# Raw food



## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

Oh gee...if anyone knows me, they know I am so concerned about environmentalism. I think that eating minimal (or no) meat is super important because raising animals for human consumption is extremely wasteful of earthly resources. And not good for humans, anyway. BUT. I have 4 dogs, soon to be 5, and i have a nearby raw food source where the cattle are slaughtered, one at a time, on the farm where they are raised (so no stressful transit). They are happy and free until the day that their life ends. And i might add, they don't KNOW their life is finite, so they are happy grazing and living until the end. I now have part of one happy cow in my freezer. I say good morning to her every morning when I take out my coffee beans. But i can't bring myself to feed her to the poodles! Oh my goodness I need to pull myself together. Breathe. Argh. How the heck do i do this. #vegetariancrises


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Just remember humans and dogs were created to eat meat. Humans have the choice to go vegan or vegetarian, but that's not the way we evolved. Dogs have to eat meat. You bought the most humane meat possible. You can feel as good as possible about that.

BTW, on an environmental note, I think if our population would shrink drastically--i.e., people would stop having so freaking many kids--that would sure help the earth!


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Indiana said:


> Oh gee...if anyone knows me, they know I am so concerned about environmentalism. I think that eating minimal (or no) meat is super important because raising animals for human consumption is extremely wasteful of earthly resources. And not good for humans, anyway. BUT. I have 4 dogs, soon to be 5, and i have a nearby raw food source where the cattle are slaughtered, one at a time, on the farm where they are raised (so no stressful transit). They are happy and free until the day that their life ends. And i might add, they don't KNOW their life is finite, so they are happy grazing and living until the end. I now have part of one happy cow in my freezer. I say good morning to her every morning when I take out my coffee beans. But i can't bring myself to feed her to the poodles! Oh my goodness I need to pull myself together. Breathe. Argh. How the heck do i do this. #vegetariancrises



I know just how you feel - I can't handle raw meat either, it just makes me sad.
Purely in my mind I know, but I am not bothered by freeze dried raw - perhaps that would be a compromise for you? Though it would probably be way more expensive, and the animals not as humanely raised - so not better ethically or financially...hum....


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I would get a carnivorous friend to chop it and package it for the freezer for you, along with all the other components of a raw diet - perhaps out in a garage or some other area that can be hosed down afterwards. Then you just have to defrost a pack and share it between bowls. Or even get it packed into individual portions. If the cows are slaughtered so locally you should also have a sources of raw green tripe - a wonderful food for dogs that is truly horrible to process. I think going from dedicated vegetarian to chopping up a cow is perhaps too much to try in one leap - you need help!


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## TeamPoodle (Aug 10, 2015)

I agree with what others have said - your dog needs protein. Whether he's getting it from kibble, pre-packaged raw, or homemade raw, he's getting it. Personally I would rather give my dog meat from an animal that had a happy life than who-knows-what goes into that kibble.

We started with freeze-dried raw with Riley. Like TP said, it doesn't really look or feel like meat, so it might be an easier option for you. Although expensive. Feeding our mpoo freeze-dried raw is about $120/month. 

So, we're transitioning to homemade raw. We found a lady that sells all the components for raw (ground up meat with bones, ground meat without bones, raw meaty bones, etc.) and she gave us the recipe. We basically buy all the components (from her or elsewhere), mix it all together, and freeze in smaller portions. However, with this option, it is still going to look and smell like meat, so be prepared!


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## seminolewind (Mar 11, 2016)

Tiny Poodles said:


> I know just how you feel - I can't handle raw meat either, it just makes me sad.
> Purely in my mind I know, but I am not bothered by freeze dried raw - perhaps that would be a compromise for you? Though it would probably be way more expensive, and the animals not as humanely raised - so not better ethically or financially...hum....


Indiana is right. I have come a long way from "save the deer", and not eating poor animals. I feel like I had come to my senses when I see "meat" animals out in the sun pecking or grazing, just being themselves, rather than being raised in a pen or cage for their lives , then being processed.


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## seminolewind (Mar 11, 2016)

Indiana said:


> Oh gee...if anyone knows me, they know I am so concerned about environmentalism. I think that eating minimal (or no) meat is super important because raising animals for human consumption is extremely wasteful of earthly resources. And not good for humans, anyway. BUT. I have 4 dogs, soon to be 5, and i have a nearby raw food source where the cattle are slaughtered, one at a time, on the farm where they are raised (so no stressful transit). They are happy and free until the day that their life ends. And i might add, they don't KNOW their life is finite, so they are happy grazing and living until the end. I now have part of one happy cow in my freezer. I say good morning to her every morning when I take out my coffee beans. But i can't bring myself to feed her to the poodles! Oh my goodness I need to pull myself together. Breathe. Argh. How the heck do i do this. #vegetariancrises



You already have the meat. The cow had a happy life. To not feed the meat (not Her, use the word meat), is like wasting a gift that was created to be what it is. It was very hard for me to understand why pet chicken owners and meat chicken owners were on the same forum. But I did learn that regardless of being pet or meat, all the members were concerned with raising their chickens in the most healthy way possible. 

The Yak people. Yak people need to live at a high altitude with yaks. The yaks do not take well to lower altitudes. They use everything from a yak, milk, yogurt, hair, skin after death to make their yurts, clothes, thread, nothing goes to waste, everything they use comes from a yak. The yak people spend their lives grazing these yaks. Come winter, the people have stock piled hay for them. But it runs out before the ice melts in the spring, so the yaks get down to skin and bones, but tend to make it till they can graze again.

The women own the yaks. So husbands and wives benefit from having more wives with yaks. Men don't divorce them because they lose their yaks.

There are times when the yak people really really need to slaughter a yak for food even tho it's forbidden by their religion. They do a lot of praying before they do, and don't really enjoy it. They do pray a lot for the animal giving them food as well as praying for forgiveness eating a yak. 

I've always liked this book on yaks. It does show a different perspective towards meat that we don't have.


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## poofs (Jan 6, 2016)

fjm said:


> I would get a carnivorous friend to chop it and package it... _[snip]_ ...I think going from dedicated vegetarian to chopping up a cow is perhaps too much to try in one leap - you need help!


This is a really good point.

I have experience processing animals, it's hard work, and knives are dangerous.

How much of the cow do you have, Indiana? A front shoulder? Is the meat still on the bone or are the muscles separated?


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Read this. I love how the north American Indians regarded the animals they hunted for food. I so agree with their philosophy and respect _(most)_ of their old ways.

North American Indians: the spirituality of nature



> Every seed is awakened and so is all animal life. It is through this mysterious power that we too have our being and we therefore yield to our animal neighbours the same right as ourselves, to inhabit this land.
> 
> Sitting Bull


I see animals as both fellow creatures who should be respected and well treated and not looked upon as lesser beings than ourselves. I see them as a gift of life giving meat and thank them for it. Our dogs need good quality protein. So do we. I disagree that it is a waste of resources to grow animals for food and not healthy for us. I think it's part of a healthy diet and the best source of many, many nutrients. And it's most certainly necessary (imo) for our carnivorous dogs. 

Freeze dried might be a good start. But personally, I steer clear of processed, commercial food...anything that has been overly messed with. But if you can't stomach handling meat and bones, then that or frozen pre-made might work better. 

I hope you can see cows, chickens and other animals as a gift given to us for sustenance as well as for them to enjoy their lives. They should enjoy their lives until they are needed for food. Then it's quick, painless and they don't know the future. I am sad too at times but try not to dwell on the sad part and instead try to focus on a balance of sad (that the animal must have an end) and glad (that he lived a nice life and now he is providing life to others) as a gift.


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