All you raw feeders feel free to join me in posting your raw feeding pics. It's a beautiful thing watching our precious pooches eat as nature intended.

Dakota enjoying a split chicken breast




Mmm, this is delish...



Faith chowing down on chicken wing. She has to eat in a crate otherwise she'll drag the chicken all over the house.








And Dakota finishing Faith's leftover chicken wing lol

aawwww <3 i love Raw Feedin My Mira she is soo Thankful and Loves It ... Give it to her in Her Kennel so SHe dont get dirt on it LOl

Muddy~Mira wrote:

aawwww <3 i love Raw Feedin My Mira she is soo Thankful and Loves It ... Give it to her in Her Kennel so SHe dont get dirt on it LOl

No pics? I've started having Dakota eat his raw in the kitchen. I either hand feed it or spread newspaper over the floor and feed him his raw meat on a cutting board. Keeps everything clean and cleanup is a breeze, throw the cutting board in the dishwasher and toss the newspaper.

Love it! Nikki eats raw so much faster than my dogs but still it's lovely to see them work more for their food.


I forgot about vids so thank you for reminding me. Here's one of Dakota with his chicken breast, I couldn't keep still because Faith wanted what he was having and while Dakota tolerates the chis taking any other food, he does NOT tolerate them coming close to his raw food. lol

Video:

haha he is quite the slow eater mine INHALE it..unless its awkward or has a bigger sized bone in it

our sniper loves raw meat! she doesnt get it that often but when she does she is in heaven! now my pug on the other hand can eat it raw then pukes it back up!!

Muddy~Mira wrote:

Pc crashed 3 wks ago .. still recovering pix:( Will Post pix soon

Sorry to hear that. Can't wait to see them though!

firefighterchik04 wrote:

now my pug on the other hand can eat it raw then pukes it back up!!

Hmm, that's interesting...any idea why?

Aw, they look like they're having the most delectible meal ever!

I wish I could feed raw...maybe, eventually, I'll learn enough to feel comfortable to start...I know there's a thread posted on the forum about raw feeding and how to start, but I just got Ginger back on track on kibble, and I've got her almost on 100% chicken/fish formula (it also has turkey in it) so I think she could do raw chicken if I ever get to that point....

cmanding wrote:

I wish I could feed raw...maybe, eventually, I'll learn enough to feel comfortable to start...I know there's a thread posted on the forum about raw feeding and how to start, but I just got Ginger back on track on kibble, and I've got her almost on 100% chicken/fish formula (it also has turkey in it) so I think she could do raw chicken if I ever get to that point....

I know you are dealing with a sensitive girl and that you have concerns about certain foods that she may not tolerate well. However I wanted to point out that raw meat is quite different from that in kibble/canned foods and that some dogs that may not tolerate a meat in kibble (or processed form) may thrive on the same meat in raw form. That is exactly the case for two of my sensitive dogs, Dakota and Faith do not tolerate beef in kibble, treat, or canned form (basically any processed beef product is as no go for them). Yet both of them can have raw beef no problem whatsoever! And it's not just me, I believe Heather's husky, Koda, is the same way with beef. Heather, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Yes, I think you're right about Heather's Koda. Ginger was on Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream before that whole thing with her upset tummy and once I got her back on track to start introducing kibble back slowly, she couldn't do TOTW. So I do know that even in kibble, depending on the 'cooking' process (for lack of better term), Ginger reacts...salmon in TOTW is a no go for her, but salmon in Orijen is good.

I do want to try raw feeding for Ginger, but I do have some reading/research to do and the post on the forum is a good place to start so I'll revisit that post when I get to that point.

cmanding wrote:

I do want to try raw feeding for Ginger, but I do have some reading/research to do and the post on the forum is a good place to start so I'll revisit that post when I get to that point.

Just don't rush into it or feel pushed into feeding raw. If you decide it's right for you then great, if not we all know how much you care for Ginger and are doing the best that works for the both of you. I notice that some people feel like raw feeders can be overly pushy about it but I hope none of us come across that way, we're just passionate about the diet and results. With that said, I researched raw feeding for a 2 years before starting to feed raw. Even now I only feed a partial raw diet, part Honest Kitchen dehydrated raw as a base and part raw. It's a good starting point and I am slowly but surely easing into raw feeding more and more. Once we get an extra freezer for meat early in 2011 I plan to up the raw feeding amounts and decrease The Honest Kitchen. I'm taking the switch very slow but it's what works for me.

Huskyluv wrote:

Just don't rush into it or feel pushed into feeding raw. If you decide it's right for you then great, if not we all know how much you care for Ginger and are doing the best that works for the both of you. I notice that some people feel like raw feeders can be overly pushy about it but I hope none of us come across that way...

No, no one here certainly doesn't come across as pushy about raw feeding. I have met a few people in Denver that are pushy about raw feeding but I understand that they mean well.

I've learned my lesson to take things VERY SLOW with Ginger with ANY new food she gets So if I ever do come to a point and feel ready, I will do my research/reading, and start very slow...and maybe starting off slow with THK may be a really good place for me to start

Tonight's dinner, didn't have a camera on me until he was almost finished.

awesome pictures and video! Honestly for now we just can't afford to switch over to raw. Eventually we do want to start our dogs on raw but for now they are eating the best kibble we can find for them that they tolerate.

Lokipaws wrote:

awesome pictures and video! Honestly for now we just can't afford to switch over to raw. Eventually we do want to start our dogs on raw but for now they are eating the best kibble we can find for them that they tolerate.

Were you able to price out the meat in your area? I know you mentioned previously your husband/bf? is a butcher right?

Honestly MOST people can feed raw cheaper than kibble but it really requires you to have a decent size freezer to be able to stock up on meat when you can get it for cheap or for bulk discounts. There's no way I could have done raw without a freezer for cheap but now that I have a freezer I've been able to stock up on meat when it goes on sale and get great deals. It costs me about $20 a month to feed my sibe raw versus $30-$35 a month to feed my dog a premium kibble or THK dehydrated raw. But do keep in mind that it takes time to watch meat prices and shop around for great deals, but when you do find them stock up!

Pay attention to trends where meat goes on sale for cheap, such as after holidays. After Thanksgiving you will often see whole turkeys selling for pretty cheap. Locally here in Charleston, whole turkeys were selling for about 75 cents per lb which is a great deal if you have a freezer to be able to stock up. Also with the super bowl fast approaching here in the states you will notice a lot of stores have a ton of different meats on sale each week. I'm taking advantage of the meat sales due to the superbowl while I can! If I can get meat for $1 or less a lb then I'm paying less to feed raw than I would to feed The Honest Kitchen or any premium kibble. Pay attention to when meat goes on sale and remember that for the future so you know when to stock up and save.

...So Chris and I have decided to start transitioning Nikolai to raw. I picked up a whole cut up chicken and put a piece of it (wing) into his THK/kibble mix (we're phasing the kibble out slowly). He ate around it, picked it up, walked around with it for a while, dropped it several times... everything but ate the dang thing. :-( Any advice for getting him to EAT it instead of play with it? I tried crating him while I fed him and he just stared at me like I was punishing him. :-( Val, do you have a little help for a newbie?

Good for you Kate!

With the diarreha issues I went through with Ginger, I don't know if I'll ever get to that point. I'm still slowly introducing THK. Once I can go 100% THK Force with Ginger, I'll feel more comfortable trying to give her a raw chicken wing and/or drummette.

I guess one question I would have would be: Can I go raw fish? (Salmon, trout, tilapia,etc.)
Since Ginger does really well with fish, that would be where I'd want to start. I'd have to do the math and see if raw fish feeding is cheaper than kibble/THK...

CoffeeK8 wrote:

...So Chris and I have decided to start transitioning Nikolai to raw. I picked up a whole cut up chicken and put a piece of it (wing) into his THK/kibble mix (we're phasing the kibble out slowly). He ate around it, picked it up, walked around with it for a while, dropped it several times... everything but ate the dang thing. :-( Any advice for getting him to EAT it instead of play with it? I tried crating him while I fed him and he just stared at me like I was punishing him. :-( Val, do you have a little help for a newbie?

Kudos to you for making a start on raw. It is quite normal for some dogs to kind of ignore or play with their raw food in the beginning because many of them don't quite know what it's for. It doesn't have the extra appealing smell and flavors that processed foods contain so some dogs don't initially recognize it as food. If Nikolai persists in eating around it then I would try holding it for him to nibble on so that he gets the idea that it's food or try feeding it at a separate time when he's hungry. Oftentimes once they finally try it and realize how good it is they will be hooked. If he continues to hold out you could try seering the chicken wing slightly, that will make it smell more appealing but just be sure to seer it quickly and take it off the heat before it really cooks because you want the meat and especially the bone to remain raw. Other ideas are to sprinkle something extra like parmesan cheese on the raw chicken wing, that may get him more interested. Give him time to get accustomed to it if it's his first time with anything raw. Some dogs dive right in while others need more encouragement. I'd definitely monitor him with a chicken wing to make sure he chews the bone and doesn't swallow it or choke on too big a piece. Let us know how it goes!

cmanding wrote:

I guess one question I would have would be: Can I go raw fish? (Salmon, trout, tilapia,etc.)
Since Ginger does really well with fish, that would be where I'd want to start. I'd have to do the math and see if raw fish feeding is cheaper than kibble/THK...

Yes, you can start with raw fish if you prefer. I know Ginger has a history of doing well on fish so that may be better for her. When you price out the fish available to you, check out asian stores as they often carry fish for cheap. Being so far inland I'm sure it will cost more there than other coastal areas. Good luck with your search!

Good tip on the Asian markets! They DO have inexpensive whole fish...I'll just have to clean it That could get messy, especially when I clean fish LOL!

I do have to say though, Ginger has been tolerating a little more chicken and turkey ever since I've been rotating Force and Embark in her food along with her chicken wrapped carrots or apple treats from EcoNaturals! (Yay for Ginger!)

the pups eating chicken quarters for dinner

cmanding wrote:

They DO have inexpensive whole fish...I'll just have to clean it That could get messy, especially when I clean fish LOL!

You don't have to clean the fish at all! You can give Ginger the raw fish complete with head, fins and scales. Easier on you that's for sure!

cmanding wrote:

I do have to say though, Ginger has been tolerating a little more chicken and turkey ever since I've been rotating Force and Embark in her food along with her chicken wrapped carrots or apple treats from EcoNaturals! (Yay for Ginger!)

I have found the exact same thing with Faith, my sensitive one. She could hardly eat anything before we switched her to THK. As long as she's eating THK she can eat so many more foods that she previously was not able to stomach. Seriously, THK has been a lifesaver for us with Faith, you really have no idea! This might give you an idea, imagine Ginger when she had her tummy troubles recently...now living like that for almost a year and having near constant diarrhea both inside and outside the house. *shudder*

Awesome Jennet! Do they keep the chicken in their bowls or do they drag them out onto the floor?

Dakota's getting a chicken quarter for dinner tonight...maybe I'll try feeding it to him in his bowl and see if he keeps it in there or takes it out. Will take pics!

Edit: Well I guess if I'd paid more attention the first time I looked at the pics I'd have noticed Embry took his chicken out in one of the pics.

They try taking them out, but I always sit there and put it back in their bowl.