# Please help me!! Newbie from Hawaii



## Kyser808 (Dec 28, 2017)

Hey guys I need your help and wisdom. I’m new to the forums and to RAW diets. Although I have read through many posts looking for some advice and tips. I have an 11 month old male gsd in the 75ish weight range. He is currently being fed kibble but really interested and looking to going raw.

Problem is I live in Hawaii the island of Oahu to be more specific where everything is probably 5x more expensive than the mainland. And options are very limited. Very few butchers and meat wholesalers and few to non co-ops. 

Another problem is that after I bought my boy I found out that his sire is allergic to chicken and one of his littermates is allergic to chicken. I’ve fed him chicken before without severe reactions but he does have some allergy/yeast issues that we are trying to deal with hence wanting to try raw. I’ve tried limited ingredient kibble, salmon oil, coconut oil, probiotics, etc… But the allergy/yeast issues just don’t completely go away. 

So what I’m trying to see is if I can go completely raw while avoiding chicken or maybe slowly introducing chicken to see if he has an adverse reaction. Throughout the forums I see that most people use chicken as their rmbs. Will be calling around to see the prices I can get on various rmbs, mm, and organs. Not really optimistic that I can afford it but really wanting to try if it’ll help him. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!!


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

Sources for RAW diet pet food in Hawaii that should be able to suggest alternatives to chicken:

https://www.808rawpetfood.com/

Where to Buy Dog Food (including Raw Diet) | Lava Dogs 808

https://www.konaraw.org/

https://rawdoghawaii.com/pages/about-us

This old thread discusses starting to feed RAW and using beef instead:

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...tarting-raw-food-suggestions-supplements.html


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## Kyser808 (Dec 28, 2017)

Yeah those were the only websites I found too. Kona Raw and Lava Dogs 808 are on a different island. Raw Dog Hawaii and 808 Raw pet food have some choices but not a lot. They are a little pricey which is to be expected. But I will inquire with them if I can't find another source for meats. Thanks!


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## Kyser808 (Dec 28, 2017)

Yeah those were the only websites I found too. Lava Dogs and Kona Raw are on a different island but maybe they can direct me somewhere that's on my island. Raw Dog Hawaii and 808 Raw Pet Food have some choices but not a lot. They are a little pricey too but that's to be expected. However I could try and reach out to them with some questions. I will probably use them if I do decide to go raw and can't find another source of meat. Thanks!


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## Kyser808 (Dec 28, 2017)

Oops sorry for the double post. Wasn't sure the first one went through.


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

I'd look for a beef farmer who sells direct.


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## Kyser808 (Dec 28, 2017)

Dunkirk said:


> I'd look for a beef farmer who sells direct.


Yeah that’s one of the issues. There really aren’t any. Honestly only one I can think of. Cost of land is so expensive here. Many farms have gone out of business because apparently it’s cheaper just to import it from the other islands or the mainland. There are more fruit and vegetable farms than meat ones. I wanna say 99% of our meat is imported so shipping drives up the prices. The one farm that I can think of is pretty pricey in order to stay in business. I wish I could support local. Price of living in “paradise” I suppose lol.


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

What about goat meat? Apparently there is goat hunting on Oahu, hunters may be a cheap source.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

goat and fish are both protein sources that may be an option for you


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## Kyser808 (Dec 28, 2017)

Dunkirk said:


> What about goat meat? Apparently there is goat hunting on Oahu, hunters may be a cheap source.


I never really though about that. Not really sure how to get in contact with them. Maybe they have a facebook group or something. Thanks for the idea! I know they also hunt feral pigs. Are those safe to feed to dogs?


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

You have a growing puppy. I would not feed Raw this and that. They need some nutritional science behind their diet. If you wanted to give treats give a raw chicken neck or something.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

First, No. I would not feed raw feral hogs. Our commercial pork supply is dewormed. Feral hogs are not and subject to trichinosis.

The yeast could be the symptom of a chicken sensitivity. My boy gets yeasty ears when he eats chicken. He itches like crazy on turkey. However both are land birds so water fowl may be an option for you.

You may be able to feed duck or rabbit. If you want to do homemade raw, I would highly advise you read Dr. Karen Becker and Monica Segel. Monica is a nutritionist in Canada. 

I'm in the process of evaluating the diet I feed based on the NRC requirements. Finding many holes that need to be filled with vitamins and mineral. Whatever you decide, just do the research to make sure it's balanced.


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## Kyser808 (Dec 28, 2017)

Nurse Bishop said:


> You have a growing puppy. I would not feed Raw this and that. They need some nutritional science behind their diet. If you wanted to give treats give a raw chicken neck or something.



Yes I don’t plan on feeding random meats and calling it a day. I know that his food needs to be balanced. I've been trying to do research and that's why I'm asking for some advice here so that I can give him a balanced diet. There seems to be a lot of people who have raised their dogs on raw from when they were puppies. I was just wondering if it was feasible for me to do it without using chicken as I mentioned he might have chicken sensitives. Plus living on an island there is a severe lack of affordable different proteins. If I shouldn’t do raw, is there anything you'd suggest to help with his skin issues and yeast problems? I’m just looking for any tips and advice.


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

Strictly from a budget standpoint, a few possibilities:

- Eggs. Sensitivity to chicken doesn't equate to sensitivity to eggs, they're different. You can generally find eggs of good quality at reasonable prices most anywhere.

- Freezer burned meat. Offer to take it, or trade it for an item of modest value. Some people put ads of this nature on Craigslist.

- Add an extra freezer so you can stock up during seasonal sales. Whole turkey before and after Thanksgiving, lamb after Easter, etc. 

- Get to know the butchers. Sometimes this is easier at independent stores than big box stores. You may be able to buy organs, "trim" (fatty scraps or shavings), necks, and more - these items don't get put into the glass display cases, but are often available if you ask. 

- Pose your questions in one of the giant raw feeding Facebook groups - I bet you'll find other island residents, and there may be a co-op or group that exists already.

- Consider producing some of your own, home grown. Laying hens are easy, don't require much room, and you can turn around and trade your surplus eggs for other foods. 

The barter system is alive and well.... it can be a little bit awkward at first if you aren't used to asking random people if they'd like to trade, but in the end everyone wins.


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## LavaDogs808 (Jan 3, 2018)

Aloha Kyser808, I'm the owner of the Lava Dogs 808 website, which is a reference website for anything dog-related in Hawaii, but most specifically to the Big Island. I make all of the dog food for my three large dogs, consisting of cooked Big Island grassfed ground beef, local purple sweet potatoes or canned organic pumpkin, and steamed local vegetables (bok choy, kale, broccoli, zucchini, etc.), and top it with a 1/2 sardine for each meal that I feed my dogs twice per day. I alternate the protein with ground turkey that I buy in bulk at Costco. I go to a local meat market to get the beef (Lean beef costs $4.20/pound) and purchase their beef neck bones and liver, too. Although we have lots of goats on island, you'll have a difficult time finding someone who sells the meat. I'd recommend buying turkey at Costco and trying to find someplace that sells ground grassfed beef at a comparable price to what we get here. You're more likely to find Axis deer meat there than goat, but it will be expensive. Consider cooking the food versus raw. I've converted many people from kibble diets to cooked/steamed dog food with very good results, including one friend who has 4 German Shepherds. I hope this helps.


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