K9 Kraving or other raw alternative? - Page 2

What Molly is feeding is also excellent. I've seen her dogs--they look great! Personally, I don't worry about the protein level (even in my 11-year-old female) in a kibble. It's not the actual percentage of protein but the biological value of that protein that counts.

Personally, for good kibble, I prefer Orijen (http://www.championpetfoods.com/) and Nature's Variety Instinct  (http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1321) over Evo. I've tasted Evo--yuck--it doesn't taste or even smell appealing.

The Honest Kitchen (http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/products/index.shtml) has excellent dehydrated products to augment a diet of kibble. The Honest Kitchen Preference is a good source of fruits/veggies.

Most "complete" raw diets cost $2-3 per pound (Oma's Pride, K9 Craving, etc.)--plus shipping--normally fed at the rate of 2-3% of body weight. Even if you feed only 1/2 pound/day/dog, this is superior to feeding straight premium, grain-free kibble. The key is to search the web and find a nearby dealer for one of these products in order to avoid astronomical shipping charges.

You don't want to feed just raw bones--they must be meaty so that the dog can consume them all. You can usually find chicken leg quarters (check to they have not been injected with a batch of sodium) for $.39-.49/pound in 10 pound bags. Because one of my guys has somewhat of an intolerance to chicken (he does fine on turkey, beef, pork), I tend buy the pork necks for $.80/pound at the nearby Super Wal-Mart. However, I'm told that I can travel 15 miles to an Asian market and buy pork bones for even less.

 

I'll have to check out the Orijen..the ingrediants look good. What is it like pricewise?

Thanks

Check out this site: http://www.k9cuisine.com/default.aspx Their prices may be a tad more than retail. However, purchases of $50 include free shipping. I think that when I purchased a large bag (almost 30#) of Orijen Large Puppy retail, it was somewhat over $60 (a couple bucks more than Evo Red Meat retail).

Now, you may ask why I bought the puppy for adult dogs. Well, I took along my dog that requires the most groceries to maintain his weight. I let him sample the Adult, Puppy, and the Large Puppy. It was solely his decision. I figured that, since I only feed 1/2-2 cups kibble per day per dog, his choice would be fine for everyone! He is fed even less kibble since I've started adding The Honest Kitchen.

I don't "cook" for my dogs either. I keep enough thawed meat products to last refrigerated for 2-3 days and mix up a large batch of rehydrated veggies/fruits to last a whole week. As Molly mentioned, raw eggs (including shells) are a great complete food with a high biological value.

Hey, The Honest Kitchen really is a BARF diet--that's exactly what it looks like when mixed with a bit of warm water--barf!!

Louise,

 Can you tell me exactly what and how much you feed your dogs? Or do you change ever so often? I know what you mean about the Honest Kitchen, it does look nasty with the water mixed in but the dogs seem to love it. I was checking out your OMAS Pride link and looking at the variety. Dixon isn't too far away. I was thinking I could buy in bulk some rolls to add to what I already feed.

Dixon isn't too far away. I was thinking I could buy in bulk some rolls to add to what I already feed.

Don't want to bore people with the precise details of what I feed. I'm sending you a private email.

I wouldn't be bored

Barb

I wouldn't be bored

Aargh! Let's see if I can copy/paste my email to 4pack. Ya' know, I'm not an expert. I just feed what works for me and is not labor intensive (I've had it with messy grinding of fresh fruits/veggies). I'll include the local dealer references in case you live near me. Otherwise, find your own dealers. I'd better break this into 2 posts.

 

I feed mainly raw:

AM Meal:

(1) 1/2-2 cups commercial grain-free kibble per dog (depending on weight and metabolic requirements--less kibble if you feed The Honest Kitchen Embark).

(2)~1-2 pounds Oma's Pride (I prefer the beef/veggie mix and the Performance Dog--mostly tripe with beef, trachea, and bone) 

(3) ~3/4 cup of mixed, rehydrated veggies (a 50:50 mixture of re-hydrated Olewo carrots and Happy Dog grain-free veggies--also, consider adding an equal portion of The Honest Kitchen Preference). A large batch of veggies can be kept refrigerated for a week. 

(4) Add to veggie mixture:organic apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, and salmon oil.

(5) Inflight Coat Supplement--2 scoops per dog.

PM Meal: raw pork neck bones (I buy these at the Wal-mart Supercenter, 235 East Dorset Dr., Dixon).

Part 2

These are the dehydrated, grain-free, Happy Dog mixed veggies: http://www.happydogfood.com/index.htm http://www.happydogfood.com/ingredients.htm I buy this at the Davis Food Coop (530-758-2667) at 620 G St., Davis.

I buy the salmon oil and Olewo carrots at Dogtown USA: http://www.dogtownusa.net/page/page/3937148.htm (888-364-8961) The salmon oil costs $69.95/gallon (much cheaper than Grizzly) and 33# of Olewo costs $80! Very cost effective--even with shipping.

This is my local source (The K-9's Choice, Mary Savala--right here in Dixon) for the Oma's Pride frozen beef/veggie mix and Performance Dog: http://www.thek9schoice.com/ (707-678-5934).You may also purchase the Inflight Coat Supplement (great stuff) from Mary.

To assure maximum assimilation and good stool, this is where I order the Dr. Kruger's Ultimate Original supplement from Healthy Pets.com (I purchase the larger jars since this is more cost effective): http://search.store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/nsearch?follow-pro=1&catalog=healthypetscom&vwcatalog=healthypetscom&query=Dr%20Kruger&x=19&y=1 and: http://www.healthypets.com/drkrorfo.html (800-889-9475)This is supposed to prevent bloat and other GI problems common in the GSD.

Part 3

Here are URL's for the various grain-free kibbles--you can probably find local dealers from these sites..... (1) Innova Red Meat: http://www.naturapet.com/ The closest source for me is Western Ranch (707-448-6568), 105 Agean Way, Vacaville.

(2) Nature's Variety Instinct: http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1321  I buy this at the Davis ACE store (530-758-8000), 240 G Street. Also, available at Katie's K-9 Corral (530-666-3842), 917 Main St., Woodland.

(3) Orijen: http://www.championpetfoods.com/ I think that this may be the best grain-free kibble of all. I had to go to Western Feed (916-452-4751, 1600 34th St., Sacramento) to purchase my first bag. However, the Davis Food Coop (530-758-2667, 620 G St., Davis) may be stocking this in the not-too-distant future--they have ordered some for me.

Lately, I've been reading a lot about the Honest Kitchen http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/products/index.shtml    I am particularly impressed with The Honest Kitchen Preference (grain-free) because it contains only dehydrated fruits/veggies to which you add your own raw frozen meats. I mix a batch of Preference with the Olewo Carrots and the Happy Dog grain-free veggies (roughly 1/3 of each) and keep refrigerated for a week. The Honest Kitchen also has a dehydrated diet called Embark that includes hormone-free turkey along with fruits and veggies.   I made my first purchase of Preference at Katie's K-9 Corral (back of the Tack Wherehouse) 530-666-3842--917 Main St., Woodland. Marcy Savala (The K-9's Choice) was impressed with what I showed her and may try to stock it.

Thanks Louise!!  I'm not bored either! 

Great thread all.