300lbs at a time and would be willing to work together to do group orders if you would like. I mix in The Honest Kitchen with it to get them their veggies as well. My husband says the dogs eat better then he does and he could be correct.

 

[razzle1127]

I also feed raw and I feed ground as I have small dogs and it is easy for me. I purchase items from Blue Ridge Beef. I get 300lbs at a time and would be willing to work together to do group orders if you would like. I mix in The Honest Kitchen with it to get them their veggies as well. My husband says the dogs eat better then he does and he could be correct.

i might be interested, what do you get, and how much would it cost?