Raw feeding - Page 1

I do not like the dog food I have my dog on.  I am wanting to go raw or homemade.  I found this site with a list of raw dog food brands

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/raw-dog-food/

can anyone tell me which brands are any good?  I want to make sure he gets a balanced diet.  

Also,  I have considered homemade recipes for dogs.  I know the primary amount should be meaty bones from what I have researched with a small portion being fruits and vegetables.  And should have some organs and tripe.  Oils are also mentioned.  Does someone have any homemade recipes that is balanced they can share with me? My German shepherd is 1year old and last weighed at 62lbs.  

My top concern is getting him into a better diet but I am also concerned about money if I can afford to go all raw (which I would prefer to do) or if I should go half raw and half kibble and what is recommended if I did that.

last of all will I need to do any supplements?

Hi, I buy my food from local Mexican and Asian Markets. They have the best prices on chicken and organs. I feed my GSD, kidney, chicken, tripe, heart and liver. I also supplement alfalfa and kelp which I buy online for very cheap. Tripe you can buy in bulk from greentipe.com. Before my gsd I had another one that passed away. He was never able to get him to have a shinny coat as he does now. Good luck.

Probably the best I have found for the money is K9 Kravings;  even with that I would add a couple cups of kibble each day or at least a couple times per week;  also Dr. Karen Becker has a balanced homemade diet on video, I would watch that also and go from there.  She stresses the importance of having a balanced species appropriate diet as they are now finding a vast amount of muscular/skeletial problems from not feeding a regular balanced diet.  Raw or otherwise.  Soooo, good luck  Nan.  Dr. Karen Becker/Mercola Healthy Pets.  Nan

Nans when you wrote       She stresses the importance of having a balanced species appropriate diet as they are now finding a vast amount of muscular/skeletial problems from not feeding a regular balanced diet. Raw or otherwise.

Were they referring to species as between cow, pig and dog species or between different breeds of dogs.

 

I like The Honest Kitchen and Merrick. I switch back and forth every 5, 6 weeks

I have used K9Cravings dogs did good on it. To hard to get in bulk for me.

The dogs had nothing to chew they were finished in less than a minute. I feed  raw just meat and bones and a (homemade) I grind for some days and all puppies. Then once every 7-10 days feed  Victor dog food.

I do not add so many of the ingredients that you will find in the other premade foods which your dog would do good on.

You read they have all these non meat items in the food. Throw some of those items in your dogs bowl whole see if he dives in for them.

My dogs have free choice alfalfa never see them go eat it but they will get into the grain barrels and munch down on some corn or other grain, eat raw potatoes and corn on the cob and love carrots so on the days that I grind food for the dogs I will add these ingredients.

Never had a bad HD result and hope it continues this way.  

I presumed Dr. Becker means Cat/Dog species maybe primates as there some raw companies that do make raw diets for wild zoo animals.  JMO though, maybe we should write her and ask what exactly she means. 

 

Yeah, good luck with your HD results also, that's great news. 

 

Blitzen:  which Merrick do you use?  Just curious as I also like the honest kitchen and use it daily as a topping to my raw ground meats.  Just in case I missed something...Nan

 

San Diego Pet Food Delivery brings the K9 Kravings to my door along with anything else I might need.  They are just fantastic, sometimes it's early AM though and they just leave it at my door.  Great service and a good variety of all foods, toys, etc...

Good to hear about San Diego Pet Food for others who may need it.

Sorry I feed a raw diet for about $,60 a pound sometimes a little more sometimes less. The premades just can't get that low I think the delivery charge is that much. LOL

Thank you everyone for your suggestions.  I will be checking out the names I have been given.  I will be checking them out and seeing which one will work best for us.  

Nan, I'm feeding Bev Merrick Grain-Free Real Buffalo + Sweet Potato Recipe and The Honest Kitchen Force. I buy both from PetFlow delivered to the door whenever I schedule it.