Linda- First, I am laughing @ posting a question to you over here . When did you start Cali on the natural diet? Did she have any GI issues?
I have been thinking about adding some "high value" treats to the bait bag for training as a starter.

G

Cat......once you commit, you will feel so much better over the raw. Everyone is sooo helpful on the forum - don't be shy about asking as many questions as you need to. I remember giving my 1st piece of chicken to one of our dogs - I was sooooo nervous, I wondered if I would know how to give the "Heimlick Procedure" to a dog!

We have 5 large dogs and have seen such a difference with their health. One very important lesson we learned just recently was to be sure and feed the correct amount of fish oil. We were only feeding 1/3 to 1/2 of what the dose should be for Grizzly salmon oil. After about 4 weeks of the "correct" dosage (and of course the Vit E) the gimpy dog is walking/running without lameness, the 2" x 3" growth on his neck has completely disolved and his dull, flaky coat is healthy. This in itself makes us very firm believers of the Raw Diet. The old greyhound we took in is sooo much healthier. Still a little lameness from his racing years - but he is running and playing and barking, probably doing things he has never done before since he was a puppy, if even then!

Just keep searching for cheaper resources. We have found a butcher that collects "his junk our treasurers" for us. He usually butchers every week, with that he fills our tray with beef heart, nice rib bones and lots of meat we scrape off the larger bones, sometimes tongue. Charges us $2.00 for a large tray or two, full of goodies. We have another butcher at a local grocery store that lets us know when chicken quarters are on sale for .39 per pound in 10# pks. We have learned to ask if things are individually wrapped before freezing. We have gotten a case of chicken all frozen together, that we must thaw and pull apart and refreeze. We buy Ziplock freezer bags at Sam's Club when we are in the "Big City". We just found a resource for frozen rabbit @ $1.50 per pound, and we got our 1st delivery last night - $50-60 lbs of rabbit, $35 for Speedy Delivery Service (came within 24 hours) from Minnesota to Iowa for $35.00 - total bill $110.00. Much cheaper than driving to pick it up 7 hours away! They may start saving the carcass & parts for us as well. In return he wants us to share with him the raw diet for his dogs!! We are fortunate to live near a 2-lane highway and get fresh roadkill venison. Contact DNR in your area as well in case they have to shoot an injured deer and would like a place to deposit it. I'm luck that my husband knows how to butcher.

Be sure and mention to friends, family, etc. amazing who will call you for old meat in their freezer from time to time that they want to get rid of (especially during hunting seasons)!! Organ meat (liver) we buy bulk from another grocery store. And we live in a small town away from anything close - BUT we just keep searching and talking and finding resources to connect with. Look for the smaller stores around in small communities. We have Amish & Mennonites that can provide a few sources. It's pretty much like a "Treasurer Hunt" for adults!!

Be sure to ASK Questions. This forum, Leerburg's books and great resource website will get you through it!!

Good Luck and happy adventures! Makes for great conversation but usually one-sided!!

First of all to everyone here, Gina is my friend and one of the best-est people I know! This is TOO funny, G!

The short of a long story is we just could not take Cali's diarrhea. On and off, but nothing ever better than pudding poop. We were on our 8th fecal sample at $43/pop. We tried so many kibbles in 5 months--changing foods 1/8 c at a time--slowly and painfully. Ended up on a crap Rx kibble that did nothing to resolve the issue. She was not gaining weight properly, and the vet kept telling me she needed at least 2 lbs. So we'd feed her more, and then the whole GI thing would get worse...and on and on.

I started looking into what else I could do, found Leerburg and raw, and remembered that the kennel I worked at as a teen always fed raw. I thought it was suspect back then and even a few months ago, if not insane. Then I read and read. Then Ryan--you know my food guru son--out-of-the-blue suggested we should think about a raw diet. I had no idea he had so much knowledge about kibble vs. raw. So with much nail biting, Keith and I decided to try it figuring we could always go back. There is no going back, esp now that I see all the benefits. It was first about the GI issues, but now it's about a lot more than that.

In 48 hours, the GI issues were gone. GONE. She has not had a soft poop since. The volume of what she puts out is a fraction of what it was. It barely smells. We have not been to the vet since, and we were there every few weeks. She has gained weight nicely, and is now up to 61 lbs, which is perfect for her @ 10 months. Her teeth gleam. She is trim and lean. Her shoulders and her jaw are so much more built up from the proper bone crunching. She looks buff! Her coat shines like crazy. From the first week she got calmer, seemed more settled, and actually "fuller." I dunno, she has a certain "look," and people do comment.

This switch involved buying a freezer on Craig's List , finding a wholesale supplier, bagging pounds and pounds of backs, necks, muscle meat, etc. It was a steep, tiring, and somewhat emotional learning curve of "how the heck to do this?" But after about two weeks, it was no big deal. It does involve raw meat clean up, but I do that with my human food too so it's no different.

I can't imagine what would make me go back. You know where to reach me, and I am more than happy to tell you what I did and continue to do. There's so much great info on Leerburg that tells you just about everything you need to know to do it, if you decide to. Then the people here are hugely experienced, smart, and very helpful. It's an interesting journey.

My pup seems to be picky. He won't eat his food all at once, wants to save it. I had given him pork necks, and his crate started stinking, so when I pulled it up, LJ (formerly Harvey) had hidden a raw neck... yuck.

He seems to either not want to crush the bones, or they're too big for him. He's got pretty tough jaws and sharp teeth, so hard to believe he can't chew the bones. I'd like him to be hungry at mealtime, eat, then be done, but that's not working out, so I'm fixing meals for family & dog nonstop!

I did stop by a local BBQ place and got some knuckles and some skin. They gave it to me free. Skin has been cooked, though, so it's more of a treat than a meal.

Paula, what other RMB's have you tried to feed your dog?

 Quote: Paula Colvett

My pup seems to be picky. He won't eat his food all at once, wants to save it. I had given him pork necks, and his crate started stinking, so when I pulled it up, LJ (formerly Harvey) had hidden a raw neck... yuck.

He seems to either not want to crush the bones, or they're too big for him. He's got pretty tough jaws and sharp teeth, so hard to believe he can't chew the bones. I'd like him to be hungry at mealtime, eat, then be done, but that's not working out, so I'm fixing meals for family & dog nonstop!

I did stop by a local BBQ place and got some knuckles and some skin. They gave it to me free. Skin has been cooked, though, so it's more of a treat than a meal.

Mine was like this at first too. I got on here and asked around and started giving him his food and then going back in 20 min or so and picking up anything he didn't eat. I put it in a baggie and back into the fridge and that baggie is what he got the next feeding and if he ate that, then I gave him the balance of the portion he should have had for that meal (if any). It didn't take long for him to cath on that if he didn't eat that it would disappear and he'd have to wait till next time. He was VERY stubborn and I had to feed the same item several times in a row quite often. He still has his favorite and less fav items and will sometimes leave a chicken back and I still do the same thing.
He has recently started running 3 days a week to prepapre for the AD and he has become a different dog at dinner time, he eats it ALL and in a timely fashion and licks his bowl and begs for more afterwards now....even if it's a chix back.
I will also add that my 100lb cane corso sometimes leaves a piece of the pork neck bone...I think they may be extra hard or something.

Nope, that's the first raw anything I've given. I read the free eBook but wasn't sold on feeding raw.... not that I'm against any of it in concept, but wondering if it would fit into our family's lifestyle. Turns out I think it will work quite well, pretty much like feeding another child, just separate his portion before I cook... once we reach that point :-)

Perhaps I'm attempting to feed too much. I forgot the % body weight for the pup, so I'll have to go back and look for that. His body condition is good, but he is still eating some kibble, though he turns up his nose at that unless I put an egg on it.

Cat, I didn't mean to hijack your post, but maybe you'll get some info from responses to my ? as well.

Pork necks are not a great beginner RMB. Think more like chicken backs.

Chicken RMB's are MUCH easier to consume. Better for some dogs to "figure it out" with those.

Knuckle bones are a recreational bone. Fun for the dog, but not part of a raw diet.

Thanks. We'll start with chicken. I did know the knuckles were recreational.... we needed entertainment. There was some meat still on them, however, just not enough for a meal. Great info on this topic!

Check yahoo groups for a raw feeding group near you. That's where I hooked up with my people that order from the rest. supply.
There's a min 500lb order and we all order what we need once a month or so and generally make the requirement easily. I order as much as I can get into my freezer so that I only need to order every other month or so. You have to get everything by the case and it takes a really long time to thaw it enough to pull apart and bag seperately but for the price, it's totally worth it. Beef liver is $1.99/lb in the store but I can get it from the supply for I think it was .69/lb. It does come in a case of 2 whole livers (I never knew cow livers were so HUGE) and then I have to cut it up and bag it but then Im set for liver for a long time. I also get chix paws, pork hearts, pork necks (flat slabs, not small pieces like in the store), pork kidneys and of course chix backs (.32/lb). It doesnt cover the entire diet but a good bulk of it.
I also order some stuff from mypetcarnivore.com but that would depend on where you are. I get all of my tripe from there and they have some other good variety items...whole quail, rabbit, mutton, lamb necks, deer, buffalo, etc.
I haven't had any luck at all with my local butchers or stores...they're all too scared Id feed the out of date stuff to humans and I won't pay the high price for the other. I do make a point to walk by the meat counter every time Im at a store to see what's on clearance and if it's worth it. I try and keep my average price per lb below .69, if I do that, I wont be spending anymore than I was on the good kibble.