# Could someone tell me about raw feeding? tacoma/gig harbor,WA area?



## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

I have two dogs. a husky and a husky/lab mix. I feed them kebble (nature's recipe brand) mixed with wet can food and to tell the truth I feel bad that they eat such boring food. I would like to know more about raw foods. What all do you feed your dogs? What are the benefits to it? Where do you get the meat, is there a certain place where you buy it? what are the average costs of feeding your dog raw food? is it cheaper then kibble food?

I just read a post on it today and it got me curious.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Check out my web site by clicking the link in my sig. That will answer most of your questions and creat more. :smile: After you read it, come back and ask those questions. :smile:


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

As Bill said check out his siggy..and DaneMama's as well!:smile:

Both of them are GREAT and chocked full of information!:biggrin:

Oh and there are a LOT of us DFCers in this area!:happy: Most/all of us are part of the co-op WazzuOr_barf, there are always LOTS of great deals(we are getting calves at around 35-50lbs at a flat $35!!:biggrin1 There are also quite a few other great places around to buy from, along with deals in your local area that you can find by looking for them! I just figured it out and Ill be feeding my 4 RAW fed pets(2 Border Collies, 1 Pug/x and the kitty) for about $50/month!! :happy:


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## trikerdon (May 14, 2011)

Your close enough to Bremerton. Check out Minder Meats: Shop locally! We are now specializing in retail beef, pork, poultry, lamb, seafood and much more... for meats


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

thanks! it did clear up a lot of my questions!
my husband bought dog/cat food on the way home and it cost about $80 all together 
I should be heading up towards Bremerton here in a couple days anyway so I will definitly stop in at Minders Meats!


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

trikerdon said:


> Your close enough to Bremerton. Check out Minder Meats: Shop locally! We are now specializing in retail beef, pork, poultry, lamb, seafood and much more... for meats


Are you able to get their stuff in the "wholesale" prices? Cause EEK...Those are spendy cuts of meat!



tricia beaver said:


> thanks! it did clear up a lot of my questions!
> *my husband bought dog/cat food on the way home and it cost about $80 all together
> I should be heading up towards Bremerton here in a couple days anyway so I will definitly stop in at Minders Meats!*


Oh and also, dont worry about asking more questions!:happy:

Nearly everyone here is here to help!!:smile: And like I said, there are a LOT of us from the PNW, its quite cool!:happy:

And the bold part is why I started on RAW!! I have the 4 pets on it and compared to what I was buying in good kibble for them all it is SOO much better on the pocket book!:biggrin1: And they are SOOO much happier!!:nod:


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

sorry, i didn't specify!!!! thats the cost at petco for all the food needs.
I told him about this when he got home


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

Scarlett_O' said:


> Are you able to get their stuff in the "wholesale" prices? Cause EEK...Those are spendy cuts of meat!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Is there any parts your not suppost to feed them or is it "whatever they're willing to eat"? 
what do you feed your cats?


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

tricia beaver said:


> Is there any parts your not suppose to feed them or is it "whatever they're willing to eat"?


It, for the most part, depends on how far into raw you are. You will want to start on bone in chicken(decently heavy in the bone department for the first week-ish) and continue with the chicken for a few weeks. Other wise what will happen more then likely your pet(s) will get the runs and you will think that it is the RAW foods fault, but it will be because of user error!:wink: Then you will add a little bit of turkey, then pork, then beef, and so on and so forth!:happy:

Different dogs take different amounts of time to transfer to RAW, I know that my boys each have taken different lengths of time to get ok with each new protein that we have added. (And its all about the poops!:wink

And also no weight-bearing bones from large animals, and you will want to know each pet and if they are gulpers or not as to how small of cuts you can give them(or how big they need to be!) I know for my Pug/x and my Dad's Frenchie they both HAVE to have larger chunks of meat then BOTH of my Border Collies, as both of the "no-nose-ers" have proven to be gulpers and both Collies eat VERY politely!:smile:


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

Scarlett_O' said:


> And also no weight-bearing bones from large animals, and you will want to know each pet and if they are gulpers or not as to how small of cuts you can give them(or how big they need to be!) I know for my Pug/x and my Dad's Frenchie they both HAVE to have larger chunks of meat then BOTH of my Border Collies, as both of the "no-nose-ers" have proven to be gulpers and both Collies eat VERY politely!:smile:


I'll take it slow and let them get used to one thing at a time.
my husky/lab is a gulper. she eats everything I put in front of her within 5 minutes while my purebred husky will push it around, eating one piece at a time. she is a real picky eater. So would it be big pieces for the mix and smaller peices for purebred?


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

tricia beaver said:


> I'll take it slow and let them get used to one thing at a time.
> my husky/lab is a gulper. she eats everything I put in front of her within 5 minutes while my purebred husky will push it around, eating one piece at a time. she is a real picky eater. So would it be big pieces for the mix and smaller peices for purebred?



Yes for me ya know I figure they have their whole lives to get use to all of these amazing proteins!:biggrin: I would FAR rather neither of them or me have to go thru all of the stress that cannon butt brings!:smile:

More then likely that is how you will want to let it play out. I freeze all of my boy's food....it helps with the 5 month old's teething and helps the pug/x eat slower and my adult BC seems to really like it frozen! But then again, my Pug/x wasnt a gulper until he got past the first 2 weeks of raw and decided that food was SOO nummy every time that he would rather just try and swallow it whole!:tongue1: So....it is, once again all about "Know Thy Dog"!!:wink:


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

Scarlett_O' said:


> Yes for me ya know I figure they have their whole lives to get use to all of these amazing proteins!:biggrin: I would FAR rather neither of them or me have to go thru all of the stress that cannon butt brings!:smile:
> 
> More then likely that is how you will want to let it play out. I freeze all of my boy's food....it helps with the 5 month old's teething and helps the pug/x eat slower and my adult BC seems to really like it frozen! But then again, my Pug/x wasnt a gulper until he got past the first 2 weeks of raw and decided that food was SOO nummy every time that he would rather just try and swallow it whole!:tongue1: So....it is, once again all about "Know Thy Dog"!!:wink:


reminds me on the time I took my girls hiking on the key peninsula. my Mix went a couple feet out into the water and stood there for a minute. we looked at her to see what she was doing and she *sprayed* liquid poo into the water!!! :rip: I stayed out of the water! ps. she was fine, i had started mixing wet dog food in and she didn't take to it well.

I wont be able to buy a lot because we have a really small frig. I'm hoping my purebred finds it yummy. Maybe she will starting eating more.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

tricia beaver said:


> reminds me on the time I took my girls hiking on the key peninsula. my Mix went a couple feet out into the water and stood there for a minute. we looked at her to see what she was doing and she *sprayed* liquid poo into the water!!! :rip: I stayed out of the water! ps. she was fine, i had started mixing wet dog food in and she didn't take to it well.
> 
> I wont be able to buy a lot because we have a really small frig. I'm hoping my purebred finds it yummy. Maybe she will starting eating more.


HAHA, oh ya, cannon butt is not a joke that is for sure!! Ive only dealt with it once with my baby BC, his crate is my side table for my bed...and MAN I SOO woke up that night to the WOST noises EVVER!!! uke:

But after a 12 hour fast he went right back to his normal eating and hasnt had the problem since(This was like MAYBE 2 weeks in, and I latter found out that he had eaten an entire beef liver from the package that I thought husband froze and he thought I did!!:tonge1

And GOOD LUCK!:smile: I know that I went from 2 dogs on partial raw sharing our top freezer...too now 3 dogs and a kitty on full RAW....so they have their own stand up freezer which is like 5.5' tall, and they end up with the drawers in the fridge and about 1/2 of the fridge's freezer!:biggrin1: :thumb:


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## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

tricia beaver said:


> r
> I wont be able to buy a lot because we have a really small frig..


I am a newish raw feeder too and only have one dog (greyhound) and seriously thinking of getting small chest freezer so I can buy in bulk - jolly good idea as there is never enough space in our current freezer which has our food in as well.
I think in the States you can get meat for much cheaper than us here in NZ - cheap for me works out to NZ$3.50 per pound which equates to US$2.75 (today's exchange rate).


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

sozzle said:


> I am a newish raw feeder too and only have one dog (greyhound) and seriously thinking of getting small chest freezer so I can buy in bulk - jolly good idea as there is never enough space in our current freezer which has our food in as well.
> I think in the States you can get meat for much cheaper than us here in NZ - cheap for me works out to NZ$3.50 per pound which equates to US$2.75 (today's exchange rate).


ya I thought about that too but I'm renting such a small place that there really is no room for another frig. I have to wait until the house gets some more cash flow and we buy a house ( should be in 6 months or so) with a garage to put a frig in. Lol not that the dogs care, they spend half the day at the offleash dog park. When they get home, they pass out until food is ready.


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

Alright so everyone....and I mean EVERYONE on the threads keep saying stuff along the lines of Dog poop. I know they're probably have cannon butt while changing over from kibble, but other then that what do they mean?


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

Do you mean, why do they keep talking about dog poop? If this is what you are asking then they or we talk about it because that is how you know if you are doing things right. That's why you feed allot of bone in chicken at the beginning, and keep feeding allot of bone in for a long time. And after you add another protein or I do after anything I think might make a loose stool.


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

Herzo said:


> Do you mean, why do they keep talking about dog poop? If this is what you are asking then they or we talk about it because that is how you know if you are doing things right. That's why you feed allot of bone in chicken at the beginning, and keep feeding allot of bone in for a long time. And after you add another protein or I do after anything I think might make a loose stool.


I guess what I mean to say is what do you look for at the beginning that tells you the dog is getting used to the food?


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

I'm not an expert as I have one dog that's been on raw since Feb. and I have just started another 2 weeks ago. But you are probably going to see some bones in it at first and they my throw up with some bones, no big deal. But you want the poop to be firm and smaller and when it is like this for a while then you can try some other type of protein. I don't get to worked up if it is a little loose but then I have never really had cannon butt. When I started Maddie 2 weeks ago I started her on chicken legs then I thought I had run out of legs so I took out some thighs gave her to many of those in a row so she got a little loose. Well dumb me that's not enough bone because there is allot more meat on the thigh. So I took out some wings more bone got firm again. I have not found anyone that will order me chicken backs so I used legs and wings. It worked out good so far. I get Turkey backs from one store so I use these more than I do chicken for Turtle who has been on since Feb.


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

Herzo said:


> I'm not an expert as I have one dog that's been on raw since Feb. and I have just started another 2 weeks ago. But you are probably going to see some bones in it at first and they my throw up with some bones, no big deal. But you want the poop to be firm and smaller and when it is like this for a while then you can try some other type of protein. I don't get to worked up if it is a little loose but then I have never really had cannon butt. When I started Maddie 2 weeks ago I started her on chicken legs then I thought I had run out of legs so I took out some thighs gave her to many of those in a row so she got a little loose. Well dumb me that's not enough bone because there is allot more meat on the thigh. So I took out some wings more bone got firm again. I have not found anyone that will order me chicken backs so I used legs and wings. It worked out good so far. I get Turkey backs from one store so I use these more than I do chicken for Turtle who has been on since Feb.


alright, that makes sense. Thank you for your help!


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

As Herzo said, Poop is how we each know we are doing it properly.

My boys can all 3 have the EXACT same thing(of course pug/x getting less then Collies) but it may end up that each of them, or just 1 of them have "weird" poops. I know that for us, Pug/x has to have no more then 4 bone in meals a week (now that he is transitioned to RAW) and Rhett has to have at LEAST 5 to not have sloppy poops!! So again, its all about "Know and Listen to thy dog(and their poop!)"!:biggrin: :thumb:


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Remember to start on the low side for feedings to begin with - we started at two percent of their body weight. I feed the largest portion I can that fits in their needed eight. So my sheltie would get a chicken back or leg or thigh and my collies would get three backs, or 2 leg quarters. I never chop anythingnup it is good for them to tear and chew. Your picky girl may surprise you and really chow down. Your dogs seem on the medium/larger side - be aware they won't chew like we would rather it will be a few chomps and swallow. hat's o.k. - of course you may get one who actually chews and that is a blessing because you won't worry about the size of what you feed. Check out the co-op on a previous post and depending on where you are Tacoma or Gig Harbor we could let you know of deals and such. I am on the Tacoma side and go to Seattle every couple of months to stock up at a meat processor and am glad to pick stuff up for anyone who want to meet me. I will post when I am going.


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

Liz said:


> Remember to start on the low side for feedings to begin with - we started at two percent of their body weight. I feed the largest portion I can that fits in their needed eight. So my sheltie would get a chicken back or leg or thigh and my collies would get three backs, or 2 leg quarters. I never chop anythingnup it is good for them to tear and chew. Your picky girl may surprise you and really chow down. Your dogs seem on the medium/larger side - be aware they won't chew like we would rather it will be a few chomps and swallow. hat's o.k. - of course you may get one who actually chews and that is a blessing because you won't worry about the size of what you feed. Check out the co-op on a previous post and depending on where you are Tacoma or Gig Harbor we could let you know of deals and such. I am on the Tacoma side and go to Seattle every couple of months to stock up at a meat processor and am glad to pick stuff up for anyone who want to meet me. I will post when I am going.


I live in Lakewood but go to gig harbor to see family and friends. Both of my girls are about 45 pounds. They are pretty healthy and not overweight for their build. I might take you up on your offer though I plan on checking out the place in bremerton. I will probably take you up on out offer just so I can take a look at your collies! I grew up with a rough coat collie. He was a scared, abused pup when he was given to us but he had a long happy life with us.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I actually started a thread about Minder Meats if you want to check it out. At the moment, it is right below this one. It is labelled something like Bremerton Raw Feeders or something like that. The first post is the basic list of prices, but further on, I posted some more prices for various things that they can order for you.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

To add to the poop conversation, I have discovered that both of my boys still have to have bone with every meal to prevent sloppy poop. If they don't get any bone, even with just one meal, it is soft serve for the next 2 days.


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

Dude and Bucks Mamma said:


> I actually started a thread about Minder Meats if you want to check it out. At the moment, it is right below this one. It is labelled something like Bremerton Raw Feeders or something like that. The first post is the basic list of prices, but further on, I posted some more prices for various things that they can order for you.


Ya I read through it yesterday. Nice prices. Wish I had a bigger frig. Lol though I wouldn't mind putting a beef head in the freezer without telling my husband. See what he says next time he goes looking for food.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

if you're in lakewood, the international market is right near you, along with a great chinese restaurant....three sisters...schezuan...wonderful chinese food.....some of which are authentic schezuan dishes, not american dishes....made by chinese people LOL

we started our dogs out on backs.....with some of the fat and skin taken off because it takes a dog a little while to transition from kibble to raw.

chicken is the easiest most digestible protein for newly transitioned dogs and the bones are the easiest to eat...not that your dogs should have any issues....

we fed 2% of their ideal weight in two meal increments...one in the morning, one in the evening.

it also allowed them to strengthen their teeth, their jaws, their mouths, tongues, necks....and also allowed their digestive systems to get used to
eating raw.

it's very exciting in the beginning....especially hearing that first crunch...and after a week or two....because slow is good....you can feed leg quarters for one of the meals....

we discuss poop because of what everyone else has said....it's a barometer, at least for me, to see if i'm feeding enough bone..although there are some red meats when you get that far....that can cause loose stools just because they are so rich....

my dogs get more bone than the 10% because they eat mostly red meats.....and fish...

glad to have you aboard raw!


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

ya I will start the dogs on chicken backs for 2 weeks, then leg quarters and see how they do.
first though, I will get rid of all the kebble i have in the house so I don't get tempted to give then a bowl if they don't want the chicken.

and so my husband doesnt sneak them a bowl when I'm not looking.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

tricia beaver said:


> ya I will start the dogs on chicken backs for 2 weeks, then leg quarters and see how they do.
> first though, I will get rid of all the kebble i have in the house so I don't get tempted to give then a bowl if they don't want the chicken.
> 
> and so my husband doesnt sneak them a bowl when I'm not looking.


clever woman.


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

How much space will 40# cs chicken backs take up in my fridge?


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

um, your fridge?

would you want to keep forty pounds in your fridge? they'll go bad unless you're feeding a lot of dogs....

in my freezer, forty pounds can take up a shelf....until i defrost them and get them ready for feeding for my two dogs.....

i must be having an off day. i forgot i had read and participated in the entire thread other than the last question...

how do people type on tablets. i can't even type on my laptop...arghhhh..


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

When I say fridge, I mean freezer. My freezer isn't very big so I want to know how much room I will need for their meals.

I also have 2 dogs, medium sized. How long will that amount last? I know it depends on the dog, so in just a guess?


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

tricia beaver said:


> When I say fridge, I mean freezer. My freezer isn't very big so I want to know how much room I will need for their meals.
> 
> I also have 2 dogs, medium sized. How long will that amount last? I know it depends on the dog, so in just a guess?


i get loopy at the end of the day..i went back and read the thread.....

you have, what, forty pound dogs?

so to start...each dog would get.....12.8 ounces per day.....personally, i'd feed a little less than that....

and i would get a little scale.

forty pounds is a goodly amount....and, depending on how big the backs are....each dog would get two backs per day? per dog.....so that would mean 24 oz per day total.

is that right? my math sucks today....

the backs that i bought were about six ounces each....there's a butcher in puyallup who sells them in thirty pound boxes, but he's expensive at 1.39 per pound.

what you do is bring the frozen box inside and let it start to defrost or get a bucket like liz has and put the forty pounds in there and let the backs start to defrost.

as they do, take the excess fat off the first few, along with the organs...and feed for brekkie after a twelve hour fast...see how they do.

two dogs would get about 24 oz per day....that's about a pound and a half per day. so forty pounds doesn't last terribly long....about a month or a little less, i think....by then, you'll have added proteins.

i know we had to buy a freezer once we started buying in bulk...in the beginning we did not buy in bulk. we spent a little more but we had to see how they would take to raw.....hope that helps.


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

Yes, that helps a lot. Thank you! We plan on getting a large freezer when we move into a larger house in a couple months. I plan on getting the meat from minder meats cause its only 40 cents a pound for the 40 pound case.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

yeah, but you still have to check my math LOL


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

For 2 dogs who get 1.5lbs per day you would be feeding around 3lbs per day, on an average month you would be feeding around 90lbs!:smile:


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Scarlett_O' said:


> For 2 dogs who get 1.5lbs per day you would be feeding around 3lbs per day, on an average month you would be feeding around 90lbs!:smile:


i knew someone would come in to check my math...thanks, abi.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

magicre said:


> i knew someone would come in to check my math...thanks, abi.


LOL, you are welcome....it helps that that is what I feed Leo and Rhett!LOL


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

So my husband and I had a long chat and he decided to keep the dogs on kibble until we get a bigger house. Mostly because we have no room in the freezer for their food, and there is no room to put in another freezer. It sucks but that's what we get for renting a small place. We should be buying a larger place by the end of the year.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

tricia beaver said:


> So my husband and I had a long chat and he decided to keep the dogs on kibble until we get a bigger house. Mostly because we have no room in the freezer for their food, and there is no room to put in another freezer. It sucks but that's what we get for renting a small place. We should be buying a larger place by the end of the year.


I feel ya there!! We have a MAX 750 squ ft house!! But I squeezed in a freezer anyways!LOL


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