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Raw Feed Dogs
16 years ago
I've been feeding the dogs raw food lately (for the past week). They're on Canidae dry dog food which runs about $1/ lb. If you can get it on sale at Pet Food Depot (a feed store in Palo Alto), you can get a 35 lb bag for $32 (including tax). We had a coupon for a feed store in San Jose that sold it. Our 44 lb bag cost us $39.50 (plus tax). We also got a free pound of dog biscuits to seal the deal! Lion Food Center (an all Asian market) sells meat for $ 0.89-1.40/lb. It's not USDA Prime, or even Choice, but that's A-OK for dogs (since they can digest raw meat better than we can). In the Midwest, ground turkey is SUPER cheap, you can get it for 70 cents a pound (they come in plastic sleeves that conveniently weigh a pound each) at Save-a-lot. So far, the Asian markets have the cheapest meat. If you want Choice meat, Dittmars (a butcher in Mountain View) carries pork shoulder for $1.99/lb and cheap beef liver and heart ($3-4/lb).
Tonight Kody and Diablo (my dog) got ground beef and egg and white fish fillets. Nibbles got his first chicken quarter. Nibbles is only 50 lbs, so a pound of chicken is just fine for him (feed 2-3% of your dog's body weight). The dogs have been eating better than I have :O
I mix the raw beef, fish and egg in with a ration of kibble. Some advise not to do this and just feed either raw meat or kibble for the day because kibble takes longer to digest than raw meat, Then again, bones also take longer to digest than the raw meat. My dogs don't have a problem with raw mixed in with kibble. Kody the malamute isn't the brightest bulb in the box and chokes on EVERYTHING (even SOFT treats), so he can't have bones. Diablo broke a tooth last year chewing on a bone, so those guys don't get any raw bones and get some kibble substituted in their diet for vitamins and minerals. I may consider giving Diablo raw chicken bones since it's the softest bone. Never feed your guys cooked bones, especially cooked chicken since they will splinter and cut your dog's intestines. Raw is fine though (unless they're dumb and choke on it).
Long story short, much money is saved since I'm not given the dogs canned food and have instead substituted it for raw. The dogs are eating better for cheaper. Everyone wins!
Tonight Kody and Diablo (my dog) got ground beef and egg and white fish fillets. Nibbles got his first chicken quarter. Nibbles is only 50 lbs, so a pound of chicken is just fine for him (feed 2-3% of your dog's body weight). The dogs have been eating better than I have :O
I mix the raw beef, fish and egg in with a ration of kibble. Some advise not to do this and just feed either raw meat or kibble for the day because kibble takes longer to digest than raw meat, Then again, bones also take longer to digest than the raw meat. My dogs don't have a problem with raw mixed in with kibble. Kody the malamute isn't the brightest bulb in the box and chokes on EVERYTHING (even SOFT treats), so he can't have bones. Diablo broke a tooth last year chewing on a bone, so those guys don't get any raw bones and get some kibble substituted in their diet for vitamins and minerals. I may consider giving Diablo raw chicken bones since it's the softest bone. Never feed your guys cooked bones, especially cooked chicken since they will splinter and cut your dog's intestines. Raw is fine though (unless they're dumb and choke on it).
Long story short, much money is saved since I'm not given the dogs canned food and have instead substituted it for raw. The dogs are eating better for cheaper. Everyone wins!
Raise your Paw for Raw!