# Raw Feeding



## Warrior09 (May 8, 2011)

Okay im a complete idiot LOL 
can someone please explain to me the raw feeding?!?!? and where you can buy these items cheap?!?!? and how much should i feed Hachi?!?!? 
I was thinking about switching his food to raw considering the Eukanuba for German shepherds on petsmart is getting a lot costly at the moment. $50 for if i can remember a 3-5lb bag. 
I also think the raw food will be better for hachi.
**** I might even feed it to Bella if its cheap enough LOL
I just want someone to explain to me what it is and what it does for the dog and what i need to get and where i can get it.


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## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

There is a ton of other threads explaining what raw is, how to start feeding it and where to buy it. It is not a cheap way to feed dogs. Depending on where you live, if you can find a bulk supplier, or another place to buy food other then a grocery store. Go into the barf/raw feeding forum on here and read all of the sticky threads. All great info. Good luck on you research for raw and in the end it's worth feeding raw your dog shows the results!


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

Wow that is an EXTREMELY loaded question you have there. You really need to do a lot of research before starting to feed. You can get foods a lot cheaper then what you are now and Eukanuba really isn't considered a good food as it is. The questions you have is everything you need to know to feed raw however you need the WHY behind everything in order to know what you are doing. There is so much more to raw feeding then just throwing the food down.. just like you should know more about kibble the ingredients and what makes it a good kibble vs a poorer quality kibble however at least with kibble even if its a bad kibble it is still better then a poorly researched raw diet.


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## hollykatew (May 10, 2011)

you can go to a K9 nutritionist or read up on raw feeding nutrition books, ancestral diet books, but the thing is there hasn't been much research at all done into the effects of long term raw feeding, and remember you have 2 big dogs - in my opinion you want to get the Ca right, for their bones. I've bought and read books on this topic, and I'm on 2 different raw feeding K9 nutrition forums and so far all I've heard, in regards to balancing the minerals and percentages of protein, etc, is that it's about BALANCE OVER TIME. So basically, people, as far as I've learnt, believe that whatever nutrients a dog doesn't get one night, they'll get the next, or if they don't get enough one night, then they'll get it the next. I'm very skeptical of this, and I've contacted a K9 Nutritionist who says she does not believe at all in the balance over time theory, that she has seen so many dogs who've had too high phosphorus diets etc and has seen the negative consequences of imbalance. 
The thing is, I am like you, I would love to feed raw - fresh food is way better in some respects compared to dry food, and dry food is the least similar to actual real food as you can get. I certainly wouldn't want to eat it - it'd be like eating plain dried weetbix every single meal. But if you can find a great dry food that supplies all the nutrients your dog needs at your prefered price, then you can 'lace' the dry food with something your pet likes, like small amounts of raw meat (that shouldn't interupt the balance of minerals like Ca but would provide those vitamins and nutrients that are so abundant and superior when eaten in fresh foods).
Feeding raw does work out cheaper - find a butcher (I work at one) and buy lamb or beef kidneys and hearts (the offal is so cheap but so rich in nutrients-80cents in Australia for a lamb heart) and you can easily talk to a good butcher and make bulk orders for whatever specific bones you think your dog digests best. I've got easy access to all this, and have the desire to just feed fresh foods, but I don't believe in the 'balance over time' philosphy. I'm still open to the idea, and am doing research when I can, but I am feeding Artemis Maximal (high protein, direct protein source, American sourced ingredients - no poisonous nasties from China that have been in Royal Canin and that kind of dry food - and there's no grains and no corn, which are both ingredients which provide no nutrients whatsoever to dogs and also make digestion really difficult for them and also can cause skin irritations (which my GSD Vyvyan had because of the corn)).
Anyway, my point is, you have to do research, and if you have the $, maybe talk to a well recommended, qualified K9 nutritionist, and a trustworthy vet who doesn't just say "Buy this food here because I'm selling it in my waiting room". 
Good luck, I'm going to need it too. Figuring out what to feed your dog is so difficult because everyone is after your $ and tugging at your heart because they know if they say their food will make your pet live longer, or their rival's food will make your pet end up with Hip Dysplaysia or bone diseases or die young, and they say "our food is scientifically backed" then you'll spend your $ there with them. People should just be honest and vets should know more about K9 nutrition and it should be much more straight forward than it is. Pet food companies are like politicians because they're trying to make all the others look terrible, and use scare tactics into getting you to buy their brand and not someone elses.:hug::crazy:


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## Rua (Jan 2, 2012)

hollykatew said:


> you can go to a K9 nutritionist or read up on raw feeding nutrition books, ancestral diet books, but the thing is there hasn't been much research at all done into the effects of long term raw feeding, and remember you have 2 big dogs - in my opinion you want to get the Ca right, for their bones. I've bought and read books on this topic, and I'm on 2 different raw feeding K9 nutrition forums and so far all I've heard, in regards to balancing the minerals and percentages of protein, etc, is that it's about BALANCE OVER TIME. So basically, people, as far as I've learnt, believe that whatever nutrients a dog doesn't get one night, they'll get the next, or if they don't get enough one night, then they'll get it the next. I'm very skeptical of this, and I've contacted a K9 Nutritionist who says she does not believe at all in the balance over time theory, that she has seen so many dogs who've had too high phosphorus diets etc and has seen the negative consequences of imbalance.
> The thing is, I am like you, I would love to feed raw - fresh food is way better in some respects compared to dry food, and dry food is the least similar to actual real food as you can get. I certainly wouldn't want to eat it - it'd be like eating plain dried weetbix every single meal. But if you can find a great dry food that supplies all the nutrients your dog needs at your prefered price, then you can 'lace' the dry food with something your pet likes, like small amounts of raw meat (that shouldn't interupt the balance of minerals like Ca but would provide those vitamins and nutrients that are so abundant and superior when eaten in fresh foods).


^^^^ This ^^^^ is exactly why I've opted to do a half raw/half high quality kibble diet. I'm afraid I won't get the balance right over time. 

To give you an idea as to what I feed my 16 week old -

For breakfast I give her chicken necks and a chicken thigh
For lunch I give her a raw egg, a bit of chopped lambs liver and either a chicken leg or a chicken back.
For dinner I give her a high quality kibble mixed with ground mince or other similar meat and a bit of flaxseed oil. 
For the odd snack on days when she's done a lot of running about I give a dollop of yogurt or maybe an extra egg. And her training treats are usually either bits of kibble or chopped liver or chicken. 

It sounds like a lot of food, but it isn't. The portion sizes of all this are appropriate to her age and she looks amazingly healthy. Her weight is spot on for her size. She has the glossiest coat. Her poos are firm, minimal and not smelly. And she herself does not have a strong "dog smell" or bad breath.

So far, this method has worked for us. Everyone is different and you have to find the method that works best for you. Raw can be expensive or it can be cheap depending on where you can get your sources. But I personally feel that even a bit of raw is better than none at all. 

I do agree with hollykatew regarding balance though. Aside from the fact that it is difficult for me to get tripe and other various essential additions to the raw diet where I live - I'm a bit paranoid about getting the balance wrong which is why I haven't gone full on raw. While I'm sure there would be many "raw purists" that would balk at the idea of me feeding both kibble AND raw to my dog, I've found that it is the balance that works for me and my girl. To each their own.

All the best in your quest for good dog nutrition!!


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Here are some sites to help you better understand feeding a raw diet. 

The Many Myths of Raw Feeding

Raw Feeding FAQs

http://www.rawdogranch.com/

Raw Meaty Bones I have both of his books. The second is more of a how to book.

I have been feeding raw for 13 years. Raised countless puppies to adult on raw. I have weaned 5 GSD litters to raw and most of those puppies are still raw fed as adults. It isn't hard, it isn't complicated, it does require more thought than scooping kibble out of a bag and dumping it in a bowl.


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## Warrior09 (May 8, 2011)

Thanks for the advice or suggestion i should say. Growing up Ive never heard of any1 feeding their dog raw food, every1 just went to walmart or a petstore and bought their dogs food there. But thanks anyways, i'll carefully go over the raw food threads and check somethings out.


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