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!

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* 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!