I love that picture of Zeus at the end! I found this post very helpful – sometimes it's easier to grasp the concept if you can see the pictures. I didn't know that the supermarket sold chicken legs with the backs attached! Of course, I don't eat much meat myself – so hanging out at the meat counter is not something I spend a lot of time doing! Don't get me wrong – I know it's still important for the dogs to eat meat, and now I know what to look for. I'm wondering – have you done any research into how the antibiotics administered to chickens might affect a dog (if any)?

Jim, The same can be said of an organic diet and people. Yes, it does cost more, but in the long run, eating healthy food is better for all of us.

I made this comment on another blog post, and it fits here, too. The cost of your dog's diet HAS to include related medical care. If feeding kibble causes various ailments and diseases that need to be diagnosed and treated, isn't that part of the food cost? I think along the same vein that Michele mentioned, humans are discovering the total cost of eating junk food and many lifestyle diseases that humans suffer from (heart attack, diabetes, etc.) are diet-related. Wouldn't the same be true of our dogs? Remember the old Fram oil commercial (maybe not since you're Canadian), but the punch line was “You can pay me now, or pay me later.”

Feeding your dog raw can even be cheaper than $50/month if you keep an eye out for the sales. I buy all Jersey's meat at my local Asian foods market. Last week I bought chicken livers and mackerel on sale. The dog food bill for this month is $15! If I was really crazy, I could have really stocked up and loaded up the deep freeze. Feeding top quality food *is* worth it! Jersey is almost 7YO and most people think that she is a puppy.

Now that's what I'm talkin' bout!! Thanks Karen. =)

Amy, a lot of the commercial raw pet food I buy is non-medicated & antibiotic free, brands such as Red Dog Deli a Vancouver based company, but for the grocery store stuff, I don't worry too much about whether it's non-mecicated or not because I eat the meats from the grocery store myself.

Non non-medicated meats are still far far better for a dog than commercial kibble, for which the meat sources would also be from animals administered medications and hormones, with the exception of a couple of brands like Orijen and I think Evo, to name two. Of course both of those are still extruded (cooked).

It's common sense really isn't it? Yet some people staunchly oppose feeding raw for one reason or another. Like I said in an earlier post, the pet food companies and those veterinarians that are in bed with them, have done a fantastic job of brainwashing people into believing that the crap they would have us feed our dogs is better than what mother nature has provided for thousands of years. Quite arrogant if you ask me.

Yes, I totally agree that even meat from medicated animals would be better than kibble. Avoiding all the medications and hormones is one of the reasons that I don't eat much meat – with the exception of bacon once in a while, which I just can't seem to resist! I guess when buying for the dogs I'd stay away from liver, since that is the body's filtering mechanism and try focus on as much organic and free-range meat products as possible. When doing what's best to feed our dogs, we should also try to support a humane existence for the animals they'll be eating.

I like that “pay now or pay later!” Plus don't forget exercise! Too many dogs and cats are indoor w/out enough exercise. I don't know about you, but my dogs were outdoor growing up so they got plenty of room to run! We lived in the country. So good food + exercise and you have a winning combination!

Good post Jim! I find that Wal-Mart and Target here have sales you just have to look out for. If you have a big freeze you can stock up easily.

[...] most read post on Doggy Bytes this week was 9 Low Cost Foods You Can Buy to Start Your Dog on a Raw Diet which I find encouraging because maybe that means more people are interested in feeding their dogs [...]

I think I am going to have to start Suede on a Raw Meat diet because her stool just hasn't been right since I adopted her. The only time it has truly been firm is when I cooked up some chicken, rice and pumpkin for her because she had a severe case of the runs and was dropping serious weight. Nothing is wrong with her though…so maybe she just needs some viand au natural! I will keep you posted on her progress!

I actually just realized that I had a question. I realize you are not a medical professional but are a great resource for just such a question. I actually have 2 dogs – A Pit Mix 65+ Lbs and a Lhasa 8lbs wet – if I wanted to put them both on a raw meaty bone diet…would grinding down any raw meaty bone be counter productive to such a diet? My thought is that if I could grind it down, not only could I freeze it but I could also feed both dogs the same food regardless of the size of the bones and the chunks. Thoughts? Anyone?

Funny thing is that being half German, my grandfather was no stranger to eating raw chopped meat on bread so of course I am not stranger to it either…so could never figure out why it was “okay” for us – because there are those that might argue that we should not be eating raw meat – but not okay for our dogs – known carnivores!

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the traditional Inuit diet;

“Vitamin C is obtained through sources such as caribou liver, kelp, whale skin, and seal brain; because these foods are typically eaten raw or frozen, the vitamin C they contain, which would be destroyed by cooking, is instead preserved.“

Personally I like my meat cooked, but it is quite apparent that some cultures have thrived on eating certain kinds of meats raw.

Hey Rachel.

Grinding the bone would eliminate the periodontal benefits (which is a big one), but the benefits of a firmer stool to express anal glands and most of the nutritional benefits of the bone would remain.

I don't measure Sweety and Zeus' portions, but Sweety (approx 40lbs) gets approximately 3/4 of a pound of raw meaty bones per day, give or take, and Zeus gets about 1lb per day.

I eyeball their weight. If they look like they could lose a couple of pounds I cut it back, but they're pretty bang on. You can see pictures ot them on my Flickr Group.

Oh, and if your two pooches “rock”, feel free too upload some pics of them to the group. =D

Fire away if you have any more questions.

Yep, raw meat AND bone Rachel. =]

[...] written in many of my posts about how I try and feed my dogs as much variety as I can, and that I rarely feed them same thing two days in a row. Once a week or so they get green ground [...]