Raw feeding- links needed!

  Raw Dog ranch;   [linkhttp://www.rawdogranch.com/]http://www.rawdogranch.com/[/link]

BARF WORLD; [linkhttp://www.barfworld.com/]http://www.barfworld.com/[/link]

Raw Fed Dogs; [linkhttp://www.rawfeddogs.net]http://www.rawfeddogs.net[/link]

I don't have experience with these sites as I only feed a pre-made raw for part of Jessie's diet so I can't vouch for how balanced the recipes are. Monica Segal (animal nutritionist) has a booklet with recipes for raw feeding;   [linkroducts_id=81]http://www.monicasegal.com/catalog/product.php?cPath=25_26&roducts_id=81[/link];  >http://www.monicasegal.com/catalog/product.php?cPath=25_26&roducts_id=81]http://www.monicasegal.com/catalog/product.php?cPath=25_26&roducts_id=81[/link];   it's $6.25.

What premade do you use and how do you like it?

  I use the Nature's Variety raw medallions;   [linkhttp://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1308&-session=naturesvariety:47626B8D0a34f1C349uYXSEFCB00]http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1308&-session=naturesvariety:47626B8D0a34f1C349uYXSEFCB00[/link]

They're 95% meat and I trust the company to use good sanitary procedures when making them.  Jessie loves them and prefers them to canned food, which is saying something since she's fed canned food with a high meat content. Some members here think that the medallions have too much bone and may cause constipation, but they give her very firm stools which help express her anal sacs, which is the main reason I feed them besides the fact I think it's good for dogs to have some fresh food daily. Honestly, if I was going to feed a pre-made raw exclusively it would be Steve's Real Food;  [linkhttp://www.stevesrealfood.com/]http://www.stevesrealfood.com/[/link]  because it's 65% meat and I'm concerned that an all meat diet may not be the best for dogs, but that's JMO.

I wanted to add that I'm very sorry your friend lost so many dogs; that's so horrible.[&o] Also, I wanted to tell you again how sorry I am about Harry; your family must be heartbroken.

Laurelin--
 
I feed my tzu mostly NV medallions---I do rotate with Steve's and with some homecooking.  I must say his stools are the best when on NV.  He is super sensitive to too much fruits/veggies in his diet.  His stools NV are small and firm, but he does not strain while defecating.  His stools on Steve's are a bit softer and larger but well formed, about the same as they are on homecooked.  All and all, I prefer the NV, but like to provide his diet with some variety. 
 
If you do decide to go with NV, be aware that the pre-made raw and the freeze-dried raw formulas are not the same.  The freeze-dried product contains less bone and added pumpkinseeds (which my IBD boy reacted horribly to).  Also note that the venison raw formula has the pumpkin seeds as well.  It may not be a problem for your dogs, but just a heads-up.

If you do decide to go with NV, be aware that the pre-made raw and the freeze-dried raw formulas are not the same. The freeze-dried product contains less bone and added pumpkinseeds (which my IBD boy reacted horribly to).

I tried the freeze dried too and didn't think it rehydrated well at all, but it's designed to be used when traveling. Steve's isn't available in my area and shipping frozen raw is expensive.

ORIGINAL: Laurelin_429 ... Do you guys know of any helpful links on how to feed raw?   ... So please, I need some helpful links!

 
Sure do, I think there is a lot of helpful info found here concerning Raw diets: [linkhttp://www.therobertabadydogfoodcoltd.com/Fresh%20Frozen%20Complete%20Foods.htm]http://www.therobertabadydogfoodcoltd.com/Fresh%20Frozen%20Complete%20Foods.htm[/link]

I've been reseaching homecooked, not raw, but here are some links for you that talk to a raw diet:
[linkhttp://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html]http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html[/link]
[linkhttp://b-naturals.com/May2006.php]http://b-naturals.com/May2006.php[/link]
 

[linkhttp://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm]BARF for Beginners - Frequently Asked Questions[/link]

I use the Nature's Variety medallions too and have been very happy with them, and with the company. With 4 big dogs though, I can't afford to make them any major part of the diet - they're mostly just Kong stuffers and treats.

OK, if I were to go back to feeding raw (I'd only do it because trusting a dog food right now is ridiculous and scary) and I wanted to add potato or rice as a carb, how much do I add?
I'd do this to help keep weight on her.

I don't know what I'm going to do. Everything is freakin' contaminated.

Raw feeding info:
[linkhttp://forum.dog.com/asp/m.asp?m=305654][color=#666600]http://forum.dog.com/asp/m.asp?m=305654[/link][/color][font="arial, helvetica"] [/font]

Chewbecca - there don't seem to be any "guidelines" on carbs in a raw diet but for homecooked what I've read is that 50-75% (the more the better) of the food should come from protein sources with the remainder from plant sources (veggies, rice, potatos etc).  I'd first try to find fattier meats (chicken, with skin etc) for the extra calories.      

ORIGINAL: janet_rose

Raw feeding info:
[linkhttp://forum.dog.com/asp/m.asp?m=305654][color=#666600]http://forum.dog.com/asp/m.asp?m=305654[/link][/color][font="arial, helvetica"] [/font]

Thank you for those links, Janet. My problem is, most raw feeders don't add carbs.

JoAnnDe,
Thank you for that info!
I never took the skin off of the raw chicken I fed Ella. I didn't take the fat off of much either.
hm...I have bigger fish to fry today (no, not literally) my son was running a fever last night (the one who fell and cracked his head open and had to get staples Monday evening) and I have tickets to a concert that I spent $75 on for tonight, but if he's got a fever still this morning, I'm either taking him to the doctor or BACK to the ER and I have a test in my first class this morning.
If he's sick, I'm not sure what I'm going to to do about my test. I've had to miss my last two classes and I kind of HAVE TO take this test.

Prancer's mom--Just be careful not to overdo cooked fats.  My readings have been that they are able to handle them much better raw.  And, if a problem was going to pop up from excess fat it would most likely be cooked fat like from meats and skin of meats.  Maybe you already know this but I just wanted to mention in case.
 
Becca--I hope your son is OK.  I didn't know he had gotten hurt.  Hopefully, you can get to the concert. 
 
 

Lori - thanks for the info on the fats in homecooked.   I tried to cook the meat medium-rareish but I also noticed that alot of the calories ended up being from fat.  So far Prancer has adapted well and her poops look good but I'll be tweaking my recipes once I get my new books.