we still have "butchers" here in Australia. these are usually local shops, that sell meat. After they have cut up the large sides of beef, they are left with some bones. The bones you are after are the breast bone, which is usually discarded as waste, but is good for dogs. Get them to cut the bone (which is about 1 metre (about 1 yard) long), into the size that is good (mine are cut into chunks about 7.5cm (about 3 inches)) or whatever size you want. The cutting is done on a bandsaw so no effort on their behalf. The advantage is that there is no debris left for the motor mower to fling at your windows, or for insects to settle on. Even at the supermarkets there are some to be had, but find out from the meat section when they get deliveries. You will pay more at the supermarkets, but you should not pay more than necessary.
Less expensive raw food?
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I've been feeding my two Bs Steve's Real Food - it comes as frozen chunks in a 10-lb. bag. Both dogs love it and do very well on it. Neither of them seem to tolerate dry food, though. Anytime that one gets diarrhea, it's generally from eating a lot of kibble (Merrick's Wilderness Blend).
I'd stick with the Steve's Real Food but it's really expensive. $30/bag, and I'm going through three bags each month.
Any recommendations on a similar raw food that doesn't cost as much?
Thanks in advance!
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How about real raw food? Not sure where you're located, but there are a number of raw food groups that could help you find what you're looking for (check out Yahoo groups). I feed my boy raw for about $1/lb. He gets about 1/2 lb. a day, so he's fed for $.50 a day, pretty much.
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My boxer is on raw because of food allergies. They kept raising the prices over 3 months so eventually it was costing me $70. per week! I bought my own grinder over the internet. It's in between a commercial and home use one and should work for me. Because she does have allergies, I have started with a base of hamburger only (her sire is allergic to chicken) and will start adding things to it. There is also a vitamin called Bio Vites that can be added to raw food for people who make their own raw. Right now it's costing me about $20 per week to feed a 65 lb dog. Just a thought you might want to keep in mind if prices keep going up. While I am limited in what I can give her, you could add your own ingredients. I believe it's about 10% organ meat, 10% veggies, and whole eggs crushed in, shells and all in a base of food. I'm still working on my levels, but it's something I had to do. If I get it right, I may change the Basenji's over as well. I know they do better on raw than kibble, but it will be something to think about.
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Well, I may try making the raw food for the Bs. Does anyone have a good recipe (including both ingredients and process - I've never done this before and can't even cook for myself!)? Do I need a food processor of some kind?
Lori
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I know you'll need a grinder that can grind bones, which is why I opted for one of the stronger ones. Chicken bones are fairly easy to grind up, they are light bones. I'm sure if you look on the internet, there are raw food groups that can help you. Like I said, I am limited, here's one website that had a listing: http://www.animalhomeopathy.net/id19.html.
Here's another link on FAQ that I found interesting as well. http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html
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Here is what Only Natural Pet carries, maybe it might give an idea of what Raw brands are out there, http://search.onlynaturalpet.com/search.aspx?searchterms=raw-pet-food
