Feeding raw- two instructual videos

borzoimom · 06-06-2007, 09:21 AM

This use to be 4 videos, but I made a new first part and added the original number 3 video to make two. Please keep in mind- this is the food amount for each dog in my house that weighs either a bit over a 100 pounds or right under it ( the females.) Also- the meat is raw- taken out of the refrigerator to get to room temp ( they like it better than way) and I never use any source to heat or warm it up- like not using a microwave, hot water etc. ) Also- my dogs have no problems with chicken- some dogs are allergic to chicken- but mine are not.
Here is the first video- View My Video ( note- I add a few baby carrots- but they are not in the bowl yet. And last sentence got cut off- I am saying " then i chop the chicken...)
And here is the last one - View My Video
I also use metal bowls so I can wash them well , have a dog " cutting board that I wash and of course my hands.. I have counter bleach wipes to wipe the counter as well.

Lightwingcreations · 06-06-2007, 11:58 AM

Thanks, that gives me a fairly good idea of how big a piece can be swallowed.

borzoimom · 06-06-2007, 03:34 PM

I thought it would.. My older one eats and chews huge pieces- the other 3 like chunks.. And at room temp..

borzoimom · 10-07-2007, 02:49 PM

bump ...... ...

sillylilykitty · 10-07-2007, 03:00 PM

Wow, I never saw this thread when it was first posted. Thanks for the informative videos! Did you put everything in the processor? (Im a little confused)

borzoimom · 10-07-2007, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sillylilykitty

Wow, I never saw this thread when it was first posted. Thanks for the informative videos! Did you put everything in the processor? (Im a little confused)

The meat is just chopped up according so the dog. The processor is raw egg, organ meat etc and 1/2 cup for 5 dogs of Solid gold. You could use a hamburger patti size of ground beef instead if you want. I just add the solid gold so that if I loose power. ( mountain life ya know...)

clipclop · 12-17-2007, 10:45 PM

Great vid/post... so how old does the dog need to be before you start feeding them "raw" what is a good guide on how to start a puppy on a raw diet?

BoxMeIn21 · 12-18-2007, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clipclop

Great vid/post... so how old does the dog need to be before you start feeding them "raw" what is a good guide on how to start a puppy on a raw diet?

You can wean a dog onto raw - so to answer your question, anytime is good time to start raw.

Get yourself some knowledge under your belt before you start, though, it's not a diet you can just wake up and start feeding. Here are a few resources for you:

"Works Wonders" by Tom Lonsdale, here is his website, which also has a BUNCH of raw feeding information...
http://www.rawmeatybones.com/petowners.php

http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://www.rawfeddogs.net/
http://www.naturalrearing.com/
http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm

ACampbell · 12-18-2007, 03:23 PM

great vid...helped me to understand how much to feed my dog (in a sense) because I, like you, have large dogs

Question though, does it cost more to feed RAW than kibble when you get to a certain size of dog? I see a lot of people with small dogs that feed RAW but not as many large dogs...I imagine it's more expensive to feed a large dog that amount of meat as compared to kibble...just a thought?

borzoimom · 12-20-2007, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ACampbell

great vid...helped me to understand how much to feed my dog (in a sense) because I, like you, have large dogs

Question though, does it cost more to feed RAW than kibble when you get to a certain size of dog? I see a lot of people with small dogs that feed RAW but not as many large dogs...I imagine it's more expensive to feed a large dog that amount of meat as compared to kibble...just a thought?

Actually I have found it to be cheaper. Any good kibble is over a dollar a pound- verses raw is about 69 cents a pound ( chicken 39 cents pound, eggs, yogurt, and chicken livers are cheap. ) I now also add the mackereal and those big cans are 92 cents a can and with 4 large dogs, one can lasts 2 and half days roughly. ( give them a finger grib with some of the oil).

briteday · 12-20-2007, 06:09 PM

Although I have small dogs I live on a tight budget. No way "cat person" DH was going to spend more on food for the dogs than we were already spending on high quality kibble. So my mission is to find everything for <$1/lb.

I think if you keep an open mind you can find a lot of deals. Some people have reported that they post in Craigslist for anyone cleaning out a freezer, meat that may be freezer burned but fine for dog consumption. I also watch the close out bin at the grocery store. Just come home, portion it into baggies, and freeze right away. Sales are great especially during the holidays when turkeys can be very cheap. Any friends who hunt may have trim/waste that can be fed. And many areas have raw food co-ops that actually benefit the large dog feeder. If I bought a 40 pound case of chicken necks it would last me for a couple of months and I wouldn't have room to buy them anything else!

For most people the only additional cost is to purchase a small freezer up front. I think Walmart has one for around $100. Otherwise, just watching for opportunities keeps the cost low.

ACampbell · 12-22-2007, 01:28 AM

Well lucky me I already have a large deep freezer

But I don't see where you guys are getting chicken THAT FREAKIN CHEAP!
(pulls out a package of chicken from the Commissary [cheapest place for meat in the area])
$1.83 per pound...
Not my idea of cheap really. Those are half breasts, bones still intact...Beef is almost the same price, at $1.90 a lb.
Ok so let me add this up...
Lets say they need this much to sustain:
Smokey - 2 lbs
Sparky - 1.2 lbs
TOTAL 3.2 lbs of meat.
Ok, at $1.82/lb that equals $5.85 per day. (that's if we're feeding just chicken, and the price I'm going on is the breast halves...nothing special)

Whereas kibble...ok lets see. A 37.5 lb bag of Purina One is $25 - that will last me almost 2 weeks.
So, from what prices of meat are here, it is more cost efficient to buy kibble...considering that it's almost $6 per day to feed my boys at price of chicken...thats less than 5 days of feeding for the cost of one bag of kibble.
Maybe I'm missing something, but that is the cheapest meat I can buy (I know I'm a bargain shopper and very frugal)
We also don't have any independent butcher shops

briteday · 12-22-2007, 04:14 PM

I can find whole chickens for $.99/pound at any grocery here. And if I watch sales I can get whole chickens for $.65-$.85/ pound. I'm hoping that the "slim yourself down" season in January will bring some good sales on chickens. My observation is that chicken pieces are much more expensive because most of the un-usable bone (for humans) is removed so you are paying for more meat. I think I get more milage from feeding the whole chicken.

If I watch the "expiring" bin at the grocery (try early in teh morning about 7-8AM) I can find plenty of beef and pork for < $1/lb. There is always 30% fat ground beef that I mix with some cheap pork. Generally the pork I find is the carne asada, boneless but kinda fatty and tough for human consumption, or pork shoulders. Both are regularly $.99/lb at the grocery although they recently raised prices a little with the cost of gas going up. On sale I can find them for $.79/lb.

If you don't have independent butchers then I would look for a Walmart off base. They always have bags of thighs for $.49 / lb in 10lb. bags, chickens are almost always $.89/lb or less (sometimes they have them at $.74).

Does anyone hunt in your area? If so, find out where they process their meat and go make a visit.

Here's a link to an AZ coop, not sure where you are located. But the prices are much lower than $1/lb. Not feasible in quantity for my little rugrats but works well for those with large dogs / appetites.

http://www.tucsonraw.com/order_form_caselot.htm

If this does not service your area you could contact someone in the group for resources closer to you.

ACampbell · 12-23-2007, 02:24 PM

Tucson is about 60 miles northwest of me...I'm down on the border.
Walmart here doesn't have a grocery store, we don't have the Super Walmart yet. We're in a very rural community, if there wasn't a military base here there wouldn't be a town. That's why I shop on base, I don't pay taxes on the groceries or anything I buy (yes Arizona is a state that they tax groceries)
I hunt (I didn't put my deer tag in this year so that's out) and we process it all ourselves ...I don't think I know anyone else that hunts.
I looked at the site you linked, lots of options for things you can order...too bad it's too far away for me to justify driving up there (I have no other reason to go to Tucson unfortunately)

briteday · 12-23-2007, 03:08 PM

Fort Huachuca? 60 miles, one hour, once per month...sounds like the cost of the food would balance out the cost of the gas and time compared to what you are paying. Also, there's bound to be someone among their 200 members that lives closer to you. You could either share the drive or tag team. We only have one distribution point near us and I've been helping out someone who lives 40 miles farther south from us. I pick up her order 10 miles north of me and drive it to her office 15 miles south of me. In turn she gets scraps from a small town butcher where she lives and brings those for me. win-win.

Walmart Supercenters...try Nogales and Douglas.

Also if you are close to the border, can you shop across the border and bring it back? I'm thinking food would be cheaper there?

ACampbell · 12-24-2007, 11:56 AM

Ohhh shopping over the border...not a good idea. There are certain things you can't bring back to start with because they don't meet US regulations. Not to mention military members are banned from crossing the border into Mexico...so I'm not allowed to go - coming from our Brigade commander. I can see why, they were having a lot of soldiers shot down there, so that's why the ban.
Nogales and Douglas are as far away as Tucson. At $3 + per gallon in gasoline and having an SUV, I'm trying to stay local for my pocketbooks sake...it costs me over $40 to drive to Tucson and back.
Besides, I got to thinking about it...that will make it that much harder when I move (here in about a month and 10 days) kibble will keep for a 4 day car ride much better than raw meat that will have to stay chilled. I think this endeavor, if I do find it to be within my budget later on, is better left until after the move. If meat is cheaper there I'll consider it....but with where things are here, I'd end up spending $60+ in the food and gasoline to pick it up as opposed to $50 for 2 bags of kibble...blah decisions.

clipclop · 01-03-2008, 12:00 AM

Wow. its been a long time since i've been to ft. huachucha. I used to have an ex stationed down there. I dont miss the drives from Phoenix to "sorry visa

" ... yeah if it wasnt for the base there would be NOTHING I remember our last day there they opened the Chili's and we frikkin missed it!! (Rats).