Bruce Farm Pets

Raw Feeding

Dogs are carnivores, and as such they thrive on a diet that a wild canine would eat. Domestication and 50 years of eating grain-based bagged food has not changed their digestive system. I feed my dogs raw meat and bone and organ meats. They do very well on this diet.

My raw food comes from my local grocery store, Walmart, and hunters. I had to pester the meat dept manager in my grocery store to order chicken necks and backs, but he finally did (40# boxes). I can get leg quarters from walmart for about 50 cents/lb and use a meat cleaver to chop into smaller pieces (for small pups that would be 1/2 or 1/3). I add beef or chicken liver 1-2 X week, about 1/3 - 1/2 of meat portion (too much will cause loose stools). For any meat that doesn't have easily chewed bones, or no bones (ground meats, steaks) I sprinkle bone meal (from the garden center) on it. (if the stool is loose add more bone, if it is too hard cut back on bone). Too little bone is not healthy, extra bone will just pass through (white chalky poop).
Variety in meats is good so I feed chicken (leg quarters, backs, necks), turkey (ground and necks), pork (neck bones, ribs, steak), beef (heart, burger), deer, or anything else I can come up with that is cheaper. You can also feed canned sardines and mackerel, as well as eggs with the shell.

I also give them some plain yogurt or kefir periodically, you can feed it every day.

If you want to add veggies you need to lightly steam and/or puree them so that the dog can digest them, there are companies that sell veggie "glop" to add to the raw.Â

The Salmon oil and Vit E are highly beneficial, C is also good but it isn't necessary.

There are several raw feeders who feed raw tripe/beef stomach (it is green/brown, smells nasty, dogs go nuts over it, and it is excellent for the digested veggie factor.) Available from coops and cooperative butchers (mine is not).Â

There is a recent thread on leerburg for raw suppliers                                                        Â
 http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=12&Number=166516&Searchpage=1&Main=17206&Words=raw+food+suppliers&topic=0&Search=true#Post166516

The only word of caution is that 50% of poultry has camplobactor, which can mimic Parvo in an already sick dog, so I don't feed poultry to my little puppies. I would would wait a week or two before feeding your guy poultry because of the stress of the move.

I'm not spending much more on the raw than I was on the nearly wholesale kibble. My dogs (and cats) look and act better, less shedding, clean teeth, no bad breath, no allergies, 1/4 the poop, neither myself, my husband, or my kids (4 & 7) have been sick from the house dogs eating raw (in their crates or outside).

I never see bone chunks in dog poop, BUT some of my dogs have eaten spilled corn, milo, and wheat from our farm. It ALWAYS passes through intact and will then sprout. They cannot digest grains.

Visit www.leerburg.com for excellent dog and puppy training articles as well as details about healthy raw diets and vaccinations for dogs.
www.rawmeatybone.com books and newsletter written by a vet.
http://www.belfield.com/pdfs/Partial_Spay.pdf has info on spay vs hysterectomy for female dogs.
www.rawfeddogs.net for raw recipes
www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm#pork has answers about the BARF diet for dogs.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/index.php

These companies sell prepared raw food diets, some include grain-free, raw kibble and freeze dried raw products:
www.orijen.com
www.tasteofthewild.com
www.InnovaEvo.com
www.omaspride.com
www.urbancarnivore.com
www.naturesvariety.com
www.primalpetfoods.com
www.animalfood.com
www.auntjeni.com
www.bravorawdiet.com
www.celestialpets.com
www.farmoredogfood.com
www.grandadspetfoods.com
www.halshan.com
www.naturalbalanceinc.com
www.naturesmenu.com
www.rawadvantagepetfood.com
www.stevesrealfood.com
www.threecheersrawraw.com
www.rawfeeder.com
www.happyhealthydogs.com/sojos