Was waiting for someone else to comment. Raw means raw, that is the benifit. GO look at some of the articles leerburg has on this subject

I understand that RAW means RAW. But my question was not only directed towards COOKED MEAT. As his stomach is little sensitive, I wanted to intorduce COOKED MEAT together with RAW to start. Also, my feeding cooked meat was only in combination of feeding GRAINS.
1. So can I feed him some GRAINS?
2. Can I store chicken necks, beef and lamb together in one sontanier for each meal?
3. What about my dog's weight? Is is okay to be 35 pounds in 3.5 months?
Thanks,

Rashmi

I personally don't feed my dogs any grains. They get raw meats and veggies daily and several times a week I add a raw egg or two as well as yogurt and pumkin. They also get raw soup or knuckle bones at least once a week which helps keep their teeth nice and clean.

I feed my dogs Columbia River Natural Pet Food, which is already prepackaged and ready to feed.
They have a variety of different types of meat and some have the veggies already mixed into it (which is what I prefer). It might be a little more expensive, but it saves me a great deal of time and effort and I am all for anything that saves me time <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I do also add chicken or turkey necks and backs as well as hamburger several times a week.

My dogs are fed on the kitchen floor year around. They make sure that there is nothing left behind for me to clean up.

My dogs have been on a raw diet for two years now and I couldn't be happier. I can't see myself ever feeding kibble again.

I was paying $40. for a 30# bag of kibble every week. I pay between $35 - $50 per week for the raw. It just depends on what I happen to be feeding that week. I have also recently had to up the amount I am feeding, because we are currently working the dogs 6 days a week.

Thanks Carol for the information.

Rashmi

Rashmi,
Don't feed cooked and raw together. Each takes different digestive times and acids and can cause upset.

Your dog may have a sensitive stomach due to the dry food, you just don't know what the ingredients are. That's why when dogs' get upset stomachs, vets prescribe cooked chicken and rice, just like raw feeders, you know exactly what your feeding your dog. 'Cooked chicken' because it is the 'human' thing to do. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

I would not advise lentils, or any other legumes for that matter. Dogs wouldn't eat them in the wild and I would be concerned about internal gas buildup.

When doing the switch, include digestive enzymes and pro-biotics (easily obtained from health food supplement locations). Your dog will need to build up the enzymes needed to digest raw meat again.

I feed a variety of meats, fish, organ meats, salmon oil, Vit C and E, Grand Flex supplement and Organic Apple Cider vinegar. Pulped veggies are a rarely food and I do not feed grains, nor dairy products. The dogs also get recreational bones for desert!

Raw feeding is easy, for your adult dog, just watch the intake of fats (all that yellow stuff on the chicken leg quarters!) The fats are good, but it will depend on activity, temperature (cold climate?) ect... Too much fat will also cause runny stools.

Start with chicken backs and necks to get your dog use to crunching bones and work up to the legs. You do not need to cut them up. Your dog will enjoy working at it.

Good Luck with the switch and stop cooking! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Maggie,

Thanks. I will look into digestive enzymes. He gobbles down the whole chicken neck...but perhaps he will learn to chew them in time. What are recreational bones? I got him beef bone from a Pet store...he loved it but it stunk like anything and I had to throw it out. He is only 3.5 months, I guesss lamb or beef bones would be hard for him. Correct?

Rashmi

as for the original question on how much more expensive is it to feed raw.


i have no idea how much more expensive it was for me, my food of choice was diamond chicken and rice all dogs did great on it it was 15 bucks or so a bag. i think i am up around 40 or 50 bucks a month on raw with suppliments and everything. but i would not go back to feeding kibble if my life depended on it way to nice to see each dog actually enjoy their meal. and the health benifits are worth every penny

Don't feed the beef bones from pet stores as they have been cooked or smoked. Either way they are unsafe becuase they will splinter and break off in brittle sharp pieces. Recreational bones would be large RAW bones like meaty legs or joints that the dog could use to chew on and polish his teeth. More like a toy to snack on and keep him occupied than a meal. At his age, I don't think they would be too hard for him. It would just be an every once in awile treat. He would be one sleepy puppy after all the fun of chewing though. It might help him when he's teething also to ease the pain and help get those teeth out.

Ok, just a question. I didn't think you were supposed to give "weight-bearing" bones to dogs because they are too hard?

Alison,

Thanks. So, lamb leg bone would be a recreational bone??

Rashmi