Is it worth the $ to feed grain free?

Some dogs just do it, and other use it you help settle an upset stomach. I'm sure there are other reasons to but these I believe are the 2 main culprits.

 

i think it is just a natural instinct to help add fiber to the diet, to help keep the pipes clean so to speak. i think dogs that are fed kibble do it a lot more than dogs fed raw with some kind of fibrous greens added.

 

I don't feed my dog vegetable because although It isn't out of the realm of possibility I have never seen a dog dig up a potato, carrot or whatever, but I have seen a dog eat grass and wild flowers. I go to an herbalist who makes a supplement for dogs so I feed him that instead.

Also someone mentioned that dogs who eat raw drink alot less water and I deffinatly agree with that. My dog used to drink constantly but since I went raw he barely drinks. So little in fact that I usually just give him bottled water lol.

 

I figured since I just finished feeding my fourlegged kids I would throw up a few pics of what my concoction looks like. I always love seeing these pics and posts showing what people feed their animals.





That meal used CA jacks all meat + veg "recipe" (not the one with the lard and rice) as its base as I mentioned previously. You can easily feed this cheaper than a bag of dog food and the only reason I pay around 85 bucks a month for this mix is because I live in a "Southpark" type area, lol. If you live in a larger city you can probably get way better deals on the ingredients.

 

InBearsMemory
Member





how many times u feed a day?

 

I feed once a day, 30 min. after exercise. The only thing they get in the mornings is a scoop of Vertex in a bit of water. I am almost out of it though and I am trying K9 Super Fuel this summer season.
I usually feed a little less liver, gizzards and hearts than you see in the pics but I had one little leftover baggy in the freezer and they worked hard yesterday so they deserved it.

 

give rf-1 a try, it is good stuff.

 

good posts folks, im thinkin about switching to raw, so your advice and tips will be helpful

 

They are omnivores.

 

i wonder when in all those natural diets people talk about rice do they mean cooked rice? i am asking because in several articles about dog feeding i saw the receipts with amounts of uncooked rice mentioned in them.
p.s.-i know it should be fed cooked. i am speaking about the amounts per day only.

 

yes the rice is cooked.

 

speaking of rice- use long grain brown rice, white rice is stripped of the majority of its value.

 

Can you post some pics of the kids please? =) those plates look delicious by the way!

 

If looking for a supplement the best one I've found (from experience) is Nupro.

It comes in a powder and a 5lb container lasts 7 dogs quite a while.

 

http://rawfed.com/myths/omnivores.html

Some info on raw feeding and myths about dogs..

 

They are not an obligate carnivore. They do not NEED meat to survive, such as a cat. Dogs are a facultative carnivore, or a discretionary carnivore. There is no clear line between the definition between this discretionary carnivore and an omnivore since both eat animals and plants. This is why I stick to general definition that a carnivore MUST eat meat to survive. Dogs don't. :cool:

 

The point the author makes is that dogs will eat foods containing plants and grains and could actually suvive but does not mean it is healthy or good for them, this is why dogs do not die from eating these commercial foods. However, according to his research and his quoted material, dogs and the Grey Wolf have identical digestive systems, furthermore, when the wolves kill an animal they do not eat the animal's stomach which some people say would contain fruits, grains and plants. I do not know much about raw feeding but this site seems to have everything backed up by scientific evidence and from what it seems some credible sources.

 

I liken them to us. I think most people would rather have a nice juicy chicken breast or steak compared to some bran cereal, but we still need to get vitamins from other sources than meat. Even in minimal amounts. Wild wolves eat a lot of meat because that's their primary food source. Let them wonder around alleys and I don't think they'll be too picky about what they stuff down their bellies.

I feed raw when getting ready for shows and the dogs get left-over slop from expired food we toss out or not going to eat. My grandparent's dogs lived on old mush. lol... It wasn't that long ago that feeding your dog wasn't such a high dollar industry. I can remember that even.

 

I give my dogs muscle meat, organ meat, connective tissue, bones, brains, stomach, (about 80% muscle, 10% bones, 10% organs) and whole fish, and eggs. Also Taste of the Wild kibble which I would recommend if you're doing kibble which I find is more convenient when camping, long hunting trips ETC. My dogs are in hunting shape year round, and have no health problems at all. I never give them any grains, veggies, etc. but once in awhile they "graze" to get certain plants they need, native grasses and a few other plants. And they never pick grains They have access to lots of food and they seem to know what they need.

For those that feed Taste of the Wild how many cups a day do you give your dogs (and their weights)? When I feed TOTW alone I end up having to feed twice the recommended feed for their weight. :confused: