Preparing raw dog food for our pack

I am in Austin, Tx. Our dogs eat raw meat. This video shows the preparation for each meal. After feeding raw for awhile, I got rid of the scale and notes and could just "eyeball" what my dogs needed. But I do recommend starting off with a scale until you get a grasp on what the weights look like. UPDATE: 1/2012 - I still feed raw meat to my dogs and spend about $100-$120 a month to feed two 70-pound Boxers and a 40-pound Basset/Corgi mix. I feed a base of chicken (leg quarters) almost every day, turkey necks and turkey hearts and add a new protein once a week. I like duck and rabbit when I can find them in my supermarket. I also use beef and pork neck bones as treats.

I shop around a lot for the best prices, but I do belong to a local Yahoo group (www.arfcoop.org) that is open to new members in the Austin area. This is a "raw feeding" group, meaning a group of people who feed their animals raw or home-prepared foods. The group buys in bulk from several suppliers and get discounted prices on meat. This is all "human grade" and some organic meats. Another great way to save money is to shop the local meat markets for the "throw away" parts - such as chicken frames, necks, hearts, turkey necks, pork trimmings, leg bones, etc. Dogs and cats can eat all of these parts and they are usually less than $1 per pound.

There are LOTS of different opinions about feeding raw (exact ratio of meat to bone, deciding whether to supplement or whether to use veggies or fruit, etc), but the idea is the same across the board - feeding your dog home prepared food will save extend their lives and, most likely, alleviate MANY illnesses! Even COOKED food is better than buying kibble. Yes, it takes a little more effort, a little more money, and a little more time...but isn't your best friend worth it? I know my babies are!!

Good luck in your journey to give your babies the best food possible!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• raw
• dog
• food
• dogs
• eating
• making
• meal

[erinhart75]

When you're first starting out, it's important to make sure you're dog/cat is getting the right amount of meat/bone/organ. Once you've been doing it awhile, the scale becomes unnecessary.

[erinhart75]

Now that I have been feeding raw for a few years, I don't measure anything. Every now and again I will pull out the scale and weigh something, but basically, you can tell how much your dog needs by their weight. I now have three dogs on raw, two of them are about 70 pounds and still considered "puppies." I spent about $100-$120 for about 140 pounds of meat a month. My guys eat a LOT of meat, and the pulped veggies and fruit from my juicer. I don't make lists anymore, because I know what to buy.

[erinhart75]

I spent anywhere from $40-$60 a month to feed 4 dogs and a cat. It's the most economical way to feed your dogs if you have the resources (check your town for butcher shops to see if you can buy organs and trimmings at a reduced price!). I ended up with a dog who was allergic to chicken, and one who didn't tolerate raw, so we went back to using a premium, limited ingredient kibble. I miss raw a lot, coz it was WAY cheaper than buying high quality (made in the US) dog food. :-(

[erinhart75]

The amount you feed is based on weight and activity level. We bought cases of a few different meats - mostly heart (beef or turkey) and something with bone (chicken quarters work well). I'd spend 1 hr once a month to cut the meat into pieces, then store it in a deep freezer. That way I could just pull out a bag and defrost it overnight then have enough to feed everyone for several days.

[marielalaine]

Where do you buy in bulk? I know HEB is Texas-based and I'm in the Houston area. I pay $1 a lb. for various types of meat, but I have an English mastiff and he eats a ton.

[erinhart75]

@marielalaine: You might want to check your area for Co-op groups. There is a Yahoo group for Austin and we have members that live all around the area. It's made up of volunteers, so we all have to sign up for annual activities to keep it running. Good luck !

[caittyk]

whats the point of weighing it?

[nosu376]

Where do you buy bulk meat at?

[MrKp5259]

@SuperGrooter ..Yes, actually have you ever determined how much you are paying per pound for dog 'food'...In most cases, even if you were to just goes to the store and buy whole chicken fryers(w/ included organs) it usually cost about the same.

[MrKp5259]

I have been simply throwing down meat & bones for mine for over 2 years now, no problems.

[MrKp5259]

1st let me say I totally support what you're doing here. I feed my dogs(and cats) raw also. BUT, I will also say that when u over complicate things that's why most people are turned off by it. People just wanna throw some kibble in a dish and be done w/ it. I'M NOT SAYING WHAT U ARE DOING IS WRONG, but u could make sure people know that feeding raw doesn't require measuring, writing lists or anything like that unless u WANT to. Not out of necessity. Just make sure ya mix it up every few days.

[JMDMBM]

@MarissaH414 groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeed­ing/

[JMDMBM]

@DashingKardashianTV groups dot yahoo dog com/group/rawfeeding/