I'm ready to start feeding raw but I need some help!

[LLJohnson10]

I am ready to start raw feeding, but I need a lot of help. I've read as many articles as I could and have watched all the YouTube videos available but i'm still a little nervous because I don't want to make any mistakes with my dogs health.

I have a 2 year old German Shepherd, and i'm currently on a waiting list to get a Bullmastiff puppy this Spring. I have a few questions, and hopefully some of the experienced raw feeders can help me.

First, how many different meat sources do I need for it to be enough variety?

Is there any place where I could find a menu that would give me balanced meals that I could feed for a week/month? (I like to know exactly what to do, i'm really nervous about just trying things to see what will happen, I like to have a plan)

I see lots of information on how to start an adult dog on raw feeding, but nothing that is tailored to a puppy, more specifically a giant breed puppy. Are there any menus available for puppies? Are they ok with crunching through bones also?

Since I will be getting a puppy, he will need lots of training. What types of treats would I use? I wouldn't want to feed raw, then give processed treats.

Currently my German Shepherd chews compressed raw hide to alleviate boredom, would it be ok for him to continue? I've tried the Deer antlers, but he's really not that into them, and I hate the smell of the bully sticks.

Are there any bullmastiff owners here who feed raw that could give me an idea of how much I might spend per month to feed a dog? I'm thinking that the meat bill for my German Shepherd and soon to be Bullmastiff will get pretty hefty. (I currently feed Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream I usually spend about $56 for a bag of dry food, and $38 dollars for a case of ground cooked ground Salmon that I mix in to the food)

I know these are a lot of questions, but I'd like to say thank you in advance to anyone who is willing to offer me any advice or help.

I live in Jacksonville, FL. There are tons of butchers and meat shops, and a good friend of mine is a meat manager at one of the larger grocery chains here, so I think i'll be able to find good deals.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[KimT]

My dogs love raw, I have a 23 month/17 month/7 month and 3 month old dogue de bordeauxs. They get chicken,turkey and the gizzards,hearts ,necks,turkey tail,chicken feet,liver(don't forget the daily liver)kidneys,deer,beef,pork,quail,green tripe, and duck,that's all I have access to, I dont know any hunters or they would get more variety,
also I scan Craigslist for freezer burned meat people are giving away
I also give fish oil and extra glucosimine

 

[LLJohnson10]

Wow, 3 Dogues! How much is your raw feeding bill per month?

 

[angelbears]

I've never done a pup before, I can't be much help there. You want as much variety as you can afford. My vet said a minimum of 4 different proteins. Chicken, beef, pork and turkey is all easily found in most every supermarket. Then whenever you can add in other meat. I used to go to a wholesale distributor, we would have to buy 250 pounds at a time with the average price being about a dollar a pound. I now get most every thing from the grocery store, most of it from the discount bin. I pay a little more around 1.25 but I have also cut our grocery bill by about 50% so it actually has saved us money by going raw. Since my only job is taking care of the fur babies I do put in about 10 hours a week shopping for them and our family.

I have a 175 pound Fila and he gets 3 pounds of meat a day not including snacks. A 120 Fila and she gets 24 ounces. A 45 pound ACD and she gets 12 ounces and a 40 pound mutt that gets 15 ounces.

Right now is a good time to stock up on turkeys. I'm getting them for .27 a pound.

Good luck

 

[NYDDB]

My DDB has been raw fed since I brought him home at 8.5 weeks. I started with the packaged grinds (meat/bone/organ) but it soon became very expensive as he grew, so I jumped right into prey model raw, feeding him meat, organs and bones, straight from the butcher, or grocery.

Three to four proteins, at least, are best for a decent rotation. I feed pork, beef, turkey, chicken, veal, fish, eggs, green tripe, beef and pork hearts, liver, kidney, gizzards, chicken feet, and occasionally lamb and duck. Mateo eats 3 pounds per day- he's 136 pounds, and very active (for a Dogue.)

For treats, I use dehydrated lung or liver; you can make your own or buy them (avoid ones from China though.)

I can get chicken quarters for about .69/pound, but pay higher for beef and pork...it rounds out to about $2/pound, on average.

I would not worry about your pup crunching through bone- their jaws were designed to do this, and nice clean teeth will be the result.

 

[LLJohnson10]

My DDB has been raw fed since I brought him home at 8.5 weeks. I started with the packaged grinds (meat/bone/organ) but it soon became very expensive as he grew, so I jumped right into prey model raw, feeding him meat, organs and bones, straight from the butcher, or grocery.

Where did you get the packaged grinds from? Is this something you can find in a grocery store, or did you have to request the butcher do this for you?

 

[joshuagough]

No need to grind the meat.. this is my female @ 6 weeks, just watch the speed at which they are eating. If you have a scarf'er you gotta keep them in check.

My advice would be invest in a deep freeze and look for your local chicken distributor, buy frozen cases of meat. This is usually the cheapest way to purchase, then CL & call everyone you can that sells meat to compare prices.

Don't get hung up on being exact with "x" meat on this day vs that etc. 80% meat 10% organ 10% bone. You can get a cheap digital measuring scale at Wal-Mart after a month or so of you packing bags you can eye ball everything.

I can't exactly remember but I think I did about 3.5 % of her estimated adult weight, and really gauged based on her appearance adding in more. You can use the food as treats also.

As for cost I'm purchasing about 360 pds a month for about $224, if I go with all fresh meat instead of froze it raises the cost a bit.

Where did you get the packaged grinds from? Is this something you can find in a grocery store, or did you have to request the butcher do this for you?

 

[joshuagough]

Should have mentioned break down whatever the amount to feed per day into as many meals as you can.

No need to grind the meat.. this is my female @ 6 weeks, just watch the speed at which they are eating. If you have a scarf'er you gotta keep them in check.

My advice would be invest in a deep freeze and look for your local chicken distributor, buy frozen cases of meat. This is usually the cheapest way to purchase, then CL & call everyone you can that sells meat to compare prices.

Don't get hung up on being exact with "x" meat on this day vs that etc. 80% meat 10% organ 10% bone. You can get a cheap digital measuring scale at Wal-Mart after a month or so of you packing bags you can eye ball everything.

I can't exactly remember but I think I did about 3.5 % of her estimated adult weight, and really gauged based on her appearance adding in more. You can use the food as treats also.

As for cost I'm purchasing about 360 pds a month for about $224, if I go with all fresh meat instead of froze it raises the cost a bit.




View attachment 35545View attachment 35546

 

[KimT]

I have 4, 2 are still growing so the eat a lot, I go overboard when I shop so about 250 a month, but I was feeding Fromm so its a lot cheaper lol

Wow, 3 Dogues! How much is your raw feeding bill per month?

 

[KimT]

Hanna 10n weeks old mowing down on a chicken thigh

 

[joshuagough]

Beast mode! Cute pics

Hanna 10n weeks old mowing down on a chicken thigh

 

[angelbears]

No need to grind the meat.. this is my female @ 6 weeks, just watch the speed at which they are eating. If you have a scarf'er you gotta keep them in check.

My advice would be invest in a deep freeze and look for your local chicken distributor, buy frozen cases of meat. This is usually the cheapest way to purchase, then CL & call everyone you can that sells meat to compare prices.

Don't get hung up on being exact with "x" meat on this day vs that etc. 80% meat 10% organ 10% bone. You can get a cheap digital measuring scale at Wal-Mart after a month or so of you packing bags you can eye ball everything.

I can't exactly remember but I think I did about 3.5 % of her estimated adult weight, and really gauged based on her appearance adding in more. You can use the food as treats also.

As for cost I'm purchasing about 360 pds a month for about $224, if I go with all fresh meat instead of froze it raises the cost a bit.




View attachment 35545View attachment 35546

Josh, how much are you paying for your red meat on average? I may need to recheck a couple of the distributors around here.

 

[LLJohnson10]

Well I'm getting started on Raw in the next 2 weeks. I'm hoping I can find a good Black Friday sale on a deep freezer, then rack up on some of this cheap Thanksgiving turkey before I get started. I still need some guidance on what to do with my puppy when he arrives. Can an 8 week old puppy crunch through a chicken leg, back, or thigh? If not, how do they get their bone content to firm up their stools? I still have some time to work through that though since I have a few more months til he arrives.

 

[joshuagough]

Check Craigslist before you buy retail on the freezer, we got a $600 freezer basically brand new for $75 bucks from a guy that was selling his house and didn't want to mess with moving it.

Do the legs and thighs and wait a bit on the back.. give them till about 2 1/2 or 3 months on those. Their jaw muscles build up quick and they can handle the legs and thighs right off the bat.

Well I'm getting started on Raw in the next 2 weeks. I'm hoping I can find a good Black Friday sale on a deep freezer, then rack up on some of this cheap Thanksgiving turkey before I get started. I still need some guidance on what to do with my puppy when he arrives. Can an 8 week old puppy crunch through a chicken leg, back, or thigh? If not, how do they get their bone content to firm up their stools? I still have some time to work through that though since I have a few more months til he arrives.

 

[joshuagough]

Red meat is more subject to change based on market value, so it's all over the board.. I do not get above $1.50 on anything red meat wise. Chicken if I want to mess with de-thawing I can get most every for $0.40 or less.. but it's a pain in the rear to break down 40pd ice blocks of chicken.

See if you have one of these Food Service Wholesale Cash and Carry Bulk Foods Food Service Equipment

they have a huge freezer section and you can do case quantities there. You'll have to find someone to buy with.. as they sell to folks with a business license only "so they say" it isn't hard to get around that tho.. go in the store and make friends with someone walking around customer or employee

You typically won't beat their prices.. at least that's the case here. Now if I wanted to buy a whole cow, which you could do with a few other folks you can do really well but that's a lot of hassle to me.

Josh, how much are you paying for your red meat on average? I may need to recheck a couple of the distributors around here.

 

[KimT]

My guys pick a choose what they like. I have one that's doesn't like fresh deer but will eat freezer burned deer,nobody likes turkey necks,I have 2 that don't like kidney, on that doesnt like ground quail,nobody likes the chick leg quarters.. They are getting me pretty well trained lol

 

[joshuagough]

This is very true.. just like people they all have a different pallet desire.

My guys pick a choose what they like. I have one that's doesn't like fresh deer but will eat freezer burned deer,nobody likes turkey necks,I have 2 that don't like kidney, on that doesnt like ground quail,nobody likes the chick leg quarters.. They are getting me pretty well trained lol

 

[NYDDB]

Oh- for sure don't go with pre-ground...I just did that at first because I hadn't done enough research to know my pup can crunch bones straight away.

 

[NYDDB]

A chest freezer or standing, if you have the room, is a good investment- worth it, too, when you find good deals to stock up on.

 

[LLJohnson10]

Red meat is more subject to change based on market value, so it's all over the board.. I do not get above $1.50 on anything red meat wise. Chicken if I want to mess with de-thawing I can get most every for $0.40 or less.. but it's a pain in the rear to break down 40pd ice blocks of chicken.

See if you have one of these Food Service Wholesale Cash and Carry Bulk Foods Food Service Equipment

they have a huge freezer section and you can do case quantities there. You'll have to find someone to buy with.. as they sell to folks with a business license only "so they say" it isn't hard to get around that tho.. go in the store and make friends with someone walking around customer or employee

You typically won't beat their prices.. at least that's the case here. Now if I wanted to buy a whole cow, which you could do with a few other folks you can do really well but that's a lot of hassle to me.

I just checked out the website, there is one about 3 miles from my house. Now I just have to find a way to get in. I wish I knew others who fed raw in my area, I could get some advice on the best places to go locally.