Raw - Variety is the Spice of Life

[merrymutts]

I went into Raw feeding with the belief that it was going to work...not right off the bat...but I would do and watch and ask questions but my conviction was that I was affording my dogs a better lifestyle. I have not been disappointed.

I alternate between several protein sources; beef, chicken, turkey, fish, rabbit and pork and add organ meats( beef and chicken ) , tripe and fruits/ veggies as well as eggs. Sometimes a little moistened organic oatmeal but no more than 2X per week . I also pick fresh dandelion greens and grind these up when I make a meat/organ meat mixture .

Before I bought the Nature's Logic Fortifier, I had researched probiotics and had purchased the Vitalize Raw Max supplement, and the dogs also get Nature's Logic Sardine Oil. Other than the the CoQ10, Vitamin C and arthritis meds that Morgan ( Cosequin DS )gets ( she is 14 years old ) and Penny ( Glyco-flex Chewables ) are given....the dogs do not get any other supplements except for a capful of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar each day. No need for them now. They get RMB's for recreational chewing and snacks. But, for my crew, I found that the key is a balanced VARIETY.

They still get a very light evening meal of Nature's Logic kibble and that is only because I had quite a bit left over before I decided to go Raw; it's too damned expensive to donate to our County Shelters and somehow I doubt that the shelter dogs would be given the kibble anyway...sad to say. Once that is gone they will be 100% Raw instead of the now 75-80% Raw.

 

[Alicia]

What is the purpose of the organic apple cider vinegar?

 

[merrymutts]

Makes their coats shiny and also acts as a natural flea repellant.

I also add 2 tablespoons to each gallon of drinking water ( they have th3 2.5 gallon LeBistro waterer in the house ) and it really does work. It's dilure enough to not impart an "aftertaste" to the water.

 

[Newfs Forever]

Actually the ACV is a balancer between alkaline and acid. And Susan, I feed raw also, but because of the veggies I feed it can tend to make Dex more alkaline and create those wonderful UTIs.

Hence, I give him about 2 T of ACV per evening meal and also a cran tab in the am. He has not had any probs with UTIs.

HTH,

 

[merrymutts]

yes it does...any advice I can gather makes the whole experience even more rewarding.

I was at the local Farmer's Market haggling for zucchini ( mine all croaked this year and I use a LOT in my dog cookies ) and then saw two pretty little eggplant on the table priced at $0.25 each....so I picked them up as well. After researching that these were safe for the dogs I tossed them into the veggie/fruit glop I whirled up this weekend for the dogs.

Geez....and when I used the cuss the dandelions that grew in the yard ...and now I walk the ground several times per week looking for those nice tender green leaves to gather up, wash and put in the fridge....

Do any of you also use alfalfa leaf powder during the winter months when fresh greens are not readily available ? Or do you use some other kind of green leafy vegetable ?

 

[Newfs Forever]

I use kale and parsley for the leafies, and sometimes watercress. That's added to sweet potato and butternut squash for the most part. Sometimes, I'll throw in some fruits.

 

[merrymutts]

will try some kale; mine already love sweet potates and squash as well as carrots. They stand in line to catch cucumber peelings and apples.

I have bought the green tripe in the plastic deli containers and after container is empty, I wash it out and save for when I mix up the fruit/veggie "glop".

What about tomatoes ? Every now and then I will toss Zander and Peggy Sue a cherry tomatoe from the garden and they LOVE them.

 

[Joan Fisher]

Susan, I bought a bag of eggplants for Tiika yesterday after seeing your post. Did you just wash them and toss them in the food processor whole? Did you take away the stem or anything?

 

[merrymutts]

Just washed them and sliced and tossed into the food processer; mine did not have any stems attached.

I am now a certified Raw fanatic...and I thank the good Lord for having a separate checking account which I use for the dogs' food, vet bills and personal purchases because Ron would have an absolute COW if he knew how much I spent last week to boslter the dog food freezer and their diets...LOL.

Coming in this week are: ground turkey necks, lamb ribs, chicken ribs, ground rabbot, goat, duck and mutton from a coupel of sources. I am trying several to see which ones seems to have the best quality for the price and also the best shipping rate.

Unfortunatley I found that the local meat processor went out of business so that nixes getting a goat from one of the local sellers and having the processor cut and grind for me. They may open up ( I hope ) in November for deer processing..as I hope to get a good selection of trim, deer gust and bones then.

But...in the mean time, my son and his eldest step-son each got a huge doe last year and I called him last week to see if he would be willing to sell me some of his largess...at a reasonable price of course. Although the Conservation Dept doesn't go around checking freezers, I think there is a law that meat from deer harvested in any given year should not be possessed after August 15th and in any case, they are not able to eat it all...no sense in it going to waste...right ?? I will change the packaging and add " NOT for Human Consumption" of course...but I think I can offer him a decent price and the dogs will surely enjoy the meat.

 

[Joan Fisher]

Thanks, Susan. Tiika was getting a lot of chicken and turkey as well as a meat mix which was being ground at a butcher for a group of raw feeders. We would all buy together in bulk. Then it looked like Tiika was allergic to chicken - we had gotten a lot of carcasses, backs, wings, etc when our friend who has free range, organic chickens butchered. We all buy a few chickens from them twice a year. Another friend turned his 6 chickens into boneless breasts so he gave us his leftovers for Tiika. Now Tiika's to be off chicken for 10 weeks before we challenge her. She's only been getting fish and raw vegies for at least a month. Now I'm starting to introduce lamb and pork ribs, chops, and turkey necks on a 3 days rotation to see if she is okay with those proteins. She was really flaky, dandruffy and terribly itchy with swollen eyes and red ears but now she's all better. We're treading carefully. I had been mixing all the fruits and vegies together. Then I thought I should give her single foods one at a time but she started having green celery and broccoli poops and orange sweet potato ones! I think I'll go back to the mix!

 

[Newfs Forever]

Oh ya Joan,

Throw in some raspberries or blueberries and you will also get some different colorations! :LMAO: