Fido and Fifi can go primal!
(30 posts) (15 voices)-
JamieBelle
Memberhttp://www.primalpetfoods.com/
Not sure how I feel about this, in all honesty. My local froo-froo pet boutique sells this stuff and i think I'll inquire how much it is. My dog eats Canidae currently and seems to do just fine.
I know we discussed primal pets so I thought this would be a good follow up. On their site, they even recommend that a dog have a 24-hour fast once per week from breakfast to breakfast! haha
Posted 3 months ago # -
erik.cisler
MemberThe pre-made raw stuff is a bit too expensive to feed my 85 pound dog, so I just buy meat and organs direct and feed him that way, but it does work well for my cats, who eat far less.
I also fast my dog a couple times a week, and he's in excellent health. Dogs are even more adapted to intermittent fasting than we are.
Millions also seem to do just fine on grains, but we know how that goes. I'd suggest trying raw for two months to be sure.
Posted 3 months ago # -
JamieBelle
MemberMy cockapoo is only 10 pounds. She would need four "nuggets" per day according to their online calculator, so their 4-lb bag would last me roughly two weeks.
I have no idea how much this stuff costs. Right now a 15-lb bag of canidae lasts me about 6 weeks. :) It is a relatively expensive food and all the ingredients are organic with no corn, no fillers, but it is kibble and there is some rice I believe. They do have a grain-free formula I've been thinking about.
Posted 3 months ago # -
erik.cisler
MemberAs far as pre-made raw foods, I'm a fan of http://www.stellaandchewys.com/
Look into the prey model of feeding if you're interested in cutting down on costs and improving a dog's health. A dog that small wouldn't be hard or expensive to feed. Besides, there's nothing quite like watching a dog tear into raw meat, bones, and organs.
Posted 3 months ago # -
AuH2Ogirl
MemberI've been feeding my dog grain-free for quite a while (Orijen). I imagine grains are just as detrimental (if not more) to dogs as people.
I like the idea of raw and have fed mine some - he seems to like it ok. I only wonder why they think dogs need carrots, broccoli, and apples? But they put that stuff in his dry food too, so...
It HAS to be better than kibble, though.
Posted 3 months ago # -
I'm in the process of "primalizing" my dog. hehe.
She's running low on conventional kibble (Science Diet) so we're feeding her that for breakfast, and raw meat (right now turkey tails) for dinner.
She definitely loves the meat.We're going to pick up some Wellness brand grain-free kibble so we can continue giving her kibble in the morning (I might spoon on some cod liver oil for omega 3s since she's getting conventional meat) and we'll keep feeding her meat at night.
Fasting her is a good idea too... I don't think she'd mind.
Posted 3 months ago # -
GotPrimal
MemberI feed my dogs raw.
staple foods are: turkey necks, chicken livers/hearts/wings/breasts, beef heart, marrow bones, cornish game hens..and so on.
Veggie/misc that I give are raw eggs, green beans, fish oil capsules, etc.
The key, is obviously, NOT NOT NOT to cook it. Always raw.
And stay away from veggies that are comprised mostly off cellulose (corn/ corn husks, etc). They CANNOT digest them.
Posted 3 months ago # -
lbd
MemberMy dog and cats get B.G. (stands for Before Grain) kibble and the pooch gets Wellness Grain-free. He is 11 and runs around the yard like a pup. The cats are outside all the time (we have lots of outbuildings) and are very healthy. They also supplement their own diets with mice, voles, and the occasional bird (sorry, birders). I also supplement their diets and the dog's with leftovers from my meals. I am amazed that almost every pet food out there has a first ingredient of corn or wheat. Because we see so many members of the canine and feline family grazing in corn fields, don't we?
Posted 3 months ago # -
JamieBelle
MemberCanidae doesn't have corn or fillers in it. My dog has eaten that since she was 8 weeks old.
I asked today at the pet boutique about pricing. It would cost me approximately $30 a month to feed Bailey the Primal raw foods. Right now I'm spending about $15 to feed her. Money is not really the issue I guess and the increase is minimal.
I'm more concerned about convenience. This food has to be kept frozen and only keeps in the fridge for 3 days. It has to be thawed when they eat it. Obviously boarding her and asking others to keep her when I travel might be an issue since they can't just pour kibble into a bowl. So, I need to keep thinking about it I guess.
We don't travel a lot, but when we do, I want to make life easy for whoever keeps my dog and also make life easy for Bailey while she's in a strange place.
Posted 3 months ago # -
nina_70
MemberWe started our dog on bits of raw chicken at 4 weeks, and she's now fully-raw at 12 weeks. Definitely the best diet for them. She eats the full chicken (all parts w/ bone). The bones keep their teeth squeaky-clean too. We've also introduced beef and some other meats.
If you're looking to go Primal, I would really suggest just starting w/ chicken wing-tips or necks plus some organs. It's so much easier (and cheaper) than the pre-packaged raw. You can buy them in bulk, keep in the freezer...de-frost as needed. If you have a pet-sitter come over while you're gone just ask them to take out a new pack of chicken from the freezer each day...and feed following day. The approx. ratio you want to feed is 80% muscle-meat, 10% bone, 10% organ
Posted 3 months ago # -
nina_70
MemberGotPrimal - All of the raw-feed forums talk about this ratio. It's actually a very similar ratio for cats.
The idea is that you're trying to replicate what a dog or cat would eat naturally (say, wild birds...or a hare/rabbit etc.). So, a rabbit say, has approx. that ratio. That gives the right calcium-to-phosphorus ratio for the meal too. Upping the bone beyond this can whack out the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.
Look-up 80-10-10 ratio on the web or any raw-feeder forum and you'll see a bunch of references. Here's a couple that I just googled right now:
http://www.dogfoodguru.com/209/raw-feeding-basic-guidelines/
http://www.ehow.com/way_5407199_raw-diet-dog-food.htmlPosted 3 months ago # -
nina_70
MemberGotPrimal - Yeah...actually with cats, the bone ratio often goes down to 5% (10% can sometimes be a bit much for cats...and cause constipation). But for dogs, I've always seen the 80/10/10 ratio. As a reference, most of the pre-packaged raw meals out there are between 5-10% bone (Nature's Variety Raw is 10% for example).
Posted 3 months ago # -
BOOO1 I tried to give my puppy (okay, she's 9) bones and she looked at it, licked it and walked away! She will NOT eat/chew bones of any kind. I guess shes too used to kibble. Sigh.
I do give her grain free food now, I suppose Ill try to just feed her organs and meat, no bones. Double sigh.
Posted 3 months ago # -
nina_70
MemberTara tootie - For an older girl, you'll need to try some soft bones first...so try chicken wing-tips (the very end of the wings) or necks. Or, try some raw muscle-meat and then work up to the bones over time. For dogs not used to eating bones, it can take a little while to get into it.
Also...never, ever cook your dog bones. They need to be eaten raw (cooked bones are brittle). Don't know if you cooked it, but wanted to mention that!
Posted 3 months ago # -
Nope, they werent cooked. Will she EAT the wing tips? I have a lot of those all the time, but Im all paranoid she will choke on the little bones or shred her stomach or something horrible.
Posted 3 months ago # -
onelasttime
MemberI feed raw as well. Mostly prey style - chicken, lamb, beef, pork, turkey, ostrich, rabbit and fish or any available game meats. Meals include meat, bone, organs and tripe. My guy doesn't tolerate poultry necks although most people's dog's love them. I don't fast and feed two meals a day.
I buy in bulk from smaller local butchers and spend an hour or so every month and a half portioning meal sized portions.
Older dogs might take a while to get used to it and sometimes fasting a day before helps the transition. Don't be shocked if there is some transition side effects. I switched from Orijen grain free and during the change my guy still got a greasy cost, dirty ears and shed quickly but in a week he was better than ever. Now his teeth are sparkling, he has no breath smell, sheds less and hasn't had a bath in about 9 months. There is also a lot less to clean up in the backyard.
As you can see I am a believer! JB - Oh and I was a vegetarian at the time - talk about being disturbed!
Canadians looking for a premade, I suggest Mountain Dog. They have some with no additives, just meat and bone.
Posted 3 months ago # -
nina_70
Member@Tara tootie - It's totally natural for dogs to eat bone & flesh. And...most dogs will simply chomp down once on the wing-tip (to break the bone) and then swallow. Or, they may even swallow it whole without chomping. Don't be alarmed if that happens....it's completely natural and they *will* digest it (bone and all), as long as it's not cooked. The only time you have to worry about bones getting stuck is when they're cooked...raw bones are naturally digested. I was a little freaked out the first time my 5-week old puppy swallowed a chicken-tip whole, but it's completely normal stuff. Once your dog is used to softer bones you can work up to larger ones...and the dog will spend more time chomping, cracking.
@JamieBelle - I get my chicken from the store. I buy organic as much as I can, but basically just get it there, or from a butcher. Organs too. It's totally and completely natural for dogs to eat bone & flesh...it's what their teeth are made to chew, and their stomachs meant to digest. Dogs have a very acidic stomach designed for raw meat. Feral dogs are scavengers will often eat meat that's been out and rotting for a while, so they are very adapted. And the wonderful thing...it keeps their teeth completely clean! You might be grossed out the 1st time you try it, but I can't tell you how much my dog loves her raw-food. And, she looks awesome (wonderful coat).
@onelasttime - totally agree w/ you. The dog poops are soooooo much nicer on raw-food. Much smaller, not as smelly. The dog uses so much more of the nutrition in the food.
Posted 3 months ago # -
nina_70
MemberHere's my girl eating her lunch. She's about 7-8 weeks here and is chomping on a raw chicken leg:
I should also mention...my girl is a puppy so I started her on one type of protein only (chicken) just to get her into it, but if you go full-time raw it's good to incorporate a range of proteins just like onelasttime is doing. At 12 weeks she's now eating chicken, beef, chicken innards, beef liver and a few other things. We're moving towards incorporating tripe and turkey into the rotation now too.
Posted 3 months ago # -
animalcule
MemberIt's better for their teeth anyway to have whole parts.
I've fed my 2 dogs raw for the last 4 years - at 13 and 10, they have zero health problems. It's great.
I also feed my young cats (4 and 2) raw. It's so cute to see them crunch up and swallow chicken wings and stuff...
I order some from hare-today.com but also buy at local grocery stores (Asian markets have some good stuff) and butchers.
Posted 3 months ago # -
Noturningback
MemberI tried feeding my mini labradoodle (20lbs) no grain food. I tried all the expensive high quality 5 and 6 star brands but they all give him flatulence. The vet said some dogs have difficulty with the high protein content - which I find odd since canines are mostly carnivores. I'm currently feeding him Costco brand and it seems to help but, would I love to put him on the bag of Orijen I have.
Posted 3 months ago # -
nina_70
MemberNoturningback - did you feed wet or dry?
Orijen is dry, I know...and there's a big difference for the animal. The grain-free dry foods, apart from being dry and highly processed (which are problems in and of themselves) are artifically high in protein, specifically because they are dehydrated and highly processed. The protein you'd get from feeding raw food, for example, would be much lower...because you got the protein, plus the fat, plus the moisture/blood, plus the bone etc. It's completeley different.Also, the grain-free dry foods tend to have a bunch of other stuff in them. Orijen has a real mix of ingredients (incl. alfafa, peas, carrots, kelp, spinach etc.) for example...so any one of the those could be causing the flatulence.
If you want to try it, try giving him a bit of real, whole raw food or one of the pre-packaged raw products out there (e.g. Nature's Variety or equivalent). And...introduce it slowly, giving him time to adjust.
Posted 3 months ago # -
http://www.texasgrassfedbeef.com/id77.htm
Slanker's has pet food (organ meats, beef, tallow, ground up, human food grade) for $2.50 a pound. This is how my cats and dog get fed now. The occasional bone to chew, during hunting season there are plenty deer carcasses and such to gnaw on too. Plus the cats get plenty of grasshoppers and mice in our back courtyard.
I think I feed my pets better than 90% of the world is eating.
Posted 2 months ago #
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