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Looking at this raw plan, what do you think?

4K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  Nallah06 
#1 ·
I know nothing about raw yet, but am looking at starting to learn and possibly putting my lab puppy and my mini aussie on a raw diet. There is a gal in town here who has Chihuahua's and she is currently feeding this holistic vet's raw food:
http://restorationrawpetfood.com

She's happy with how it's going, and the vet is very easy to talk to and guides people through it. Right now the lab pup eats Orijen.

Any comments about how this looks? It's based here in MN, so I can get it at a decent price, and my friend and I could order together, cutting down on shipping prices.

How much would a person suppose a 45ish pound lab pup eat a day?

Thank you!
Also, can anyone recommend any good books to read?
 
#2 · (Edited)
Well, I'd say definitely a step up from kibble, but I don't like the grain inclusion. (Yes I know they're sprouted, but that just technically makes them veggies, which I don't like either!) ;) I'd also be concerned about the lack of variety, all beef all the time is heavy in some vitamins and minerals and lacking in others. Variety is a key tenet of raw diets because each different protein brings something different (and needed) to the table, basically. Hopefully Dana will stop by, she knows more about that than I.

I switched Baloo when he was 11 months, and he was a slow grower so was most definitely still growing at that point. He ate about 3% of his body weight daily, so at that point was around 2-2.5 pounds. Now that he's officially an "adult" he eats much less, about 1-1.25 pounds daily.

Really it would depend on the individual dog, as Peanut varies significantly even by season. I'd start at around 2.5% and re-evaluate from there. Gettin' chubby? Less food! Gettin' skinny? More food! :D
 
#3 ·
Kate,
Glad to see I was thinking right. I was concerned about it being all beef, and then the grains as well, I think one of the best pros of raw is that grain does not have to be included!

Do you have any good book recommendations for me to read? I just don't know where to start, haha, but am very seriously interested in making the switch!
 
#4 ·
Tom Lonsdale's "Raw meaty bones" is good.

I started on Kymythy Schultze's "Natural nutrition for dogs and cats" book. She includes veggies and some supplements that I don't use anymore, but she provides a great how-to layout that takes some of the anxiety out of the switch. Gives you precise, step-by-step directions, which I needed in the beginning. :)

It wasn't long before I realized that this wasn't so hard, not only are the dogs not turning green and keeling over, but they're flourishing! From there I felt able to handle it solo, pretty much. That was about a year and a half ago and we've never looked back. :D

There's a fantastic raw feeding community on dogster, LOTS of great reading there. http://www.dogster.com/forums/Raw_Food_Diet

Specific thread just for newbies:
http://www.dogster.com/forums/Raw_Food_Diet/thread/431875
 
#6 ·
Great Kate, thank you!
Now, do I just read for a couple weeks and jump in and start, or do I read and research for a looong time before I start? Is it safe to just kind of jump in after just researching a bit? Also, can I ask, you can PM me if you want, what it costs you to feed your two per month? My mini aussie looks to be about the size of Peanut, and then of course Baloo and Daisy are both labs!
 
#8 ·
I have been feeding raw for 6 years now so if you want to talk we can. You still coming to Winnebago next week? I have one of Dana's puppies, too and he was weaned to raw. I don't do grains at all. Not even in treats. I did have my boys on Orijen when we were on vacation last year and they did ok on it but I much prefer the raw. I wish I could pack enough stuff to keep them on raw when we are gone for two weeks. Tom's book is really good. I stil need to download the free one and read it.
 
#9 ·
Hard to say about cost, as I suck at keeping track of stuff and pick up a little something here or there as I see it most of the time. I tried to save my receipts and realized that I often dog-shop when I grocery shop for us, so that was just way too much math for me. :D

If I had to guess I'd say anywhere from $80-$100 a month? ish? It all depends on scoring deals. If you have a co-op near you join that, those are always great.

However, as a disclaimer for the cost thing, I must say that while I spend more on raw than I did on kibble, I really do actually save money in the long run, as the little vet visits in between check ups for small stuff have disappeared. Peanut's allergy issues have also much improved. Baloo no longer has chronic ear "issues". :)
 
#10 ·
However, as a disclaimer for the cost thing, I must say that while I spend more on raw than I did on kibble, I really do actually save money in the long run, as the little vet visits in between check ups for small stuff have disappeared. Peanut's allergy issues have also much improved. Baloo no longer has chronic ear "issues". :)

That is a huge thing right there!
 
#11 ·
Susan, I am still coming to Winnebago! Do you think we'd have time to chat there about it? Or, once I start reading a bit more we could chat on the phone as well. I'll also read Tom's book. Really what I would like is a step-by-step plan that says "Start feeding this, cook it this way, then progress to this" etc. I'd like to find an idiot-proof plan, if I can! Haha. And, Daisy has not had a lot of expensive vet visits yet, but if I can avoid them in the future, I'll gladly pay $80-100 a month. To ship Orijen to my house right now I'm practically paying close to that, anyhow.

Glad to know Micah was weaned in to the raw, as Daisy is still a pup (almost 6 months) so it will be nice to talk to you, Susan!
 
#12 ·
Can we say Troll?

Anyways, Chantel, I was curious to see if you ever started on Raw with Daisy? I've started Nallah on a partial raw diet and she seems to love it. And, I've got another place you can get "pre-made" raw food if thats what you're intersted in. I looked at the one you were interested in, and the owner of that business approached me at the Pet Expo in Mpls this past winter. I was interested in raw then, but as soon as he started talking I was turned off. Just the fact that he includes veggies in his mixes.......its not necessary and only adds cost. I know some people like to feed veggies, and thats fine. But I'd rather not have to pay for them to be mixed into the raw food and feed them separately if I was going to feed them at all.

PM me or Email me if you want some more info.
 
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