Raw feeding + questions - Thread 1 of 2

I have scrolled through the pages & have been unsuccessful at finding the answers to a few questions.

1) needing to integrate a variety of raw foods into my dogs diets. Locally, what are the best (cheapest places)? I live in Florence, KY (and if you know someone that sells raw foods, great), but I was thinking more along the line of type of establishment.
2) We have a processing plant here for turkey. The kids have been on this diet for sometime now, but b/c it's not intended for humans, I'm wondering if it's still "good"/"okay". It's primarily meat and attached is a little gristle. The local zoo also uses this to feed their animals.
3) Their food usually consists of raw turkey meat, chicken bones, the occasional liver, gizzards, hearts, ground/cooked veggies (w/garlic & rosemary), and about 1/4C of either brown rice or barley. I'm curious about the garlic, I've read differing views. Same w/grains. I find that if I leave the grain out, they begin to look too skinny. I do use it as a

Asked by Member 1080545 on Dec 29th 2011 Tagged rawfood, garlic, grains, brownrice, barley, wheretobuyrawfood, vegetables, rosemary, veggies in Food & Nutrition


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Bruno CGC

Hey there, it sounds like your dogs have a really great life.

I recommend using the Forums section instead of Answers, and making a full profile so people can send you private messages (a feature not available to Guest posters.) It's free and easy. In Forums we can ask questions back and forth, here in Answers I'm limited to what you posted in your Question.

As far as I know, meat "not fit for human consumption" is A-Okay for dogs if it's not spoiled or treated with chemicals or anything. Leftovers from a turkey processor sound ideal. Gristle/cartilage is great- provides good chewing/teeth cleaning, and is pretty digestible. Anyway, the "byproducts" that go into most commercial dog food are even yuckier.

Grain is up to you- if your dogs do better including it, don't leave it out for the sake of ideology because it's not "raw". Most breeds of dog have been heavily selected over millennia for the ability to digest grain because it's what humans eat.


Gray Dawn Treader

1. Can't help you much there, I live in GA. I hunt down deals with the grocery store and meat market, and can get an adequate variety that way. I know someone who hunts as well and hope to get some meat from him sometime.

2. Sounds like it'll work for you.

3. Garlic is fine in small amounts.
You can tell if they're overweight or not by feeling the ribs. Overweight, it's hard or impossible to feel them. (Most domestic dogs are overweight.) Ideal, you can feel them fairly easily. Underweight, you can feel the ribs too easily, and possibly see them, too. (Though there are some breeds where it's considered normal to see the ribs, mostly sighthounds like Greyhounds.) Just throwing that out there.
I've never tried using grain as a filler, but I've heard of people doing that. I assume it works. Grains won't really hurt them, but a dog's digestive system wasn't designed for them either. Domestication has changed much, but it didn't change them into omnivores. They still have the same digestive tract as a wolf



1). A lot of raw feeders will buy and get their meat off Craigslist or Kijiji and they say it's the cheapest. However, I get all my meat at a regular grocery store. Asian markets are a great place to get exotic meats and a great place to get great deals on meats. Here's a list of slaughterhouses who you could contact about picking up their slaughtered meat:

2). It sounds fine, I'd feed it.

3). Garlic is fine, garlic is used to ward off fleas and ticks and is also great for the skin and coat. I sprinkle garlic in my dogs food, daily. Garlic is fine for dogs in small amounts. I'm not a huge fan of grains, I'd rather leave them out but some people think grains are needed. I don't believe they are needed, but it's OK to feed them grains.

Member 930032 answered on 12/29/11. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer