[zimandtakandgrrandmimi]

if you feed it frozen, there's not much of a smell factor. whether it's bloody or not depends on what meat it is and where you get it. grocery store meat tends to be less bloody than straight off the farm or fresh killed game(hunted meat)

[PAWZ]

IF you are going raw, there are several place you can go to purchase meat for your pup. First the size of the dog determines how much to feed and how much you would need to purchase. For example I have 4 dogs ranging in size from 35 lb - 60 lb, and age from 15yr to 19 mos. For the most part you want to feed about 1 -2% of their optimal bodyweight, I usually feed 2% over all and 3% for dogs that are currently training/competing in agility. I also suppliment veggies from time to time, Vegetable matter MUST be pureed into a slushy liquid as a dogs digestive system cannot break down the vegetable matter. You want to use nice dark green leafy veggies but no tomatos, onions pepper ect as they can be toxic. I usually make homemade chicken broth to mix in with my veggie mush to make it more palitable to the dogs.
As to where to get your meat(s) well if you have 1 small dog you can get away with actually purchasing meat at the grocer, ask your meat manager about getting wings, backs, necks ect (chicken), most stores carry chicken gizzards, hearts and such. If you have a larger dog or multiple dogs, you might want to invest in a small chest freezer to keep your meats and veggie mush. Bulk meat can be bought from meat wholesalers listed in the yellow pages under the same name, farmers markets or if you're in the country a butcher would be able to help. Most meats beef, pork, chix, deer do not have a strong smell

[Willowy]

I also cannot handle raw meat....I'm not fully vegetarian, but I don't eat meat at home. But I do give my dogs raw chicken occasionally. I haven't gone all raw, but not because of the meat issue. I just take the chicken out of the bag it came in, transfer it to a gallon baggie in the proper portions, then throw it in the freezer (and wash my hands thoroughly!). Then, whne I want to feed it to them, I take it out of the freezer, put it in the fridge until it thaws, then I pull it out and put it in their dishes. And wash my hands thoroughly. It's not as bad as I thought it would be. I don't know if I could throw a whole fresh chicken in a grinder, though .

[ara28]

Originally Posted by PAWZ

IF you are going raw, there are several place you can go to purchase meat for your pup. First the size of the dog determines how much to feed and how much you would need to purchase. For example I have 4 dogs ranging in size from 35 lb - 60 lb, and age from 15yr to 19 mos. For the most part you want to feed about 1 -2% of their optimal bodyweight, I usually feed 2% over all and 3% for dogs that are currently training/competing in agility. I also suppliment veggies from time to time, Vegetable matter MUST be pureed into a slushy liquid as a dogs digestive system cannot break down the vegetable matter. You want to use nice dark green leafy veggies but no tomatos, onions pepper ect as they can be toxic. I usually make homemade chicken broth to mix in with my veggie mush to make it more palitable to the dogs.
As to where to get your meat(s) well if you have 1 small dog you can get away with actually purchasing meat at the grocer, ask your meat manager about getting wings, backs, necks ect (chicken), most stores carry chicken gizzards, hearts and such. If you have a larger dog or multiple dogs, you might want to invest in a small chest freezer to keep your meats and veggie mush. Bulk meat can be bought from meat wholesalers listed in the yellow pages under the same name, farmers markets or if you're in the country a butcher would be able to help. Most meats beef, pork, chix, deer do not have a strong smell

He weighs 60lbs and right now I feed him 1 cup dry food and 1 cup greenbeans per day split up into two meals. (he's on a diet and should weigh like 57 or 58 so we're almost there!) I might have to wait until I get a house then because my fridge/freezer in my apartment certainly isn't big enough for all that food. I was thinking about changing what he eats for a couple of reasons.

1. If I were a dog, I certainly wouldn't want to eat what he's eating, it's the same thing everyday. No variety. Although he does love the food that he's on now and gets super excited when he hears me mixing it up in the kitchen.

2. He eats a lot of grass/leaves. Not to make him self throw up. He just likes to graze like a cow or something. And by a lot I mean he tries to eat some greens like once or twice a day. So I don't know if that's because I need to change his food or if its just because he likes to graze...

3. He's a dog, I'm sure he'd like to eat something dead once in a while

Maybe for now, instead of jumping into the raw thing I should just change his dry food? We could work our way up to raw, if that's even possible.

I am very interested in feeding him raw though, i think it would be good for him, just maybe after getting all these facts from you guys I should slow down on the diet transition? What do you think?

[zimandtakandgrrandmimi]

Originally Posted by ara28

He weighs 60lbs and right now I feed him 1 cup dry food and 1 cup greenbeans per day split up into two meals. (he's on a diet and should weigh like 57 or 58 so we're almost there!) I might have to wait until I get a house then because my fridge/freezer in my apartment certainly isn't big enough for all that food. I was thinking about changing what he eats for a couple of reasons.

1. If I were a dog, I certainly wouldn't want to eat what he's eating, it's the same thing everyday. No variety. Although he does love the food that he's on now and gets super excited when he hears me mixing it up in the kitchen.

2. He eats a lot of grass/leaves. Not to make him self throw up. He just likes to graze like a cow or something. And by a lot I mean he tries to eat some greens like once or twice a day. So I don't know if that's because I need to change his food or if its just because he likes to graze...

3. He's a dog, I'm sure he'd like to eat something dead once in a while

Maybe for now, instead of jumping into the raw thing I should just change his dry food? We could work our way up to raw, if that's even possible.

I am very interested in feeding him raw though, i think it would be good for him, just maybe after getting all these facts from you guys I should slow down on the diet transition? What do you think?

look up all the factors. and make the decision based on what you feel is best both for you and your dog. I would say just do some more learning and when you feel you have a good grasp of all the factors, make your decision then. we can't tell you everything. all we can say is what we know works well for us.

[briteday]

You could try your dog on one of the high protein kibbles (closer in protein amount to raw) or see if the Nature's Variety frozen medallions (prepared raw diet) are available in your area.