Is bloat a concern when feeding raw? I know I refrained from feeding kibble once per day, simply because I had read that it increases the chance of bloat.

It increases the chance of bloat mostly with large/deep chested breed who eat quickly or who are very active before/after meals or who drink a lot of water before/after meals due to the kibble expanding. However- since raw is water inclusive it's not an issue. I still don't let them run around too much immediately after meals just because I don't want them to puke it up lol

Of course each dog is different and for puppies (such as Cato) I would still feed twice daily. Rodeo I switched to once after he was a year old.

Sounds good - Cato is 6 months old, I was going to feed to the standard of 2-3% of his expected weight (55). What do you think about that Kristina?

That's a good starting zone for him. I would probably start at 2-2.5% of that and adjust as needed. At that age Rodeo was eating anywhere between 16-24 ounces daily depending on his body as well as his activity level. Basically you'll be in constant adjustment with their feeding. If my dogs are looking a little thicker i'll knock 2-4 ounces off their daily food, and if they look skinny i'll do the opposite. But some foods (such as the quail we use) is higher fat so it just always depends. It takes time to become comfortable with this way of feeding- but you get used to it.

The turkey ground you're using, that's organ inclusive right?

Phew, thank god I have you guys for help.

This is the ground turkey mix (but we got it cheaper at our distributor)

http://www.omaspride.com/catalog.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=3&category_id=8

http://www.amazinggracerawpetfood.com/Products

I discoveredthis when googing. Do these prices look super cheaporthough is it just me

Prices don't look too bad. I wish we had more sources down here for bulk.

It's way cheaper than our source for blue ridge beef

Melissa, I was told to give you this website:

http://www.localharvest.org/double-r-farm-M44802


A friend of mine recommended it for reasonable meat pricing.

mheath0429 wrote:

Melissa, I was told to give you this website:

http://www.localharvest.org/double-r-farm-M44802


A friend of mine recommended it for reasonable meat pricing.

Thanks!

Do either of you use a supplement for the dogs?

BTW, just put an order in for 30lbs of Natural Mix for 48.00

I also got pork neck bones and beef neck bones from Kroger - are these okay to feed?

I can't find pork neck bones reasonably priced so I don't feed them. As long as it's not weight bearing (and they aren't) most meaty bones are fine to feed.

I supplement with Fish oil, vitamin E, and Coconut oil on a rotation.

Alright, any particular brands?

I foudn them for 1.19/lb on sale -so of course I had to buy them. I feel obsessed with meat right now. Haha

I buy human grade from Walgreens when they go on BOGO. The fish oil I get the super Omega-3 ones that have been mercury purified. Coconut oil I have only been able to find at Whole Foods so I buy whichever one they have on sale. The unrefined one. The important ones to me are the fish oil and vitamin E because I don't feed fish nor is my meat grassfed. The coconut oil is just a bit extra.

I have been thinking of just getting a really large tub of the wholistic canine complete - But it certainly isn't cheap.

What exactly does the coconut oil do?

Sorry for all of the questions!

Mostly it's for skin/coat health but there are some theories that it's beneficial in many other areas. Generally I feed it as a "just because" and it provides a nice buffer between the other vitamins. I feed fish oil one day, Vitamin E the next, and then coconut oil. It works for us- spreads out the supplements. But like I said- I wouldn't consider it necessary.

I know you didn't ask me, but I supplement Nupro Silver (I will be alternating between Nupro and Wholistic Canine Complete), Coconut oil, garlic, and Apple Cider Vinegar. The coconut oil I use in place of fish oil because I believe it offers more benefits without the risk of mercury. Coconut oil is generally used for the skin and coat, however it also offers other health benefits which you can find more info on if you do a little research. Coconut oil is high calorie so it should be used sparingly, and it's often used to help some dogs gain weight. On the flip side, it also helps increase metabolism so it has also been used to help some dogs lose weight. Moderation is key. Also, if you use coconut oil, you'll want to get the cold-pressed, extra virgin coconut oil to get all the benefits from it. I give coconut oil to my dogs a few times a week, I also cook with it myself because it is also beneficial to people.

Val, it was a general question! I appreciate your feed back too

Does it matter the brand of coconut oil...do I have to have one specifically made for dogs?

I personally wouldn't ever buy a "dog specific" supplement that has a human quality counterpart. To me it means lower quality and more money!

I have used Whole foods brand and Dr. Bronners. Don't see a difference between the 2.

Brand doesn't matter, I use human grade coconut oil because I use it for both my dogs and myself. Just be sure to get extra virgin, cold-pressed oil.

Thanks guys, I try to steer clear of the one marketed for dogs - always more expensive

I supplement with fish oil, Nuvet or Wholistic canine complete (alternate), and glyco-flex 2 in summer, Annamaet Endure in winter (joint supplements). I didn't start the glyco-flex/Endure until they were one. Since my dogs are active in pulling sports, I feel its important to supplement their joints early.

Each of mine also has other issues, Luka with allergies and Kitty with spay incontinence, so they each get additional supplements for that.

Lu&Katsmom wrote:

I supplement with fish oil, Nuvet or Wholistic canine complete (alternate), and glyco-flex 2 in summer, Annamaet Endure in winter (joint supplements). I didn't start the glyco-flex/Endure until they were one. Since my dogs are active in pulling sports, I feel its important to supplement their joints early.

Each of mine also has other issues, Luka with allergies and Kitty with spay incontinence, so they each get additional supplements for that.

What is Luka allergic to?

Insect bites are the worst for her, reaction ranges from local swelling to near anaphylactic shock. She is allergic to a ton of different trees and grasses. As for food, she is allergic to chicken, beef, and lamb, and enough grains to make me avoid them completely. Testing shows she is not allergic to pork but seems to be intolerant of it. Grains/plant allergies cause itching and rashes. She would bite all the fur off her legs. The proteins caused vomiting and diarrhea. The protein allergies showed up first, around four months. The rest developed between six and ten months.