Just started the raw food diet for my dogs -- Two german shepherds and a golden retriever

We switched our 3 GSD's over to raw about a year ago. Rember if you can find meat for $.99/lb or under you are in good shape.

I was looking all over the meat section for "managers special.." They didn't have any out.

The most expensive things were the marrow bones, but those are more of a treat in my eyes anyways.

The fresh chicken was around 1.50/lb, which I didn't find terribly bad.

What do you find for $.99 / lb?

You need to find a butcher. But Walmart has 10lb bags of leg quarters for $.99/lb. Load up and get as many bags that are available. Also get a freezer for about $100 to store everything. Don't forget chicken backs. Chicken feet, beef hearts are great if you can find them and also green tripe.

We've been struggling with this question. We fed our black lab Iams and she ended up with a hugh tumor at 9 years old. We know of others that have had the same fate. We now have a 3 month old chocolate lab and we've been feeding her gluten free holistic puppy food but we want to move away from dog food. We've been thinking boiled chicken thighs, pork... but we're just not sure. Any serious advice with reasoning is greatly appreciated.

I was going to say 'your a good man with a great post' ... until I read what your feeding your (pretty much defenseless and dogfed ) Dogs a raw meat diet ... This is not what a raw diet means , raw diet is vegetarian / vegan and its idiots like you that distort the idea... but I forgive ya , kinda , you and your dog probably share the same meental capacity.

Get ready to clean up trails of putrid liquid shit for a week.

Aren't chicken bones bad for dogs?? I always heard they can get stuck in a dogs throat?

This is exactly what I was looking for. We fed our last lab dog food and dog treats. Our new 3 month old lab doesn't get dog food treats. She get's apples, broccoli, green beans... and she loves it. We're now trying to figure out what to feed her once we ween her off the puppy food which will be really soon. Looking for advice.

Watch for turkeys on sale.

Yes they are.

Dogs are fucking carnivores, only for the last few decades they are being fed that stupid dry dog food shit that only makes them sick because people have become to lazy to care, for the last few thousand years dogs have been eating the same shit we are and raw meats included and have been just fine, ofcourse there are exceptions to this rule like raisins and chocolate, but you get my point

Not sure about the raw meat thing but we are thinking about a boiled meat diet with fruits and veggies (already have her on fruits and veggies for treats). Yes, dogs evolved from wolves but...

Dont give me that evolved from wolves bullshit, theres no proof of that whatsoever, but thats another discussion, the fact that they are carnivores remains, theyre stomachs can and will process raw food, but if you wanna go boiled or baked thats fine too, avoid spices like peppers and salt because most dogs get a bad reaction and might be allergic and theres just no need for them

Aren't chicken bones bad for dogs?? I always heard they can get stuck in a dogs throat?
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 10389148


Yes they are.


No, chicken bones are not bad for dogs as long as they are not cooked. All cooked bones are bad, raw bones are good. As long as they are not weight bearing bones.

Do some research before you go running your mouth about things you nothing about.

Dogs are fucking carnivores. If you care for your dog and can afford it, raw meat is the way to go...it will often cure any chronic health ailments they had when they were eating a popular commercial "dog food".

The breed eating the raw bone also matters - my pitbull could break down and eat any bone in minutes, while my lab would end up with broken chunks of bone getting caught in his ass when shitting, so that he he needed help passing them and ended up bleeding.

^^ This is bullshit. When I switched my dogs to raw, they shit out hard compact little turds that turn white and disappear over time.

Good move OP, your dogs will love you for it. I bought a meat grinder from Cabelas, the 1hp model. It paid for itself in a matter of months.

Costco has whole chickens with giblets for about $1/lb. I usually buy cartons of chicken livers as well to mix in. Grind it, and they love it. Never been healthier.

Prior to going raw, I used to feed the dogs super premium dog food ($2 per lb) which never really agreed with one of my dogs. Used to have digestive problems. The problems COMPLETELY disappeared when I went raw.

Its good to add a bit of plain greek yogurt and blended vegetables into the grind. It simulates stomach and stomach contents of prey. Probiotics are a must.

While dogs are omnivores, they get their energy from fat, not carbs. If you feed a dog all vegetables it will be HORRIBLY malnutritioned.

I should restate this and say that a dog's natural ancestral diet contains very little carbs. Wrote it in a way that implied they don't get energy from carbs. Their bodies are built to process fats.