# Pros and Cons of switching to raw.



## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

I am not anti kibble. There are some great quality kibble out there.

With that being said. I have loved the switch and my dogs thrive on it. Raw comes in different variations. Mine do meat, bone and organ. When they gain a bit of weight I back it down and add in some veggies which is not that often. 

I like:
The variety
They are eating real meat which they should be
No fillers and additives
No diarrhea
Small stools
Grain free
Great teeth!
Good muscle tone
The dogs enjoy it LOTS
They eat in under 5 minutes - no clean up, mine eat outside
Affordable to good quality kibble
Not switching foods every other month
Not worrying about recalls 

Dislike:
Nails grow super fast
Coat grow super fast (this can be a pro for some)
Some will say prep work but it depends on what route you choose - I am fine with it. Takes on average 10-15 minutes a week. 

Switching is not difficult. Pick a day and do it.

I started out this way:
For 30 days nothing but chicken and or Turkey. Wings, drumsticks and quarters. Their bodies need to adjust to the bone. This takes a while so you do see major changes in poo. 
The next month introduce another protein - I did pork. So pork and chicken. Chicken for one meal, pork for the other.
Month three - Another protein fish or beef. Again add variety, switch the portions around. 
Once month three goes well. I typically feed one meal with bone and one boneless.

Once they are doing well then you will gradually move onto liver, heart, kidney. I do this in small portions even now. I am not fortunate enough to stumble on some good organs  So mine tend to get calf or chicken livers. 

You can feed any proteins really but with raw, take it slow. My dogs also turn their noses at fish SO I must rely on sardines and whiting (canned). 

Things to think about.
1) what are your resources ie: grocery, co-op, butcher
2) how much freezer space (I have a chest and hold a lot) this allows you to stalk up on mega deals you find
3) where is the best place to feed? I started in the kitchen with x-pens, it just didn't work and eww it was messy, same with crates, too much clean up for multiple dogs.
4) in the beginning your dogs are adjusting so you may get occasional pukes with some bone fragments. NORMAL. This will go away. 

I hope this is not information overload, just want to give you my experience. 

I don't take orders that well, but Taxtel (PF member) said "JUST DO IT " one day and I did, thanks Terry! She was a great mentor

There is a great deal of information on yahoo.


----------



## Purley (May 21, 2010)

I am pretty lazy. Those frozen patties appeal to me. My vet sells some of them and various pet stores do to. So I think that is the way I will go. Too lazy to make my own.


----------



## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

Raw is hard to take on the road. It is hard to take camping.


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Purley, I feed Henry and Millie premade raw. They eat Nature's Variety Instinct medallions and they do very well on it. It's too expensive to feed this to both dogs for every meal, so they eat kibble for dinner and raw for breakfast. 

So, the downside is that premade raw is quite expensive. Your pup is a mini, so that does make things cheaper.


----------



## Karma'sACat (Jun 1, 2010)

I got in to raw because Lola, my pittie, has awful allergies and food intolerances. Premade wasn't an option because I wanted and needed to know exactly what she was eating and control it.
I started with just chicken (quarters since she is a big dog). We added another protein after a month or so. Unfortunately, we realized that Lola is allergic to chicken and so she doesn't get any (Dixie does). Then after another couple weeks, added in liver, then other organs. Now we use an organ grind because of how picky my herd is.
We buy in bulk as much as we can and then when we get home from the store package the food as individual meals. For us, since we buy all the close out we can, it is much cheaper than feeding kibble. I don't think it is any more time consuming than kibble is either.
Pros:
I control exactly what my dogs eat.
Clean teeth-no brushing!
Great coat
Species appropriate diet
Much less poop and less stinky
Better muscle tone
Once you get in to it, it's easy.

Cons:
Faster nail growth (not as big a deal for me since I grind their nails weekly anyway)
I guess the prep time? For me it is less than I was doing with kibble

Here are some of my favorite links for new raw feeders:
Post with a very helpful raw spreadsheet
Link 1
Link 2 (which has other good links)
Link 3


----------



## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

I don't have enough knowledge to comment, really, but I've started dabbling with part-raw, part-home-cooked. Vasco was getting high-quality kibble plus a serving of NatureDiet wet food, plus some leftovers. Now, he's getting kibble plus leftovers plus some raw, chicken wings and mince for now. Eggs, raw or cooked occasionally.

I haven't been doing it long enough to see if there is any difference, but he is certainly VERY interested in dinner. Things I toss in his bowl include yoghurt, rice, some vegetables, bits of apple, pretty much anything that isn't spicy. I avoid bread/grains, although he gets pizza crusts on Friday (we all need some junk food sometimes ).

I'm still playing with it, but I like knowing what he's eating is good quality, and he likes the variety.


----------



## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

Purley said:


> I am pretty lazy. Those frozen patties appeal to me. My vet sells some of them and various pet stores do to. So I think that is the way I will go. Too lazy to make my own.


Honestly there is nothing to make other then separating meats once or twice a month into containers that hold a few days of meat. And you can still feed partial frozen meats - some dogs prefer this. 

As far as camping, it depends on how much "roughing it" you are doing LOL. Whatever you eat (other than the items dogs cannot eat) they can eat.  Also on Raw dogs can eat once a day or every couple days. Just as they do in the wild. The key is if you know you will do this, feed their full servings for the day or two. And then treat with hot dogs, jerky etc. 

Goal - my dogs eat nothing I would not.


----------



## Purley (May 21, 2010)

It doesn't matter because we never go camping.

So if you buy all this raw meat, what do you do with it? Do you grind it up? Do you cut it into chunks? You would surely have to have it in small pieces. 

The thing I am worried about is bones. I am really worried that little dogs will get bits in their throats and start choking. 

I guess if I switch, I will switch all three of them. They get 3/4 of a cup of Natural Balance Lamb and Rice each a day. I will price out the patties. 

If you only feed raw once a day and kibble one - then do you still get the benefits of the no stinky, solid poops etc etc??

Thanks for all the advice - really useful.


----------



## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

Purley said:


> It doesn't matter because we never go camping.


lol -Not a camper either so that problems is resolved.

It depends on the size of your dogs. The poms will eat a wing or drumette no problem. It takes the smaller one a bit longer to learn to crunch it down but once they get it, they are good. 

Suri and Olie are 50lbs - so they get a total pound a day. A chicken quarter is almost always about 1 lb. So I split it. So if I have a couple packs I take 5 minutes split it up throw into containers and freeze it. When I am ready for it, I thaw it the night before. Next day its ready to go for a few days. 

Heres how we prep for the small ones. I use wings almost no prep to these. (again when you buy bulk packs split it or separate into your containers and toss in the freezer or fridge) If I find thighs cheap (which is often) I usually take my meat knife and whack the thigh in half. This gives the small ones their boneless chicken. But they eat the bone too  

Beef and other proteins you just cut it up to what each dogs serving sizes are. 

I place all our together by protein. So I will always have a container of chicken for 3 or 4 days and another protein usually pork for the same days. So I am switching and giving variety. 

You can also use storage bags but I don't trust them. So I sent and got containers from walmart real cheap and the dogs foods go in these. 

Odd thing is when I started I was doing things ass backwards so I am trying to simplify how I have done it because once you get a rhythm its kind of easy and not time consuming at all.


----------



## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

Pro's

-healthy especially for dogs with allergies
-the poop really seriously this is what keeps me on raw *L* i haven't poop scooped in years... give em a week and they jsut disapear  
-the teeth- even on premade/ground the teeth are better then on kibble. 
-anal glands- haven't expressed one in years! 
con's- 
-if you rmaking your own- time (which i do)
-cost... although it would be somewhat close to high quality kibble- on 'normal' sized dogs- my aussies eat a wack load and up my cost. However i source my own. i feed 4 dogs for about $100 a month on my sourced meat. IT would significantly higher on premade (i feed 5lbs of food a day on average- so premade cheapest at $2/lb you do the math *L*) 
-travel- however i just take packages of dehydrated and that's easy as pie (though more expensive then what i pay for raw- works so easy for when i travel and doesn't bother the dogs) 

When i switch i just switch straight over. i dont' wean in. But do prepared some dogs pee more until they grasp they don't need to drink so much to get their 

If i was rich i'd be on premade 99% of the time.  easy as pie- not much more work then kibble.


----------



## Purley (May 21, 2010)

Yes, a friend of mine described camping as a holiday without any of the conveniences!!

I am wondering if anyone else with a small dog was worried about giving chicken bones!? 

Is it totally impossible for a little dog to half chew a bone and get a bit stuck in its throat??


----------



## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

Darcy's been on raw for about a month now. Pros and cons are similar to those above. Biggest con for me is that as a non meat eater I have to store and handle meat! It turns my stomach a little, but I can live with it for the convenience and benefit I know it has for my boy.

In terms of con re: travel - we get around this by feeding kibble when we need to. Our dogs have no problem switching back and forth. In fact I almost always have kibble on hand just in case I run out of raw or haven't defrosted any.

I'm planning to try Darcy on chicken wings soon, so I can't comment on small dogs with big bones yet. But the way he has been getting bone so far is ground up chicken with bone. My mom found a butcher who grinds it up for her. She buys 50 pounds at a time and stores it in a big chest freezer. We supplement this with organ meats, ground non bone meat, canned fish etc. You just want to be careful not to feed too much bone because it makes their stools very hard and difficult to pass (this has happened once to Darcy, and he yelped as he was pooing!)


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I've had absolutely no problems with my two toy dogs and bones, but I do supervise them, just in case. Sophy got a piece of a soft one stuck across the roof of her mouth, quickly and easily levered free with a finger. There is probably more danger from very tiny bones, or from weight bearing leg bones, than from chicken quarters - the only reliably documented case of serious injury from raw bone I have been able to find on the web was a dog that got a shard of raw marrowbone caught in its throat, which migrated perilously close to the heart. There are also documented cases of dogs choking to death on kibble, though, so nothing is entirely risk free. Lamb and pork ribs are good because most of the bone is soft, but they is big enough to need chewing.

One big advantage for me is cost - and that is at UK meat prices. Feeding two small dogs and two cats I am saving several hundred pounds a year over premium kibble, with the major advantage I know exactly what they are eating (and can very easily adjust quantities to keep them at their perfect weights). Downside - it fills up my freezer, and can occasionally be a bit messy, and I hate the smell of raw tripe!


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Purley said:


> It doesn't matter because we never go camping.
> 
> So if you buy all this raw meat, what do you do with it? Do you grind it up? Do you cut it into chunks? You would surely have to have it in small pieces.
> 
> ...


As soon as I started feeding Millie raw for one of her meals, her poops improved immensely! I can only imagine what it would be like if she was on 100% raw!


----------



## yigcenuren (May 3, 2009)

Purley, glad to see you started this thread.

I'll address the small dog and bone issue as I have a rat terrier. She's smaller than a mini but a bit bigger than a toy. 

When you buy pre made raw, everything is ground up, so there is really no risk of bones getting stuck anywhere. However, I also feed her whole unchopped, uncooked chicken backs and necks.
The reason I'm not worried about this is twofold: 
1. As fjm said, there's just as big a risk of her choking on kibble as on a piece of bone.
2. raw bone is fairly soft and flexible, especially if you compare it to cooked bones and most dogs enjoy chewing and crunching the bones before swallowing. Sometimes, feeding a dog that usually scarfs it's food down without chewing a whole piece of chicken back or thigh will force the dog to slow down it's eating. 
Dogs stomachs are extremely acidic and will break down raw bones VERY easily. Any extra calcium that their system doesn't use is expelled in the poop which is why the poop usually turns white and breaks down into a powder that just crumbles up and disappears.
Don't overthink this. Just try it. If you don't think it's for you or your dogs it's just as easy to go back to your regular food routine.

Hope this helps.


----------



## rubymom (Apr 24, 2010)

As I considered which route to take with Ruby, I researched all that I could in order to make the best choice for US, at this point in time. 
There are so many great things about feeding raw.....coat, teeth cleaning, improved nutrition & digestive issues...etc....Truly, I am very impressed at reported results!
However, it is the risks that hold me back from a total commitment. These are my top three concerns; 
1. The constant "watch and pray" with every meal that I'm not prepared to deal with on a daily basis. The chance of a bone lodging/piercing ANYWHERE in the digestive tract (mouth to anus) is always present, no matter how close I may monitor the meal. 
2. There is the risk of breaking teeth, even if the bone is NOT a weight bearing bone. (As I have recently had experiences with teeth issues, I've become painfully aware of dental correction costs for dogs!)
3. When my dog has to be fed by someone other than myself, can and will they monitor the raw feed as effectively as I would? 

Dealing with aquiring, portioning, storing, preparing, feeding, even traveling with raw food may not be as easy as kibble, but I think I could manage these kinds of associated issues. I even considered getting a grinder to help lessen the chances of the bones being the culprit! But, when I step back and look at the big picture, quality kibble with added homemade is my best choice for the time being. Ruby is only 6 months old and thus far she eats fine, no signs of allergies or being picky. As she finishes this bag of Wellness Puppy, I'll transition her to the Fromm line of kibble and add in some "goodies" that Whitepoodles was kind enough to suggest. Hopefully all will go well and Ruby and I can BOTH do well!


----------



## Purley (May 21, 2010)

There is a pet store here in the city that sells this:

Natural dog food, natural cat food — raw food and pure fish oil pet supplements

Its made locally and its ground up which eliminates my paranoia about bones getting stuck. They are closed today. I will check them out tomorrow and price it out. 

Tyson needs to lose weight. But Lucy needs to gain weight. 

I heard they lose weight on raw so it will be good for Tyson - but what about skinny minny - how will she do on raw?


----------



## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

I also worry how things will be when I can't feed Nickel by myself, e.g. boarding. That's why I stick to the Honest Kitchen (dehydrated raw) for the time being. I add in raw liver and raw egg yolk every other day. I supplement his meals with salmon oil and the Missing Link Puppy. His training treats include only grain/gluten/wheat/soy/corn free kibbles and zuke's. His kong contains yogurt or cottage cheese and grain-free kibbles. I give him a raw chicken wing once a week and I have to monitor closely. His poop has become smaller, firmer and less smelly. He rarely has any ear wax since he's switched to the Honest Kitchen. [Although he's showing allergic symptoms recently, almost everyone here and I believe it's more likely an environmental allergy rather than a food-related one]

I may start to alternate between dehydrated raw and pre-made raw (Primal and/or NV or the food from a local natural pet food store) after he recovers from his neutering. And I may consider switching over to raw when we move out of our condo and have a bigger freezer. So, do I want to switch him to raw (not pre-made nor dehydrated)? Yes. Am I going to do it now or in the near future? Probably not.


----------



## Penjilum-Poodles (Apr 17, 2010)

I dabble in raw, i buy raw chicken hearts, liver, chiken and feed it to them. I would LOVE to jump completely into it but i have somewhat of a minor fear with bones. My mom has a somewhat BIGGER fear of bones. 

I keep saying i'm going to jump right in it and feed the prey model type but i just gotta do it like someone else suggested... and NOW. 

I need to jump in with both feet, get a mentor because feeding raw can feel overwhelming to the novice, and just do it.

It first started out with raw patties, pre-made, which is great, except the furkids get no dental work from their meal. 

I visit my grandparents and they LOVE my deaf Boston Terrier and she adores my grandfather who happens to hand out those darn pupperoni treats to the dogs. At the time i didn't have the heart to tell him i don't give that to my dogs, so he gave my boston some. A few days later BIG mistake. My boston was horribly itching, tear stains, itchy feet, licking her paws. I felt horrible. It ended up taking a month to get out of her system. I ended up giving her pre-made raw patties for a month straight because i was at the time trying to determine if it was food related or enviromental. Turns out it was the treats, not her kibble or anything. I was wondering if the company may have changed their formula and even wrote them but they didn't. I saw the benifits from feeding her raw during that month. Tear stains, gone, itching, gone. Poop smaller, and she drank very little water. 

I believe in raw, i just got to muster up the courage to bypass this fear of feeding raw meaty bones and it getting lodged in their throat or something major. Yes there are always risks, with raw meaty bones like there is with kibble. I just have to set my fears aside. I will. Soon...lol.
This week we cooked for the girls, they LOVED it. Their stools were also darker, firmer and smaller from their home cooked meals. I can tell the difference with their kibble stools, raw stools and home-cooked meal stools... can you say i have too much time on my hands??? :scared:


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think the first chicken wing is the most difficult one. We have had it dinned into us for so long that chicken bones are potentially lethal for dogs, that even reciting "Raw is safe, raw is safe ... " all the time the dog is eating it and for 24 hours after doesn't really overcome the fear. As I said on another thread, I have not been able to find a single documented case of a perforation from raw chicken bones on the web - and given the benefit to the huge, wealthy pet food industry of publicising such cases I cannot believe they would have gone unnoticed.

Several things got me over the hump into feeding raw meaty bones. Firstly, it was obvious that if I couldn't get, and keep, my dogs teeth clear of tartar by natural means, they would have to undergo the risks of a GA. Secondly, there were innumerable people who had been feeding dogs of all shapes and sizes on raw chicken for years - and the only reported issues were with big dogs swallowing joints whole. Thirdly I realised that my cats had been catching and eating rabbits, partridges, pigeons, etc for years - and that the dogs routinely checked for left overs and wolfed them down while I was still in the bathroom - so they had already opted for raw feeding!

They do have preferences - Sophy doesn't like raw heart or kidney, the cats won't eat kidney raw or cooked, Poppy wants whatever is in Sophy's bowl ... I don't like the mess they make with raw liver. Also, some of the packs of meat are too large to use up in a day or two. So I am feeding a combination of raw and home cooked, with a few packs of NatureDiet in the cupboard for emergencies. So far it is working well for us.


----------



## Purley (May 21, 2010)

My dogs have only ever had raw ground beef in the satin balls I made for Lucy. They all really love them but I haven't given the two older dogs much because they don't need to gain weight.

I am glad that others have the same fear about chicken bones. I am sure its as fjm said - we have had it repeated over and over again. I can remember when I was a child, we used to go to a horsemeat butcher shop in Purley and my Mom cooked that up and dried left over bread in the oven and mixed the lot together - and that was the dog's food. It was probably just like human food - when I was growing up in England there was no such thing as "premade" food for dogs or humans - you made your own from scratch!

My Mom was always telling us "never give the dogs a chicken bone - they splinter and the dog will choke." And I can't get that out of my head. However I am going to feed raw in some form or other. If I am not brave enough to feed bones at first - I will probably get there in time.

I know there are people like my sisters (Mrs and Mrs Martha Stewart) who make everything they eat from scratch. I don't like cooking for humans and I don't think I am going to start cooking for the dogs.


----------



## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

i am so petrified about chicken and pork bones and dogs that there is no way i could deal with raw unless it was ground up. 
i am okay with my dogs on kibble w/ a bit of home cooking tossed in.


----------



## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

chicken bones are only unsafe IF cooked. 

YES bones can get lodged. If you have a gulper it's recommended to not feed things they can do in one gulp (IE a chicken thigh) but instead things they have to at least break up a bit (IE a chicken back/ chicken neck) . That said cases i know off the top of my head who have had a lodged bone from eating Raw? 1 cases in the last year of friends dogs who needed same surgery for toy parts/socks/peices or snagged COOKED bones (IE got to the tday turkey) 5. this year. Alone. SO for me- that puts the risk low- that said i don't feed chicken drumsticks as i do have gulpers- but do backs, and then ground meat for the rest. Beef, bison peices etc.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Mine had duck necks for the first time today. Nearly as good as raw tripe, they reckon.


----------



## yigcenuren (May 3, 2009)

I'm going to yell this because I've said it many times and it is easily found on the web:

RAW CHICKEN BONES ARE SOFT, FLEXIBLE AND DISSOLVE IN A DOGS HIGHLY ACIDIC STOMACH EASILY.

COOKED CHICKEN BONES ARE THE DANGEROUS ONES. THEY SPLINTER INTO SHARP SHARDS.

RAW AND COOKED ARE VERY DIFFERENT. DON'T LUMP THEM INTO THE SAME CATEGORY!!!


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

yigcenuren said:


> I'm going to yell this because I've said it many times and it is easily found on the web:
> 
> RAW CHICKEN BONES ARE SOFT, FLEXIBLE AND DISSOLVE IN A DOGS HIGHLY ACIDIC STOMACH EASILY.
> 
> ...


I think everyone has been emphasising just these differences, rather than lumping them together?


----------



## Penjilum-Poodles (Apr 17, 2010)

fjm said:


> Thirdly I realised that my cats had been catching and eating rabbits, partridges, pigeons, etc for years - and that the dogs routinely checked for left overs and wolfed them down while I was still in the bathroom - so they had already opted for raw feeding!


This is what will be playing in my head over and over when i leap into feeding prey model style. My own cats eat birds, squirrels, and mice nearly everyday! Once my cat brought home a baby rabbit!!! :scared:
It was still alive, completely unharmed, she was just carrying it in her mouth by the scruff and dropped it when she saw me coming at her... lol, the thing took off like a bullet. 

I see my cats crunch through bones, even eat the squirrel's head! It always amazes me at how domesticated cats have been but their hunting insticts are embedded so deeply and come alive! My cats are true hunters, they don't want any of that kibble i fill in their bowls... they want the real stuff!

This is what i think will get me through to taking the complete plunge into feeding raw meaty bones. I believe my mom may follow when i do, she is just so terrified, but over two years ago she couldn't even fathom feeding raw period. Neither could i but i researched and did it and now i see how much they LOVE it. 

I've learned so much through researching about raw, there is still much for me to learn but one day i'll get there!


----------



## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

yigcenuren said:


> I'm going to yell this because I've said it many times and it is easily found on the web:
> 
> RAW CHICKEN BONES ARE SOFT, FLEXIBLE AND DISSOLVE IN A DOGS HIGHLY ACIDIC STOMACH EASILY.
> 
> ...


that's okay for you to yell. i suppose, but still ihave a fear of this. you may be correct, but it doesn't stop my fear.


----------



## Purley (May 21, 2010)

Yes. That's how I am. I sort of know that what I believe is not correct, but somehow I can't get it out of my head!!


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Purley said:


> Yes. That's how I am. I sort of know that what I believe is not correct, but somehow I can't get it out of my head!!


Take it step by step. If you start with the soft, cartilage bones like small lamb and pork ribs, then take a deep breath and try a duck neck (reputed to be largely cartilage, and the bones are tiny and very soft), and then a chicken neck - again, tiny soft bones - then you may find you never need to feed chicken bones at all.


----------



## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

yigcenuren said:


> I'm going to yell this because I've said it many times and it is easily found on the web:
> 
> RAW CHICKEN BONES ARE SOFT, FLEXIBLE AND DISSOLVE IN A DOGS HIGHLY ACIDIC STOMACH EASILY.
> 
> ...



LOL :rockon:

That said- yes it takes a leap of faith- even still with puppies who i raise on premade/ground the first chicken back i give... oh i sit there and hold my breath. Bella i swear likes to lodge them in her mouth- but i give it a moment and she chomps and chows down happily


----------



## taxtell (Sep 17, 2009)

I agree, it's just a leap of faith.
I will never go back.

I just pack frozen coolers when we go camping, it's not so bad.  It thaws out as we go (my dogs will eat frozen food) and we'll pick up some fresh stuff from stores in the area if we run out.

I will never ever go back to kibble.

My dogs look/feel amazing.


----------



## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

LOL - 

Yes there is much misconception..........same with many things that people are not familiar with or experienced. Some can take the leap and some cannot. I never thought I could handle the Raw but is fairly easier than I thought.

Not only is their digestive system built to break down the bones (for the most part) their throats are also shaped that when they do choke they stretch their necks out and spit/throw it right back up  Once it came back out it went right back in the mouth with a good chomp and swallow. It is scary when you see this - regardless of their bodies being able to handle it. But they are just as likely to choke on kibble as Raw, truth. 

I think the best thing anyone can do considering this is exactly this, ask questions, read the different variations and have a good plan.


----------



## taxtell (Sep 17, 2009)

I was on the verge of feeding raw for years, but I was afraid.
Now I look back and laugh at myself, because it's so easy.

I trained my guys to eat on towels.

I asked a ton of questions at first, and people are very friendly about helping.
Let me know if you want some websites that can help.


----------



## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

taxtell said:


> Let me know if you want some websites that can help.


YES! Can you share that one that has the pictures and videos of the dogs and breaks things down real user friendly???

I think its danemamas site....


----------



## taxtell (Sep 17, 2009)

Yeah she is awesome:
Dedicated to proper carnivore nutrition - Prey Model Raw Feeding for Dogs & Cats


That is a great site, and she really goes into how to start.


----------



## FozziesMom (Jun 23, 2010)

I have fed my 11 year old cat on pre made raw (Primal Venison) for a couple of years now when she presented with severe food allergies. My cat sitter says that my cat has the softest fur of any cat she cares for, and I agree, not to mention the tiny poops. 

So I'm a fan of raw, and when I got Fozzie that's what I planned to do. My breeder was adamant that she'd been feeding hund-n-flocken kibble for 20 years and never had an issue and to be truthful I was tempted by the reasonable cost and ease of the kibble.

But Fozzie just doesn't like it and it's really a chore to keep trying to push him to eat. So it should be easy to feed Primal, but my freezer space in my small downtown apartment is now at a premium with our regular use plus the cat's frozen dinner. We definitely do not have the space to feed regular raw human food for now, but I'm open to it. 

So I'm trying to decide whether to change to a more palatable kibble, such as Orijen 6 fish; move to dehydrated raw like Stella and Chewy's, or bite the bullet and go to primal raw patties and use the dehydrated raw for travel. 

Open to new ideas and suggestions, too!


----------

