# Raw Feeders: What works for you?



## itsgooby (Dec 2, 2020)

We switched Gooby from Stella & Chewy Puppy Chicken & Salmon to raw about a month ago. It's been working really well for him. Other than the first poop post-raw meal being slightly watery, it's been fine ever since. There's a wonderful raw pet food store near me that sells complete and balanced raw meals by Answers, Primal, K9 Kraving brands along with raw duck, chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, pork, fish products if you are balancing the meals yourself. I do want to eventually balance Gooby's meals myself by sourcing the ingredients but for now, since he is a growing puppy - I'm going with the complete and balanced meals to meet his nutrition requirements. There's a great YouTube channel called The Primal Pack that discusses raw feeding and the science and nutrition behind each type of raw diet. 

He eats 3x a day and is full of energy and happiness. His meals are either K9 Kraving Chicken & Vegetable or Beef, Chicken and Vegetable. I add a little salmon to it as well. I hand feed him otherwise he gobbles it up too quickly. At night he eats a raw chicken foot for additional calcium requirements. Right now he is not a huge fan of green lipped mussels lol. In the morning he gets a bit of Primal Blueberry & Pom Goat Milk that I froze in mini silicone molds. 

Raw feeders, what has been working for you and your Hav?

Disclaimer: I am not recommending that anyone do this for their dog without doing their own research and consultations. I understand raw feeding is not everyone's cup of tea and people often feed their dogs nutritionally unbalanced raw diets due to lack of knowledge and/or support from professionals. Do what works best for you & your loved ones!

Bonus pic of Goobs after his grooming on Monday :grin2:


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

itsgooby said:


> We switched Gooby from Stella & Chewy Puppy Chicken & Salmon to raw about a month ago. It's been working really well for him. Other than the first poop post-raw meal being slightly watery, it's been fine ever since. There's a wonderful raw pet food store near me that sells complete and balanced raw meals by Answers, Primal, K9 Kraving brands along with raw duck, chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, pork, fish products if you are balancing the meals yourself. I do want to eventually balance Gooby's meals myself by sourcing the ingredients but for now, since he is a growing puppy - I'm going with the complete and balanced meals to meet his nutrition requirements. There's a great YouTube channel called The Primal Pack that discusses raw feeding and the science and nutrition behind each type of raw diet.
> 
> He eats 3x a day and is full of energy and happiness. His meals are either K9 Kraving Chicken & Vegetable or Beef, Chicken and Vegetable. I add a little salmon to it as well. I hand feed him otherwise he gobbles it up too quickly. At night he eats a raw chicken foot for additional calcium requirements. Right now he is not a huge fan of green lipped mussels lol. In the morning he gets a bit of Primal Blueberry & Pom Goat Milk that I froze in mini silicone molds.
> 
> ...


I recently discovered the Primal Pack channel also. It is very good. Glad Gooby is doing well on the raw diet. I started out with commercial raw which worked well but I now mostly make my own. The trickiest part is sourcing all the ingredients. I feed prey model so it is important to feed a variety of organs so they get all their vitamins and minerals. I do not feed veggies but many disagree with this. I fed lots of variety. I like having control over all the ingredients as far as quality, as well as how much of what goes into it. And I try to feed grass finished meats where the omega 3 to 6 ratio is balanced. I do think there are some excellent commercial raw foods out there so that can be a great way to go as well.

Just curious what you are feeding for green lipped mussel. I recently started adding some green lipped mussel powder mainly for joint support. I also feed sardines a couple times a week and wild Alaskan Salmon once a week for omega threes. I do feed the salmon cooked though since salmon can contain a parasite that is very bad for dogs.


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## itsgooby (Dec 2, 2020)

mudpuppymama said:


> I recently discovered the Primal Pack channel also. It is very good. Glad Gooby is doing well on the raw diet. I started out with commercial raw which worked well but I now mostly make my own. The trickiest part is sourcing all the ingredients. I feed prey model so it is important to feed a variety of organs so they get all their vitamins and minerals. I do not feed veggies but many disagree with this. I fed lots of variety. I like having control over all the ingredients as far as quality, as well as how much of what goes into it. And I try to feed grass finished meats where the omega 3 to 6 ratio is balanced. I do think there are some excellent commercial raw foods out there so that can be a great way to go as well.
> 
> Just curious what you are feeding for green lipped mussel. I recently started adding some green lipped mussel powder mainly for joint support. I also feed sardines a couple times a week and wild Alaskan Salmon once a week for omega threes. I do feed the salmon cooked though since salmon can contain a parasite that is very bad for dogs.


You are doing exactly what I aim to do over time - variety and control! We were able to get raw frozen salmon patties by K9 Kraving where it's been frozen long enough and at the right temp to kill parasites or bacterias and *knock on wood* so far so good. I will switch to sardines next for a new variety.

We feed the actual green lipped mussel instead of powder since it was available at the store.

At what point did you decide to and feel comfortable making your own? Was it after Mia was a certain age?


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

itsgooby said:


> You are doing exactly what I aim to do over time - variety and control! We were able to get raw frozen salmon patties by K9 Kraving where it's been frozen long enough and at the right temp to kill parasites or bacterias and *knock on wood* so far so good. I will switch to sardines next for a new variety.
> 
> We feed the actual green lipped mussel instead of powder since it was available at the store.
> 
> At what point did you decide to and feel comfortable making your own? Was it after Mia was a certain age?


Freezing a period of time is also great for killing parasites. My husband hunts deer and I freeze deer meat for several weeks before feeding it. Vital Choice has sardines packed in water. That is what I feed for sardines. Mia ate kibble until about age 1 when I switched her to commercial raw (Natures Variety). After about a year I started making my own. And for a long time I interspersed some premade raw from My Pet Carnivore.


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## itsgooby (Dec 2, 2020)

Gooby's breeder advised me to get my own grinder and start the process myself. I admit I kind of freak myself out over making sure it's completely balanced muscle meat, edible bone, liver, organs. I'm reading a lot on perfectlyrawsome.com to gain confidence and just take the plunge!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

itsgooby said:


> Gooby's breeder advised me to get my own grinder and start the process myself. I admit I kind of freak myself out over making sure it's completely balanced muscle meat, edible bone, liver, organs. I'm reading a lot on perfectlyrawsome.com to gain confidence and just take the plunge!


It is good to learn as much as you can but as long as you follow the basic principles I don't think you can go wrong. One thing that is confusing is that people do have differing opinions on certain things. That can drive a person a bit crazy so sometimes you just need to make a choice. For example, I do not believe in supplementing with kelp, especially a breed prone to hypothyroidism. I prefer for my dogs to get iodine from food so I feed some seafood and eggs. However, other people will say this is wrong. So for things like this you need to make a choice. As far as grinders, I never have used one. I would think the only reason you would need one is to grind up bones. I mainly feed chicken necks for bone and they are easy to cut into small pieces with a Joyce Chen poultry shears. They can pose a choking hazard so I prefer to cut them up. I feed meat in a large chunk or you can feed in smaller chunks if you fear choking. Some will argue that you should not feed necks on a regular basis for bone because the neck meat may contain some thyroid hormone that could lead to hyperthyroidism. This is very rare in dogs. It is hypothyroidism that is common. Again, everyone has their opinion. Good luck! I am sure you will do fine. Dogs are resilient. I did not always do everything perfectly. There were not as many resources when I started 11 years ago. I did not do everything perfect and my dogs are doing fine.


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## itsgooby (Dec 2, 2020)

mudpuppymama said:


> It is good to learn as much as you can but as long as you follow the basic principles I don't think you can go wrong. One thing that is confusing is that people do have differing opinions on certain things. That can drive a person a bit crazy so sometimes you just need to make a choice. For example, I do not believe in supplementing with kelp, especially a breed prone to hypothyroidism. I prefer for my dogs to get iodine from food so I feed some seafood and eggs. However, other people will say this is wrong. So for things like this you need to make a choice. As far as grinders, I never have used one. I would think the only reason you would need one is to grind up bones. I mainly feed chicken necks for bone and they are easy to cut into small pieces with a Joyce Chen poultry shears. They can pose a choking hazard so I prefer to cut them up. I feed meat in a large chunk or you can feed in smaller chunks if you fear choking. Some will argue that you should not feed necks on a regular basis for bone because the neck meat may contain some thyroid hormone that could lead to hyperthyroidism. This is very rare in dogs. It is hypothyroidism that is common. Again, everyone has their opinion. Good luck! I am sure you will do fine. Dogs are resilient. I did not always do everything perfectly. There were not as many resources when I started 11 years ago. I did not do everything perfect and my dogs are doing fine.


That is very interested about your views on kelp because I thought not enough iodine in the dogs diet could contribute to hypothyroidism. I do know that sardines and salmon are rich in iodine so the need can be met so I will stick to that for now.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

itsgooby said:


> That is very interested about your views on kelp because I thought not enough iodine in the dogs diet could contribute to hypothyroidism. I do know that sardines and salmon are rich in iodine so the need can be met so I will stick to that for now.


I wanted to clarify that I am not a certified dog nutritionist so please do not take what I do as gospel. Please do your own research and do what you think is right for your dog. Many people feel that iodine supplementation is important when feeding a homemade diet.

Iodine supplementation is tricky because too much or too little can cause problems. You have to get it just right and that is the problem. Determining the dosage is tricky. More is not better. I have read some articles by Jean Dodds on hypothyroidism that said that kelp supplementation can be dangerous because too much iodine could trigger hypothyroidism. Therefore, I decided to feed iodine rich foods instead such as sardines, eggs and salmon. Whether this is enough I do not know. Perhaps a certified nutritionist could analyze all the foods you feed and tell you if iodine supplements are needed. So please do your own research on what is best for your dog. I have a feeling many things play into thyroid health other than iodine such as vaccines and endocrine disrupting chemicals like flea/tick preventatives. All I know is I have never fed kelp in almost 11 years of raw feeding and both my dogs have normal thyroids.


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## itsgooby (Dec 2, 2020)

mudpuppymama said:


> I wanted to clarify that I am not a certified dog nutritionist so please do not take what I do as gospel. Please do your own research and do what you think is right for your dog. Many people feel that iodine supplementation is important when feeding a homemade diet.


Totally understood! We share a lot of the same views and I value your input because you've been doing it for so long. I always do my own research too 

BTW we went for Gooby's third round of puppy shots on Monday and the vet had asked for a stool sample to run a fecal test. By looking at it he determined he may have parasites.. my husband got worried that he may have gotten it from his raw food. I figured it was tiny bones in the stool from the raw food. Well, they never called me the next day to let me know about the results. I called them today and they said "Oh.. sorry we didn't call. It was negative" I was kind of annoyed by it because how can you frighten me about my pup possibly having parasites and then not follow up? I mean, they call my parents about the cat being fat after every visit! I have also yet to tell Gooby's vet about his raw diet because I don't want a lecture.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

itsgooby said:


> Totally understood! We share a lot of the same views and I value your input because you've been doing it for so long. I always do my own research too
> 
> BTW we went for Gooby's third round of puppy shots on Monday and the vet had asked for a stool sample to run a fecal test. By looking at it he determined he may have parasites.. my husband got worried that he may have gotten it from his raw food. I figured it was tiny bones in the stool from the raw food. Well, they never called me the next day to let me know about the results. I called them today and they said "Oh.. sorry we didn't call. It was negative" I was kind of annoyed by it because how can you frighten me about my pup possibly having parasites and then not follow up? I mean, they call my parents about the cat being fat after every visit! I have also yet to tell Gooby's vet about his raw diet because I don't want a lecture.


It is definitely helpful if the vet is supportive of a raw diet but if I can find a better vet who doesn't like it, I would likely go to that vet. I like vets who try to get to root causes of problems. The major problem with a vet who is really dead set against a raw diet is that they may blame diet before looking to the real root cause of an issue. If I see that, I am off looking for a new vet.


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## GoWithTheFlo (Oct 11, 2018)

It’s great that raw feeding is working out so well for you both Ali and Mudpuppymama and most importantly for Gooby and Mia:smile2:

I am a bit of a lazy raw feeder and just go with complete balanced prepared frozen meals from Natural Instinct. I am really impressed with the research that you have both done and that you either prepare or are thinking of preparing your own meals from scratch!

Flo is a fussy eater and after about a year of a couple of different kibbles, which she did not enjoy eating we switched to raw. This was after chatting with other owners who were incredibly passionate about Raw feeding. I must admit I wasn’t that keen on the idea as Flo’s breeder had said one of her dogs had become ill from it and also it is not our vet’s preferred choice. I am really happy with our vet’s practice, they all go above and beyond for the animals on their care. So that was a hard one to get over, but in the end I found myself thinking what does a dog’s life involve? And for Flo it is exercise, companionship, sleeping and eating! So if she wasn’t enjoying one of those 4 main points I wanted to change it...

I could not believe my eyes when the first bowl of raw food went down and she eagerly polished it off!!! It was so lovely to see her eating AND enjoying her food:smile2::smile2: Don’t get me wrong she is still sometimes fussy and has managed to train husband into sprinkling a couple of bits of cooked meat onto the top of each meal to entice her to eat it:suspicious: 

So that’s our Raw feeding story:smile2:

I shall save how much nicer a raw fed dog poo is for Chapter 2:laugh2:


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

GoWithTheFlo said:


> It's great that raw feeding is working out so well for you both Ali and Mudpuppymama and most importantly for Gooby and Mia:smile2:
> 
> I am a bit of a lazy raw feeder and just go with complete balanced prepared frozen meals from Natural Instinct. I am really impressed with the research that you have both done and that you either prepare or are thinking of preparing your own meals from scratch!
> 
> ...


Great story. Thanks for sharing!

I started Mia out on kibble. My neighbor fed her standard poodles raw but I thought she was crazy! She kept telling me about the benefits but I kept on with the kibble. Mia did not have major digestive issues and was okay with kibble, although not wild about it. Her poops however were out of control and I believe this is what made potty training so hard. I decided to try the Natures Variety premade raw and wow! Mia LOVED it and her poops were awesome. After seeing how much she loves raw, I cannot feed kibble. I enjoy watching my dogs enjoy their food. It was later on I decided to learn how to feed my own. We have lots of our own deer meat and raise our beef and wanted to be able to use it in a balanced fashion.


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## samadams (Aug 31, 2021)

I read a lot about raw dog food and also decided to try
I found this typo of food: Dehydrated raw dog food from this company: Dehydrated Raw Dog Food - ROCKETO | GORocketo.com
Have anybody of you guys try this out? Maybe know difference between it or any recommendations?


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

samadams said:


> I read a lot about raw dog food and also decided to try
> I found this typo of food: Dehydrated raw dog food from this company: Dehydrated Raw Dog Food - ROCKETO | GORocketo.com
> Have anybody of you guys try this out? Maybe know difference between it or any recommendations?


I think it is great that you are interested in feeding raw. I am not familiar with this dog food, however I read information on their website and looked at the ingredients in their beef product. A couple things stood out to me.

1. Most raw dog foods include some bone which is where the dog gets calcium. I did not see any bone listed…just meat. I read elsewhere on their website that they add red algae to provide calcium. I have never heard of this and did a little research. It looks like red algae can provide calcium but I wondering about this. Bones would be a more natural food for a dog and also provides some cartilage for joint support. Dogs get more than just calcium from bones.

2. The first two ingredients are meat and liver, however it does not specify what percentage is liver. Liver is awesome and provides so many great nutrients, however too much liver is not good since it is super high in vitamin A and some livers like beef are super high In copper. Excesses of vitamin A or copper can cause problems. Ideally the food would contain more organ meats besides liver like heart and kidney. Their website mentioned elsewhere about including these other organs, however they are not specifically listed as ingredients.

3. They have some great information on their website which sounds very good. For example, they try to avoid synthetic vitamins and minerals and try to provide these nutrients from food. This is a great goal as long as these nutrients are truly being met by the food. They also try to keep the carbs and fat down. I am not sure why they include coconut because this does not seem like something a dog would eat normally. They say it is to provide fiber which perhaps they need to add since they are not including bone.

Anyway, these were a few things that stood out to me. I did email them with a couple questions. We will see if I hear back…this is one test I do when checking out dog foods. If no response or one that I do not like, they do not get my business.

I try to stick with a raw diet that includes meat, bone and a wide variety of both secreting and non-secreting organs in the proper proportion. I make it myself but I can definitely understand why people may not want to do this.


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## BoosDad (Mar 8, 2020)

itsgooby said:


> We switched Gooby from Stella & Chewy Puppy Chicken & Salmon to raw about a month ago. It's been working really well for him. Other than the first poop post-raw meal being slightly watery, it's been fine ever since. There's a wonderful raw pet food store near me that sells complete and balanced raw meals by Answers, Primal, K9 Kraving brands along with raw duck, chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, pork, fish products if you are balancing the meals yourself. I do want to eventually balance Gooby's meals myself by sourcing the ingredients but for now, since he is a growing puppy - I'm going with the complete and balanced meals to meet his nutrition requirements. There's a great YouTube channel called The Primal Pack that discusses raw feeding and the science and nutrition behind each type of raw diet.
> 
> He eats 3x a day and is full of energy and happiness. His meals are either K9 Kraving Chicken & Vegetable or Beef, Chicken and Vegetable. I add a little salmon to it as well. I hand feed him otherwise he gobbles it up too quickly. At night he eats a raw chicken foot for additional calcium requirements. Right now he is not a huge fan of green lipped mussels lol. In the morning he gets a bit of Primal Blueberry & Pom Goat Milk that I froze in mini silicone molds.
> 
> ...


When Boo was younger, so many years ago, I used to feed him Stella and Chewy freeze dried raw patties. At that time, there were not a large variety of commercial raw diets on the market. Stella and Chewy was recommended to me by a friend. It worked well because it came in a variety of flavors. So, I could change the protein source, every so often. Boo tolerated it fairly well. As we were bicoastal and also traveled in Europe, the freeze dried aspect also was particularly appealing. Periodically, we also switched to Ziwi Peak air dried, which he loved.

I know there are so many different commercial raw diets now. However, since Boo is almost 19 years old, there must have been something good about Stella and Chewy freeze dried raw. Now, as his digestive system is more delicate, I just feed homecooked, which is working well.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

BoosDad said:


> When Boo was younger, so many years ago, I used to feed him Stella and Chewy freeze dried raw patties. At that time, there were not a large variety of commercial raw diets on the market. Stella and Chewy was recommended to me by a friend. It worked well because it came in a variety of flavors. So, I could change the protein source, every so often. Boo tolerated it fairly well. As we were bicoastal and also traveled in Europe, the freeze dried aspect also was particularly appealing. Periodically, we also switched to Ziwi Peak air dried, which he loved.
> 
> I know there are so many different commercial raw diets now. However, since Boo is almost 19 years old, there must have been something good about Stella and Chewy freeze dried raw. Now, as his digestive system is more delicate, I just feed homecooked, which is working well.


Travel is one of the reasons why I do Stella and chewy's freezed dried raw for Perry (1 meal, kibble for the other) - they're easy to take with us when we move.


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