Just got off the phone with those meat shops.

Double DD Meats sells a 30lbs box of Chicken Backs at 0.79/lb, as well as Chicken Necks, and Turkey Necks. Seems reasonable.

Golden Steer wasn't sure if they could get Chicken Backs, and Better Meat Inc said they have 40lbs cases of backs for 0.85-0.89/lb. Sounds like Double DD Meats is the place to go!

.79 a lb is about right for that far south. (Closer you get to Seattle for some reason prices go up.) Have a good trip to MLT. ^.^

Woohoo!

Just got back from Home Depot! Arms are a bit tired as I had to carry the darned thing up the stairs by myself, but hey I'm stubborn! Boy, it's large! Hopefully it'll fit where I'm thinking it will.. I know I measured..

Next just need to get up to the meat shop and get some chicken backs. Blade is doing great on the supplements, sniffed at them the first night, and then gobbled them down (That is the Vitamin E & Salmon oil).

Also, for training, what do you guys think of using Cheese? Blade absolutely loves cheese, so was thinking of getting a nice block from Costco, and cutting up small cubes. Probably would come out cheaper than packaged retail treats, and I'm guessing a higher value treat for him, not to mention he just inhales pieces of it.

Thanks

Cheese is OK for tiny marker rewards.... as long as you don't mean it to be a regular food item (very high in sodium).

I have cheese cubes (tiny) in my bait bag. It is a favorite, but that's fine, because even an occasional fabulous item like that prompts that eager slot-machine mentality in the dog. :-)




eta
It freezes great. Just don't freeze the whole block in one chunk.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (11/06/2010 12:21 PM)
Edit reason: eta

Thanks Connie,

Yeah I was thinking more for a treat mixed in with other treats such as the Soft Training Treats that I got from LB

Here are some shots of the freezer after I got it installed and running - I realize it doesn't have the best ventalation, however I do meet the required 3" of space between the sides/front/back, and have the actual vent exposed - I'll keep tabs on it, but it should work here. For our small apartment it works, and the wife is actually ok with an orange extension cord running down our hallway! She must really love me or love Blade!

Chest Freezer - 7.0 cubic feet

Chest Freezer - Awaiting Food!

Come Monday I plan on picking up 30lbs of Chicken Backs, and will start on the new diet!

Freezer is stocked! Hands are cold from tearing the 40lbs block of backs apart, but my dog seems happy!

Took him awhile on the deck (feeding him outside to appease the wife) to figure out it was actually "OK" for him to be eating the backs. He looked at me a couple times, almost as if to expect me to say "No" for getting into it. I just kept encouraging him with "Good" "Good boy" and he finally after awhile chomped down and polished his bowl. He licked all the salmon oil and Vitamin E pills up first though, heh.

And then this morning, gave him one back, and plan on feeding the rest along with the supplements tonight. This morning's poop was noticeably smaller than normal, and did not smell as much and was much more firm than the normal smelly gooshy stuff.

I was very concerned whether or not he'd like it after all the work it was to portion out the whole 40 lbs, lol. Used up all my wife's ziplocs but hey I've got just about a months worth of meals all portioned out in the freezer! I'm going with 1.5 lbs, which is just over 2% of 70 lbs. I'll adjust as needed.