Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello ,
I have a wonderful border collie and would like to switch back to a raw diet . As a puppy I fed her a prepackaged raw diet from mountain dog food company . She did very well on it but because at the time I was traveling with her quite a bit I switched to a holistic kibble as it was just easier that way . I have tried a few different kibbles (Innova , GO! Natural and First Mate) and I had my issues with each . Overall she just seemed so much healthier on raw , shiny soft coat , freash breath , clean pearly white teeth and bright clear eyes . I would really like to switch back to raw but this time I would like to make my own . I have done lots of research but would love to hear from some people who make their own dog food . Where do you buy your meat ? What vegetables do you use ? What supplements do you add ? Any tips or advice would be greatly appriecated . Thank you in advance .

Well forgive me if this post gets a little hard to understand I am having trouble keeping my eyes open *laughs*

I normally buy my meat from my local Food Basics store..my staple is chicken mainly because it is the least expensive meat to buy when you are running low on meat. Besides that I watch the sales and try to get a wide variety of meats. I usually don't spend any more than a $1 a lb. I also have at my disposal beef liver tongue and heart because we grow our own beef so those things are readily available.

Depending on who you ask you could get some very different answers on the vegetable question. Some people get quite impassioned about not feeding them cuz “dogs don’t need them” “they can’t digest them” etc. etc. I am kinda in the middle I don’t think at all that it would be good to have a carnivore on a vegetable based diet but I don’t think there is anything wrong with adding a few the their meal, so long as they are prepare so the dog can digest them and get the value from them...by either blending them in a blender or cooking and mashing them (I just throw them in the blender cuz it’s faster). I like feeding a little beans and peas every couple days for fibre and extra vitamins besides that sometimes carrots, peppers cabbage etc. Garlic is something else I add but you might want to research that for yourself as some people think it’s dangerous others think it’s great...I just believe everything in moderation....so Winston gets a couple cloves a week or so (blended with his veggies)

At this point I don’t add any supplements....I do feed a spoonful of unprocessed Brewer’s yeast for the B-complex vitamins (also helps keep the dog smell under control and some people believe it also helps repel fleas).

At this point if you are just starting your dog on actual pieces of meat raw...then the meat you’ll want to start with is chicken...this is the new raw feeders staple (for both owner and dog) it’s easily digested, bones are easy for the dog to chew, not to rich, and it’s rather inexpensive. Stay on the same kind of meat for a few weeks until your dog has become comfortable with the raw meat thing, to much new stuff at once can cause runny stools and or stomach upset.

Well I have probably just said things you already know *laughs* but oh well. Keep us posted.

You might also want to check this out http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/BARF-lite/

My Diamond