# Store bought raw food



## 1970Nova (Jul 14, 2013)

So my sister and I are at a stand still, she wants to make get own dog food for her female gsd and doberman and I want to feed my gsd raw meat. I've had questions answered by searching but she thinks that I can kill my gsd by feeding him raw meat from the grocery store. She, on the other hand, wants to boil Turkey for her dogs. 

Are both methods Ok or is she wrong? Can I feed my food raw meat occasionally?


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## Contrary (Jun 12, 2013)

Just out of curiousity, what else is she planning to feed? Boiled turkey by itself isn't nutrionally complete. How much research have each of you done on your chosen diets?

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## 1970Nova (Jul 14, 2013)

You know she didn't say, but she thinks raw feeding is bad al together, that it will do harm to the dog


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Dogs have different digestive systems than humans. They're biologically designed to be able to digest raw foods without getting sick. Feeding them *a balanced* raw diet is perfectly fine for them.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Been feeding a completely raw diet with supplements added for 19 years without a hiccup! :laugh:
Yes, the meat can be cooked (as little as possible to keep some of the nutrients) BUT the oil from it has be be rinsed off. Dogs cannot digest cooked fats.....Diarrhea City!!!  And it would need to be supplemented. 
The fat in raw, on the other hand, would not give diarrhea unless there was too much of it for a particular dog since all dogs digestive tracks react differently.
Balanced Diet is the key as Lucy Dog said.


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## 1970Nova (Jul 14, 2013)

I'm hoping that raw feeding is cheaper. So how many pounds of food will suffice for a 1 y/o, less than 50 pound gsd? Are raw chicken legs with bones alright? How about ground beef/pork that's about 70% lean?


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Depends on what you were feeding.
You can't just throw them a bone or piece of meat....it's a little more involved than that. This forum has LOT's of information AND there are several WAYS of feeding raw, so you'll have to read and investigate and decide which is the best for YOU!


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Here is an example of Raw Diets:
*THE PREY MODEL DIET*: has a couple of variations: 

Feeding whole prey (all inner’s included) and nothing else.
Feeding chunks of meat with some amount of bone, plus organs and eggs.
*SPECIES APPROPRIATE OR BARF DIET*: contain muscle meat, organs, a vegetable/fruit puree, supplements, possibly ground bone, eggs & fish.

Here is more info on why the raw diet needs to be balanced. I present these statements _not to discourage you _but to make you aware that raw feeding needs to be thought out.

Per Dr. Karen Becker: "As regular readers know, not only do I promote species-appropriate diets for dogs and cats, I'm also all about *making sure your pet's diet is balanced.* In fact, an unbalanced raw diet of high quality fresh meat is in my professional opinion a greater risk to your dog or cat than feeding a cheap processed pet food. 
In my practice I see a growing number of patients with skeletal issues, organ degeneration and endocrine abnormalities as a result of dietary deficiencies of essential fatty acids, calcium, trace minerals and other nutrients. Well-meaning pet parents are trying to feed species-appropriate food to their dogs and cats, but what they're missing is the need for nutritional balance." Is Your Raw Pet Food Nutritionally Balanced? 

"An exclusive diet of raw chicken muscle meat is lacking the minimum requirements for a number of vital nutrients as established by AAFCO. These include potassium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc, iodine, and vitamins A, D, E, B-12 and choline, the essential fatty acid ratio (omega 6s to omega 3s) is unbalanced, and there's a complete lack of phytonutrients, antioxidants and enzymes. When your dog or cat is fed only muscle meat, he's missing out on a variety of essential nutrients and sooner or later, he'll develop serious health problems as a result. Some conditions brought on by nutritional deficiencies can be corrected through diet, others cannot." When Raw Food is NOT the Right Food for Your Pet

Now, if you are going to purchase a Commercial pre-made raw diet, just make sure it is AAFCO approved such as Nature's Variety Raw Frozen products: Nature's Variety Raw Frozen Chicken Formula | PetFoodDirect A 3 pound bag is $22. A 50 pound dog (normal activity level) would eat 10.8 ounces daily. If the dogs activity level or weight changes, so will the amounts fed.
Hope this give you a general idea.

You will get a lot of help on this forum when you decide which path you will take!

Good Luck!
Moms


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## reck0n3r (Jul 29, 2012)

I just bought a 6lb bag of Nature's Variety Instinct Raw (chicken) for my dog. I'm excited to get started on a raw diet with him because he has some skin issues, and it seems like going raw can really help that out - as well as a lot of other things.

It's pricey as ****, but I'm doing it this way to see how he reacts to it for now - and if I see him doing really well, I'll find ways to get it done myself to make it more affordable.


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## 1970Nova (Jul 14, 2013)

Thanks Mom I knew it was more in depth but I didn't know I could feed all that and that there was such a thing as an unbalanced raw diet, I will investigate further but staring at this screen reading so much gets to yoy.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

1970Nova said:


> Thanks Mom I knew it was more in depth but I didn't know I could feed all that and that there was such a thing as an unbalanced raw diet, I will investigate further but staring at this screen reading so much gets to yoy.


My Pleasure!
No lie that it is hard getting started, but once you get there, it is routine!
If you can afford it, I would suggest trying the Nature's Variety or Bravo that I mentioned for about 6 weeks to see if it makes a difference in your dog's health/appearance/activity and that might sway you one way or the other. PM me any time if you want more info on diets to look up.
Good Luck!
Moms


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

reck0n3r said:


> I just bought a 6lb bag of Nature's Variety Instinct Raw (chicken) for my dog. I'm excited to get started on a raw diet with him because he has some skin issues, and it seems like going raw can really help that out - as well as a lot of other things.
> 
> It's pricey as ****, but I'm doing it this way to see how he reacts to it for now - and if I see him doing really well, I'll find ways to get it done myself to make it more affordable.


Hi reck0n!
Make sure you keep your baby on this for about 6 weeks to be able to see the effects and if you like it!
Moms


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## reck0n3r (Jul 29, 2012)

Just thought I'd post an update just in case anyone was curious.

So for 3 weeks I had him on Nature's Variety Instinct Raw (chicken), and I did notice a change in his fur becoming softer, as well as his itching/irritation going down quite a bit, but by the third week I noticed that the redness and licking of the groin area was starting to pick up again.

I've been suspecting that he may have an allergy to chicken, so I decided to switch him over to venison (still with nature's variety instinct raw) - which we've been on now for about two and a half weeks and it's been a complete and total turnaround, redness all gone, his coat is very soft and plush compared to it being brittle before, itching/licking pretty much all gone. He's been doing fantastic on it.

Now if I can just find cheaper alternatives to Nature's Variety (it's costly at about $200/month)


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

reck0n3r said:


> Just thought I'd post an update just in case anyone was curious.
> 
> So for 3 weeks I had him on Nature's Variety Instinct Raw (chicken), and I did notice a change in his fur becoming softer, as well as his itching/irritation going down quite a bit, but by the third week I noticed that the redness and licking of the groin area was starting to pick up again.
> 
> ...


That is EXCELLENT news!
Bravo for you for figuring out the Chicken sensitivity!

The other thing you could try is The Honest Kitchen "Dehydrated" Preference "Base" food to which you add your own meat to. VERY healthy!

This page gives you the info on Preference: Preference - Grain Free, Homemade Dog Food Mix | The Honest Kitchen 7# = $54 Makes 29 pounds
Put your zip code on this page to find a retailer near you: Where to Buy Honest Kitchen - Honest Kitchen Stores | The Honest Kitchen

Good luck! Your are on the right path!

Moms


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