Will do, Connie, thanks.

Someone mentioned to me on this board the dehydrated food. I thought it was a little pricey ($17?) for a small dog. What if it doesn't work, etc. considering I haven't tried the raw first.

Does the dehydration process have a similar effect on the food as does cooking?

Also, (probably dumb question) What are RMB's?

And as to the pre-made frozen, can you buy it like that or do you mean make at home and freeze. That might be possible.

The problem I forsee without giving the raw diet a chance is you can't buy one piece of celery or one carrot and if you need to feed the whole chicken I don't know if it would last long enough with a small dog before it spoiled in the fridge. So, do you just pick out certain parts and freeze the rest? It's just me and the dog, now, and I don't have to do a lot of shopping, cooking, etc. That's why I wondered, if for instance, I have grilled pork chop, salad, potato for dinner, can I feed her the same thing? Bacon and eggs for breakfast, cereal?

Hope this is not getting too elemental, but it's difficult to change what you thought you knew for forty years and then find out that your gut instinct was right all along. All that processing just doesn't make sense. I swore off packaged food years ago and rarely eat anything that is not made with fresh ingriedients. (Oreo cookies and such notwithstanding.) No microwave stuff here.

you definately don't have to buy a whole chicken and let it go bad.
For a small dog just starting out-buy a pack of just wings or leg quarters. take out just one or 2, and see. If the dog won't eat it-you cook it and eat it.

Also-when i get back from getting the meat-i spend a while dividing it up into separate baggies-that way, i am not thawing out more than i need.

RMB's are raw meaty bones-not recreational bones(like hock bones or marrow(butcher) bones), but the bones that are found in the meat. Like the thigh bone in a leg quarter-that is a RMB.

as for the premade-you can buy patty like premade raw foods-or you can make your own mixture and freeze it.

That depends on what kind of raw you are doing-BARF style raw includes veggies-and many people will mix ground whatever meat,chopped veggies and supplements up and make and freeze patties.

I personally feed a prey model raw diet- just meat,bones and organ meats. Mine get veggies as treats sometimes because they like them, and they are healthier that milkbones, not because they need them.

 Quote: Nora Ferrell

That's why I wondered, if for instance, I have grilled pork chop, salad, potato for dinner, can I feed her the same thing? Bacon and eggs for breakfast, cereal?

No.

Dogs aren't humans. They need meat, bones, organs, and a tiny bit of produce.

 Quote: Nora Ferrell

All that processing just doesn't make sense. I swore off packaged food years ago and rarely eat anything that is not made with fresh ingriedients. (Oreo cookies and such notwithstanding.) No microwave stuff here.

Exactly. And a bag of cereal with an infinite shelf life makes no more sense for the dog than Hamburger Helper does for you.

RMB means Raw Meaty Bones.

I would recommend that you read all the feeding articles on Leerburg, and order one of the books. Your eyes will be opened in the same way they were opened about feeding yourself fresh food.

Keeping in mind the size of the dog, I'd probably start with chicken backs.

Wings, unfortunately, while easy to crunch, are largely fat (skin) and bones. Fine as part of a whole bird, but no so great as a basis for the diet.

I know I am sounding more simple and more simple, but, what you are saying is they don't need the chicken backs and other parts? I guess I am taking that from other posts I have read about feeding the backs and whole prey. I don't mind to throw away a couple of wings (that is my favorite part, though).

As to the vegs. Do you give them every meal? Is the meat where they get the omega's and other nutrients. It meat compete enough by itself?

I guess little knowledge IS a dangerous thing.

Edited by Nora Ferrell (02/27/2008 03:59 PM)
Edit reason: added more

Nora, I think Connie said to start with feeding the backs. She did not say to not feed the backs. Backs are typically the best proportion of meat, bone and fat and the bones are smaller then then other parts, so they are good for your dog to get started digesting bones.

What I do is buy whole chickens and split them up when I first bring them home. Make baggies about the size of what your dog would eat in 2-3 days and freeze the rest. Pop another bag out of the freezer 12-20 hrs before you need it and let it defrost in the fridge.

Raw feeding is great, but make sure you are fully educated (buy books, read the sample menus here and do your due dilligence) before jumping in.

 Quote: keith jablonowski

Nora, I think Connie said to start with feeding the backs. She did not say to not feed the backs. ....
Raw feeding is great, but make sure you are fully educated (buy books, read the sample menus here and do your due dilligence) before jumping in.

That is what I said.... that they are a good starter RMB.

I also agree 100% with Keith about doing some reading. You will never get all the questions in ---- because you don't know yet all of what you need to ask. One book or several articles (Leerburg is a good start) will give you the groundwork.

Unfortunately, there are people who do no asking and no reading, unlike you, who jump into raw and do something disastrous like feeding all meat and no bones (no calcium).

It's really very simple, as you see when you read and then get started. But there are a couple of crucial "rules."

Thanks, you guys, for all this terrific information. Now, I'm starting to feel guilty. So, I will probably get started as soon as I can. I will start with getting a book.

Now for the aversion part. I guess because I can't stomach the thought of raw meat or chicken (even thou I eat rare steak) I will need to get over that.

I agree with what- I believe his name was Keith- said. (sorry if I am wrong about the name) I have small dogs,(18-20 lbs.) but even if I had a large dog, I would do it the same way. I buy all their food at once when I go shopping. I take the food and divide it up in individual baggies for them and then freeze them. Each day when I take out meat for our dinner, I take out theirs, and let it defrost. This method works great for us. I myself would not feed my dog cereal or any food cooked. (Sometimes I do feed left over meat cut up into treats, but rarely, or quick cooked treats) I add supplements to my dogs food just before I feed it to them. What I do each day is to add what veggies we will eat to their diet. They like their veggies cooked just a bit, but I try and feed them raw. I give them the fruit I eat for a snack to them too. Cut up little pieces of apple and banana, they don't like oranges, but love strawberries, raisins (I give very sparingly) they will also, go outside and eat grapes right off the vine, I have to watch them like hawks.
Anyway I hope this helps. My dogs coats and bodies have really changed, their coats are shinner, their teeth whiter and their muscles more pronounced and firmer. They have lots of energy.
Feeding raw is worth a try. I try and think of it this way. The world/society is pushing fast food (with not much nutrients) and lots of junk food. Most of us have known nothing else except dry dog food, and canned. I believe dry dog food was created for convenience, but it doesn't mean it is good for dogs. I have noticed quite a jump in cancer in dogs and cats over the years. I wonder if their lack of eating what they were intended to is contributing to the cancer rise. I think the same is true for humans as well. What are we putting into our bodies?
I am sure there are many links you could go to on the internet and read about raw feeding. I feel very blessed by coming to this site and have had the opportunity learned about a raw diet. If not, no one would have told me. I was always disatisfied with dry food, but had not heard about raw diet until I came to this web site.
I hope your experience with raw diet is a good one.
God bless you