The Raw Truth

Introducing Clyde!

2010-08-14T14:36:00.001-07:00

He's here! Actually he's been here for over a month. Taking to raw like a champion. When he first arrived I didn't feel he was healthy like he could be- his coat was not real soft, he had a funny odor about him and his breath already smelled of rotting kibble. Ugh. I would say in about 3 days time I noticed all those things clearing up and I swear he has the silkiest fur of any cat I've ever felt. Clyde's favorite food by far is whole quail. It's like candy to a kid! I have discovered though he will eat most everything except rats. He wants nothing to do with them which is fine- more for Waverli! She actually serenaded her rat carcass last week. I couldn't figure out what she was carrying on about and when I got up to check, there she sat in the washroom with her 3/4 eaten dinner singing away.

Back to Clyde though. He is 4 mos old now, growing beautifully, and gorging himself a few times a week when he goes thru yet another growth spurt. For kittens and puppies, I am a strong supporter in letting them regulate themselves until weight becomes an issue (if it ever does). They need an awful lot of calories to keep up with all that growing and I for one cannot say for sure when they are needing more food more often. Both Waverli and Clyde, as well as Emily, have been/were great about eating what they need, when they need it. This is such a different concept from kibble where the strict feeding instructions are on the back of the bag. And make sure you don't feed large breeds too much or they'll grow too quick and beware of protein levels, etc.

Back with an update

2010-05-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

FINALLY huh? Alot has been going on and since I still get an occasional comment about "hey I miss your blog posts.." I thought I'd pop in and give some updates. I pretty much ran out of material to blog about. I did however dress out my very first groundhog that happened to be pregnant with 8 little ones. While sad (don't worry, I didn't hit her with my car- someone else did) I was delighted to have the opportunity to observe anything bigger than a mouse embryo. I took pictures which I'll post later today.

The co-op began to fall apart at about March. The amounts the stores were ordering went down, thus a great decrease in "waste" and then it just got worse. I switched the contract out of my name so we could add a new store (which I had no time/money to do myself) and after that fiasco we still have no new store. The program was great for co-ops in the beginning but then unforeseen events turned it more towards a 1-2 person membership.. not 10.

On a non-raw note, Trevor, Amos, Waverli, Emily and I are moving! We aren't moving to another state, but we'll be 20 mins from where home is now in the next county over. I'm getting ready to close on June 14. The house is only 900 sq ft but it has 4.6 acres, enough for my beags to run and play (I plan to fence in the 3 acre-ish field next spring I hope) with a beautiful pond stocked with fish and geese. I have enough room to raise quail and rabbits and maybe a few chickens and the closest neighbor is still far enough away for privacy but close enough to get to in an emergency. I have not met them yet but my real estate agent (who happens to be my best friend from elementary school) has spoken with the husband across the field (yelling.. awkward hah) and he says they are anxious to meet me. My neighbor to the other side is seperated by a large pasture that they have a small pony in that Emily is in love with. Well, actually, the pony started it by nickering to her and following us around up and down the fence on our very first visit. She wanted to play with him but it was just not happening. They'll have to continue their love relationship thru the fence.

On another semi-raw-but-not-really note, I hope to be adding another raw cat to the fam when I move. He's already born- feral taken in from my dad's house, and out of 6, only he and his tiny sister survived. The mother smothered 3 of them and the other got very sick with a resp infection and passed. The female was sick as well but she pulled thru, however her growth was very stunted. The male is atleast twice as big as her. She is quiet and he is a fearless explorer at 4 weeks old! I've debated on a name for the longest time (since he was born really) but I believe now I'm truly set on Clyde. Like Bonnie and Clyde? I think he has a similar personality. He's a black longhair, which I've never seen a male one before; they've always been females. His sister is a black longhair too. I'd take her as well but I think one person, 2 20 lb dogs and 3 cats is all my small house can take. In about 15-20 years I'll be tearing down the current house and building what I truly want. Yes, we're setting down our roots. I couldn't ask for a better first, and forever, home. Oh and baby Clyde will be raw fed too.. in case you haven't guessed already. The point of the rabbit and quail raising is to feed the damn cats so I can stop going broke from online shipping!

MO Recycled Meats- an up and coming sucess!

2009-11-15T21:21:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately- the co-op is keeping me on my toes and very, very busy. I just began reflecting back on how all of this got started. I mean really, how it began.. not just the formation of the co-op.

It all starts with him.

I'm just truly amazed that this whole journey has progressed from finding Amos, a pitiful stray, to food allergies, to months of research about diet, finding raw (BARF), then switching to prey model, onto the raw feeding list to help educate others, creating this blog a year ago to finally getting a co-op up and running. But not just any co-op. One that helps people afford an appropriate raw diet for their pets. One that takes hard work and turns it into miracles for those who say "I almost had to switch my dog back to kibble because food was too expensive." As the owner, I don't make a dime off anything. I don't sell the meat and take a cut, it's all donated food that I spend countless hours of my life a week picking up, sorting, and preparing for the final destination- people's freezers and dog and cat tummies! It's truly a labor of love. Yes it gets stressful and close family and friends can often times hear me complaining about the kinks that haven't yet been worked out. And sometimes things just go wrong but I have my faith set in this cause and with teamwork and alittle elbow grease, anything is possible.

Feeding down the venison and getting ready for more

2009-10-17T22:57:00.000-07:00

My mechanic is supposed to give me all the deer he gets this season which is great.. however I also plan to buy a few more sheep and still need room to store the weekly 361 lbs from the co-op. Will my 19.8 cu ft baby be able to hold it all? Right now the kids have been eating on venison for a looong time. Like.. 4-5 times a week. Emily is getting tired of it and refusing to eat much and Waverli is "bird chirping" at me for some whole prey, dang it! (You'll be happy to know she did receive a whole quail and rabbit this afternoon.) Is everyone else cleaning out the old stuff and getting ready for hunting season too? I am pretty excited to try this "skin a deer with a car" method on the ones I get this year. I told Joe he just needed to gut since everything will be pulverized from the shot and deer tripe I just don't think I could stomach (pun intended) right now. Who knows what they all eat anyway.. tree bark and acorns? Some grass? No idea. Atleast with a sheep you know it's just grass in there. Still have 2 ducks left but they're not going over well again.. should I even call the receptionist at my old vet and ask if her hubby wants to get rid of his kills again? The taxidermist is another option I might exercise. Afterall he is only a mile and a half from my house.

Goose Down Plucker

2009-10-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

This isn't really a full post about raw feeding but it is hilarious. It's the Dirty Jobs episode where Mike Rowe goes to a duck and goose processor but the best part is Trudy. Fast forward to the 20 minute mark for the full episode and you'll understand. Informative AND funny!

http://www.bigvidpro.com/?v=fLPL0wJtTVZSFme-XZp0XQ

Ever wonder...

2009-09-04T15:40:00.001-07:00

.. what happens when you put a chicken thigh in a Vita Mix? I did and found out it makes a disgusting looking unprocessed Spam product. I was attempting ground food for Trevor, as he refuses fat, skin, bone, organ and not having a handy grinder, but a food processor, I gave it a whirl (literally). Turns out Trevor hated the pate' and I used it to stuff Kongs for the dogs. Waverli, my non picky cat loved the chicken paste but I didn't get her used to it for fear she'd demand, essentially, pre-chewed food. You just never know with cats. If only I had gotten a picture before I used it up. I have the rest in Kongs now but it doesn't show the full effect unless it's globbed in a container on top of itself.. with all it's fatty, stringy, weird colored goodness. I think if Trevor refused pureed raw I won't bother with a grinder. On to Plan B which hasn't been formulated yet.

Incredible breakthrough in raw feeding!

2009-08-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

Here's an article about a new program started to help get past sell by (note- not expired- the two are very different) meat into the hands of not only zoos, shelters, and exotic animal owners, but your everyday, average dog and cat lover that feeds raw. VERY exciting.

http://earth911.com/blog/2009/08/17/a-sustainable-spoil/

For anyone in MO I have also started a co-op to support this program in the STL, Columbia dn KC area. To join please visit:

MOrecycledmeats

Containers or bags? Part 2

2009-07-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

It's coming along! Right now I'm thawing more venison out to put in containers. Switching from bags to containers and all this thawing and repacking is alot more work than I'm used to but once it's all done and I start packing fresh meats in containers right off the bat then it will definately be easier than bags. I am SERIOUSLY loving the fact I get a container out in the morning for dinner or the night before for breakfast and it thaws- no leaks! I can get used to this. :)

Talking to chicken

2009-07-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

Emily: Alright, so let me get this straight. You're delicious and nutritious?

Containers or bags? Part 1

2009-07-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

Does this sound familiar? You get a bag of meat out of the freezer for Fido and before you know it, there's blood and meat juice all over the counter.. possibly running down to the floor! And then when you look at the offending bag the holes are so obvious it's a wonder you missed them before. This happens to me all the time and bag after bag I toss into the trash, normally only after 2-3 uses at most. So, I've decided the freezer is getting redone and I am putting most meats in containers to freeze. I'm redoing this alittle at a time as things get thawed and packed.

This is what I bought at Dollar Tree. Ten of them to be exact so I got 20 containers total. These are the Deep Square variety but after some unsuccessful attempts at getting the chicken in one I think I might buy a longer, shallower container. These should hold 1-2 days worth of food for my trio, depending on what's in it of course. Like for instance if it's rabbit, well, Amos won't eat rabbit so it'll be on Wav and Emily. If it's fish then the girls won't eat it but Amos will. If it's chicken then likely Wav will be eating whole prey that day and the dogs will eat on the poultry. If it's venison though, all 3 will eat it enthusiastically and therefore the container will only hold a day's worth. Oy.. the planning boggles my mind but it will all be worth it.

Here's the mess as it stands. Ugh.

More to come..

Emily eating mutton shoulder

2009-07-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Nom, nom, nom!

How to skin a squirrel

2009-07-10T14:30:00.000-07:00

1. First, you need the victim. Place it belly down with back legs outstretched as pictured.

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2. Pull the tail over the back and sever the bone, cutting about a 2" wide strip of hide about half an inch up the back. Make sure the tail stays attached to the skin. Cut up over the thigh in a V shape on both sides. Step on the back legs and pull the tail towards the head to remove hide.
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3. Help the skinning process by inserting a finger between the muscle and hide to loosen and continue pulling forward.

4. Curse as the tail begins to rip and one leg comes completely off the body.

5. Yank the skin harder as it refuses to separate.

6. When the abdominal contents begin to spill out and the other leg comes off, pick the squirrel up and throw it.

7. Retrieve squirrel and at this point continue skinning without any regard to method.

8. Once the skin is up to the neck, cut the head off and be done with it, damnit!

9. Marvel at the finished product and praise God it's over with! Rinse in cold water, bag up to freeze or feed immediately. Make note to attempt this again only if the squirrel is fresh off the pavement and not previously frozen for 6 months.
**For a wonderful video on skinning a fresh squirrel, click here

Happy Birthday Waverli!

2009-07-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

Waverli celebrated her 2nd birthday on June 25th! I cannot believe she is that old. Seems like yesterday I was waking up every 2 hours to feed her. She got 3 large scallops and a shrimp for her presents (things she only gets once or twice a year so it's always special) but nothing too exciting for dinner that night though I should've fixed her up a rat or something. Maybe next year.

Emily's first post

2009-07-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Just look at this face.. the face of trouble! Emily is home and has been since June 19. Are you wondering why I haven't posted? It's because she's running me ragged! By the way, it's her tan coming in, she's not prematurely aging. She's losing that puppy frizz and the tan is creeping up her back legs, shoulders and moving up her head towards her neck. What a daredevil though! She attacks bees in the yard, tries to jump off the deck, jumps on the cats like a rodeo rider and tempts death (ok not really but it sounded daredevilish) by trying to steal Amos's food. She's nothing like Brie. AT ALL. But, I love her anyway for her obnoxious personality and keep telling myself she'll get better with age and training.. lots and lots of training.

The first 3-4 days were rough on her tummy as we ditched the SD and EVO (I bought her the EVO so the rescuer had something better to feed her since she couldn't come home for 3 weeks) and went with plain ol' chicken. Nothing but mucus poops and lots of them. I've never seen so much mucus in my life. There was no blood or diarrhea, as in, I need to be let out NOW 'cause I'm gonna poop my crate! so I removed fat and skin and let it work itself out. We celebrated the first solid poop and she's been fine ever since. She likes chicken the best, but has eaten rabbit, turkey, pork and mutton in exactly that order. Her appetite is waning a bit and she's not eating until her belly is round like a watermelon anymore. She gets as much as she'll eat but it's probably only 2-3 ounces each sitting and she's by no means getting pudgy. I think she needs to put on some weight but not because she looks unhealthy or thin. I haven't gotten any eating pictures yet- don't ask me why! I will post some up this week. Emily gets so excited over breakfast, lunch and dinner that she dances around my feet while I'm getting things ready. Sometimes I dance with her. The first time I ever handed her a piece of real food she looked at me in disbelief and then cautiously ate it while I cheered her on. Then I gave her another piece and another until she was full up and waddling around. The shock soon wore off after she realized every meal was going to be just as delicious as the last. It's the greatest thing having a raw fed puppy. I can already see an improvement in her coat and I believe she is so satisfied chewing and crunching bone that she doesn't have the energy to even chew bully sticks or the couch. One more point for raw! All I ever hear from owners of kibble fed pups is how they won't stop chewing on everything. I'd be interested to know if it's just coincidence I don't have destructive puppies or if a prey model diet really is fully satisfying the need. I'm open to comments on this!

More pics and stories to follow!

Opportunists, not Omnivores

2009-06-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

It's garden season again and while we don't have much we can eat yet, there are tidbits here and there that keep us on our toes, just enough to hold us over until the bountiful harvest rolls in. Amos, of course, is loving the fact and now that our plants are big enough to withstand it if he accidentally steps on them, he is able to come down with me for the grueling tasks of weeding, tilling, and general plant upkeep, as well as checking on our budding vegetables and fruits. Yesterday, to my dismay, a zucchini I'd been anticipating picking was ruined by the torrential rains the day before and was complete mush from laying on the soppy ground and then baking in the hot sun. Another smaller one had been halfway ruined too so I picked it off and tossed it out of the fence. Now you may be thinking by now, "What does ANY of this have to do with raw feeding?!" Relax, I'm setting the scene first. ;) So I continue my work, meanwhile, Amos is staring at the half rotten squash across the fence. I gave in and went and got it for him, breaking off the slimy half and giving him the good half to munch on. After his zucchini he foraged around and picked a raspberry and we went back inside. So, doesn't this seem a bit hypocritical that I am so passionate about feeding a raw prey model diet and yet I'm giving my dog vegetables and fruit? To some it may but let me delve deeper into the topic.

Wolves, and our domestic wolves, by design, are carnivores. There is scientific evidence concluding this to be true, so let's set that aside. Both are also opportunistic which essentially means if it's available and edible, and the wolf or dog is hungry, he's going to eat it. It's a spectacular survival plan. Now, that plant matter is coming out pretty much the same way it went in and there may be a ***slight*** bit of nutrition from it but by no means is it something I would consider beneficial.

The dictionary defines opportunist as "the policy or practice, as in politics, business, or one's personal affairs, of adapting actions, decisions, etc., to expediency or effectiveness regardless of the sacrifice of ethical principles." To apply that to our topic, I'd rewrite that definition as "the practice of adapting actions, diet, etc., for survival, regardless of the sacrifice of what is normal or natural for that species."
Now, while I do not advocate plant matter forming a part of the normal diet for a carnivore, there are times when I am going to let my dog exercise his opportunism and if he'd like to eat some mulberries that have fallen on the ground while I am picking then that's his CHOICE. Empowerment is a part of having a healthful life. I find it very different than purposely handing him a carrot or a tomato. He'll eat it because he's hungry but it is not the same as if he decided to seek it out himself. When he chooses what he wants to eat, often times he'll forage a few berries and be done. Sometimes he gorges himself until his poop is purple. Either is fine with me. I find that letting him decide is much more rewarding than what he ends up eating. In fall and winter when the fruits and vegetables are for the most part dead, that ends his foraging. It's completely dependent on the environment and seasons, like if he were a wolf and had only himself to depend on for food. Most people say "Fido loves blueberries/lettuce/peas/whatever so he must need vegetables and fruits to be healthy." Well Fido also LOVES to eat cat poop out of the litterpans so should he be getting a generous serving of that too in his bowl? Of course not! Opportunism at work here, folks! If you want to give your dog a carrot stick once in awhile then go for it, but understand he's eating it because he's opportunistic, not because he's an omnivore. To read more, visit the Dogs Are Carnivores link on the right side of the page.

Pastured chicken

2009-06-08T17:04:00.001-07:00

I love the idea of raising my own chickens for dog food (because I certainly wouldn't be eating them!) but the most exciting part of it all would be raising them naturally. This is a topic I've dabbled in for quite awhile but unfortunately where I'm currently living chickens are not allowed. Doesn't mean I still can't dream and plan for the future, right? I've found this link that is somewhat of a diary on starting your own pastured chicken setup and also a link for chicken "tractors" which are the movable enclosures for housing birds in. When raising pastured rabbits, chicken tractors can also be used with some slight modifications.

Getting Started With Pastured Chickens
How to Build a Chicken Tractor Cheap
Raising Chickens for Meat

Just some links to spark the imagination.. I am sure it's way more in depth than this. Still, I would love nothing more than to have the satisfaction of raising my own animals and making sure the living conditions and slaughter are as humane and respectful as possible.

Here seems a good start about raising rabbits.
Life as a Polyface Apprentice

Enjoy!

Fifty Two days with Brie

2009-06-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

Those were the most wonderful days of my life. I spent an amazing fifty two days with a dog that never let her sickness get her down for long, and was strong enough to get back up and fight again. For 7 weeks Brie fought distemper but in the end it took her soul and a body without a soul isn't much more than an existence. After her last seizure I felt her change, right there in my arms and I knew I could not put her thru everything the doctors were saying had to be done, only to prolong her existence which would be very short due to the progression of the neurological issues. Who exactly would be benefiting from that? Not Brie. I chose to let her go, the hardest thing I've ever had to do. After the valium and before the injection I already felt her leave this world.

Brie has taught me so much in the short amount of time we had together. Things that we hear that are almost cliche but have taken on a new meaning.. things like keep your loved ones close and don't take for granted the time you have on this earth because you never know when it's up. Loyalty, strength and courage in the face of adversity are all things she demonstrated on a daily basis. The most important thing, I believe, that Brie has taught me is love for life and for the simple things like a warm, sunny day or a few minutes to cuddle with someone you love. Even though Brie is not here physically, her spirit is all around. I talk to her often, and she has recently sent a puppy into my life that is coming home towards the end of this month. She will be a little wolf too, just like her big sister, and I believe Brie will help teach and guide her as she does with me everyday.

Brie- January 7, 2009 to May 4, 2009

2009-05-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

I'm putting the blog on hold for awhile to grieve the loss of my girl. I had her PTS today after several seizures and one very bad one at the veterinary hospital that left her brain damaged (though not confirmed medically I could see the difference). The specialist was 99.9% sure she had distemper as all her symptoms matched. Prognosis was very poor and even if she did make it she would've had neurological problems and eventually would've sucumbed to the seizures when meds stoppped working (I was told only one dog made it through distemper at that stage and 6 weeks later developed such severe seizures he had to be PTS). I cannot type too much now as it's still extremely hard not having her here as it is, much less reliving the entire situation.

Rendering plant

2009-04-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a video I found from Dirty Jobs that shows the details at the rendering plant from pickup to processing. It's quite disturbing but this is what is in cheap pet foods that contain "meat and bone meal" as their protein source. I'm for no waste as well but some things such as the intestines, fecal matter and stomach contents should not make it into the diet of our carnivores.

Dirty Jobs - Rendering Plant

Ah, puppies grow so fast..

2009-04-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? This is Brie at 14.5 weeks devouring a bone-in chicken breast which, BTW, she ate all of. I'm happy to say her appetite is picking back up but I think it's only because of the pred she's on (to reduce any throat or lung inflammation). Her coughing and nose discharge is still hanging around despite 5 different meds and 4 weeks. It can't go on forever! Eventually it will go away (I hope).

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

One thing I try to do every year is an Easter egg hunt. I decorated them, of course, and "hid" them (in plain sight) around the yard. Amos and Brie each got to find two eggs. Now, how they were decorated is really quite genius! I put one drop of food color into the end of a qtip and drew polka dots, squiggle lines, flowers, etc on the eggs. To make purple I added one drop of red and one drop of blue together. One drop of red and one of yellow made orange and so on. They turned out real cute. If your dog loves eggs then make next Easter fun and give them an egg hunt! You can hide one or several (judging by your dogs bowel tolerance obviously) and it's as much fun to draw all over them as it is for your dog to find them. It might be worth saying do this outside - you do not want egg all over your carpet! Can you imagine how bad that would smell? Eck.

New link for Australians

2009-04-16T20:20:00.001-07:00

Carnivore Feed Supplier now has a group for Australians! The link is updated to the Lis List (under "Finding cheap meat" section) now and falls under number 23. For quicker reference, here is the link by itself.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CFS-Australia/

Second Chance Ranch Rebuttal

2009-04-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

Many of you (atleast new people) type in something like "raw diet for dogs" or "raw feeding" into the search box and get bombarded with good and bad links. The most prevelent bad link is from Second Chance Ranch which, sadly, has turned many people away from feeding their pets a species appropriate diet. The raw fed myths page has a great article that challenges and beats the tar out of the accusations and downright lies and scare tactics that the owner of SCR proposes. Enjoy!

REBUTTAL TO SECOND CHANCE RANCH/MY BLUE DOG RAW MEAT PAGE

Brie's first whole prey experience

2009-04-06T20:00:00.001-07:00

Doesn't she have a long neck? I think it's like a turkey. :) Brie ate her first mouse a few days ago and surprisingly she knew exactly what to do. She would chew and then play a little but I think it's more having fun with her food than being clueless. Since I only buy mice for Waverli I won't be giving Brie mice hardly at all other than to add in a little variety. If she goes for whole prey it'll be easier to feed her squirrel since a little fur doesn't bother her. She has eaten squirrel too.. and that's free so I have no problem letting her pig out on that!

Flickr group

2009-04-03T22:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a group specially for raw fed pets! Post your pics and take a gander at all the other gorgeous dogs and cats (no ferrets yet..) eating a species appropriate diet. This is a nice compliment to the story section here (which has been put on hold due to lack of emails) because not only can you read here how people got started but you can visit the flickr group and see how incredible healthy other pets are. Mighty convincing if I do say so myself. I am adding this to the Getting Started section as well.

Raw fed flickr group

Brie's first pork neck

2009-04-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

I feel this is like those "Baby's first tooth" or "Baby's first steps" type things. Brie had her first pork neck today. I fed her some boneless pork I got from CL awhile back but I think it may be enhanced because she got some upset from just a little of it. These meaty necks I got for 50c/lb at my local processing plant that does local hogs and doesn't add anything to the meat. I think she enjoys real food more than the SD at the shelter (which I'm supposed to be getting a free bag from the company directly soon!) *grin* Brie gets really involved in the eating process and comes out of it covered in meat bits and blood. She doesn't clean herself up either so I just wet a warm washcloth and clean her paws, legs and entire face. Hehe. Enjoy the pics.

Sorry for not posting!

2009-04-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Oh gosh I am sorry I've neglected this blog for weeks. I'm pretty exhausted since adopting Brie and getting only 4-5 hours of sleep at a time- sometimes less. I also work three 12 hour days in a row so once my days off come I'm recovering half the time! Brie has been sick for the past 2 weeks with a secondary bacterial infection. She hasn't stopped hacking and the vet says she's treated dogs that do so for a month but usually it's 14-21 days. I'm up with her some nights all night holding her and trying to settle her down and provide some comfort because she is miserable. Been thru 10 days of doxy and clavamox and the vet has been called numerous times only to assure me as long as she's eating, drinking and active that she'll be ok. It's harder to believe that sometimes but there's been some slight improvement and I've been watching close for signs of pneumonia. It's something that just takes time.

Amos's test results

2009-03-15T10:07:00.001-07:00

I just realized I haven't updated about Amos. The bile acid test he had last Saturday came back completely normal. He's still on milk thistle and sam-e supplements for a month, possibly 2 and is finishing his round of clavamox. The vet wants him back between March 21 and 27 for another blood draw to check the one enzyme that was way up and make sure it is either normal or going down. Thank you to everyone who sent prayers and kept him in their thoughts. I think God has a soft spot for beagles.

I need stories!

2009-03-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

Anyone who would like to share their journey to raw please email me at newbeginnings06@gmail.com

You may include 2-3 pictures of your raw fed pet(s) and one entry will be chosen each Sunday and posted. Send 'em on in folks!

Brie loves chicken!

2009-03-14T17:29:00.000-07:00

Started on chicken leg quarters and she's had 100% normal formed poop. I expected explosive diarrhea for atleast 2 days.

On a funnier note, I took her to the vet I was able to get a free exam and fecal at and when he asked what I was feeding her I said "raw" and I wish I had a camera to take a picture. It was a horrified, then concerned, then I-want-to-say-something-so-bad-but-I-can't look that almost made me giggle. After sputtering for a little while he finally got the words "not what I would recommend but talk to your vet" out. I said "ok" in the most genuine way I could. LOL!

Ok here's some pics.

Eating a bully stick on my foot

Playing with her BoBo (loofa dog)

All tuckered out

Meet the newest addition!

2009-03-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

She is an 8-10 week old lemon beagle puppy I just adopted from the Central MO Humane Society. I've been looking at dogs for about 6 mos and after being denied once by a rescue due to politics, and at the local AC for being "over the limit" I just about gave up. I'd called about several dogs in all different shelters and before I went to meet them they got adopted. Or I would meet the dog or talk to it's foster mom and the more time passed, the less I felt connected with the dog. Monday I seen this girl on petfinder and immediately fell in love. It wasn't just a "aww cute puppy! I want it!" type love, it was fireworks, streamers, banners screaming "that's the one!" at my heart. Amos seems like he doesn't really care about her but at the shelter there were barking dogs, thousands of smells, lots of people and unfamiliar objects. He peed on just about everything. The puppy on the other hand, grabbed his leash and tried to walk him around. LOL! She is very friendly but not over the top and in-your-face.
All in all I think she will blend quite well here. Oh and a side note, they gave me a bag of SD even when I told them I don't feed that food she insisted I needed it to transition her. Um, no. I dropped by the pet store on the way home and gave it to them to donate to our local shelter. I had to fill out a form too so SD could send me more free food for her (your bribes are useless!) and I'll be donating that as well. I think she will take to raw very quickly.

I also have not named her yet so any uncommon names (my mom insists I name her Chloe..) that you think would fit her please post them! I want a good strong name for her but still feminine and not real common. Anyway, I'll be dedicating a section to her like with Amos and Wav. It'll also be a good way to monitor a puppy's progress on raw and if anyone is going thru the same thing then maybe this will offer some support/answers.

AZ raw food source

2009-03-08T21:35:00.000-07:00

Thank you to a fellow raw feeder on a forum I frequent for informing me of a co-op in Tucson. It's being added to the Where to Buy Food section!

Tucson Raw

My Raw Journey

2009-03-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

For as long as I could remember, I had always wanted a dog of my own. Of course living with my dad this was mere fantasy. Not that he didn't like dogs or animals, but he knew, or believed, that he would be the one who would end up caring for the dog while I went and lived my life normally. So after moving out and settling in at my new place, I contemplating living my dream and getting a puppy of my own. After a long and tedious search, I found a great breeder of Siberian Huskies and set out on an adventure that has changed me ever since. Last November, I came home with Juneau, a 7 pound, light red, bi-eyed, male wonder.

Prior to making the trip to get him, I had corresponded with the breeder about all the information a new owner (specifically a Husky owner) would need. We talked about anything and everything. I just wanted to be the best possible owner and bring him to the best possible home. Surely, because he would be spending the next decade-plus with me. So after the subject of food arose, she told me what she had been feeing the pups, along with the brand she feeds all of her dogs and I went with it. I can't recall what the food was exactly called, but all I know is that he just didn't like it. And as any new owner would say, they just want everything to work out. So Juneau would eat his food here and there, but never took serious interest in it. To really get him to eat it, I would have to scramble a raw egg and coat the food with it. So after about two weeks, he just wasn't "into" his food. He'd walk up to it, sniff it, look at me, and turn away. So we ventured to the pet store, a "green, organic" pet store and purchased some sample bags of Taste of the Wild, a grain free dog food.

When we got back home, I opened one of the bags and emptied it into his bowl, and watched him devour it. I figured we had a winner here. But that wasn't to last. For about two months, Juneau was eating Taste of the Wild with absolutely no problem, I'd even top his food off with Grizzly Salmon Oil. He had the life. Sleep, eat, play, eat, sleep. Repeat. In January it all started. He developed serious diarrhea. Not just the runs, but a tail-lifting faucet-type diarrhea. I figured maybe he ate something off the ground and upset his stomach. I let a day go by to see if it would get better, but to no avail, he was still having the worst diarrhea ever.

Now I'm thinking that he may have been sick so I took him to the vet and they ran their "tests" and recommended feeding him a "bland" dog food. They pushed their Iam's dog food on me. Being an amateur, I obliged and went with their recommendation. It helped for maybe a day or so, but then it acted up again. Took him back to the vet, prescribed some stomach medication, but that didn't do the trick either. So finally, I figured it was the food and switch him to Timber Wolf. Didn't help. Then we went on chicken and rice, which did help. So I thought to myself, it must be the food not agreeing with him. Yet again I found myself going back to the pet store and buying a different dog food. This time it was Canidae. So after weening him back onto the dog food from the chicken and rice, he once again had diarrhea. That was the last straw!

This brings us to the exciting portion of the story. Prior to picking up my pup, I had read a few books on the breed and I noticed that some advocated feeding raw food. I asked the breeder but she didn't know much about it, so I kind of put that on the back burner. He wasn't a science experiment and I didn't want to treat him as such. But after going through all the dog foods, vet bills, and diarrhea, I figured trying wouldn't hurt. I bought an 5 pound chicken, hacked it up into quarters, and placed it on the floor. After watching him lick the meat for a few seconds, I hear "cruuuuunch". I watched in awe as my little guy was eating his first chicken quarter. With amazement he looked up at me after he was done, paws bloodied and looking like he was an actual wild-wolf, he wanted more. The next day, he ate with such passion and joy. Ripping and tearing the flesh of the chicken, crunching through the bones. After two days of feeding raw, his poop was normal. No diarrhea. He was cured!

The vet did a follow up with me and I took him in and told her I cured him. She asked how, I said I feed him raw food. Her jaw dropped. She told me about the diseases, the salmonella, the e-coli, how it would make him sick.. All the usual jibberish that you would expect. She tried to get me to switch to a puppy kibble diet. I told her that was out of the question. Just a little side note - during his 20 days of diarrhea, he did not gain a single pound, in fact he lost almost one pound and for this person who were are supposed to trust with out dogs, to try to frighten me by using scare tactics, after getting him back to gaining weight, was just totally out of the question. I haven't been back to the vet since. Except to weigh him!

Juneau's coat is marvelous. He has pearly-white teeth. Never having to brush his teeth at all. His breath is amazing. All traits that you don't find with kibble fed dogs. Not to be elitist or anything, but their is such a difference between a raw fed and kibble fed dogs. He has a waist line, he is never bloated. All things that you find with kibble eaters. And I'm not one to push my views on anyone and tell them how to feed their dogs, but when people tell me how good my dog looks and when we get into conversations about dog food, I let them know. I also don't have to worry about him chewing on anything, although, if he gets bored and doesn't get his exercise, he can get quite mischevious. But the most important thing to me was that this solved his diarrhea. I didn't have to be a worrisome dad any longer.

So fast-forward to today. Juneau has been a raw-fed Siberian Husky for over one year now, eating everything from lamb, goat, rabbit, chicken, beef. You name the animal, he'll eat it. Fish is really hit or miss with him. But he does love salmon and tuna.. But without websites like yours, the kind people on the yahoo group rawfeeding, the other numerous information websites about feeding raw and the dispelling of all the "myths" and disinformation that is put out on the web (and by those who are to treat our animals) so that the dog food companies can make a quick buck, I don't know where we'd be right now.

I've attached a picture of Juneau - one is a candid close up and the other is him enjoying a whole rabbit. He is currently 17 months old, 50 pounds, healthy and thriving on a raw food diet. I can't say enough about the wonders it has done. I mean they are carnivores!

Keep Up the Good Work -

Juneau and Chris

How to hide pills...

2009-03-07T20:59:00.001-08:00

You may be asking "what IS that?" but it's really quite genius. I have to give Amos some liver supplements and an antibiotic now but I hate the ingredients in commercial pill hiders. So, I bought some cheap ground beef tonight and rolled out little balls, enough to cover his 4 pills per day and that is them sitting in the freezer on a California Pizza Kitchen box. They are freezing individually so I can just reach in the bag when they're done and pull one out without having to cut off a chunk from a frozen slab.

Much cheaper and healthier than buying something at the pet store and Amos takes these better (I imagine most dogs would) than anything. It's also easy to mold the ground meat over the pills vs before when I was cutting slits in meat chunks.

Home Butchering link

2009-03-06T17:12:00.000-08:00

This isn't really suited for new raw feeders (so don't click it if you don't want to do your own processing) just getting over the idea of going to the grocery store and buying a chicken but for those ready to buy whole animals, I found a great link on how to process. You may be putting your own animals down or you may have the farmer do it but this site has a good pictorial and descriptions. I'm adding it to the Getting Started section, though like I said, it's probably not for newbies. I wasn't going to start another link section titled "Advanced" or anything so I'm sticking it in the already established area.

Home Butchering

Prayers for Amos

2009-03-03T13:44:00.000-08:00

Amos had a seizure this morning. The vet thinks it might be epilepsy but it could be that he had this one and never has one again. Or it could be more serious like a brain tumor. He was rushed to the vet and kept for observation for a few hours and did not have another but he was so stressed out the vet wanted him home ASAP. She is running tests on urine, blood and feces to hopefully pin something down and he's on watch for 12 weeks. If he has 2 more seizures he will need to go on meds unless they are violent seizures and then we may have to look at other causes. If you pray, please say a prayer for Amos and if you don't pray, keep him in your thoughts. He is at home now sleeping and I've taken the next 6 days off work to be with him. This is very scary for him and our family so here's to hoping there are no more seizures ever again.

UPDATE 3/7/09
The results of the blood test came back with some elevated liver enzymes, one in particular was 4-5 times higher than normal. Amos went back for a bile acid test today and by Wednesday we should have the results. The vet said nothing of possible liver failure but is more concerned he got into something he shouldn't have and that is what caused his seizure. He did vomit up something like cream of wheat color/consistency and alot of it. Very far from what venison ribs would look like vomited up. I'm not sure what it was or where he got it but he's been steadily recovering. The vet put him on antibiotics for 10 days and a milk thistle and sam-e supplement for a month. I'll update with the bile acid test results next week. The vet doesn't seem worried so I'm trying to keep my cool as well.

Raw food beginnings- Kelly and Kip

2009-03-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

Why raw? There are many reasons, but to sum it up - I am tired of not trusting the food I am giving to my dog. You research, you read labels, you talk to other dog owners to see what they feed, and you find a food you are comfortable with. You find a supplier (one in my case was a 30 minute drive away), pay through the nose ($40 for a 13 pound bag!!) - and just hope the food isn't going to be in the next recall or lawsuit. Then there is the whole debate of protein levels, food rotation, grains, carbohydrates of any type... and all of this for a food that I still do not trust.

I have thought about raw for a long time - close to a year. I started reading about BARF vs. prey model, meat choices, etc. This is the type of person I am - I analyze, research, read, discuss, plan.. and one day, I get tired of it all, and jump in with both feet. So, Kip had his first meal of raw chicken last night. I've jumped in. We are doing it. If we can do it, anyone can. The hardest part? That first meal. The "Oh, I just gave my dog chicken bones!" feeling. But, you have to keep in mind that this is what dogs are supposed to eat. This is what dogs have lived on, and thrived on, for centuries. And, once you get past that "bones are bad" myth that has been drilled into your head, the sound of your dog crunching into real food is the sweetest sound in the world.

Rats

2009-02-28T21:45:00.000-08:00

I just received my first order of rats from RP for Waverli. She ate weanlings before but these are large. At first she was expecting a guinea pig but then she realized it had a tail and tasted different! After body slamming it a few times and carrying it around the house I took it away and offered it tonight and she ate it. Delicious!

Cass and Susie- their story

2009-02-22T10:41:00.000-08:00

On Christmas morning 2006 my husband & I's old lab Sammy crashed badly. I woke at 5am that morning to find him laying on the kitchen floor panting with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. My husband quickly got showered while I looked up and emergency vet and got a neighbour(who also was already up) to watch our three children while we rushed him to the vet.

Sammy died on the way to the emergency vet, in my arms, in the back seat of the van. Both my husband and I were devastated. It was the first time I had experienced the death of anyone or anything I loved. I only told my oldest that Sammy was gone and didn't tell my younger ones until the day after Christmas. Sammy was 16 years old. *more info on that day: http://mommycass.blogspot.com/2006/12/merry-christmas-may-he-rest-in-peace.html

My husband and I talked of getting another dog off and on for almost a whole year but our hearts just weren't in it - the right dog just hadn't found us yet. Then my husband saw that a local rescue was hosted at our local PetSmart and had dogs there every Saturday so we decided to stop by. Both of us thought that there would be a fairly lengthy screening process with the rescue and that we wouldn't be coming home with a puppy ... we got there and the main attraction was a huge litter of lab/shep/husky puppies, one of the puppies walked over all her litter mates to sniff at and lick my two younger children. The rescue workers suggested we hold her and see what we thought of her and, well, you guessed it. We filled out the paperwork and paid the adoption fee and took home our new puppy. *puppy ad:http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=10028845

We settled on the name Susie for our new puppy and my husband picked up a bag of grocery store food and we all settled into to love this little bundle of fur. Everything went well until one week after we got her and my youngest child messed with little Susie's food so she refused to eat. I took her to the vet. The vet gave me a couple cans of wet food to tempt her back to her grocery store food and told me that I should switch her to a better food. I told my husband who did some reading on what makes a good food and after examining all the foods online at PetSmart we switched her to Royal Canin for large puppies. The switch went well and Susie was thriving as puppies do.

I kept reading. I had joined a dog forum and was reading everything I could find on recommended foods and ended up at this site: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ I read the information on that site and realized we could do better. I e-mailed my husband, gave him all the links I had looked at and suggested we switch her again. I was floored when he showed up from work with a bag of Orijen. Again Susie switched easily and my only concern was that a couple of times she gaged on her food. I kept reading - Susie was now 3 months old.

Finally I discovered raw feeding and prey model feeding - I read and read. My husband and I argued over what I was proposing we feed her now. I despaired because I didn't think I would be able to feed her in a cost effective manner but something about raw feeding just rang true to me. I wanted Susie to live a long long healthy life and I just knew this was the way to achieve that. I asked my husband to give me a year to prove that raw feeding wouldn't kill Susie and that she would thrive on it and be healthy, he agreed(mostly to shut me up I think).

I searched for suppliers - I had already noticed a place I thought was a chicken slaughterhouse so I went and talked to someone there. I called and got prices. I found a local meat packer and called and got some prices from him. I found a butcher and picked up some turkey necks and wings(and paid too much for them). I found a couple local raw feeders and talk with a friend who was also looking closely into raw. I felt alone and scared but I really thought that raw feeding was the correct way to do things.

Finally one fateful morning I handed Susie a raw turkey wing, after a couple tugs on it she got the idea and for the next 45 minutes I watched in awe and wonder while my tiny wolf ate the wing bone, skin and all. The look on her face while she ate was amazing - I had never seen a dog eat anything with such relish, such joy. I've seen dog gulp their food fast, I've seen them snap things up they know they shouldn't have and make it vanish in 2 seconds flat, but joy? No, never, not once.

That was one year ago almost exactly. Susie is now 50 lbs and practically glows with health and my entire family loves her. Her teeth are white and clean, her breath is totally non-offensive and she's just beautiful. I sometimes read anti-raw stuff but mostly stick around the sites where my own convictions are supported and reaffirmed, I know what I am doing is right and I look forward to still having a happy healthy dog when she is 20!

Cass
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

I want to hear your stories!

2009-02-20T12:59:00.001-08:00

We'll see how this works out and if I don't get steady entries then no biggie, I'll just discontinue the section. I'm looking for reader's stories about the journey to a raw diet. What caused you to switch your pet(s)? How did your pet(s) take to it? Any struggles? Have you noticed any improvement in relation to medical issues, energy level, teeth, etc? Is there a part you like best about raw feeding? You don't have to follow these questions but it just gives you an idea. Pretty much tell your experience from when you first started rethinking nutrition to now. I'll pick a new story every week and post on Sunday. They will all be tagged Testimonials or something of similar name and grouped together so anyone checking out this blog for the first time can go back and read just how great a species appropriate diet is. You hear it from me in just about every post- now we want to hear from you!

Email entries to newbeginnings06@gmail.com
Try to keep the stories between one sentence and a novel- there is a happy medium! Also, feel free to include pictures- 2-3 would be ideal but if you have a few pets with remarkable before and afters then that's fine too. I look forward to reading the experiences and I hope everyone has fun getting to share their journey!

Carrot and Kibble conversation - very funny!

2009-02-18T20:19:00.000-08:00

Author unknown- please inform me if you find out who wrote this! I found this on a raw food forum I frequent, link found in the Getting Started section.
-----------------------------------------------------
Carrot: Hello Mr. Kibble, thank you for joining me today.

Kibble: You're welcome. I must say though, I had to wait 6 weeks for this
interview.

Carrot: Were you refrigerated?

Kibble: No, I don't have to be. Why do you ask?

Carrot: I read in your resume that you are made from natural chicken, animal
fat, apples, cottage cheese, grains and many other perishable ingredients.
How could you not spoil?

Kibble: This is going to be a hostile interview, isn't it?

Carrot: Would you please answer my question? All my friends would begin to
decay and rot in a few hours? How do you stay so...un-moldy?

Kibble: The people who make me wear white coats. I'm sure they know what
they are doing. Besides, the research department worked really closely with
marketing on this issue. Who made you?

Carrot: God

Kibble: Never heard of that company. But it's a catchy name - dog spelled
backwards.

Carrot: Really, let's figure this out. Meat and fat - yet you never spoil.
And you look so... inert.

Kibble: Well, I am naturally preserved. The purchasing department says I
don't have to worry because the fat is loaded with preservatives from the
rendering plant.

Carrot: But I thought you were all natural!

Kibble: The legal department looked into this and as long as our people with
white coats just add a little Vitamin E and Rosemary it's OK to call me
natural and I never go bad because there's enough preservative in the fat
that comes from the rendering plant to keep me from going bad.

Carrot: So even though you're 'natural' you could be loaded with
preservatives from your suppliers?

Kibble: That's right.

Carrot: I still think there's something else - you never go bad at room
temperature?

Kibble: Well, there is more. I am so highly heated and processed that all
the 'life' goes out of me. In a sense - I die and become a new molecular
substance that is called 'inert'. I am no longer 'food' as you know it.

Carrot: Err...sounds cool. But now that you're dead and inert, who would
want to eat you?

Kibble: You mean you've never heard of 'protein digest' spray? After I come
out of the extruder I'm sprayed with an irresistible protein digest and
vitamin mix. It's all approved by our in-house vet. We pay him $90,000
dollars a year to make sure I'm nutritionally complete.

Carrot: But underneath that spray you're dead and inert!

Kibble: That's the coolest part! The finance department figured this out.
It's called 'fixed price'. I really wish I had thought of this.

Carrot: You're inert. You can't think. What is fixed price?

Kibble: Fixed price is a great marketing tool so I cost the exact same
amount each week in the retail store. It all ties together because I can be
kept in warehouses for months to take advantage of good pricing.

Carrot: But your ingredients can't possibly stay the same price from week to
week. The market fluctuates all the time.

Kibble: Not a problem! Let's say the price of chicken goes up. The people in
white coats just reduce the chicken and add fillers that keep the cost the
same. They have complete control over the gross profit. The share holders
LOVE this because they can always make their car payments right on schedule.
The other option is 'fixed formula' but that was voted down because we
couldn't compete if the price keeps changing. Adjusting the formula is easy!

Carrot: But what about nutrition??

Kibble: Remember, I'm dead and inert so in a sense it doesn't matter what
goes into me. After I'm processed, heated and extruded, it's really that
magic spray that gives me all the nutrition. Besides, dog's have livers and
immune systems to remove the other stuff.

Carrot: Wow... is that 'natural'??

Kibble: Sure. soak me in a glass of water and you'll see I break down into a
pasty brown substance. It's an earth tone - very natural.

Carrot: I'm looking real closely. All I see is a brown pasty substance.
Where are the meat, fat, apples, cottage cheese and grains?

Kibble: You don't know anything, do you? That's where the graphics
department comes in. Didn't you see the full color photo of the chickens,
apples and other fresh ingredients nicely printed on the bag? They show me
on the cover, not as I actually am, but as people would expect me to be.
That packaging costs a small fortune. Legal says it's okay.

Carrot: That's comforting. If your lawyer says its okay then I feel much
better. What about wholesome ingredients and freshness?

Kibble: Those are just 'concepts' that people have come up with - I'm
convinced that if your packaging and marketing materials are really good
then we can overcome anything. That's why we pay those marketing people what
we do!

Carrot: Listen, I'm beginning to feel a little funny around the edges so I
have to go back in the fridge. Thanks for stopping by!

Kibble: My pleasure.

Big breakthrough!!

2009-02-13T20:09:00.001-08:00

Trevor, for the first time, ate bone! Now granted it was about 3/16" long and there were only 2 pieces of it attached to hit cut up chicken chunks but before he could somehow tell and would refuse to eat it. He also ate some cartilage from a chicken breast. I bought him about 10 lbs of bone in chicken breasts to eat and there is a pork roast in the freezer I am saving for him. I think I might go to Petco and buy some pinkie mice and see if he eats them. If so I'll work him up in size and stick a bag or two of what he ends up stopping at on my Rodent Pro order. Right now I'm just waiting on the large rats to go on sale. I wish they'd hurry up!

Tom Lonsdale- Raw Meaty Bones

2009-02-13T17:31:00.001-08:00

Well I have hit a point on his website that I just cannot agree to disagree on. This blog is about truth, and I don't believe Tom Lonsdale has it right. He is suggesting up to 1/3 of the diet be "table scraps" which is essentially cooked meats and cooked/raw vegetables, fruit, etc. I just cannot promote something like that and feel 100% comfortable with it. The links in the Getting Started section have been carefully chosen and reviewed in support of a prey model or whole prey diet. The link has now been taken out of the Getting Started section. I appologize for confusing anyone who has read all prey model/whole prey links and then came to that one and thought "What?" as it has contradicted everything else I've suggested.

Amos and Waverli, not food related

2009-02-13T14:42:00.000-08:00

These moments make me want to bawl my eyes out. I love it when these two lay together (and they do often). I've never seen any animals as close as they are. Waverli follows him around alot and tolerates her pawing at his food (though he does growl he's never snapped at her ever.. then again he does know that I'm right there to scoot her away). They coordinate missions in the kitchen throwing food out of the sink. Amos comes and gets Wav, she jumps on the counter and eats about half and then throws the rest down to him. She LOVES for him to chase her and tries at every opportunity. Often times Waverli will get mad at something and she takes it out on Amos. He just stands there and lets her vent and moves on when she's finished. I have so many pics of them napping together on beds, in the kitchen, in the sunshine, everywhere. We often refer to Amos and Big Bro and Waverli as Baby Sister because they truly act like siblings. I have been actively searching for our newest canine addition but I often wonder if it will change the dynamics of Amos and Wav's relationship. What would be even better is if the new dog loved to cuddle with cats and other dogs too.. then they could all be together. Waverli could have a Big Bro AND a Big Sis.

Favorites?

2009-02-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

I'm curious as to what seem to be your dog/cat/ferret's favorite foods. Venison always seems to go over well here- it elicits the craziest dinner dances with Waverli and Amos. Trevor, on the other hand, goes nuts for pork.

2/11/09
I was told by several readers that the comment option is not working properly. I tried it signed out and I didn't have any issues so I think it was a glitch in the system. Please email me personally at newbeginnings06@gmail.com if you still cannot post comments and I will contact Blogger.

Quail video

2009-02-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

Starring none other than Waverli!

Venison video

2009-02-07T16:41:00.000-08:00

Here's Amos eating a giant meaty deer bone!

*you can hear my mom talking in the backround asking me if I could get Amos's "wooly bone" so she can prop our old dog's leg up. LOL!

Lis List update!

2009-02-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

Lis has released the newest edition of her list for finding cheap meat. To view, please click here.

Taurine deficiency in ground diets

2009-02-01T08:41:00.001-08:00

I have no issues with feeding ground food to cats but only as a way to transition them onto whole food (like a bone in chicken breast, a rabbit leg quarter, etc) or whole prey (such as the whole mouse, quail, rat, etc). The reason for this is that ground food, especially whole prey (intestinal bacteria further oxidize taurine) that is ground is deficient in taurine, enough to cause health problems and even death. This study is what I am referring to. Keep in mind this is not a study showing that rabbit meat, a raw diet or whole prey is improper, it is actually showing that ground and ground whole prey is improper.
---------------------------------

A Winn Feline Foundation Report On ...
Role of Diet in the Health of the Feline Intestinal Tract and in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Progress Report
Investigators: Angela G. Glasgow, DVM; Nicholas J. Cave, BVSc, MACVSc; Stanley L. Marks, BVSc, PhD, Dip. ACVIM (Internal Medicine, Oncology), Dip. ACVN; Niels C. Pedersen, DVM PhD, Center for Companion Animal Health,School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California
---------------------------------

The remainder of this report is a summary of our attempts to create a "gold-standard" natural diet for cats. After some thought, we decided on a diet made up entirely of rabbit. Rabbits were readily obtained from a rabbitry producing meat for human and exotic animal consumption, and were of comparatively low cost. Mice may have been more appropriate, but procuring and processing this number of mice was not practical. Moreover, in places where rabbits are abundant, feral cats have been known to choose them as their primary prey (Molsher et al., 1999). Since cats eat most parts of their prey and essential nutrients are concentrated in different organs, the rabbits were not skinned, dressed or cleaned, but rather ground in their entirety. The ground whole rabbit diet was frozen in smaller batches and thawed prior to feeding.

Twenty-two purposefully bred cats were used for this study – 13 males and 9 females of two age groups (7 and 20 weeks). All of the cats were neutered during the course of the study. Cats were randomly assigned to one of two groups according to age and gender; one group was fed our raw rabbit diet and the second group was fed a premium brand of commercial cat food that had been tested for its ability to sustain normal growth in normal kittens. The cats were fed free choice with new food placed in their bowls twice daily to ensure that the food was always fresh. The amount of food was continually increased as the cats grew so that only a small amount was left in the bowl after each meal. The cats were housed in a colony with four cats per bay, sharing litter boxes and food bowls, mimicking the situation in many catteries and multiple cat households. The kittens and adolescent cats used in this study originated from a breeding colony that was known to have a number of common intestinal pathogens. Indeed, several different common intestinal pathogens (Cryptosporidia, Giardia and Campylobacter species) were present in the stools of virtually every cat. Most of them also had loose stools to varying degrees, although they were outwardly healthy.

The cats readily consumed both diets, but the palatability of the raw rabbit was noticeably greater; the cats ate it more rapidly and aggressively. After one week in the study, the cats on the rabbit diet all had significant improvements in their stool quality based on a visual stool grading system (developed by the Nestlé-Purina PetCare Company). After one month, the cats on the rabbit diet all had formed hard stools, while the commercial diet cats had soft formed to liquid stools. These differences persisted to the end of the feeding trial. The cats that were fed the whole rabbit diet outwardly appeared to have better quality coats, but objective measurements were not made. Interestingly, we could find no relationship between the type of diet consumed and: 1) the rate of growth, 2) degree of inflammation in the tissue lining the intestinal tract, or 3) the numbers of bacteria in the upper small intestine. The numbers of cats shedding pathogenic type organisms (Giardia and Cryptosporidia species) were on average slightly higher for the cats that were fed the raw diet. Therefore, it appeared that the raw rabbit diet did not have its beneficial effects on stool quality by reducing pathogenic organisms in the intestine, altering the numbers of bacteria in the small intestine or by diminishing the levels of inflammatory changes in the intestinal wall.

Although it appeared that the raw rabbit diet was significantly beneficial for the stool quality and appearance of health in the cats, the sudden and rapidly fatal illness of one of the cats that were fed the raw rabbit diet for 10 months was chilling and unexpected. The affected cat was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy due to a severe taurine deficiency. Moreover, 70% of the remaining raw rabbit diet fed cats, which appeared outwardly healthy, also had heart muscle changes compatible with taurine deficiency and could have developed heart failure if continued on our raw rabbit diet. For the remaining three months of the study, the raw rabbit diet was supplemented with taurine and taurine levels returned to normal.

---------------------------------------------
Alright, so we have that out of the way. You may now be asking "how can we know for sure that grinding causes taurine loss?" Good question! I shall show you something.

Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is a derivative of a sulfur containing amino acid called cystine. If you have lower levels of cystine, you inevitably have lower levels of taurine. This is useful in determining how grinding and bacteria can affect the levels of taurine in food, since the USDA does not measure it in the food database.

Cystine level in chicken, ground, raw is recorded as .188 grams per 100 grams
Cystine level in chicken, broilers or fryers, meat only, raw is recorded as .274 grams per 100 grams

Cystine level in pork, fresh, ground, raw is recorded as .215 grams per 100 grams
Cystine level in pork, fresh, sirloin, boneless, raw is recorded as .261 grams per 100 grams

Cystine level in rabbit, wild, raw is recorded as .274 grams per 100 grams
Cystine level in rabbit, domestic, composite of cuts, raw is recorded as .252 grams per 100 grams

Rabbit contains the same levels of cystine as chicken, and more than pork (wild rabbit does). Not likely that the rabbit meat (before it was ground) used for the study was deficient in taurine and as you can see, all ground meats are lower than their whole counterparts in cystine. I do not have a figure for ground rabbit, but seeing the emerging trend, I would bet it would be lower in cystine in ground form. You may do your own comparisons of different meats by going to The USDA National Nutrient Database and using the search function.
http://www.serve.com/BatonRouge/taurine_chmr.htm has some great charts that show the levels of taurine in certain raw foods.

Raw Treats

2009-01-30T20:20:00.000-08:00

I forgot at what temperature essential enzymes in raw food starts to deteriorate (I want to say 110-115F) but I have been dehydrating treats for Amos since he started having reactions to a grain free kibble I used to use for training. I've done boneless venison and beef liver cut into 1/4" slices and I set the dehydrator on 95F until they are not real flexible anymore but they're not hard and crumbly. Then I cut them in appropriate sizes for training which is about 1/2" x 1/4" and put them in a ziploc baggy in the fridge. I used to freeze half inch cubes of beef heart and train with that but guess what it looks like when it thaws? Gross, that's what! I couldn't put them in my pockets either so I had to use them all up at once. I will also be dehydrating strips for camping. Not sure I want to take a small cooler along because I'd like Amos to carry his own rations. Although dehydrated at low temps isn't as good as raw, it's better than dehydrated commercial products that are done at higher temps and certainly better than kibble! If you dehydrate for your dog or cat (Waverli LOVES venison treats!) be sure it is boneless meat and not bone in! Dried bones can be brittle and may splinter and cause problems. Doing this at home is also way cheaper than buying freeze dried meat for training. You can also dehydrate other boneless meats for variety to keep the kids guessing! My dog also works VERY well for these treats- better than anything else I've ever used.

Guinea pig video

2009-01-16T18:33:00.000-08:00

Boy, I'm loving the video option on my new camera! Even though it only takes 30 seconds at a time, that's all I need. For all of you who have cats and are interested in feeding whole prey, I shot this video especially for you. Waverli is eating an XL guinea pig from Rodent Pro. When done she tried to give the head to my stepdad who gets pretty disgusted when she eats whole prey. It was laid nicely by the recliner for him to step on when he woke up. It's like living The Godfather scene in my own house.

Sheep leg video

2009-01-15T19:25:00.000-08:00

I thought of it after he'd eaten most of the meat off the bone to record it. I'll get one of him tackling a venison bone sometime. Tonight was his big meal of the week and he'll just rest tomorrow. The piece looks pretty bare only because I let him strip it, eat the joints, and then it gets tossed outside in "the boneyard" as it probably closely resembles one by now. The venison bones or whatever you wish to call it were from 2 skinned and quartered deer I received (from craigslist) in which I cut most of the heavy meat off the leg bones and let them real meaty as a gorge meal for Amos. I did the same with the backs, though those bones may be more edible than legs. I have a whole giant bag of them in the big'n (freezer) downstairs. Anyway, here's the video. Has kinda poor quaility but I think it was the lighting so excuse the fuzziness.

Peer pressure?

2009-01-14T18:39:00.000-08:00

Trevor has been increasingly interested in raw lately and always licks on Wav's food before she eats it. I'm shocked she lets him do this, but I think she understands he nutritionally challenged and is trying to convert him. Tonight I couldn't keep him off her lamb tongue so I cut off a small piece and gave it to him.. fully expecting to be cleaning it off the carpet 5 minutes later but he's kept it down for over an hour! Safe to say it's staying where it belongs, eh? Now his list of meats is growing and so far includes chicken, turkey, pork and lamb. Venison and beef he eats but cannot tolerate yet. Mr. Bone Detector used to eat one day quails too but I haven't had them around in forever so who knows if that still stands true. I'm so proud of my boy!

Posting on craigslist

2009-01-06T18:53:00.000-08:00

You can get some pretty good replies from a craigslist post for meat, but you must know how to word it, key phrases, where to post it and what will get you flagged. I have had much success using a simple ad, posted in wanted, sporting and farm+garden. Never post in pets. You will get flagged (atleast this has been my experience 100% of the time). This is normally what I post, with some insignifigant variations occasionally.

Title: WANTED: freezer burned/old/unwanted meat

"I home cook for my (dog/cat) with severe allergies to kibble/canned food and am looking for any freezer burned, old or unwanted meat. Must be uncooked and unseasoned. I will pick up in the (list where you are willing to drive to) areas but will drive further for amounts over 50 lbs. Email me with what you have and an estimate of pounds."

I will also include an insanely cute picture of Amos with something like "Amos thanks you for your contributions!"

It is important to have proper spelling, grammer and punctuation. I don't know why but it just looks like a more serious posting vs a run on sentence in all lower case letters with "ur" and "4" and other typing shortcuts. Don't mention the word "raw" or "raw diet" anywhere in the post, don't try and educate the public thru your posting and don't post a novel of a sob story on how you cannot afford to buy meat in the supermarket or how bad your dog/cat's "allergies" are. Keep it short, simple and to the point for the best chance of getting replies. You may tailor your post in sporting to ask for old/freezer burned venison and in the post mention you will accept other meats as well. Don't list what you want in the ad either- be broad in just asking for "meat" and if you don't want it when you get it, toss it or find another raw feeder to pass it on to. I'm sure they will appreciate it.

All in all, craigslist is a great place to get free meat and cut your food bill, as I'm sure you will find. If you get a few responses, combine trips if they are near one another to save gas. Always reply quickly and don't set up a pickup date a week away- do it ASAP otherwise you seem uninterested and people may be less likely in the future to call you when they have more meat to get rid of. Always be curteous and friendly, again don't try and educate them about a raw diet unless they ask (there's nothing worse than doing something nice for someone only to have them try and "convert" you) and don't invite yourself into their house to help get the meat. I don't want a stranger in my house anymore than a decent, honest person wants to be in my house! Always be safe. Everyone I have met has always been extremely nice and I have met quite a few friends through CL because of either my postings or postings of theirs I have replied to.

So get posting! You'll get real used to free meat- I guarentee it! ;)

Sheep legs

2009-01-01T18:46:00.000-08:00

Here's Amos, chewing on a sheep leg. The upper portion was meaty, and the bottom section he pulled off the tendon and ate the hoof.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful 2008! Have you made a New Year's resolution? I received an email from the natural meat store in town encouraging people to get healthy this year and buy hormone/antibiotic free and grassfed meats. It got me thinking about everyone who is sitting on the fence about whether or not to start the raw feeding journey. There is no better time than now. Sure, you may decide to buy that gym membership and get fit in 2009, but what are you doing to keep the rest of your family in tip top shape? Your little carnivore deserves to eat real food this year, and years to come. Stop sitting on the fence and hop on over to the raw side! You and your furry child will be happy you did!

*You may notice that there are no messages on here promoting or advertising for commercial raw companies. I do not, and will not ever, make a single dime promoting a species appropriate, prey model raw diet to my readers. That isn't just a promise for the new year, that's a promise as long as this blog is up and running, no matter how large it gets.

Happy Holidays- raw style!

2008-12-15T22:32:00.001-08:00

Tis the season to share with others and Waverli contributed her Christmas present early- a half eaten guinea pig carcass. Although it is the worst regift I've ever received, it's the thought that counts, right?

Few teeth? No teeth? No problem!

2008-11-27T19:40:00.000-08:00

This handsome devil to the left is Orion, a good friend and fellow reader's dog. Orion isn't like most other raw fed dogs, you see, he only has 3 teeth which are not much use for eating. I was asked to post this story as an inspiration to those who have dentally challenged dogs or cats.

"He gets chicken most days.. usually around 1lb or .5lb.. he eats chicken since he can eat those bones, but he also likes organ meat (especially liver), other meats like turkey and pork, loves venison, and somedays he eats raw egg," says his owner. "He gets fish oil on some of his food. For the chicken, I cut the leg or thigh into several pieces with a cleaver.. other meats he usually eats without cutting. I kept him on raw because I feel it's the best for dogs. I've seen how healthy Amos is and I think that's proof that raw is best. I'm a vegetarian, but I have no issue handling meat for Orion."

Orion's owner is clearly dedicated to the health and wellbeing of her boy, and even though his food prep may take a few minutes longer than what most of us are used to, she is willing to do what it takes. And it looks like Orion is happy about eating raw food too!

Be an independent thinker!

2008-11-24T20:48:00.000-08:00

There are many different ways out there to feed a raw diet. There is prey model, dehydrated "raw", commercial/premade, BARF, and within that is high bone content like necks and backs as the raw meaty bone, there is a variety of fruit/vegetable combinations, and add in supplements it gets pretty tricky. It can seem more complicated than it really is. What I encourage people to do is to question the information being given to them. Ask for sources and research studies. Make sure the sources are not bias or motivated to sell you something. If you can get in the habit of picking things apart and finding the truth or dishonesty in them, you will be able to defend (if you so choose) your choice or educate those less knowledgable. The Raw Fed Myths page is great for getting answers to the most common debates.

Venison surplus

2008-11-23T21:06:00.000-08:00

Not that I'm complaining but deer season is really proving fruitful here! Hoping it is going well for everyone else now that gun season is here. On Friday I picked up 2 deer minus organs and head from someone in IL. May possibly get more as her family has a farm and sometimes get more than they can use. The only things thawed enough to cut were 2 rib cages and 2 thighs and the rest needs to thaw in shifts so it can fit better in the freezer. Right now it looks full but it's just because it's odd pieces that don't fit together real well. I also picked up about 10 lbs of pork, 3 lbs of ground turkey and a package of boneless skinless chicken breasts. The chicken is being fed to Trevor, who has fallen off the raw bandwagon but seems to be back on now that I have boneless stuff to feed him. I haven't had pork or turkey for him, which is the only other meats he'll eat. Venison he won't touch which is unfortunate because I have atleast 200 lbs! Yep.. we're stocked for the season!

The long awaited sheep post!

2008-11-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

So after much anticipation, I have gotten a whole sheep and processed it myself. I would have posted yesterday when I was done but I was too exhausted. I am posting only links to the processing photos as they may be a bit much for some and I do not want to have them viewable on the front page for those who don't want to see them. So, you can either view them or not.

Let me make a note here that #34 was 3 years old, a gorgeous ewe that was being culled from the flock as she was a smaller frame at 90 lbs and could possibly have trouble bearing lambs as she aged, compared to the larger ewes. Her death was pretty quick and painless, the farmer made sure of that. I could tell he cared deeply for the sheep and had the utmost respect for them. That made all the difference. These sheep were grassfed and had many many acres to roam on. What a life!

Levi, my step brother helped me skin and remove the front legs. Our tools were a small hunting knife for cutting the hide, tendons and muscle and a cleaver for chopping thru bone.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c377/MalignStar/1.jpg
Hanging, before skinning. Skinning was done by cutting around at the ankle, then down the back of the legs and pulling down while cutting carefully down the stomach.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c377/MalignStar/2.jpg
Skinned, abdomen slit. What you see is the stomach and intestines.
*Make note the sheep is hanging differently. Something happened with the tendons (accidentally cut while skinning I think) and as we were halfway thru skinning, it came crashing down on the ground.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c377/MalignStar/3.jpg
Gutted, head removed though not visible.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c377/MalignStar/4.jpg
Neck, front legs, shoulders and ribs removed. Cleaver was used to cut the ribs along the spine. Front legs were removed by cutting the muscle and tendons around the shoulder blade and twisting it out of the joint.

Though I didn't get a picture of the last shots (I was about to collapse at that point in pain), the next things to be done were removing the back legs in the same fashion as the front, and sectioning the spine by cutting the muscle and fat around the vertebrae and bending it backwards to break.

Here's the pictures now of everything that was cut and bagged. The only thing you won't see is the intestines. The hide was saved for tanning.

Fat, trim, and legs

Back thighs, spine, hips

Ribs

Shoulders and misc pieces

Stomach, before emptying contents which didn't smell at all.

Tripe after emptying/rinsing in blue ziploc, above is kidneys and pancreas or spleen, heart to the right of that, neck and head, lower right hand corner is liver and lungs are to the left of that.

Cleanup crew! She ate all the meat pieces in the sink after I was done.

Eating chicken

2008-11-19T14:35:00.000-08:00

Since blogger is not letting me upload the video right now directly, here's the link.

http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c377/MalignStar/?action=view&current=PictureorVideo001.flv

Breakfast, au natural!

Salvaging the deer

2008-11-12T20:04:00.000-08:00

Does everyone remember the entry on respect? This is exactly how to DISrespect an animal that dies in the name of "sport" or the dinner table. You kill it only for memorabilia and a tender piece of meat. Then you throw it out in the weeds to rot.

Today I came across a deer, a beautiful buck, that was dead and laying off the side of the road. Amos and I were out biking and about 2 miles from my house I came across the carcass, with the antlers sawed out of it's head and the backstraps (which are the leanest, tenderest part of the deer and are located along the spine) missing. One back leg was partially missing, the other 3 were there. I took Amos home and called around, finally getting the number for the conservation department and gained permission to take the deer. Went back with steprother in tow, and a large plastic tote and began to load it into the car. Someone had stopped to give us trouble, thinking we were the ones dumping the carcass and I explained to him it was already dumped, we were picking it up. He didn't seem satisfied so I said I already had it ok'd by the highway department. He then left.

We got it home and were able to salvage the rib cage, shoulders, neck, one back leg and some meat from the hide that was cut along the back. All in all I'd guess there was 40 lbs. I'd like to get on the list for roadkill deer in the future.

Some thoughts in the Biology department

2008-11-09T11:08:00.001-08:00

When I was in high school, our teacher informed us that we would be dissecting frogs, worms and possibly a mouse that year. I was completely horrified, and told my teacher I refused to take part in an activity in which the animals were killed just so some kids could cut them up. I believed if anyone wanted to make biology as their career, they would have plenty of time to dissect, and everyone else who didn't choose that path in life wouldn't have to partake, especially when 99% of them had no respect for the animal. I thought the school would save so much money by cutting out (no pun intended) dissection and investing in some latex models.

So while I did protest dissection in biology class and was able to dissect a computer model, I never believed that the most valuable experience I would receive would come years later. When I found Waverli close to the fourth of July in 2007, I had no idea the journey that lay ahead. Sure it was tiring for many weeks with 3-4 nightly and early morning bottle feedings, her terrible constipation issues, ringworm and the constant worry but it was all worth it. Of course, I was doubting that when it came time to switch her onto raw, which she promptly did at 4.5 weeks old and refused to even look at the KMR anymore. To be honest, the whole prey thing upset me. I've had mice and rats as pets (and currently do) and I wondered how was I going to deal with her eating quails and guinea pigs and rabbits? I knew this was the best thing for her and that's the only thing that got me thru the first pinkie mouse purchase (they were humanely euth'd with CO2, I don't buy whole prey any other way). As time went on it got easier and I was able to move her up the scale onto adult mice. The quail were right at meal size for her but the guinea pigs were another story. I bought them because they were on a good sale at Rodent Pro but I had no idea what I'd gotten myself into! The first GP I just handed to her and after the entire house reeked of crap (literally) I thought there must be another way. It was then I realized I would have to take the intestines OUT. The thought was sickening but in order to keep the kitchen smelling (and looking) decent, it had to be done.

I remember the first few times were awful. I did it as quick as possible and the carcass was still partially frozen. As time went on I became quite curious about the insides and explored a bit more each time I prepared her GP breakfasts. I became very familiar with the look and feel of the stomach, liver, kidneys, spleen, reproductive organs, heart, lungs and so on. It was such an interesting thing to explore the different aspects of life and not have it wasted. Since then I have had the honor of processing rabbits, squirrels and ducks and learning so much about anatomy, more than biology class could've EVER taught me.

Now, down to my thoughts after I have rambled on into a novel! I've been thinking how neat it would be to offer these services to local schools. Every child would not get their own whole animal but perhaps one for every 6-7 students. Raw feeders could loan them (and of course be in the room so you can be sure they are being respectful of what will feed your pet later) rats, guinea pigs, rabbits or whatever else and the children would be able to actually see the position of the organs, as well as note their color, size, shape, texture, instead of trying to guess what all of those details were before it was soaked for months in formaldehyde. Even if just 20 animals per year were spared at one school from having to be killed "in the name of science" it would still make such a huge difference in the long run. The idea might even catch on. Of course I would not visit my local high school or junior high and propose the idea, rather perhaps a parent of a student or several parents could casually bring up the idea to the teacher in private. All things considered, it could blossom into a wonderful program, and the children would also be indirectly familiarized with an aspect of raw feeding. What a great way to get involved in your community and local schools.

New freezer!

2008-11-08T22:47:00.000-08:00

Today my family went and picked up a 19.7 cu ft Frigidaire chest freezer for $100. There was nothing wrong with it; it was bought to store lots of meat and the deal fell thru so the freezer wasn't needed anymore. It's almost $600 new and was purchased in 2007. Now I can buy a whole sheep, and fill it up with venison scraps.. all for Amos and Waverli... and maybe a new puppy in the not too distant future. *wink*

Moral of this story- check craigslist daily if you need a freezer!

Picky

2008-11-05T16:07:00.000-08:00

Amos has decided to go on a hunger strike. I partially thawed out some duck tonight and he played around with it, Waverli stole it a few times, he stole it back, etc etc and still he hasn't even eaten a bite. I took it away and I'll offer it again tomorrow when he's hungrier. If he'd never eaten duck before I could have some mercy but he's eaten it on and off for almost 3 years. He did this with rabbit too. He ate 3 rabbits before and then I offer it again and he refuses to eat it. Luckily he will eat it now but only if it's frozen.

For those of you with suddenly picky dogs- stick to your guns. A healthy dog will not starve him/herself.

Ducks! (Part 2)

2008-11-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

I only got 4 ducks defeathered before I was cursing under my breath and fed up with it all. They are a pain! I ended up breaking the wing tip to the first joint off because it wasn't worth it to pull those large thick feathers out for a tiny amount of skin and bone. I froze the other 3 whole in my freezer and will attempt to defeather them when the other 4 are eaten. Amos has also decided he doesn't care for duck anymore and that he'd rather eat rabbit, his most hated meat, instead. I think the fact he hasn't had it in a year has alot to do with it, and the oil glands of the duck have probably got on the skin and made it taste a bit funky. He may eat it frozen but I prefer to feed things thawed. Even if he'll eat it half thawed that would be better than frozen solid. Waverli on the other hand happily stole what he refused to eat (though he did roll on it) and ate that on top of her ration as well. Isn't that pathetic? My DOG is pickier than my CAT.

Ducks!

2008-10-31T09:54:00.000-07:00

(Hard to see, but I numbered them in red)

So thanks to a connection made at my anti raw vet's office (of all places!) I have been fortunate enough to get dove, duck and goose meat from when her husband goes hunting. He doesn't really like the meat except when it's cooked just right (and by the way these things smell on the outside I cannot imagine that's very often) so just ends up giving them out to anyone who wants them. The last 2 times I've only gotten breast meat, but last year told him I can use absolutely everything on the bird and that it would actually be a time/effort saver for him to just leave them whole. He was worried about the insides going bad so last year I still ended up with breast meat only. Well last night I got a call from his wife saying he had 2 ducks to give me if I could pick them up today and she'd just put them in the freezer at her work. She brought up a huge bag and I said "Are those 2 ducks or geese in there?!" and she said no they were ducks. The bag looked like it weighed about 30 lbs. So I traded her off some apple butter for the ducks and drove home. When I got them out to thaw, I counted not only the 2 for sure, but 5 more! She probably seen since there were 2 bags that there was one in each. The mallards are almost as big as my 8 lb cat. There is a teal, a few wood ducks and I think a female mallard, and 3 males I believe. I have them thawing now to defeather hopefully before I go to work. The kids haven't had duck for a year because I don't buy it in the store, I only get it from my hunter friend.

So now that duck season is starting, be on the lookout and start asking around for the meat and/or whole bird. There is a lot more sport shooting going on with ducks than deer, and I bet you will find people that don't eat the meat either that are wanting to give it away. Wild duck is definately better than the kind you buy in the store. Atleast you know they had a great life!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2008-10-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

I came across an interesting point of view on the rawfeeding list, posted by steviesun that I had to post here.

Here is the video that the whole thing was about. Clip occurs at 1:55 and ends at 2:55. What you see in this short one minute is what raw feeding is all about. I used to call it being "resourceful" when using all the unwanted parts that people don't usually eat like the organs, head, bones, and when feeding things that are thrown away like old, freezer burned meats, scraps from wild game, or fresh roadkill. What James McAvoy (the chef) teaches is that it is truly RESPECT over anything. Raw feeders respect the animal that is butchered for our pets and even ourselves by wasting as less as possible, and maybe even wasting nothing except the weight bearing bones.

Just think how the Native Americans lived on the plains. When they hunted an animal, they used EVERYTHING, not just the choice cuts of meat. I even advocate finding some place to take the hide if the whole animal is being processed. Many people can tan it and find good use for it; the alternative is what? Tossing it out in the woods to rot? I understand some things just cannot really be used/fed effectively, intestines probably being one of them but some patient raw feeders will clean them out and feed them (whether the dog/cat/ferret eats them is another story), and sometimes they are used as sausage casings.

My final thought on this is that we need to make sure we are being as respectful of the animals that make it possible for our dogs, cats and ferrets to eat a natural, healthy diet. Every cow, pig, mouse, rat, chicken, turkey, deer, duck and so on was once an intelligent, emotional being. Let's not take it them for granted.

My crazy dream..

2008-10-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

I've had this desire to open up my own raw feeding store where people can come in with their dogs, sample new meats, ask questions, get advice, and enjoy the shopping for their pets. The store will be focused on the prey model diet with books, articles and other resources.

Everything will be under $1/lb. How can that be done you say? I would also love to pasture raise my own poultry, rabbits, quail, possibly goats and sheep. If not the larger animals I can easily find someone who can supply. The processing will all be done at the store, ultimately cutting out the middle man and keeping costs way down. Being pastured also keeps the price down because grain based feeds are getting more expensive by the year, not to mention grains are not a natural food for the animals humans have domesticated. Grassfed meats contain higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids and are much healthier for the people and pets that eat them.

There is much to be considered before the store can go up. The husbandry aspect must be addressed first and foremost and if it is indeed sustainable then it can be used to supply a limited amount of food at first and expanded as the business grows. The building will be "green" as well, deriving energy from solar panels, and relying on a floor plan that is relatively open to take advantage of natural light, among many other eco friendly modifications. Like I said, it's a crazy dream, but it's MY crazy dream and I plan to make it a reality in the not too distant future. The name of the business? The Raw Truth. How ironic. ;) And to think it all stemmed from a vegetarian who didn't want an allergy ridden dog, but fell in love and determined to make it all better, stumbled across this wonderful life giving diet.

Feeding raw on a limited budget

2008-10-17T09:39:00.001-07:00

With the economy the way it is, food prices rising, gas prices (luckily) starting to fall but still expensive, an uncertain future politically and many other issues, there's just no room for worry about the cost of pet food too. Here is a list on ways to cut the food bill, and often times, be friendly to the environment by reducing waste.

The Lis List is full of great ideas for finding cheap sources of meat. Permission to post from Lis. Most current edition 4/16/09.

Finding Cheaper Sources of Meat (For Raw Feeding):

If you have the space, get yourself a freezer, so you can take advantage of the savings when you find them. There are often freezers for free (or cheap) on Freecycle, Craigslist, and Kijiji.

1) Look up meat and poultry packers, plants, and distributors in the yellow pages (or online).
You may be able to get great prices from them if you order in bulk, and/or they may have a discount outlet that is open to the public.

2) ***** I get many of my best deals in Asian/Oriental markets. I've also heard that Hispanic and Caribbean markets have great variety and prices too. But not all ethnic markets are the same - some are much cheaper than others - you must visit a few and compare.

3) You may be able to join a barter group.

4) Google breeders (i.e. rabbit, goat, lamb, etc.) who are in your geographic area. They may have culls they want to get rid of, or stillborns, or lower prices overall. Don't forget 4-H breeders.

5) Try bulk buying - Look up bulk suppliers and frozen bulk foods in your yellow pages (or online).

6) If you have a Chinatown nearby, definitely make a visit.

7) Let your friends, relatives, and neighbors know you want any freezer burnt or old meat when they clean out their freezers, and tell them to pass the word along. Freezer-burnt meat may be dried out on the edges but is perfectly safe for pets as long as it has been frozen all this time.

8) If you belong to a church or social group, tell those members to mention it to their friends and relatives as well. You may be allowed to put a notice on the bulletin board or in the newsletter.

9) See if there are any co-ops or meat buying groups near you. Check on Yahoo, or Google to see.

10) Try a free ad website, like Craigslist or Kijiji - it's amazing what you can get for free or cheap.
Here are the best ones:
http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites.html
http://www.kijiji.com
http://www.backpage.com
http://www.usfreeads.com/
http://www.oodle.com/

11) ***** And I get meat, poultry, and fish all the time (for free)
through Freecycle. Join multiple lists if you live or work close to the boundary of another list.
And join some of the other variations too:
http://www.freecycle.org/
http://www.freesharing.org
http://www.sharingisgiving.org
http://www.reuseitnetwork.org /
http://www.freesharing.org/sites_like_us.php

12) Some Wal-marts and some Costcos and some Sams Clubs have good deals, but you may want to make sure it's not enhanced meat you're buying (most of the time that is what they have, and some pets have difficulty with it).

13) Definitely watch the store flyers, and you can usually see the rest of the flyers online (the ones that don't get delivered to your home, but are only a short drive away).

14) ***** Hands down, the bulk of my best deals have been marked down meat at regular grocery stores. They reduce it the day before it is going to expire, and I go as early as I can in the morning to get it before it is gone.

15) Tell friends and relatives who hunt and fish that you want first dibs on any body parts they don't want. You can probably get at least the organs and maybe the head. Also ask them to put you in touch with their other friends who hunt and fish.

16) A great tip I learned a while back- some restaurants and caterers throw out things they don't use, like the organs that come inside whole poultry, or raw meat that falls on the floor.
See if they'll save them for you. Find somebody who knows somebody who works in a restaurant or knows a caterer.

17) Farmer's markets are great, but pick and choose carefully for the best bargains. And sometimes at the end of the day some vendors will reduce their prices, cause they don't want to take it back with them.

18) Some people contact taxidermists, who have no use for the meat.

19) Join the RawFeeding Yahoo Group and find people on that list from your vicinity, and ask them where they get their meat deals.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/
Join other raw feeding lists or other pet or breeder related lists (there are many, some may even be local to you), and ask if there are other raw feeders in your area.

20) Tell your butcher you want the meat that they would normally throw out, that is almost out of date, that people ordered and didn't pick up, stuff that was dropped on the floor, their freezer clean-outs, and parts that don't sell (like trachea, lungs, spleen, etc.). Some butchers will save their trim for you (once they get to know you). Build a relationship with them first. Many butchers will give you these things for free, once they know you (and especially if you are a regular customer who buys meat for yourself).

21) Yes, roadkill works too (where it is legal). In some places you can get your name on the list and get called when they have large roadkill (like deer). You may be able to move to the top of the list if you say you don't mind getting called at night or for kill more than a couple of hours old.

22) You can raise your own meat/poultry if you have the space.

23) Post a message in CarnivoreFeed-Supplier or CFS-Canada if you are in North America.
Both of these groups specialize in matching up meat suppliers with raw feeders:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CarnivoreFeed-Supplier/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CFS-Canada/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CFS-Australia/

24) Speak to local farmers. Also, you may also be able to get their injured or old stock at very
reduced prices.

25) You can look for heart, tongue, and gizzards which count as meat (as opposed to organ) in the world of raw feeding, but are often cheaper than other muscle meats.

26) Find somebody who knows somebody who works at the grocery store. They can introduce you to the meat guy, who may become more willing to save stuff for you or reduce items about to expire, once they know you.

27) Check the internet. Some suppliers have affordable prices, even after shipping costs are
calculated.

28) Double-whammy: if a meat is on special this week at the grocery, go in and check the expiry date on the packages. Then go back to get it when reduced again (reduction on the reduction)
the day of or day before expiry (depending on their policy).

29) Somebody had a great source a while back: some schools (colleges)that teach butchering sell the meat really cheap, that the students have worked on.

30) Check out the meat processing plants and/or slaughter houses they process the animals for farmers or hunters (amongst others). You can often get the left over pieces for free. If you have the stomach for it, you can ask to go through the gut barrels and trim barrels yourself.

31) Ask a few of your local grocery stores and butchers what it would cost to order things for you by the case. Compare prices.

32) Someone mentioned that depending on where you live you may be able to attend livestock auctions and then get the animal butchered.

33) If you know any apartment building managers, ask them about the frozen meat people leave behind when they move out.

34) You may be able to order from restaurant suppliers.

35) Find more hunters (and their unwanted meat) by posting a notice on bulletin boards where they may congregate (like feed, tractor, country supply, sports, army supply, or gun stores), or at hunter check points, and by posting in online hunter's forums. Hunters also need to get rid of last year's catch to make room for this years.

36) If you live close to the waterfront, you may be able to buy some of the day's catch as it comes in. If you are close to a lake or river, also speak to people who may be fishing for sport and have no interest in eating their catch.

37) Find people who will be moving (and may not want to lug all their freezer contents with them) by watching for "sold" signs on front lawns in your neighborhood and popping a note in their mailbox.

38) Find a raw feeding buddy, maybe an hour's drive away. When you each find a good deal in your own area, buy twice as much. Then split what you find with your buddy, once or twice a month.

39) Viral e-mail- create a friendly e-mail, introducing yourself and asking for old, freezer-burnt, and wild meat and send it to everyone you know in your geographic area. AND ask that each person receiving the e-mail forwards it to everyone they know in your geographic area. And so on.

40) Put a Wanted ad in the Classifieds section of your local newspaper. Using a headline with bold lettering, like ATTENTION: Homemakers/Hunters may improve your results.

41) I recently saw a Craigslist ad where someone offered to butcher road kill moose or deer (for free) so they could keep half for themselves and give half to the person who found the road kill.

42) Start a freezer cleaning/clean-out service

Great website!

2008-10-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

I just added this website to the Getting Started section.
http://www.rawmeatybones.com/index.html

I find many of the articles right on target, however I have issues with the assumption that pureeing vegetables and fruits are ok to feed as they mimic the stomach contents of prey animals. The correct info is available on the raw fed myths page. Wolves have been extensively studied at the kill site and stomach and intestinal contents are spilled, NOT EATEN, and the tissue is consumed. I haven't gotten thru all the material on the site but I plan to review it for my own curiosity. The books I have not bought, as a raw diet is truly simple and doesn't require a 300+ page read. Raw Meaty Bones may be good to take to your vet if he/she is having trouble accepting that you are feeding a species appropriate diet. You may want to join the newsletter for interesting tidbits and info on the topic of nutrition.

Know Thy Dog

2008-10-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

First off- I am sorry for the lack of postings! My laptop cord finally bit the dust and I had to wait for a new one to arrive. My battery was completely dead, but now I'm back in business!

On topic now, I see alot of people wanting specifics about what to feed, when to feed and how much to feed. The most important bit of advice I've ever come across is "know thy dog." All dogs, and cats for that matter, are individuals and while some can tolerate an entire meal of liver without any change in stools, it would give others the raging poops for a week.

No one can tell you how your dog or cat will react to certain foods, amounts or feeding frequencies. The guidelines such as feeding 2-3% of ideal body weight is not 100% science. Some dogs require less than 2%, some require 4%. Pick a percent and up the food intake if your pet is losing weight, decrease food is there is unhealthy weight gain. You should be able to see a clearly defined waistline, not see the ribs but by pressing lightly, be able to feel them. Keeping weight down will lessen the stress on joints, help reduce the risk of heart problems, diabetes and breathing troubles. Unhealthy weight can also contribute to liver problems, increased anesthetic risk, lower quality and quantity of life, reproductive problems, heat intolerance, skin/coat problems, digestive disorders, decreased immune function and possible increased risk on cancers (information taken from http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1660&articleid=694).

What to feed also requires the "know thy dog" motto. If you find your dog/cat doesn't tolerate a certain food, don't feed it. There's no rule that says to properly feed a raw diet, they must eat x, y, z meats.

Some folks feed their dogs/cats once a day, some twice, some feed 2 days worth of food at once, gorging and resting their dogs (this is only applicable to dogs, cats should NEVER go a day without eating). This may be helpful for dogs that never seem to get enough to eat. It is good to occasionally let your dog fill it's belly. For an explanation, visit this link http://k9joy.com/dogarticles/stomach.php which was found on Jessica's Raw Pets Blog.

Raw feeding is a very flexible diet plan. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Let your dog or cat be your guide. Judge the correct amount to feed on body condition. Monitor stools when introducing new foods, or when switching from smaller frequent meals to once a day feedings or gorge 'n rest style (again, this style of feeding is NOT recommended for cats- gorge 'n rest information will only ever apply to dogs). Keep in mind soft stools are not a bad thing and usually occur when no bone is fed. Understand and learn to distinguish between actual diarrhea (animal cannot hold it, has accidents in the house, stool is like water) and soft/slightly runny stools. Watch for too much bone which will produce crumbly, often white stools (which are white coming out, not like when they sit in the yard and dry out) and can cause discomfort when defecating. Using bone can bulk up the stools to relieve anal glands.

Happy feeding!

Just say NO to commercial raw!

2008-09-30T22:48:00.000-07:00

Not only is it ridiculously expensive, it most often contains fruits, vegetables and supplements your dog/cat doesn't need! I'll be reviewing the most well known ones below.

Nature's Variety- contains Apples, Carrots, Butternut Squash, Ground Flaxseed, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Dried Kelp, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Salmon Oil, Olive Oil, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts and Persimmons.All of these ingredients are unnecessary and seem to follow a BARF model, which we all know isn't correct in it's makeup. Too much bone, and species innappropriate plant matter, not to mention a mirage of supplements.

One possible reason these fruits/vegetables are added into commercial raw is the theory it mimics the stomach contents of a prey animal. To keep this post on the short side, read this article http://rawfed.com/myths/stomachcontents.html
It's also possible that commercial raw companies believe dogs are omnivores. For facts on this please visit http://rawfed.com/myths/omnivores.html
The "Dogs are Carnivores" link is also excellent to reference for this important fact. Save your money and buy meat, bones and organs for your pets. You will not only be feeding a proper diet but you can be sure the correct ratio of organ, bone and meat. With a premade patty, there is no way of knowing what's what in there.

Honest Kitchen- though "dehydrated raw" it still contains 29%-63% carbohydrates! Again, it's made up of species inappropriate foods.

Bravo and Primal- Though there are vegetable free mixes, the fact is is that it's still ground, and overpriced. There is no mental stimulation for the dog or cat, and since it's just a glob of food hitting the stomach at once, digestive juices do not have time to build up like if the dog or cat had been chewing and crunching first. It also offers no teeth cleaning benefits. This is one of THE BEST benefits of raw feeding. To keep the mouth healthy and clean is to prevent infection and disease and to do this, there must be abrasive action like in crunching raw bones, not by just eliminating kibble and canned food and going raw. The bones often sold by these companies are inadequate as they are femurs or knuckles. Nature's Variety turkey necks are rather small in my opinion and pose a choking risk for large dogs.

Don't be fooled by the "complete and balanced" marketing of certain companies. Dogs and cats require balance over time, not all in one meal. And so what if AAFCO approves of your raw diet? We can all see the credibility they have by approving processed foods that are unhealthy for our pets and cause most of the diseases we see today. Sorry AAFCO, I want my carnivores to THRIVE, not just SURVIVE.

Rabbit!

2008-09-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

Ah, the labor of love. I spent my entire Sunday morning processing rabbits for Waverli- stocking up for the year. The gentleman I got these from was getting out of the rabbit business as the market for human consumption dropped out. There were nine 10-15 lb rabbits I picked up at 5:30am and didn't finish skinning and cutting up until noon time. Luckily they were already killed so I didn't have to do it myself. I WOULDN'T have done it. I would've had 9 full bags of rabbit meat and the bag of heads if I wouldn't have over stuffed 2 of the bags with an extra half rabbit (I was running out of ziplocs!). Overall there's about 90 lbs of meat there. It should last for over a year. I still have 3 fryer rabbits in the freezer I bought and hoarded last year, as rabbit was scarce then and I wasn't sure when I'd get more. Amos hates rabbit meat but Waverli loves it. Other than my back completely hurting, I enjoyed the whole process and learned alot about processing my own animals.

wRECk bones

2008-09-27T21:22:00.000-07:00

I wanted to write about what we raw feeders affectionately call wRECk bones. Wreck bones are often marketed as "recreational bones" in which dogs chew on them forever. The truth about these bones, most notably the knuckle and femur, is that they are VERY dense and often break, chip and crack teeth down to the root. Think about it, they hold up a 1000 lb animal. What do you think is stronger- your dog's teeth which are a tiny fraction of an inch thick (referring to the enamel) or the weight bearing bone of a large ungulate that is around 3/8" thick all around the marrow?

These destructive bones are often the problem when you hear of impactions, as the pieces are swallowed whole and are not very digestable due to their thickness. These pieces can also cause choking as they cannot be crushed like a normal bone. More often choking is caused by feeding inappropriate sized meals. Your Great Dane is not going to "chew" a chicken leg unless you have a very particular dog that is an extremely slow and thorough eater.

Knuckles and femur bones also wear down the teeth. When cooked they can splinter which is why it's best to avoid ALL smoked/cooked bones marketed for dogs, despite if the company says they are safe of not, which brings me to an important point. I have had the pleasure of being able to look further into a company's products (smoked kangaroo parts) that are supposedly safe because they are slow cooked at low temps, preventing splintering and such. When I broke part of a shoulder blade, the (bite sized)piece was extremely sharp, hard and brittle. If my dog had swallowed that he would've ended up with a perforated intestine I am sure. Even when left out in the open, raw bones will naturally dry and these are just as dangerous as cooked.

If you want to feed a challenging meal that will clean teeth, feed items with the hide on, or things like meaty necks, ribs, and heads. If you have wRECk bones sitting in you house now, toss them out! Your dog's teeth matter more, which is one reason you are feeding a raw diet in the first place- to keep those chompers in prime condition!

Squirrel

2008-09-25T22:51:00.000-07:00

Here is Amos thoroughly enjoying a squirrel breakfast. No, I did not kill this squirrel, nor did he. It happened to be fresh hit on the road.

Fresh roadkill is a great free food source, not to mention good for introducing variety if your carnivore's diet is lacking. I am convinced new to raw people are not going to utilize this wonderful "fruit of the pavement" (as termed by Casey) but seasoned raw feeders might as they get used to the idea of getting food from sources other than a grocery store. So far I have picked up 3 squirrels and one rabbit that I DID hit purely by accident and felt like a real jerk afterward. Thankfully it died instantly. I also just fed a young rabbit to Waverli today that my dad's dog killed in the backyard many weeks ago.

My personal guide for picking up roadkill is this:
Leave it alone if it's stiff, smells of decomposition, isn't in a safe pick up area, is crushed in any way, or is in an odd area (such as in yards or driveways) that may indicate death by other means (ie poisoning, sickness, severe parasitic infestation). Animals are frozen for 3 weeks to kill off any potential parasites. Some feed fresh, some freeze for only a week, some freeze for more than 3 weeks. My two seem to be overly sensitive to parasites (Wav to tapes and Amos to whips) so I err on the side of caution. It does not mean that wild critters are diseased and unsafe to feed.

I skin the rabbits but squirrel is much harder to do so I get as much fur/hide off as possible and don't worry about any remaining around the head, shoulders and legs. This is just a personal preference as some people feed whole fur-on rabbits and other critters to their canine companions. Amos doesn't care for things with full fur on so I try my best to get as much off as possible. He will tolerate a little though. I also remove the stomach and intestines before feeding, as I do with all whole prey as well to avoid the kitchen smelling, literally, like crap.

I've saved about $10 in food by picking up fresh roadkill and my dog has found squirrel as one of his favorite meats. Waverli really likes squirrel too! My closing statement? Don't knock it 'til you tried it (or rather, let your dog/cat try it).

Raw Kong Stuff'ns!

2008-09-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

Just because you feed raw doesn't mean your dog cannot enjoy his Kong! There are plenty of things to put in it that are part of a prey model diet. Ground, minced, and chunked meats with or without bone can be packed in and frozen. Keeps your dog busy and provides species appropriate nutrition all at the same time! Here's an example of a sardine Kong I did today for Amos. Everything was cut in pieces except for the head, which stuck out as there was no room left in the opening.

Pork- the favorite meat

2008-09-23T15:55:00.000-07:00

Trevor has decided that pork is the best meat for him. Chicken was ok, turkey about the same but he will fill up on the "other white meat!" I think I can use this to introduce him to other foods instead of using canned. He ate a full meal of pork yesterday and today if you combine what he ate at breakfast and dinner. Right now it's in about 1/2" cubed pieces with some slightly larger so he learns to chew. He may be one of those cats it takes a year to switch. Hey, whatever it takes!

Waverli eating rabbit

2008-09-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

If you listen closely you can actually hear her growling at me. :)

Raw feeding is easy!

2008-09-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

The most common thing I see among people first starting out is they complicate everything. It's not intentional, it's information overload! We naturally want to analyze everything in detail to form an opinion and then make a decision whether or not it is a good fit for our pets but inevitably when we decide to go thru with it, we have all this information (sometimes contradicting) floating around in our head and it paralyzes, frustrates and confuses us from DOING. I always tell people the most complicated part about raw feeding is NOT complicating it! It can't really be that easy can it? You're telling me all I have to do is feed my dog/cat meat, bone and organs? What about supplements? What about balance?

First off, you don't have to be a chemistry, biology, nutrition and math major to feed your own dog or cat. It is scientifically proven that dogs are the decendants of the grey wolf. Biologists were so sure of this that they reclassified the domestic dog as Canis Lupus familiaris, whereas the grey wolf is classified as Canis Lupus. Once we have that bit of information down we can look at a wolf's diet. They normally bring down large ungulates like deer, and eat everything on the carcass except for the leg bones which can be pretty tough (after all they support a large animal!) and the stomach and intestinal contents. Since we cannot usually buy a whole carcass and leave it outside for our dog to eat on for a few weeks, we feed a "prey model" diet which in essence, you "build" up your own prey animal and feed that. Feed a variety of parts from a variety of animals and you will be fine. Whole prey is best for cats but if you don't want to feed that way you can create a "frankenprey" instead, much like is done for dogs. If you want to buy whole chickens fine. If you can only afford to buy chicken quarters because they're cheaper and that's the only chicken part you feed, fine. If all you buy pork is neck bones that's fine. Whole fish or fish fillets, either are fine. Are you getting the picture? Buy what's available, stop stressing over the details and hand your dog or cat a piece of raw food!

The other point I want to touch on is the issue people have with wanting to supplement. Unless you are treating a specific condition homeopathically like organ disease or arthritis, etc your dogs/cats do not need supplements besides fish oil if you cannot access wild game or grass fed meats. Feedlot animals have an unhealthy ratio of omega 3s and omega 6s so in order to get more O3s in your pet's diet to bring it up to a natural balance, many people include fish oil pills. Try and find a brand that does not include soy or you can buy salmon oil in the pump bottles (works better than pills for cats). Either work well. Another option is to feed whole, raw, oily fish like anchovies, sardines, herring or mackeral that can be found at most Asian grocers. Back on topic about supplementation, meat, bone and organs provide all the nutrients your carnivore needs. Save the money you spend on a multi and all that other jazz and buy him some real food!

Pet food companies have really created a deep rooted belief in people's mind that their dog needs to have a 100% "balanced" meal every single feeding time. This is not how a wolf eats. It is balance over time. If you feed mostly meat with some edible bone and organs like liver, kidney, spleen, stomach (contents emptied), etc then your dog will get what he or she needs. Balance over time also applies to cats as well. Some people feed bits of organ with every meal to simulate a whole prey item but it is not a rule.

Raw feeding is the most relaxed and flexible diet on the planet, of this I'm sure. You can tailor it to your lifestyle and your dog's needs. You can feed the BFFLO (Big Food Fed Less Often) method in which you gorge and rest (please visit the raw feeding list for a full explanation and questions/concerns) or you can feed once a day. You can feed less food a few times a week if your dog gains weight easily or more food if your dog is overly active or senior and needs the extra calories. There is no "reduced fat/calorie" raw diet to follow, or a puppy/kitten, adult and senior way of feeding. They all get the same foods, just in different amounts and puppies require a slightly different feeding schedule than adults. I let my kitten eat as much as she wanted twice a day up until about 8 mos old and then started to pay attention to her food amount. Shortly you will become very in tune to your dog/cat and won't even need to measure out food. You'll just feed based on body condition. I do recommend measuring out the food at first until you get the hang of it and get past the newness factor. You'll know when you can put that scale away.

Please note: due to the risk of hepatic lipidosis, you should never use the BFFLO method for cats, nor should you ever try and "starve" your cat into eating raw food. Cats are not like dogs in which a healthy dog will eventually eat raw food when he knows he's not getting anything else. Cats will starve themselves so never ever leave your cat without food for a day so she is hungry enough to eat what you offered.

The most important thing is to just jump in with both feet and learn as you go. Don't get caught up in the details so much that you don't enjoy feeding your dog.

My biggest challenge

2008-09-21T22:36:00.001-07:00

He may look cute but he's TOUGH! I've been feeding Trevor raw chicken bits for the past few days before giving him his kibble. It seems now that I want him to eat raw food he's suddenly picky, whereas before as a "treat" he's eaten anything. He's eaten one day quails before but that's the only bone he's ever got. I lovingly nicknamed him the "Bone Detector" because if he bites down on anything that isn't soft and gooey muscle meat, he won't touch that piece, or any other, thank you very much. I need to try and wean him from kibble to canned but before he stopped eating the canned after about a month. Not sure how that is going to go. This is a very nice lesson in patience. I'll update periodically his progress.

Whole Prey

2008-09-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

Whole prey is best! Instead of measuring out organs, meat and bone, you have it all wrapped together in a nice bundle. Mother Nature loves to make it easy for us raw feeders. Waverli eats whole 3 week quail, XL mice, L-XL guinea pigs and weanling rats from Rodent Pro. They are raised in humane conditions and euthanized with CO2.

Dogs can eat whole prey too! Rabbit is an excellent meat for dogs and cats alike. Whole chickens can be bought from family farms or from people keeping laying hens that have older animals not producing well anymore. These animals are termed "culls" and you can get them for much cheaper than normal market price animals. Culls can include wether goats, lambs, ewes/rams, rabbits, boars/sows, roosters, etc. Animals that are old, not producing well or have aggressive issues are often eliminated from the breeding stock. Instead of wasting these animals, we can use them to nourish our domestic carnivores.

Small dogs 20-30 lbs or so can eat rats, chicks, quail and guinea pigs as well but for large dogs, it can get quite expensive to feed their daily amount in small critters. Adding them in for variety is nice, but not necessary.

When buying whole prey, research the source thoroughly. Afterall, you are buying these critters for the health of your dog, cat or ferret. If buying from local pet stores, make sure the animals are fed appropriately, housed adequately with proper bedding and not overcrowded. Also find out how they are euthanized. Carbon dioxide is the best method, and painless. Larger animals like rabbits and adult guinea pigs can be killed via cervical dislocation which can be humane if done correctly. Supporting a business that cares about its animals from life until death is not only ethical, it shows other businesses that this is an important point for consumers, and could cause some less than ideal policies to change in order to keep up with competition.

Hunting season's here!

2008-09-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

For those of you wanting to cut your food bills, feed venison! Essentially, it's organic, free range and dogs love it! Check taxidermists, processing plants, friends/family, co workers and see if they have any meat to give away (either freezer clean outs or fresh from when they process their deer). It's very easy to get ahold of in Missouri. It is legal to possess venison as long as it's been checked in by the hunter. It is illegal to sell deer meat so unless the processor is asking for a "processing fee" like mine does, you shouldn't be paying anything.

I hope to feed venison to Amos 2-3 times a week atleast so I plan to stock way up and make it last until '09 season. Venison is a bit rich for some dogs so trying it for the first time, go easy and slow like any other meat. It does have a gamey smell and some dogs may be put off by it at first but they get used to it. I've rarely heard of a dog that will not eat it. So go hit up anyone you know of that hunts or knows someone who does and get some free food! Plus you are reducing waste and helping save the environment by keeping more things out of landfills. It's a win/win for everyone!

Introduction

2008-09-19T23:17:00.000-07:00

I have 2 kids, Amos a 4 year old beagle and Waverli a year old calico. Both are strays I rescued.

Amos was found slightly underweight and running loose with a collar, no tags, and a chip with bad information on it that never led me to his owner. He was eating Nutro kibble until his itching got so bad that his hair started thinning, and his skin was dark pink. He would also vomit and have diarrhea. I started researching allergies and finding out about the BARF diet (lots of bone, some meat and organ and a vegetable/fruit slurry most often with lots of supplements included). I gave it a try and was scared as heck! I put off feeding him because it was either a Sunday when the vet wasn't open or the vet was closed for the day so I waited until the next morning to feed him a chicken leg. I am a vegetarian and was extremely squeamish about even looking at meat- cooked or raw! After I seen the results of Amos's allergies disappearing I learned to deal with it because I didn't have any other choice. I did it for him and am so glad I stuck thru it. I later stopped feeding the slurry and went with meat, bones and organs with the help of a veterinarian on a forum I frequent. I don't think I could thank her enough for helping me. I hope I can pay it forward to other people starting out so they can begin with the right information and support they need. Amos is a food guarder and we worked thru that. I can take a steak out of his mouth.. how many people can do that with even their well trained dogs?! Amos has been with me for 2 years (on March 27 of this year) and quite literally one of the best things that's ever happened to me. He also had tartar covered teeth and dragon breath when I found him but now his gums are pink and healthy and his teeth have an insignificant amount of tartar only a thread wide on his canines which isn't uncommon as dogs crunch bones with their molars, not their front teeth or canines. People comment all the time that he is the "skinniest" beagle they've ever seen and usually tell me their beagle is 30+ lbs when they should only be about 20-25 at the largest.

Waverli was found at one week old all by herself. I bottle fed her and attempted to wean her at 4.5-5 weeks old onto raw but she went cold turkey and would not drink formula after her first minced chicken and pinkie mouse breakfast. Waverli has blossomed into a gorgeous girl, very sassy and definately a spitfire! She eats anything offered, her favorite foods being any kind of whole prey and venison meat. She even coordinates food missions with Amos. He smells if there's meat in the sink, alerts her, she jumps up there and eats her fill and throws the rest down to him. Now that's what I call team work!

Welcome

2008-09-19T22:50:00.000-07:00

This is a blog about a proper, prey model style diet for pet carnivores.

A proper diet for dogs and cats includes 80% meat, 10% edible bone, 5% liver and 5% other organ. These percentages are slightly flexible depending on individual dogs. Adult dogs are fed 2-3% of their ideal body weight, dogs under a year are fed 2-3% of their estimated adult body weight divided up into 3-4 meals for pups under 6 mos old. It's best to start with bone in chicken, a fairly bland and easy to digest meat, not to mention readily available and cheap. After a few weeks if the dog's stool is fairly formed, a new protein source can be introduced like turkey or pork. Organs can be introduced around 4 weeks in small amounts as they are nutrient rich and can cause loose stools at first. For further and more specific information, trouble shooting or encouragement, please visit the raw feeding list

The information on this blog is the educated opinion of the blog owner. When considering a raw diet for your pet, conduct your own research and form your own opinions. The blog owner is not responsible or liable for any accidents that may occur when feeding an appropriate prey model diet. Choking, impactions and other concerns can occur with any diet- raw, kibble or canned. Minimizing these risks by feeding appropriate sized pieces, discontinuing the use of weight bearing femur and knuckle bones, never feeding cooked or dry bones and limiting bone to around 10-20% of the diet provide a safer raw feeding experience. Each dog is different and it is the responsibility of the owner to adjust their pet's raw diet accordingly.