Today, on a very special episode of CaveGirlEats…
I want to talk about a very special guy who came into our lives several years ago and, with his big brainless head and total lack of spatial awareness, made a permanent pawprint on our hearts.
Cal was an adolescent shelter pup who we fell in love with instantly. He was fifteen times the size of what we thought we were looking for, six times the size of our house, and a million times the perfect dog for us.
Along with my husband, he’s my cuddly number-one super best buddy of all time forever.
Long ago, we converted Cal from grain-free dry food to raw food. He’s done incredibly well, and we believe it’s the right thing to do. Yet there’s so much information out there about the “right way” to do raw. Where we’ve used things like Tropical Traditions‘ raw treats and patties and various other ground-up options, along with some gnaw-friendly bones now and then, it seems like we’re missing something: the very natural act of chewing.
Thanks to Rachael of Lovely Crafty Home, I’ve become more educated on the optimal way to “do raw.” Rachael stopped by the blog recently and helped immensely with my questions about a more biologically-appropriate raw food routine, and I thought the information she shared would help others as much as it helped me.
Here’s what Rachael said about her raw routine (via a blog comment conversation):
“…I’ve been feeding my Boxer a raw diet for about 5 years (she just turned 6). We’ve only used a pre-made food a few times though. Have you ever tried a whole prey model for your pup? It’s easier than it sounds, and you get the benefits of bone chewing for teeth cleaning. My dog eats mostly whole chickens (1 chicken every 2-3 days), but she does get fish, beef, and pork as well. I have estimated that it costs between $50-$60/month to feed my 53lb pup this way, which I think is pretty affordable! Anywhoo, I wanted to mention that because I believe the chewing/crunching has a lot of value that you don’t get with the patties. Just a thought! Thanks for talking about raw feeding, I find the whole idea is still very taboo to most people.”
Rachael went on to help me with my concerns about raw bones, and other such “scary” raw-feeding realities. Here are a few of the points she shared:
Re: the bones…there is a lot of negativity surrounding the whole raw bone issue…a lot of scare tactics…it’s hard to get your mind around it at first. But actually most of the bone digestion occurs in the stomach, they basically crunch the bones but it’s not like a full chew. So don’t be surprised if you find yourself cringing.
Never ever ever give a dog a cooked bone- not a tbone to clean or a rib rack…These are likely the dogs that end up at the vet giving raw feeders a bad name…Raw bones are soft and pliable, cooked bones splinter.
Never microwave bones (as in, defrost on counter, fridge, or hot water)
Dogs will only consume (eat entirely) the bones of small prey or smaller non weight bearing bones of larger animals, i.e. your dog will not be able to consume the femur of a cow, but raw soup bones (marrow bones) make great chew toys.
I avoid butcher cut bone-in meats because the bones are unnaturally sharp, it’s just a personal preference (like pork neck bones or bone-in chops)
I don’t feed chicken or turkey necks…again a personal preference, as I feel they aren’t that nutritionally sound and are good choking hazards.
Thank you for all the wisdom, Rachel!
Who out there feeds their pets with a whole-prey model? Any advice?
I will have to read blog later, but how could anyone say raw isn’t ideal (assuming a healthy animal, for general statement purposes)? I do not feed raw because of finances, Great Danes require quite a bit… Debating if our next dog should be smaller so it’s a little more realistic.
Mark, our dog is great-dane-sized and it’s definitely a sacrifice to keep him fed. Totally understand where you’re coming from. If we had kids or any kind of major life change, we might not be able to do this…although I imagine there are ways to make it more affordable (like Rachael has) that we just haven’t discovered yet!
I’ve had several vets tell me raw feeding is “dangerous” and not recommended. Nuts!
ok, so how would you do a chicken… she says one chicken every few days. I assume divide it up rather than leave that yuckiness out to gnaw on whenever? my boxer is on a grain-free dry food and has been MUCH healthier since the switch. I know she would prefer the meat but just how to do it?
A little more info in this post: http://cavegirleats.com/2010/12/14/rin-tin-tin-goes-raw-foodie/
I think dividing it up would be the way to go! Rachael also included a video of her pooch eating, and it’s much less messy than I would have thought. It would be easy to package up the leftovers and fridge it for the following day.
Hey Jaime- I answered a bunch of questions in a giant post, but if you want you can contact me directly at lovelycraftyhome@gmail.com for advice on switching!
Hi
I gave my 12 year old boxer a whole chicken today… I was planning for the clean up and storage of her leftovers lol… There are none. She is finishing the last of the carcass now. You weren’t kidding it was kind of cringe inducing but she is so happy. I’m not going to be able to do a whole chicken everyday, I’m hoping she mellows as we go but I think she will happily do whatever I want now haha I will email you tomorrow to chat more 
Totally wish I could see a video of this!
Oh my goodness! That’s amazing! Has she ever had raw before?! Generally the feeding quantity is 2-3% of body weight, but of course it depends on the dog. My dog is a super light eater, she’s a trim 53 lbs and I would say she doesn’t eat even 2% on a daily basis. It’s possible your pup was just really excited and won’t eat that much next time
Actually it’s possibly she won’t eat at all tomorrow.
Wolves are naturally binge/starve eaters, and I know many raw feeders that say this works for their dogs too- they actually only feed their dogs every few days. My pup is definitely like that as well, she’ll eat the bulk of a chicken on the first day then eat less then next time and so on. Some days she doesn’t eat at all. She just does whatever she wants I guess LOL. She will actually refuse chicken if she’s bored with it. Spoiled pooch!!
I’m so glad you had a successful “first chicken”!
I’ve fed my pups the BARF diet for a while now.. but we feed them chicken backs instead of the whole chicken. The also get raw eggs and fruit and veggie scraps from time to time- and plain full fat yogurt, coconut oil and olive oil here and there too. They have always been big fans of it- except for organ meat… They turn their noses up at it! Cute Pup BTW
Raw Feeding is amazing for dogs and cats! My dogs are raw fed (currently we are on a budget so 1/2 raw and 1/2 grain free kibble..we went from 1 dog to 2…and incurred some new expenses…but I can tell you I see a difference) and my one cat is strictly raw fed! My other cat was raw fed for 10 years (she is now 15!). She ended up having some health issues and is on a Rx Diet…it kills me but it is working and I dont have time or the funds to try something else. Her last surgery was 2K! She does get raw mixed into her weekly feeding as well as raw organ meats! Before we moved I had a large freezer just for dog food which I would fill with 100pounds at a time from a local butcher who would grind up whole chickens for me! It was a great deal! I also used to work at a pet store that was very into raw! I helped some amazing customers with their pets and it was a joy to see their pets get healthier and happier! Honestly raw food is not much more then a good grain free kibble and there is way less yard waste
If anyone has questions feel free to ask me! I love to talk animal nutrition and I am happy to share my knowledge!
Thanks Jen! Stick around, I’m sure there will be lots of good questions!
Jen- You hit the nail on the head with the yard waste LOL! Sometimes I dog-sit and cannot believe the amount of bathroom activity with kibble fed dogs. It seems constant!
Hi all,
As someone who grew up on a farm we would NEVER give our dogs raw bones. Cooked yes, raw no. Dogs are primal animals, and as a livestock owner, the last thing I want them to do is get the taste of blood, and hunt, in their mouths.
I actually had to put a dog down for that reason because it started attacking animals. He was young, and was never taught to be aggressive and attacked smaller animals. (we had from two months).
Cooked is the only way to go in my house
Not a problem for a city owner by the way…. just a reason I don’t feed raw
Interesting point…if we feed primal food, can we expect primal behavior in the right context? Cal has no aggressive tendencies, but a rabbit in the yard turns on that instinct right away. That said, when I visited Polyface farm for a few days to work and apply for an internship, they had a lovely dog who was fed carcasses and he was as gentle as can be, and never went near the animals.
Liz it may of been a freak thing but I’m never going to go back.
DEAR READERS
I do not mean to imply everyone’s dog is going to go all “walking dead” and attack everything. I was in a particular situation where a dog ate several chickens and one sick lamb, NOT EVERYONE is going to go through that.
Once bitten twice shy kind of thing
I guarantee you that everyone else will probably be fine!!
RELAX
Totally get it. Please don’t worry, I think you made a great point! As far as cooked bones, I took you to mean not the raw splintery chicken bones, but just not the bones of a bloody carcass that the farm pooch could confuse later for something he’s “supposed” to eat. Totally get it!
The internet is frustrating sometimes, trust me I know :]
My black lab Daisy will be 4 this June, and she has been raw since about 3 months. She was on (expensive) kibble when I brought her home, and she had continual diarrhea. It was awful. So, with my dietary knowledge about species-specific diets (i.e. Paleo for people) I thought to myself, “kibble doesn’t seem like what she should be eating, and her body is clearly saying it shouldn’t be eating it”, so I got on the internet and read several different site and bought several books. After consulting with my vet (who is very holistic, and actually consults to one of the big raw food companies), I switched her over. The diarrhea cleared up overnight … she is calm, normal body weight (rare or a Lab!), has ZERO plaque on her teeth, and has the shiniest coat you can imagine! She barely sheds too (also rare for a Lab!). She mostly eats raw meaty bones (chicken frames, duck necks, turkey necks, lamb trotters), some organ meat (1-2x/week), marrow bones, and veggie and fruit scraps. She doesn’t tolerate beef (other than marrow bones), eggs (except the occasional shell), or fish; they all give her terrible smelly gas and make her shed more. I feed her frozen items because otherwise she eats too fast and tends to vomit it back up (typical Lab!). The vet is very happy with her health … she has Lyme disease (since she was 1 year old) and hasn’t had another flare up. Here is a picture of her … http://tinypic.com/r/v5ee8j/6
She’s BEAUTIFUL! Love it! I think we’re missing an opportunity without the meaty bones. Rachael really helped me see that! Do you get the meaty bones from your butcher, or…
I have had my portie for 8.5 yrs now always on the barf diet and when people meet him they always think he is a puppy, he has a lot of energy and is rather big for his breed. I rarely bring him to the vet except when absolutely necessary. I feed rehydrated veggies and raw ground meat for the am meals and a chicken carcass with meat on it in the pm, and he gets a whole frozen fish a few times a month. His teeth have never been brushed and have no tartar build up. His hair is soft and shinny. I do feed him pretty much everything I eat…he usually asks me for it anyway so why deny him.
I hope to have him a long time, as I have seen friends dog pass on far too young due to the crappy stuff they sell at the stores!
Any tips for cats?
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Cats are harder than dogs from what I understand as dogs are omnivores and cats are obligate carnivores.
I feed my cats ground chicken thighs and livers mixed with Feline Instincts raw premix, and I also free-feed them grain free dry food that contains no fish protein.
Taurine is the most important ingredient for cats, and the hardest to give them raw, as it degrades very quickly; that’s why I use a premix. Heart is high in taurine. They also need calcium, which they get from bones.
If you feed your cat raw meaty bones, make sure that they get the organs too (heart and liver) and make sure that they’re getting plenty of dark meat; white meat doesn’t have enough fat.
In general, cats do well with rodents and poultry, as that’s the sort of thing they would eat in the wild — mice and birds. Cats don’t actually eat much fish, and some cats are very sensitive to fish protein. Ditto pigs, cows, lambs.
I’ve heard some cat owners have had good results feeding their kitties the frozen rats you can order from snake supply stores. Quail is probably a good choice too. Rabbit sounds like a good choice, but is too low in taurine to be used exclusively — there was a study where they fed a colony of cats whole, ground rabbits and the cats initially did great but eventually got sick from extended taurine deficiency.
Picky cats used to “the McDonald’s of cat food” (what we call Fancy Feast, lol) probably won’t be interested in raw food. Sometimes, dusting powdered liver on a new food makes it smell enticing enough for them to try. Then again, some cats are picky eaters no matter what.
I have been raw feeding my yellow lab since the day we brought her home (8 weeks). Chicken, beef, pork, small whole fish, whole eggs, raw and fermented dairy, organ meats, coconut oil, some fruit and veg. I do give chicken and turkey necks – our holistic vet actually recommended this. Small bones. I made the mistake of giving her cow marrow bones to chew on. This bruised her canine teeth when she was a pup. These bones are too hard for some dogs, and my dog was a chewer! The bruising is permanent unfortunately, and her canines are now brown. The vet recommended no bones from large animals like cows/bison, etc. Lamb and pork are better.
Our dog (kelpie) has zero aggressiveness and eats raw food. It may be that farm dogs are exposed to killed livestock so know what the deal is. But dogs fed only biscuits can also worry livestock, surely.
We don’t cook meat but do cook liver or kidney lightly.
Our dog became iodine-deficient on an all-meat diet and now has powdered kelp mixed with most meals, which she loves. She also loves canned fish or cooked fish occasionally. She has no problem with cooked bones. She eats a lot of raw sheep hearts, and mince with a little extra fat.
http://hopefulgeranium.blogspot.co.nz/2012/12/what-would-bluebelle-eat-feeding-paleo.html
Interesting! We feed our pooch sardines occasionally – although some of our raw food is pre-formulated so includes the “extras” too.
My kitty kat does grain free kibble.
Taste of the Wild is the current dish.
She LOVES raw salmon.
Last but not least she has to have plain yogurt.
My pooch loves any raw meat.
Daily he gets 1 lb of salmon & Honest Kitchen Preference dehydrated veggies mixed with yams & coconut milk.
It’s helped him go from a multiple allergy beast to a Beauty King.
He loves frozen raw meaty bones to chew on too!
P.S. I got him the animal grade Green Pastures FCLO & firmed it up with butter to give him as cubes of yumminess.
P.P.S. If you’re doing store bought foods ask for samples so you don’t end up with a bunch of food your friend doesn’t want.
Your cat has to have yoghurt; our dog LOVES cheese and will always come running when we slice the block of tasty cheddar.
We have been feeding our pup raw since we got him from a rescue shelter about 7 months ago. He’s only about 10 months. And my partner is ALWAYS commenting how lucky he is
His diet includes chicken necks (he’s a small mixed terrier so these are PERFECT for him) chicken wings, lamb off cuts, pork, beef tail etc, any kind of kidney and liver I can get my hands on, heart (usually half a lamb for his size and this gives really good chewing opportunities), tripe and we just got our hands on some brains 
He also has excess kefir grains some days and on occasion a raw egg. He is forbidden to have any table scraps!!! Very occasionally he will have a bite of apple or watermelon but in general he doesn’t eat fruit or veg and helps himself to the occasional grass munch. I don’t know if it has done much for his energy levels because we have fed him this from day one….but he doesn’t smell, ever. Not even his breath, and I should know, he’s always in my face in the morning! His coat is shiny and he just doesn’t get that dirty dog smell. His teeth are beautiful and white and he is all over a very happy puppy.
We also have a rabbit that lives in our house and our dog, despite eating raw, does not try to eat our rabbit lol. I don’t agree that feeding primal = primal behavior. I’m not even sure that my dog knows our rabbit is “meat”!
Our dog definitely goes “primal” (alert, WANT IT WANT IT WANT TO CHASE IT) when he sees rabbits, but it’s never something that makes me feel uncomfortable – as if it would translate to his behavior with humans or other dogs (and it doesn’t)!
Do you feed the whole liver/kidney/heart at once? I’ve wondered whether there was any risk involved with that (vitamin A toxicity?) I’ve felt too silly to ask that question up to now
seems as if I should know, but I know dogs metabolize things differently from humans!
Liz- Some dogs can’t handle a lot of organ meat in one sitting…it depends on the dog and how long they’ve been eating raw. It can give them the runs. I’ve never heard of a dog getting like sick sick because of it though, just tummy upset. My dog would eat a whole kidney if I let her, she loves it! But I prefer to feed little pieces more frequently. The tubs of chicken livers and gizzards/hearts are great, you can freeze them in small batches. She also loves beef liver, heart, and the aforementioned kidney.
I have a Shih Tzu a Collie a Doberman and a Pit Bull all eat Raw I buy chicken thighs & leg quarters Beef heart pork heart chicken gizzards and heart beef liver and green tripe mixed with spleen and ground chicken feet for joint health …….I still grind the chicken meat with bone for 2 of my dogs (Collie and Shih Tzu) they had eaten regular for years and are older so bones are a bit more difficult for them but my dogs love it…….I do cook the liver and organ meats and run it through the food processor then they gobble it right up ……..I am considering switching to a mainly green tripe organ meat and bone diet(mainly for ease of prep) but haven’t yet as myfreezer is well stocked for my dogs with chicken currently………I live on a farm with chickens , goats pigs and barn cats ……..dogs don’t get the sent from meat from a live animal as most folks will a test to switching their dogs over before you can give them skin on meat most of the time you have to remove skin first or slit the skin so dogs can get the scent some dogs even need to have the meat seared first to get the sniffer working and for them to realize “Hey this is meat and it’s pretty tasty………we do NO veggies (as a rule) though dogs are opportunistic eaters and if they want some melon or potatoes carrots etc when I’m preparing meals for the humans in the pack they can have some(my Dob is a taste tester of EVERYTHING) but we don’t add it to their food my Collie is 13 and the Vets don’t believe me because her teeth are beautiful I try and explain they should have seen them when we adopted her from rescue 5 years ago ………I’m a dog groomer and when I see all the health issues with my clients dogs I feel confident that though (just like for my family) I may pay more for my dogs food I will save in vet costs AND proved them optimal health !
I’ve been feeding my English chocolate lab raw for 3 years (I got her when she was 10 months). I’m on the west coast and we have a phenomal organization called SF Raw (sfraw.org) devoted to sourcing local, mostly grassfed meats for bulk purchase. Being a part of SF Raw has been amazing not only do they offer recipes and classes about raw feeding but to also be part of a large group with many knowledgable members is great too. the woman who started the group fed 2 great danes raw for many years and offers lots of advice to keep it budget friendly. They have some great reaources and info on their website too. Maybe there is something like this where you are? Ill ask my group and see I anyone knows similar organizations in other parts of the country.
I haven’t tried the whole prey diet although it sounds interesting. My girl gets raw meaty bones, some muscle meat, livers, hearts, some veggies, full fat yogurt and an occasional egg (from my backyard chickens). Oh and I share my bone broth with her. Spoiled, right??! I feel like as a big dog and a breed known for having hip problems she needs all the good minerals for her joints. She is a fast eater and I would NEVER feed her cooked bones. With my own switch to paleo i find buying in bulk is key for us. But i will say that my freezer is almost always jam packed. Yes it is more expensive to feed this way but I know that Im spending less in vet bills and I will hopefully get to have her around for longer.
My dog was neutered early, which apparently causes problems with bone and joint formation (I think?) because the hormones necessary for growth are totally taken away. He ended up having a pretty severe injury and surgery because of it. So my pooch gets all the extras too! Broth, sardines, cod liver oil, butter, egg…Now I want to move toward the meaty bones rather than just the ground raw. SF raw sounds awesome!
I can’t say enough good things about the raw diet for dogs. My pit-boxer mix Stella has been grain-free most of her life, and I switched her to raw food a couple of years ago. HOLY CRAP. She is seriously getting younger instead of older. She used to have a bad knee, they said she needed surgery. Not anymore! She still hustles at almost 14 and people are constantly assuming she’s a puppy. “She’s a puppy, right?” Nope, 14. “YEARS??? What do you feed her???”
All of that being said, it’s important to know what you’re doing, to make sure your pup gets the proper nutrition. I’ve got an expert in this department to do a guest post on my blog about it, hopefully soon!
Love that eternal youth! Let me know when that post goes up so I can share it!
It’s dependent on size. My pup eats roughly 80% meat, 10% bone and 10% organ. Organs are super important for all those nutrients that aren’t found in the rest of the meat. I use to give him just a bit every day, as in about the size of my thumb (of organs) but I got my five year old to start feeding him (to teach him the pecking order) and tiny bits are too fiddly for him so now we just give him a chunk of different organ every few days. He had half a heart the other day, a whole brain yesterday and half a lamb kidney today. Tomorrow he will have some liver, then tripe, then repeat the cycle again. I usually don’t feed much else on days that he has heart or brain as they are pretty big pieces. You can also see if your dog is able to tolerate it by their bowel movements – too much organ can make them very sloppy and some dogs can’t deal with organ without bone. Our little dude doesn’t seem to have a problem with any of it
There are a few groups on FB (search raw feeding) that can be good sources of info. I generally think about what a dog my dogs size would eat if he were in the wild (rabbit, small birds maybe??) and generally aim to give him the amount of organ he would consume if he were eating that whole. A lot of people don’t feed weight bearing bones because they are so hard but because of the availability where I am, my dog gets them fairly regularly. He doesn’t seem to have any trouble and will chew them for days until my partner picks up the poop and bins the old bones as well. I just make sure he gets his fair share of digestible bone as well 
When we give Cal the big marrow bones, he won’t even get at ‘em until he’s taken them outside, buried them, and left them to…I’m not sure…ferment?…for a few days! Then he’ll work on them for days, just like yours! He likes it dirty, that’s for sure!
I just got a cute 9 week old fur ball (moodle x jack russell) and am totally for raw but having trouble convincing her of that. I’ve bought ready made frozen barf full of a mix of meat (including game), offal, bone and other healthy bits like sea kelp. I thought maybe it was too much of a mix so I started adding chicken mince into the mix but she still was only nibbling at it. Today I added half a teaspoon of plain yogurt into the mix and hurrah she ate the whole thing woohoo!
I wonder if she’s just a bit too young to digest the whole hunk? I wonder what her instincts are telling her? So interesting that she wants that dairy, seems appropriate for a little one!
Yeah I was thinking the same thing. We also give her raw goat’s milk that she gulps down. Maybe she’s trying to transition off her mum’s natural food supply slowly. But I guess in the whole scheme of things a bit of fermented dairy won’t hurt for a while
My 2 dogs are fed raw too. I feed a NZ pre-prepared raw food called K9 Natural and supplement a few times a week with raw chicken frames, chicken necks and marrow bones etc. Raw feeding is quite popular here and its easy to find cheap, good quality bits from the supermarket, local butcher or pet store. I only switched to raw recently after learning all the benefits of a paleo diet for humans, I realised the same should apply for the dogs. I always thought it would be expensive and difficult but it really hasn’t been a difficult transition at all, and the dogs LOVE it.
I started feeding our boxer raw after the death of my 15 year old lab mix (best dog ever). 11 years later she is still going strong. She has genetic spondylosis which is just starting to cause her some aches, but otherwise looks and acts like she’s 3. We also have a 30 lb mutt who has been raw fed since 4 weeks (orphaned at 2) who is perfectly healthy.
The man doesn’t typically care for the dogs, so when he was tasked with taking them to a new vet for a checkup, he let our then 8 year old explain their diet. The vet asked him, “what about salmonella?” He replied, “we wash our hands with soap and water.” The vet said, “sounds perfect.” We have been going to him ever since.
I can’t imagine putting them back on kibble. Their weight is good, their teeth are good, they’re happy and active and aging well. I don’t feed whole prey consistently, but when I raised rabbits they were getting whole young rabbits. They knew that a (killed) rabbit gifted to them was okay to eat, but a rabbit running around the backyard could only be sniffed. They also knew any feral cats bothering the rabbits should be…discouraged.
I’ve been really happy with the Core Wellness grain free kibble 2x a day for my 4-5 year old labradoodle for the last year+. She has a great coat and muscle definition, nice poops(CG I know you understand), and is the fastest dog at the park. For treats she gets raw eggs, which she loves, egg shell scraps, and frozen broth cubes from a failed batch(what dog wouldn’t love an upgraded ice cube?). She also loves raw apple, green bean, and carrot scraps tossed her way and she freaked for the beef bone she got on her birthday. Cost analysis aside, I do not have the capacity for 100% raw right now.
Nice poops are the best! Haha!
“the fastest dog at the park.” Too cute – I love it!
Oh my goodness, stopped by to read the blog today and found myself! Thank you so much for sharing the raw-feeding love!! Maybe I’ll take a stab at some of these questions.
Mark- I love Great Danes!! But this is my concern too, I’m afraid I couldn’t afford to feed it!
Jaime- I literally give her a whole chicken, she will eat it for about 20 minutes or so and then walk away. I put what’s left in a gallon ziplock and give it back to her the next day until it’s gone. One of the benefits of raw feeding is that they really regulate their own intake for the most part!
Erin- I’m sorry you had a bad experience with dogs and livestock! To my knowledge though, there is no direct correlation between raw feeding and aggression. Some raw feeders do feed whole chickens with feathers/heads/etc, and that might be more of a concern in that case. Generally though, a dog that is not aggressive will not become aggressive because of raw feeding. My own raw fed dog lives with 3 cats. She does not make the connection between a live chicken and what she is eating. Some dogs have high prey drive and will go after small prey regardless of what they eat. But I understand being gun shy about trying it having had that experience. I am concerned about the cooked boned feeding though
That’s all I’ll say!
Susan- We used to feed our cats raw. Chicken wings are a good starter. We found that they couldn’t be trained to keep it in one area, as they have a tendency to grab the food and run off to eat it (this could be because we are a multi-cat household). So, raw meat all over the house kind got a bit crazy. They eat a grain free kibble now, but they miss raw as cats are technically 100% carnivorous (whereas there is some debate that dogs are omnivores). I will still drop them a chicken heart every now and then. It’s worth as shot to try though!!
Catharine- You might try cooking some chicken breast just a litttttle bit. Just a sear, then slowly back off to raw breast, then add in meat with bones. It’s not uncommon for a dog to think raw meat is not food. Most dogs love yogurt though.
Thanks for taking the time to offer more awesome information, Rachael! You ROCK!
Thanks Rachael I’ll give it a go
If only they made human appropriate BARF!
Simone- I’d be interested to see that post too! Yes there is a science to it, ratio of bone/meat/offal. Sometimes I find it overwhelming to talk about with newbies though because they get scared off. I find the whole prey model the easiest to do without calculations (as in 1 whole chicken plus its organs), and it seems less intimidating to people who are just learning. But I would love to hear from your guest blogger, as I’m always looking for new info!
My dog gets grain free kibbles and Newman’s Own grain free, organic beef liver soft food alternating with raw meat, which includes chicken wing tips, beef liver, chicken liver and gizzards, sardines and sometimes grassfed ground beef, roast or steak (I’ll just cut her off some slivers of what I’m eating before I cook it – pretty much what the first domesticated dogs probably ate). She also gets cooked chicken and, sometimes, nitrate free bacon. She is small though, an 11lb. shih-tzu. Unfortunately it’s hard to get the best sources for her food up where we live in the mountains, so sometimes, between trips to the big city (where I can get grassfed and pastured meat along with more grain free kibble at a reasonable price*) I have to tide her over with some of the leftover Blue Buffalo kibbles I still have in the house.
*to get the grain free Blue Buffalo up here I have to drive 25 minutes away and they charge $65 for the bigger bag that I can get in the city 2 hours away for $35. So I try to stock up when I’m heading that direction.
Though dogs are better able to handle raw meat and its bacteria, I insist on the raw meat she gets coming from humane sources, not factory farms, so that the risk of something nasty like e-coli or antibiotic resistant bacteria is lessened.
I worked for a women who raised heritage geese, ducks, and chickens. She had a Great Pyrenees, Bess, that guarded that flock like they were her babies. Bess knew the only time she was allowed to eat the critters was if they were tossed in the burn barrel (or handed to her by a person). Anything in there was fair game for her. The only time Bess would sneak a live bird was after she had pups and was nursing. The dry dog food always available apparently didn’t fulfill her nutritional needs. When the pups were started to eat real food, it was so awesome to watch Bess fish a chicken out of the burn barrel and bring it to her pups. As the pups got bigger and started chasing the birds, Bess would correct them, telling them in a language the understood that eating the live birds was not allowed. It was so awesome to watch.
I “fostered” one of the pups for a week or so. We actually had intended to keep him, but we had some crazy upcoming major life changes and we quickly realized having a giant pup was not such a smart plan. So, I brought him home with me each night and he played with my 6 year old. We fed him raw. I would cut a chicken up into quarters and put him outside with his meal. He would eat what he wanted, then try to bury the rest in the kiddo’s sand box or behind Gramma’s flowers. We could actually see a difference in him compared to his litter mates.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience with farm dogs and feeding raw.
Oh, and I am loving your site!
What a cool story! And Great Pyrenees seem like the most incredible dogs. When you cut the chicken into quarters, did you feed the head (including beak) and feet?
Thank you for taking the time to leave this comment! It was so neat to read!
When prepping the chicken at home, it was just a whole chicken from the grocery store, so no head and feet. When he was able to dine on dead chickens out at the farm, it was feet, head, feathers and all.
Oh, and I should add that I never saw any of the dogs (or pups) eat any of the kittens that were always running around on the farm. Even the sick or dying kittens.