I really want to try raw with Delilah..

laurendoodler

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I am considering raw more and more everyday. I always said I wouldn't do it, and now here I am thinking about it. LOL. Funny how things work out.

Let me start off by saying Delilah is EXTREMELY picky about her kibble. Ridiculously picky. I am seriously switching the dry food that she eats every month, if not sooner. I can't buy large bags because she won't eat the whole bag. She will NOT eat the same food for more than a month. I know this sounds nuts but I'm totally not kidding. This dog will flat out refuse to eat if she's sick of what you are feeding her. She has went over a week without eating before..started losing weight and everything, so I changed her food. She still does this. She will scarf her food down for the first week..then start not liking it slowly until about a month hits, then she stops eating it at all.

I hate switching her up like this. I know it can't be good for her. I've noticed the kibble she likes best is well..crap, like Purina One. I like feeding her the grain free kibble, like Fromm or Wellness..but she WON'T eat it. She used to but now she won't. I've tried numerous grain free foods and she just turns her nose up at them. It's like she thinks it doesn't taste good enough. I don't know. Her stomach doesn't seem to get upset from all of the food switching and her poop always looks pretty much the same. She poops in the morning and in the evening, fairly large amount of poop..nothing like what Karen posted in this section, LOL.

So, I guess I have some questions. How expensive IS it? I don't have a lot of money..money is tight now. Is it similar to buying a good, grain free kibble, or is it more? If it's too expensive, I won't be able to do it. But I want to try.
Is there lots of health benefits to it? Will it help with tear staining? Does it help the coat look shiny? Delilah has a wonderful, shiny coat right now. I mean I groom her once a week so she usually looks pretty good..but depending on the food she's eating her coat will look more or less shiny. I've noticed her tear staining is much worse when she's on crappier food. They aren't looking so hot right now and it really bugs me. I clean them the same amount I always do..I know it's the food. Where do you get the food for raw? The bacteria absolutely won't hurt them? I'm kind of scared to feed her raw food..I don't know if that's silly or not.

I guess I just need information on price and information on how to get started. It just seems complicated and there's so much information I need to know. I know absolutely nothing about it right now..so please, teach me oh great ones!
 

RiiSi

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I'd say go for it! Usko didn't like his kibble eather and I got really frustrated with his feeding. When he was about 8 months old I started feeding him raw and would never go back. He still doesn't eat everything that I offer him, but it is really wonderful to see him really wait for his food! With raw you're not giving the dog same food every day and they don't get bored. Think if you'd have to eat the same stuff even single day....I cant say anything about the cost for you, but in Finland it doesn't ad up to any more than good quality kibble and main thing for me is that he likes it and thrives on it! Of course it's more "difficult" than pouring kibble in to the bowl, but it is worth it. Somebody who can tell you more about raw feeding in your neighbor hood will come along. And Google rawmeatybones for more information.
 

luseaann

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I just buy regular meat from the grocery store. I mostly feed them chicken because it is the cheapest. I look for meats that are marked down like $2 off. I find the cost is comperable to expensive "good" canned dog food. I like to pan sear their meat, more to please my husband than the dogs. I know what you mean about your dog preferring the cheapo junk dog food. So do the ladies. I guess its the same with people food, they add whatever to make it taste good, not necessarily be good for you.
 

karenben

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feeding raw can be as cheap or expensive as you make it,start with one protein say chicken backs/frames and chicken breast and feed only this for a couple of weeks then add another protein,go slowly as its the key to raw,you may think your dog looks really iffy for a few weeks,there may be eye boogers,shedding,farting,the runs/constipation these are all things that may/may not happen but its all part of the change from kibble to raw,feeding raw is a long term thing and you might see improvements straight away you may not but if you stick with it you will see a massive difference,stop the kibble and go straight onto raw no need to wean your dog of kibble just dive right into it,do your research and enjoy ,its quite a journey but very very enjoyable,karen
 
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laurendoodler

laurendoodler

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Are there any sites with sample diets planned out that I can look at? And where can I buy things like chicken backs?

I'm just really confused by everything!
 

karenben

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the raw feeders on this site are so helpful they will advise you much better than i can,i have only been raw feeding 12 months they have been doing it for years,karen
 
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laurendoodler

laurendoodler

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Thank you so much [MENTION=2242]karenben[/MENTION]! I will look into that forum!
 

MamaAndi

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[MENTION=1909]laurendoodler[/MENTION]...are you going to take the plunge? It's really quite easy and I personally think that if you are a bargain hunter...you can make the price comparable or even less than the cost of a good quality kibble. Good luck either way! :)
 
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laurendoodler

laurendoodler

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[MENTION=3756]MamaAndi[/MENTION] pretty sure I am going to once I am finished with this kibble that I have! I'm trying to do research and find a place near here I can get meat for cheap.
 

Watson

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we might try raw when watson is 12 months old. i am tired of trying to find the right kibble. what do you guys do for raw feeding when you have to leave your dog in the care of someone else when you go away. do you transition back to kibble then?
 
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laurendoodler

laurendoodler

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[MENTION=3872]Watson[/MENTION] I'd say make up meals for them and give them to the person caring for the dog. A GOOD boarding facility will feed them whatever the heck you want to feed them. I work at one and I've had to do some ridiculous things for dog meals, down to cooking stuff for them, LOL. They will feed them the raw..just pre package the meals by days. I wouldn't think you'd want to go back to kibble right after raw..would not be good for their system.
 

RiiSi

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I agree with [MENTION=1909]laurendoodler[/MENTION] that they should feed your dog with what you give them and of course it is better to prepackage the food for them if they are not familiar with raw feeding. There is also a kibble from New Zealand that is supposed to be as good and some raw feeders give that when pure raw is not possible. It's called Ziwipeak.
 

karenben

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i know kibble is easy to feed ,but to be honest we really do not know whats in kibble ,how its been handled and most importantly where the meat has been sourced from,a lot of road kill,pets that have been put to sleep are taken to rendering plants and used in kibble ,horrific i know but just youtube it and you will find all sorts of gruesome thing regarding rendering plants,so for my dog its raw all the way,karen
 
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laurendoodler

laurendoodler

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Thought I would update this real quick.

I've had Delilah on raw for about 2 weeks now and I'm loving it and so is she. It's not as hard as I thought it would be. Of course more time consuming than kibble, but the way she acts and how she looks is much better so it's worth it. The cost honestly isn't much different from feeding a high quality grain free kibble.

I'm happy because she's actually eating her meals. She'd skip meals for days before..she hated kibble. Now she gobbles them up! She is kind of picky about actually sitting and chewing on food so I do have to cut it up into pieces for her occasionally. I hope this isn't too terrible for her. I'm sure it's still better than feeding kibble. My mom hates this raw diet, lol. She thinks its gross. I'm going to Vegas for all of next week and I prepackaged out all the meals for her to give Delilah because god knows she won't touch the food, haha. She thinks its a fad and that the results are in my head. Oh, well!

I've found a local meat market that I love going to. They have everything I need at decent prices and they give me free scraps everytime I come in. I'm sure they love me because I buy all the stuff no one else wants, lol.

Delilah is looking really good. Nice, shiny coat..lean and muscular, great figure..and her staining on her face is almost completely gone. I'm having almost no problems with build up in her wrinkles or ears now and that enough is exciting! it'll be great for her to have a clear face again. She's pooping a lot less, I don't think we're down to the desired "raw poop" yet but it's definitely getting there.
 

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