[Sam1491]

So i feed mabel some raw(chicken leg and thighs) but not exclusively that currently. We feed canidae als, and get a 44lb bag for the month at around $55, her chicken leg and thighs, i can get 40lbs of for $24 and some change and that lasts a little over a month(40 days) I am happy with the dry but the raw is obviously better. Her coat gets a bit shinier and well of course she loves to eat it
When she does have it she gets one leg/thigh a day(roughly 2/3rds to 1 lb per piece) with about 1 cup dry(depending on if she was playing/running/etc and how much and what i feel like) and the occasional raw egg, plus her fresh factors and seameal powder.

-If i were to switch to raw and give her a whole chicken (all the "tasty" stuff and all) i have a few questions:

-Do I have to grind it? or could i just get the chickens that are cut in half and split feed her two meals?

Are uncooked rib bones from a chicken too small? She takes her time and is good about chewing her leg and thighs now but the size of rib bones makes me a bit uncomfortable.

-If she was getting a whole chicken a day, would she need any supplements? or shouldn't all the organ meat kind of cover that the same as in the wild?

-If I just did leg and thighs with portioned out organ meats, would that be enough of everything she needs without needing/having to supplement?
-Do I even need organ meat, or is just the leg and thighs more than fine for her everyday diet alone?

I'm interested in the raw but don't want to have to be supplementing like crazy, the premades are too pricey for me, and i dont own a grinder nor like to grind. I would do just the chicken leg and thighs but i'm sure that isn't enough of all the vitamins/minerals/etc... that she needs that organ meat could offer.

I've gone through so many sites and it all just blurs together and its hard to find clear direct answers on the specific questions I have.

So i guess my biggest question(s) summed up is:
Is she fine with simple leg and thighs as her sole diet or is more required and if so what...

 

[sam&macksmom]

Chicken alone is not a sufficient raw diet. She needs a variety of proteins. I do not grind any of the meat/bones, although some people do.

I follow a prey model diet and this is what I feed:

5-10% organs (1/2 of this amount is liver)
10-15% edible bones
80-85% muscle meat

beef
venison
bison
elk
rabbitt
fish
turkey
goat
mutton

Plus:
varieties of organ meat
tripe

 

[ShelianDobe]

I too feed a prey model diet as Sam&Macksmom does. She is correct you cannot just feed one protein source. You must feed a wide variety of Meat, Organ and Bone. I feed much more "red" meat than I do Poultry, although I do feed Chicken, Turkey and my boy gets a whole Turkey neck once a week to help keep his smile bright and sparkly.

The only time I feed anything ground is when Wheeler goes with his handler to shows. I always send ground to make it easier on Tina. That way she doesn't have to clean anything other than the bone, I know he is getting the correct ratio of meat/bone/organ and there are no worries about him choking on anything (not that I have ever had a problem).

I order a lot of my food from My Pet Carnivore. MPC delivers to WI as well as several other states. In addition, I purchase from my grocery store, local butcher, local game processors, etc.

 

[Coco Loco]

I also feed raw. Coco eats a lot of chicken but also fish, beef, pork, oxtail and organs. Remember that heart is not considered an organ when feeding raw. Coco loves all kinds of hearts from various animals. I am lucky to have a raw food pet supply around the corner from me. I don't buy premade raw since I like to know what I feed and it's expensive. I do buy ground chicken and turkey with bone in bc I don't have a grinder. I also buy meat on sale at the grocery store.

Going raw is a bit intimidating at first but so worthwhile. Once you get the hang of it it's second nature. Coco has been on raw for 2 years and I will never go back to kibble. I do give her some coconut oil and/or fish oil regularly but I don't supplement with anything else. Good luck! :butfly:

 

[LindaH]

If your dogs chew up bones well, it is better to give bones whole as they clean the teeth. All chicken bones are fine to give, including the soft rib bones. There is a lot of info on raw feeding in the DogAware site below in my signature.

 

[longshot4me]

I just started raw, and I also use mypetcarnivore, as well as my local butcher, and I get quartered chicken from Target.

It was hard at first- and I worried alot about whether or not she was getting everything she needs, but it's easy now and her coat gleams and she's gaining weight appropriately for her age- all the encouragement I need

The only supplements she gets is Dasuquin, which is a joint supplement (for ears and growing joints) and a wild salmon 1200mg fish oil once a day.