JohnLloydJones Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 Both my wife and I are vegetarian, and, although I am OK with feeding Raw, I have to be so strict with separating non-veg from vegetarian (separate knives, cutting surfaces, containers) that the dogs mostly get kibble, with Raw as a special treat once in a while. I was feeding a Salmon based, grain free kibble (Pelican Bay from Costco), but just recently, it became unavailable and I have gone back to the Kirkland Lamb and Rice. They get "bonus" egg twice a week and some wet food topper most evenings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BorderlineCrazy(: Posted September 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 They get "bonus" egg twice a week and some wet food topper most evenings. Do they eat egg shells? I'll give Nelly an egg, and she'll lick up everything that's inside...Sometimes she'll crunch up the egg shells and spit them back out, but that's the extent of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnLloydJones Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 Do they eat egg shells? I'll give Nelly an egg, and she'll lick up everything that's inside...Sometimes she'll crunch up the egg shells and spit them back out, but that's the extent of it. I serve the eggs boiled, scrambled or (rarely) poached. My female, Senneca, won't eat the shells. I was about to write that I didn't know about my foster, Taff half ear, but he just raided the garbage bin and answered your question -- Yes, he eats the shells. He a tough little fellow who learned the art of survival at the Jefferson puppy mill, so he'll eat anything, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloria Atwater Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 Kibble, here. I feed "Chicken Soup For the Dog Lover's Soul" and "Premium Edge Skin & Coat." They're middle-high end foods (we can't afford Taste of the Wild) and the dogs look and act wonderfully healthy, and the protein levels seem appropriate. We do give them raw rib bones or marrow bones about once a week, and if someone's tummy seems a bit off (a couple of them have been known to snarf up the cats' mouse kills!) I give them yogurt and or plain pumpkin. Plus they'll get meat scraps from steaks and such, when we have them. Nothing fancy, here. ~ Gloria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BorderlineCrazy(: Posted September 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 I serve the eggs boiled, scrambled or (rarely) poached. My female, Senneca, won't eat the shells. I was about to write that I didn't know about my foster, Taff half ear, but he just raided the garbage bin and answered your question -- Yes, he eats the shells. He a tough little fellow who learned the art of survival at the Jefferson puppy mill, so he'll eat anything, I guess. My god! I just googled it. Was that all/mostly Border Collies in that mill? That's horrible.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnLloydJones Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 My god! I just googled it. Was that all/mostly Border Collies in that mill? That's horrible.. Yes, they pulled 167 border collies (alive) and gave a decent burial to 16 more. The conditions were grim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 I have fed the Kirkland Super Premium Lamb and Rice for years, and it seems to be fine, as my dogs are healthy and shiny and energetic. I supplement with Nature's Variety Raw Frozen Diet, which comes in patties in a bag. I put a little bit on the kibble and mix it in. It is a lot more expensive than just getting meat as in the above posts, but it doesn't upset the system of my oldest dog, who has been known to have highly impressive and abundant diarrhea for days at a time when given a raw bone. They also get at least one egg a week (raw, on the kibble), occasionally cottage cheese or yogurt, or scraps when there are any, which is rare. Since I feed my 2 dogs and one or two foster dogs at a time, I can't afford to feed the more expensive kibbles, and refuse to give my dogs one thing and foster dogs something else. I actually started out (when I had ONE dog), feeding Chicken Soup For The Dog Lover's Soul, but switched to the Kirkland when I discovered that the ingredients were very similar. D'Elle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teganandjessmom23 Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 I really like Taste of the Wild. I have been feeding it for 2 years. I usually do the Pacific Stream one because of the salmon. They hate the prairie one. sometimes I feed the Wetlands. Also we are farmers and have our own pork and hunt deer so they get some raw pork and deer at time. I like to give them coconut oil once in a great moon and glucossimine. Jess loves fruit so she gets fruit as a treat and Tegan loves Zukes. I would love to feed raw but my husband thinks I am crazy enough spending money on a good food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack & Co. Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 Another "Chicken Soup" fan here. I've been pleased with it. I like their cat version also...young cat eats Chicken Soup for the Adult Cat and old cat (13 years old) eats Chicken Soup for Senior Cats with Hairball issues. I buy it at a local pet food specialty store----I prefer to buy at a hometown business with knowledgeable owners than a big box pet store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogger_woggers Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 I'm pretty sure most of your dogs eat better than me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Well, I know my dog eats better than me! (More healthy, anyway.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BorderlineCrazy(: Posted September 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Hahah! I went to a Korean Market about 20 minutes from my house. Found fish for 50 cents a pound, a giant beef liver, salmon heads(ewww), and raw bones. It was all great priced, I stocked up! Cut it up, froze it, and bagged it. Ever since I started feeding raw, I haven't been much for eating meat, myself. I see enough of it when I cut it up for the girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixx Posted September 11, 2011 Report Share Posted September 11, 2011 I feed Acana, just because I don't know where to start with raw and am content with kibble. When I got him he was on Eukanuba puppy kibble and his coat was dry and dull. Now he's all sorts of shiny! I feed Orijen salmon. I heard Acana is very similar. I also give the girls raw bones (ham, bison, chicken, etc.) and chunks of raw weekly. I like to use Raw Advantage, as it's local and the meat is top quality. http://www.rawadvantagepetfood.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixx Posted September 11, 2011 Report Share Posted September 11, 2011 Do they eat egg shells? I'll give Nelly an egg, and she'll lick up everything that's inside...Sometimes she'll crunch up the egg shells and spit them back out, but that's the extent of it. Cedar eats the shells. It's a good source of calcium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC_Tigger Posted September 11, 2011 Report Share Posted September 11, 2011 I feed raw. Primarily chicken, but also some beef and turkey to mix it up. I can get ten pound bags of chicken hind quarters for sometimes as low as 49 cents a pound if they go on sale. One store sells it for 69/pound as an every day price. I'll stock up on turkey during thanksgiving and Christmas too because it gets so cheap. And of course raw beef knuckle bones are amazing and loved. They get rice too sometimes, veggies like carrots, cottage cheese or yogurt, raw eggs. Milkbones as morning treats and tid bits from the table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixx Posted September 11, 2011 Report Share Posted September 11, 2011 I must live in the wrong area!! The cheapest deals are around $2 per pound for chicken when it's on sale. I've never heard of these 49c prices! If I were to do a complete raw diet, I would only feed organic and free range. That is sometimes $10 per pound. WOW!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted September 11, 2011 Report Share Posted September 11, 2011 Just a quick comment on where to find the tasty, chewy bones etc. that you want to feed to your dogs: I have started feeding my dogs raw pork neck bones once or twice a week as a "dental treatment". I went to several local grocery stores and didn't find any, none at all - even though I had to call the butcher out from the back room to ask him if they had any. Finally, one guy told me to check out a grocery store in another part of town. I did, and I found them. What I realized is that the grocery store that had the raw pork neck bones (and turkey feet and pigs feet and tongue, etc.) was in an ethnically mixed area of town whereas I was shopping in the "white bread" part of town. Jovi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BorderlineCrazy(: Posted September 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2011 What I realized is that the grocery store that had the raw pork neck bones (and turkey feet and pigs feet and tongue, etc.) was in an ethnically mixed area of town whereas I was shopping in the "white bread" part of town. Jovi I actually made the same discovery about a week ago! I went to a Korean Market. They have everything there that you can imagine. Adri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC_Tigger Posted September 11, 2011 Report Share Posted September 11, 2011 Yes, ethnic stores can sometimes have some interesting animal parts! The vietnamese and mexican grocery store around here sells things like chicken feet and complete chickens, head and all. And different organs as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted September 11, 2011 Report Share Posted September 11, 2011 Weirdly, the Wal Mart here sells chicken feet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 If I were to do a complete raw diet, I would only feed organic and free range. That is sometimes $10 per pound. WOW!! Can I ask why? I've heard a couple other people say this elsewhere and I always wondered why seeing as the meat in most pet foods isn't organic. I'd like to get to local, natural raised eventually (the beef in the dogs diet is), but don't worry about organic because I know what a pain it can be to certify as such and that you can get practically the same quality through raising the animals naturally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 Can I ask why? I've heard a couple other people say this elsewhere and I always wondered why seeing as the meat in most pet foods isn't organic. I'd like to get to local, natural raised eventually (the beef in the dogs diet is), but don't worry about organic because I know what a pain it can be to certify as such and that you can get practically the same quality through raising the animals naturally. Agreed. To me its like saying that because I can't afford to feed myself all natural organic foods I might as well eat McD's and lots of processed crap. Are all grocery store/butcher meats as wonderful as I would like them to be (for either me or my dogs)? No, but to me fresh veggies and meats will trump processed food on the health spectrum. My dogs eat a little kibble too (just as I sometimes eat processed food) but their diet is varied and as healthy as I can make it and that will have to do for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixx Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 Can I ask why? I've heard a couple other people say this elsewhere and I always wondered why seeing as the meat in most pet foods isn't organic. I'd like to get to local, natural raised eventually (the beef in the dogs diet is), but don't worry about organic because I know what a pain it can be to certify as such and that you can get practically the same quality through raising the animals naturally. Because my dogs are on a kibble diet, I feed the best food that can be offered in that form. There are organic kibble products out there, but they smell like cardboard and I've never met a dog who likes the taste of them. I feed Orijen 6 fish, which is wild caught fish and lake caught fish. Not farmed fish. I myself only eat local and/or organic meats. I wouldn't feed my dogs differently if they were eating real meat that wasn't processed. I don't want to put antibiotics or hormones into my body or my dogs. Free range local would be my preference if it were easy to access and I had a huge freezer. I just can't agree to support a slaughterhouse operation that is commercial and shoves hundreds of animals in a cramped confined area just to be slaughtered. Beyond those politics, my family is Native American who have great respect for the food they kill and I was raised with these beliefs. JMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 Because my dogs are on a kibble diet, I feed the best food that can be offered in that form. There are organic kibble products out there, but they smell like cardboard and I've never met a dog who likes the taste of them. I feed Orijen 6 fish, which is wild caught fish and lake caught fish. Not farmed fish. I myself only eat local and/or organic meats. I wouldn't feed my dogs differently if they were eating real meat that wasn't processed. I don't want to put antibiotics or hormones into my body or my dogs. Free range local would be my preference if it were easy to access and I had a huge freezer. I just can't agree to support a slaughterhouse operation that is commercial and shoves hundreds of animals in a cramped confined area just to be slaughtered. Beyond those politics, my family is Native American who have great respect for the food they kill and I was raised with these beliefs. JMO Thanks for explaining - that makes sense Personally, I am skeptical of the organic label - I think it's a marketing ploy in many cases and it doesn't really guarantee that the animals are treated that much better. I'd choose local product that I knew the background of over organic any day. I gotta admit, my jaw dropped when I saw the prices on the raw advantage site . Around here I can get organic, grass fed beef for pets (ie, the old or odd ball stuff) for $2/# by buying it directly from the farm. I can also get locally raised chicken backs (naturally raised but not organic) for 79 cents/#. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC_Tigger Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 The unfortunate thing about food corporations is that there are really only very few of them, and they own several brands/farms. If you get mad at the Purina brand because of a food recall and want to stop supporting it, you also have to boycott all products made by Nestle because they're both owned and operated by the same corporation. The same goes for many meat and egg brands. The companies that provide "organic" or "grass fed" are often producing regular meat from animals pumped up on hormones and antibiotics, just under a different brand or label. And they're probably all slaughtered under the same roof anyway. Better to buy locally grown if you're concerned about how the animals were treated previously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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