Need a new dog food urgently, Blue Buffalo Warning

[Smart_Family]

Yea it's not very pretty when you switch cold turkey to a new food. I learned that lesson the hard way with one of our foster pups way back when lol.

 

[angelbears]

Does anyone know, approximately, how much one cup of premium kibble weighs? I'm often asked how much feeding raw cost compared to kibble. For me raw averages out to 1.00 a pound which is cheaper than a premium kibble per pound. What I am unsure of is how many pounds of kibble my 150 to 160 pounder would get. He gets 3 pounds of raw a day.

 

[Smart_Family]

Almost every kibble is different. I can check the Earthborn Great Plains Feast for you though.

---------- Post added at 01:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:30 PM ----------

Okay my scale is kind of jacked up but it looks like a cup of Earthborn Great Plains Feast weighs about 4.8 oz which is what it says on the website as well.

 

[Smart_Family]

Okay my scale is kind of jacked up but it looks like a cup of Earthborn Great Plains Feast weighs about 4.8 oz which is what it says on the website as well.

 

[angelbears]

Thank you Smart_Family. Wow, I'm kinda shocked. A quick play with numbers and it looks like raw is cheaper. I have thought that all along but never put the numbers to paper.

 

[Smart_Family]

In most cases if you have a good supplier whether it be a butcher shop or what have you raw is cheaper in the long run. I'm so jealous of all of you that can do raw!

 

[angelbears]

There are pros and cons to each. We do the best we can, whenever we can, with what information we have.

 

[chuckorlando]

Ok I've been following this thread so now you got me wondering.... Where might one learn about this raw diet? Like what to feed, how much, how often. For some reason I was under the impression that the food was cooked. And I just cant cook the dogs meals like that. But raw, that we could do. Would it be ok on a dog thats been bag feed for his whole life to switch(6yr)?

 

[Smart_Family]

Yes it would be okay for any dog from puppy to senior although the older dogs may not take to it as quickly. Here's a couple different links for you :
http://www.switchingtoraw.com/
http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/barf.html
http://www.bregorreyglens.co.uk/nutrition.html
http://www.rawmeatybones.com/
http://www.switchingtoraw.com/
http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm
And some books :
Raw Dog Food: Make It Easy For You And Your Dog - Carina Beth MacDonald

Work Wonders: Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty Bones - Dr Tom Lonsdale, DVM

Raw Meaty Bones - Dr Tom Lonsdale, DVM

Grow Your Pups With Bones - Dr Ian Billinghurst, DVM

Give Your Dog A Bone - Dr Ian Billinghurst, DVM

Ultimate Diet: Natural Nutrition For Dogs And Cats - Kymythy Schultze, CCN

The BARF Diet - Dr Ian Billinghurst, DVM

Raw Food For Dogs: The Ultimate Reference For Dog Owners - Mogens Eliason

 

[chuckorlando]

Thanks a bunch. We live in the city I guess but we got a few small places as well as some larger processing places.

 

[Smart_Family]

You're welcome!

 

[ruthcatrin]

Okay my scale is kind of jacked up but it looks like a cup of Earthborn Great Plains Feast weighs about 4.8 oz which is what it says on the website as well.

Thats just about what one cup of TOTW weighs, I think my scale said 4.75, though its been a while. Raw costs me so much less! I was surprised when I sat down and calculated it for the first time.

---------- Post added at 07:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:59 PM ----------

Chuck, you can do home COOKED diets too, but honestly my dogs prefer raw. On occasion I'll treat by cutting up chunks of cheap steak (of various meats) and searing them really quick on a really hot skillit. I also make almost all my own treats by home dehydrating meat in bite size chunks. But almost everything else they get is raw.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Chuck, you can do home COOKED diets too, but honestly my dogs prefer raw. On occasion I'll treat by cutting up chunks of cheap steak (of various meats) and searing them really quick on a really hot skillit. I also make almost all my own treats by home dehydrating meat in bite size chunks. But almost everything else they get is raw.

 

[Oak Hill Farm]

Ok I've been following this thread so now you got me wondering.... Where might one learn about this raw diet? Like what to feed, how much, how often. For some reason I was under the impression that the food was cooked. And I just cant cook the dogs meals like that. But raw, that we could do. Would it be ok on a dog thats been bag feed for his whole life to switch(6yr)?

There are many types of raw diets, some that contain veggies/fruit/yogurt and some meat only. I actually have all of mine on a prey model raw. Nothing but meat/bones/organs. They get other things as snacks/treats, but do not make up an integral part of their diet. I prefer prey-model as dogs do not need cow dairy or veggies (they cant digest them) in their diet. The only thing extra i add is fish oil.

You can switch them at any time in life! There are books out there, if you are on Facebook there is a great RAW feeding group. It's not as hard as people make it sound, or as complicated as it may seem. I would be happy to answer any questions you have on what/how to feed.

For example my CAS (130-135 pound dog) eats about 3 lbs. a day, my ACD (22 lbs) eats a littler over 1/2 lb. and my terrier (12 lbs) and 10 lb cat both eat about 1/4 lb. of meat. Basically raw is balance over time, not every meal

So Roc (CAS) gets: Monday whole rabbit (skin and all), Tuesday Beef heart, a couple of eggs, Wednesday liver/offal cow shoulder, Thursday, Friday, Saturday Whole 10 lb turkey (I let him eat about third a day) Fast on sunday. I change it up with goat and try to throw in fresh caught fish 2-3 times a month, supplement with fish oil.

Obviously smaller portions/bones for the smaller ones. Like pheasant, chickens, mice

 

[bullyBug]

Hey Chuck.

If you're interested in feeding raw, I would recommend you pick up a book. I started with "Give Your Dog a Bone" by Ian Billinghurst in 99. Another good one is http://www.shop.com/Natural_Nutrition_for_Dogs_and_Cats-607618786-646986486-p+.xhtml?sourceid=1414. It's nice to have a book to learn the basics from and have on hand to reference as needed. Once you start feeding this way, you will learn what works for you and your dog(s).

When I first started out, I was feeding B.A.R.F style: Significant amounts of ground raw veggies daily as well as feeding lots of boney animal parts (chicken backs and necks) and then adding extra muscle meat on the side. I later transitioned to a more prey-model type diet. Right now I'm feeding a five month old puppy and am somewhere in between. Breakfast is usually ground meat (chicken, beef or turkey), heart, a small side of green tripe, baby veggies, or sardines, and a few duck feet. Dinner is a small cornish hen, chicken quarter and backs, or a beef/lamb/pork rack section. Some days just half a chicken (with innards) am and pm.

Re: supplements, I've done no supplementation as well as heavy supplementation with my geriatric GSD. For my current puppy I give vitamins C&E, fish oil, probiotics, and glucosamine.

 

[angelbears]

If you hunt, you can seriously cut down on your cost. I believe you have to be careful with wild boar, I think you have to freeze it for a while before you feed it. Number one rule: NEVER feed cooked bone of any kind. Also, weight baring bones can be hard on their teeth.

 

[chuckorlando]

Wow this is a whole new world here. Rabbit with fur, wow. I did'nt thing they could even eat all those bones. I thought cow and pork was it. I'm not sure how my dogs, mainly the dane would take that. Might love it I dont know. I will def get me a book cause there is alot more to this. I do love the idea of diffrent food diffrent days. I always feel bad for a dog having to eat the same thing constantly. I do not want to get into cooking meals. That was my whole aversion to this fom the begining. I assumed you were cooking food and I dont have that kinda time. I aint even sure if all raw would work. But it's something I think I need to look into. I aint sure what all I would available to me but then I dont eat that odd stuff. hahahaha. I really lik the prey food deal being thats basicly what they would be eating in the wild. Untill we got Kona I never heard of such a thing

 

[LadyDogLover]

I've been working on transitioning my dogs to raw. I'm starting out slowly with chicken feet as some groups feel that
starting with smaller chicken parts may be easier as far as getting them used to it. Well, a couple of weeks ago I gave
my fur kids chicken feet. The seasoned citizen did fine, the younger female was choking. It was stuck in her mouth and
blocking her airway. I literally had to pry her mouth open more and dig it out. I gave it back to her and something
similar happened. I washed it off and gave it a couple of whacks with a knife. After doing so she was able to eat it just
fine, it just took her twice as long. Has anyone experienced anything similar? Btw, they love it.

 

[Oak Hill Farm]

Your biggest battle will be with liver. Prey model fed dogs HAVE to eat it. it is where a large portion of vital nutrients come from and many dogs hate it. it can be a chore to get a dog used to it. My CAS ate it no problem (but he's a pig) my cat nor my other two cared for it at first.

Ladydog lover-at first (especially dogs who were on kibble) dogs don't know how to chew. It is a new concept to a lot of dogs used to gulping large portions of their meal. the best thing to do is teach chewing by holding a chicken leg in your hands and have your dog bite and tug at it (or use larger portions if your dog is larger). this gets them in the habit of biting, tearing and chewing smaller portions.

 

[angelbears]

Yep, hold it and make her pull and bite it. Chicken feet are the absolute fav. here and it's supposed to be great for their joints. As a matter of fact when we are talking about chicken feet but not intending to give them one, we have to call them toes. If we say the words we get 300 plus pounds of stampede to the fridge.