I want to Raw feed my dogs and cats.

[dmaffrunti]

I am in central Illinois and I would like to begin feeding my animals a raw diet as nature intended. I am having difficulty finding a butcher/meet processor willing to supply my needs. Do any of you have helpful tips to get me started? 

 

[starrlamia]

check yahoo groups, there are a ton of raw feeding sources there, in fact there is a group called rawfeeding. There are also a lot of co-ops that have groups.

I tend to just go to a few butchers every month and stock up on whatever is on sale.

If you are really wanting to go the really natural route you can look into prey model diet.

[miss_sonja]

I don't have a dog, so no info there, but we raw feed our two boy kitties. They're 13 and 12 and have been all raw for the past couple years. They get chicken from Costco (best price in the area, but more important, it has no added salt) and organ meats for treats--hearts and such. I give my boys a leg in the morning and another in the evening. They get to chew that chicken bone in between. It doesn't have to be complicated. We spend less on the raw than we did on their supposedly necessary special canned diet.

Their teeth are in better shape than since they were kittens. Their cat box smells very lightly, not the heavy gross poop smell as when they were on dry kibble or canned. And they LOVE it.

[pradiata]

I went with frozen prepared raw food when I switched our cats and dog over a few years ago. I had tried years before that - when the prepared foods weren't as available - and as a vegan found myself overwhelmed by trying to handle raw meat. I'm still kind of grossed out by the frozen stuff - we get bags of patties and defrost them in the fridge - but it's no worse than canned food. I've been told it's more expensive this way, but it's the only way my beloved critters are gonna get it, so there you go!

[foreverinbluejeans]

A problem with raw is that humans might get sick form animals that eat raw. Animals that go into places like stores, hospitals, nursing homes, ect. are not supposed to eat raw. People with suppressed immune systems are not supposed to feed their animals raw. If you have children it might put them at risk.

Dogs ate raw animals that they caught. That is different from getting raw meat at the store.

[starrlamia]

as long as you use common sense and good hygiene your chances of getting sick from feeding raw is very very small.

[Mirzam]

Originally Posted by foreverinbluejeans 

A problem with raw is that humans might get sick form animals that eat raw. Animals that go into places like stores, hospitals, nursing homes, ect. are not supposed to eat raw. People with suppressed immune systems are not supposed to feed their animals raw. If you have children it might put them at risk.

Dogs ate raw animals that they caught. That is different from getting raw meat at the store.

This is ignorant misinformation on the part of public health authorities, although it is far from surprising that they spout this stuff. A dog's digestive tract is much shorter than a human's and is beautifully designed to eat raw meat and to handle the [so called] pathogens, actually so is a human digestive tract quite able to eat raw meat, but that's a whole different post. Dogs are more likely to get parasites etc from wild caught animals that USDA approved meat from the grocery stores. Kibble is no safer than raw meat either when it comes to bacteria.
 

[starrlamia]

dogs can get pathogens as well, it is just much more unlikely, i do know people who have had their dogs contract salmonella from raw. However it is few and far between, there is also the possibility that they would shed the pathogen, however again, unlikely.
 

Originally Posted by Mirzam 

This is ignorant misinformation on the part of public health authorities, although it is far from surprising that they spout this stuff. A dog's digestive tract is much shorter than a human's and is beautifully designed to eat raw meat and to handle the [so called] pathogens, actually so is a human digestive tract quite able to eat raw meat, but that's a whole different post. Dogs are more likely to get parasites etc from wild caught animals that USDA approved meat from the grocery stores. Kibble is no safer than raw meat either when it comes to bacteria.
 

[Ola_]

Originally Posted by Mirzam 

Dogs are more likely to get parasites etc from wild caught animals that USDA approved meat from the grocery stores. Kibble is no safer than raw meat either when it comes to bacteria.
 

Absolutely!  There have even been studies that show how much bacteria (either salmonella or e-coli) is on the surface of most dog foods.  And when commercial food/treats are recalled they almost always say that the product is unlikely to pose a risk to the dogs eating it, rather the issue is that humans may give it to the dog and then not wash their hands and get sick themselves.

One should also consider that raw-fed dogs have much cleaner teeth than if they eat kibble (unless you feed all ground food in which case there is not nearly as much difference).  Dogs with clean teeth have much less bacteria in their mouth.

[Mirzam]

Originally Posted by starrlamia 

dogs can get pathogens as well, it is just much more unlikely, i do know people who have had their dogs contract salmonella from raw. However it is few and far between, there is also the possibility that they would shed the pathogen, however again, unlikely.
 

Dogs already have the "pathogens" in their gut flora, they don't really get them so to speak. A dog in less than optimal health, ie made sick through vaccinations, chemical wormers, flea and tick and other meds and on a poor diet, ie cheap grocery store kibble made with mostly grain, might have an issue, but even then it would be a detox. Of course the vet would blame its symptoms on on something like salmonella because that would likely be present in stool samples, but that doesn't mean to say the dog is sick from salmonella poisoning.

[foreverinbluejeans]

My works in the meat department of a natural food store. If you are going to feed your dog raw it would be very good to get to know someone in the meat department of a natural food type store that will give you the freshest meat. He tells me awful stories about some of the things they sell and they are supposed to be a great store. We only eat meat he cuts and he knows is okay. You don't want to get old meat to feed your dog. You want to get the best you can get. If you have a big dog it could get expensive.

[Mirzam]

Originally Posted by foreverinbluejeans 

My works in the meat department of a natural food store. If you are going to feed your dog raw it would be very good to get to know someone in the meat department of a natural food type store that will give you the freshest meat. He tells me awful stories about some of the things they sell and they are supposed to be a great store. We only eat meat he cuts and he knows is okay. You don't want to get old meat to feed your dog. You want to get the best you can get. If you have a big dog it could get expensive.

I don't meant to get at you, but I think your post would likely be very off putting for someone embarking on feed their dog a species appropriate raw diet and it is really misinformation. To reiterate, a dog's digestive tract is much shorter than a humans, and the microbes in raw meat travel more quickly though their system, so rarely causes them digestive problems. Dogs share 99.8% of their DNA with wolves, do you think wolves never eat old meat? I can tell you my dog does, he sometimes buries meat and raw meaty bones, only to dig them up and eat it a few days later with no ill-effects. One thing I do agree with you is, that it is certainly best for our dogs to have pasture-raised, organic meats rather than the mass produced conagra meat sold by many grocery stores. And yes, it can expensive, especially if you have a mastiff like I do. But high quality kibble which is no "safer" than raw meat, is also very expensive, maybe moreso, especially with a giant breed dog.

[babygirlie]

how? Unless you're swapping spit or licking your hands after shoving them into a dog's mouth I don't follow this logic at all

[babygirlie]

I think what she means is you should feed fresh raw not old. When you buy your meat make sure it is pink and healthy and get it into the freezer asap. Organs should be added to your raw meat as well as a multi vitamin. HUMANS ca eat raw meat even. Lord knows I ate a ton as a kid. You just need to be sure it's not sitting around gaining salmonella

[Mirzam]

Originally Posted by babygirlie 

I think what she means is you should feed fresh raw not old. When you buy your meat make sure it is pink and healthy and get it into the freezer asap. Organs should be added to your raw meat as well as a multi vitamin. HUMANS ca eat raw meat even. Lord knows I ate a ton as a kid. You just need to be sure it's not sitting around gaining salmonella

I know she means that, but my dog can eat old meat that has been buried in the back yard for days and not get sick. I also know about the ratio of organ meat to bone to raw meat, I am an experienced raw feeder. Dogs on a varied raw prey model diet generally don't need multi vitamins, a variety of meats contains all the vitamins and minerals it needs. Wolves don't take multi vitamins to supplement their diet.