Who here feeds raw - or wishes they did

bodinr · 08-21-2008, 11:26 AM

I don't feed raw but I have a question for you all. I have a yellow lab that is 1yr old and has always scratched himself a little now recently he has started chewing on himself to the point that the hair is starting to thin. I feed him native brand food #2 http://www.nativedogfood.com/level2.html can some one look at the ingredients list and tell me if this food is any good.
Thanks

rosemaryninja · 08-21-2008, 11:57 AM

bodinr -- I wouldn't feed that food to my dog. It's not the worst thing you could feed, but I wouldn't consider it a good food.

RawFedDogs · 08-21-2008, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodinr

I feed him native brand food #2 http://www.nativedogfood.com/level2.html can some one look at the ingredients list and tell me if this food is any good.
Thanks

It's a pretty poor quality food. A lot closer to the worst than the best.

bodinr · 08-21-2008, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodinr

I don't feed raw but I have a question for you all. I have a yellow lab that is 1yr old and has always scratched himself a little now recently he has started chewing on himself to the point that the hair is starting to thin. I feed him native brand food #2 http://www.nativedogfood.com/level2.html can some one look at the ingredients list and tell me if this food is any good.
Thanks

Ok thanks for your imput but what is a high quality food?

rosemaryninja · 08-21-2008, 12:51 PM

To give a short answer, I would recommend you looking at this thread. There is a list of pretty good quality foods. See what is available to you, what suits your dog's dietary needs and digestive system and fits within your budget.

http://www.dogforums.com/5-dog-food-...rnals-top.html (Whole Dog Journals Top Foods for 2007)

Spicy1_VV · 08-21-2008, 02:52 PM

Looks like a mostly grain feed. There are many post here about higher quality feeds.

Mac'N'Roe · 08-21-2008, 10:53 PM

hmmm. I'm really starting to consider this. I guess if I cannot stop thinking about it...I should give it a try. Seems like the right thing to do for me (and my dogs).

I'm going to start looking around for an international grocery....I'm sure there's something close around here. There's an international farmer's market close..although that may be to "commercial" . When you guys say you go to the local butcher, are you speaking of the butcher at the grocery store..or a bonafide local butcher? I haven't seen one of those around lately.

RawFedDogs · 08-22-2008, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac'N'Roe

Seems like the right thing to do for me (and my dogs).

There can be no argument. It absolutely is.

Quote:

I'm going to start looking around for an international grocery....I'm sure there's something close around here.

I use a regular grocery with a butcher in house but ethnic markets and grocery stores are great places to find food. There are many many many places to find foods. Hunters, packing houses, wholesale places, slaughter houses, restaurants, farmers.

Quote:

When you guys say you go to the local butcher, are you speaking of the butcher at the grocery store..or a bonafide local butcher? I haven't seen one of those around lately.

It's difficult to find butcher shops. Heck its even difficult to find grocery stores that cut their own meat these days and its getting more difficult all the time.

jesirose · 08-22-2008, 12:31 AM

Have you looked? There are two within 5 miles of me, but I didn't know they were until I looked.

So far I have gotten my meat from Costco, a local mexican supermarket, the local butcher, and I will be getting some stuff from a local rabbit farmer, and I also ordered from prey4pets.com because they are having a sale. And I just started

Wherever you go, ask for case prices - assuming you get a freezer. If your town isn't big enough to have some ethnic markets then it's probably small enough that you can get in touch with farmers lol.

Mac'N'Roe · 08-22-2008, 10:58 PM

Gabi has already had UTI (pretty bad), ear infections and conjunctivitis since I rescued her (Memorial Day weekend). She has the ear and eye infection right now. Roe's ears are starting to itch and she's always had stomach issues...I have to give her pumpkin each meal just to keep her relatively solid. Mac's pretty healthy, but he's got mange which has continued to cause a secondary bacterial infection of the skin.

I'm at the vet once a week at a minimum. Well, I was there Tuesday and she looked and said surprised "it's been 18 days" since we saw you last. They were surprised. I'm there once or twice a week, it's insane. Is that normal?

jesirose · 08-23-2008, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac'N'Roe

I'm at the vet once a week at a minimum. Well, I was there Tuesday and she looked and said surprised "it's been 18 days" since we saw you last. They were surprised. I'm there once or twice a week, it's insane. Is that normal?

If it were normal, would they be commenting on it and would you call it insane?

Mac'N'Roe · 08-23-2008, 10:11 AM

I'm hoping that a better diet will eliminate these types of illnesses. Maybe it's because I'm a new dog owner and am not familiar with how much a dog would normally go to the vet. Granted, Roe's been pretty healthy..no issues. Mac has mange, so that's mainly why he's been in frequently..for treatment. Gabi has had multiple issues since we've adopted her..the conjunctivitis was going around the neighborhood (my neighbor's dog had it). Perhaps its coincidence....but hopefully a better diet will help ward off these types of things. Maybe I'm expecting too much???

RawFedDogs · 08-23-2008, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac'N'Roe

I'm hoping that a better diet will eliminate these types of illnesses. Maybe it's because I'm a new dog owner and am not familiar with how much a dog would normally go to the vet.

A raw diet may or may not eliminate those problems but it will certainly help with them. My dogs go to the vet once a year for heartworm tests and thats it. My 8 year old has just developed a bad hip so the trips may increase slightly.

Quote:

Maybe I'm expecting too much???

If you are expecting your vet visits to decrease then I think you will probably be pleased once these problems are taken care of.

Mac'N'Roe · 08-23-2008, 10:34 AM

I'm not expecting a miracle cure, but I hope the vet visits will decrease eventually

RawFedDogs · 08-23-2008, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac'N'Roe

I'm not expecting a miracle cure, but I hope the vet visits will decrease eventually

I have had my 8 year old for 7 years and until the last couple of months, she had been to the vet 7 times since I got her. My 3 year old has been to the vet 4 times in his life.

RawFedDogs · 08-24-2008, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liveforthis

would i just toss her a steak or a chicken thigh and say eat up? I don't have to worry about choking....And by bones, do i just give her a raw femur or something?

You need to do a little research first. It's not real complicated but you kinda need to know a little about how to go about it. Check out his web page: http://www.skylarzack.com/rawfeeding.htm

It should give you an idea about how to start. No, in general you don't have to worry about bones. Just give her animal parts with or without bones in them. Things like chicken backs or quarters. Femur bones are the one type bone you need to be careful of. Many people give them to their dogs but I have known several dogs to chip, break, or crack a tooth on them. The bones to avoid are the weight bearing bones of large animals. They are just too dense. If you feed a proper diet, there will be plenty of bones included in their meals.

If you have more questions after you read the link above (you will), feel free to ask.

wolfsnaps · 08-26-2008, 12:37 AM

Just to join in the thread (and I admit, I think this is a cool topic) I am a part time raw feeder. At present, I live with my in laws (just shoot me in the face please) and I do not have room to store meat right now. However, I do frequently get them raw foods and 'supplement' their diets with it. Eventually, I would love to go full time on this. They also get kibble (boo to that if you ask me, but what can I do right now?) and they also get canned food. When I get canned, I like to get merrick canned foods and other high quality stuff when possible (we are kind of broke presently so I do what I can for my fur kids).

I also hunt so deer and small game season will hopefully stock the fridge/freezer in the garage that is the "deer" freezer. My dogs' diets do vary depending on whats available and what time of year it is. In the summer, Sarge likes to partake in fruits. He doesn't get a LOT but he loves the stuff so he gets a bite here and there. Hunter, on the other hand, won't touch the stuff. During hunting season, they tend to get a lot of venison. This year I am hoping to add squirrel and rabbit to the menu. I will be freezing that stuff thoroughly first so no need to warn me about that

I respect all you BARF er's decision, I just think prey model suits me better. It is easier and not as exact, so there is more room for measurements and I don't have to worry about every little thing, just hand over the carcass and watch my little wolf wannabes go to town.

They are only on raw part time but I do notice changes in my little dogs poop (my big dog has never ever pooped while I was watching him so he is a mystery, he hides it somewhere). The poop is smaller, firm, sometimes chalky white (too much bone perhaps) and less smelly. Their teeth are awesome; I used to brush them and lately I have ben lazy about it but the bones they work on seem to really help. I still have issues though, Hunter has dry skin lately and Sarge's skin is a mess due to his allergies but I think they are not getting raw consistantly enough so I will keep my eye on it and try to offer more goodies.

Hope this helped....hope someone even read it! LOL. GO RAW!!!

zimandtakandgrrandmimi · 08-26-2008, 01:05 AM

I do.

feed raw that is.

chicken, turkey, beef, bison, venison, rabbit, game hens and much more...

I even ordered a little alligator not too long ago to cut up and use as treats. they love it.

I will never feed kibble again. no offence intended to those who do.

DogsforMe · 08-26-2008, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicmom116

No we don't feed raw, in fact I never even knew people did that till I joined this forum last week. It really is not something that I intend to do.

If you read some of what's on this site you may change your mind. I have both of Tom Lonsdale's books & they certainly open your eyes.
www.rawmeatybones.com/petowners.php
I've also been watching the videos on this site too! www.rawmeatybones.com/tvVideo/video.php

2puppimsmom · 08-28-2008, 01:16 AM

I feed raw. I have for almost 14 yrs. I feed a 112 lb GS, a 50 lb German Shepherd, and a 60 lb mixed breed puppy. It is cheaper than expensive kibble. And i know that my fur kids are getting good food. It is all human grade food. And we don't have as much poo to clean up in the yard. And my dogs teeth are clean and they don't have bad breath. They have beautiful soft and shiny coats. And they haven't had any sickness. The oldest is 10 yrs old. One is 18 months old and the puppy is 6 mos old.