Sixty-one cents

I just finished cutting up over 75 pounds of meat, and I realized that I haven't done a cost post is AGES!

Yes, I am a bit tired, thanks for asking :)

I've had a few large cuts of beef and pork in the freezer, that I bought on sale a while ago, as well as two turkeys and one whole chicken.  And chicken legs are on sale this week for $1/lb, so I picked up ~20 pounds yesterday.

And I decided to portion everything out today, re-package and re-freeze it, in an attempt to organize the freezer a bit better!

One night in cold water (the meat, not me!), and 3 hours later of cutting and bagging later...

I have almost 11 weeks worth of meals for both dogs.  And I still have 3 huge pork shoulders in the freezer, and will be going back to get more chicken this week.

I didn't realize I had quite that much meat in the freezer :)

And after adding everything up... each meal costs 61 cents.  (Actually, one of the turkeys was free, and I estimated that is would have cost $15 to buy.  If I take that $15 out, then each meal works out to an amazing 51 cents!)

Sixty-one cents.

I can't even get a box of Kraft Dinner (Kraft Mac & Cheese for you Southerners) for 61 cents anymore.

In all honesty, I haven't been keeping track of the cost any more, but I do know all the meat I have bought since starting this has been $2/lb or less, and some of it was free (some venison from a co-worker, so freezer-burned and/or old meat from others, plus the turkey).

I am WELL under my target of $1 per meal :)


I started keeping track of costs, mainly in order to dispel one of the myths of raw feeding, that it is more expensive than kibble.  Obviously, it depends on the kibble, but I think I've shown how cheap raw feeding can be!

Gotta love it!

Recalling 2010

The vast majority of people still don't understand why I choose to feed raw.  Maybe this list will help*

There were recalls in 8 out of 12 months this year.

January :

Merrick, 1 product, 01/14/10, Salmonella, no illnesses reported.  

February:

Nature’s Variety, 6 products, 02/11/10, 4 more added on 06/10/10, Salmonella, no illnesses reported.

June:

Natural Balance, 2 products, 06/18/10, Salmonella, no illnesses reported.  

July:

Iams , 51 Iams and Eukanuba products, 07/30/10, Salmonella, no illnesses reported.  

August:

Merrick, 2 products, 08/16/10, Salmonella, no illnesses reported.

September:

Hartz , 1 product, 09/03/10, Salmonella, no illnesses reported.

October:

Blue Buffalo , 6 products, 10/08/10, Vitamin D toxicity, reports of dogs dying.

December:

Kroger, 4 products, 12/18/10.  Aflatoxin.  While this is ongoing, there have been some reports of animals dying.

A note on the Salmonella recalls:  These recalls are generally due to concern of humans being infected, through improper handling.  Basically, all pet foods should be treated the same way you treat raw meat - wash your hands, and any surfaces, after handling.  Healthy dogs are generally not bothered by Salmonella.

Of great concern, much greater, are the last two recalls, since they are issues that arise from manufacturing oversights.  There is NO excuse for either of them, at all.  

Dogs died, once again, because of their food.

How many years will go by until a list like this becomes obsolete??

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*http://www.avma.org/petfoodsafety/recalls/2010/dog_food_2010_pf.asp

Additionally, there were almost 60 "supplement" products recalled, from yeast powder to glucosamine chews to calcium supplements.  Remember, supplements and treats are made by the same companies, with the same lack of oversight, as pet food. 


More links:
 2010

Kroger Co. recalls 10 varieties of pet foods sold in 19 states (19 Dec 2010)
Blue Buffalo recalls several dog foods in response to reports of vitamin D toxicity (8 Oct 2010)
Hartz Mountain Corp. recalls Hartz Naturals Real Beef Treats due to possible Salmonella contamination (3 Sep 2010)
Proctor & Gamble voluntarily recalls Iams Indoor Weight Control with Hairball Care formula dry cat food (31 Aug 2010)
Proctor & Gamble recalls dry cat food sold in Loveland, Colorado (29 Aug 2010)
Merrick Pet Care Recalls Beef Filet Squares and Texas Hold'ems Treats (Updated: 17 Aug 2010)
Mice Direct recalls frozen reptile feed because of possible health risk (Updated: 10 Aug 2010)
Procter & Gamble Voluntarily Recalls Veterinary and Some Specialized Dry Pet Foods (Updated: 30 Jul 2010)
Feline's Pride recalls Natural Chicken Formula raw food
(Updated: 16 Jul 2010)
United Pet Group voluntarily expands recall of nutritional supplements for dogs to include additional tablet and powdered-form products for dogs and cats because of possible Salmonella health risk (2 Jul 2010)
United Pet Group recalls Pro-Pet Adult Daily Vitamin Supplement Tablets for Dogs (22 Jun 2010)
Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc. voluntarily recalls Sweet Potato & Chicken dry dog food due to possible Salmonella contamination (18 Jun 2010)
Nationwide voluntary recall of some Kent Feeds swine feed products (17 Jun 2010)
Procter & Gamble Company recalls specific lots of Iams canned cat food (9 Jun 2010)
Limited recall of Kent Feeds 20 Lamb DQ45 Medicated Feed (2 Jun 2010)

Response Products of Broken Bow, Nebraska has issued a voluntary recall of two lots of Advanced Cetyl M® Joint Action Formula for Dogs (13 Apr 2010)
Better Business Bureau issues warning about Dynamic Pet Products' Real Ham Bone for Dogs (14 Mar 2010)
Nature's Variety voluntarily recalls Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet for dogs and cats due to Salmonella (Updated: 09 Mar 2010)
FDA Health Alert for Merrick Beef Filet Squares Dog Treats Packaged and Distributed by Merrick Pet Care (14 Jan 2010)

2009

Pet Carousel Recalls Beef Hoof Products and Pigs Ears Because of Salmonella Risk (09 Dec 2009)
Update to Diamond Pet Foods® Premium Edge® brand recall – eastern U.S. (27 Nov 2009)
FDA issues health alert for pig ear and beef hooves pet treats (05 Nov 2009)
Wysong® recall – dry dog food (13 Oct 2009)
Country Acres® recall of home grown turkey and quail starter feed (13 Oct 2009)
Nutro® products has recalled some of its pet food products (02 Oct 2009)
Diamond Pet Foods® Premium Edge® brand recall – eastern U.S. (02 Oct 2009)
Nutro Products announces recall of dry cat food products (21 May 2009)
Scotts expands its wild bird food suet recall to include an additional seven products (23 Mar 2009)
Bird food recalled due to Salmonella contamination: Dead birds found in N.C. initiates testing of bird food (12 Mar 2009)
Alaska Canine Cookies recalls certain Canine Cookies because of possible Salmonella health risk (10 Mar 2009)
Breadfarm, Inc. recalls Sirius Dog Treats purchased between January 2007 and October of 2008 because of possible health risk (04 Mar 2009)
American Health Kennels, Inc. announces a recall of baked dog treats containing peanut butter (20 Feb 2009)
Ongoing issues regarding Peanut Corporation of America result in Scotts voluntarily recalling five Wild Bird Food Suet products that may contain PCA peanut meal (16 Feb 2009)
American Nutrition, Inc. announces a recall of baked dog treats (10 Feb 2009)
Western Trade Group, Inc. recalls roasted peanuts because of possible Salmonella health risk (10 Feb 2009)
Hialeah Products, Inc. d/b/a New Urban Farms conducts nationwide recall of various snack products because of possible health risk (09 Feb 2009)
Supervalu Inc recalls multi-flavored dog biscuits (02 Feb 2009)
Salix, LLC recalls 6" peanut butter-filled shank bone because of possible Salmonella risk (30 Jan 2009)
Salix recalls dog treat due to possible health risk (28 Jan 2009)
Carolina Prime Pet announces nationwide recall of dog treats (27 Jan 2009)
PetSmart recalls Grreat Choice Dog Biscuits (21 Jan 2009)

WOOHOO!

Katy is down to 20 pounds!!

Which is ~3 pounds off, which is a whopping THIRTEEN percent of her body weight in 3 months!

Yeah Katy!  Yeah raw diet!

We went to the vet today, to get Kip's annual exam and rabies booster, and a heartworm test for both.  All is well, and the vet loves both dogs!!  The ONLY issue she found with Kip was some tartar build-up on his upper canines.  Other than that, he's a perfect dog :)

Nothing much going on...

Things are fine in our little raw world.  Katy's eating beef now, again with absolutely NO issues, which is fantastic.  And let me tell you, she LOVES her food.  She's still eating in her kennel (while Kip eats in the kitchen) and when I tell her to "kennel up", she gets so excited, she literally spins her way into it.  Silly girl!  I have to try to get a video one of these days.

I don't know if she's lost any weight or not, but I'm going to call the vet next week, and see if I can bring her in just to get weighed.  And now that the nice weather is here, we should be more active, which will help move those extra pounds. 

The one thing we do have to work on is her food "aggression".  It happens with toys as well - if she has something in her mouth, she will NOT give it up.

When this issue comes up on many on-line dog fora, I often see advice given along the lines of "it's their food, they deserve to eat it in peace and quite, and it's their right to defend it".

I couldn't disagree more.

I got Kip as a puppy, and one thing I worked on was being able to take anything out of his mouth at any time, for any reason (along with "Drop it", of course). 

It's not some control thing, it's not about being "dominant",  it's not about being mean - it's 100% about being able to safely remove something from your dog's mouth that could possibly harm them if they were allowed to eat it.

And so I will be working on this with Katy.  It will also help with eventually being able to feed them both in the kitchen, un-crated, without her stealing Kip's food, which she will do now, and he just lets her, the wimp :)

So yeah, there's not much going on here right now.  Makes for a boring blog, but a nice calm life!

Oh, Kip!

One of the grocery stores had stewing hens on sale for $1/lb, so I stocked up yesterday.  I cut one up for Katy, the new addition, and gave one whole to Kip, as I've been feeding him larger pieces for the last little while.  He generally gnaws on the meat until he's full, then it gets put away until the next meal.  But no, not last night.   


He ate the entire thing.   


And surprisingly enough, was fine after.  1.75 pounds of chicken, nary a problem.

Except the fit of sulks he's having right now, watching Katy eat while he fasts.

One year in, and a new addition!

I can't believe it's been one year already.

One year!

And Kip is doing so well - happy, healthy and full of energy.  He's doing so well, in fact, that we've decided to take on a new project:

 

Pudgy little no-name

This little girl was brought in as a stray - you can read more about her here.

She's a sweet dog, and is doing great.  The one issue - very overweight.  So we will be working on that, using, of course, a raw diet.  She's been here just over a week already, and has taken to raw like a pro.  

 

First meal

If I didn't know better, I'd say she was fed raw by her previous owners.  She's had no problem with bone-in chicken breasts, and no poop issues at all!  In fact, the night I brought her home, I put down a beef roast for Kip, and she attacked it with vigour!  She's currently being fed in her kennel, for two reasons - to make it her "good" place, and to deal with any food-guarding issues she or Kip may have.  Eventually, I'll try to feed them both in the kitchen.   

She is much shorter than Kip, and her ideal body weight is probably somewhere around 15 pounds, compared to Kip's 20-22 pounds.  She currently weight a whopping 23 pounds, but that will be decreasing with proper food and lots of exercise - play time with Kip included!

One thing this will change is my organization methods.  I have taken to giving Kip large hunks of meat, for multiple days, and letting him set the pace at which he eats.  For example, a 3 pound roast should take him 6 days to eat.  If he eats in it 5 days, then he fasts for the 6.  If he takes 7 days to eat it, so be it.  It save a lot of work in portioning the meat ahead of time, as well as giving him a good "chew" workout.  I want to continue to do this with Kip, but may not be able to with the new GirlDog, depending on what feeding issues she has  - I have noticed she is ALWAYS hungry, so a "gorge" model may or may not be right for her.  Then again, if she is allowed to eat as much as she wants, it might make her issues better.  We'll try a few things, once she has settled in more, and see. 

So that's what new around here.  And hopefully I'll be posting here a bit more, with up-dates on how she is doing with her new diet and new life :)

An answer too long for the comment section...

This was recently asked in the comment section of a previous post, and I started to answer, then realized what I was writing was a post, not a comment. So...

I have a 7 week old and a 5 month old I would like to switch to Raw feeding - what have you found to be your best source of information - I have read quite a few books - have spent months researching online - but everything seems to contradict each other - no dairy vs make your own yogurt, bones vs. no bones, add rice and barley vs. no need for grains. As someone who is doing it - what resources have you found the most helpful?

First off, thanks for visiting, and commenting!

I completely understand the confusion around trying to figure out what's best for your dogs. The last thing we want to do is to cause harm, but there is so much information out there, and most of it is conflicting. Then you get opinions and comments from friends, family, and dog "professionals", all of which, again, can be conflicting. Now let me state something that may sound odd: I don't think it matters which model you choose to follow. Any model you choose is better than processed kibble. Cooking meat, grains and veggies? Great! Raw ground meat and bones, supplemented with veggie "slop"? Fantastic! Throwing down a 3 pound raw beef roast for a 20 pound dog? Woohoo!

A year ago, I was in the exact same spot you were. And I wish I could tell you I had a blinding moment of enlightenment, where a voice from above proclaimed "Prey Model!!". But yeah, not so much. In reality it was more a process of elimination, with a dash of science thrown in.

Why did I decide on prey model? Well, it's based on the opinion that there is no difference between a wolf and a dog. That what a wolf survives on, a dog can survive on. But wait. I just said "opinion", and it is just that. Sure, it's based on some things like dentition and intestine length, but I'm honest enough to realize that there is a difference between "survive" and "thrive", and that dogs have thrived on diets other than prey model.

I like the simplicity of prey model, since I think anything too complicated is too hard to stick with. I also like the "teeth cleaning" aspect to prey model, which you won't get with any model that forces you to cut up or blend the food. That 3 pound roast? Yep, that's what Kip has been gnawing on for the last few days. I put it down whole, let him have at it for a while, then chuck it back in the fridge. Repeat until it's gone. Easy as pie!

I don't think dogs (or humans) need the "probiotics" that you hear about in supplements and some yogurts, since I firmly believe these would get killed off by the stomach acids. If you're feeding bone, you don't need dairy for calcium. From what I've read, grains, fruits and veggies are for fiber and some nutrients, but again, if you are feeding a variety of meats, I don't think you need any additional supplements, and dogs aren't like us, with a long intestinal track that requires fiber. When's the last time you heard of any predator species getting colon cancer? And I firmly believe dogs do NOT need grains - these are fillers, and not a part of any predator diet.

What is my best resource? At least starting out, it was the Yahoo Group listed over there --->.

A word to the wise though - while helpful, it's not a place to debate different models - it's a place to learn about prey model. If you do join, I suggest lurking for a while, and reading the posts. And be warned that there is a lot of "alternative" advice there, about vaccinations, homeopathy, etc. This blog isn't a place to debate that; suffice it to say I suggest you do some research on those topics as well, and not take any advice given (including mine!) blindly.

The vast majority of food Kip eats is raw meat, with a bit of bone (probably too much, since chicken is cheap), a bit or organ (too little, since it's still a bother to get him to eat it), with veggies, fruit and dairy as treats. Some prey model feeders in that group would be appalled over those last three, but I think as long as they are kept as treats, it’s are fine. Fine as in "may not be beneficial, but won't harm". Kip also gets processed treats and some kibble for training - again, something that would appall some people, but it works for us.

The hardest thing? Taking that first step, and realizing you won't totally screw up your dogs. Realizing that it doesn't take a large company with a bevy of scientists to create a "balanced" food. Realizing that, no matter which model you choose, you have the ability to modify it, change it, or completely switch to another if it's not working for you.

The worst things you can do? Make it too hard. Think too much about it (yeah, I know, it's HARD not to think too much about it!). Be too strict. And wait too long.

So here is my "double dog" dare to you: just do it. Go buy some bone-in chicken breast, and give it to your dogs. Stay away from enhanced/seasoned meats (meat with salt solutions added), and be ready for some loose stools, until they adjust. You can read some past posts about correct amounts, but it really does depend on the individual dog. Start with 2% of their ideal adult body weight. If they start getting to thin, feed more. Too fat, feed less. Add whatever you want to that meat - fruit, veggies, dairy, whatever works for you.

Really, just do it. A year from now, you'll be happy you did!

And Happy New Year to all the doggie people out there - may 2010 be great for both you and your furry companions!
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Please note I'm assuming your dogs are fundamentally healthy. If they have any issues, your best bet is to join one of the forums and ask there. And if they have any allergies, then sticking to one food type (like chicken) until you know they can tolerate it before adding anything else is also a good idea.

The magic white box (or, the most expensive part of raw feeding)

This is Kip's favourite new thing:

It's the magic white box that food comes from.  Apparently, if you sit in front of it long enough, it will dispense yummy food  (this works for humans as well as dogs).   And the space allocation is much more fair to those in the house that actually pay for the food*!

 

But...but...but...why is Kip's space empty???

What?  Doesn't everyone thaw 3 turkeys at a time in their bathtub**? 

Getting serious for a moment, I think having a freezer (even if it is small chest one) is really helpful for raw feeders.  Turkey was on sale for $0.99/lb - a great deal (well, better at least a better deal than the last time I bought some).  And I have found other meats on sale for that price, and limited the amount I bought due to freezer space (well, actually I didn't limit as much as I should have...).  Having a large freezer allows me to preserve food for myself, and stock up on cheap meat for Kip.  Yes, it's an investment, and yes, it takes up space I really don't have (which is why I spent more for an upright instead of a chest freezer).   In a perfect world, I'd have a freezer just for meat, which would allow me to take advantage of even cheaper (like free) meat sources (from hunters, butchers, etc.).  But, unless I build a back porch (which won't happen for a few years, if ever), there simply isn't room for two freezers, and I do need a lot of freezer space for myself as well - and not just for ice cream!! 

The freezer cost almost $700, and of course, there is the yearly cost for electricity.  But even if it was dedicated to just dog food, if it means I can buy a lot of meat when it's on sale, then the freezer will quickly pay for itself.

Other new raw feeding equipment:

I went to a meeting of the garden club my parents are members of, and oddly enough, one member works for a flooring company and had brought in old sample pieces of vinyl flooring as a fund raiser for the club.  So, for a $2 donation, I got a nice piece of vinyl that I'll use for Kip to eat off of, instead of the grungy towel he's currently using.  Cheap, easy to clean, and easy to store away when it's not in use.  And when the flooring guy overheard me chatting about getting a second dog one day, he gave me a second piece!  Which just goes to show you can find the most useful stuff in the oddest of locations!

_________________________________________________________________
* Hey, the ice cream was on sale.  So were the carrots.  And those are individual-sized homemade chicken pot pies on top of the ice cream, waiting for me to wrap them up after freezing.

** Yes, the tub will be cleaned after the thaw!

This is why

People don't really understand why I switched to raw.

This is one part of the reason:

Mold

Melted Plastic

Think it will ever change? I'm just glad I don't have to worry about it anymore.

Money, money, money!

Another cost update:

I just finished portioning out all the meat I have left in the freezer, and there is enough for another 8 weeks, exactly. So, I thought it'd be a good time to do a cost summary.

What I've spend so far: $194.85

# days fed:

Starting on Feb. 18, I fed Kip one meal a day of raw, and one of kibble, just to get rid of the last of it. That lasted until March 23, then it was totally raw. So, 34 days at half portions equals 17 "days". March 24 to October 17 (8 weeks from now) is 208 days, for a total of 225 days.

That works out to $0.87 per day. WAY under my $1.00 target!!

And the good news - I'm getting better all the time at finding cheaper meats, generally under $1.00/lb. So that cost should stay low, if not lower, than it is now.

So for those that say raw is expensive - here is the proof that it's not.

Mind you, raw does have some associated costs to it, but more on that tomorrow...

OMG! Look at what raw feeding has done to Kip!

It's turned him into a CAT!




Silly dog! I haven't posted in a while, since there hasn't been anything to say, really. All is well, and we're working our way through the insane amount of meat purchased last month (thank Dog for parents with large freezers).

I have noticed Kip "grooming" after each meal though. It's odd - he never did this after eating kibble, and his beard is actually less smelly now than it was then. So I don't know why he does it - but it is cute!

I've lost all reason

Apparently, cheap meat prices make me lose all sense of proportion.

How the @#*%&# did I think I could fit almost 50 pounds of meat in the freezer compartment of my fridge? (Remember, I bought some for me too - it's not all Kip's).

Here's evidence of the advanced level of my insanity:

Note how much of the freezer Kip takes up. He also hogs the bed.

To understand the enormity of the problem, there is still over 25 pounds of meat left in the fridge. Obviously, the ice cream has to go.

I've been using the space atop the two containers on the bottom shelf to hold a cookie sheet with portioned meat bits so they can freeze, and I can bag them all in a large freezer bag without using smaller bags for each piece - by freezing them separately, they are easy to remove individually when needed. It takes more time, but it vastly reduces the number of plastic bags required. After all the meat is frozen, that space will be claimed by the ice cube trays required for the vast quantities of gin and tonic that I will soon be consuming to block the memory of trying to fit 50 pounds of meat in a space designed to hold 10 pounds.

Well, I'll be busy trying to find a rift in the space-time continuum to increase my freezer space, and eating ice cream. Wish me luck!

SCORE!!!!

This is why I desperately want a freezer.

Chicken drumsticks and thighs - $1/lb.

Pork shoulder - $1/lb.

Beef liver - $1/lb.

Whole chicken - $1.50/lb.

Beef roast - $2/lb.

I bought over 42 pounds of meat for slightly just under $55.

That averages out to ~$1.30 a pound, and brings my running average to around $0.93/day.

Counting the meat I already have in the freezer, I have enough meat to fed Kip until September, and really cannot fit one more ounce in the freezer. But I am SO tempted to go back and get more - really, $1/lb!!!!!

(And yes, I actually bought some meat for me too!)

The devil is in the percentages

Kip was getting 1/2 a pound of meat a day, and dropped to below 21 pounds. I'm not too focused on weight, but more on how he looks and feels - and when I can start seeing his ribs, and easily feeling his hip bones and spine, I get concerned.

So, I upped his daily amount, closer to 3% of his ideal adult body weight, or ~11 oz/day.

And the porker packed on the ounces (can't really say he packed on the "less than a pound").

So, new plan:

We're back to ~8 oz/day, with the occasional extra meal thrown in if we've had an extra active day, or I see him getting a bit too skinny again.

One exciting OT thing - my shed got built, so his agility equipment (just jumps and weave poles... for now!) is here for us to play with - yippee!!

Organization, you're getting closer

I posted recently about trying a new method of organizing Kip's food, and it's working for me - yippee!!

I "splurged" and bought two more containers. Each container holds 4 days worth of food (Kip is up to 12 oz. from 8 oz. per day, so each container holds ~3 lbs of meat). Based on past experience though, I am changing one thing - the organballs now go into their own container, as they got a bit too mushy for my liking (Kip had no issues, but I was slightly nauseated trying to scoop out soggy organ mush).

Today, I got out all the previously portioned meat, and the 4 empty containers, and organized them as follows:

1 chicken back (~40% bone)
1 turkey with bone (~40% bone)
1 chicken breast with bone (~20% bone)
4 boneless pork
2 boneless turkey
2 boneless beef

Added to that will be a few ounces of organballs, which are ~1/2 heart and 1/2 organ, to round the 4 days out at slightly less than 10% bone and around 10% organ.


These container are relatively cheap (under $4.00 each), but I think they'll be strong enough to hold up to repeated uses. They fit somewhat okay in my freezer, but I'm going to wait until I get a real freezer before buying anymore. Ideally, I'd have enough to hold around a month's worth of food, which would be ~8 containers, plus extras for extra meat (which is currently in the plastic bags).

The best part, in my opinion, is the ability to pull an entire container, and throw it in the fridge, without having to worry about bone percents, meat variety or leaks and spills - all the averaging of percents and varieties is done when filling the containers, so after that, feeding is almost automatic.

Another thing I tried, and will do again, if I have the freezer space - cutting up meat, and placing it on a tray in the freezer to freeze in individual pieces, and then pop those all into a ziplock bag together - pre-freezing allows me to grab individual chunks without thawing the entire pack, or having to package each into an individual plastic bag, which I was finding very wasteful.

It's been trial-and-error but it is all coming together!

Good day

We had a good day on Thursday - our first trip to a new vet. I recently moved back to the area I grew up in, and needed to find a new vet. There are not a lot of vets around, so I more need to find a vet who will listen to my concerns and work with me, rather than try to find the perfect vet.

My two main areas of concern - a reduced vaccination schedule and the fact that Kip eats a raw diet.

Dr. Vet said that while he will not recommend a raw diet, as long as the dog is healthy, he won't oppose it. No, it's no perfect, but at least he listened to what I had to say, and didn't try to sell me on kibble.

And he's fine with a reduced vaccination schedule - yippee!! He said that clinic actually recommends a 3-year schedule on the distemper group, even though that's off label, and went on to expound on the fact that the vaccine companies are behind the times, and won't change the label recommendations since that would cut into their profits, etc.

In fact, he went on at length about a number of things.

At great length.

I was there almost 2 hours!

But - Kip has a clean bill of health, I found a vet I'm comfortable with and life is good.

(Off topic - while I was in the waiting room, and while paying the bill, I saw about 6 other dogs come and go. The vast majority were severely overweight, and the nails!! So long on one, the poor dog's feet were splayed out. One dog was literally dripping with un-brushed undercoat. Not to brag, but maybe my vet is willing to listen to me since Kip is slightly underweight if anything, is bathed and brushed, and has trimmed nails??)

Organization, you continue to elude me

Organization, organization, organization. Sigh.

I'm still working out the best system for me. I was putting each portion into a small ziplock bag, then each meat type/cut together into a larger, labeled ziplock bag. The bags don't take up a lot of room in the freezer (bonus!), but the masking tape labels didn't stick, the larger bags are hard to reseal after a while, and the bags leak blood all over the fridge while thawing (that's what I get for using cheap bags, I guess). Additionally, since the bags were leaking, I stopped saving them for re-use, meaning I am throwing away a LOT of plastic.

Also, I'm not great at remembering what I gave Kip to eat yesterday, the day before, etc., making it a bit harder to keep track of bone amounts, organball numbers, etc.

So, on to Plan B. I bought some cheaper plastic containers, large enough to hold 4-5 days worth of food. I got 2 to start with, as I don't want to waste a lot of money on a system that won't work any better then the one I'm currently using, but it gives me something to start with. Below is one container with 4 days worth of food - a large turkey drumstick, some bone-in chicken and boneless beef, along with some organballs.

In theory, I can load these up with a few days worth of food, freeze them, and then put them in the fridge to thaw and feed from. If I get enough (and if this system works for me), I could prep a number of them at one time, and then have 1-2 months worth of meals ready to go, all in reusable containers. It just means freezing whole cuts when they are on sale, and thawing a bunch at a time to portion out and re-freeze in the container. Which is doable. Again, the lack of freezer space really needs to be addressed soon!!

I heart independant butchers!

We have a great independent butcher in the area, and I recently got a uncured "ham" (shoulder? leg? I don't really know my meat cuts!) for $1.19/lb. I portioned it out, and it ended up costing a whopping $0.80 per day - cheap, and boneless too! The only thing, it has a lot of skin and fat, which in small amounts, are great for dogs that can tolerate it. Some dogs can't tolerate too much fat, so I'll have to keep an eye on Kip when he eats this meat.

The running total to date: approximately $1.15 per day to feed raw. (Without those cursed "bargain" turkeys, I'd be at $0.98 a day!!!!) Yes, it's more expensive than cheap kibble, but it's about the same (or less) than premium kibble, and I feel a lot better about feeding Kip real, unprocessed food. And Kip likes it too!

My costs are going to go up a bit though, as Kip is getting a bit skinny, and, as the warmer weather is finally here, we will be more active. So, I've increased the amount he gets daily. He is getting ~3% of his weight per day now (~8 oz of meat, plus ~2 oz of organballs mixed with an egg or sardine to make it irresistible to Mr. Picky Dog), and I'll keep it at that for a bit, and see how it goes.

I think I'm getting better at getting cheaper meats, and figuring out which sales are really a bargain, and which aren't. I'd also like to start sourcing some alternative meats, like rabbit and fish, but, until I get a real freezer, buying those in bulk (generally the most economical way) just isn't an option.

Small things make me happy

Kip is getting a bit thin, so I gave him an egg today in addition to his normal meat, and before I fed it to him, I had a bright idea - mush up a organ meatball into it, since it's still hit-or-miss if he eats them on their own. The result - a perfectly clean bowl, and no vomit - yippee!!

So, until the "organballs" are gone, I think that's how he'll get his daily allotment. And the egg should be good for his coat too.

Yes, it's a small thing, but it's amazing how happy you get when you finally figure out how to get your dog to eat something!

The heart of the matter

I am a lucky person, really. Kip is a GREAT dog. He's easy to train, he has a great temperament, and he has had no health issues to date (knock on wood). Kip has never destroyed anything except his toys, was a breeze to house-train, and loves every person he meets.

For my first-ever dog, Kip is a blessing.

But he will NOT eat his organs. Sigh.

Again, I should really count my blessings. He eats chicken, beef, pork and turkey now, with no problems. But the three things he had either refused or had issues with - beef heart, liver and kidneys - we are still trying to deal with. Heart is a meat, not an organ, so the fact he won't eat it isn't a big issue - but I had a few pounds of it, and didn't want to throw it out. The fact that he refuses kidneys, and doesn't deal well with liver, however, are bigger issues - he needs organ meat as a necessary part of a balanced, healthy diet.

I decided to grind up the heart, kidneys and liver together, freeze in 1 ounce portions, and feed one or two a day as "treats". My thinking was that he will eat liver, and will eat tiny bits of heart as long as they are frozen solid, so this might work.

Yeah.

Day one - ate one in the morning, no problem.

Day two - ate one in the morning with some convincing on my part, ate a second that evening, and promptly vomited. Okay, let's limit it to one a day, until he gets used to them.

Day three - ate one in the morning, no problem.

Day four and five - no way, not eating that.

So, last night, I thawed one, and spread it on the turkey he was getting for supper. That worked - as he had no way of getting the ground-up meat off the turkey meat.

Keep you paws crossed that that continues to work, and hopefully I'll find some chicken organs to try him with next. I really don't want to have to continue to make organ pate for my dog...